Harlan Schreiber

Rudy Gay and the Spurs’ Adventures in the Former Star Market

July 20, 2017 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

Recently, the Spurs signed Rudy Gay to add yet another former star as a bench player. The Spurs thinking is pretty simple…The former star wants a shot at a title and is willing to give up shots and minutes for that chance. This deal happens a lot and results may vary. Famously, the 1985-86 Celtics brought in Bill Walton and he fit in beautifully and helped power the team to a title. Less famously, the 1985-86 Lakers acquired Maurice Lucas and, while his numbers were decent, there are legions … [Read more...] about Rudy Gay and the Spurs’ Adventures in the Former Star Market

Chris Paul & James Harden: Peanut Butter & Jelly or Peanut Butter & Pepperoni?

July 3, 2017 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

It wasn’t surprising that Chris Paul decided to move on from the Clippers but the Rockets are not an intuitive fit for him. Paul is great but he seems somewhat redundant to the Rockets. Houston was already second in the NBA in offense and James Harden was the de facto point guard. And Harden was a particularly heavy part of the offense. Harden’s 34.2 usage rate last year was 20th highest ever for a single season. Pretty much every single player with a higher usage rate than 2016-17 … [Read more...] about Chris Paul & James Harden: Peanut Butter & Jelly or Peanut Butter & Pepperoni?

GM Report: Phil Jackson

June 30, 2017 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

What lesson is there to take from Phil Jackson’s tenure in the Knicks front office? There are quite few that one could draw. Certainly, Jackson’s irascible nature didn’t help him. Nor did prioritizing the triangle offense over all else. Let’s dive in and do a review of Jackson’ time in New York and break it down with another one of our GM reports (I know Jackson wasn’t technically the GM but you get the idea). Here are his hits and misses: Best Moves -Drafting Kristaps Porzingis: … [Read more...] about GM Report: Phil Jackson

Transactions: Post-NBA Finals/Pre-Draft Edition

June 22, 2017 by Harlan Schreiber 2 Comments

There has a been whirlwind of NBA news since the NBA Finals, so let’s catch up with a transactions/quickthoughts segment. 1. Draft Preview: Our good buddy Ed Weiland will not be presenting his usual excellent draft preview. We are happy to announce that Ed has been hired by the pros this year and wish him the best of luck. I’m no draft guru but I have my sleepers…watch that Slavko Vranes! 2. David Griffin Dissed and Dismissed: It’s been a strange run for Griffin. How do you possibly … [Read more...] about Transactions: Post-NBA Finals/Pre-Draft Edition

NBA Finals Fall Out

June 15, 2017 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

With the end of the NBA Finals, we are left with a bunch of questions, some of which are legitimately interesting and others that are a bit prosaic. Let’s plow ahead and answer all these questions as best we can: Did the Cavs disappoint in the Finals? Objectively, each of the last three Finals had the same basic themes: the Warriors are vastly superior on paper but the Cavs had LeBron James, who was/is still as good as any player in the NBA. The only real difference in the series was … [Read more...] about NBA Finals Fall Out

NBA Finals Quick Thoughts

June 4, 2017 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

Before the NBA Finals, the consensus was that the Warriors were heavy favorites and that they would dispatch the Cavs in this rematch. After two games, all evidence seems to confirm this consensus. It would be silly to count out that Cavs fully. Just to refresh recollections, here’s how the teams looked after two games last NBA Finals versus the current: Total score of 2015-16 NBA Finals after two games: Golden State 214, Cavaliers 166 (+48) Total score of 2016-17 NBA Finals after two … [Read more...] about NBA Finals Quick Thoughts