With Millsap going down and the whole Boozer vs Millsap debate we've had.....
Do guys think that maybe Jerry Sloan's coaching style and way he teaches players to play can really wear them down physically? If they got rid of Boozer and Millsap goes down similar to how he just did they are going to be in some serious trouble even if they have another star on the perimeter, wouldn't you guys agree?
Actually, 'koast, I don't agree at all. I think of all systems, Sloan's is one of those that de-emphasizes athleticism and emphasizes ball- and player-movement, and as such, MINIMIZES injuries. I made that argument several years ago, when Karl Malone went to the Lakers, and I predicted that he'd miss several games due to injury. Folks said I was crazy, because Malone had missed so few games in his career. While I didn't see Malone missing as many as he did, or the injury being as severe as it was, it was a very foreseeable thing - an older player who has played his career in a system that keeps his two feet on the floor going to a team where he'd be asked to be more of a high-flyer.
If you look at Utah's injury history, you'll see that the players who end up most injured are the high-flying athletes - like Kirilenko. (I think Brewer will end up in this category as well.) That's pretty much what you expect. Then you've got the older, undersized players who play power games - folks like Harpring. There's only so much beating a body will take before it wears down, and that's the case with Harpring. Boozer has been an unusual case. Millsap's injury is much like those few that Karl Malone had - reasonably minor, but not overly surprising given his style of play.
