Author, Investor, Speaker, Mentor
It’s the NBA offseason, and the free agency period is in full swing. Every day brings new trades and free agency signings. Fans are either excited or despondent, and the only sure thing is that most of them are wrong about what they think these moves mean for their teams. We do know one thing … Continue reading LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers, and The Alliance
One of the advantages of money that people fail to appreciate is the value of being able to take risks. Because risk and reward are typically intertwined, the rich do get richer. This year’s March Madness tournament provides a particularly striking example. Quicken Loans and Yahoo Sports are running a “billion dollar bracket“: Pick the … Continue reading The Value Of Being Able To Take Risks
In the NBA, one of the explicit roles that a player can play on a team is as a “locker room guy.” The term is usually applied to a well-respected veteran who, despite declining athleticism, remains valuable to his team because he settles down the younger players, sets a good example of professionalism, and helps … Continue reading The value of the “locker room guy” for your startup
(apologies for startup fans–the following blog post is all about basketball stat-geekery) One of the major revolutions in basketball fandom over the past decade is the rise of advanced statistical analysis, similar to Sabermetrics for baseball. Thanks to folks like John Hollinger and David Berri, NBA fans now have a plethora of stats. My personal … Continue reading Why Not Combine WP48 and Usage Rate?
Just for kicks, I thought I’d look at the question of whom should be favored in the NBA Finals, the L.A. Lakers or the Miami Heat. What I’ll do is take the current rosters of the two teams and match them up to see who has the advantage. My big insight is this: Everyone is … Continue reading Lakers vs. Heat
Sports Illustrated recently conducted a survey of 190 NBA players (the NBA has a total of 450 players) in which they were asked which current player they’d most want as a teammate, and which player they’d least want as a teammate. The Lakers’ Kobe Bryant tied for third in the race for least desirable teammate, … Continue reading The Thin Line Between Love And Hate
Has anyone noticed that the Celtics have played a creampuff schedule to date? By my count, they’ve played exactly three road games against teams with winning records, and one of those was against the mediocre Pistons right after the AI trade. The results? @Houston: Narrow victory (103-99)@Atlanta: Narrow victory (88-85) Contrast this to the Lakers … Continue reading Celtics vs. Lakers Preview
Fascinating post and video from TrueHoop’s Henry Abbott. Abbott is getting coached by the instructors at the IMG Academy, who coach many of the top basketball talents coming out of high school. During ballhandling drills, Abbott’s coach instructs him to dribble the ball hard, at an uncomfortable speed, and Abbott notes that all the times … Continue reading Practice Hard Enough To Make Mistakes
Wow.
While I did recently name Shaq a Jerk of the Week, I just ran across this article, which reminded me of just how unique Shaq’s influence on the NBA has been. Shaq’s playfulness (how many times has he been described as “the biggest kid in the world” in profiles?) coupled with a generous heart have … Continue reading A Tribute to Shaq