Saw a tweet from Bill Ingram that they measured Joe and Daniel at the Mike Conley classic and Daniel was taller than Joe, who is 6-11, unless he has shrunk since he left NBA.
This makes Gafford a seven footer or close to it. It is possible his wingspan is three to four inches more than Kingsley. From his interview at the Mike Conley classic, he intends to develop his offense and particularly mentioned that he wanted to negate the loss of Kingsley. We have something special here.
Also, 2019-20 season could be especially special with Gafford, Garland and Hall are juniors, Perry, Henderson, Joe and Sills are sophomores and Bailey, CJ are seniors. However, question is whether Gafford is two and done and Perry is one and done. I say Hogs better strike gold in 2018-19.
I’ve seen Big Joe at my church several times. While he is undeniably a big man, I’ve never sensed that he was flirting with 7 feet. I love it when he posts up in the aisle during collection and I’ve got the inside seat. I always give him a no look pass. He gets the basket and I get the assist.
I would guess that Joe has lost an inch or two. Orthopedic surgeons tell me that people shrink after 50. I’m guess that Joe is well over 50. So I’m betting that he’s lost an inch or two. Some of it is in the curve of the spine. Some of it the way discs fall apart. But you certainly can lose more than an inch (maybe as much as three) as you age.
I think Joe is 54. I’m guessing the taller you are to begin with, the more you will shrink. He also has high hair. If you pressed down with the tape and measured him barefoot, I suspect it would read around 6’8 these days.
Will still be interesting when Moses is measured by teams. I’ve stated it numerous times that kids have been measured differently at different schools, camps and combines.
Joe is 55. Most of the age-related shrinkage is due to the discs. You can think of your discs as a jelly donut, tough fibers around a gooey center. But as you get older, the gooey stuff starts to dry out and the discs squash down. Sometimes they pretty much flatten out completely. If you’ve injured your back anywhere along the way, and I’d guess a long-time NBA player had a few back tweaks, that can accelerate the process.
I figure most of my discs are flat now. That’s probably why the tips of my fingers sometimes hurt if I’ve looked down while typing for too long of a stretch. That’s what Luke Knox, my neck doctor, told me a few years ago. Look up. Look the left. Look to the right. And, by that, he said, turn your head. I used to do phone interviews with the phone tucked under the right side of my head. Don’t do that anymore because the I-phone won’t do that lake an old-time phone would. That’s a good thing for my neck and discs.
I have battled back and neck pain from injuries that I received throughout my early active years for about a decade. 6 months of chiropractic care and yoga has got me just about pain free and 3/4 of an inch taller.
Comments: I read an article awhile back highlighting an interview with Gafford’s head highschool coach he shared about the time Daniel arrives on the UA-Fayetteville campus he will be an legitimate 7’0
