WaltLongmire wrote:

gunsnewing wrote:

WaltLongmire wrote:If there really is a chance that Towns could grow to 7"2"/7'3"...

1) If he is 6'11" now, that would mean another 4", probably added over the next 1-3 years. Are there unavoidable injury issues associated with this kind of growth?

2) Would there be any influence on his coordination/movement/quickness/and even technique if he has a growth spurt over the next few years?

David Robinson had a crazy growth spurt while he was at the Naval Academy, if I remember correctly. I have a vague memory that some aspects of his game were based on his time as a smaller player- just can't remember exactly. Might also be early onset senility, or I might be totally off on this "memory." Don't think the extra inches would change Towns' game, because he already plays like a big man, his coordination would just have to catch up with the increased length.

If he did reach 7'3" and kept the coordination he has has now, while gaining the strength and "hardening" that comes as he matures, he could end up being a monster. Give him a good/consistent hook shot (he already has a nice one)add that to his jumper, and he would be virtually unstoppable on the offensive end.

One thing to think about with Towns. Shooting touch on jumpers/foul shots seems to be an issue with a lot of big men. The fact that Towns has a soft touch from the outside with nice mechanics is pretty impressive for a 19 year old kid.

You wonder if he developed the shot early on because it was easier for a young growing kid to master than a post game. Have to give some credit to his early coaches.

With all this said, it might take a few years to see what you really have with him if his physical growth continues.

David Robinson interesting

I remember hearing about that. Does anyone have the details on his growth spurt? How much and how old was he?

David Robinson - 5'9 his junior year of high school and 6'7 his senior year and then 7'0 in College.

Got this info at a strange site... called "All Height."
http://www.allheight.com/2012/12/late-growth-spurts-nba-players-tall.html

If we pick Towns.....Knick fans need patience for his game to grow and mature.

If I understand Phil, he's not expecting a rookie to make an immediate impact. He said this himself. It's the FA's that he will lean on to impact the Knicks next season.

So he's basically telling Knick fans that he's selecting a project. Someone that could have a MJ impact on this franchise. I think that person is Towns.

Phil can find someone on OK4 level or higher as a free agent. Melo and Monroe would be a beast at PF / Center...as an example. With Towns (or whoever he picks) off the bench.

WaltLongmire wrote:

gunsnewing wrote:

WaltLongmire wrote:If there really is a chance that Towns could grow to 7"2"/7'3"...

1) If he is 6'11" now, that would mean another 4", probably added over the next 1-3 years. Are there unavoidable injury issues associated with this kind of growth?

2) Would there be any influence on his coordination/movement/quickness/and even technique if he has a growth spurt over the next few years?

David Robinson had a crazy growth spurt while he was at the Naval Academy, if I remember correctly. I have a vague memory that some aspects of his game were based on his time as a smaller player- just can't remember exactly. Might also be early onset senility, or I might be totally off on this "memory." Don't think the extra inches would change Towns' game, because he already plays like a big man, his coordination would just have to catch up with the increased length.

If he did reach 7'3" and kept the coordination he has has now, while gaining the strength and "hardening" that comes as he matures, he could end up being a monster. Give him a good/consistent hook shot (he already has a nice one)add that to his jumper, and he would be virtually unstoppable on the offensive end.

One thing to think about with Towns. Shooting touch on jumpers/foul shots seems to be an issue with a lot of big men. The fact that Towns has a soft touch from the outside with nice mechanics is pretty impressive for a 19 year old kid.

You wonder if he developed the shot early on because it was easier for a young growing kid to master than a post game. Have to give some credit to his early coaches.

With all this said, it might take a few years to see what you really have with him if his physical growth continues.

David Robinson interesting

I remember hearing about that. Does anyone have the details on his growth spurt? How much and how old was he?

David Robinson - 5'9 his junior year of high school and 6'7 his senior year and then 7'0 in College.

Got this info at a strange site... called "All Height."
http://www.allheight.com/2012/12/late-growth-spurts-nba-players-tall.html

Holy smokes! That IS insane!

fishmike wrote:

WaltLongmire wrote:

fishmike wrote:

gunsnewing wrote:I rather him stay at 6'11-7'0 so that he able to continue to use all his skills.

Then again if he grows to 7'1-7'2 he will be a defensive beast while still spreading the floor on offensive.

Big guys who are already tall usually don't grow more than an inch at 19

hey.. I was 6'0 for my HS Sr. physical. 18 mos later I was 6'4.

Just sayin

Did you feel the extra inches had any influence on your athletic ability/coordination??

actually yes... but mostly the first time.

The first time was JR high, around the 7th-8th grade years. I sprouted about 4 inches over those 18mos (ish). I was batting .650 and when I pitched I was striking out 2 kids an inning. After that growth spurt I couldnt hit or throw strikes. All I could do was run. I played some OF but the frustration was so high I quit playing.

The second time (mentioned above) I wasnt playing much so to be fair I didnt have an accurate guage. Pick up games etc with various results. I got sick around that time and spent age 19-20 pretty banged up from cancer. By the time I was done with all that I was 6'4 and 137 lbs. I looked like someone from auschwitz so I spent that year just getting strong and into lifting and being healthy etc. When I was 21 I started playing again, was a total gym rat and by the summer of my 22nd birthday I was about 200lbs with 5% body fat. I then played full contact football for 3 years, hardball for about 15 and I was good to go. I was really good, but that was well after I was done growing.

That first spurt was tough... I simply couldnt do the things I used to. Hard to picture that being a problem for someone like Towns as these guys practice so much.

I can see how the spurt would have influenced your baseball playing. I know that some larger pitchers take some time to develop consistency, and I can understand how you would have to adjust your batting mechanics and philosophy at the plate.

Your 6'4" height is pretty much what they want in young pitchers these days, but how you get to the height is significant, I guess. I always wanted to get to 6', missed by 2 inches.

Towns has seemingly adapted to his earlier growth, I expect that he will be able to deal with and adapt to some further growth. I see some awkwardness in terms of lateral movement and maintaining his base at this times.

Being a "gym rat" would also help his development- wonder if he fits into that category. Those are the kind of guys I want on the Knicks, to be honest, assuming they have the native ability to compete at this high of a level.

mreinman wrote:

gunsnewing wrote:

WaltLongmire wrote:If there really is a chance that Towns could grow to 7"2"/7'3"...

1) If he is 6'11" now, that would mean another 4", probably added over the next 1-3 years. Are there unavoidable injury issues associated with this kind of growth?

2) Would there be any influence on his coordination/movement/quickness/and even technique if he has a growth spurt over the next few years?

David Robinson had a crazy growth spurt while he was at the Naval Academy, if I remember correctly. I have a vague memory that some aspects of his game were based on his time as a smaller player- just can't remember exactly. Might also be early onset senility, or I might be totally off on this "memory." Don't think the extra inches would change Towns' game, because he already plays like a big man, his coordination would just have to catch up with the increased length.

If he did reach 7'3" and kept the coordination he has has now, while gaining the strength and "hardening" that comes as he matures, he could end up being a monster. Give him a good/consistent hook shot (he already has a nice one)add that to his jumper, and he would be virtually unstoppable on the offensive end.

One thing to think about with Towns. Shooting touch on jumpers/foul shots seems to be an issue with a lot of big men. The fact that Towns has a soft touch from the outside with nice mechanics is pretty impressive for a 19 year old kid.

You wonder if he developed the shot early on because it was easier for a young growing kid to master than a post game. Have to give some credit to his early coaches.

With all this said, it might take a few years to see what you really have with him if his physical growth continues.

David Robinson interesting

I remember hearing about that. Does anyone have the details on his growth spurt? How much and how old was he?

http://www.allheight.com/2012/12/late-growth-spurts-nba-players-tall.html

I hope towns grows a bit but I want those feet to shrink

He should probably contact one of the Kardashians... I'm sure they know of a cosmetic surgeon who can do a foot size de-augmentation.

WaltLongmire wrote:

fishmike wrote:

WaltLongmire wrote:

fishmike wrote:

gunsnewing wrote:I rather him stay at 6'11-7'0 so that he able to continue to use all his skills.

Then again if he grows to 7'1-7'2 he will be a defensive beast while still spreading the floor on offensive.

Big guys who are already tall usually don't grow more than an inch at 19

hey.. I was 6'0 for my HS Sr. physical. 18 mos later I was 6'4.

Just sayin

Did you feel the extra inches had any influence on your athletic ability/coordination??

actually yes... but mostly the first time.

The first time was JR high, around the 7th-8th grade years. I sprouted about 4 inches over those 18mos (ish). I was batting .650 and when I pitched I was striking out 2 kids an inning. After that growth spurt I couldnt hit or throw strikes. All I could do was run. I played some OF but the frustration was so high I quit playing.

The second time (mentioned above) I wasnt playing much so to be fair I didnt have an accurate guage. Pick up games etc with various results. I got sick around that time and spent age 19-20 pretty banged up from cancer. By the time I was done with all that I was 6'4 and 137 lbs. I looked like someone from auschwitz so I spent that year just getting strong and into lifting and being healthy etc. When I was 21 I started playing again, was a total gym rat and by the summer of my 22nd birthday I was about 200lbs with 5% body fat. I then played full contact football for 3 years, hardball for about 15 and I was good to go. I was really good, but that was well after I was done growing.

That first spurt was tough... I simply couldnt do the things I used to. Hard to picture that being a problem for someone like Towns as these guys practice so much.

Sorry about the C at such a young age- sounds like you've recovered, which is great.

I can see how the spurt would have influenced your baseball playing. I know that some larger pitchers take some time to develop consistency, and I can understand how you would have to adjust your batting mechanics and philosophy at the plate.

Your 6'4" height is pretty much what they want in young pitchers these days, but how you get to the height is significant, I guess. I always wanted to get to 6', missed by 2 inches.

Towns has seemingly adapted to his earlier growth, I expect that he will be able to deal with and adapt to some further growth. I see some awkwardness in terms of lateral movement and maintaining his base at this times.

Being a "gym rat" would also help his development- wonder if he fits into that category. Those are the kind of guys I want on the Knicks, to be honest, assuming they have the native ability to compete at this high of a level.

I agree w/ you on Towns. Gym rat (hopefully) or not he's going to be playing enough ball for a late spurt to have minimal or no impact.

Health is a factor we dont have much say or control over. I mean Town's body might not be able to handle the NBA grind. OK4 might see the same. Both might play 20 years like Kevin Willis or Deke. It will certainly be nice to have this caliber of talent either way.

gunsnewing wrote:Yea Fish glad you can look back on it 20yrs later. Man that's rough but for a 19-20yr old? I'm sure it gave you a much broader perspective on life to benefit from. Was there any correlation to the sudden growth spurt? It wasn't bone related right?

Most of my perspective comes from this:
http://www.thevaleriefund.org/
although I was 19 my general practitioner had a relationship with an oncologist that headed one of Valerie fund offices so he got me in but I was the oldest there by far. Hanging with kids dying from cancer and rare blood diseases, and worst watching their parents remains the defining event on how I view the world. If you ever have some cash and want to donate they are an amazing group.

This was the year the Knicks lost to the Rockets and following that team was often the thing that kept me going. The whole office knew I was a huge Knick fan. They made me go to the xmas party that year. I really didnt want to, but they really pushed so I caved. Santa called me up to sit on his lap and said ho-ho-ho we have something here for this big kid... courtside seats. Knicks vs. Nuggs. I was right behind the Knick bench and sat in front of Rodney Hampton.

Life is funny.

On a lighter note Even more amazing that you got through it after the way the 94 finals ended. I don't think I would have

I was actually hospitalized for a week in June of 94 which an infection and swelling inside my nostril that spread around my face. I was 11. I was forced to watch Brazil defeat Italy for the cup from the hospital bed

gunsnewing wrote:Oh oops I misread what you wrote Fish. Hodgekins not Lymphona. Still quite a feat. I'm gonna google hodgekins. Heard of it but don't know what it is exactly

hodgkin's lymphoma