I'm still in an extremely bitter mood today, so I'm sorry if this post seems like an attack. Check out this headline from the
Sixers Notes column on Philly.com: "Losing close ones starting to add up."
The fact that they decided to run a story with that headline the day after the Sixers were blown out, and really a full two weeks after their last "close" loss got under my skin. I'm also pretty sure they've run the quote from Donyell Marshall before, you know, the last time someone wrote this story when it was actually topical.
Feel free to use this post to blow off some steam in the comments throughout the day.
Now i know why you aren't part of the 'true hoop ' network - you're too smart
Read this - and laugh when you get to the last paragraph of the comments on the sixers
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-38-291/NBA--No-Bodies-Available.html
You know what I find funny, Willie has the worst defensive rating on the team, and he plays the majority of his minutes with Dalembert on the floor with him, who has the best defensive rating on the team. Defensive rating is usually unreliable because it depends greatly on who you share the floor with, but in Willie's case, considering when he gets his minutes, and who he shares the floor with, is telling.
Player ORtg DRtg
Samuel Dalembert 102 100
Theo Ratliff 115 101
Reggie Evans 98 103
Elton Brand 96 103
Marreese Speights 116 104
Donyell Marshall 131 104
Andre Iguodala 110 105
Thaddeus Young 105 107
Royal Ivey 101 107
Andre Miller 116 108
Louis Williams 101 108
Willie Green 104 109
Kareem Rush 95 109
Yep, his is the worst.
But Rush is the worst offensively AND defensively - i mean is that a factor of just limited minutes or is he really a worse 'offensive factor' than Reggie Evans?
True. Though, now that I think about it, this will be pretty helpful for comparison purposes...
Player ORtg DRtg Player ORtg DRtg
Samuel Dalembert 102 100 Donyell Marshall 131 104
Theo Ratliff 115 101 Marreese Speights 116 104
Reggie Evans 98 103 Andre Miller 116 108
Elton Brand 96 103 Theo Ratliff 115 101
Marreese Speights 116 104 Andre Iguodala 110 105
Donyell Marshall 131 104 Thaddeus Young 105 107
Andre Iguodala 110 105 Willie Green 104 109
Thaddeus Young 105 107 Samuel Dalembert 102 100
Royal Ivey 101 107 Royal Ivey 101 107
Andre Miller 116 108 Louis Williams 101 108
Louis Williams 101 108 Reggie Evans 98 103
Willie Green 104 109 Elton Brand 96 103
Kareem Rush 95 109 Kareem Rush 95 109
ANother interesting read if you don't mind D. Berri
http://dberri.wordpress.com/2009/03/08/the-cost-of-throwing-away-free-throws/
That is a good read and it jibes with my personal intuition which is free throws matter.
Everything 'matters' - it's a matter of what matters more than others and how you interpret it.
What I found fascinating is that FT's tend to be 'static' league wide in terms of percentage, and static at a sub 80 number (though of course terrible free throw shooters who have volume like shaq and howard skew the number down)
Of course, the best way to shoot free throws is the way no player would shoot cause he's too worried about how he looks as opposed to making them (paraphrasing shaqs refusal to use the underhand style)
Couldn't there be a simpler explanation for why the better teams don't necessarily shoot free throws well as a team? I mean, don't most good teams have, historically, have a dominant big man. And don't most dominant big men take an inordinate number of free throws, and shoot at a lower percentage than guards?
Gotta ask Berri, I'm sure he has the numbers.
But then, why can't these 'dominant big men' shoot free throws better. In fact since they tend to go to the line so much it's really shameful that they don't get better, and do what ever it takes to shoot a respectable amount from the line (even granny style) because it makes them that much more of a threat.
If Shaq was a 75% FT shooter in his prime, hack a shaq wouldn't ever be used. One of the things I dislike most about Shaq is his dismissal of his FT shooting over his career.