Harlan Schreiber

2012-13 Playoff Preview

April 20, 2013 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

This season flew by like a flash and we are once again faced with the playoff season. As usual, we’ll go through the match ups and make are somewhat fearless but equivocating predictions. Before we really dig in, we should acknowledge the non-shocking revelation that we are headed to a rematch of last year’s Finals. Miami and OKC are the leaders in SRS rating and OKC actually rates a good deal higher than the Heat (9.15 to 7.03). In the East, Miami does not look like it will be tested much, … [Read more...] about 2012-13 Playoff Preview

Quick Thoughts

April 14, 2013 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

1. Kobe’s Pain: The big story of the last few days is the unfortunate Achilles tear suffered by Kobe Bryant at the end of his Friday game against the Lakers. The injury raised a few questions to examine. Let’s take a look and see if we can answer them. -Does this injury end the Lakers’ season? Well the Lakers are in the driver seat to make the eight seed still if they win their remaining games two games. Kobe’s presence would’ve given the Lakers a puncher’s shot of upsetting the Spurs … [Read more...] about Quick Thoughts

Transactional Analysis: The Gay Trade

February 1, 2013 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

Like the Thunder trading James Harden, Memphis found that the new CBA luxury tax penalties cost prohibitive and they therefore decide to unload Rudy Gay. The calculus is more complex than just luxury tax considerations. I imagine the Grizz had to ask themselves several questions before reaching this conclusion. Let’s run though the analysis and see if we agree with logic train: (a) What would the outcome be of just leaving the Grizz roster intact? Memphis had a tougher call than most … [Read more...] about Transactional Analysis: The Gay Trade

Bowie/Jordan, A Look Back

December 28, 2012 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

Is Sam Bowie a tragic figure? Traditional lore paints him either as: (a) they guy who was taken over Michael Jordan and who crapped out or (b) the guy who overcome crippling injuries to become a pretty good center. With the recent Bowie article and documentary on ESPN, the focus has returned to Bowie. I haven’t seen the documentary but the article lets out a revelation that Bowie knew of potential leg problems in his pre-draft physical with the Blazers but did not disclose the pain he felt. … [Read more...] about Bowie/Jordan, A Look Back

Quick Thoughts

November 16, 2012 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

1. Heckuva of a Job Brownie!: The big news of this week has come out of Los Angeles where the Lakers have canned Mike Brown and spurned an apparently willing and able Phil Jackson in favor of Mike D’Antoni. There is so much going on here, so let’s break it down piece-by-piece: -Should Brown have been fired? Certainly, the early returns were not good but it’s pretty hard to envision a scenario where a team could possibly conclude that a coach is lost after a five-game stretch to open a … [Read more...] about Quick Thoughts

Quick Thoughts

November 2, 2012 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

1. Harden Times: I’ve been away from hoops for a while, unfortunately, but this seems like the perfect time to return. The season is starting, which is good news in itself, and a lot is also going on, most notably, the trade of James Harden to Houston. What to make of this move? Bill Simmons wrote a column taking OKC apart for the trade as a missed opportunity to nurture that third star that most title teams have. I don’t necessarily think that Simmons is wrong but the decision is not quite … [Read more...] about Quick Thoughts