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All 79 Weekly Articles for Basketball News Services
This is an archive of all the longer columns with more detailed analysis that I wrote for Basketball News Services, an average of one or two per week.
Also see the list of 518 daily articles, which are shorter, team-specific pieces.
- Spread Option Valuation and Basketball
- Is there one statistical measure that can determine with finality the value of each player? Something that can be used to compare Kevin Garnett to Bob Cousy , or Jason Kidd to Kenyon Martin? Many attempts have been, usually a linear combination of various officially reported statistics, sometimes on a per-minute or per-possession basis. I have looked in depth previously at net team points, and its many variants. Today, I present the principles of what may be the ultimate foundation for evaluating player performance: spread options. It's not just one statistic; it's a whole new field of study. Complete Article (20040226) »
- Iverson and Duncan Were Both Right
- On Sunday, Allen Iverson refused to play hurt after his coach told him he'd be coming off the bench. On Thursday, Tim Duncan returned from injury, and came off the bench. Was Iverson selfish and Duncan classy? Or vice-versa? The answer is neither. Both players did the right thing. Complete Article (20040319) »
- One-on-One with Damon Jones
- Damon Jones has taken a circuitous route to the NBA. He graduated Houston in 1997 but was not drafted by any NBA team. Instead, he played in the CBA in 1998-1999 until he began his series of of seemingly neverending 10-day contracts. He had stints with the Magic, Nets, Celtics, Warriors, Mavericks, Grizzlies, Pistons, and Kings before finally ending up with the Bucks. Even in Milwaukee, he played back-up to rookie sensation TJ Ford until Ford ended his season early due to injury. Complete Article (20040406) »
- Popularity Contest
- The NBA has released the list of the 25 most popular player jerseys sold this season. With this information, we can do mock battle between the implied starting lineups. Complete Article (20040408) »
- Is There Too Much Access to Players?
- Hours before being fired by the Toronto Raptors, the soon-to-be-former head coach Kevin O'Neill complained to the press that the team's woes were in part because there was "too much access to players." Is that a reasonable criticism to be levied at a professional sports team? Complete Article (20040417) »
- Obieball in Philly
- Jim O'Brien's 76ers will play the same style of basketball that the Celtics have played over the past couple of years. What will that mean in terms of trades, expected playing time, and changes in Allen Iverson's performance? Complete Article (20040423) »
- Confident Coach Carroll Surefired
- Interim Boston head coach John Carroll, co-author with his wife of The Confident Coach's Guide to Teaching Basketball: A Surefire Plan for Successful Practices , was released by the Celtics this week. What would be the ideal situation for his skills? Complete Article (20040428) »
- The Simpsons and Basketball
- Introducing the All-Simpsons lineup. Complete Article (20040501) »
- Versatility Total
- Which players are the most versatile? Six different top 50 lists are computed. Is your favorite player on one of them? And how does Celtics rookie Kendrick Perkins fit into all this? Based on a recent Hoopsworld column by Kevin Pelton. Complete Article (20040508) »
- Ties, Damned Ties, and Statistics
- Two nights ago, the Lakers beat the Spurs after three stunning lead changes in the final few seconds. Last night, the Nets beat the Pistons in triple-overtime. In any real sense, these games were ties. What is the right way to measure clutch performance? Is there any stability to clutch performers? Complete Article (20040515) »
- Richard Jefferson's Amazing Warmup
- Jefferson is the only member of New Jersey's Big Three not to have been selected an All-Star, but next year will be his year. Complete Article (20040521) »
- How to Make Basketball Timeless
- If basketball were as timeless as chess, old games and old analyses would still have meaning and interest today. The NBA would make a fortune rebroadcasting old games. There is a way to do it: shine bright lights on the NBA's most closely guarded secrets. Complete Article (20040522) »
- What I Don't Understand About Al Jefferson
- Am I missing something about Al Jefferson? In rough numbers, the guy averaged 40 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 blocks a game in high school. Wouldn't he be a steal? And wouldn't he make a tremendous frontcourt with Boston's Kendrick Perkins for the next decade? Complete Article (20040531) »
- Free Throw Probabilities
- With Shaquille O'Neal facing off against Ben Wallace, we may be witness to some of the most brutal free throw shooting of all time. Here are a few fun free throw probability calculations that you can use when you're practicing your free throws. Complete Article (20040605) »
- Finals MVP: Entire Pistons Team?
- If the Pistons win it all, who would be named Finals MVP? Could this be the first year the MVP trophy is given to the coach? Or to the entire team? Complete Article (20040612) »
- Top Earning Ballers
- Forbes magazine released their list of the top 50 athletes by earnings last year. Basketball players dominated the list, occupying 35 slots, with four current or former Orlando Magic players on the list. Here are the ballers who earned the most, with numbers representing their spot on the list of the top 50. Complete Article (20040619) »
- Things That Make You Go Hmmm?
- I was surprised by a lot of things on the NBA Draft, not the least of which were the constantly disparaging remarks by the commentators about the lack of athleticism in this player, the lack of upside in that one, or the clear bust that the other one is. Those comments are so lame. The right way to comment on each player is to point out his unique gifts, the gifts that it is up to the coach to maximize. Being a slasher is no better or worse than being a spot-up shooter. It is simply up to the coach to put the players in situations where they can maximize their talents. Complete Article (20040626) »
- Rookies I Can't Wait to See
- I can't wait to see these rookies play their first NBA game. These aren't the players who are the most talented or the most dominant, just the ones that I'm really itching to see. For example, Emeka Okafor is an outstanding player, and an admirable one too. He graduated in three years with a degree in finance. When asked questions about leadership, he cites a paper he wrote comparing the leadership styles of Aristotle and Machiavelli. He's known as a defensive stopper but he also has a nice offensive game. His basketball IQ is through the roof. If I could offer him a head coaching job 15-20 years from now or a GM position 20-25 years from now, I would do it instantly, all day, every day, and twice on Sundays for good measure. Yet I feel I understand his game and have no doubt he will fit into the NBA. I will watch him. But I can wait to watch him. These other players, man, I simply can not wait! Complete Article (20040703) »
- Sophomores I Can't Wait to See Again
- I can't wait to see these sophomores come back and play their second NBA season. These aren't the players who are the most talented or the most dominant, just the ones that I'm really itching to see again. Complete Article (20040705) »
- Who Is Threatening Weisbrod?
- Orlando GM John Weisbrod has received two death threats. The Sheriff's Office is investigating but we can do a little long-range sleuthing on our own. Complete Article (20040707) »
- Real Culprit in Boozer Saga: Salary Cap
- The Cavaliers needed to decide by June 30 if they would make Carlos Boozer a restricted free agent, or if they would exercise their option to extend him for one more year for peanuts. They thought they reached an agreement with Boozer that would pay him $40 million over six years. But neither Boozer nor Cleveland could sign such an agreement until July 15. In that intervening no-man's-land where verbal contracts can be easily broken, Boozer was wooed by Utah's front-loaded offer of $68 million for six years. Complete Article (20040710) »
- Denver-Detroit in the Finals Next Year?
- Could the Nuggets come out of the West? Will Detroit be able to repeat as Eastern Conference champions? Complete Article (20040717) »
- Should Shareef Abdur-Rahim Come to Boston?
- Word is that Shareef Abdur-Rahim is close to being dealt to New Jersey for Kerry Kittles and Aaron Williams, and that the only stumbling block is the Blazers' insistence that the Nets include a future first-round draft pick to sweeten the pot. But last-minute trade changes do happen. Either way, this proposed deal highlights some possibilities for Boston in their search for a veteran big man. Complete Article (20040724) »
- Who Benefits from a Salary Cap?
- The NBA's collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is commonly construed as a messy tradeoff between a salary cap on the one hand and guaranteed contracts on the other. The players union wants salaries to be guaranteed, the thinking goes, while the owners want salaries to be capped. This thinking is flawed. Let's explore who really benefits from each of these politically charged attributes. Complete Article (20040731) »
- SAR's Second Coming
- The Celtics acquired Gary Payton's contract, now it's up to Boston's marketing machine to actually get Gary Payton. What would convince the Glove to go East? Complete Article (20040807) »
- Doc Rivers Coaching the All-Star Game?
- Last year, Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle coached the Eastern Conference team in the All-Star game in Los Angeles because the Pacers had compiled a conference-best 35-13 record by the cutoff point. Could 2004-2005 be the new Celtics coach's turn to be the head coach of the All-Star game to be played in Denver? Complete Article (20040813) »
- Maymin vs. Maymin: 2005 Division Winners
- It's not easy doing battle with your own brother, especially in an area as foggy and as prone to lightning changes as next year's divisional champions. Still, a Maymin (rhymes with rhymin') carries on... Complete Article (20040821) »
- International Basketball's Dirty Little Secret
- I prove that international games are far more of a coin toss than NBA games. Therefore, the right strategy, even in hindsight, is sending the most marketable team. Team USA sent the right team. Complete Article (20040828) »
- The 2008 Boston Celtics
- The summer of 2008 will mark a tumultuous period in this nation's distinguished history, but it will have nothing to do with the presidential election. It will be the year the Boston Celtics win and raise their 17th championship banner, and three of their key players go on to help Team USA win the gold in Beijing. Complete Article (20040904) »
- Boston's Second Best Point Guard
- Paul Pierce played point guard in high school. Jiri Welsch has been lauded as being able to play either guard position. Marcus Banks is one of the fastest point guards in the league. Delonte West is making the same transition Jameer Nelson did last year. But who, after Gary Payton, is really Boston's second-best point guard? Could it be Ricky Davis? Complete Article (20040907) »
- Bleed Deep Green
- The Celtics are approaching the depth of both the Grizzlies and the Pistons, though their frontcourt is probably not as loaded as Detroit's nor as fragile as Memphis's. They are three deep at every position, so not only would scrimmages between the first and second unit be exciting, but the third unit could pull an upset once in a while itself. Bleed Deep Green Complete Article (20040911) »
- Danny Ainge's Best Move
- Danny Ainge has wheeled and dealed all summer, from inspired draft picks to stunning trades, but his best move, even in light of the latest rumor broken by Eric Pincus yesterday, may have been keeping Mark Blount. Here's why. Complete Article (20040918) »
- Is Marcus Banks the Next Baron Davis?
- Like objects in a car door mirror, these players are closer than they appear. And I'll prove it, inside. Conclusion: don't trade him again just yet, Danny. Complete Article (20040925) »
- Maymin vs. Maymin: Rookie of the Year
- The ROY needs to put up good numbers, not just on a per-minute basis but on a per-game basis and as season totals. So the most important thing is minutes. But, the ROY also needs to play on at least a mediocre team. A great rookie on a terrible team won't usually get the nod, as some benefits for winning are built-in. Let's look at some top contenders. Complete Article (20040929) »
- Tracy McGrady
- He's been the NBA's scoring leader for the past two seasons. He can shoot threes with no problem. He slashes to the rim and gets to the charity line. And that's just his scoring prowess. Complete Article (20041002) »
- Best Regular Season Record
- Here's how I think the Eastern Conference Playoffs will shape up: Complete Article (20041009) »
- Suns/Celtics Comparison
- The Phoenix Suns and the Boston Celtics are essentially the same team with one exception: Boston has a legitimate center in Mark Blount, and that makes all the difference. Complete Article (20041010) »
- Destroying Basketball
- Bloomberg News is reporting today that the NBA is considering banning three pointers until the final five minutes of a game and will experiment with the idea this season in the NBDL. This is the response to the atrocious Olympic three-point shooting display? Ban three pointers? Complete Article (20041013) »
- Rent Out Live Feeds: Easy Money for the NBA
- An NBA game on TV is really three separate products: the game itself, the skill of the video producers, and the entertainment of the commentators. The NBA can earn a lot more money, and fans can enjoy the game much more, if those parts were also sold separately. Complete Article (20041016) »
- Per-Fan Stats
- Which team's season-ticket holders are most appreciated? Team rankings for last year look a whole lot different when divided by average fan turnout. Complete Article (20041023) »
- Odd Man Out
- You know you have too much depth if quality players need to feign injury to remain with the club. Are the Celtics too deep? Complete Article (20041030) »
- Is Pierce a Top-Ten Player?
- Paul Pierce calls himself a top-5 or top-10 player in this league. No less an authority than Bill Russell concurs. But is Pierce really in the top 10? Complete Article (20041106) »
- Celtics Are Em-PATHETIC
- The Celtics are nice guys who don't know what it really means to be nice. They have the mistaken notion that it means letting your opponents win. It doesn't. PLAY KENDRICK PERKINS. Complete Article (20041127) »
- Mark Cuban is Joking
- An old Russian anecdote goes like this: Complete Article (20041203) »
- Wait a Minute, Mr. Mailman!
- A public plea for Karl Malone to once again consider joining the Celtics. Complete Article (20041208) »
- Team vs. Superstar: The Answer
- Some teams have players that lead in several statistical categories. Others don't. Which have better records so far? The answer is inside. Complete Article (20041210) »
- Games Minutes Points
- Dwight Howard vs. Al Jefferson Complete Article (20041213) »
- The New Jersey Nets held a media conference call today.
- Nets CEO Rod Thorn made a brief statement and then fielded questions. The following is neither an official nor a complete nor a verbatim transcript but a sampling of the more pertinent points with as much accuracy as possible but aiming to get the information to readers of Basketball News Services's Hoopsworld.com as quickly as possible. An official transcript will likely be released on the Nets main web page at nba.com/nets either later today or tomorrow. Complete Article (20041217) »
- Atlantic Trios: Nets, Knicks, Celtics
- A three-way comparison of the RJ, Carter, Kidd vs. Marbury, Houston, Crawford vs. Pierce, Davis, Payton using both the latest statistics and their best years. Who has the edge in the backcourt-heavy Atlantic division? Complete Article (20041218) »
- What the Antoine Walker Rumors Reveal
- Rumors of Antoine Walker's potential return to Boston are wrong, but they are telling. And what they have to tell is not about Walker, but about Danny Ainge. Read the analysis in NEWS@. Complete Article (20041221) »
- Kendrick the Schmendrick
- Second-year rookie (you read that right) Kendrick Perkins had a breakout game for the Celtics against the Knicks. Is he a real wizard? Is he Boston's latest lucky charm? Complete Article (20041224) »
- The Paul Pierce Pick
- The real lesson from last night's blowout in Dallas is that the third and final stage in the evolution of Pierce's game is to have him set picks for the point. Complete Article (20041229) »
- The Celtic Baron Davis: Pro and Con
- Would getting Baron Davis in exchange for some picks, young talent, and expiring contracts be a good or bad thing for the Celtics? Complete Article (20050105) »
- Statistical Questions
- Statistical analysis of basketball should ideally answer at least the following questions: Complete Article (20050108) »
- You Can't Break Without the Ball
- When will the Celtics learn from their own glorious history? They were a fast-breaking, poor rebounding team until Bill Russell came along and changed the history of the world. Kendrick Perkins is no Russell, but if history is any indication, this young rebounding prodigy should get a lot more minutes. Complete Article (20050115) »
- Suns/Celtics Comparison II
- On October 9, 2004, I "proved" the Celtics and Suns were approximately the same team, except that Boston had a legitimate center in Mark Blount. Who proved me wrong, Blount or Nash? Complete Article (20050122) »
- How the Celtics Run Their Offense
- How the Celtics run their offense, why Doc Rivers often resorts to small lineups, when it works and when it doesn't, what needs to be done instead, how to do it, and why Red Auerbach would agree. Complete Article (20050123) »
- Bye Bye Waltah!
- It appears as if the Boston Celtics will be sending Walter McCarty to the Phoenix Suns for a second-round draft pick. According to Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald , McCarty was informed that the deal was close and the Celtics were awaiting final approval from the Suns. Complete Article (20050126) »
- Pierce Those Trade Rumors
- Everybody and their grandmother has a great trade idea involving Paul Pierce. Or maybe it's just my grandmother. Either way, it's not going to happen because he's in that second tier of production that makes him too talented to dump for draft picks and cash but not quite elite enough to bring back a franchise player. Complete Article (20050128) »
- Ricky vs. Rip
- Who's better, perennial runner Rip Hamilton or leading sixth-man candidate Ricky Davis? A full comparison of two of the world's best midrange shooters inside. Complete Article (20050205) »
- The Diesel and The Truth: Together at Last
- Paul Pierce has long wanted to play with Shaquille O'Neal on his team. Shaq, in return, is responsible for coining Pierce's nickname "The Truth" after a particularly devastating performance by Pierce against the Lakers some years ago. Complete Article (20050208) »
- Flagrantly Perkins
- Kendrick Perkins was assessed a flagrant foul, penalty 2, for "shucking" Desmond Mason off of him after a foul left Mason hanging on to Perk for support. Was it the right call? Why did he do it? Would he do it again? What does this episode mean for Perkins and the Celtics? Complete Article (20050209) »
- Coast-to-Coast: Midway
- A little over midway through the NBA season, there have been some disappointments and some surprises. Philip Maymin and Chris Monjoy of Hoopsworld.com sit down and discuss what's happening on the East Coast and on the West Coast. Complete Article (20050210) »
- Shoot Free Throws Later
- Here's a plan to make the first three quarters of basketball relevant again. Complete Article (20050212) »
- Celtic Baron Davis: Pro and Con
- Let's not argue the merits of a healthy Baron Davis. When he's healthy and motivated, Baron Davis is one of the best point guards in the league. It's when he's either unhealthy (e.g.: back problems) or unmotivated (e.g.: this season) that he is a tremendous liability. Let's suppose that a healthy and motivated Baron Davis would be a good fit for the Boston Celtics: he plays uptempo, he's young, he's friends with Paul Pierce, and he will be a tremendous veteran to have on your roster in 2-3 years when the Celtics are contenders. Complete Article (20050217) »
- The Hidden Al Jefferson
- The NBA's box score for the got milk? Rookie-Sophomore game last night accidentally excluded the results of a certain Al Jefferson. The result of a little subtraction yields his stat line. Complete Article (20050219) »
- Review of The Jump
- You have to read this book and you have to read it now. Why? Complete Article (20050222) »
- Why Trade at the Deadline?
- Why do teams wait until the trade deadline to make trades? Is it for the same reason that people snipe Ebay? On Ebay, many bidders place bids in the last few moments before the closing time, a practice called "sniping." There are some very good reasons for doing so, one rational and one slightly irrational, or behavioral. Complete Article (20050226) »
- Points Responsible
- The only two of the top five positive statistics (points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks) or two negative statistics (fouls and turnovers) that unquestionably results in a score for either team are points and assists. For the rest, whether it's a steal or turnover or a block or a foul, can only increase or decrease the likelihood of a score, but none of them are sure things. Complete Article (20050305) »
- Pierce's Five Point Possession
- Halfway through the third quarter last night against the Rockets (whom the Celtics eventually beat 103-92 after a mini-scare in the fourth quarter halved the lead and forced Doc Rivers bring his starters back), Paul Pierce made five points in one single possession, and what a possession it was! It illustrated in a microcosm some of the great things about the Celtics. Complete Article (20050319) »
- Who Guaranteed Monta Ellis?
- The high school senior, a high-scoring 6-3 guard, has closed the door to college ball by hiring an agent. Why would he do that unless he knew some team had guaranteed to take him in the first round? So the question becomes: who issued such a guarantee? The last team to draft a 40-point-per-game Mississippi high schooler in the first round was the Boston Celtics. Will they repeat? Complete Article (20050322) »
- Coast-to-Coast: The Trade Deadline Is Passed
- The trade deadline is passed, and the season is winding down. It's time to check out the state of the East Coast and the West Coast again, with Philip Maymin and Chris Monjoy. Complete Article (20050323) »
- Free Throw Netting
- A rule to speed up the game: free throws earned through the first three quarters are netted and a designated shooter from the team with the net lead shoots them all in a row to start the fourth quarter. Scores for the first three quarters would be reported as e.g. LAL 55 - NYK 50 (8) to designate New York's eight net free throw lead. Complete Article (20050326) »
- Why the Celtics Will Beat the Mavs Tonight
- In two words: Antoine Walker. The versatile power forward always seems to find a way to beat former employers. Proof inside. Complete Article (20050330) »
- The Eastern Conference
- Three games separate the six teams currently seeded third through eighth. How will everything shake out based on the remaining schedules? Complete Article (20050409) »
- What an Amazing Game
- The Celtics-Heat game last night was four full quarters of adrenaline. The first quarter and most of the second was a vision come true as five running green jerseys made something happen off of every Miami miss. At one point, Miami head coach Stan Van Gundy (who spent a lot of time with his head in his hands or his facial features contorted in pain) seemed to be mouthing the words, "What is wrong with us today?" Complete Article (20050416) »
- Matchups to Watch: Celtics-Pacers
- Despite all the hype and hoopla over Reggie Miller and his veteran bag o' tricks, the big question is who will guard Jermaine O'Neal. Complete Article (20050423) »
- Points Per Opponent's Score
- Who is more of a scorer, someone who gets 22ppg on a team that gives up on average 80 points to the opponents, or someone who gets 25ppg on a team that gives up an average 110 points to the opponent? Complete Article (20050430) »
- Overplayed?
- Most stat leaders get there simply by playing a lot of minutes, and they play a lot because they're great players. But are there players who are perhaps getting too many minutes relative to their performance? Complete Article (20050514) »