NBA to install SportVU 3D tracking cameras in all arenas

Commodore · Sep 4, 2013

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-t...ra-system-can-change-the-future-of-basketball

The NBA will officially announce Thursday what Grantland reported two weeks ago — that the league will pay for the installation of data-tracking cameras, and the attached software, at all 29 NBA arenas (the Clippers and Lakers share an arena). This is a sort of endgame for STATS, proprietor of the SportVU camera technology, which entered the league in the 2010-11 season with a half-dozen eager subscribing teams. I’ve written about the technology several times, so I won’t go deep into the basics here. Suffice it to say the cameras track the movement of every object on the court — players, referees, the ball — several times per second, providing a new path to answering questions small and grand.

The potential impact on our understanding of the game, of its flow and X's-and-O's, is fascinating. The NBA has become the first major U.S. sports league, and perhaps the first in the world, to invest this heavily in motion-tracking. But the cameras will touch on lots of other areas of profound importance to basketball’s future that have gotten short shrift amid the hoops-related curiosity.
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Shroopy2 · Sep 5, 2013

Is it innovation, or does it seem more digital sweat-shop/plantation?

If James Harden hustles less in the 4th quarter, does that mean he's gonna be taken out for always scrappy Patrick Beverley?

Tracy McGrady loafed it in practice. This just gives a coach like Jeff Van Gundy more justification to get on their butt about it. And of course front offices can say you didnt show "consistent commitment" based on our effort readings.

Right now its less about competitive advantage, and about getting refs and players to "comply" to ordinance.

Though if there are people who use can use it to help in on-court STRATEGIC approach and TACTICS, like defensive rotations, then yes thats where its good.

(And I know the traditional box score is antiquated and I like advanced stats, but I don't care about heart rates and "vicinity" readings. There's being informative, and there's TMI)

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NBA to install SportVU 3D tracking cameras in all arenas

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