Ever have one of those days where you wake up, look in the mirror and then, with a look of complete and utter disgust on your face, whisper to yourself, “Man, I wish I looked more like Kevin Durant?”
No?
Oh, OK.
Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James might have. Both NBA superstars have slimmed down this summer…we think.
The New York Knicks superstar is the most recent one to post a picture of himself to Instagram looking mighty trim:
Last week it was the Cleveland Cavaliers’ super stud who looked like he dropped some serious poundage:
LeBron’s weight situation has since been confirmed by ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst:
Cavs management saw a thinner James when they hosted him at the team’s training facility. He has been focused on cutting his weight since the end of the Finals by reducing carbs and has lost more than 10 pounds.
James’ thinner frame was noticeable on some photos he posted on his Instagram account earlier this week.
Allow me to be completely transparent here: This isn’t the type of post I typically enjoy. That said, I obviously had some fun on Twitter with the new faces for the Thin Is In movement:
In continuance with overreactions to LeBron James’ offseason regime/ diet, some contrived “after” pictures: pic.twitter.com/EY06LUERgf
— Dan Favale (@danfavale) August 6, 2014
LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony are all: pic.twitter.com/y7h22Bt4l8
— Dan Favale (@danfavale) August 11, 2014
So, no, I’m not actively looking for this information. I’m just fascinated by it.
Unlike James, Anthony’s weight loss hasn’t been officially confirmed to the best of my knowledge. But it doesn’t need to be. He clearly lost weight.
As someone who has seen him play live a few times, and then seen him outside his uniform, Anthony isn’t as stocky as advertised. The gear he wears during games bulks him up considerably and makes him appear a lot bigger and even stronger than he should actually look.
This is not an indictment of his strength. The dude is a barreling bull when he puts his head down and battles in the paint. But he’s not some stocky power forward with all this extra muffin top-like weight to throw around. He’s in shape is my point.
And yet he’s lost weight. This is waaaaaaaaay skinnier than he actually is. Is that by design? Or just the product of him not working out as much?
People scoff at the last one. Go figure. Players taking time off during their league-mandated time off? No, no, no, no. Must be some extreme, no-carb diet.
Part of this comes down to dieting no doubt, but I’ll believe both LeBron and Melo stay this, for lack of a better word, tiny when I see it. Why would they want to trim down so much is the question? To play small forward? Is it easier to carry a lean body up and down the floor for 35-plus minutes a night?
Melo is built like a small forward now after this summer's workout regimen. #Repost Gran sesión de… http://t.co/nf6x09wj5o
— Alan Hahn (@alanhahn) August 11, 2014
Asking for a friend here. Seriously. I’m in the dark, on the precipice of starting totally unfounded chatter that alleges Anthony and James are jealous of Durant’s incisive explosion and trying to imitate his every move, right down to body fat percentage and muscle ratio.
(I promise I won’t do that.)
No matter what you choose to make of this, it’s fascinating. Players’ bodies are under more scrutiny than ever, and the fact that two of the league’s best combo forwards have decided to slim down is either a makeshift coincidence or the byproduct of future plans to succeed within in newly implemented systems.
I think.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com.
