"Put up or shut up, Kobe"
February 5, 2008
Stan McNeal
Mitch Kupchak is too dignified to gloat. But when the Lakers became legitimate title contenders in one stunning move last week, no one would have blamed Kupchak if he'd dialed up Kobe Bryant and said, "OK, hotshot. Now it's your turn."
After all of his whining and trade demands, Kobe finally has what he has wanted for years: the chance to be the main man on a championship team. For that, he can thank Kupchak. As productive as Kobe has been on the court, the Lakers' general manager has been more valuable to the franchise off of it. Consider what he has done in the past year or so:
•He refused to trade Andrew Bynum before and after Kobe was caught saying, in a profanity-laced rant, the Lakers should ship the young center out.
•He found a way to bring back starting point guard and team stabilizer Derek Fisher.
•He assembled one of the best benches in the league, a unit comprised mainly of late first- round and second-round picks.
For his crowning achievement, Kupchak traded for 7-foot forward Pau Gasol last week. To get Gasol, a one-time All-Star who averaged 18.9 points for the Grizzlies this season, Kupchak did not have to give up a single one of the Lakers' top 10 players.
League execs from coast to coast were shaking their heads in amazement. "That came out of nowhere. Absolutely makes the Lakers a championship contender," said one. "What is Memphis thinking?" wondered another.
Although the defending champion Spurs still have to be considered the favorites, the Lakers are settling into the Western Conference high-rent district previously limited to the Spurs, Mavericks and Suns. The Lakers will do it their way, too.
At a time when the league is trending toward small ball, the Lakers are going tall. When Bynum returns from a knee injury next month, the Lakers will be able to start two 7-footers and 6-10 Lamar Odom.
Gasol and Bynum should complement each other, scouts say. Gasol is a finesse scorer who likes to operate from 15 feet and in. Bynum is a true center who prefers the low block and relies on power and size. The move should play well into the future, too: Bynum turned 20 in October, Gasol is 27, and Kobe is 29.
Give Kobe credit for appreciating the opportunity he has been given. Talking to reporters about the Gasol deal, Kobe praised Kupchak and owner Jerry Buss for showing "a great deal of commitment." Then Bryant added, "Now it's time to walk the walk."
Kupchak has to agree, regardless of whether he says so.
http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=347466
Showing posts with label Kobe Bryant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kobe Bryant. Show all posts
Friday, February 22, 2008
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Thoughts from 2/12/08 New Orleans Hornets at Chicago Bulls
Tuesday night I went to the Bulls game and sat at center court in the second row. It was very really interesting to see the interactions between players, coaches, referees, and even players.
Some thoughts from the evening:
-Jannero Pargo is a great streak shooter and instant offense. However, when he is not making his shot, he is completely useless. He does not make the best choices with the ball in his hands, lacks size and strength, and is a mediocre defensive player. However, when he's got the hot hand, he's the ideal bench player.
-Aaron Gray played twelve minutes for the Bulls in the game and had three turnovers and four fouls. Tyrus Thomas only played eight minutes in the game. I would give all minutes of Gray's to Thomas.
-The Hornets lack the necessary depth to truly compete in the playoffs. Rasual Butler, Hilton Armstrong, Jannero Pargo, Bobby Jackson, and Ryan Bowen are their key contributors off their bench. None of these guys standout and the Hornets could use a boost off the bench, especially a big man.
-Chris Paul is just as valuable to his team as LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Steve Nash is to his team. The Hornets entire offense runs around and through Paul and when he is out of the game, they run their offense completely differently. This team will go as far as Paul takes them.
-Byron Scott seems like a pefect fit for this team. In the past, he was described as an ego-maniacal, long-winded coach with the Nets, but is not a hit with the Hornets.
-David West and Tyson Chandler have become great players in New Orleans, but I doubt they would have developed so nicely if Paul wasn't playing with them.
-Peja Stojakovic is still the best perimeter shooter when he is on. In this game against the Bulls, Paul spent most of the second half penetrating into the lane, drawing the defense, and kicking out to an open Stojakovic.
-The Bulls played a lineup featuring Chris Duhon, Thabo Sefolosha, Tyrus Thomas, Joakim Noah, and Ben Wallace. The Hornets struggled to matchup and Sefolosha scored several times in the post.
-Why didn't Kirk Hinrich start? Why did he come in after several minutes? He clearly was healthy enough, shooting three for five from the three point line.
Box Score:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/boxscore;_ylt=AkDvHNgJ8pZJSsuCCKeO0QuQvLYF?gid=2008021204
Video:
Some thoughts from the evening:
-Jannero Pargo is a great streak shooter and instant offense. However, when he is not making his shot, he is completely useless. He does not make the best choices with the ball in his hands, lacks size and strength, and is a mediocre defensive player. However, when he's got the hot hand, he's the ideal bench player.
-Aaron Gray played twelve minutes for the Bulls in the game and had three turnovers and four fouls. Tyrus Thomas only played eight minutes in the game. I would give all minutes of Gray's to Thomas.
-The Hornets lack the necessary depth to truly compete in the playoffs. Rasual Butler, Hilton Armstrong, Jannero Pargo, Bobby Jackson, and Ryan Bowen are their key contributors off their bench. None of these guys standout and the Hornets could use a boost off the bench, especially a big man.
-Chris Paul is just as valuable to his team as LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Steve Nash is to his team. The Hornets entire offense runs around and through Paul and when he is out of the game, they run their offense completely differently. This team will go as far as Paul takes them.
-Byron Scott seems like a pefect fit for this team. In the past, he was described as an ego-maniacal, long-winded coach with the Nets, but is not a hit with the Hornets.
-David West and Tyson Chandler have become great players in New Orleans, but I doubt they would have developed so nicely if Paul wasn't playing with them.
-Peja Stojakovic is still the best perimeter shooter when he is on. In this game against the Bulls, Paul spent most of the second half penetrating into the lane, drawing the defense, and kicking out to an open Stojakovic.
-The Bulls played a lineup featuring Chris Duhon, Thabo Sefolosha, Tyrus Thomas, Joakim Noah, and Ben Wallace. The Hornets struggled to matchup and Sefolosha scored several times in the post.
-Why didn't Kirk Hinrich start? Why did he come in after several minutes? He clearly was healthy enough, shooting three for five from the three point line.
Box Score:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/boxscore;_ylt=AkDvHNgJ8pZJSsuCCKeO0QuQvLYF?gid=2008021204
Video:
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
The Life of an Advance Scout
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-29-0/The-life-of-an-advance-scout.html
January 2, 2008 10:15 AM
Posted by Brian Windhorst
Pat Zipfel has one of the most demanding jobs in the NBA and his work directly affects the outcome of games. Yet you probably have never heard of him or most people like him. He's an advance scout for the Houston Rockets and, if you listen to his peers, one of the league's best. He's been "doing advance" as they say in the NBA for seven years now, also having worked for the Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Clippers. He's former point guard who fell in love with Xs and Os while playing at Cabrini College in Philadelphia. He's also been the head coach at Centenary College and an assistant at The Citadel. On a six-hour flight from Orlando to Seattle last week, Pat agreed to answer some questions for TrueHoop about the grueling yet fascinating nature of his job.
What exactly is an advance scout?
There are two types of scouts in the NBA. There are personnel scouts, who look at players and decide if they can play, fit their system and are the type of player that will be successful with the salary fitting. The advance scout is responsible for watching the opponent, diagramming all their plays, knowing their calls, knowing their side out of bounds plays and end of game plays. Then you report back to the coaching staff and suggest a game plan on how to win that game. The advance scout specializes in the knowledge of the game.
The job of advance scout is not just a job but a lifestyle. During the NBA season, it is a marathon of traveling and watching games and writing reports. Whether your team wins or loses you feel you played a part in preparing them for the game and are fully vested in every game.
So, you feel the highs and lows of winning and losing, even though you are already ahead working on the next opponent. The truth is that It can be a bit lonely when you play a game that you spent so much time helping prepare your coaching staff and you find yourself alone in a hotel room checking the scores online to see if your team won. No one is with you to celebrate victory or share defeat.
If being around the team and getting to know the players sounds great to you, then the job of advance scout is not for you. Most of our players wouldn't recognize me since they only see me a few times a year other than during training camp. Every game they read the reports and get prepared by the coaches but almost all are unaware of the process it took to get that information to them.
How many NBA games do you see in person during a season?
Last season, I saw 144 NBA games in person during the regular season. So far this season I have seen about 65 games. But coupled with the amount of games on tape, I can't actually count how many games I have seen. While it is a dream job if you love the game of basketball, it requires a level of commitment and work ethic during the season that is grueling.
So that includes lots of time in hotels and on airplanes?
Since training camp started, I've been in my own bed (outside Philadelphia) for eight nights. Typically, I fly every day of the week, this job requires at least 100,000 miles in the air every year. A large part of the daily routine of this job is logistics, getting from one city to the next. Getting all the flights, taxis, rental cars, hotels and the whole time trying to be budget conscious is a challenge. It's not easy, especially since most of the season happens in the winter. Once last season a game in New York went to overtime and I missed the last train out of the city and all the hotel rooms were booked. I ended up sleeping in Penn Station. Because I'm up late after games working on reports and then up early to catch flights, I get most of my sleep on planes.
So who does your laundry and have you every flown to the wrong city?
Most of the 30 advance scouts in the NBA could write a travel book on how to travel in and out of the 30 NBA cities. Most of us know which airlines have direct flights, what cities and airports are the best and worst to deal with, who has the friendliest cab drivers, and even where to get laundry/dry cleaning done on short notice in each city. We see the airport, the hotel and the arena, that's it.
Most scouts stay at Marriott hotels, because you know what you are going to get and it is dependable. But because the rooms all look the same, yes, you wake up sometimes and dont exactly know where you are.
How do you get the information to your team and how has technology helped?
Advance scouting in the NBA was originally done by Bill Bertka of the Los Angeles Lakers. He could be considered the godfather of advance scouting. He was the first person to go out and watch the opponent play and report back to his team his suggestions on how to beat the opponent. Over the years, the position went from pen and paper to laptops, e-mail, software and .pdf files. Back then and now the goal is the same: to know your opponent and try to find ways to beat them.
The process following every game is the scout will go back to his hotel and input all the plays in the software that were used on that night and write a report following the game that will prepare the coaching staff on the opposing teams. That includes personnel, tendencies, play calls, frequency, and even who to suggest to foul in a close game. This information is emailed to directly to the coaching staff. Just few years ago this meant lots of faxing and FedExing but the software now allows you to do it all electronically.
The Rockets are one of the most computer savvy teams in the league, how does it carry over to your job?
Having worked for three different NBA teams, the Rockets are cutting edge with their ability to marry technology and basketball. Aside from the standard personnel database that teams have started using the past few years, the statistical and analytical work of the Rockets' front office technology team gives the coaching staff and personnel department every possible advantage. This goes back to our (general manager) Daryl Morey and (vice president of basketball operations) Sam Hinkie, they are two of the best in the business at it.
How important is getting the play calls and signals?
For our team, Shane Battier is excellent at hearing opponents calls during the game and knowing what is going to happen before the opponent runs the play and letting our coaching staff know. That type of advantage could be the difference between 2-3 possessions a game and determine the outcome.
There are lots of players who make it a priority. If you sat close enough to the court of a Dallas Mavericks game, Dirk Nowitzki does a great job of calling out the other teams plays to their bench, as does Jarrett Jack of the Portland Trail Blazers for his team. If Mike Dunleavy of the Pacers knows the play, he will call it out in his teams term just to get a small edge.
How much of the job is technical (X and Os) and how much is intuitive?
The ability to watch a game and know where all 10 players are on the floor is invaluable for the job. Being able to draw up all the plays and where each player goes is important for the coaches when they see the report. But you also have to be able to suggest ways to counteract what the opponent does, which means you have that part of your mind working, too.
So after all that, do you like your job?
As a former NCAA head coach, I know the importance of knowing how to defend the other team. I have always felt this job was valuable since we are in the business of winning games and beating our opponents. So I know how important the job is and that's important to me.
Every day I hear from people what a great job it must be and even after 7 years, I cannot tell you how blessed I feel to be sitting front row every night in the NBA, the highest level of basketball in the world. Just last week, I saw Kobe, Carmelo, and LeBron play in person in a three-day span. And if you love the game of basketball, that sounds like a dream job.
January 2, 2008 10:15 AM
Posted by Brian Windhorst
Pat Zipfel has one of the most demanding jobs in the NBA and his work directly affects the outcome of games. Yet you probably have never heard of him or most people like him. He's an advance scout for the Houston Rockets and, if you listen to his peers, one of the league's best. He's been "doing advance" as they say in the NBA for seven years now, also having worked for the Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Clippers. He's former point guard who fell in love with Xs and Os while playing at Cabrini College in Philadelphia. He's also been the head coach at Centenary College and an assistant at The Citadel. On a six-hour flight from Orlando to Seattle last week, Pat agreed to answer some questions for TrueHoop about the grueling yet fascinating nature of his job.
What exactly is an advance scout?
There are two types of scouts in the NBA. There are personnel scouts, who look at players and decide if they can play, fit their system and are the type of player that will be successful with the salary fitting. The advance scout is responsible for watching the opponent, diagramming all their plays, knowing their calls, knowing their side out of bounds plays and end of game plays. Then you report back to the coaching staff and suggest a game plan on how to win that game. The advance scout specializes in the knowledge of the game.
The job of advance scout is not just a job but a lifestyle. During the NBA season, it is a marathon of traveling and watching games and writing reports. Whether your team wins or loses you feel you played a part in preparing them for the game and are fully vested in every game.
So, you feel the highs and lows of winning and losing, even though you are already ahead working on the next opponent. The truth is that It can be a bit lonely when you play a game that you spent so much time helping prepare your coaching staff and you find yourself alone in a hotel room checking the scores online to see if your team won. No one is with you to celebrate victory or share defeat.
If being around the team and getting to know the players sounds great to you, then the job of advance scout is not for you. Most of our players wouldn't recognize me since they only see me a few times a year other than during training camp. Every game they read the reports and get prepared by the coaches but almost all are unaware of the process it took to get that information to them.
How many NBA games do you see in person during a season?
Last season, I saw 144 NBA games in person during the regular season. So far this season I have seen about 65 games. But coupled with the amount of games on tape, I can't actually count how many games I have seen. While it is a dream job if you love the game of basketball, it requires a level of commitment and work ethic during the season that is grueling.
So that includes lots of time in hotels and on airplanes?
Since training camp started, I've been in my own bed (outside Philadelphia) for eight nights. Typically, I fly every day of the week, this job requires at least 100,000 miles in the air every year. A large part of the daily routine of this job is logistics, getting from one city to the next. Getting all the flights, taxis, rental cars, hotels and the whole time trying to be budget conscious is a challenge. It's not easy, especially since most of the season happens in the winter. Once last season a game in New York went to overtime and I missed the last train out of the city and all the hotel rooms were booked. I ended up sleeping in Penn Station. Because I'm up late after games working on reports and then up early to catch flights, I get most of my sleep on planes.
So who does your laundry and have you every flown to the wrong city?
Most of the 30 advance scouts in the NBA could write a travel book on how to travel in and out of the 30 NBA cities. Most of us know which airlines have direct flights, what cities and airports are the best and worst to deal with, who has the friendliest cab drivers, and even where to get laundry/dry cleaning done on short notice in each city. We see the airport, the hotel and the arena, that's it.
Most scouts stay at Marriott hotels, because you know what you are going to get and it is dependable. But because the rooms all look the same, yes, you wake up sometimes and dont exactly know where you are.
How do you get the information to your team and how has technology helped?
Advance scouting in the NBA was originally done by Bill Bertka of the Los Angeles Lakers. He could be considered the godfather of advance scouting. He was the first person to go out and watch the opponent play and report back to his team his suggestions on how to beat the opponent. Over the years, the position went from pen and paper to laptops, e-mail, software and .pdf files. Back then and now the goal is the same: to know your opponent and try to find ways to beat them.
The process following every game is the scout will go back to his hotel and input all the plays in the software that were used on that night and write a report following the game that will prepare the coaching staff on the opposing teams. That includes personnel, tendencies, play calls, frequency, and even who to suggest to foul in a close game. This information is emailed to directly to the coaching staff. Just few years ago this meant lots of faxing and FedExing but the software now allows you to do it all electronically.
The Rockets are one of the most computer savvy teams in the league, how does it carry over to your job?
Having worked for three different NBA teams, the Rockets are cutting edge with their ability to marry technology and basketball. Aside from the standard personnel database that teams have started using the past few years, the statistical and analytical work of the Rockets' front office technology team gives the coaching staff and personnel department every possible advantage. This goes back to our (general manager) Daryl Morey and (vice president of basketball operations) Sam Hinkie, they are two of the best in the business at it.
How important is getting the play calls and signals?
For our team, Shane Battier is excellent at hearing opponents calls during the game and knowing what is going to happen before the opponent runs the play and letting our coaching staff know. That type of advantage could be the difference between 2-3 possessions a game and determine the outcome.
There are lots of players who make it a priority. If you sat close enough to the court of a Dallas Mavericks game, Dirk Nowitzki does a great job of calling out the other teams plays to their bench, as does Jarrett Jack of the Portland Trail Blazers for his team. If Mike Dunleavy of the Pacers knows the play, he will call it out in his teams term just to get a small edge.
How much of the job is technical (X and Os) and how much is intuitive?
The ability to watch a game and know where all 10 players are on the floor is invaluable for the job. Being able to draw up all the plays and where each player goes is important for the coaches when they see the report. But you also have to be able to suggest ways to counteract what the opponent does, which means you have that part of your mind working, too.
So after all that, do you like your job?
As a former NCAA head coach, I know the importance of knowing how to defend the other team. I have always felt this job was valuable since we are in the business of winning games and beating our opponents. So I know how important the job is and that's important to me.
Every day I hear from people what a great job it must be and even after 7 years, I cannot tell you how blessed I feel to be sitting front row every night in the NBA, the highest level of basketball in the world. Just last week, I saw Kobe, Carmelo, and LeBron play in person in a three-day span. And if you love the game of basketball, that sounds like a dream job.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Catching Up from the Weekend
-I am happy to say I missed Saturday night's Bulls-Raptors blowout at the United Center. Apparently during the second half, fans started booing and then chanted "Ko-be, Ko-be". What a disaster.
-The rest of the month has the Bulls playing six road games and a home game against the Atlanta Hawks. The Suns, Clippers, Lakers, Nuggets, Knicks, and Raptors make up the Bulls longest roadtrip of the season. It certainly is likely the Bulls may end with something like a 3-10 November, which would seriously handicap their chances of winning the Eastern Conference.
-During the offseason and then preseason, we heard a lot that J.J. Redick would be playing significant minutes with the Magic under new coach Stan Van Gundy. Through seven Magic games, Redick has only appeared in two games and has not scored a point this season.
-At this point, I would say the five best teams are: Boston, San Antonio, Houston, Phoenix, and Utah. The bottom five teams are: Seattle, Golden State, Memphis, Miami, and Washington.
-Though it is still early, Rajon Rondo has done a great job at point guard for the Celtics. He has taken care of the ball on offense, forced turnovers on defense, and has scored more than ten points per game in a majority of games. However, the one close game the Celtics have played in this year against the Raptors, was Rondo's worse of the season by far. Rondo struggled to be effective and scored only two points and had two assists, while failing to score from the field and having five fouls. So it looks like, as Rondo goes, the Celtics will go this season.
-I caught the last five minutes of the Kings-Cavaliers game late Friday night. LeBron James completely took over and Cleveland pulled out the win. The big story in my mind was Sacramento’s execution down the stretch. With twelve seconds left to play and down two points, Sacramento’s top scoring option, Kevin Martin, was isolated in transition one-on-one on the left wing. Furthermore, there was only one other Cavalier defender within the three point line. Instead of letting Martin go at his defender and trying to send the game to overtime, Kings coach Reggie Theus called a time. Out of the timeout, Martin was defended by LeBron James, who did not bite on a pump fake and ultimately forced Martin into taking a forced three point attempt that fell short. Theus clearly cost his team a chance to pull out a victory by over-coaching the situation.
-The rest of the month has the Bulls playing six road games and a home game against the Atlanta Hawks. The Suns, Clippers, Lakers, Nuggets, Knicks, and Raptors make up the Bulls longest roadtrip of the season. It certainly is likely the Bulls may end with something like a 3-10 November, which would seriously handicap their chances of winning the Eastern Conference.
-During the offseason and then preseason, we heard a lot that J.J. Redick would be playing significant minutes with the Magic under new coach Stan Van Gundy. Through seven Magic games, Redick has only appeared in two games and has not scored a point this season.
-At this point, I would say the five best teams are: Boston, San Antonio, Houston, Phoenix, and Utah. The bottom five teams are: Seattle, Golden State, Memphis, Miami, and Washington.
-Though it is still early, Rajon Rondo has done a great job at point guard for the Celtics. He has taken care of the ball on offense, forced turnovers on defense, and has scored more than ten points per game in a majority of games. However, the one close game the Celtics have played in this year against the Raptors, was Rondo's worse of the season by far. Rondo struggled to be effective and scored only two points and had two assists, while failing to score from the field and having five fouls. So it looks like, as Rondo goes, the Celtics will go this season.
-I caught the last five minutes of the Kings-Cavaliers game late Friday night. LeBron James completely took over and Cleveland pulled out the win. The big story in my mind was Sacramento’s execution down the stretch. With twelve seconds left to play and down two points, Sacramento’s top scoring option, Kevin Martin, was isolated in transition one-on-one on the left wing. Furthermore, there was only one other Cavalier defender within the three point line. Instead of letting Martin go at his defender and trying to send the game to overtime, Kings coach Reggie Theus called a time. Out of the timeout, Martin was defended by LeBron James, who did not bite on a pump fake and ultimately forced Martin into taking a forced three point attempt that fell short. Theus clearly cost his team a chance to pull out a victory by over-coaching the situation.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Kobe-Bulls Update
Reports out of Chicago are saying that a three-team trade is on the table for Kobe Bryant to approve within the next 48 hours. The trade includes the Bulls and Lakers and now also the Sacramento Kings. With Kings point guard Mike Bibby out six to ten weeks with a left thumb ligament injury and a roster of players either past their prime or vastly inexperienced, the Kings most likely are looking to shake up their roster.
The reports only mention Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, Kobe Bryant, and Ron Artest as the primary members. So, I spent some time looking at possible three-way trades and here is the best that I could come up with:
Chicago gets: Kobe Bryant ($19,490,625) and Jordan Farmar ($1,009,560)
Sacramento gets: Ben Gordon ($4,881,669), Joakim Noah ($2,135,400), Viktor Khryapa ($1,928,598)
Los Angeles gets: Kirk Hinrich ($11,250,000), Ron Artest ($7,400,000), Adrian Griffin ($1,593,000), Chicago future first round pick.
With this trade the Bulls would automatically become a contender to win the championship. They would maintain a core of Luol Deng, Ben Wallace, Andres Nocioni, and add in Kobe Bryant. Role players such as Thabo Sefolosha and Joe Smith would also play a critical role. Although the Bulls currently constructed are a nice team that may compete for the Eastern conference title, this team post-Kobe trade would compete for the title. And as I always stress, each year your goal is exactly that -to compete for the championship.
In Sacramento and Los Angeles, this trade allows both teams to rebuild their roster without falling too hard. Sacramento gets another scorer to play next to Kevin Martin, another young big man in Noah, and cap flexiblity next season when Khryapa's contract expires. The Lakers acquire two starters and some flexibility for the future. Hinrich and Artest would team with Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom to create a nice core for the Lakers to build around.
The reports only mention Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, Kobe Bryant, and Ron Artest as the primary members. So, I spent some time looking at possible three-way trades and here is the best that I could come up with:
Chicago gets: Kobe Bryant ($19,490,625) and Jordan Farmar ($1,009,560)
Sacramento gets: Ben Gordon ($4,881,669), Joakim Noah ($2,135,400), Viktor Khryapa ($1,928,598)
Los Angeles gets: Kirk Hinrich ($11,250,000), Ron Artest ($7,400,000), Adrian Griffin ($1,593,000), Chicago future first round pick.
With this trade the Bulls would automatically become a contender to win the championship. They would maintain a core of Luol Deng, Ben Wallace, Andres Nocioni, and add in Kobe Bryant. Role players such as Thabo Sefolosha and Joe Smith would also play a critical role. Although the Bulls currently constructed are a nice team that may compete for the Eastern conference title, this team post-Kobe trade would compete for the title. And as I always stress, each year your goal is exactly that -to compete for the championship.
In Sacramento and Los Angeles, this trade allows both teams to rebuild their roster without falling too hard. Sacramento gets another scorer to play next to Kevin Martin, another young big man in Noah, and cap flexiblity next season when Khryapa's contract expires. The Lakers acquire two starters and some flexibility for the future. Hinrich and Artest would team with Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom to create a nice core for the Lakers to build around.
Observations on Rockets @ Lakers - 10/30/07
Last night, I watched the Houston Rockets open their season in Los Angeles against the Lakers. All week, there has been discussion around Kobe Bryant and whether or not he will continue to force a trade out of Los Angeles.
Here is the boxscore from last night's game:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/boxscore;_ylt=AhLqHhTyqnNLGQi8kUst.sU5nYcB?gid=2007103013
My observations:
-Hiring Rick Adelman as the head coach of the Rockets was a great move. He will bring more innovation to Houston's offense and they will take advantage of the team's personnel. Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady are in the prime of their career and it would be a waste for them to continue to play in a slow-down, pull-the-ball-out type of offense.
-Shane Battier is a perfect fit in Adelman's offense. When Houston plays Battier at power forward, he brings a great deal of versatility that fits very well with the rest of the team. His ability to pass the ball - ala Chris Webber - could be the key to their offense running smoothly.
-The fact that Yao Ming's scoring average has improved every year of his five-year career is something that probably does not get enough attention. The key for him this year will be to stay healthy for the majority of the season. The last two regular seasons he has missed a combined 61 games.
-It may take Adelman awhile to figure out who will fit best at point guard with the team's new offensive philosophy. Rafer Alston is currently the starting point guard, but he makes too many bad plays and struggles to properly run his team's offense in the half court game. Mike James is much more of a shooting guard and Luther Head has never shown the ability to play any position beyond shooting guard.
-Mike James could end up fitting in perfectly with Adelman's team as long as its at the off guard spot. Like Bobby Jackson did in the past with his Kings teams, James can come off the bench and score in bunches. As an undersized shooting guard, he takes advantage of his speed and quickness and can be instant offense.
-It wouldn't suprise me if by the end of the season, neither Alston or James is the teams' starting point guard. Adelman may give Aaron Brooks a chance at some point during the year. Trading for a point guard may be the end solution for the Rockets to take the next step.
-Bonzi Wells looked noticeably thinner and ready to play this season for his former coach. If he can get back to the way he played in the 2005-06 season, it would be a real boost for Houston. He provides a great deal of versatility by being able to post up smaller defenders and rebound terrifically.
-Bryant certainly seemed to want to silence his critics lsat night as he score 53 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and had eight assists, two steals, and a block. As they showed last night on the broadcast, in games where Bryant scored at least 40 points last season, the Lakers went 13-5. Perhaps Bryant scoring almost a half of his teams' points may be the key to the Lakers success this season.
-The Lakers roster is severly flawed by my account. They have too many hustle-type guys and not enough talent. Guys like Ronny Turiaf, Jordan Farmar, and Cobe Karl work hard, but should not be playing on a nightly basis. However, some may put Luke Walton into that category, but I really like what he does for the team. He is a terrific passer, works hard on defense, and can even post up a bit.
-I think Phil Jackson should consider getting Javaris Crittenton some playing time. I recognize this was only the first game of the season, but Crittenton is a big guard who I think would look great next to Bryant. Ideally, I think you would have Crittenton starting the game and playing significant minutes and finishing the game with Derek Fisher in his spot on the floor. Fisher obviously has been there before and can hit big shots, but at this point in his career, should not be playing 30+ minutes per night.
-That game winning shot by Shane Battier took a lot of guts and was taken very deap. It would have been great to have seen this game gone into overtime and watch what Bryant would have done then. I'm guessing he would have finished with 60 points or so and the Lakers would have won on opening night. Hats off to Battier for playing great all night and hitting a really tough shot to win the game.
Here is the boxscore from last night's game:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/boxscore;_ylt=AhLqHhTyqnNLGQi8kUst.sU5nYcB?gid=2007103013
My observations:
-Hiring Rick Adelman as the head coach of the Rockets was a great move. He will bring more innovation to Houston's offense and they will take advantage of the team's personnel. Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady are in the prime of their career and it would be a waste for them to continue to play in a slow-down, pull-the-ball-out type of offense.
-Shane Battier is a perfect fit in Adelman's offense. When Houston plays Battier at power forward, he brings a great deal of versatility that fits very well with the rest of the team. His ability to pass the ball - ala Chris Webber - could be the key to their offense running smoothly.
-The fact that Yao Ming's scoring average has improved every year of his five-year career is something that probably does not get enough attention. The key for him this year will be to stay healthy for the majority of the season. The last two regular seasons he has missed a combined 61 games.
-It may take Adelman awhile to figure out who will fit best at point guard with the team's new offensive philosophy. Rafer Alston is currently the starting point guard, but he makes too many bad plays and struggles to properly run his team's offense in the half court game. Mike James is much more of a shooting guard and Luther Head has never shown the ability to play any position beyond shooting guard.
-Mike James could end up fitting in perfectly with Adelman's team as long as its at the off guard spot. Like Bobby Jackson did in the past with his Kings teams, James can come off the bench and score in bunches. As an undersized shooting guard, he takes advantage of his speed and quickness and can be instant offense.
-It wouldn't suprise me if by the end of the season, neither Alston or James is the teams' starting point guard. Adelman may give Aaron Brooks a chance at some point during the year. Trading for a point guard may be the end solution for the Rockets to take the next step.
-Bonzi Wells looked noticeably thinner and ready to play this season for his former coach. If he can get back to the way he played in the 2005-06 season, it would be a real boost for Houston. He provides a great deal of versatility by being able to post up smaller defenders and rebound terrifically.
-Bryant certainly seemed to want to silence his critics lsat night as he score 53 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and had eight assists, two steals, and a block. As they showed last night on the broadcast, in games where Bryant scored at least 40 points last season, the Lakers went 13-5. Perhaps Bryant scoring almost a half of his teams' points may be the key to the Lakers success this season.
-The Lakers roster is severly flawed by my account. They have too many hustle-type guys and not enough talent. Guys like Ronny Turiaf, Jordan Farmar, and Cobe Karl work hard, but should not be playing on a nightly basis. However, some may put Luke Walton into that category, but I really like what he does for the team. He is a terrific passer, works hard on defense, and can even post up a bit.
-I think Phil Jackson should consider getting Javaris Crittenton some playing time. I recognize this was only the first game of the season, but Crittenton is a big guard who I think would look great next to Bryant. Ideally, I think you would have Crittenton starting the game and playing significant minutes and finishing the game with Derek Fisher in his spot on the floor. Fisher obviously has been there before and can hit big shots, but at this point in his career, should not be playing 30+ minutes per night.
-That game winning shot by Shane Battier took a lot of guts and was taken very deap. It would have been great to have seen this game gone into overtime and watch what Bryant would have done then. I'm guessing he would have finished with 60 points or so and the Lakers would have won on opening night. Hats off to Battier for playing great all night and hitting a really tough shot to win the game.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Responding to the Kobe Rumors
As a lifelong Bulls fan, I would like to get all excited about the possibility of us acquiring Kobe Bryant. But at this point, I realize that the likelihood of this happening is slim. This doesn't need to be said, but I will go ahead and say it anyway: for a trade to occur, both parties need to agree. In this case, more than just the Lakers and Bulls need to agree to this trade - players and agents are involved in it as well.
However, for the sake of argument, here is the most realistic trade I have come up with that I could see all parties agreeing to to bring Kobe Bryant to Chicago:
Chicago trades Joakim Noah ($2,135,400), Tyrus Thomas ($3,505,320), Ben Gordon ($4,881,669), P.J. Brown ($8,000,000), and a future first round pick to Los Angeles for Kobe Bryant ($19,490,625).
Now obviously in this trade, I am assuming the Bulls would agree to a sign-and-trade with P.J. Brown for one year and $9,000,000. I also assume that for Brown to agree to be apart of this trade, he would immediately be released by the Lakers so he can be a free agent. Brown is considering retirement, but also may be interested in playing again towards the middle of the season. Either way, his contract is vital to this trade occuring.
The Lakers would receive three young players with a great deal of potential, significant cap room for next season, and a future first round pick. Now if I were the Lakers, I still would not do this deal without getting Kirk Hinrich or Luol Deng in return. However, John Paxson and the Bulls have shown an unwillingness to move either of those players.
In addition, Bryant would have to waive his no-trade clause to come to the Bulls. If Deng or Hinrich were not included in the trade, then Bryant would certainly waive his clause. If either were included, then it would be hard for me to believe that Bryant would want to come to the Bulls and therefore waive his no-trade clause.
By adding Bryant to this group, the Bulls would immediately become the favorite to win the Eastern Conference and potentially the NBA championship. Their starters would include Hinrich, Bryant, Deng, Joe Smith, and Ben Wallace. They would have a perfect mix of offense and defense. Bryant would get plenty of postup opportunities and Deng and Hinrich would be the perfect backcourt complements to the league's best scorer. Smith and Wallace would also fit in well with Bryant.
With three significant players being traded, coach Scott Skiles would shorten up his rotation. Chris Duhon would continue to backup Hinrich and Thabo Sefolosah would also get backcourt minutes. Upfront Andres Nocioni would be asked to play more at the power forward position and Aaron Gray would be expected to play the bulk of the backup center minutes.
I would also expect once the Bulls completed the Bryant trade to turn their attention towards signing Chris Webber or Juwan Howard. Both of these players would come relatively cheap and would fill the open roster spots well. Webber and Howard have both played in playoff games and would bring consistency to the power forward and center position.
Although I want to reiterate that I do not think a Kobe-to-the-Bulls trade is imminent, I did not want to share my thoughts on a trade if one were to happen.
I'm sure of this though, a backcourt of Hinrich-Kobe-Luol would be better than any other in the Eastern Conference and probably the entire league - with the Suns (Nash, Bell, Marion) being the only exception.
However, for the sake of argument, here is the most realistic trade I have come up with that I could see all parties agreeing to to bring Kobe Bryant to Chicago:
Chicago trades Joakim Noah ($2,135,400), Tyrus Thomas ($3,505,320), Ben Gordon ($4,881,669), P.J. Brown ($8,000,000), and a future first round pick to Los Angeles for Kobe Bryant ($19,490,625).
Now obviously in this trade, I am assuming the Bulls would agree to a sign-and-trade with P.J. Brown for one year and $9,000,000. I also assume that for Brown to agree to be apart of this trade, he would immediately be released by the Lakers so he can be a free agent. Brown is considering retirement, but also may be interested in playing again towards the middle of the season. Either way, his contract is vital to this trade occuring.
The Lakers would receive three young players with a great deal of potential, significant cap room for next season, and a future first round pick. Now if I were the Lakers, I still would not do this deal without getting Kirk Hinrich or Luol Deng in return. However, John Paxson and the Bulls have shown an unwillingness to move either of those players.
In addition, Bryant would have to waive his no-trade clause to come to the Bulls. If Deng or Hinrich were not included in the trade, then Bryant would certainly waive his clause. If either were included, then it would be hard for me to believe that Bryant would want to come to the Bulls and therefore waive his no-trade clause.
By adding Bryant to this group, the Bulls would immediately become the favorite to win the Eastern Conference and potentially the NBA championship. Their starters would include Hinrich, Bryant, Deng, Joe Smith, and Ben Wallace. They would have a perfect mix of offense and defense. Bryant would get plenty of postup opportunities and Deng and Hinrich would be the perfect backcourt complements to the league's best scorer. Smith and Wallace would also fit in well with Bryant.
With three significant players being traded, coach Scott Skiles would shorten up his rotation. Chris Duhon would continue to backup Hinrich and Thabo Sefolosah would also get backcourt minutes. Upfront Andres Nocioni would be asked to play more at the power forward position and Aaron Gray would be expected to play the bulk of the backup center minutes.
I would also expect once the Bulls completed the Bryant trade to turn their attention towards signing Chris Webber or Juwan Howard. Both of these players would come relatively cheap and would fill the open roster spots well. Webber and Howard have both played in playoff games and would bring consistency to the power forward and center position.
Although I want to reiterate that I do not think a Kobe-to-the-Bulls trade is imminent, I did not want to share my thoughts on a trade if one were to happen.
I'm sure of this though, a backcourt of Hinrich-Kobe-Luol would be better than any other in the Eastern Conference and probably the entire league - with the Suns (Nash, Bell, Marion) being the only exception.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Dream Team? This Is It
The 2007 USA Basketball team has started Jason Kidd, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwight Howard in each game. This starting lineup is the modern day dream team.
Point Guard:
In international play, it is important to have a point guard who can distribute the ball to his teammates and penetrate well. Defensively, someone who can stop the opposing teams point guard is needed. Jason Kidd is best at all of these skills. Although perimeter shooting is his biggest weakness, on a team with the players around him that he has, this is a skill that is not needed from the point guard.
Shooting Guard:
Ideally, the player at the shooting guard spot can score at will from anywhere on the court. He would be able to shutdown the opponent's best wing player. Kobe Bryant certianly fits this bill. Nobody in the league is as good of a one-on-one offensive and defensive player.
Small Forward:
The small forward should be a versatile player, who can finish well at the basket and excels in the transition game. The ideal small forward is an exceptional passer and has range on his shot. Defensively, a player at this spot can get into the passing lanes and create offense from the defensive end. A player with long arms and a strong upper body is best to succeed on defense. LeBron James definitely is the type of player to play the small forward position on a dream team.
Power Forward:
In international play especially, it is important to have someone who can play in transition and defend strong post players. The ability to score from anywhere on the floor is also very important. Although Carmelo Anthony may not be a prototypical power forward, he does fit the bill very well. He does not have the bulk that some power forwards may have, but still is tall enough and has a large wingspan to defend most power forwards. His ability to handle the ball well and score from any spot on the court makes Anthony a perfect fit. Anthony's ability to run up-and-down the floor makes him a perfect fit for this team. A more conventional power forward like Elton Brand or Tim Duncan would slow down this group.
Center:
The center for the best team is someone who can defend the other team's best post player and can block shots. Defensive rebounding and the ability to finish at the basket are two very important abilities the center for this team needs to have. Dwight Howard excels at following-up missed shots and blocking an opponent's shot. Howard does not have a vast array of post moves, but certainly can score in a variety of ways. He can get down the court quicker than any other big man in the world and is one of the strongest players in the NBA.
With a dream team starting lineup, there is no reason to think that the U.S.A. will lose a game in the FIBA Americas Championships. If they are fortunate enough to bring back the same core from the starting five, the U.S.A. will win the gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Point Guard:
In international play, it is important to have a point guard who can distribute the ball to his teammates and penetrate well. Defensively, someone who can stop the opposing teams point guard is needed. Jason Kidd is best at all of these skills. Although perimeter shooting is his biggest weakness, on a team with the players around him that he has, this is a skill that is not needed from the point guard.
Shooting Guard:
Ideally, the player at the shooting guard spot can score at will from anywhere on the court. He would be able to shutdown the opponent's best wing player. Kobe Bryant certianly fits this bill. Nobody in the league is as good of a one-on-one offensive and defensive player.
Small Forward:
The small forward should be a versatile player, who can finish well at the basket and excels in the transition game. The ideal small forward is an exceptional passer and has range on his shot. Defensively, a player at this spot can get into the passing lanes and create offense from the defensive end. A player with long arms and a strong upper body is best to succeed on defense. LeBron James definitely is the type of player to play the small forward position on a dream team.
Power Forward:
In international play especially, it is important to have someone who can play in transition and defend strong post players. The ability to score from anywhere on the floor is also very important. Although Carmelo Anthony may not be a prototypical power forward, he does fit the bill very well. He does not have the bulk that some power forwards may have, but still is tall enough and has a large wingspan to defend most power forwards. His ability to handle the ball well and score from any spot on the court makes Anthony a perfect fit. Anthony's ability to run up-and-down the floor makes him a perfect fit for this team. A more conventional power forward like Elton Brand or Tim Duncan would slow down this group.
Center:
The center for the best team is someone who can defend the other team's best post player and can block shots. Defensive rebounding and the ability to finish at the basket are two very important abilities the center for this team needs to have. Dwight Howard excels at following-up missed shots and blocking an opponent's shot. Howard does not have a vast array of post moves, but certainly can score in a variety of ways. He can get down the court quicker than any other big man in the world and is one of the strongest players in the NBA.
With a dream team starting lineup, there is no reason to think that the U.S.A. will lose a game in the FIBA Americas Championships. If they are fortunate enough to bring back the same core from the starting five, the U.S.A. will win the gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Monday, August 20, 2007
NBA Players Working Out
Each video listed below shows an NBA player working out. The videos range from cardio and stretching to strength training.
Kobe Bryant is shown here lifting his upper body and working hard on his core.
Tracy McGrady works with his trainer to strengthen his body and improve his stamina.
Al Harrington trains by boxing in the offseason to improve his strength and conditioning.
Ben Gordon performs a group of basketball-specialized workouts.
Kobe Bryant is shown here lifting his upper body and working hard on his core.
Tracy McGrady works with his trainer to strengthen his body and improve his stamina.
Al Harrington trains by boxing in the offseason to improve his strength and conditioning.
Ben Gordon performs a group of basketball-specialized workouts.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
The Triangle Offense Explained
Renato Afonso of the Forum Blue & Gold posted a comprehensive breakdown of the triangle offense. Afonso also discussed how the current Los Angeles Lakers fit into the triangle offense.
The Roles
Each position fills a need of the team, but when the triangle is used to perfection, it doesn’t matter who does what, as long as they occupy their place.
PG: He just has to bring the ball forward and read the defense and the mismatches that exist and exploit them. He should be taller than average not only for defensive purposes but also to allow exploring the weak side early on, allowing the PG to post up with just two passes off the dribble without compromising the play or letting the defense know that that’s the option being used.
SG/SF: They basically have the same role in this offense, with height being the only true difference between them. Since the PG (or ball carrier) chooses the side where the offense starts, playing the SG or the SF is a matter of choice or design (or luck) on each and every play.
PF: The most important player in this offense — a team playing the triangle offense without a PF able to rebound and hit the mid-range jump shot consistently won’t win (unless competition really sucks, which is not the case here).
C: Since the offense was originally designed for a quality big man inside, no further explanation is needed here.
How It Works
This offense allows great flexibility on every move or cut, allowing multiple options at all times. Of course, once every player has an option during the offensive motion, the triangle efficiency is proportional to the basketball IQ of the players on court. And that’s the reason why it takes a long time to learn and why Phil Jackson prefers seasoned vets over young guns — and the intangibles as well.
The real key is simple — whenever a pick is set, the player in motion has the option to make a small curl towards the basket allowing him to take an easy mid-range jump shot. So, the players better be good at it. (Editors note: Think about how many times MJ did that.)
What The Lakers Have
PG: For starters, the Lakers have the guards with high basketball IQ and ability to read the game. They might not be the best at it, but they are pretty capable. Maybe they lack some consistent three-point shooting touch, but we don’t have a glaring need at the spot now. Farmar might develop really well into the system.
SG: Kobe. He should rely more on the play and use the picks more wisely with better shot selection. But hey, the man does have some skill. Evans is a decent backup, although his jump shot could be better. No harm done here.
SF: Luke Walton is the perfect triangle player. Nothing else needs to be said. Radmanovic should fit perfectly as a backup, if he ever understands the system.
PF: Lamar Odom is the biggest asset we have in this system. The PF spot allows the player to play inside when he has the advantage or to draw the defender outside if he’s physically stronger. Should Lamar convince himself of the bonus his versatility brings to the offensive motion when spotting up near the top of the key on the weak side and maybe the Lakers could reach higher levels. Turiaf brings intensity on both ends, which is more than enough.
C: Mihm is nothing but a great (one of the best backups offensively) backup. Kwame doesn’t have real low post skill. Bynum is not matured yet (third year leap coming, probably).
To read the posting in its entirety, go to:
http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2007/08/13/the-triangle-and-the-current-lakers/
The Roles
Each position fills a need of the team, but when the triangle is used to perfection, it doesn’t matter who does what, as long as they occupy their place.
PG: He just has to bring the ball forward and read the defense and the mismatches that exist and exploit them. He should be taller than average not only for defensive purposes but also to allow exploring the weak side early on, allowing the PG to post up with just two passes off the dribble without compromising the play or letting the defense know that that’s the option being used.
SG/SF: They basically have the same role in this offense, with height being the only true difference between them. Since the PG (or ball carrier) chooses the side where the offense starts, playing the SG or the SF is a matter of choice or design (or luck) on each and every play.
PF: The most important player in this offense — a team playing the triangle offense without a PF able to rebound and hit the mid-range jump shot consistently won’t win (unless competition really sucks, which is not the case here).
C: Since the offense was originally designed for a quality big man inside, no further explanation is needed here.
How It Works
This offense allows great flexibility on every move or cut, allowing multiple options at all times. Of course, once every player has an option during the offensive motion, the triangle efficiency is proportional to the basketball IQ of the players on court. And that’s the reason why it takes a long time to learn and why Phil Jackson prefers seasoned vets over young guns — and the intangibles as well.
The real key is simple — whenever a pick is set, the player in motion has the option to make a small curl towards the basket allowing him to take an easy mid-range jump shot. So, the players better be good at it. (Editors note: Think about how many times MJ did that.)
What The Lakers Have
PG: For starters, the Lakers have the guards with high basketball IQ and ability to read the game. They might not be the best at it, but they are pretty capable. Maybe they lack some consistent three-point shooting touch, but we don’t have a glaring need at the spot now. Farmar might develop really well into the system.
SG: Kobe. He should rely more on the play and use the picks more wisely with better shot selection. But hey, the man does have some skill. Evans is a decent backup, although his jump shot could be better. No harm done here.
SF: Luke Walton is the perfect triangle player. Nothing else needs to be said. Radmanovic should fit perfectly as a backup, if he ever understands the system.
PF: Lamar Odom is the biggest asset we have in this system. The PF spot allows the player to play inside when he has the advantage or to draw the defender outside if he’s physically stronger. Should Lamar convince himself of the bonus his versatility brings to the offensive motion when spotting up near the top of the key on the weak side and maybe the Lakers could reach higher levels. Turiaf brings intensity on both ends, which is more than enough.
C: Mihm is nothing but a great (one of the best backups offensively) backup. Kwame doesn’t have real low post skill. Bynum is not matured yet (third year leap coming, probably).
To read the posting in its entirety, go to:
http://www.forumblueandgold.com/2007/08/13/the-triangle-and-the-current-lakers/
Friday, August 10, 2007
Jeff Sargain's Work in the NBA
Ryan Corazza of the Indiana Daily Student, wrote a feature in February 2006 on Jeff Sargain. Sargain is a mathematician wo studies sports. Since 1985, he has been doing work on NCAA football and basketball. Sargain has also developed rating systems for other sports, including: boys' and girls' Indiana high school basketball, NASCAR, MLB, individual baseball players, men's and women's college golf, and MLS.
An excerpt from the article can be found here:
The story of Winval goes back to spring 2000, when Winston took his son, Gregory, an Indiana Pacers fan, to see the team play in Dallas during spring break. He ran into Cuban, a former student of his in the business school, in the stands and Cuban asked if there was any way Winston could help the team through mathematics. After Winston and Sagarin bounced ideas back and forth, they came up with Winval, short for "winning value."
Sagarin said Winval evaluates players based on the "rows" they play in during a basketball game. A row consists of a time frame a player participates in within a game -- his time on the court in between timeouts, a break at half time, or player substitutions during free throws. Play-by-play data is supplied to Winston and Sagarin by the Elias Sports Bureau."Each one of these rows is a little mini-game," Sagarin said. "A typical NBA game has about 30 rows."
Sagarin said during the first year of Winval, Cuban would be up at 2 or 3 in the morning e-mailing back and forth with him on specific features of the program.
"We've evolved towards a better routine," Sagarin said in regards to the duo's relationship with the Mavericks. "We understand what they want now and what's useful to them. We didn't know that when we started because they're coaches and we're math guys.""Jeff is your typical eccentric genius," Cuban said via e-mail. "He locks himself away for months at a time with no human contact just to come up with great formulas for evaluating sports. It's fun to work with him, and his stuff is amazing."
Currently, Winval rates Lebron James as the best overall player in the league, with Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, Tracy McGrady and Andre Iguodala rounding out the top five. Although he ranks first offensively, Kobe Bryant ranks a surprising 27th in the overall category.
"A lot of people think Kobe Bryant is good defensively, but he's really not," Winston said. "When's he's in the game, they give up a lot of points, so that's why he isn't higher.
In addition to providing Cuban and the Mavericks coaching staff with Winval, Winston gives them scouting reports of opposing teams as well as which lineups and player combinations have worked best and worst for the Mavericks during the year. He can easily mix and match player names in Microsoft Excel to see point-margin differentials and ratings when a certain lineup is on the court.
The Seattle Supersonics and Toronto Raptors have both used Sagarin and Winston's services for a short period of time, but Winston says they would rather not help out another Western Conference team because it creates a conflict of interest with the Mavericks. The New Jersey Nets is one Eastern Conference team that has expressed interest in Winval. Winston added that both he and Sagarin would like to help out the IU basketball team, but because Big Ten stat sheets don't supply substitutions, the key ingredient to their system, they are unable to do so.
The article in its entirety can be found by going to:
http://www.idsnews.com/news/story.aspx?id=33683
An excerpt from the article can be found here:
The story of Winval goes back to spring 2000, when Winston took his son, Gregory, an Indiana Pacers fan, to see the team play in Dallas during spring break. He ran into Cuban, a former student of his in the business school, in the stands and Cuban asked if there was any way Winston could help the team through mathematics. After Winston and Sagarin bounced ideas back and forth, they came up with Winval, short for "winning value."
Sagarin said Winval evaluates players based on the "rows" they play in during a basketball game. A row consists of a time frame a player participates in within a game -- his time on the court in between timeouts, a break at half time, or player substitutions during free throws. Play-by-play data is supplied to Winston and Sagarin by the Elias Sports Bureau."Each one of these rows is a little mini-game," Sagarin said. "A typical NBA game has about 30 rows."
Sagarin said during the first year of Winval, Cuban would be up at 2 or 3 in the morning e-mailing back and forth with him on specific features of the program.
"We've evolved towards a better routine," Sagarin said in regards to the duo's relationship with the Mavericks. "We understand what they want now and what's useful to them. We didn't know that when we started because they're coaches and we're math guys.""Jeff is your typical eccentric genius," Cuban said via e-mail. "He locks himself away for months at a time with no human contact just to come up with great formulas for evaluating sports. It's fun to work with him, and his stuff is amazing."
Currently, Winval rates Lebron James as the best overall player in the league, with Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, Tracy McGrady and Andre Iguodala rounding out the top five. Although he ranks first offensively, Kobe Bryant ranks a surprising 27th in the overall category.
"A lot of people think Kobe Bryant is good defensively, but he's really not," Winston said. "When's he's in the game, they give up a lot of points, so that's why he isn't higher.
In addition to providing Cuban and the Mavericks coaching staff with Winval, Winston gives them scouting reports of opposing teams as well as which lineups and player combinations have worked best and worst for the Mavericks during the year. He can easily mix and match player names in Microsoft Excel to see point-margin differentials and ratings when a certain lineup is on the court.
The Seattle Supersonics and Toronto Raptors have both used Sagarin and Winston's services for a short period of time, but Winston says they would rather not help out another Western Conference team because it creates a conflict of interest with the Mavericks. The New Jersey Nets is one Eastern Conference team that has expressed interest in Winval. Winston added that both he and Sagarin would like to help out the IU basketball team, but because Big Ten stat sheets don't supply substitutions, the key ingredient to their system, they are unable to do so.
The article in its entirety can be found by going to:
http://www.idsnews.com/news/story.aspx?id=33683
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Three Teams Stuck in Neutral
The Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, and Los Angeles Lakers last regular season combined to win 96 games, while losing 150 games. So it would be fair to assume that all three have a clear rebuilding plan, right? Not exactly. Each one of these teams would like to win today, but because of a nucleus of younger players or a lack of talent, at this point they are not ready to make the leap.
Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks must choose between taking a step back and again making cap room their goal while they wait for their young players to develop, retaining their existing nucleus and let them grow together, or packaging some of their young players to bring in another experienced veteran. Based on their moves this offseason, it looks like they plan to retain their existing nucleus and continue to add young talent to it. Tyronn Lue, Lorenzen Wright, and Anthony Johnson will all have their contracts fall off the Hawks payroll after this season clearing more than $9,500,000. Unfortunately for Billy King and the Hawks, with Joe Johnson being the exception, no major free agents have actually shown an interest in joining the Hawks. The Hawks instead are stuck waiting for guys like Marvin Williams, Al Horford, Josh Childress, Shelden Williams, and Acie Law to continue to develop. Josh Smith has shown that he is ready to make an impact now, but the rest of his young teammates are unproven. If I were in the Hawks shoes, I would look to package some of their young players like Childress, Shelden Williams, and Marvin Williams to bring in a star point guard and center to put around Johnson, Smith, and Horford. On a playoff contender, Pachulia, Claxton, and Law are contributors but not starters. By bringing in two experienced scorers at those two key positions, the Hawks would be ready to make a run at the playoffs and get out of neutral for the first time since the 1998-99 season.
Boston Celtics
Since he was hired in 2003, Danny Ainge and the Boston Celtics have spent their time trying to put a young group of talented players around their superstar, Paul Pierce. When they started with this plan, Pierce was only twenty-five years old and just had one of the most productive seasons of his career. He was seen as a go-to scorer, who could play two positions and had a solid reputation on defense.
Ainge has drafted young players such as Al Jefferson, Rajon Rondo, Gerald Green, Ryan Gomes, Delonte West, Tony Allen, Glen Davis, Leon Powe, Gabe Pruitt, and traded for Sebastian Telfair. The problem is that they have only won 57 games over the last two seasons and have not gotten past the first round of the playoffs during Ainge's reign. At this point, they have to consider whether or not they are wasting the career of their star, Pierce.
With the trade for Ray Allen this offseason, it only reaffirms that Ainge lacks direction. He is stuck in a middle ground and the Celtics will continue to be mediocre. With a lineup of Rondo, Allen, Pierce, Jefferson, and Kendrick Perkins, they will never be good enough to seriously compete for the Eastern Conference title. Plus, with Allen about to turn 33 years old, they will only have a small window for success and then they will have to start over again.
As I have suggested before, if I was the Celtics I would look to package a handful of their assets, Theo Ratliff (expiring contract of $11,666,666), Sebastian Telfair, Tony Allen, Gerald Green, and a future first round pick for another veteran who can push the Celtics forward, such as Jermaine O’Neal, Kevin Garnett, Lamar Odom, or even Drew Gooden or Boris Diaw. A rotation featuring veterans like Allen, Pierce, and an acquired post player to go along with youngsters Jefferson, Gomes, Perkins, Davis, and Pruitt would be serious competitors, and the Celtics would have true direction for the first time during Ainge’s stint as general manager.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers lack of direction has been well-documented this offseason as the trade demands of Kobe Bryant have been made. The talent around Bryant clearly is not strong enough for them to be true competitors in the Western conference. However, with Bryant in his prime, the Lakers should avoid having to rebuild and instead make a play to compete now. The Lakers need to move players like Lamar Odom, Kwame Brown, Andrew Bynum, and Jordan Farmar to bring in players who better fit with Bryant.
As I suggested before, Mitch Kupchek and the Lakers should target Jermaine O'Neal and Ron Artest in an effort to bring in talent that would suit Bryant's game well. Artest would be able to take the burden off of Bryant on the defensive end and O'Neal would be the true post player the Lakers are looking for. Sending Kwame Brown (expiring contract of $9,075,000), Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic, and a first round pick to the Kings for Ron Artest and John Salmons (four years and more than $20,000,000 remaining) would be something both teams would be interested in. The Lakers would receive two players who could help right away, while the Kings would gain significant cap flexibility and some young players.
After acquiring Artest, the Lakers should turn their attention to the Pacers' O'Neal. The Lakers would have to give up Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom, and Brian Cook to get O'Neal. This trade would give the Pacers a combination of young talent and veterans who can get the job done now. At this point, the Lakers would have rookie Javaris Crittenton and John Salmons at point guard, Kobe Bryant and Maurice Evans at shooting guard, Ron Artest and Luke Walton at small forward, Chris Mihm, Vladimr Radmanovic, and Ronny Turiaf at power forward, and Jermaine O'Neal in the middle. This team would be ready to compete for the championship immediately, and it would give the Lakers direction for the first time since Shaquille O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat.
Without doing these trades and instead standing pat, the Lakers are looking at a rebuilding process. Although they will not drop to the bottom of the West, they will never truely be a contender. They will watch Kwame Brown and Maurice Evans' contracts come off the payroll at the end of the year, giving them about $10,000,000 in savings, but will be unable to bring in a talented veteran to assist Bryant. Wholesale changes need to be made in Los Angeles for the Lakers to have a good shot to compete for the title.
Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks must choose between taking a step back and again making cap room their goal while they wait for their young players to develop, retaining their existing nucleus and let them grow together, or packaging some of their young players to bring in another experienced veteran. Based on their moves this offseason, it looks like they plan to retain their existing nucleus and continue to add young talent to it. Tyronn Lue, Lorenzen Wright, and Anthony Johnson will all have their contracts fall off the Hawks payroll after this season clearing more than $9,500,000. Unfortunately for Billy King and the Hawks, with Joe Johnson being the exception, no major free agents have actually shown an interest in joining the Hawks. The Hawks instead are stuck waiting for guys like Marvin Williams, Al Horford, Josh Childress, Shelden Williams, and Acie Law to continue to develop. Josh Smith has shown that he is ready to make an impact now, but the rest of his young teammates are unproven. If I were in the Hawks shoes, I would look to package some of their young players like Childress, Shelden Williams, and Marvin Williams to bring in a star point guard and center to put around Johnson, Smith, and Horford. On a playoff contender, Pachulia, Claxton, and Law are contributors but not starters. By bringing in two experienced scorers at those two key positions, the Hawks would be ready to make a run at the playoffs and get out of neutral for the first time since the 1998-99 season.
Boston Celtics
Since he was hired in 2003, Danny Ainge and the Boston Celtics have spent their time trying to put a young group of talented players around their superstar, Paul Pierce. When they started with this plan, Pierce was only twenty-five years old and just had one of the most productive seasons of his career. He was seen as a go-to scorer, who could play two positions and had a solid reputation on defense.
Ainge has drafted young players such as Al Jefferson, Rajon Rondo, Gerald Green, Ryan Gomes, Delonte West, Tony Allen, Glen Davis, Leon Powe, Gabe Pruitt, and traded for Sebastian Telfair. The problem is that they have only won 57 games over the last two seasons and have not gotten past the first round of the playoffs during Ainge's reign. At this point, they have to consider whether or not they are wasting the career of their star, Pierce.
With the trade for Ray Allen this offseason, it only reaffirms that Ainge lacks direction. He is stuck in a middle ground and the Celtics will continue to be mediocre. With a lineup of Rondo, Allen, Pierce, Jefferson, and Kendrick Perkins, they will never be good enough to seriously compete for the Eastern Conference title. Plus, with Allen about to turn 33 years old, they will only have a small window for success and then they will have to start over again.
As I have suggested before, if I was the Celtics I would look to package a handful of their assets, Theo Ratliff (expiring contract of $11,666,666), Sebastian Telfair, Tony Allen, Gerald Green, and a future first round pick for another veteran who can push the Celtics forward, such as Jermaine O’Neal, Kevin Garnett, Lamar Odom, or even Drew Gooden or Boris Diaw. A rotation featuring veterans like Allen, Pierce, and an acquired post player to go along with youngsters Jefferson, Gomes, Perkins, Davis, and Pruitt would be serious competitors, and the Celtics would have true direction for the first time during Ainge’s stint as general manager.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers lack of direction has been well-documented this offseason as the trade demands of Kobe Bryant have been made. The talent around Bryant clearly is not strong enough for them to be true competitors in the Western conference. However, with Bryant in his prime, the Lakers should avoid having to rebuild and instead make a play to compete now. The Lakers need to move players like Lamar Odom, Kwame Brown, Andrew Bynum, and Jordan Farmar to bring in players who better fit with Bryant.
As I suggested before, Mitch Kupchek and the Lakers should target Jermaine O'Neal and Ron Artest in an effort to bring in talent that would suit Bryant's game well. Artest would be able to take the burden off of Bryant on the defensive end and O'Neal would be the true post player the Lakers are looking for. Sending Kwame Brown (expiring contract of $9,075,000), Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic, and a first round pick to the Kings for Ron Artest and John Salmons (four years and more than $20,000,000 remaining) would be something both teams would be interested in. The Lakers would receive two players who could help right away, while the Kings would gain significant cap flexibility and some young players.
After acquiring Artest, the Lakers should turn their attention to the Pacers' O'Neal. The Lakers would have to give up Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom, and Brian Cook to get O'Neal. This trade would give the Pacers a combination of young talent and veterans who can get the job done now. At this point, the Lakers would have rookie Javaris Crittenton and John Salmons at point guard, Kobe Bryant and Maurice Evans at shooting guard, Ron Artest and Luke Walton at small forward, Chris Mihm, Vladimr Radmanovic, and Ronny Turiaf at power forward, and Jermaine O'Neal in the middle. This team would be ready to compete for the championship immediately, and it would give the Lakers direction for the first time since Shaquille O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat.
Without doing these trades and instead standing pat, the Lakers are looking at a rebuilding process. Although they will not drop to the bottom of the West, they will never truely be a contender. They will watch Kwame Brown and Maurice Evans' contracts come off the payroll at the end of the year, giving them about $10,000,000 in savings, but will be unable to bring in a talented veteran to assist Bryant. Wholesale changes need to be made in Los Angeles for the Lakers to have a good shot to compete for the title.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Lewis Joins the List of Maximum Contract Players
On July 11, Rashard Lewis signed a six-year contract worth more than $110,000,000 with the Orlando Magic. By doing so, he became the twenty-second player currently making maximum money. Here is the full, up-to-date list in order of team they currently play with:
Joe Johnson, Atlanta
Paul Pierce, Boston
LeBron James, Cleveland
Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas
Carmelo Anthony, Denver
Allen Iverson, Denver
Baron Davis, Golden State
Tracy McGrady, Houston
Jermaine O’Neal, Indiana
Elton Brand, L.A. Clippers
Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers
Shaquille O’Neal, Miami
Dwyane Wade, Miami
Michael Redd, Milwaukee
Kevin Garnett, Minnesota
Jason Kidd, New Jersey
Stephon Marbury, New York
Rashard Lewis, Orlando
Shawn Marion, Phoenix
Tim Duncan, San Antonio
Chris Bosh, Toronto
Antawn Jamison, Washington
Joe Johnson, Atlanta
Paul Pierce, Boston
LeBron James, Cleveland
Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas
Carmelo Anthony, Denver
Allen Iverson, Denver
Baron Davis, Golden State
Tracy McGrady, Houston
Jermaine O’Neal, Indiana
Elton Brand, L.A. Clippers
Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers
Shaquille O’Neal, Miami
Dwyane Wade, Miami
Michael Redd, Milwaukee
Kevin Garnett, Minnesota
Jason Kidd, New Jersey
Stephon Marbury, New York
Rashard Lewis, Orlando
Shawn Marion, Phoenix
Tim Duncan, San Antonio
Chris Bosh, Toronto
Antawn Jamison, Washington
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Is Trading a Superstar Worthwhile?
With so many superstars being rumored to be traded, I wanted to take a look at how this type of acquisition has fared in the past. After examining this, I hope it can be determined based on past history whether the Lakers (Kobe Bryant), Timberwolves (Kevin Garnett), and Pacers (Jermaine O'Neal) should trade their top guys or hold onto them and look to improve the supporting cast.
Let's take a look at the superstars who were traded since 1990:
Charles Barkley
8/19/91: Philadelphia 76ers traded to Phoenix Suns
(Jeff Hornacek, Tim Perry and Andrew Lang)
After the 76ers traded Barkley, they endured five straight seasons of less than 30 wins. It took seven years after trading Barkley for Philadelphia to get back to the playoffs. On the other end, Barkley was the last piece of the puzzle for the Suns. In Barkley's first season in Phoenix, 1992-93, the Suns made it to the NBA finals before losing to the Chicago Bulls. During Barkley's stay in Phoenix, the Suns made it to the playoffs every season. Hornacek only played two seasons with Philadelphia before being traded to Utah. Perry and Lang were non-factors for Philadelphia.
Winner: Phoenix Suns
Jason Kidd
7/18/01: Phoenix Suns to New Jersey Nets
(with Chris Dudley for Stephon Marbury, Johnny Newman, and Soumaila Samake)
Kidd's impact in New Jersey was felt immediately. He teamed with Kenyon Martin, Kerry Kittles, and Richard Jefferson to reach the NBA finals in both the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons. During Kidd's stay, the Nets have made the playoffs each year. Marbury's selfish play handcuffed the Suns' franchise, and they only made the playoffs once during his stay there. None of the other players involved in the trade were contributors for their teams.
Winner: New Jersey Nets
Tracy McGrady
6/29/04: Orlando Magic to Houston Rockets
(with Juwan Howard, Reece Gaines, and Tyronn Lue for Steve Francis, Kelvin Cato, and Cuttino Mobley)
At the end of the 2003-04 season, the Magic decided that it needed to move McGrady in order for them to bring in more talent and get past the first round of the playoffs. In a large, blockbuster deal, the Magic moved McGrady along with others to bring in three players that could start for them. Unfortunately, the trade did not work out for the Magic and they went 21-61 in the 2003-04 season. In retrospect, the Magic should have continued to develop players around McGrady and by now, they would probably be competing to be on top of the East. The trade has not worked overly well for the Rockets because of some back injuries to McGrady. However, the Rockets will look to compete for the title this year.
Winner: Houston Rockets
Shaquille O'Neal
7/14/04: Los Angeles Lakers to Miami Heat
(Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant, and one first round draft pick)
O'Neal and the Magic won the NBA title in 2005-06 and are the winners in this trade. Although Odom, Butler, and Grant were key parts to Miami's success, the opportunity to win a title was too much for them to pass up. Although the Heat at this point look like they are beginning a downward trend in their success as O'Neal ages, I'm sure the Heat would still do the trend knowing they would win a title. The Lakers have not been able to truly contend for the championship since making this trade. There chances were increasingly hurt when they traded Caron Butler and Chucky Atkins for Kwame Brown.
Winner: Miami Heat
Vince Carter
12/17/04: Toronto Raptors to New Jersey Nets
(Alonzo Mourning, Aaron Williams, Eric Williams and two first round draft picks)
Although his hand was forced by Carter's public trade demand, Raptors' general manager at-the-time, Rob Babcock, got twenty-five cents on the dollar for Carter. None of the players that the Raptors got in return for Carter were significant contributors for the Raptors. Meanwhile, Carter was only 28 years old when he was traded to the Nets, and has averaged at least 24 points per game during his time with the Nets. The Nets have reached the postseason during Carter's two full years with the Nets, including an Eastern conference semifinals appearance in 2005-06.
Winner: New Jersey Nets
Baron Davis
2/24/05: New Orleans Hornets to Golden State Warriors
(Speedy Claxton and Dale Davis)
The Warriors acquired a 25 year old scoring point guard when they brought Davis in from New Orleans. Although he has been injured frequently during his time with the Warriors, this past season was a huge success the organization. The Hornets saw salary cap relief through this trade, which later allowed them to bring in Peja Stojakovic and Bobby Jackson. However, Davis is clearly the better player of the three, and the Warriors will look to compete for the Western conference title this year.
Winner: Golden State Warriors
Ron Artest
1/25/06: Indiana Pacers to Sacramento Kings
(Peja Stojakovic)
This trade is the hardest to judge because of what it did for each. At the time, the Pacers hand was forced by Artest's negative attitude. They had to trade Artest and the Kings were willing to take a risk with him. Unfortunately, Stojakovic did not help the Pacers get past the first round of the playoffs in 2005-06 and he then left for New Orleans the next offseason. The Pacers only got 40 total games from Stojakovic. They did receive cap relief when Stojakovic left, but they wasted it on Al Harrington, who eventually was traded to Golden State. This trade really was the end of Indiana's strong run as a title contender. In Sacramento, Artest has struggled to stay focused, and the Kings only won 33 games and Artest struggled to coincide with point guard, Mike Bibby. This season will be a pivotal one for Artest's legacy in Sacramento, but the Kings only project to be a fringe playoff team. At this point, I cannot say that either team benefitted from this trade.
Winner: Push
Allen Iverson
12/19/06: Philadelphia 76ers to Denver Nuggets
(Andre Miller, Joe Smith, and two first round draft picks)
76ers general manager, Billy King, most likely missed his chance to gain equal value for Iverson several times during his career. Last season, the 76ers finally decided to pull the trigger and move him for a group not as talented as him. Miller still has over $19,000,000 and two years left on his contract and Smith left this offseason to join the Chicago Bulls. Philadelphia used both picks that they received from Denver this year and came away with Colorado power forward, Jason Smith, and Vanderbilt guard, Derrick Byars. Denver won 45 games this season and lost in the first round of the playoffs. This season is a big year for the Nuggets, but either way, acquiring Iverson certainly made them a better team.
Winner: Denver Nuggets
So when you look back, it appears that the winning team of each trade has not been the team moving the superstar. Although in some cases the team was stuck and had to move their star for off-the-court reasons, this still has not turned out well for them. In the case of Barkley and Carter, these top-of-the-line players publicly demanded a trade, therefore handcuffing their own team. With Kidd, the Suns were concerned with his image after he was arrested for alleged domestic violence. Orlando felt that the team had reached its peak with McGrady, so they moved him for multiple potential starters. O'Neal was move because a well-documented feud with fellow superstar, Kobe Bryant. In the case of Baron Davis, it was believed that he was not getting along with coach Byron Scott and was often injured. In Artest's case, the Pacers felt like he had become such a distraction that they had to move him. With Iverson, the franchise was falling quickly and the 76ers hope to rebuild without their former star.
Two more all-stars were traded since last season when Seattle moved Ray Allen to the Celtics and Portland taded Zach Randolph to the Knicks. It is too early to tell how these moves will turnout, but based on history, the two teams acquiring these players will most likely come out ahead.
After examining the past, it is obvious that the team trading the superstar is never receiving equal value and that squad struggles for the next several seasons. These superstars tend to get traded for less than fifty cents on the dollar and it hurts the franchise for years to come. The Pacers, Timberwolves, and Lakers need to consider this when they are discussing trade O'Neal, Garnett, and Bryant.
Let's take a look at the superstars who were traded since 1990:
Charles Barkley
8/19/91: Philadelphia 76ers traded to Phoenix Suns
(Jeff Hornacek, Tim Perry and Andrew Lang)
After the 76ers traded Barkley, they endured five straight seasons of less than 30 wins. It took seven years after trading Barkley for Philadelphia to get back to the playoffs. On the other end, Barkley was the last piece of the puzzle for the Suns. In Barkley's first season in Phoenix, 1992-93, the Suns made it to the NBA finals before losing to the Chicago Bulls. During Barkley's stay in Phoenix, the Suns made it to the playoffs every season. Hornacek only played two seasons with Philadelphia before being traded to Utah. Perry and Lang were non-factors for Philadelphia.
Winner: Phoenix Suns
Jason Kidd
7/18/01: Phoenix Suns to New Jersey Nets
(with Chris Dudley for Stephon Marbury, Johnny Newman, and Soumaila Samake)
Kidd's impact in New Jersey was felt immediately. He teamed with Kenyon Martin, Kerry Kittles, and Richard Jefferson to reach the NBA finals in both the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons. During Kidd's stay, the Nets have made the playoffs each year. Marbury's selfish play handcuffed the Suns' franchise, and they only made the playoffs once during his stay there. None of the other players involved in the trade were contributors for their teams.
Winner: New Jersey Nets
Tracy McGrady
6/29/04: Orlando Magic to Houston Rockets
(with Juwan Howard, Reece Gaines, and Tyronn Lue for Steve Francis, Kelvin Cato, and Cuttino Mobley)
At the end of the 2003-04 season, the Magic decided that it needed to move McGrady in order for them to bring in more talent and get past the first round of the playoffs. In a large, blockbuster deal, the Magic moved McGrady along with others to bring in three players that could start for them. Unfortunately, the trade did not work out for the Magic and they went 21-61 in the 2003-04 season. In retrospect, the Magic should have continued to develop players around McGrady and by now, they would probably be competing to be on top of the East. The trade has not worked overly well for the Rockets because of some back injuries to McGrady. However, the Rockets will look to compete for the title this year.
Winner: Houston Rockets
Shaquille O'Neal
7/14/04: Los Angeles Lakers to Miami Heat
(Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant, and one first round draft pick)
O'Neal and the Magic won the NBA title in 2005-06 and are the winners in this trade. Although Odom, Butler, and Grant were key parts to Miami's success, the opportunity to win a title was too much for them to pass up. Although the Heat at this point look like they are beginning a downward trend in their success as O'Neal ages, I'm sure the Heat would still do the trend knowing they would win a title. The Lakers have not been able to truly contend for the championship since making this trade. There chances were increasingly hurt when they traded Caron Butler and Chucky Atkins for Kwame Brown.
Winner: Miami Heat
Vince Carter
12/17/04: Toronto Raptors to New Jersey Nets
(Alonzo Mourning, Aaron Williams, Eric Williams and two first round draft picks)
Although his hand was forced by Carter's public trade demand, Raptors' general manager at-the-time, Rob Babcock, got twenty-five cents on the dollar for Carter. None of the players that the Raptors got in return for Carter were significant contributors for the Raptors. Meanwhile, Carter was only 28 years old when he was traded to the Nets, and has averaged at least 24 points per game during his time with the Nets. The Nets have reached the postseason during Carter's two full years with the Nets, including an Eastern conference semifinals appearance in 2005-06.
Winner: New Jersey Nets
Baron Davis
2/24/05: New Orleans Hornets to Golden State Warriors
(Speedy Claxton and Dale Davis)
The Warriors acquired a 25 year old scoring point guard when they brought Davis in from New Orleans. Although he has been injured frequently during his time with the Warriors, this past season was a huge success the organization. The Hornets saw salary cap relief through this trade, which later allowed them to bring in Peja Stojakovic and Bobby Jackson. However, Davis is clearly the better player of the three, and the Warriors will look to compete for the Western conference title this year.
Winner: Golden State Warriors
Ron Artest
1/25/06: Indiana Pacers to Sacramento Kings
(Peja Stojakovic)
This trade is the hardest to judge because of what it did for each. At the time, the Pacers hand was forced by Artest's negative attitude. They had to trade Artest and the Kings were willing to take a risk with him. Unfortunately, Stojakovic did not help the Pacers get past the first round of the playoffs in 2005-06 and he then left for New Orleans the next offseason. The Pacers only got 40 total games from Stojakovic. They did receive cap relief when Stojakovic left, but they wasted it on Al Harrington, who eventually was traded to Golden State. This trade really was the end of Indiana's strong run as a title contender. In Sacramento, Artest has struggled to stay focused, and the Kings only won 33 games and Artest struggled to coincide with point guard, Mike Bibby. This season will be a pivotal one for Artest's legacy in Sacramento, but the Kings only project to be a fringe playoff team. At this point, I cannot say that either team benefitted from this trade.
Winner: Push
Allen Iverson
12/19/06: Philadelphia 76ers to Denver Nuggets
(Andre Miller, Joe Smith, and two first round draft picks)
76ers general manager, Billy King, most likely missed his chance to gain equal value for Iverson several times during his career. Last season, the 76ers finally decided to pull the trigger and move him for a group not as talented as him. Miller still has over $19,000,000 and two years left on his contract and Smith left this offseason to join the Chicago Bulls. Philadelphia used both picks that they received from Denver this year and came away with Colorado power forward, Jason Smith, and Vanderbilt guard, Derrick Byars. Denver won 45 games this season and lost in the first round of the playoffs. This season is a big year for the Nuggets, but either way, acquiring Iverson certainly made them a better team.
Winner: Denver Nuggets
So when you look back, it appears that the winning team of each trade has not been the team moving the superstar. Although in some cases the team was stuck and had to move their star for off-the-court reasons, this still has not turned out well for them. In the case of Barkley and Carter, these top-of-the-line players publicly demanded a trade, therefore handcuffing their own team. With Kidd, the Suns were concerned with his image after he was arrested for alleged domestic violence. Orlando felt that the team had reached its peak with McGrady, so they moved him for multiple potential starters. O'Neal was move because a well-documented feud with fellow superstar, Kobe Bryant. In the case of Baron Davis, it was believed that he was not getting along with coach Byron Scott and was often injured. In Artest's case, the Pacers felt like he had become such a distraction that they had to move him. With Iverson, the franchise was falling quickly and the 76ers hope to rebuild without their former star.
Two more all-stars were traded since last season when Seattle moved Ray Allen to the Celtics and Portland taded Zach Randolph to the Knicks. It is too early to tell how these moves will turnout, but based on history, the two teams acquiring these players will most likely come out ahead.
After examining the past, it is obvious that the team trading the superstar is never receiving equal value and that squad struggles for the next several seasons. These superstars tend to get traded for less than fifty cents on the dollar and it hurts the franchise for years to come. The Pacers, Timberwolves, and Lakers need to consider this when they are discussing trade O'Neal, Garnett, and Bryant.
Friday, July 6, 2007
Sam Presti Looks to Summer 2009 to Make a Big Splash
As new SuperSonics general manager, Sam Presti, begins to build his team, he clearly has an eye on the summer of 2009. With shooting guard, Jeff Green, and small forward, Kevin Durant, to build around, Presti will be looking to add to his squad.
Fortunately, at that time, he will have several major contracts coming off his payroll, including:
Wally Szczerbiak - $13,000,000
Chris Wilcox - $6,750,000
Robert Swift - $3,579,131
Delonte West - $2,762,828
At that time, only Luke Ridnour, Earl Watson, Nick Collison, Damien Wilkens, Saer Sene, Johan Petro, Durant, and Green will remain on the payroll. Those eight players total at $22,650,000.
So, if Presti wants to add some major talent at that time, what will be available? Well, if he’s looking for an all-star, Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Chris Paul, Carlos Boozer, and Kevin Garnett may be on the market. If Presti is looking for an emerging star, he may have his choices of Andrew Bynum, Channing Frye, David Lee, Danny Granger, Gerald Green, Jason Maxiell, Marvin Williams, and Raymond Felton. If he thinks that he just needs to add a veteran to his squad to push them over the top, Andre Miller, Drew Gooden, Eddy Curry, and Lamar Odom could be options.
So along with acquiring two building blocks on this past draft night, Presti also set his team up to acquire more talent down the line. It may not be long until Presti has success in building Seattle into the Spurs of the northwest.
Fortunately, at that time, he will have several major contracts coming off his payroll, including:
Wally Szczerbiak - $13,000,000
Chris Wilcox - $6,750,000
Robert Swift - $3,579,131
Delonte West - $2,762,828
At that time, only Luke Ridnour, Earl Watson, Nick Collison, Damien Wilkens, Saer Sene, Johan Petro, Durant, and Green will remain on the payroll. Those eight players total at $22,650,000.
So, if Presti wants to add some major talent at that time, what will be available? Well, if he’s looking for an all-star, Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Chris Paul, Carlos Boozer, and Kevin Garnett may be on the market. If Presti is looking for an emerging star, he may have his choices of Andrew Bynum, Channing Frye, David Lee, Danny Granger, Gerald Green, Jason Maxiell, Marvin Williams, and Raymond Felton. If he thinks that he just needs to add a veteran to his squad to push them over the top, Andre Miller, Drew Gooden, Eddy Curry, and Lamar Odom could be options.
So along with acquiring two building blocks on this past draft night, Presti also set his team up to acquire more talent down the line. It may not be long until Presti has success in building Seattle into the Spurs of the northwest.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)