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:
Showing posts with label Steve Nash. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Steve Nash. Show all posts
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Bryan Colangelo Puts a Premium on Shooting
Deep thoughts on how to succeed in the NBA
TheStar.com - Sports
December 05, 2007
Dave Feschuk
Bryan Colangelo, the Raptors general manager, got a phone call the other day. It was from an agent advertising the wares of a player possessed of qualities sorely missing from the Toronto roster this season, athleticism for one.
And though the GM wasn't interested for a list of reasons, the deal sealer, in some ways, was a simple truth: the free agent in question cannot shoot.
"If a guy can't shoot, I generally say ... `I'm not sure he can play with us,'" Colangelo said. "It's just the way the game has evolved."
Speaking of shooting, the league's 30 teams are on pace to take a record number of three-pointers this season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Heading into last night's action, the average NBA game had seen the launch of about 36 three-point shots. That's two additional attempts per game over last season and about five more per game than in 2004-05, the season Steve Nash arrived in Phoenix and the Suns – who face the Raptors at the Air Canada Centre tonight – began popularizing the European-influenced drive-and-kick style that has since been embraced, to various degrees, by many other squads.
There's a good reason why the Suns – who are firing up about 23 three-pointers a game this season, third most in the league – have bred copycats. Shooting a lot of three-pointers appears to be good for the win-loss record.
This season, 12 teams, the Raptors among them, are averaging 20 three-point attempts per game when rounded to the nearest attempt. As of yesterday, those 12 teams had compiled a .603 winning percentage. The 12 teams taking the fewest three-pointers per game, in contrast, were a combined .401.
Maybe those numbers lie. But in a league rife with internationally bred marksmen, short on dominant post players and heavy on swarming help defence since zone coverage was legalized in 2001, perhaps it's not a stretch to suggest that if you don't shoot from deep, you'll be hard-pressed to compete.
Three-point accuracy is important, too. But the volume of three-point attempts seems to be a key factor in winning games. Even if a team shoots the current league average of 35.5 per cent from three-point range, that team would have to shoot 53.3 per cent on two-point attempts to produce the same number of points with the same number of shots. As of yesterday, the league average on two-point field goals was 47.8 per cent. So the three, if you're seeking bang for your chuck, is the more efficient option. The Raptors, who are shooting a league-best 43.3 per cent from behind the arc, would need to shoot 64.5 per cent from two-point range to get as much value per shot.
No team's success can be explained by one factor and you can't have an outside game without an inside game. The Suns and Raptors, like a lot of teams, rely on guard penetration to produce either an easy layup or a kick-out to an open gunner. And Toronto functions best when Chris Bosh becomes, as Colangelo terms it, "a magnet for the defense," drawing double coverage in the post.
"Then when you put three or four shooters (behind the three-point line) at any one time, the defence cannot guard everybody," Colangelo said. "You're going to get an open look."
The Raptors, bent on creating those open looks, don't suffer bricklayers gladly. Which is why Colangelo had some advice for the shooting-impaired client of the agent who called the other day. He suggested the guy go play in Europe so he could learn to play in the NBA.
"I told him, if he goes over to Europe, he can work on his skills," Colangelo said, "and he can come back more in tune with where the game is going."
http://www.thestar.com/printArticle/282647
TheStar.com - Sports
December 05, 2007
Dave Feschuk
Bryan Colangelo, the Raptors general manager, got a phone call the other day. It was from an agent advertising the wares of a player possessed of qualities sorely missing from the Toronto roster this season, athleticism for one.
And though the GM wasn't interested for a list of reasons, the deal sealer, in some ways, was a simple truth: the free agent in question cannot shoot.
"If a guy can't shoot, I generally say ... `I'm not sure he can play with us,'" Colangelo said. "It's just the way the game has evolved."
Speaking of shooting, the league's 30 teams are on pace to take a record number of three-pointers this season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Heading into last night's action, the average NBA game had seen the launch of about 36 three-point shots. That's two additional attempts per game over last season and about five more per game than in 2004-05, the season Steve Nash arrived in Phoenix and the Suns – who face the Raptors at the Air Canada Centre tonight – began popularizing the European-influenced drive-and-kick style that has since been embraced, to various degrees, by many other squads.
There's a good reason why the Suns – who are firing up about 23 three-pointers a game this season, third most in the league – have bred copycats. Shooting a lot of three-pointers appears to be good for the win-loss record.
This season, 12 teams, the Raptors among them, are averaging 20 three-point attempts per game when rounded to the nearest attempt. As of yesterday, those 12 teams had compiled a .603 winning percentage. The 12 teams taking the fewest three-pointers per game, in contrast, were a combined .401.
Maybe those numbers lie. But in a league rife with internationally bred marksmen, short on dominant post players and heavy on swarming help defence since zone coverage was legalized in 2001, perhaps it's not a stretch to suggest that if you don't shoot from deep, you'll be hard-pressed to compete.
Three-point accuracy is important, too. But the volume of three-point attempts seems to be a key factor in winning games. Even if a team shoots the current league average of 35.5 per cent from three-point range, that team would have to shoot 53.3 per cent on two-point attempts to produce the same number of points with the same number of shots. As of yesterday, the league average on two-point field goals was 47.8 per cent. So the three, if you're seeking bang for your chuck, is the more efficient option. The Raptors, who are shooting a league-best 43.3 per cent from behind the arc, would need to shoot 64.5 per cent from two-point range to get as much value per shot.
No team's success can be explained by one factor and you can't have an outside game without an inside game. The Suns and Raptors, like a lot of teams, rely on guard penetration to produce either an easy layup or a kick-out to an open gunner. And Toronto functions best when Chris Bosh becomes, as Colangelo terms it, "a magnet for the defense," drawing double coverage in the post.
"Then when you put three or four shooters (behind the three-point line) at any one time, the defence cannot guard everybody," Colangelo said. "You're going to get an open look."
The Raptors, bent on creating those open looks, don't suffer bricklayers gladly. Which is why Colangelo had some advice for the shooting-impaired client of the agent who called the other day. He suggested the guy go play in Europe so he could learn to play in the NBA.
"I told him, if he goes over to Europe, he can work on his skills," Colangelo said, "and he can come back more in tune with where the game is going."
http://www.thestar.com/printArticle/282647
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Western Conference Power Rankings
With six Western Conference teams kicking off their season tonight, I wanted to share my power rankings as of today:
Contenders
1.) San Antonio Spurs - The Spurs bring back their core from last season's championship team, so why wouldn't they be on the top spot?
2.) Phoenix Suns - A full year with Nash, Marion, and Stoudamire should help the Suns once again compete for the title. Another year of development from Leandro Barbosa and Marcus Banks and the additions of D.J. Strawberry, Alando Tucker, and Grant Hill should be beneficial.
3.) Dallas Mavericks - Like the Spurs, the Mavericks essentially bring back the same roster. Like the Suns, the Mavericks are hoping another year of development from Devin Harris and DeSagana Diop along with the additions of Eddie Jones and Trenton Hassell will help them advance further this year in the playoffs.
Near Contenders
4.) Houston Rockets - The Rockets certainly had the best offseason in the Western Conference adding a handful of rotation players. However, Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady still have not won a single playoff series. Houston is most likely one year away from really contending.
5.) Utah Jazz - The Jazz had an uneventful offseason with their only significant additions being signing Jason Hart and drafting Morris Almond. Andrei Kirilenko's ability to play in Jerry Sloan's system and the development of Ronnie Brewer will be keys to Utah's success. I expect the Jazz to win the Northwest division once again this season.
6.) Denver Nuggets - The Nuggets will benefit from a full season with Kenyon Martin, however, I do not think they have enough to beat out the Jazz in the Northwest. The overall talent level of the Nuggets roster is still unbalanced and lack scoring off the bench. The Nuggets will get three-fourths of their scoring from Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, and Nene Hilario.
Potentially Frisky
7.) New Orleans Hornets - Another year of the David West-Peja Stojakovic-Chris Paul-Tyson Chandler core playing together will be beneficial towards their success. The Hornets hope that one of their young big men - Hilton Armstrong, Melvin Ely, or Julian Wright - can be a significant contributor to the team. If so, the Hornets will play hard and be competitive each night against the league's best.
8.) Golden State Warriors - The Warriors have put together a nice, young group of players though I think this year they will take a step back. Brandan Wright, Patrick O'Bryant, Mickael Pietrus, Monta Ellis, and Marco Belinelli is a great young core, but they will not be ready to seriously compete for the Western Conference title. The Warriors will most likely get as much from Andris Biedrins, Baron Davis, and Stephen Jackson as they did last season.
Playoff Contenders
9.) Los Angeles Lakers - With other teams around them improving, I do not expect the Lakers to perform much better than they did last season. The Lakers will hope to avoid the injuries that plagued them last year, but certainly do not have enough talent to jump into the top six in the Western Conference and maybe not even enough to make the playoffs this season.
10.) Sacramento Kings - The Kings will continue to struggle as long as both Mike Bibby and Ron Artest are on the same roster. Both players have shown an inability to play with one another and they are still relying on too many unknown commodities. Although some of these guys (Fransisco Garcia, Quincy Douby) have shown potential, they cannot provide enough each night for the Kings to make the playoffs this season.
Up-and-Coming
11.) Memphis Grizzlies - The Grizzlies are certainly a nice, young team who at this point next year will be competing for a playoff spot. However, at this point, they are building for that time. They have the groundwork laid with a fantastic young point guard (Mike Conley), a versatile wing scorer (Rudy Gay), a scoring power forward (Darko Milicic), and an all-star caliber big man (Pau Gasol). They also have a nice array of bench players who can contribute. However, in a loaded Western Conference, they will fall short of reaching the playoffs.
12.) Portland Trail Blazers - Without Greg Oden, Portland is still one man short of being a contender this season. Travis Outlaw and LaMarcus Aldridge will be expected to fill the missing numbers from the Zach Randolph trade. Sorting out a group of point guards (Sergio Rodriguez, Jarrett Jack, Steve Blake) will also be interesting to watch.
Not Ready Yet
13.) Seattle SuperSonics - Seattle rebuilt their roster this summer and now features two talented rookies: Kevin Durant and Jeff Green. They will continue to slowly build a roster that will eventually compete for the championship, but at this point they are not at that level just yet.
14.) Minnesota Timberwolves - Minnesota has begun to put together the blueprint to quickly rebuild their roster after trading Kevin Garnett. Corey Brewer, Randy Foye, Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, and Sebastian Telfair are all expected to be apart of Minnesota's long-range plans. However, outside of Jefferson, the Timberwolves will struggle to get consistency each night and will be one of the league's worse teams this season.
Falling Hard
15.) Los Angeles Clippers - With Elton Brand and Shaun Livingston expected to miss the entire season, the Clippers may be one of the league's worse teams this season. A once promising team, now lacks focus and a plan to make its way back to the playoffs.
Contenders
1.) San Antonio Spurs - The Spurs bring back their core from last season's championship team, so why wouldn't they be on the top spot?
2.) Phoenix Suns - A full year with Nash, Marion, and Stoudamire should help the Suns once again compete for the title. Another year of development from Leandro Barbosa and Marcus Banks and the additions of D.J. Strawberry, Alando Tucker, and Grant Hill should be beneficial.
3.) Dallas Mavericks - Like the Spurs, the Mavericks essentially bring back the same roster. Like the Suns, the Mavericks are hoping another year of development from Devin Harris and DeSagana Diop along with the additions of Eddie Jones and Trenton Hassell will help them advance further this year in the playoffs.
Near Contenders
4.) Houston Rockets - The Rockets certainly had the best offseason in the Western Conference adding a handful of rotation players. However, Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady still have not won a single playoff series. Houston is most likely one year away from really contending.
5.) Utah Jazz - The Jazz had an uneventful offseason with their only significant additions being signing Jason Hart and drafting Morris Almond. Andrei Kirilenko's ability to play in Jerry Sloan's system and the development of Ronnie Brewer will be keys to Utah's success. I expect the Jazz to win the Northwest division once again this season.
6.) Denver Nuggets - The Nuggets will benefit from a full season with Kenyon Martin, however, I do not think they have enough to beat out the Jazz in the Northwest. The overall talent level of the Nuggets roster is still unbalanced and lack scoring off the bench. The Nuggets will get three-fourths of their scoring from Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, and Nene Hilario.
Potentially Frisky
7.) New Orleans Hornets - Another year of the David West-Peja Stojakovic-Chris Paul-Tyson Chandler core playing together will be beneficial towards their success. The Hornets hope that one of their young big men - Hilton Armstrong, Melvin Ely, or Julian Wright - can be a significant contributor to the team. If so, the Hornets will play hard and be competitive each night against the league's best.
8.) Golden State Warriors - The Warriors have put together a nice, young group of players though I think this year they will take a step back. Brandan Wright, Patrick O'Bryant, Mickael Pietrus, Monta Ellis, and Marco Belinelli is a great young core, but they will not be ready to seriously compete for the Western Conference title. The Warriors will most likely get as much from Andris Biedrins, Baron Davis, and Stephen Jackson as they did last season.
Playoff Contenders
9.) Los Angeles Lakers - With other teams around them improving, I do not expect the Lakers to perform much better than they did last season. The Lakers will hope to avoid the injuries that plagued them last year, but certainly do not have enough talent to jump into the top six in the Western Conference and maybe not even enough to make the playoffs this season.
10.) Sacramento Kings - The Kings will continue to struggle as long as both Mike Bibby and Ron Artest are on the same roster. Both players have shown an inability to play with one another and they are still relying on too many unknown commodities. Although some of these guys (Fransisco Garcia, Quincy Douby) have shown potential, they cannot provide enough each night for the Kings to make the playoffs this season.
Up-and-Coming
11.) Memphis Grizzlies - The Grizzlies are certainly a nice, young team who at this point next year will be competing for a playoff spot. However, at this point, they are building for that time. They have the groundwork laid with a fantastic young point guard (Mike Conley), a versatile wing scorer (Rudy Gay), a scoring power forward (Darko Milicic), and an all-star caliber big man (Pau Gasol). They also have a nice array of bench players who can contribute. However, in a loaded Western Conference, they will fall short of reaching the playoffs.
12.) Portland Trail Blazers - Without Greg Oden, Portland is still one man short of being a contender this season. Travis Outlaw and LaMarcus Aldridge will be expected to fill the missing numbers from the Zach Randolph trade. Sorting out a group of point guards (Sergio Rodriguez, Jarrett Jack, Steve Blake) will also be interesting to watch.
Not Ready Yet
13.) Seattle SuperSonics - Seattle rebuilt their roster this summer and now features two talented rookies: Kevin Durant and Jeff Green. They will continue to slowly build a roster that will eventually compete for the championship, but at this point they are not at that level just yet.
14.) Minnesota Timberwolves - Minnesota has begun to put together the blueprint to quickly rebuild their roster after trading Kevin Garnett. Corey Brewer, Randy Foye, Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, and Sebastian Telfair are all expected to be apart of Minnesota's long-range plans. However, outside of Jefferson, the Timberwolves will struggle to get consistency each night and will be one of the league's worse teams this season.
Falling Hard
15.) Los Angeles Clippers - With Elton Brand and Shaun Livingston expected to miss the entire season, the Clippers may be one of the league's worse teams this season. A once promising team, now lacks focus and a plan to make its way back to the playoffs.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Garrick Barr & Synergy Sports Technology
"An inside game, a high-tech way: Barr's product provides a clear picture behind the stats"
by Bob Young
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 13, 2006 12:00 AM
Maybe Garrick Barr was born to revolutionize the way professional basketball teams use technology.
He might change the way you use it, too, if you happen to be a basketball fan.
What Barr, a former Suns video coordinator, has done is build Synergy Sports Technology, a Web-based service for NBA teams that is expanding into colleges, international basketball and soon might become part of an interactive fan feature at NBA.com.
Essentially, his company puts statistical data and video together, and makes it available to teams almost immediately and for many different uses, from player evaluation to scouting to coaching.
"He played college basketball, coached in college, son of an engineer. It's the perfect marriage of the technology and the person," said David Griffin, vice president and assistant general manager of the Suns.
"He's the most qualified person on the planet for what he has done."
Barr launched the company three years ago. This is the first NBA season in which the company has provided full service to teams, but Barr said the company will be cash-flow positive by next year.
Right now, five NBA teams are using the service, paying between $50,000 and $75,000 for the season, and several others are considering it.
It's less clear when his investors will begin seeing a return because the company already is looking into growing the core business by expanding to other sports while exploring other ways to leverage the technology.
Among Barr's backers is the NBA's biggest techie, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who made his fortune by co-founding Broadcast.com.
How it works
Let's say that Cuban's Mavericks have just lost to the Suns and gave up too many fastbreak points in the loss.
Mavericks coach Avery Johnson wants to know what went wrong. About 20 minutes after the end of the game, his video scouts can use Barr's service to provide video "edits" - clips - of every Phoenix fastbreak in the game.
He also can get every Dallas transitional situation for the entire season to see how that night's game compared to others.
Or, he could ask for:
• All the plays in which Steve Nash came off to his left in the Suns' bread-and-butter pick-and-roll game - in that game or all season.
• The plays in which Nash went all the way to the basket, pulled up for jump shot or passed.
• A breakdown to determine how successful Nash is when he goes left, whether he's more likely to shoot or pass in that situation and whether he's more likely to go to the rim or pull up - all with links to video clips to see why it all happens.
And it can all be done online with a couple of mouse clicks, or downloaded and put on a DVD - just in case the Mavericks have a plane to catch and Johnson wants to look at it all of this in the air.
"The system allows us to look at every play, in every way, and to tie it back to stats," Cuban said via e-mail. "So, we can watch how we played every pick and roll, track our success rate and also see how other teams are doing it.
"It's an invaluable resource that makes us smarter when combined with a lot of advanced statistical analysis we do."
Basketball background
It helps that Barr knows the game as well as the technology.
A former high school teammate of Paul Westphal's at Aviation High in Redondo Beach, Calif., Barr played at UC Irvine and later worked as an assistant coach under Westphal at Grand Canyon College.
Barr came with Westphal to the Suns, and in 11 years as the team's video coach he came up with a lot of ideas about how to combine statistical information with video to more efficiently analyze players and teams.
Usually, he gave those ideas to the various vendors, who called on the Suns with their latest video editing equipment.
"Everybody that came in wanted to hire him," Griffin remembers.
Barr noticed as he went around the league with the Suns that much of that equipment ended up gathering dust.
So in 1998 he founded Quantified Scouting Service, which logged virtually every possession of NBA games to provide offensive tendencies reports.
It was a first step, and in 2003, Barr decided it was time to take it further, quit giving away his ideas and launch a company that could combine the statistical analysis with video and make it available in real time.
He left the Suns.
Tech support
With the advantage of a coaching background, he knew what his clients would want, and with an intimate knowledge of his competition, he knew what they were - or were not - getting.
What he didn't know was whether technology would support it or what it might cost.
A family member hooked him up with Nils Lahr, a former Microsoft engineer and chief architect of iBeam Broadcast Corp., which once was one of Silicon Valley's first big online content providers.
To say Lahr is an expert on streaming video is an understatement. In the tech world, he is Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, a superstar.
"Garrick knew what he wanted to do. He could imagine the workflow. He just didn't know if the technology would get him from point A to point B," Lahr said.
Lahr got him there.
"When I was at Microsoft six years ago, there is nothing we're doing now that we couldn't have done then," he said. "But the startup cost at that time would have been millions and millions. We had to invent a few things that didn't exist for this, but the technology at that time would have worked. However, the business model would have killed it.
"Now, every two or three months you read a press release about somebody in sports trying to do something else on the Internet. The industry has grown by $200million just from last year. It's growing exponentially.
"With streaming video and stats together on the Internet, we can include fans in ways that have never been possible. And people are willing to experiment. Verizon and Comcast, companies like these need content for their portals. There is a lot of money involved."
Future development
Barr's real satisfaction comes from seeing something that he envisioned come to life - and in full-color streaming video.
Pat Riley, Miami Heat coach/president, signed up first. Four other teams followed. Several others are testing the service and three recently inquired about it.
"The word is starting to spread," Barr said.
In the next few weeks, SST also will begin logging defensive situations and player tendencies, which will make it even more applicable.
NBA Entertainment is in talks with the company to use the technology for an interactive feature that fans can use if they sign up for NBA.com's "Velvet Ropes" service for the playoffs.
"Everybody in the NBA will have Synergy's service," predicted Donnie Walsh, president and CEO of the Indiana Pacers, one of Barr's clients. "They're way ahead of all their competition."
And this technology evidently is not gathering dust.
"If you played video 24 hours a day, seven days a week, non-stop for 2 1/2 months, that's the amount of video our clients have viewed in the last 5 1/2 months," Lahr said. "That's a fairly small set of teams, but their usage is extremely heavy."
And Barr's company also provides in-arena "cache" servers for clients. All SST's logged info goes right to the servers, which will hold a season-and-a-half worth of data and video, allowing people throughout an organization to utilize the service in-house all at the same time without tying up valuable bandwidth.
"Garrick was right," Lahr said. "What we're providing is what NBA teams needed."
The Pacers' Walsh agreed.
"It's exactly what NBA teams want and can use," he said. "From our team's standpoint, we can have everything we want on a team we're playing tomorrow before we even get on a plane after a game tonight.
"From a college scouting standpoint, if we want to draft a guy and we expect him to be able to post up, in minutes you can look at every post-up play he's been involved in and break down what he does when he posts up.
"From an international scouting perspective, it can be a big cost saver. It's really pragmatic."
Griffin, who said the Suns are testing the service, is hoping to sell USA Basketball on Barr's technology to prepare for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
And he believes it might be an even easier sell once NBA front-office types figure out that it can help them as much as their coach.
"A lot of times, guys are going to say, 'I'm not spending $50,000 on that for my coach,' " Griffin said, laughing. " 'But I'll spend $50,000 on me!' "
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/sports/articles/0413sportstech0413.html
by Bob Young
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 13, 2006 12:00 AM
Maybe Garrick Barr was born to revolutionize the way professional basketball teams use technology.
He might change the way you use it, too, if you happen to be a basketball fan.
What Barr, a former Suns video coordinator, has done is build Synergy Sports Technology, a Web-based service for NBA teams that is expanding into colleges, international basketball and soon might become part of an interactive fan feature at NBA.com.
Essentially, his company puts statistical data and video together, and makes it available to teams almost immediately and for many different uses, from player evaluation to scouting to coaching.
"He played college basketball, coached in college, son of an engineer. It's the perfect marriage of the technology and the person," said David Griffin, vice president and assistant general manager of the Suns.
"He's the most qualified person on the planet for what he has done."
Barr launched the company three years ago. This is the first NBA season in which the company has provided full service to teams, but Barr said the company will be cash-flow positive by next year.
Right now, five NBA teams are using the service, paying between $50,000 and $75,000 for the season, and several others are considering it.
It's less clear when his investors will begin seeing a return because the company already is looking into growing the core business by expanding to other sports while exploring other ways to leverage the technology.
Among Barr's backers is the NBA's biggest techie, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who made his fortune by co-founding Broadcast.com.
How it works
Let's say that Cuban's Mavericks have just lost to the Suns and gave up too many fastbreak points in the loss.
Mavericks coach Avery Johnson wants to know what went wrong. About 20 minutes after the end of the game, his video scouts can use Barr's service to provide video "edits" - clips - of every Phoenix fastbreak in the game.
He also can get every Dallas transitional situation for the entire season to see how that night's game compared to others.
Or, he could ask for:
• All the plays in which Steve Nash came off to his left in the Suns' bread-and-butter pick-and-roll game - in that game or all season.
• The plays in which Nash went all the way to the basket, pulled up for jump shot or passed.
• A breakdown to determine how successful Nash is when he goes left, whether he's more likely to shoot or pass in that situation and whether he's more likely to go to the rim or pull up - all with links to video clips to see why it all happens.
And it can all be done online with a couple of mouse clicks, or downloaded and put on a DVD - just in case the Mavericks have a plane to catch and Johnson wants to look at it all of this in the air.
"The system allows us to look at every play, in every way, and to tie it back to stats," Cuban said via e-mail. "So, we can watch how we played every pick and roll, track our success rate and also see how other teams are doing it.
"It's an invaluable resource that makes us smarter when combined with a lot of advanced statistical analysis we do."
Basketball background
It helps that Barr knows the game as well as the technology.
A former high school teammate of Paul Westphal's at Aviation High in Redondo Beach, Calif., Barr played at UC Irvine and later worked as an assistant coach under Westphal at Grand Canyon College.
Barr came with Westphal to the Suns, and in 11 years as the team's video coach he came up with a lot of ideas about how to combine statistical information with video to more efficiently analyze players and teams.
Usually, he gave those ideas to the various vendors, who called on the Suns with their latest video editing equipment.
"Everybody that came in wanted to hire him," Griffin remembers.
Barr noticed as he went around the league with the Suns that much of that equipment ended up gathering dust.
So in 1998 he founded Quantified Scouting Service, which logged virtually every possession of NBA games to provide offensive tendencies reports.
It was a first step, and in 2003, Barr decided it was time to take it further, quit giving away his ideas and launch a company that could combine the statistical analysis with video and make it available in real time.
He left the Suns.
Tech support
With the advantage of a coaching background, he knew what his clients would want, and with an intimate knowledge of his competition, he knew what they were - or were not - getting.
What he didn't know was whether technology would support it or what it might cost.
A family member hooked him up with Nils Lahr, a former Microsoft engineer and chief architect of iBeam Broadcast Corp., which once was one of Silicon Valley's first big online content providers.
To say Lahr is an expert on streaming video is an understatement. In the tech world, he is Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, a superstar.
"Garrick knew what he wanted to do. He could imagine the workflow. He just didn't know if the technology would get him from point A to point B," Lahr said.
Lahr got him there.
"When I was at Microsoft six years ago, there is nothing we're doing now that we couldn't have done then," he said. "But the startup cost at that time would have been millions and millions. We had to invent a few things that didn't exist for this, but the technology at that time would have worked. However, the business model would have killed it.
"Now, every two or three months you read a press release about somebody in sports trying to do something else on the Internet. The industry has grown by $200million just from last year. It's growing exponentially.
"With streaming video and stats together on the Internet, we can include fans in ways that have never been possible. And people are willing to experiment. Verizon and Comcast, companies like these need content for their portals. There is a lot of money involved."
Future development
Barr's real satisfaction comes from seeing something that he envisioned come to life - and in full-color streaming video.
Pat Riley, Miami Heat coach/president, signed up first. Four other teams followed. Several others are testing the service and three recently inquired about it.
"The word is starting to spread," Barr said.
In the next few weeks, SST also will begin logging defensive situations and player tendencies, which will make it even more applicable.
NBA Entertainment is in talks with the company to use the technology for an interactive feature that fans can use if they sign up for NBA.com's "Velvet Ropes" service for the playoffs.
"Everybody in the NBA will have Synergy's service," predicted Donnie Walsh, president and CEO of the Indiana Pacers, one of Barr's clients. "They're way ahead of all their competition."
And this technology evidently is not gathering dust.
"If you played video 24 hours a day, seven days a week, non-stop for 2 1/2 months, that's the amount of video our clients have viewed in the last 5 1/2 months," Lahr said. "That's a fairly small set of teams, but their usage is extremely heavy."
And Barr's company also provides in-arena "cache" servers for clients. All SST's logged info goes right to the servers, which will hold a season-and-a-half worth of data and video, allowing people throughout an organization to utilize the service in-house all at the same time without tying up valuable bandwidth.
"Garrick was right," Lahr said. "What we're providing is what NBA teams needed."
The Pacers' Walsh agreed.
"It's exactly what NBA teams want and can use," he said. "From our team's standpoint, we can have everything we want on a team we're playing tomorrow before we even get on a plane after a game tonight.
"From a college scouting standpoint, if we want to draft a guy and we expect him to be able to post up, in minutes you can look at every post-up play he's been involved in and break down what he does when he posts up.
"From an international scouting perspective, it can be a big cost saver. It's really pragmatic."
Griffin, who said the Suns are testing the service, is hoping to sell USA Basketball on Barr's technology to prepare for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
And he believes it might be an even easier sell once NBA front-office types figure out that it can help them as much as their coach.
"A lot of times, guys are going to say, 'I'm not spending $50,000 on that for my coach,' " Griffin said, laughing. " 'But I'll spend $50,000 on me!' "
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/sports/articles/0413sportstech0413.html
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
TNT's Fundamental Videos
During the 2005-06 season, TNT filmed short segments with NBA players giving tips to viewers on a specific skill.
Passing with Steve Nash:
Man-to-man defense with Bruce Bowen:
Moving without the ball with Richard Hamilton:
Shot blocking with Emeka Okafor
Rebounding with Dwight Howard:
Jump shooting with Ray Allen:
Taking a charge with Shane Battier:
Mid-range game with Sam Cassell:
Post moves with Carlos Boozer:
Passing with Steve Nash:
Man-to-man defense with Bruce Bowen:
Moving without the ball with Richard Hamilton:
Shot blocking with Emeka Okafor
Rebounding with Dwight Howard:
Jump shooting with Ray Allen:
Taking a charge with Shane Battier:
Mid-range game with Sam Cassell:
Post moves with Carlos Boozer:
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Steve Nash's Real-Time Workout
Steve Nash has released a video called "Steve Nash's 20 Minute Real Time Basketball Workout". It shows Nash working out and provides some tips to viewers as to what they can do to improve their skills.
The video is described on the website: "Go behind-the-scenes with NBA MVP Steve Nash and see what it takes to be the best. In this first of its kind DVD, the clock ticks down in real time as Steve Nash shows you how to improve as a basketball player in only twenty minutes. Learn the basketball practice regimen Steve has used to make him one of basketball's premiere players. You'll feel like you're on the court working out with Steve as you learn how to workout hard... workout smart. There's never been anything like it!"
The video can be purchased at: http://www.totalvid.com/videodetail.cfm?v=86936037
Clips of the video can be seen at:
The video is described on the website: "Go behind-the-scenes with NBA MVP Steve Nash and see what it takes to be the best. In this first of its kind DVD, the clock ticks down in real time as Steve Nash shows you how to improve as a basketball player in only twenty minutes. Learn the basketball practice regimen Steve has used to make him one of basketball's premiere players. You'll feel like you're on the court working out with Steve as you learn how to workout hard... workout smart. There's never been anything like it!"
The video can be purchased at: http://www.totalvid.com/videodetail.cfm?v=86936037
Clips of the video can be seen at:
Thursday, June 28, 2007
The Makings of a Contender
(Originally posted on October 11, 2006)
As the 2006-07 NBA Season begins, the Phoenix Suns led by MVP Steve Nash, are clearly one of the frontrunners to win the NBA title. If you consider that in the 2003-04 season they won only twenty-nine games, it is pretty amazing where they are today. The major reason for this is the January 2004 trade Suns general manager, Bryan Colangelo, made with Isiah Thomas and the New York Knicks. The transaction was:
The Knicks acquired Stephon Marbury, Penny Hardaway and Cezary Trybanski from Phoenix for Antonio McDyess, Howard Eisley, Charlie Ward, Maciej Lample, the rights to Milos Vujanic, two first-round draft picks and cash.
On the surface, it seemed like the Knicks were acquiring more talent in the deal and it would propel them into the playoffs. The Knicks did make the playoffs that season but got swept in the first round by the New Jersey Nets. In the long run, this trade did to totally different things for two different organizations: the Suns leaped to greatness and the Knicks dropped to the cellar.
The Salaries
Knicks Received:
*Stephon Marbury
03-04 13.5 million
04-05 14.6 million
05-06 16.0 million
06-07 17.3 million
07-08 20.1 million
08-09 21.9 million
*Penny Hardaway
03-04 13.5 million
04-05 14.6 million
05-06 15.8 million
*Cezary Trybanski
03-04 1.5 million
04-05 1.6 million05-06 1.7
Suns Received:
*Antonio McDyess
03-04 13.5 million - contract expired at the end of season
*Howard Eisley
03-04 5.3 million
04-05 5.8 million
05-06 5.2 million
*Charlie Ward
03-04 5.6 million - contract expired at the end of season
*Maciej Lampe
03-04 865,000
04-05 900,000
05-06 900,000
*Rights to Milos Vujanic
*2004 first round pick
*Conditional first round pick
Analysis
The trade represented a major shakeup for both teams. In exchange for its best player, Phoenix was able to go under the salary cap the next summer. Suns owner Jerry Colangelo also explained that the trade allowed the Suns to save $20 million to $25 million in salary and luxury tax costs through the 2004-05 season. However, the Suns did not just stop there and keep the savings.
It allowed them to turn around and sign two major impact players: Steve Nash (6 years, $65.6 million) and Quentin Richardson (6 years, $43.5 million). Although the trade with the Knicks saved them between $20-25 million, they reinvested that money in these two players for about $18,500,000 in the 2004-05 season. When the dust settled, you can really see how great of a job Jerry and Bryan Colangelo did when you compare the rotation from the 2003-04 season to the 2004-05 season.
2003-04 Rotation:
PG Stephon Marbury
SG Penny Hardaway
SF Shawn Marion
PF Amare Stoudemire
C Scott Williams
6th Jake Voskuhl
7th Bo Outlaw
8th Joe Johnson
2004-05 Rotation:
PG Steve Nash
SG Joe Johnson
SF Quentin Richarson
PF Shawn Marion
C Amare Stoudamire
6th Jim Jackson
7th Leandro Barbosa
8th Walter McCarty
Conclusion
In the end, when you look at the players in the trade who were on the team for more then half a season, the Suns turned Stephon Marbury, Penny Hardaway, and Cezary Trybanski into two first round picks, Steve Nash, and Quentin Richardson. This one trade completely changed the face and success of two organizations.
As the 2006-07 NBA Season begins, the Phoenix Suns led by MVP Steve Nash, are clearly one of the frontrunners to win the NBA title. If you consider that in the 2003-04 season they won only twenty-nine games, it is pretty amazing where they are today. The major reason for this is the January 2004 trade Suns general manager, Bryan Colangelo, made with Isiah Thomas and the New York Knicks. The transaction was:
The Knicks acquired Stephon Marbury, Penny Hardaway and Cezary Trybanski from Phoenix for Antonio McDyess, Howard Eisley, Charlie Ward, Maciej Lample, the rights to Milos Vujanic, two first-round draft picks and cash.
On the surface, it seemed like the Knicks were acquiring more talent in the deal and it would propel them into the playoffs. The Knicks did make the playoffs that season but got swept in the first round by the New Jersey Nets. In the long run, this trade did to totally different things for two different organizations: the Suns leaped to greatness and the Knicks dropped to the cellar.
The Salaries
Knicks Received:
*Stephon Marbury
03-04 13.5 million
04-05 14.6 million
05-06 16.0 million
06-07 17.3 million
07-08 20.1 million
08-09 21.9 million
*Penny Hardaway
03-04 13.5 million
04-05 14.6 million
05-06 15.8 million
*Cezary Trybanski
03-04 1.5 million
04-05 1.6 million05-06 1.7
Suns Received:
*Antonio McDyess
03-04 13.5 million - contract expired at the end of season
*Howard Eisley
03-04 5.3 million
04-05 5.8 million
05-06 5.2 million
*Charlie Ward
03-04 5.6 million - contract expired at the end of season
*Maciej Lampe
03-04 865,000
04-05 900,000
05-06 900,000
*Rights to Milos Vujanic
*2004 first round pick
*Conditional first round pick
Analysis
The trade represented a major shakeup for both teams. In exchange for its best player, Phoenix was able to go under the salary cap the next summer. Suns owner Jerry Colangelo also explained that the trade allowed the Suns to save $20 million to $25 million in salary and luxury tax costs through the 2004-05 season. However, the Suns did not just stop there and keep the savings.
It allowed them to turn around and sign two major impact players: Steve Nash (6 years, $65.6 million) and Quentin Richardson (6 years, $43.5 million). Although the trade with the Knicks saved them between $20-25 million, they reinvested that money in these two players for about $18,500,000 in the 2004-05 season. When the dust settled, you can really see how great of a job Jerry and Bryan Colangelo did when you compare the rotation from the 2003-04 season to the 2004-05 season.
2003-04 Rotation:
PG Stephon Marbury
SG Penny Hardaway
SF Shawn Marion
PF Amare Stoudemire
C Scott Williams
6th Jake Voskuhl
7th Bo Outlaw
8th Joe Johnson
2004-05 Rotation:
PG Steve Nash
SG Joe Johnson
SF Quentin Richarson
PF Shawn Marion
C Amare Stoudamire
6th Jim Jackson
7th Leandro Barbosa
8th Walter McCarty
Conclusion
In the end, when you look at the players in the trade who were on the team for more then half a season, the Suns turned Stephon Marbury, Penny Hardaway, and Cezary Trybanski into two first round picks, Steve Nash, and Quentin Richardson. This one trade completely changed the face and success of two organizations.
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