Originally posted by GNielsen:
Right, it's all just conjecture, but I've seen NBA players just laugh at the idea that any of them could take the pounding an NFL player has to. I saw Charles Barkely just laugh it off one time on ESPN. He basically said, "do you think any of us could take that kind of punishment? We start complaining if someone slaps us while we're going to the basket." And this is just my opinion, but I don't think Kobe would last one quarter as a TE in an NFL game. All of the successful college round ball players had to do some heavy bulking up and conditioning to play in the NFL. Gonzolez has talked about that a lot. And, I think some of the posters around here need to get close to the field during a game and just listen to what's happening out there. I've been court-side at NBA games and I've been lucky enough to be on the sideline of a couple NFL games. OMG! There is simply no way to compare the two.
If your evidence is based on something Barkley said, that's basically a concession of your point. Barkley talks a lot, but ends up saying very little of consequence. He certainly doesn't speak for every basketball player.
Playing in the NBA is very lucrative...especially compared to the NFL. Few NBA players have an incentive to go to the NFL. It pays worse, the injury risk is higher, contracts aren't guaranteed, and careers can be short.
Beyond that, there is no doubt in my mind that more than a few NBA players could play in the NFL and be extremely successful.