Shane Battier - All Star
The Dream Shake —
Shane Battier - All Star
Here's a really good article from Michael Lewis (author of Moneyball) on Battier. It's a bit long, but it's a great read. One of the more interesting stats is that, when his plus-minus stat from last season is adjusted, Battier ...
Lost Time Is Not Found Again: Feb. 16, 2009
MOUTHPIECE Blog // A Chicago-Addled Sports Blog —
... events in their childhoods have had huge influence on their careers. A cleanup hitter lives and dies by a swing he perfected when he was 7; a quarterback has a hitch in his throwing motion because he imitated his father. Here, in the Detroit Country Day School library, a few yards from the gym, Battier was back where he became a basketball player. And he was far less interested in what happened between him and Kobe Bryant four months ago than what happened when he was 12.” – Michael Lewis ...
Reading is Great! Monday’s NBA Updates, Rumors, Shakeups and Dance Revues
Empty the Bench —
- The NY Times - No-Stat All-Star: Is Shane Battier one of the best players in NBA history?
- AOL FanHouse - Forget Superman and Krpto-Nate, James White’s dunks reigned supreme.
- The Oregonian - Greg Oden isn’t proving the doubters wrong about his health.
- Ball Don’t Lie - Not gonna lie, Dwyer’s right: the ASG was a bit of a snoozer.
- ESPN - Marc Stein has all your trade buzz as the deadline approaches.
- ...
Lancelot Links: Afternoon Edition
Josh Q. Public —
... Defensive Woes (San Antonio Express)
Everbody Loves Cool Wrestling Moves (Sparty And Friends)
Alex Mack And The Pittsburgh Steelers (PSaMP)
The Heat Is On Jermaine O’Neal (Miami Herald)
You Can Forget About That Griffey Mariners Reunion (Braves Blast)
A Major League Jerk Hates My Beloved Papi (Major League Jerk)
Shane Battier: No Stats All Star (NY Times)
Peace out homies. Six Two and Even!
LOTD: Former Hoosier Eric Gordon Making a Case for Rookie of the Year
Midwest Sports Fans —
... Said Jordan: “He’s a monster.”
Well done Eric. Here’s hoping you finish strong and earn the Rookie of the Year at the end of the season. It is the only bit of good news IU fans can still hope for this season.
Now some other links for your afternoon enjoyment:
The Week That Was in College Basketball — (Sparty and Friends)
2009 Mock Draft Muncher — (Scout.com)
Shane Battier: The No-Stats All-Star — (New York Times)
Former MSU Spartan ...
A Trip Around the NBA - 2/17/09
Blaze of Love —
... Hardaway Magic jersey from back in the day. [Hoop Doctors]
Steve Nash the newest chameleon? [Ben's Suns Blog]
Now what about Alvin Gentry. What kind of coach is he? [A Stern Warning]
The NBA borrowing $175M? Eek. [FanNation]
The Hornets are broke and giving away key pieces. Thanks. [Hornets247]
I hate all former Dukies, but this article is pretty good. [NY Times]
Fantasy ratings for the All-Star game! Love it. [Give Me the ...
Statisical analysis in the NBA
Fear The Sword —
Statisical analysis in the NBA
Fascinating NYT article by Moneyball author Michael Lewis about the Houston Rockets using statistical analysis to study the NBA. Lots of talk about Shane Battier.
I tried to figure out whether or not the Cavs employ ...
The Weekend Connect - Feb 20
The On Deck Circle —
... The No-Stats All-Star Moneyball author Michael Lewis takes a (really, really, really) in-depth look at Shane Battier, what he offers outside of statistics, why he’s one of the most underrated figures in sports today, and why Duke sucks. (Maybe not that last part.) ...
Stuff That Happened Since My Last Post
Basketball Exchange —
... himself, whom Nate gave it to because of 'all the years he's made him laugh' something or other. Cool, I guess. I dunno. Whatever. Next is one of the best basketball articles I've ever read, The No-Stats All-Star re Shane Battier, who is, no doubt, an All-Star, but definitely not because of how good he looks stats-wise. His ability to change the game via his very presence without racking up a whole lot of numbers brings a perspective to the sport coaches worldwide had always insisted we pay more attention to, but few of us ever really understood or could personify, ...
The Houston Rockets Beat the Odds
ESPN.com - TrueHoop —
... He's unbelievable. We have two of the best perimeter defenders in the league and it is going to be extremely difficult for both. They're going to give it their all but, more than anyone, he's a tough guard. There's a reason the [Michael Lewis] article is about Kobe, not LeBron (laughs). ...
4 Q's of Basketball with TheDreamShake.com
Hoop Heads North —
... HHN: What was your opinion on the "No Stats All-Star" in the New York Times? Is Battier that big of a difference maker for the Rockets? ...
Is Durant The Anti-Battier?
SLAM Online —
... For nearly a month now, the thing du jour for basketball junkies like me has been the fantastic Michael Lewis article in the New York Times on Shane Battier that brought, among other things, the +/- stat into the mainstream. +/-, for those of you who don’t know, is the measure of how well a team plays with a certain player on the court versus how they play when that players off the court. It’s pretty interesting stuff, and helps to measure the value of guys who coaches love but don’t have contributions on the stat ...
Lakers Knock Rockets Out of Orbit
BallerBlogger.com —
... and Scola are essentially spot up shooters, and Yao needs an entry pass to have the ball. Because Artest, Brooks, and Lowry haven’t proven to be world class decision makers against straight-jacket ball pressure, the Rockets offense will inevitably struggle against that kind of defense in the playoffs. Which is why their ultimate ceiling is the Conference Finals. Lakers offense vs. Rockets defense Because of the publicity Battier’s defense on Kobe Bryant has received because of Michael Lewis’ New York Times piece , it’s become common knowledge that Battier’s goal is to force ...
Conference Semi-Final Preview: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets
HalfCourtHeave » Page not found —
... Kobe Bryant vs Ron Artest/Shane Battier. We know Kobe is the archetype of the offensive assassin. If you read any of Michael Lewis’ article , you know that Shane Battier gives Bryant all sorts of fits on the defensive end. The Rockets will use Artest’s bullying strength and size and Battier’s intellect and pesky defense to try and fluster Bryant into inefficient shooting nights, preferably in a high volume. If they fail, the season is over sooner rather than later. ...
It wasn't Shane Battier
ESPN.com - TrueHoop —
... The Rockets feature a player who was lauded in a New York Times magazine cover story as uniquely prepared to make things difficult for Bryant, so surely Shane Batter gets the game ball, right? ...
