Muthuball
June 14, 2012 7:29 PM Subscribe
How to Build an NBA Championship Team: A Stanford undergrad's new super-nerd study suggests that there are really 13 positions in basketball—not just five. And NBA front offices might be able to use this new information (plus an esoteric branch of mathematics) to more effectively construct their teams. If Moneyball revolutionized baseball, "Muthuball" could mark a new frontier for the NBA.
This post was deleted for the following reason: Double. -- jessamyn
Good lord, I can't catch a break.
posted by vidur at 7:38 PM on June 14, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by vidur at 7:38 PM on June 14, 2012 [1 favorite]
Wait, Did you mean this? Because that's an old, closed FPP. Last comment in that thread was made on April 16. The article in this FPP went live only on June 14. I can't see this link anywhere, and it didn't show up in doubles, or in my scanning of tagged posts.
posted by vidur at 7:42 PM on June 14, 2012
posted by vidur at 7:42 PM on June 14, 2012
Let the mods decide ( and clean up this exchange if they decide to keep it) but that post has a link to the article and presentation this story is about.
posted by JPD at 7:47 PM on June 14, 2012
posted by JPD at 7:47 PM on June 14, 2012
Double or no, I think it is fascinating how prescient Free Darko was in their talk of the positional revolution. While the draft is centered on the traditional five roles, some of the most valuable players are capable of playing multiple spots on the floor, or more importantly being able to guard them. Players like Andre Iguodala and Luol Deng aren't really capable of being a teams leading scorer, yet they can end up as the central figure in their team. When Deng was injured this season, the Bulls were unable to play well, full stop. Their defense collapsed, and their offense went stagnant. Deng (and Iguodala), are capable of guarding point guards to power forwards, and part of Lebron's greatness is being ale to do the same. Kevin Garnett seems like he's heading towards a second career as a lanky center. Some teams are still built around traditional roles (the Knicks are one example), yet more and more teams are built of starters and benches that can cover multiple roles, and those are the teams that seem to be on the rise.
Finding the right mix of players, though, can get you the Bulls. Wrong mix, and you end up with the Raptors, or the Pistons, loaded with tall, lanky guys that don't have enough of a difference in their playing styles, no signature skill that can set them apart from one another, giving you a team with, say, Jerebko, Prince, Villanueva, Daye, and Maxiell all fighting for roughly the same minutes.
posted by Ghidorah at 8:00 PM on June 14, 2012
Finding the right mix of players, though, can get you the Bulls. Wrong mix, and you end up with the Raptors, or the Pistons, loaded with tall, lanky guys that don't have enough of a difference in their playing styles, no signature skill that can set them apart from one another, giving you a team with, say, Jerebko, Prince, Villanueva, Daye, and Maxiell all fighting for roughly the same minutes.
posted by Ghidorah at 8:00 PM on June 14, 2012
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posted by JPD at 7:36 PM on June 14, 2012