08-19-2024, 01:12 PM
(08-19-2024, 11:24 AM)F Gump Wrote: Your examples don't really support your point.
If the standard is Malone, Barkley, Shaq, those players played similar and even MORE minutes/mpg than Luka is playing, year after year. And they were all beasts, playing a VERY physical game that was way more brutal than today's version.
It's on Luka to perceive if he thinks he has a need, and then condition himself to go to war. If he doesn't, he doesn't -- but you aren't going to get him to sit, when the previous and current all-time greats didn't sit. They expect to play a lot.
If Luka wants to be in better condition, the Mavs can't do it for him. Putting him in bubble wrap won't fix the issue either. It's his career, his legacy, his shot at titles, and how he pursues it (or doesn't) will be up to him.
Point being he is who he is. Dude started to drink a beer after winning the West, before Fin took it. That speaks volumes. I hope he changes it and becomes Lebron, or even a shadow of Lebron's taking care of his body, but I just don't see that happening.
This said, all you can do is manage his time on the court and off the ball (again like Lebron).