Injury vs. Talent

[bbsplitter]

I see a lot of comments about how Carpenter is good, he just needs to get healthy. Harvin is good, he just needs to stay healthy. Walter Thurmond is good, he just needs to stay healthy. When does injury start playing a role in how GOOD a person is? When they have missed 1/2 of their contract years? 3/4? If you only have 1 year of production out of a guy who was signed for 4, how GOOD is he really?

 

[SonicHawk]

Injury has nothing to do with talent unless they are currently injured. You're talking about worth of their contract, not talent.

 

[bbsplitter]

Injury has nothing to do with talent unless they are currently injured. You're talking about worth of their contract, not talent.

No, I am talking about talent. Does the ability to stay healthy play a role in someones overall talent?

 

[Veilside]

Injury has nothing to do with talent unless they are currently injured. You're talking about worth of their contract, not talent.

No, I am talking about talent. Does the ability to stay healthy play a role in someones overall talent?

Let me answer your question with a question.

Would you say Ken Griffey Jr. was any less talented from being injured all the time?

I'd say talent has nothing to do with injury, performance however does if injury has temporarily or permanently effected them.

 

[bbsplitter]

Injury has nothing to do with talent unless they are currently injured. You're talking about worth of their contract, not talent.

No, I am talking about talent. Does the ability to stay healthy play a role in someones overall talent?

Let me answer your question with a question.

Would you say Ken Griffey Jr. was any less talented from being injured all the time?

I'd say talent has nothing to do with injury, performance however does if injury has temporarily or permanently effected them.

I don't know, thats why I am asking peoples opinion... I just consider being able to stay healthy part of being talented. If player A plays with an A+ graded performance for four games, but then isnt even present for the last 12, is he really more "talented" then player B that plays B graded performances over all 16 games?

 

[chris98251]

You have talent and ability, a injury can take that away, or you recover from it, if you recover your talent has not dissapeared. Your just not able to display it during the time of your injury and time it takes to recondition the injury and your body. Once you reach a certain age level you talent declines because of the degradation of your physical tools that give you that talent level, some can extend their careers because of mental aspects and experience but eventually that can't compensate.

If you can't recover an injury then yes it takes away your talent level. Thats typically why they have injury settlements.

 

[Veilside]

Basically what Chris said.

I think you're getting "talent" and "value" confused. If you took 2 guys of equal talent and 1 was injured all the time, I would say the healthier one has more value.

 

[SonicHawk]

I don't know, thats why I am asking peoples opinion... I just consider being able to stay healthy part of being talented. If player A plays with an A+ graded performance for four games, but then isnt even present for the last 12, is he really more "talented" then player B that plays B graded performances over all 16 games?

Yes, he's still more talented. He's not reliable though and that always must be taken into account.

By definition talent is 'natural aptitude or skill.' I'm not sure how you can possibly conclude that this has anything to do with injury.

If you want to discuss value then that's a whole other topic.

 

[bbsplitter]

Basically what Chris said.

I think you're getting "talent" and "value" confused. If you took 2 guys of equal talent and 1 was injured all the time, I would say the healthier one has more value.

I'm not getting them confused I guess I am more of questioning the conventional definition of talent. If talent is the extent to which a body can perform, how does injury not then effect "talent"?

 

[chris98251]

Injury can diminish talent if the player is not healed or if he is not treated to releave the injured areas symptoms. Such as an injection or something simular. A good example of that was Miller in Atlanta.

 

[KARAVARUS]

If a player is playing through an injury, like say, Red did last year, it affects their ability/talent--but overall I don't think they are related. I think if they are constantly injured and NOT playing, then it becomes a value issue.

 

[RussellMania]

Talent not something earned, it is something you are born with. You work and practice to have more ability. With that said, if someone is born with crappy knees would that not factor into their athletic talent? For instance, Greg Oden IMO had more low-post talent than Dwight Howard but he didn't have the capability to have the same accomplishments because of his crappy genetics. He could post up like no other, but what does that matter when simply running up and down a court every night wears out the cartilage in your knee before you're even 22? Would you not say that Dwight Howard is more talented than Greg Oden? I don't know, maybe I'm talking in circles here. Nevermind.