Kevin Durant fails to bench 185 at combine

[BWillie]

http://www.fearthebeard.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/orlando-2007-complete-results.xls

Kevin Durant was the ONLY player in the entire NFL combine to not be able to bench 185 one time. Sports readio was REALLY rippin' on him today. Greg Oden also was faster and could jump higher than Durant, which was still a suprise. A 33.5 vert for Durant still isn't too shabby though. Other lows was Marist point guard Jared Jordan with a 14 inch vertical leap.

Julian Wright benched 185 twice, and excelled at the agility drill especially for a big man.

Looks like Greg Oden has solidified himself as the #1 pick, and these combine results clearly show the huge gap between the NFL and any other sport in regards to athleticism, explosiveness, speed, and strength.

[ChiefsOne]

Sad

[Silock]

That didn't stop him from being completely dominant in college.

Look, in an NBA training regimine, he'll get stronger. There are other players that are successful and aren't the strongest guys on the floor.

[Dunit35]

http://www.fearthebeard.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/orlando-2007-complete-results.xls

Kevin Durant was the ONLY player in the entire NFL combine to not be able to bench 185 one time. Sports readio was REALLY rippin' on him today. Greg Oden also was faster and could jump higher than Durant, which was still a suprise. A 33.5 vert for Durant still isn't too shabby though. Other lows was Marist point guard Jared Jordan with a 14 inch vertical leap.

Julian Wright benched 185 twice, and excelled at the agility drill especially for a big man.

Looks like Greg Oden has solidified himself as the #1 pick, and these combine results clearly show the huge gap between the NFL and any other sport in regards to athleticism, explosiveness, speed, and strength.


Ha, not being able to lift 185 will not get him in this league.

[BWillie]

That didn't stop him from being completely dominant in college.

Look, in an NBA training regimine, he'll get stronger. There are other players that are successful and aren't the strongest guys on the floor.

I almost completely agree. Durants game isn't power like the likes of Lebron James. It's alot of quick moves, the 3 point shot, and the pull up J. He'll get stronger, all it takes is a little bit of discipline and hard work. But you can't name any prime time scorers in the league that are even close to that weak. Hell, Kirk Hinrich even benched 12 at the combine.

[TrickyNicky]

What did Manute bench when he came into the league, I wonder?

[HolmeZz]

That's insanely weak, but it ain't gonna mess with his draft stock. He's going 2.

[ChiefsCountry]

Tall guys with long skinny arms suck at bench. I couldnt bench that much but I was still pretty strong. The test they should use is the power clean. It shows your all-around strength.

[doomy3]

I'm tired of all these College Basketball players trying to become NFL players. Not everyone is Tony Gonzales. :cuss:

[Buehler445]

I don't know about this dude. I always watched him and thought he shouldn't be scoring so much. It just seemed like he didn't have the physical tools other players had. Also, they always talked about his work ethic and discepline, and how he ran up some hill blah blah blah. But when I was in HS my coach encouraged me to spend a boatload of time in the weight room. It not only improved the physical aspect of my game, but gave me the strength to make complex moves, and vastly improved my quickness and verticle through plyometrics. It baffles me how he could not have done this.

[Rain Man]

What did Manute bench when he came into the league, I wonder?

Two lion cubs and a bag of cassava root.

[Rain Man]

A college basketball player has a 14-inch vertical? That has to be a typo. I'm middle-aged and getting paunchy, and I've got a 14-inch vertical.

[Pitt Gorilla]

It should be noted that these guys were a bit out of their element going up against real NFL prospects.

185? Good Lord, I don't think I knew anyone on our HS football team that couldn't bench 185.

[Ultra Peanut]

Oh no, he's going to freefall!

[sedated]

Kevin Durant was the ONLY player in the entire NFL combine to not be able to bench 185 one time.

he's f*cked as a WR. Good thing he's bad-ass basketball player.

[Pushead2]

he's f*cked as a WR. Good thing he's bad-ass basketball player.
:)

[Ebolapox]

Oh no, he's going to freefall!

all the way to nine, I hope :p

[Silock]

I almost completely agree. Durants game isn't power like the likes of Lebron James. It's alot of quick moves, the 3 point shot, and the pull up J. He'll get stronger, all it takes is a little bit of discipline and hard work. But you can't name any prime time scorers in the league that are even close to that weak. Hell, Kirk Hinrich even benched 12 at the combine.

Yeah, but he's still 19 years old. He's probably not even finished with his growth spurt yet.

[Ultra Peanut]

all the way to nine, I hope :pAnd by nine, you mean four.

[chiefbowe82]

how many times did oden get it....link won't work for me

[KevB]

Like Jay Bilas told Colin Cowherd today.....when the NBA stops the game to do a quick bench press drill to score points, is the day I care. Are you guys serious? How much does TMac bench? How about Dirk? What about Yao? You think Garnett throws up multiple reps at 185? Think Nash blows people away in the gym? Rip Hamilton? I can go on....
This guy torched every good team and player he faced. It's about SKILL. He can shoot the lights out, he's long, quick and has basketball skills. Is strength important? Sure, it can be. But to think this "combine" has any bearing on his ability to perform is hilarious.

[chiefbowe82]

Like Jay Bilas told Colin Cowherd today.....when the NBA stops the game to do a quick bench press drill to score points, is the day I care. Are you guys serious? How much does TMac bench? How about Dirk? What about Yao? You think Garnett throws up multiple reps at 185? Think Nash blows people away in the gym? Rip Hamilton? I can go on....
This guy torched every good team and player he faced. It's about SKILL. He can shoot the lights out, he's long, quick and has basketball skills. Is strength important? Sure, it can be. But to think this "combine" has any bearing on his ability to perform is hilarious.
I agree Durant shoots lights out and can jump out of the jym.

[BWillie]

It should be noted that these guys were a bit out of their element going up against real NFL prospects.

185? Good Lord, I don't think I knew anyone on our HS football team that couldn't bench 185.

Wow you must have a hell of a high school team. In high school, they always made everybody on our team 15 pounds and 2 inches taller on the Roster Handout. There were countless guys on our varsity team that didn't bench 185, and we made state every year. What they count as a squat and a bench in high school is laughable. Now if you are talking about most starters, then I would agree. I think in high school, speed is more important than weight. You see countless 5-11 155 guys with 4.4's getting schollys to D1 and D2 schools that put on 30-40 pounds in college and become real athletic specimans.

[the Talking Can]

so what, I don't care if he couldn't bench redrum's mom's herpes....you'd be the dumbest mother ****er alive - next to rerun - to not draft him...

[Marlboro_Chief]

The bench press is not exactly designed for a tall person to begin with.

[Mecca]

He'll go in the 2 spot like he's always thought......I don't think there's ever been a question with anyone as far as the NBA that Oden wasn't going in front of him.....

Kevin Durant could have done all that stuff great and he'd still be in the exact same spot behind Oden so it doesn't really matter.

[SPchief]

He'll go in the 2 spot like he's always thought......I don't think there's ever been a question with anyone as far as the NBA that Oden wasn't going in front of him.....

Kevin Durant could have done all that stuff great and he'd still be in the exact same spot behind Oden so it doesn't really matter.


Wow, I actually agree with Mecca for a change.

[BWillie]

The bench press is not exactly designed for a tall person to begin with.

Its just another excuse people use. I know plenty of tall powerlifters that can outlift short powerlifters in the same weight class. It's not going to make much of a difference. Ask all the tall O-Lineman in the NFL how hard it is to bench a shitload of weight, they are the strongest guys in the NFL. I understand it is true to a very small degree, as physics does show that the shorter person is doing a little less "work" as a shorter person doesn't lift it as great range of motion.

You have to look at it this way too. You are at an advantage if you ARE taller. I'm 5-10 and 190. They say add 5 to 10 pounds per inch depending on your build. So lets say 7 pounds for me. If I was 6-6, I would weigh 246. At this height I would be genetically superior and naturally larger in mass, I would certainly be able to lift more weight which would most definitely overcome the small height disadvantage taller lifters have.

[Silock]

Speaking of excuses... picking on this issue is just an excuse to try and downplay the dominance of KD from last year.

[CoMoChief]

It's hard for long lanky guys to bench press. Players like Wright and Durant have to push the bar further than most pepople.

[BWillie]

Speaking of excuses... picking on this issue is just an excuse to try and downplay the dominance of KD from last year.

Hands down the best player in the college game last year. It's funny how people over look that. The media sucks on Oden's dong, they don't even care that he was born in 1949 and is a Vietnam War Vet.

[Silock]

It's hard for long lanky guys to bench press. Players like Wright and Durant have to push the bar further than most pepople.

Dude, I don't even work out and I can bench 185.

[Silock]

they don't even care that he was born in 1949 and is a Vietnam War Vet.
ROFL ROFL ROFL ROFL

[CoMoChief]

Dude, I don't even work out and I can bench 185.

So can I, but I'm just saying in general. You will know more tall lanky guys that are outright terrible in the bench press than you will see short guys.

[BWillie]

Fathers, keep your daughters inside. Fear the Beard!

http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/1286/978184667827039/1600/z/572567/gse_multipart28332.jpg

[kcxiv]

bet most people here couldnt put up 185 lol

['Hamas' Jenkins]

This is a complete non-story. Jordan was a rail when he was putting up 37 a night in his third year.

In many ways, I think that the NBA puts too much emphasis on an NFL-like body type. If you look at the 1980's, most of the players were extremely thin by today's standards, but they were also far more agile, which is much more important in basketball. While it's nice to have a center built like Shaq, you'd be far better off having your SF built like a young Scotty Pippen, all arms and legs.

[Silock]

So can I, but I'm just saying in general. You will know more tall lanky guys that are outright terrible in the bench press than you will see short guys.

I'll agree with that. I guess I'm just trying to say that there's really no excuse for either of them to be that physically weak.

But I know that will all change when they get to an NBA training regimine. They'll be benching 185 and more in no time.

[Silock]

bet most people here couldnt put up 185 lol

And no one here is going to be drafted #2 overall, either.

Coincidence? I think not! ROFL

[jidar]

Regardless of whether it means anything or what excuses he has for it, I just find it astonishing that he is that weak.

I'd be surprised that any athlete would be that weak.

[Pushead2]

MJ slowly turned into a tank

[Saulbadguy]

Doesn't matter.

[OnTheWarpath15]

Regardless of whether it means anything or what excuses he has for it, I just find it astonishing that he is that weak.

I'd be surprised that any athlete would be that weak.

Me too.

There were 14 guys who weighed in under the 185 that was on the bar.

They averaged 9 reps.

Hell, DaShaun Wood weighs 20 pounds less than what was on the bar, and he did 13 reps.....

[Mile High Mania]

Who cares... what's his time in the potato race?

[KC Kings]

Some bodies mature later than others. I was in the military, could do 100 push ups, and did weight training 3 days on 2 days off for well over a year and I was turned 20 before I could bench press 185.

I am not surprised to hear that a 19 year old is not able to bench 185. It is surprising to hear that a black star athlete can not bench 185 since most black guys that I have worked out with put on muscle a lot faster than the white guys did, but this isn't shocking news in my oppinion.

[eazyb81]

I'm amazed that this non-story has reached 4 pages. Must be a slow news day.

Anyone that watches bball knows Durant is an absolute stud, it doesn't matter if he benches 5 pounds or 500 pounds. Also, it's not like he's going to be banging down low with Shaq and Ben Wallace, he's going to play the 3 and take advantages of mismatches just like he did in college.

Frankly, he wouldn't be nearly as good if he was all bulked up.