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NBA Preview 2007-08: Most Improved Player

November 7, 2007 by Ed Weiland Leave a Comment

Who wins the Most Improved Players award? Typically it’s scorers. The winner has usually upped his scoring average by at least 7 PPG to the high teens or low 20s. The winner also tends to be a younger player, in his 2nd or 3rd season. Team success and position played have little to do with who wins this award. This award has been somewhat of a surprise the last 3 seasons, with few experts having spotted winners Simmons, Diaw and Ellis. Any player whose season has a “whoa, where did … [Read more...] about NBA Preview 2007-08: Most Improved Player

Q&A With Kyle Wright and “The NBA Top to Bottom”

November 2, 2007 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

The following is a question/answer session I recently conducted with journalist Kyle Wright. Kyle just wrote, "The NBA Top to Bottom", a fascinating new book where he ranks every single NBA team in history. For any casual fan or even an NBA buff, there is sufficient amount of data to digest and have fun with. Kyle was nice enough to sit down and talk with us for a few moments about his book, his methodology, and some of the interesting issues raised: -Why don't you tell … [Read more...] about Q&A With Kyle Wright and “The NBA Top to Bottom”

Playoff Droughts

October 25, 2007 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

Last season Golden State ended a 13-year postseason drought in spectacular fashion. The Warriors broke an even longer streak by getting to the second round for the first time since 1990-91 when RUN TMC shocked David Robinson's Spurs. I thought it would be fun to go through and see the current longest postseason droughts. Here's a list of each franchise and the last time they made the playoffs AND actually won a round: -Atlanta Hawks: Last in the playoffs in 1998-99, which is … [Read more...] about Playoff Droughts

A Little More on GP

October 20, 2007 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

Usually when a Hall of Fame level player retires, we like to do a comprehensive write up of his career. Clearly, Gary Payton falls into that category. In Payton's case, we already gave him that treatment back in 2004 when he returned to Seattle for the first time. More recently, J.A. Adande wrote a nice article on Payton's current state of mind (GP is 99% sure he has retired) and reflected on his career a little bit. John Hollinger wrote a nice side piece about Payton and how … [Read more...] about A Little More on GP

Knicks Lit

September 18, 2007 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

With the FIBA championships ending and the transaction wire grinding to a halt, the only show in the NBA is happening in downtown Manhattan, where Isiah Thomas and the Knicks are in a dogfight with former employee Anucha Browne Sanders over an employment discrimination claim. Usually, any trial will grab interest because of the potentially all-or-nothing nature of the proceeding. In this case, the matter takes on added dimensions because Isiah and the Knicks both are being very … [Read more...] about Knicks Lit

Playoffthoughts

June 4, 2007 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

1. Finals Preview: On paper, Cavs-Spurs seems like a mismatch. Yes, the Cavs are playing very well. Yes, the Cavs are 2-0 against the Spurs. But the Spurs are playing at a really high level and the Cavs are weaker at almost every position. Can we really gleam the winning formula the Cavs two wins against the Spurs? In fact, the first game was the second game of the season and the later meeting right after New Years (January 2nd). Here is the recap of those two … [Read more...] about Playoffthoughts