I would too. But that doesn't stop most folks around this board from acting like they know better and declaring moves terrible the moment they happen without any clue of what the guy has lined up for his next move.
Explain the nature of moneyball to us. What kind of moneyball analysis, help us predict whether a person is capable of living outside of his home country for more than a year?
Contrary to popular belief, JVG plays rookies. But he only plays rookies who display the requisite talent to compete at this level. Put aside your Van Gundy hatred for a second and realize the truth: Spanoulis was a 2nd-round draft pick with huge holes in his game. That's the ONLY reason he sat on the bench. Given occasional chances to show something, he showed next to nothing. I'm willing to bet if Scola sucks in practice and sucks in limited minutes, Adelman will keep him on the bench. The NBA is for men, not for mama's boys with an inflated opinion of their talents due to some degree of previous success against inferior talent. "... but I play one on ClutchFans." BBall Scientist, have you even read the book Moneyball? You know, the one that author Michael Lewis coined the friggin' term for? Moneyball is NOT strictly about analyzing stats. On the contrary, it's all about NOT looking at the same stats that scouts have used for years to determine the chances of success for a player. It's about using OTHER stats -- not simple points/40 minutes and the like. And it's as much about money as about stats; quite simply, it's the search for talent that is undervalued in the current market. At least, that's Moneyball as it pertains to Billy Beane, the Oakland A's GM and the focus of the book. Morey got the "Moneyball" label hung on him primarily because he's young, got his MBA at MIT, and has never coached or even played organized basketball. And yes, he uses stats to augment scouting reports. Now then, BBScientist, since you're the resident Clutchfans moneyball guru, how about you share with us some of the in-depth statistical analysis Morey uses to make his decisions. Not just recitation of simple stats you can find on dozens of basketball sites, but the real non-traditional, off-the-wall moneyball stuff. Go into detail for us. I realize you just joined up last month, but don't worry about talking over our heads -- we're a pretty intelligent bunch around here. Go ahead. Show us your moneyball expertise. Knock our socks off.
I've added enough to other conversations to earn a juvenile post every now and again. Don't piss yourself over it.
Man, I love the debates that are going on around here. BBall Scientist, DaDakota, Sam Fisher, Durvasa, et. al, thank you for providing intelligent entertainment Please pass the popcorn chaps
NBA GMs > NBA Fans NBA Coaches > NBA Fans These guys get paid lots of money to do what they do. There's a reason they're up there and we're down here in the forums. If that wasn't the case, then the Rockets Front Office would be members from Clutchfans. Imagine how bad this team would be if that was the case.
You use the 40 minutes stats to compare Scola and Billy. You dismiss using "Moneyball" as a way to compare the two players. I think both reasoning's are flawed. In Billy's case, regardless of what may, or may not have, gone on behind the scenes, when he got time on the court, he sucked. And I loved it when we picked him up and was excited about what he'd bring to the team. Scola, on the other hand, has had a far better career in Europe, with a longer record of achievement, than Billy. For years, he's been called the top, or in the top 3, at his position and produced. Impacted games. Won a host of awards, as well as championships. Not only do the two guys play different positions, but they are simply different kinds of players. Comparing the two, at this point in their careers, is as silly, in my opinion, as comparing 40 minute stats and using "Moneyball" as the end all, be all of judging players. More than anything, putting aside talent and experience, it's a question of players fitting under the systems, styles, and preferences used by their coaches. Billy didn't fit under Van Gundy. Scola fits under Adelman. I'm not sure why this discussion continues regarding Billy, who has decided he doesn't want to play at the highest level in the world in his profession, regardless of who he plays for in the NBA, but Scola has been wanting to get here for years and has been stuck in Europe by the Spurs, regardless of his wishes. Unusual? No, but unusual for a player of Scola's caliber. Billy is gone. Scola, through great management and tremendous luck, has come to the Rocks. We should be jumping for joy. Meanwhile, Billy can enjoy playing in his home country, a place I have traveled in many times and love myself, and we can put, hopefully, the topic of his problems with Van Gundy to bed. How about it?
No. I don't. I don't need to see his projected numbers. BECAUSE I HAVE HIS ACTUAL NUMBERS IT IS THE YEAR 2007 NOT 2006 NOT PROJECTED, NOT A GUESS, NOT A PREDICTION BUT ACTUAL RESULTS - REAL DATA ABOUT HIS PERFORMANCE IN THE NBA IT SHOWS THAT MY EYES DID NOT DECEIVE ME. HE WAS A FAILURE Exhibit A. END OF ARGUMENT. It's not "BBall knowledge", it's called common sense. Look, I don't care that you are a spanoulis jockrider, I don't care much at all, perhaps you and "SpanoulisFanForever", his Wikipedia guardian, can get together over some Tzatziki and reminisce about the time when Billy set an NBA record by shooting 1.000 in a game. I just think it's really funny that you portray yourself as some knd of logical basketball Vulcan, when you are sill hugging the nuts of a player who 1.failed, 2. quit, and is now 3. gone. He sucked. It's over. Admit it. Move on. Or don't admit, just shut up about it then.
billy, novak, and lucas=just not good enough to play on a quality nba team. wells, scola, james=good enough to be significant contributors on a quality nba team...its that simple
Excellent explanation. Too many people make the assumption that moneyball is just about statistical analysis, when instead it's really about getting the best value for your money. An example is Jason Giambi. His MVP season, he was a moneyball god. Huge value for for his salary (pre-arbitration eligbile). The following year, he became a free agent and his salary went through the roof. He was still going to put up the same stats, but Beane let him walk because he was no longer a good value at the new inflated salary. Stats wise, nothing changed, but from a moneyball perspective he went from being undervalued to being over valued.
