Just purchased an electronic copy of this book. Kevin Pelton co-authored it along with Bradford Doolittle. 370 pages of well-researched, analytical basketball goodness. http://www.basketballprospectus.com/unfiltered/?p=310 And our own Daryl Morey even wrote the forward. Here it is: If you are an NBA team reading this foreword, please move on to the next book in your pile. There is nothing to see here. Move along ... we’re walking, we’re walking ... I repeat, NOTHING TO SEE HERE! Are all the NBA teams gone? OK, down to business. Bill Simmons, are you still reading? If so, you are about to be a happy man. You know how you said you wanted access to all the interesting analysis teams are doing? This book has it. While I am sure you will quibble with some of the findings (your beloved Allen Iverson does not fare well), anyone who reads what Brad and Kevin have put together cannot help but come out a smarter fan on the other end. I think this is the part in the foreword where I am supposed to come up with a grand connecting thought on how data is revolutionizing sports and the NBA is the latest part of the trend. Sorry, but I am having too much fun watching and analyzing basketball to figure out where it is all headed. All I know is every day we try to make the right decisions, we are pretty sure that we are going to make many wrong decisions and we hope data and analysis will help us avoid a few. You would not expect it, but I think data and analysis makes it more exciting to be a fan. Jeff Van Gundy, our former coach, is my favorite broadcaster on TV and consistently gets kudos for the fantastic job he does. One key to his success is that every time you tune in and listen to him you learn something you did not know before. This book is like that. Every time you read part of this book your enjoyment of the game will go up because it will teach you to look for the things that really determine whether a team is going to win or lose on a given night. Basically, if you consider yourself a basketball fan and you are not reading this book, then you ought to turn in your serious fan credentials. Enjoy! Daryl Morey General Manager Houston Rockets Pro Basketball Prospectus 2009-10 features: * Essays on all 30 teams * Five-year team trend tables * Info-packed tables on every player who saw NBA action in 2008-09 or who can be expected to be seen in the upcoming season, including their advanced stats for the last three seasons, their skill ratings and their contract status * Commentary on every player * Team and player contract information and salary-cap analysis * The results of Kevin Pelton's dynamic SCHOENE projection system, both for players and teams * Exclusive quotes from key basketball-operations personnel * Insight from blog authors on their teams * A special section for fantasy leaguers, including an essay from veteran fantasy NBA writer Brian Doolittle as well as our unique player-rating system which utilizes SCHOENE's projections * An essay explaining the microfracture procedure from Will Carroll, as well as essays on the NBA's economic future and how reinterpreting the rules on hand-checking has affected the modern NBA game * The preseason version of the Prospectus Hoops List
Will probably buy the print version. Still haven't gotten used to electronic books...just doesn't feel the same. The fact that the Rockets preview is part of the free sample is pretty sweet though. Thanks for the link man.
What a fresh, disarming, unassuming forward. Mr. Morey, we now know that the gift of the pen is in your repertoire as well. They're all playing catch-up and you tell 'em your just enjoying basketball, which you are, but that's not all that you're up to & we thank you... 'We're walking, we're walking...did you have a question?...Ha-ha-HA! There's no basement in the Alamo...'
"Are fans and analysts missing something? According to SCHOENE, they are right on the money. SCHOENE sees Houston slipping to 37-45, finishing 19th in Offensive Rating and 18th at the defensive end. However, the other system we use at Basketball Prospectus, NBAPET, tells an entirely different story. NBAPET sees the Rockets going 52-30 and capturing the fourth seed in the West. This more optimistic forecast has Houston finishing 21st in Offensive Rating, but still succeeding by leading the league in Defensive Rating."
