4/70 Baze It: How Kent Bazemore Found His Place
Four years ago, no one chose Kent Bazemore. In 2016, Atlanta did, for $70 million.
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Swiss Army Wrecking Ball: Draymond Green’s Stellar Playoffs
Draymond Green was always going to have a solid NBA career. Despite being picked 35th overall (underrated), he’s always been one of those guys who knew his spots and played them at an average or better level. He’s always been a decent passer, a very good rebounder, and a passable-at-least scorer. He’s an energy guy […]
Read more "Swiss Army Wrecking Ball: Draymond Green’s Stellar Playoffs"Improbable: The First Unanimous NBA MVP, Stephen Curry
In 2009, he “didn’t have the upside of Ricky Rubio or Johnny Flynn”. For the next couple of years, he was “just a shooter”. In 2012, he was “injury prone”. In 2013, he was just “very good”. In 2014, he was an All-Star. In 2015, he became a Champion and […]
Read more "Improbable: The First Unanimous NBA MVP, Stephen Curry"Always Back Down: The Effectiveness of Shaun Livingston Post-Ups
If you ask any Golden State Warriors fan what the most reliable shot is that they see game to game, number one is probably a Steph Curry three. Somewhere near the top, though, you’ll also see a Shaun Livingston post-up. Whether it’s a spin to the hoop or a fadeaway, the backup point guard’s post […]
Read more "Always Back Down: The Effectiveness of Shaun Livingston Post-Ups"End of the Bench: Comparing the 2015-16 Coach of the Year Frontrunners
This past Tuesday, April 26th, Marc Stein announced (read: tweeted) that Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors would be named the 2015-16 Coach of the Year, despite having coached only half the season due to health issues. Kerr won out with 381 total points, beating the closest second, Terry Stotts of the Portland Trailblazers, who had […]
Read more "End of the Bench: Comparing the 2015-16 Coach of the Year Frontrunners"National Breakfast Association: Imagining NBA Playoff Teams as Breakfast Foods-Western Conference.
ICYMI: Here’s Part 1, on Eastern Teams There’s no real rhyme or reason to how or why I first thought of comparing NBA playoff teams to breakfast foods. Maybe it was because I live near an IHOP. Maybe it’s just because I was hungry in the morning. Either way, the counterparts for the San Antonio […]
Read more "National Breakfast Association: Imagining NBA Playoff Teams as Breakfast Foods-Western Conference."The Real Meaning of “Improved”: Looking at MIP Winners Since 2010
It seems like the defining word of every NBA regular season award has a definition that’s a moving target. MVP? What is “value”? DPOY? What do we prioritize as “defensive” prowess? Most Improved Player might seem like the most straightforward one. We reward the player who did the best job of “getting better”. But […]
Read more "The Real Meaning of “Improved”: Looking at MIP Winners Since 2010"Pay Tribute to the Klaw: Kawhi Leonard, Your 2016 Defensive Player of the Year
Monday morning, it was announced that the San Antonio Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard repeated as Defensive Player of the Year. It’s an entirely deserved award, and the irony is that his win this year was probably more clearly his than last year, while the voting numbers aren’t that far off. Kawhi led voting with 547 points, […]
Read more "Pay Tribute to the Klaw: Kawhi Leonard, Your 2016 Defensive Player of the Year"Rare Occasion: How the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs Lose
Originally written on April 1, 2016 Warning: What follows is an attempt to glean meaning from a small sample size, because these teams are too damn good this year to lose a human number of games. Proceed with that in mind. Losses aren’t all that common when we’re talking about the Spurs and […]
Read more "Rare Occasion: How the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs Lose"Close-Up: How the Warriors and Spurs Get Their Short-Range Points
Originally written Mar. 31, 2016 It’s no secret that one of the most important components of a successful team is scoring from close range. Even in a league that finds itself increasingly enchanted with the long ball, strong big men, guards, and wings who know how to create shooting space inside 10 feet are absolutely […]
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