Billy Beane...next move basketball?

In an article by the always interesting Malcolm Gladwell (author of the tipping point and Blink), he writes about a book which goes through analyzing basketball players much in the way that Moneyball analyzed baseball players. The conclusions are as obvious as what you would expect from statistical analysis which is number of points is not the only thing. This is the article. I will be interested to read the book. It seems to me though that there better be something more substantive than just efficiency. It is one thing to score 30 points on 15 shots vs. scoring 30 points on 60 shots....but it is hardly the same thing to say a guy who puts up 10 points on 10 shots is more valuable than a guy who puts up 30 points on 40 shots. You always need someone who can deliver even if it is in a less efficient way...unless....you could construct a whole team of efficient guys. Jordan should hire beane for the bobcats!

The Answer my friends is blowing in the wind

ESPN.com readers have incorrectly voted. 64% of them say that Allen Iverson would not be a good fit in Miami. And they are dead wrong. Miami landing AI puts them back in the finals and winning another championship. Right now Wade has to carry the team. Shaq won't be back for a month. You put 2 legitimate 30 point scorers on the same team with Shaq in the post and you tell me what is going to happen. Someone has to get double teamed which leaves 2 other guys wide open. I think with that combo you all of a sudden become a threat for years. Shaq doesn't have to be as much of a cornerstone as he ages. I think AI has a couple of years left - he's shown no signs yet of slowing. Get rid of everyone else and pick up 2 league minimum guys as forwards.

How can we be more lucky?

Quote of the Day:

"What we call luck, what we call chance, is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. If you stay ready, you ain't gotta get ready."
-- Will Smith, USA Today, 12/6/06

Rooting for the Underdog

By definition the Underdogs are more likely to lose than win. Denver and the Giants, on sunday while showing signs of life, are proof of that.

NFL - where to root

I find myself rooting for the Big G, the Giants of New York. Maybe it is because it is Tiki's last year (who would have thought a small back like him would have had such a good career), but also more recently because the Giants now seem to be the underdogs in an NFC conference that is wide open. Big game this weekend. Always fun to root for a team with low expectations, if they do anything positive, it will be a fun thing to be a part of.

Switching to the AFC. Denver...I sure hope Jay Cutler has some Tony Romo in him. After the snake, Plummer, botched Denver's superbowl chances last year in the playoffs, there is no love lost in Denver for that guy. Always a poor performer in the clutch, Jake Plummer has yet to prove otherwise. Shanahan is too good of a coach to settle for mediocrity. He and Terrell Davis gave Elway what he deserved 2 superbowl WINS. 5 Superbowls for elway...is that some kind of record?

Yes I looked it up on his official website. Elways 5 starts as a QB in the Superbowl is a record.