Earlier today it was revealed that Rashard Lewis tested positive for DHEA, which resulted in a 10 game suspension.

The ESPN article says that DHEA is commonly used to recover from fatigue. Rashard Lewis was recovering from knee tendinitis at the end of the season, so he may have been using the DHEA in an attempt to recover from the injury.

Rashard Lewis used the time tested excuse that he didn’t know he was taking anything illegal. I actually believe Lewis, and here is why. The ESPN article states that Rashard Lewis went back to his team, the Magic, to help him figure out why he failed the drug test. Those are not the actions of a man that is trying to break the rules and get away with it.

I think what probably happened was that Lewis was looking for some assistance in recovering from injuries and fatigue, and he thought he found a supplement to help him in that. I think that Lewis thought this was an okay substance to use for such purposes because he was able to purchase it over the counter at his local pharmacy.

Since the NBA began testing in 1999, Rashard Lewis became the sixth player to fail a drug test. Matt Geiger, Don McLean, Soumalia Samake, Darius Miles, and our very own Lindsey Hunter have also tested positive under the NBA’s drug testing. Rafael Aruajo also tested positive for steroids at the 2002 World Championships.

Will the use of performance enhancing drugs become big in the NBA? I don’t think so. Looking as far back as high school sports, you just don’t see a steroid culture around high school basketball that you see around high school baseball and football.

I think how much of a skill based game basketball is has a lot to do with the lack of a drug culture (well a PED culture that is) around the sport. In baseball and football, the benefits of steroids are obvious. Taking steroids won’t help a ball player become a better ball handler, passer, or shooter.

Where steroids can help in basketball is in play in the paint. Steroids could help a player become stronger, allowing them to finish through contact better, or hold position when boxing out or when an opponent is trying to back them down.

The other benefit, which can affect all players, is the ability to recover faster from injuries and fatigue, which appears to be what Lewis was after.

Will performance enhancing drugs become a major problem in the NBA like it is in the MLB? We’ll have to wait and see, but I personally don’t think it will become a major problem.