It appears the Hornets are closing in on a deal to ship Tyson to the OKC Thunder in exchange for Joe Smith, Chris Wilcox, and (possibly) a draft pick. I hope the talks are just rumors, but ESPN's Marc Stein is reporting that a deal is expected to be complete by the end of the day.
In related news, David West said that he would not favor any trade that sent Tyson away. I guess we'll know by tip off tonight, as the Hornets visit the Thunder for the third meeting of these teams.
Getting past the initial shock of breaking up our core three players, this move would make no sense basketball-wise and would only even come close to being justifiable with regards to finances. And that sucks. I'll have more as I find it.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Sean Marks: All Sexy Like
So, by now, everyone should be familiar with the Peja topless and hairy-like-animal photo that has found its way around the internet and back again. In the extremely rare case that you haven't seen it, well, you're in luck my friend.
TA-DA! I don't know if the world will ever get a proper explanation for why that picture exists. But don't act like you're not happy it exists. I mean, that's six feet, ten inches, and 229 pounds of pure Serbian sex appeal. And you're all quite welcome. But the reason we're here today is not Peja. No, my friends, we gather together to honor that other tall white foreign dude who puts on the Creole Blue pinstripes night after night.
That's right. Sean Marks (with his late-game heroics against the Timberwolves on Sunday) has his own glamour shot lurking this series of tubes known as the "world wide web." And some savvy member of the New Zealand press recently brought that gem to the forefront of the national news. Well, NZ's national news, anyway. Without further ado, I give you the Kiwi in all his masculine glory...
Mr. Marks, thank you for stepping it up on Sunday to give the team 18 pts, 5 rebs, 1 blk, and 1 ast in a winning effort that remained in doubt until the closing seconds. Thanks to some outstanding play from Sean, Rasual Butler, and Devin Brown, the Hornets were able to take the lead at the end of the game... after trailing for three quarters. Unfortunately, that formula probably won't work tonight against Boston. So let's hope for some help from our big three, all of which could possibly return to the lineup to take on the defending champs in their only visit to the New Orleans Arena.
TA-DA! I don't know if the world will ever get a proper explanation for why that picture exists. But don't act like you're not happy it exists. I mean, that's six feet, ten inches, and 229 pounds of pure Serbian sex appeal. And you're all quite welcome. But the reason we're here today is not Peja. No, my friends, we gather together to honor that other tall white foreign dude who puts on the Creole Blue pinstripes night after night.
That's right. Sean Marks (with his late-game heroics against the Timberwolves on Sunday) has his own glamour shot lurking this series of tubes known as the "world wide web." And some savvy member of the New Zealand press recently brought that gem to the forefront of the national news. Well, NZ's national news, anyway. Without further ado, I give you the Kiwi in all his masculine glory...
Mr. Marks, thank you for stepping it up on Sunday to give the team 18 pts, 5 rebs, 1 blk, and 1 ast in a winning effort that remained in doubt until the closing seconds. Thanks to some outstanding play from Sean, Rasual Butler, and Devin Brown, the Hornets were able to take the lead at the end of the game... after trailing for three quarters. Unfortunately, that formula probably won't work tonight against Boston. So let's hope for some help from our big three, all of which could possibly return to the lineup to take on the defending champs in their only visit to the New Orleans Arena.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Chris Paul Is Apparently Awesome
If you haven't heard of Dave Berri, please check out his amazing blog which houses his ongoing research, the grounds of which were firmly laid in his fantastic book, The Wages of Wins. For those of you who follow basketball and feebly attempt to make heads or tails out of statistical significance (one of my favorite pastimes), Dave is a godsend who always has a very interesting take on the world of sports.
Similar to other more experimental statisticians like Dean Oliver and John Hollinger, Berri has devised his own method of determining player value. His is known as "wins produced." I couldn't find a breakdown of the stat online, but the basic premise is that by applying a certain juju to the statistics of any NBA player, Berri computes the amount of wins that said player will produce. He often presents the statistic as a wins per 48 minutes (WP48). For the purposes of comparison, an average NBA player posts a .100 WPA.
Interestingly enough (though certainly not surprising), CP3 ranks among the highest in the league when it comes to wins produced. In fact, in Berri's recent midseason analysis of the Hornets, he details just how special Paul and his contributions truly are to this team:
Not surprisingly, Berri attributes the Hornets' general struggles to the lack of rebounding by both West and Chandler. As suggested above, Paul's production has actually increased, so if West and Chandler see a return to form over the second half of the season the Hornets could be looking at a true return (or entry?) into the NBA's elite. Here's to hoping.
Additionally, Berri takes the time to compare Paul to another great point guard:
Quite a statement, indeed. True, us Hornets' fans have been hawking this point for quite some time, but it's nice to see other folks recognizing what's lying in plain sight.
Who knows, perhaps a rejuvenated front-court and a strong second half will put the Hornets back on top in the West. If not, though, we can always rest easy knowing that our insanely awesome point guard will not rest until he has reached that zenith. And the scary part is that he might just be good enough to do it all by himself.
***
In case you have any interest, check out Berri's midseason reports for the remaining 29 teams, and be sure to check the blog next week as he's promised a league-wide analysis for the halfway point.
In case you missed it, At the Hive did a Hornets-themed interview with Berri before the season.
And while we're shouting out to cool stuff on the interwebs, be sure to swing by Hornets 24/7 for a cool article about the Hornet's shot charts through the halfway point.
Peace out.
Similar to other more experimental statisticians like Dean Oliver and John Hollinger, Berri has devised his own method of determining player value. His is known as "wins produced." I couldn't find a breakdown of the stat online, but the basic premise is that by applying a certain juju to the statistics of any NBA player, Berri computes the amount of wins that said player will produce. He often presents the statistic as a wins per 48 minutes (WP48). For the purposes of comparison, an average NBA player posts a .100 WPA.
Interestingly enough (though certainly not surprising), CP3 ranks among the highest in the league when it comes to wins produced. In fact, in Berri's recent midseason analysis of the Hornets, he details just how special Paul and his contributions truly are to this team:
From Table One we see that Paul - after 41 games in 2008-09 - has already produced 15.9 wins. In 2007-08, only ten players produced more wins for the entire season (and one of these was Paul). If Paul continues at this pace in 2008-09 he will finish with 31.8 Wins Produced. And if he eclipses the 30 win mark he will be first player to do this since Kevin Garnett (30.7 wins) did this in 2002-03.
Not surprisingly, Berri attributes the Hornets' general struggles to the lack of rebounding by both West and Chandler. As suggested above, Paul's production has actually increased, so if West and Chandler see a return to form over the second half of the season the Hornets could be looking at a true return (or entry?) into the NBA's elite. Here's to hoping.
Additionally, Berri takes the time to compare Paul to another great point guard:
Chris Paul in 2008-09 compares favorably to Magic Johnson. And that is a point I would emphasize. Chris Paul is developing into one of the all-time great players in NBA history. It’s not a stretch to start thinking of him in terms of players like Magic, MJ, and Bird. Yes, Paul is that good.
Quite a statement, indeed. True, us Hornets' fans have been hawking this point for quite some time, but it's nice to see other folks recognizing what's lying in plain sight.
Who knows, perhaps a rejuvenated front-court and a strong second half will put the Hornets back on top in the West. If not, though, we can always rest easy knowing that our insanely awesome point guard will not rest until he has reached that zenith. And the scary part is that he might just be good enough to do it all by himself.
***
In case you have any interest, check out Berri's midseason reports for the remaining 29 teams, and be sure to check the blog next week as he's promised a league-wide analysis for the halfway point.
In case you missed it, At the Hive did a Hornets-themed interview with Berri before the season.
And while we're shouting out to cool stuff on the interwebs, be sure to swing by Hornets 24/7 for a cool article about the Hornet's shot charts through the halfway point.
Peace out.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
There is a God
The Hornets just sent out a press release announcing that our very own Chris Paul has been voted in as a starter for the 2009 NBA All-Star Game.
Congratulations to CP3 who certainly deserves the starting nod. It would've been a shame for the best point guard in the NBA to come off the bench in Phoenix. Here's to many more years with him as the starting point guard in the West.
Woooooooooooooooo!
Congratulations to CP3 who certainly deserves the starting nod. It would've been a shame for the best point guard in the NBA to come off the bench in Phoenix. Here's to many more years with him as the starting point guard in the West.
Woooooooooooooooo!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
NBA Heat Maps
The boys down at BDL linked to a great site the other day called Obsessionism. It's not entirely devoted to basketball, but one particular article was quite intriguing: a feature entitled 2009 NBA Heat Maps
At first glance, the group of them looks a little like a strange tribute to the old Houston Astros or Denver Nuggets logo. But upon closer inspection, we see that they are more than just quirky eye candy. I'll quote them, so you get the whole picture:
So, with that in mind, we can see at a glance which teams have a history of winning (lots of green and red) and which teams are typically on the losing side (lots of blue). The Knicks (top) and the Spurs (bottom) are the most extreme examples of a good v. bad franchise. Similarly, you can also see which teams are trending up (see: Celtics, Boston), trending down (see: Kings, Sacramento), or are just totally unpredictable (see: Bulls, Chicago). All in all, it's an interesting way to visualize the winning tendencies of teams. Or maybe I'm just totally geeking out since I'm a graphic designer.
Finally, we come to the Hornets map. And for this one, I'll let you make your own extrapolations... enjoy:
Peace out.
At first glance, the group of them looks a little like a strange tribute to the old Houston Astros or Denver Nuggets logo. But upon closer inspection, we see that they are more than just quirky eye candy. I'll quote them, so you get the whole picture:
Each color is a point range that the team won or lost by in that year. Green to Red bars are wins. Blues are losses... The key [on the right] shows the average share of games won and lost by each 3 point range over the last 5 years of the NBA.
So, with that in mind, we can see at a glance which teams have a history of winning (lots of green and red) and which teams are typically on the losing side (lots of blue). The Knicks (top) and the Spurs (bottom) are the most extreme examples of a good v. bad franchise. Similarly, you can also see which teams are trending up (see: Celtics, Boston), trending down (see: Kings, Sacramento), or are just totally unpredictable (see: Bulls, Chicago). All in all, it's an interesting way to visualize the winning tendencies of teams. Or maybe I'm just totally geeking out since I'm a graphic designer.
Finally, we come to the Hornets map. And for this one, I'll let you make your own extrapolations... enjoy:
Peace out.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Thoughts on All-Star Game Voting
The Times Picayune posted a video report with interviews from Byron Scott, Tyson Chandler, and David West. The paper asked them what they thought about Chris Paul being only the third vote getter for Western Conference guards, behind Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady (whom I won't even dignify with a link).
Listen up, NBA. You really need to change your system in the very near future. Turns out many of your fans *cough*CHINA*cough* don't know much about basketball.
Listen up, NBA. You really need to change your system in the very near future. Turns out many of your fans *cough*CHINA*cough* don't know much about basketball.
| Video: New Orleans Hornets react to All Star Voting |
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