Hoops Analyst -

Quick Thoughts

April 24, 2015 by Harlan Schreiber 1 Comment

1. Brooks Booted: Putting aside the merits of the decision, Scott Brooks’ firing is most relevant to the Thunder for what it likely reveals. First, Kevin Durant will be a free agent after next season and there is no way the Thunder would have fired him without Durant’s blessing. It also reveals that Durant may not be totally happy with the Thunder and adding a new coach would be an attempt to placate/keep KD. It is impossible to say exactly how likely it is that Durant will leave the … [Read more...] about Quick Thoughts

The 2015 Draft: Poker Night For Rebuilding Teams

April 21, 2015 by mediadiscovery Leave a Comment

The NBA Playoffs are off to a pretty great start. In the East, Derrick Rose looks like his tremendous old self, LeBron's young Cavs teammates had stellar playoff debuts, and a nation that largely ignores the Hawks is finally seeing just how beautifully they play. In the West, the Warriors and Pelicans are putting on a show with Anthony Davis loudly announcing himself as the future of the league, and the Spurs are battling the Clippers in what Grantland's Zach Lowe calls "The Last Ride Of The … [Read more...] about The 2015 Draft: Poker Night For Rebuilding Teams

2014-15 Playoff Preview

April 17, 2015 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

The 2014-15 NBA playoffs presents an atypical playoff scenario. There aren’t several contenders to assess. Really, we are talking about the Golden State Warriors and everyone else. Only five teams have ever had more wins in an NBA regular season than the Warriors (GS is the fifth NBA team to win 67 games in a season). Seven of the nine other 67+ win teams won a title. The two exceptions are the 1972-73 Celtics, who lost in the Conference Finals to the Knicks (though Boston did have the … [Read more...] about 2014-15 Playoff Preview

Chris Mullin: Can You Go Home Again?

April 13, 2015 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

Last week, Chris Mullin was named the new head coach of St. John’s basketball team. This makes for a great story—the best player in school history coming back 30 years later as a coach. Of course, the fact that Mullin was a really good player in 1985 really has no bearing on whether he can coach (he has never done so at either the college or professional level) or whether he can recruit players (he has never formally done this either). Certainly, a school does get a nice little temporary … [Read more...] about Chris Mullin: Can You Go Home Again?

2015 NBA Draft Top 60 Post Tournament

April 9, 2015 by Ed Weiland 1 Comment

The 2015 draft has the potential to be one of the best ever. The 2015 class features the most impressive group of bigs in a long time, possibly since Shaq and Alonzo in ’93. The PG and PF classes are also deep. I have omitted all players who have announced plans to return to school for the 2016 season. Players are listed in order of how I would draft them, all other things being equal. Karl Anthony Towns, C Kentucky: I like both top centers a lot, but Towns has the edge because he’s more … [Read more...] about 2015 NBA Draft Top 60 Post Tournament

The Top 16: Does It Make Sense?

April 3, 2015 by Harlan Schreiber Leave a Comment

This year, the NBA has yet another spirited battle between very mediocre teams for low rung East playoff spots. The question has arisen again whether it is worth considering awarding the 16 playoff spots by record, regardless of conference. Adam Silver seemed to hint that a change could be coming when he told ESPN in December that “[u]ltimately, we want to see your best teams in the playoffs, and there is an imbalance and a certain unfairness [under the current system].” Let’s think through … [Read more...] about The Top 16: Does It Make Sense?