Quick Thoughts

March 23, 2009 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

1. Falkenstein Ruminations: While the playoff chase whirls in our faces, the background story people are talking about relates to the economic and labor health of the game. Revenues are projected as down for the next few seasons and David Stern, for the first time, is telling teams to expect the salary cap and the luxury tax threshold lower over each of the next three seasons. As a consequence, all eyes are on whether the NBA will seek to renegotiate the key terms of the collective … [Read more...] about Quick Thoughts

Quick Thoughts

March 5, 2009 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

1. Playoff Meanderings: On an overall level, the Eastern Conference has caught up the West. Three of the top four teams are in the East and they have been pretty effective against the West. Nevertheless, the West is absolutely flying in terms of playoff position. Right now, the West's top eight have winning percentages of .600 or better (projecting to 49-50 wins) and Phoenix is ninth with a .557 winning percentage (which projects to about 46 wins). Now, we've looked at the playoffs a … [Read more...] about Quick Thoughts

Quick Thoughts

February 1, 2009 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

1. All-Star Stuff: Nothing gets me less excited than the All-Star game and the surrounding All-Star picks and controversies. As we've said before, we rarely catch more than a few moments of the whole weekend. Still, we do feel compelled to give our take the usual controversies. The most obvious problem with the rosters is the fact that Allen Iverson is starting. AI has been a bit above-average this season and nothing more but his popularity, at this point, seems to transcend … [Read more...] about Quick Thoughts

Quick Thoughts

January 6, 2009 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

1. Atlanta Aeries: Right around the January each season, we like take stock at the teams that came out of nowhere and examine how they are excelling and whether the improved play will continue. Last year, we had quite a few teams go from .500 to contention and we ended up with three teams going from .500 to the 50-win plateau (Boston, New Orleans, and Orlando). This year, a few teams are looking improved (Cleveland, Denver, Portland) but there is only one team, Atlanta, that has gone … [Read more...] about Quick Thoughts

Quick Thoughts

December 28, 2008 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

1. The Race for Home Court: For better or for worse, the themes of NBA seasons tend to take shape very early and then we all have to wait until May/June two find out how the conflict will play out. Sure, there are fun little surprises that might matter for future seasons but, ultimately, question of title contention is less than mysterious. This year, for the most part, is no different. Let's take our review of the title contenders we forecasted coming into the season (Boston, Detroit, … [Read more...] about Quick Thoughts

Quick Thoughts

December 22, 2008 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

1. CP3 and Steals: Just a few days ago, Chris Paul set the records for the most consecutive games with a steal, breaking Alvin Robertson's record from 1985. Giving such an accomplishment proper weight is a difficult thing to do. On the one hand, steals are clearly a good thing and the fact that a player gets a lot of steals is a good indicator of value. On the other hand, steals are often overstated in assessing the worth of a defender. The best example counterexample is Joe Dumars, … [Read more...] about Quick Thoughts