Other than Dwight's ability to attract free agents, guy is pretty much useless for the max. LA dodged a serious bullet with that one.
How has that dude not improved one iota since 2009?
Guess which two teams shoot the highest % from mid range this season. 1) GS 2) ATL
In fact the Hawks are a middle of the pack paint fg% team, a top 10 restricted area team, and somewhere between 4-5 on 3 point fg%.
GS is a middle of the pack paint fg% team, 2nd restricted area team, 1st in right corner 3's and 2nd in above the break 3's.
Top 10 fewest FGA from mid range are
Rockets
Sixers
Pistons
Hawks
Cavs
Raptors
Jazz
Warriors
Pelicans
Spurs.
That's not exactly a who's who of best teams in the league. So it seems to be a lot more important that you convert from mid range at a high clip, than that you shoot the fewest of them.
I think we can finally agree that the people who's entire knowledge of the game of basketball boils down to "shoot less midrange and more 3's" can go sit down knowing they've contributed very little.
http://stats.nba.com/league/team/#!/shooting/?DistanceRange=By%20Zone&sort=Mid-Range%20FGA&dir=-1
How has that dude not improved one iota since 2009?
Guess which two teams shoot the highest % from mid range this season. 1) GS 2) ATL
In fact the Hawks are a middle of the pack paint fg% team, a top 10 restricted area team, and somewhere between 4-5 on 3 point fg%.
GS is a middle of the pack paint fg% team, 2nd restricted area team, 1st in right corner 3's and 2nd in above the break 3's.
Top 10 fewest FGA from mid range are
Rockets
Sixers
Pistons
Hawks
Cavs
Raptors
Jazz
Warriors
Pelicans
Spurs.
That's not exactly a who's who of best teams in the league. So it seems to be a lot more important that you convert from mid range at a high clip, than that you shoot the fewest of them.
I think we can finally agree that the people who's entire knowledge of the game of basketball boils down to "shoot less midrange and more 3's" can go sit down knowing they've contributed very little.
http://stats.nba.com/league/team/#!/shooting/?DistanceRange=By%20Zone&sort=Mid-Range%20FGA&dir=-1
By Tim BontempsMirza Teletovic has been diagnosed with bilateral pulmonary embolus, or multiple blood clots on the lungs. He's out for the rest of the yearDamn, that sucks. Hope he can recover and come back eventually.
By KingGondoYikes. Hopefully he can make a full recovery. Good thing he went to the hospital.By Tim BontempsMirza Teletovic has been diagnosed with bilateral pulmonary embolus, or multiple blood clots on the lungs. He's out for the rest of the yearDamn, that sucks. Hope he can recover and come back eventually.
Edit: I haven't heard anything about the Blake thing at all. Surely he'll at least be fined for an offensive gesture.
@Jonathan_FeigenHave fun, giririsss.
Rockets added James Harden to the injury report with a bruised left knee. He's probable to play vs. Suns tonight.
The Sixers are a pretty curious case.
They shoot the 3rd most restricted area shots, the second fewest mid range shots, and they're top 5 in most above the break 3's and they still suck balls.
The 2008-2009 Lakers were middle of the pack in pretty much everything when it came to attempts. But they were top 5 in all 2 point zone FG% and number one in paint FGA.
Except they're consciously playing in a way that's supposed to make them good. The management decided to tank, but it's clear the coach has embraced all the virtues of Moreyism.
They shoot the 3rd most restricted area shots, the second fewest mid range shots, and they're top 5 in most above the break 3's and they still suck balls.
The 2008-2009 Lakers were middle of the pack in pretty much everything when it came to attempts. But they were top 5 in all 2 point zone FG% and number one in paint FGA.
By DY_nastysixers suck. on purpose too. that's easy
Except they're consciously playing in a way that's supposed to make them good. The management decided to tank, but it's clear the coach has embraced all the virtues of Moreyism.
By MorisBy reilowtf… https://vine.co/v/OIIHa1M0Atu
I know he's a strong as fuck millionaire, but he's kinda begging for a sucker punch for that shit.
this is out of bounds
wtf
By VahagnExcept they're consciously playing in a way that's supposed to make them good. The management decided to tank, but it's clear the coach has embraced all the virtues of Moreyism.Is Moreyism the belief of sticking to shitty PGs?
Sixers also have a lot of guys who can't hit point-blank shots. Young defensive athletic teams typically thrive off the fast break, but when you can't make half your layups, you're just not going to score a lot. If they can get Embiid back healthy next year, that should help things a bit. Also, you can't really have a successful defense-first PG without a great SG. Patrick Beverley wouldn't be a starter in the NBA (and may not have been in the NBA long at all) if not for playing with Harden. Rondo looked a lot better when playing with Ray Allen than he did with Avery Bradley. Likewise, MCW really needs a great jump shooter with whom to play or he will continue to take bad shots and commit too many turnovers trying to do too much. If they do somehow end up getting the #1 pick this year (and Okafor doesn't get injured before the draft), they should consider trading Noel or the pick for a good SG.
Edit: I'm a doofus. I didn't realize that KJ was a SG. Hopefully he develops.
Edit: I'm a doofus. I didn't realize that KJ was a SG. Hopefully he develops.
By DY_nastyBy VahagnExcept they're consciously playing in a way that's supposed to make them good. The management decided to tank, but it's clear the coach has embraced all the virtues of Moreyism.Is Moreyism the belief of sticking to shitty PGs?
You mean like jettisoning Lowry and Dragic in favor of Lin and Beverly? Yes I believe so.
But no, Moreyism is shooting the fewest mid range shots possible and shooting more restricted area and 3 point shots. Which the Rockets do, and which the Sixers do, probably the second best in the league.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kOCO8s2xL4iloE9eYzN67BFOOm8pNye3omYgmzSyczk/edit
Kevin Pelton writeup on the OKC-Portland race for the NW Division.
Kevin Pelton writeup on the OKC-Portland race for the NW Division.
Assuming that Lopez returns at the All-Star break and Aldridge misses seven weeks, the midpoint of his estimated return time, I ran 1,000 simulations of the remainder of the season. The results were not good for Portland. Remarkably, the Blazers finished on average with just a half-win more than Oklahoma City (50.5 to 49.9).
By KingGondohttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1kOCO8s2xL4iloE9eYzN67BFOOm8pNye3omYgmzSyczk/edit
Kevin Pelton writeup on the OKC-Portland race for the NW Division.Assuming that Lopez returns at the All-Star break and Aldridge misses seven weeks, the midpoint of his estimated return time, I ran 1,000 simulations of the remainder of the season. The results were not good for Portland. Remarkably, the Blazers finished on average with just a half-win more than Oklahoma City (50.5 to 49.9).
He predicted Portland would win 50 games before the season started with a healthy roster based on the same formula, so ugh, what?
By reiloIt's just an interesting article, don't catch feelings.By KingGondohttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1kOCO8s2xL4iloE9eYzN67BFOOm8pNye3omYgmzSyczk/edit
Kevin Pelton writeup on the OKC-Portland race for the NW Division.Assuming that Lopez returns at the All-Star break and Aldridge misses seven weeks, the midpoint of his estimated return time, I ran 1,000 simulations of the remainder of the season. The results were not good for Portland. Remarkably, the Blazers finished on average with just a half-win more than Oklahoma City (50.5 to 49.9).
He predicted Portland would win 50 games before the season started with a healthy roster based on the same formula, so ugh, what?
By Smokeydefinitely,By MorisBy reilowtf… https://vine.co/v/OIIHa1M0Atu
I know he's a strong as fuck millionaire, but he's kinda begging for a sucker punch for that shit.
this is out of bounds
wtf
the dude should file a complaint.
If social media gets wind of this,
blake griffin will look like a fucking clown and the athletic trainer/therapist will be sitting on a gold mine.
By KingGondoGet well soon Mirza.By Tim BontempsMirza Teletovic has been diagnosed with bilateral pulmonary embolus, or multiple blood clots on the lungs. He's out for the rest of the yearDamn, that sucks. Hope he can recover and come back eventually.
At least he's not dead. Could've been worse if it wasn't caught. This is life threatening shit.
Now it makes sense why he hasn't been able to shoot.
More minutes for CJ I guess.
Zach Lowe on Aldridge's absence:
And Lowe also is basically on the "divisions are fucking stupid" wagon and his reasoning is solid:
http://grantland.com/the-triangle/lamarcus-aldridge-injury-portland-trail-blazers/
It has been fashionable to suggest that opponents overreact to the threat of Aldridge’s midrange jumper. The midranger is, after all, the least efficient shot in basketball. Aldridge has hit about 45 percent of his open 2-point jumpers over the last two seasons, per SportVU data. That’s quite nice, but it still amounts to less than one point per possession over the long haul. Is that really so devastating that teams should double him in the post and rotate a third defender all the way across the floor to snuff out his jumper — a rotation that leaves Portland’s killer 3-point shooters open?
In a vacuum, the answer is probably no. But a basketball game is not a lab environment. Aldridge will bulldoze his way to the rim just enough to keep defenses honest, and turn some of those 45 percent jumpers into close shots and free throws. And coaches, even the very best ones, just haven’t had it in them to leave Aldridge alone when he gets rolling — to deal with him one-on-one in the post, or give him those open pick-and-pop jumpers. It just isn’t in coach DNA.
The best teams can strike a balance at which they help just enough, without over-helping. But that’s a hard equilibrium to find, especially when you’re adapting on the fly in the hothouse of the playoffs. Aldridge has made it a tad harder on defenses this year by stepping out for more 3s when they come from the natural flow of his game — in transition, and on pick-and-pops that occur high enough on the floor that he just kind of fades naturally beyond the arc. He has canned 21 3s this season after making just 24 combined over his first eight years in the league. This dude … man, he’s good.
And Lowe also is basically on the "divisions are fucking stupid" wagon and his reasoning is solid:
It’s dumb. Divisions are dumb. They are needless complications. They serve no real purpose anymore, especially since teams play almost every other team in their conference four times apiece. Just get rid of them.
http://grantland.com/the-triangle/lamarcus-aldridge-injury-portland-trail-blazers/
By etiolationMalone is traveling with Minnesota right now. Probably won't go anywhere where he doesn't have some trust with the GM.Fuck me, Malone plus Wiggins? Crown them.
By ForeverI'd figure Malone would be a top candidate should Flip decide that he needs to just focus on his GM gig.By etiolationMalone is traveling with Minnesota right now. Probably won't go anywhere where he doesn't have some trust with the GM.Fuck me, Malone plus Wiggins? Crown them.
Although I think the job would be pretty enticing to a lot of guys, with Rubio, Wiggins, Muhammad and a top draft pick coming up. Definitely an easier sell than "you'll have Rubio and whatever we get for Kevin Love."
Basketball isn't important right now in the scheme of things but we did miss the injury exception application date by a week. This leaves us paper thin at the 4.
By HasphatsAntsSo we get the Nets' pick this year due to the IsoJoe trade.Yeah you can celebrate now if that's what you want to do.
Is it too early for me to look at Willie Cauley-Stein or Myles Turner? I'm not gonna jinx it or anything, right?
Why all of the Mike Malone love?
His career head coaching record is 39-67. That's abysmal. He was 11-13 when he was fired, and although the team had a good record before Demarcus went down, that's the epitome of over-reacting to a small sample size.
He's being followed byTy Corbin Vivek, it's not hard to look good if that's your replacement.
I mean, don't get me wrong, he's probably good. But people acting like he's the second coming based off a super small sample size in an otherwise terrible terrible coaching record seems off to me.
His career head coaching record is 39-67. That's abysmal. He was 11-13 when he was fired, and although the team had a good record before Demarcus went down, that's the epitome of over-reacting to a small sample size.
He's being followed by
I mean, don't get me wrong, he's probably good. But people acting like he's the second coming based off a super small sample size in an otherwise terrible terrible coaching record seems off to me.
By VahagnWhy all of the Mike Malone love?He first got my attention when they traded for Rudy Gay and resurrected the dude's career. He developed a system that fit his roster, got players who never played defense before to buy in on that end, held everyone accountable, convinced Boogie to grow up and become a leader. The players clearly loved him. A guy with common sense, adaptability, personnel skills, who can maximize his roster on both ends? Then consider his youth and his potential to grow with a team like he was doing with the Kings.
I think he's the best coach available right now, and potentially franchise coach material.
By pilonv1Mirza :(Yeah it's sad.
There's going to be a lot of upset people in Bosnia.Again, he could have died if this wasn't caught in time, so there is that for perspective.
By ForeverBy VahagnWhy all of the Mike Malone love?He first got my attention when they traded for Rudy Gay and resurrected the dude's career. He developed a system that fit his roster, got players who never played defense before to buy in on that end, held everyone accountable, convinced Boogie to grow up and become a leader. The players clearly loved him. A guy with common sense, adaptability, personnel skills, who can maximize his roster on both ends? Then consider his youth and his potential to grow with a team like he was doing with the Kings.
I think he's the best coach available right now, and potentially franchise coach material.
The team did well out of the gate this season. Players buy in when you have success, they typically start questioning things when you don't. Rudy has regressed to the mean.
I just think there was a lot of hype over a great ~15 game out the gate start in an otherwise forgettable coaching career. You may be right about everything, or maybe he got fired at the right time to preserve his rep before the team as a whole regressed and stopped over-achieving.
Apparently Justin Bieber has the power to rig the All Star game:
http://www.tmz.com/2015/01/23/justin-bieber-nba-pal-makes-all-star-team-thanks-to-pop-stars-support/
It was for the greater good, but at what cost???
Justin Bieber's pal Kyle Lowry has been voted to be a starter in the NBA All-Star game … and it seems Bieb's support put him over the top.
Lowry was 3rd in All-Star voting for the Eastern Conference backcourt position behind Dwyane Wade and John Wall … that is, until Bieber tweeted to his 60 MILLION followers to vote for the Toronto Raptors star.
Well, Bieber's plan worked … with Lowry surging ahead in the voting at the last minute to secure a starting spot … beating out Wade by 15,000 votes.
http://www.tmz.com/2015/01/23/justin-bieber-nba-pal-makes-all-star-team-thanks-to-pop-stars-support/
It was for the greater good, but at what cost???
By VahagnThe team did well out of the gate this season. Players buy in when you have success, they typically start questioning things when you don't. Rudy has regressed to the mean.I mean, he's never coached my team, etiolation would probably have a better idea of Malone's worth. But he likes Malone too. I just think that his floor is a decent coach, that his ceiling is pretty high, and that makes him better than the majority of candidates.
I just think there was a lot of hype over a great ~15 game out the gate start in an otherwise forgettable coaching career. You may be right about everything, or maybe he got fired at the right time to preserve his rep before the team as a whole regressed and stopped over-achieving.
Sad about Mirza.
As for Malone:
There's a difference between being great and being good. I think Malone is a good coach who isn't a head turner yet. He's young and will have flaws to work out. However, consider that he began last year with a terrible roster, had a few transitions to work through and never lost the team. Nobody on that team at the start of last year could score except IT and Cousins. He made them slow and defensive. Then most of the roster was overhauled mid-season. With the arrival of Rudy Gay, he got that Kings team playing near .500 ball and their defense steadily improved.
He got basically two different rosters to buy into him within the same year.
This year, he has a training camp with his core guys. The one change was Thomas to Collison, but that gave him a more defensive guy he could pressure with. The team starts off well and everyone is on the same page.
Even when they were winning, the Kings had obvious flaws, but those flaws weren't coaching and the coaching tried to compensate for those flaws. His player development has been pretty good. Rudy Gay is far more efficient (with Cousins around), Cousins has become a superstar level player, McLemore has a vastly improved second year, and Collison was putting up career numbers under him. He even turned Jason Thompson into a very good defensive PF when JT was a stupid foul machine for his entire career.
As for Malone:
There's a difference between being great and being good. I think Malone is a good coach who isn't a head turner yet. He's young and will have flaws to work out. However, consider that he began last year with a terrible roster, had a few transitions to work through and never lost the team. Nobody on that team at the start of last year could score except IT and Cousins. He made them slow and defensive. Then most of the roster was overhauled mid-season. With the arrival of Rudy Gay, he got that Kings team playing near .500 ball and their defense steadily improved.
He got basically two different rosters to buy into him within the same year.
This year, he has a training camp with his core guys. The one change was Thomas to Collison, but that gave him a more defensive guy he could pressure with. The team starts off well and everyone is on the same page.
Even when they were winning, the Kings had obvious flaws, but those flaws weren't coaching and the coaching tried to compensate for those flaws. His player development has been pretty good. Rudy Gay is far more efficient (with Cousins around), Cousins has become a superstar level player, McLemore has a vastly improved second year, and Collison was putting up career numbers under him. He even turned Jason Thompson into a very good defensive PF when JT was a stupid foul machine for his entire career.
Yes...we need actual guards that don't fail at shooting and finishing.
Our system can be effective. Shots at the rim are the best shots you can get and 3s are far better than long 2s....however you need the dudes capable of either getting to the rim and finishing or capable to get open shots and make them...Even better if there is multiple guys who can do both.
Right now we have Wroten who can get to the rim at will but he can't finish consistently and then there is MCW who can also get to the rim at a nice clip but can't finish for shit and can't foul shots to save his life and thus he either avoids contact (making the layup harder) or jacks up long twos like a ho. Everyone else can't dribble the goddam basketball or shoot...or both.
You get a guy who can get to and finish at the rim and surround him with shooters you have a very basic and yet hard to stop system...especially if those shooters can take dudes off the bounce once chased off the line.
Also worth noting that our bigs are hot fire garbage ultimax.
Any system can look like shit...when you have shit players
Our system can be effective. Shots at the rim are the best shots you can get and 3s are far better than long 2s....however you need the dudes capable of either getting to the rim and finishing or capable to get open shots and make them...Even better if there is multiple guys who can do both.
Right now we have Wroten who can get to the rim at will but he can't finish consistently and then there is MCW who can also get to the rim at a nice clip but can't finish for shit and can't foul shots to save his life and thus he either avoids contact (making the layup harder) or jacks up long twos like a ho. Everyone else can't dribble the goddam basketball or shoot...or both.
You get a guy who can get to and finish at the rim and surround him with shooters you have a very basic and yet hard to stop system...especially if those shooters can take dudes off the bounce once chased off the line.
Also worth noting that our bigs are hot fire garbage ultimax.
Any system can look like shit...when you have shit players
Kobe out for the rest of the year officially:
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/12217628/kobe-bryant-los-angeles-lakers-season-torn-rotator-cuff
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/12217628/kobe-bryant-los-angeles-lakers-season-torn-rotator-cuff
By Sho_Nuff82Kobe out for the rest of the year officially:
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/12217628/kobe-bryant-los-angeles-lakers-season-torn-rotator-cuff
sad for kobe but the Lakers tank is ruined.
By Sho_Nuff82Kobe out for the rest of the year officially:That's a real blow to the Lakers tank game
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/12217628/kobe-bryant-los-angeles-lakers-season-torn-rotator-cuff
By knux-futureNick Young unleashed will be amazing.I miss Nick Young on the Clippers. Game 1 against Memphis was amazing. With him and Bledsoe gone, the team feels a lot less fun.
Mountains of Swag
By diprosalicyou shut your whore mouth clown. >:(By Sho_Nuff82Kobe out for the rest of the year officially:
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/12217628/kobe-bryant-los-angeles-lakers-season-torn-rotator-cuff
sad for kobe but the Lakers tank is ruined.
By ForeverBasketball isn't important right now in the scheme of things but we did miss the injury exception application date by a week. This leaves us paper thin at the 4.By HasphatsAntsSo we get the Nets' pick this year due to the IsoJoe trade.Yeah you can celebrate now if that's what you want to do.
Is it too early for me to look at Willie Cauley-Stein or Myles Turner? I'm not gonna jinx it or anything, right?
I posted that a couple hours before the Teletovic news broke, and now I feel like a jackass. :/
EDIT: Apparently my twitter timeline wasn't even up to date. Imma edit that out.
By HasphatsAntsI posted that a couple hours before the Teletovic news broke, and now I feel like a jackass. :/Whatever it's cool I'm just glad he's not dead.
EDIT: Apparently my twitter timeline wasn't even up to date. Imma edit that out.
Geez, sucks what's happening to Mirza. Seemed like a good guy.
Also, Ty Lawson got a DUI last night. UNC point guards yal
Also, Ty Lawson got a DUI last night. UNC point guards yal
Marshall Plumlee will not be entering the draft and has instead decided that his calling is in the military. Good for him.
Duke center Marshall Plumlee will be sworn into the U.S. Army – effective upon his graduation – on Friday afternoon, according to the Duke Chronicle.
In October 2012, head coach Mike Krzyzewski took his Blue Devils to Fort Bragg, where the team took part in physical conditioning and hosted an open practice for troops on the base
On that trip, Plumlee spoke with Lieutenant General Robert Brown, who played for Krzyzewski's basketball team at West Point.
"I think that trip got Marshall interested in the Army, and serving a cause bigger than himself," Behm said.
The maximum height allowed by the U.S. Army is 80 inches, Behm said. Listed as a 7-footer on Duke's official roster, Plumlee stands four inches above that limit, but a special waiver was approved, allowing him to move forward with the contracting ceremony.
The Lakers have won one game this season without Kobe. One game. A fluke of a game at that.
People who are serious and not trolling about Lakers tanking being ruined with Kobe out are lulz.
Ffs, no. Open shots that are strengths of an individual are better than contested shots that aren't. Period. That's basketball. Tony Allen shooting a contested 3 is not a better shot than Marc Gasol shooting an open 15 footer. Ever. Houston is mediocre as shit despite having tons of good 3 point shooters and 2 of the most unstoppable players at their position precisely because they give up open shots to take contested ones. Without Harden's FT gimmick that team would be among the worst teams in the league if all his misses around the rim weren't bailed out.
The key is to shoot a high%, and you shoot a high % when you take open shots that are a strength of your player/team. Trading open 2's for contested 3's is bullshit. Yes, standing behind the line instead of on the line is smart. But what Houston and Philly do isn't smart.
Washington shoots 22 more mid range shots a game than Houston. They have a higher ORTG
Memphis shoots 15 more mid range shots a game than Houston. They have a higher ORTG
Houston is middle of the pack in ORTG, and all 14 teams a head of them shoot more mid range shots. LAL is a much worse team talent wise and shoots 22 more Mid range shots, and its only 1.5 ORTG worse than Houston.
That's not the holy grail.
People who are serious and not trolling about Lakers tanking being ruined with Kobe out are lulz.
By knux-futureYes…we need actual guards that don't fail at shooting and finishing.
Our system can be effective. Shots at the rim are the best shots you can get and 3s are far better than long 2s….however you need the dudes capable of either getting to the rim and finishing or capable to get open shots and make them…Even better if there is multiple guys who can do both.
Right now we have Wroten who can get to the rim at will but he can't finish consistently and then there is MCW who can also get to the rim at a nice clip but can't finish for shit and can't foul shots to save his life and thus he either avoids contact (making the layup harder) or jacks up long twos like a ho. Everyone else can't dribble the goddam basketball or shoot…or both.
You get a guy who can get to and finish at the rim and surround him with shooters you have a very basic and yet hard to stop system…especially if those shooters can take dudes off the bounce once chased off the line.
Also worth noting that our bigs are hot fire garbage ultimax.
Any system can look like shit…when you have shit players
Ffs, no. Open shots that are strengths of an individual are better than contested shots that aren't. Period. That's basketball. Tony Allen shooting a contested 3 is not a better shot than Marc Gasol shooting an open 15 footer. Ever. Houston is mediocre as shit despite having tons of good 3 point shooters and 2 of the most unstoppable players at their position precisely because they give up open shots to take contested ones. Without Harden's FT gimmick that team would be among the worst teams in the league if all his misses around the rim weren't bailed out.
The key is to shoot a high%, and you shoot a high % when you take open shots that are a strength of your player/team. Trading open 2's for contested 3's is bullshit. Yes, standing behind the line instead of on the line is smart. But what Houston and Philly do isn't smart.
Washington shoots 22 more mid range shots a game than Houston. They have a higher ORTG
Memphis shoots 15 more mid range shots a game than Houston. They have a higher ORTG
Houston is middle of the pack in ORTG, and all 14 teams a head of them shoot more mid range shots. LAL is a much worse team talent wise and shoots 22 more Mid range shots, and its only 1.5 ORTG worse than Houston.
That's not the holy grail.