Should an NBA Team Try to Sign Usain Bolt?
He’s the baddest man on the planet right now. After high-stepping his way to gold in the 100m, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt did the unthinkable last night, topping Michael Johnson’s “unbeatable” 200m world record of 19.32 seconds with a mark of 19.30.
The fastest man on the planet has the size (he’s 6-5) and the attitude to play in the League. He was criticized by the International Olympic Committee for being disrespectful to the sport because he pounded his chest and screamed “I am number one! I am number one!” after torching the record.
“He still has to mature,” said IOC President Jacques Rogge. “I would love him to show more respect for his competitors. That’s not the way we perceive being a champion. But he will learn in time. He should shake hands with his competitors and not ignore them. He’ll learn that sooner or later. But (he’s) a great athlete, of course.”
But does his speed and freakish athleticism make him an NBA player? It’s not like he needs to ink a deal in the League to pay his bills. He’s on the front page of the New York Times today, and will undoubtedly have endorsement deals up the wazoo.
But if Bolt has any interest in taking his celebrity to the next level, every NFL team is dying to know if he can catch a pigskin. And I’m sure every NBA team wants to see if he can dribble up the floor at half the speed that he runs on the track. Even if he can’t, is there a job for him in the League? He’s got the tools to be a great rebounder, defender, and fast break finisher.
If you’re an NBA GM, do you try to get Usain Bolt to your facility for a try out?
Source: Courant
August 21st, 2008 at 9:30 am
Celts Fan says:
Any good GM wouldn’t dismiss anything like this, but chances are, he’s just fast and can’t play well enough to be in the League. The NFL is probably his best bet if he’s gonna go one way or another. Just send him deep EVERY play and watch the rest of the field open up…
August 21st, 2008 at 9:31 am
jamar aka young breezy says:
*pounds chest* I’m #1!!!
August 21st, 2008 at 9:32 am
Joshua says:
bulllshit artikel
August 21st, 2008 at 9:35 am
sxrs says:
come on, there are enough ‘athletes’ in the nba who keep on frustrating us because of their lack of basketball-talent. basketball is about more than running fast and jumping high. you guys always make fun of ‘raw prospects’ and now you propose something like that? And also, bolt may be the ‘fastest man on the planet’ why not work out the entire field? maybe there’s another 6-5 dude, who may not be as fast as bolt, but still faster than any player on your nba squad.
there’s a lot of hype about it now, and he’s a great athlete, but lets keep it real.
August 21st, 2008 at 9:36 am
fallinup says:
He would be an awesome ball boy for tennis. Those tennis balls would be off the court in no time.
August 21st, 2008 at 9:37 am
shake&bake says:
You need a good amount of skills to be in the NBA so I guess it depends on if he has any skills at all. I believe Carl Lewis got drafted by the Bulls in the 10th round the same year they drafted Jordan.
Put him at receiver. If he has hands and can run routes, he could be Randy Moss-like.
I just like that he does the Vince Carter dunk contest point to the sky all the time.
August 21st, 2008 at 9:38 am
shake&bake says:
Lol @ fallinup
August 21st, 2008 at 9:40 am
izzy says:
what is this bulls*#t!? Just cause the man is 6′05″ hes going to be a good NBA player? And hes a sprinter… nothing like a good 300lbs linebacker knocking the crap out of him to slow him down.
Come on dime, this is a stupid post. This is a terrible comparison. The man is a beast, and the best at what he does! But there is sure as hell more involved in the NBA and the NFL than speed and mediocre height!
August 21st, 2008 at 9:41 am
Celts Fan says:
All I know is our guys (except Tyson Gay, who’s apparently pretty quiet) do the same thing all the time. You spend your ENTIRE LIFE working for that one moment. You get one chance every 4 years, usually only for two Olympics unless you’re a freak like Carl Lewis. Nothing wrong with being emotional. He coulda shaked hands w/ the other guys, but I’m sure it was more him being wrapped up w/ winning and not intentionally being a poor sport (they kept showing him clowning around w/ some of the Americans before the 100 finals, so you know other guys definitely like him and he’s not just a dbag. Come on…)
August 21st, 2008 at 9:41 am
kdog says:
You might as well be asking the same question about Michael Phelps because of his conditioning or the men’s beach volleyball players. Bottom line:
No Basketball Skills = No NBA job
August 21st, 2008 at 9:44 am
The Bad One says:
I don’t see that Bolt is the same as Phelps. Basketball is played on land. Bolt is the fastest man on land. When they start playing pool basketball in the NBA, then you can make that comparison.
August 21st, 2008 at 9:46 am
Celts Fan says:
@Izzy, that’s true, but if you put Usain out there and just have him go deep every time, you have to respect it, he’ll beat guys plenty and open up TONS of running lanes and underneath routes for other receivers. I don’t see it working in the NBA though (it’s hit or miss in the NFL too, but raw speed alone can be utilized much better in the NFL than the NBA.)
August 21st, 2008 at 9:52 am
CHEE says:
he would be good punt returner and kickoff returner.
or he can play wr and catch quick screens and dodge defenders.
if he can take hits, he be good enough for that
August 21st, 2008 at 9:59 am
Al says:
NFL maybe
August 21st, 2008 at 9:59 am
doc says:
Man he aint making no moves in the NBA or NFL.Yall must’ve been bored in the office this morning.That fast shit dont mean nothing in the league.Skills is what matter in the league.Carl Lewis got drafted in the 10th round?He knew he wasnt getting a run then unless it was an expansion team.Man the dude good at track.If he was good at ball he’d be in the league somewhere getting paid.The NFL would depend on if he can take a hit.You can be as fast as you want but when B-Dawk clean his fucking clock that first time he might never get back up.
August 21st, 2008 at 10:16 am
Spliff 2 My Lou says:
The track and NBA court are two different surfaces. His speed wouldn’t be the same especially because there would be other competitors on the court also. Its not just a straight unimpeded path like in track. The only reason a team would sign Bolt would be to put a few extra asses in the seats. In other words as a gimmick. By Dime’s reasoning I guess the high jump gold medalist and long jump gold medalist should be signed too. Slow day at the office I guess. The NBA season can’t get here fast enough.
August 21st, 2008 at 10:16 am
Jack says:
The Eagles need to sign him!! He could be the next TO. and who wouldnt rock a jersey with BOLT on the back
August 21st, 2008 at 10:16 am
Prof. TX says:
Charles Barkley on Stromile Swift:
“Yeah, he can run fast and jump high. But so can a deer, doesn’t mean I want to play ball with one.”
August 21st, 2008 at 10:19 am
Michorizo says:
I wonder if his lady likes that he is fast …
August 21st, 2008 at 10:29 am
Spliff 2 My Lou says:
By the way does this bumba clot even play ball? Football? How many people can pick up a basketball or put on pads for the first time in their 20’s and turn pro? Also he’s an athlete obviously but is he athletic? I’m nor convinced that just because you can run fast that you can be considered to be an athletic freak. I feel the same about Phelps. In my opinion the best athletes in the Olympics are the decathletes. They have to do ten events that measure speed, endurance, accuracy and power.
August 21st, 2008 at 10:40 am
DH says:
I completely agree w/ Spliff 2 My Lou. Track speed and basketball speed are two different things. How often are you running down the court in a completely straight line? He might be able to kill it in practice during conditioning, but that’s about it.
The sport he’d have the best chance in is football. Stick him out at receiver and have him run fades all day.
August 21st, 2008 at 10:45 am
Kobeef says:
@Prof. TX
“so can a deer”….Hilarious. And True.
Seriously I think the only pro-sport that he has a chance at is the NFL as a receiver if he can catch. It would be worth taking hin out on the practice field and tossing a few pigskins at him. If he has hands like MJ you have found a future hall of famer…but he could also have hands like Kwame.
Bolt’s speed is pretty useless in the NBA unless he is also an amazing ballhandler and I doubt that he is since he hasn’t played basketball.
August 21st, 2008 at 10:47 am
justice says:
dumbest shytt iv’e ever read…i can look at this dude and tell he can’t play b-ball..football maybe he can be a free safety,or punt/kick returner but that’s it if i where him i wouldn’t because he is officially about to get paid anyway so why take the risk?
but being fast doesn’t mean shytt in the nba if u can’t dribble or make a layup
August 21st, 2008 at 10:49 am
Jay26th says:
Anything is Possibullll
August 21st, 2008 at 11:03 am
Dagomar says:
Uh . . . .
I think playing in the NBA has a little bit more to do with “talent” than raw speed.
And I don’t get why he wouldn’t just focus on being the world’s fastest man. He won’t be hurting for money, that’s for sure.
Hey, while they’re at it the Knicks can go and sign Michael Phelps. He’s a tall guy, right?
August 21st, 2008 at 11:05 am
The Bad One says:
Didn’t I already address the Phelps point?
NObody said that he’s a definite NBA player – they just asked if being word class fast means he deserve a try out in the L
August 21st, 2008 at 11:06 am
TWolves Convert says:
Whats to say the guy has any lateral quickness at all? Sure he’s the fastest man on earth in a straight line, but is he as quick as Devin Hester side to side? Just because you’re fast doesn’t mean you can make people miss so I don’t know as the punt return is a good idea.
If he caught 1 in 3 when you sent him deep it might be worth it though.
August 21st, 2008 at 11:08 am
Jim says:
Bolt’s #1 was nothing like our 4×100 team in 2000, easily the least classy track celebration. He was also congratulatory with his boy right after the race (one of our guys, hard to keep track of who it was with all that crazy post race shuffling).
And no. He’d be more Marvin Gaye than Bob Hayes. Poor Marvin, now musicians BUY teams.
August 21st, 2008 at 11:23 am
bsteezy3 says:
You never know, but I’m going with NO on this one. You do need SOME type of basketball skills to get in the NBA. Now NFL, hmmm…they could do something with a 6-5 speedy guy. No more gimmicks in the NBA…
August 21st, 2008 at 11:33 am
Luigi says:
we never no..but hell the the skins could sign himm…[even though we have 4 legit WRs] n tell him to go deep n JC cud just bomb it too him n hopefully he has good hands bkuz we dont want another willie gault
lollll but Usain wont do good unless he has an uptempo system.. ala PHO. GSW
August 21st, 2008 at 11:33 am
SwedishMooze says:
Let’s not forget that a track star can make a fortune… he doesn’t need to play in the NFL or NBA to get rich or be famous… in fact if he played in the NFL he’d disappear from the radar of about 3 billion people who think he’s God right now.
August 21st, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Big V says:
Shame on you, Dime, for even writing this nonsense. Might as well sign Michael Phelps too.
August 21st, 2008 at 12:24 pm
iain. says:
From Bolt’s facebook fan page:
Bolt started running while in primary school, although his first love was cricket. He still enjoys the game but prefers basketball more now.
There is hope.. lol
August 21st, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Coldchain says:
Dang, it’s just a question — and all y’all who say it’s a dumb “artikel” (#3) still read it and commented. Anyway like someone said earlier you don’t often run in a straight line in basketball, and Bolt doesn’t even get off to the greatest starts; he picks up steam at like 50-60 meters. So he wouldn’t reach top speed on the court. Dude can probably jump, though, going by his explosiveness on the track. Try him out, sure, but don’t expect to get a starting SG out of the deal.
August 21st, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Ian says:
kdog
“No Basketball Skills = No NBA job” really cuz i have seen a thousand 7footers that only got drafted cuz they were tall and couldnt do shit with ball.
now peeps relax its just a question if u think its dumb dont post
ok article now maybe he doesnt need to be a factor on offense but that dude can be a rally good defender comon no whos blowing past him
August 21st, 2008 at 2:27 pm
luke says:
i wonder what his vert is and if speed like bolts translate well into a game of basketball?
August 21st, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Jay26th says:
i’d give him a tryout as a 5th or 6th Wideout. his downfield speed would help keep safeties honest.
I doubt he could take a tackle or bump n run tho…
August 21st, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Big V says:
@Ian,
Stopping someone from blowing past you takes a whole different type of speed and agility that I don’t think is really showcased by sprinters. It requires lateral movement, backpedaling, and awareness, none of which I’ve seen from Bolt. I’m not saying he doesn’t have these skills, but it’s not at all apparent that he does based on what we’ve seen from him in the Olympics.
August 21st, 2008 at 2:52 pm
Sumit says:
This is absolutely ridiculous, and makes a mockery of anyone in the NFL and NBA. So those leagues are just about running really fast? What the f**k. I’d bet that not a single GM in any sport is seriously even considering giving Bolt a tryout, and rightfully so. Sports aren’t just about being fast.
August 21st, 2008 at 3:07 pm
George W Kush Sr says:
Football maybe.
Basketball? HA HA HA
August 21st, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Austin Burton says:
@Big V — Bolt would have some crazy recovery speed.
@Sumit — Willie Gault, Bob Hayes and a handful of other Olympic sprinters made it to the NFL, and some of them were very successful. Hayes is one of the greatest WR’s of all-time. And remember the Eagles were going to try out Justin Gaitlin a couple years ago. Speed in football is like height in basketball. If you have it, they’ll at least be curious.
August 21st, 2008 at 4:16 pm
Kevin says:
Effin weak…
August 21st, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Diego says:
Regarding football, Austin nailed it in post 41. For years now usually the top collegiate sprinters also have played on their collegiate football teams.
If he can catch the ball, hold onto it and take a lick, this guy certainly can play a role in the NFL.
NBA: No. (But back when there were like 10 rounds of NBA draft, guys like Bruce Jenner (more than just Mr. Kardashian–he was the the top track athlete of his time; and I am 99% sure he was drafted) were getting drafted in the NBA all the time, more-or-less as a gimick. So 20 years ago, Bolt would end up getting drafted in the NBA for sure.)
August 21st, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Diego says:
May have been like 30 years ago…
August 21st, 2008 at 5:49 pm
Ian says:
big v
comon u know he has that shit
that speed he has is not just straight line speed
August 21st, 2008 at 5:57 pm
Young Lebron 23 says:
He will be an outstanding WR in the NFL, but in the NBA he would be able to run and catc from coast to coast (a la Barbosa)
August 21st, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Ace says:
he would be more useful in the nfl than the nba
August 21st, 2008 at 10:10 pm
Cracker Jack says:
his favourite sport is cricket!
August 22nd, 2008 at 4:36 am
Ernesto says:
Moronic effort, Katz.