Rajon Rondo Vs. Chris Johnson: NBA Vs. NFL Athleticism

Let's say Rajon Rondo runs a 3/4 court sprint in 3.00 seconds. Toney Douglas ran the fastest time this past year at 3.03. A 3/4 is 23.5 yards. Chris Johnson ran the first 10 yards at the combine in 1.40 and the first 20 in 2.41.

Assume Chris Johnson runs the next 3.5 yards at the same speed he ran the last 10 yards (1yd/.101 seconds). That would make his 3/4 court time 2.41 + (.101 x 3.5) equaling 2.7635.

His time would be even faster than that, as he would not have reached top speed after 10 yards. Running on hardwood with basketball shoes may be harder than running on turf with flats, but not harder by a quarter of a second. Rondo has as much of a chance of beating Johnson in a race as Ochocinco has of beating Phelps in a medley.

Interestingly, Johnson's no step vertical at the combine was 35 inches, good but not outstanding. 272 lb. Chris Long had a 34 inch vertical. Jermaine Taylor had the highest no step vert at this year's NBA combine with 34 inches.

The NBA has the world greatest athletes but not the world's most explosive athletes. Still it would be fun to see some sort of race/contest between the games' top athletes. It may be unfair to compare NBA combine results to NFL results, as NFL prospects spend months in a gym solely focused on 40 technique, raising thier bench, and gaining weight. NBA prospects seem like they just show up and do their best.

I would propose a few events to entertain and give some answers to the NBA/ NFL debate. Here coordination and not just athleticism would come into play.

1. Flag football with with Rondo and as Derrick Rose as DB's going against Moss and Welker; and Wade and Ellis as receivers going against Asumugha and Revis.

2. Raquetball between Glen Davis and Jared Allen.

3. Home run derby between Pro Bowlers and the NBA All-Stars.

4. Capture the Flag between Orlando Magic and Bengals D.

5. Dodge Ball between NBA 3's and NFL Linebackers.