Have the nerds won, as Bill Simmons put it? http://www.washingtonpost.com/sport...d40e24-3d7a-11e3-b0e7-716179a2c2c7_story.html Lots of quotes from various people on the "analytics movement", including from Sam Hinkie, Shane Battier, Eric Spoelstra, Reggie Miller. Some stuff on the Rockets as well. [rquoter] NBA embraces advanced analytics as Moneyball movement sweeps pro basketball By Rick Maese, Published: October 25 E-mail the writer Philadelphia — There were plenty of empty seats at Wells Fargo Center, and Sam Hinkie settled into one near midcourt, about 25 rows up, to watch his team. Depending on your perspective, Hinkie, five months into his job as the Philadelphia 76ers general manager, is presiding over what promises to be one of the league’s worst NBA teams or one of its greatest experiments. Perhaps both. A Sixers guard missed a three-pointer from the corner. The rebound bounced high into the air and fell into the hands of an opposing player. “Great shot,” Hinkie said of the miss. At other times, his team scored a bucket and Hinkie groaned, lamenting the field goal. His peculiar reactions are because he watches the game and judges every action based on probabilities — what should have happened, not necessarily what does happen. Such is the credo of the new NBA, and what exactly unfolds in Philadelphia the next couple of seasons could be the truest test yet of the analytics movement that is sweeping through the league. Hinkie, a Stanford School of Business graduate who cut his teeth at Bain & Company, a management consulting firm, got here in part thanks to numbers. He hopes he can build a team from the ground up aided by formulas, statistical models and data-centric philosophies that will reduce risk and lead to smarter decisions. ... [/rquoter] http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...er-adam-silver-backs-the-analytical-movement/ An interview with the new NBA commissioner on analytics movement. [rquoter] NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver backs the analytical movement BY MICHAEL LEE October 27 at 7:00 am NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver is almost four months away from replacing David Stern as the next league commissioner. Stern will step down on Feb. 1 after an incredible 30-year reign in which the NBA added seven more franchises, became a multibillion dollar enterprise and expanded into an immensely popular global brand. Silver, a graduate of Duke and the University of Chicago law school, joined the NBA in 1992 and has worked in several capacities, including special assistant to the commissioner, NBA chief of staff and president of NBA Entertainment. He has shared the same office suite as Stern since he became deputy commissioner seven years ago. Last week, at Stern’s last Board of Governors meeting with NBA owners, Silver presented his boss a commemorative bobblehead with “David J. Stern” printed at the base. ... [/rquoter]
