Here's a good article on the Lenovo Stat. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpa...F930A35755C0A9619C8B63&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss KEEPING SCORE; On Paper, the Pistons Have Already Won Print Single-Page Save Share Del.icio.usDiggFacebookNewsvinePermalinkBy VINCENT M. MALLOZZI Published: June 3, 2007 For years, N.B.A. coaches have tried to achieve optimum productivity from their players, tinkering and toying with various lineups. To find the most effective combinations of players on the court, coaches have played hunches, ridden hot streaks, gone by the book and against it, and searched as high as Yao Ming and as low as Muggsy Bogues for pieces to fit their hardwood puzzles. Although there has never been a proven formula for winning, there is the Lenovo Stat, a plus-minus rating that shows which players as a group are most productive. P. J. Carlesimo, an assistant coach with San Antonio, is a firm believer. ''I've always been a plus-minus guy,'' said Carlesimo, whose Spurs will play Detroit or Cleveland in the N.B.A. finals beginning Thursday. ''This particular statistic has been a great tool which has helped us tremendously all year.'' Carlesimo, who has coached the Trail Blazers and the Warriors and at Seton Hall, is well aware that the Lenovo Stat, which calculates point differentials during minutes played for one to five players, favors the Pistons and the Cavaliers over the Spurs in the finals. Firm believer? Well, maybe not that firm. ''This is a pretty important statistic, but it's not the be-all, end-all,'' Carlesimo said. ''So you can't overreact.'' The Lenovo Stat, which became accessible to coaches and fans this season at NBA.com, takes its name from the personal computer company that devised the algorithm on which it is based. ''Coaches have been requesting this kind of information for years,'' said Steve Hellmuth, the senior vice president for operations and technology for N.B.A. Entertainment. ''What's brand new here is that coaches and fans now have access to this same information.'' A quick look online Friday showed that the Lenovo Stat ranked Detroit as having the best five-man combination in the playoffs, and Cleveland's was fourth. San Antonio's top unit was 14th. During this postseason, the Pistons' Chris Webber, Rasheed Wallace, Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince have combined to score 503 points while allowing opponents 433 over 15 games, or 246 minutes 29 seconds, giving them a plus-70 rating. Cleveland's LeBron James, Anderson Varejao, Donyell Marshall, Daniel Gibson and Damon Jones have produced a plus-28 rating, having scored 81 points as a group while allowing 53. The Spurs, proving that statistics can sometimes lie, are ranked below the Suns (fifth at plus-26) and the Jazz (seventh at plus-25), two teams the Spurs defeated on their way to the finals. If Spurs fans are looking for a silver lining, it cannot be found anywhere beneath a dark statistical cloud that seems to favor the Pistons' winning the championship. Detroit, according to the Lenovo Stat, has the top four-man (Wallace, Billups, Hamilton and Prince, plus-120), three-man (Wallace, Billups and Prince, plus-154), two-man (Billups and Prince, plus-155) and one-man (Billups, plus-120) units in the postseason. ''In the playoffs, rotations become a little tighter because the games are more meaningful, so the numbers can get a little skewed,'' Carlesimo said. ''You're less apt to trust rookies or guys who haven't played big minutes during the regular season. ''There are other factors that come into play, like blowout victories or garbage time, especially in a smaller amount of games played in the postseason. That's why I like to look at these numbers over an 82-game season. It gives you a better read.'' Charles Klask, an advance scout for the Orlando Magic, said that while he understood that the Lenovo Stat was not an exact science, ''its plus-minus rating allows me to see if there are any irregularities in a team's rotation.'' ''It's a great tool that can be used by both sides in late-game situations,'' Klask added. ''If a team needs a score and maybe foul trouble or other factors have prevented them from having their best team out there, they know who their next-best lineup is, or their best duo.'' Klask said Paul Millsap, a top Utah bench player, stood out whenever he was studying the Lenovo Stat. ''He's not the focal point of their offense, he doesn't score a lot, but he is always a part of two or three of Utah's best lineups,'' Klask said. ''As a scout, I would let players know before a game to pay more attention to a player like that.'' Carlesimo, who looks over Lenovo statistics after each game, said the numbers ''definitely tell you something.'' ''Pop sometimes asks about it,'' he said, referring to Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich. ''It's not brain surgery, but it's a piece of the puzzle. A good piece.''
Ok, maybe I am wrong and correct me if I am but if 'Stoudemire let his man past him a bunch of times and had 7 turnovers' doesn't anyone on the floor get the -2 along with him? So according to +/- if STAT is playing poorly, so is Nash, Marion and everyone else on the floor for the Suns although it is hardly Nash's fault that Amare can't guard his man in the post. The difference comes when Nash sits, Amare is still in the game, Rockets go on a little run, Nash comes back, run stops. Now, you can say that every Suns player plays better with Nash on the floor and so does his +/- indicate but still I think the stat is skewed because of your teammates, the opposition, momentum etc. Look at the +/- stat when there is a blowout game (yesterdays NYK vs. DEN for example). Usually you'll see all the pluses on one team and all the minuses on the other team. I didn't watch the game but David Lee seems to have had a pretty solid game (9pts, 11 rebs, 2 blocks, 3 TOs, 66%FG) but his +/- is -21 (worst on the team). At the same amount of minutes E.Najera had 6pts (~30%FG), 4 rebs, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 2 TOs and his rating is +17. My question is - did Najera really have a much more productive game for Denver than Lee for New York? Or were the rest of the team responsible for their respective ratings?
I'd like to see Brooks get some minutes to see how he can do. But I realize that's not gonna happen just because of the personnel unless there's an injury. Just doesn't make sense to run him over James or Alston or Head right now given the team's performance so far (played well for the most part, sans the Bobcats..)
Also the Rocks went on some runs that ended when Stoudamire went out. So while the rest of the Suns starters had a poor +- as well, when Diaw came in, it went back up. Stoudamire wasnt the beneficiary of that Suns run since he was on the bench.
Is brooks really listed at 6'0?? He looks like 5'10 out there lol.....but he looks like the future for sure! Even Clyde was saying he doesn't know if any of the guards we have are better than him but then again Clyde says some dumb things from time to time..
Kirk bricked every 3 he put up, not even close. But he did look great playing with Scola and dishing it to him after attacking the rim. I still believe by playoff time Scola and Francis show be in our lineup. That will be a great playoff team. Scola is such a smart player! I'm loving this guy and i never doubted him! I knew he'd come along sooner or later!
Just imagine how Scola will attack and abuse Boozer 1 on 1 and how Scala will exhaust Boozer at the defensive end!!!
The Lenovo Stat is useful for 1,2,3,4 and 5 player combos. In fact, if Adleman goes off the Lenovo stats from last year (and he very well might be), he is correct in placing Rafer Alston in the lineup. However, as the article states, it does not show everything which is why I think Francis is better in the lineup than Alston. Let Francis or Brooks generate some Lenovo numbers and lets see how they fit.
The Lenovo stat is worthless to compare with players that have not played. I mean Rafer's stats get inflated because he plays so many minutes with Yao and Tmac Unless you can put Francis in the same role and compare apples to apples it is a waste of time even using or discussing them. DD
Brooks should play. He doesn't have any major weaknesses other than lack of experience. But remember Cassel won a ring as a rookie. He's a better shooter from 3 than Novak or Bullard. He can drive. He can dish. He steals balls.
As big as Barbosa is, he'd just shoot over AB. He'd also have a lot of trouble scoring on Barbosa because Barbosa matchs Brooks on speed.
i would have liked to see brooks on nash just to see what he can do up against him. both r small and nash wont post him up or drive past him. i would have liked to see how brooks may have given problems to nash with his defense.
After the latest pathetic effort from most of the veteran guards (Francis, Head, James, even T-Mac), I say that IT'S WELL PAST TIME for Aaron Brooks to be given a chance to play while Rafer is still out. I doubt it very much that he could play all that much worse than all of the other guards have been playing lately for the most part.
