Interesting things from the SSAC (aka Dorkapalooza)

[eyeteeth]

I like this little saying from JVG...

@johnhollinger
John Hollinger
JVG with"soft, selfish and stupid" rule--you cab be 1 but not 2. #ssac
http://twitter.com/#!/johnhollinger/status/43677509635682304

A while ago I heard of a magazine editor who had a plaque above his door inscribed with the words, "Fast. Good. Cheap." He told the writers who worked for him that they can keep their jobs as long as they are always 2 of the 3. Kind of the same as JVG's rule, if you swapped the negative tense for positive: "Aggressive. Selfless. Smart." Fill your team with players who are 2 of the 3.

Word.

Re: Weill's work: It's very interesting. Overall, makes me think a lot about Flip Saunders' coaching game.

[C.lupus]

-Tight defense (within three feet) drops expected shooting 12% points (ie – a 50% shot becomes a 38% shot)

You only have to watch a Wolves game to know this is true.

[eyeteeth]

To wit: What are we learning from Weill's work?

1) Crisp ball movement and accurate gunners with a quick trigger are huge.
2) On D, it is very important to stay with your man on off-ball movement.

What are we not learning about from this?

How important and what details about athletic big men? Not much at all.

Like I said: reminds me of Flip Saunders.

[funkatron101]

A few key points:

1. Wes needs to be our catch and shoot player.
2. Darko needs to stop that damn hook shot
3. Love should avoid the desire for tip-ins.

[GDG]

@bball_ref
Basketball Reference
Kahn: "Analytics are less important for rebuilding teams" ... Cuban: "I'm glad they think that." #ssac
http://twitter.com/#!/bball_ref/status/43772520805048320

[funkatron101]

@bball_ref
Basketball Reference
Kahn: "Analytics are less important for rebuilding teams" ... Cuban: "I'm glad they think that." #ssac
http://twitter.com/#!/bball_ref/status/43772520805048320

Well, it's a good thing that we are done rebuilding then, right Kahn?

[Krapinsky]

@bball_ref
Basketball Reference
Kahn: "Analytics are less important for rebuilding teams" ... Cuban: "I'm glad they think that." #ssac
http://twitter.com/#!/bball_ref/status/43772520805048320

Oh, no : (

So Kahn is there?

Well, maybe he means that we're acquiring assets and not too worried about how well it all fits together at this point. When you start putting the pieces together it makes more sense that analytics would be of better use.

[Devilzsidewalk]

3. Love should avoid the desire for tip-ins.

Darko too. In fact especially Darko because he's huge and should have a reasonably time securing a proper putback. That left handed 14 inch putback brick needs to be stricken from the repertoire.

[Rockmaninoff]

Isn't this stuff just confirming what people who understand the game already know? I heart statistics, but that's all that it ever is.

The catch and shoot thing is simple: it turns the shooter into a conduit of the energy of the ball. Players who catch and wait kill the energy of the ball, and thus must reanimate it with their own faulty mechanics.

This is also why passes from some players are better than from others. Some players are just able to make the ball reach the other player in a way that feels right. It's like the pass is telling them to make the shot. Some passes are dead, and some are alive.

I'd also say the real 3 factors are productive, efficient, and defensive. A player must be at least 2 of those 3 in order to be a positive contributor. That's the conclusion I've reached from my own personal statistical Dorkapalooza.

A team then only really needs 5 of those players to be successful in the regular season. During the playoffs the bench becomes more important, because players who are typically not positive contributors will become positive contributors due to certain matchups, and this becomes important because of the duration of the series.

It's better to draft younger players, because they have less bad habits learned from playing against inferior competition, to unlearn. College ball teaches them how to play college ball. The ones that are above average in 2 or more of the catagories listed above, as freshmen and sophomores, are generally the ones that will be able to make a positive contribution at some point in their rookie NBA season. The players that struggle to adapt to the NCAA as freshmen or sophomores will struggle mightily to adapt to the NBA. I tend to believe that exceptional freshmen are better than exceptional sophomores and so on, but there are occasions were exceptional sophomores had to deal with situational constraints as freshmen, and thus were denied the opportunity to display their true worth.

Players typically peak statistically in their 5th NBA season, regardless of age. The all time greats peak at such a height, that their decay to average takes much longer. It's why players like MJ and KAJ were still above average in their late 30's. That's assuming average health. The typically man reaches their optimum combination of athletic and cognitive ability in their late 20's/ early 30's. Players peak statistically early, but peak as players of the game later.

[Dan's with the Wolves]

@bball_ref
Basketball Reference
Kahn: "Analytics are less important for rebuilding teams" ... Cuban: "I'm glad they think that." #ssac
http://twitter.com/#!/bball_ref/status/43772520805048320

The comparative analysis of individual player's statistics from a rebuilding team vs an individual from a playoff team may lead to false conclusions about their relative abilities.

[Tirion]

Isn't this stuff just confirming what people who understand the game already know? I heart statistics, but that's all that it ever is.

The catch and shoot thing is simple: it turns the shooter into a conduit of the energy of the ball. Players who catch and wait kill the energy of the ball, and thus must reanimate it with their own faulty mechanics.

This is also why passes from some players are better than from others. Some players are just able to make the ball reach the other player in a way that feels right. It's like the pass is telling them to make the shot. Some passes are dead, and some are alive.

I'd also say the real 3 factors are productive, efficient, and defensive. A player must be at least 2 of those 3 in order to be a positive contributor. That's the conclusion I've reached from my own personal statistical Dorkapalooza.

A team then only really needs 5 of those players to be successful in the regular season. During the playoffs the bench becomes more important, because players who are typically not positive contributors will become positive contributors due to certain matchups, and this becomes important because of the duration of the series.

It's better to draft younger players, because they have less bad habits learned from playing against inferior competition, to unlearn. College ball teaches them how to play college ball. The ones that are above average in 2 or more of the catagories listed above, as freshmen and sophomores, are generally the ones that will be able to make a positive contribution at some point in their rookie NBA season. The players that struggle to adapt to the NCAA as freshmen or sophomores will struggle mightily to adapt to the NBA. I tend to believe that exceptional freshmen are better than exceptional sophomores and so on, but there are occasions were exceptional sophomores had to deal with situational constraints as freshmen, and thus were denied the opportunity to display their true worth.

Players typically peak statistically in their 5th NBA season, regardless of age. The all time greats peak at such a height, that their decay to average takes much longer. It's why players like MJ and KAJ were still above average in their late 30's. That's assuming average health. The typically man reaches their optimum combination of athletic and cognitive ability in their late 20's/ early 30's. Players peak statistically early, but peak as players of the game later.

Post more.

[GDG]

@bball_ref
Basketball Reference
Kahn: "Analytics are less important for rebuilding teams" ... Cuban: "I'm glad they think that." #ssac
http://twitter.com/#!/bball_ref/status/43772520805048320

The comparative analysis of individual player's statistics from a rebuilding team vs an individual from a playoff team may lead to false conclusions about their relative abilities.

I'd be more worried about the front office's use of advanced statistical analysis in new player acquisitions...especially the draft.

I don't think Kahn and the front office should rely 100% on advanced stats to determine their strategies. But I am concerned that it may be another evaluation tool that is available to him that he is undervaluing.

[mark blunt]

A team then only really needs 5 of those players to be successful in the regular season. During the playoffs the bench becomes more important, because players who are typically not positive contributors will become positive contributors due to certain matchups, and this becomes important because of the duration of the series.

Only part I disagree with here. If anything, bench becomes less important in the playoffs due to the fact that teams get 2+ days off between games. This allows your best players to rest more and be fresh for each game. A good bench is good for the regular season because you can outscore other 2nd units. However, in the playoffs, rotations tighten and you are afforded less opportunities to exploit this mismatch.

[CoffeeJanitor]

JVG would bitch about the refs here so much...

[Devilzsidewalk]

I'd like to see a stat of how many passes a team makes before a shot attempt (or turnover if you're the wolves) on average

I'd assume the better teams average more passes?