This Week's Show
We talk about Kenneth Faried's popularity in Denver, the Boogie-Board, and the Milwaukee Bucks' hot start.
Hosts
- Andres Alvarez(@nerdnumbers)
- Produced by Brian Foster(@boxscorebrian)
Sources
Video Show
This Week's Poll
Penny-Arcade has one of the funniest comics on finding people on the net to help your confirmation bias...or not.
Show Notes
Kenneth Faried
Kenneth Faried isn't well-liked in Denver it seems.
I don't agree so much with the notion that players like Faried are outdated in the modern NBA.
It is my belief that without Dennis Rodman, Michael Jordan would never be considered the greatest of all-time.
Yes, the 1993-1994 Spurs were Rodman, Robinson, and not much else.
The Nuggets traded away Kosta Koufos, which was a terrible terrible trade.
As Dave Berri has noted, even a top three pick isn't a guarantee of a star.
Virtually every NBA player has flaws in their game. I find it's pick and choose as to when to use that label.
The Boogie-Board
Kirk's original work was in making shot charts. Since then Nylon Calculus has done a great job keeping that going.
At Grantland, Kirk Goldsberry has created a new metric: "The Boogie Board", which examines when players rebound their own miss and put it back in.
Kirk Goldsberry has done other similar stats, e.g. the "Kobe Assist."
DeMarcus Cousins is playing well this season. In spite of his "Boogie-Board" advantage, his scoring is good but not great. Sadly, his turnovers and fouls keep him from being a star.
My general issue with stats like these is they focus inward on what a player does well, without explaining the magnitude. As Brian puts it, "it's a fun fact."
The Milwaukee Bucks
As of this writing, the Bucks are 7-5 and a top four seed in the East.
The Bucks currently have four good playersGiannis Antetokounmpo, Brandon Knight, John Henson, and Larry Sanders.
The player I'm most concerned about is Brandon Knight, who was terrible his first three seasons.
More than a few hilarious videos about pronouncing Giannis Antetokounmpo
Shout Outs
Big Hero 6 was a fantastic film. The "That Thing You Like" podcast on it was great as well.
ESPN's 30 for 30 are amazing as well. This last week I watched "The Pony Excess", "Requiem for the Big East", "Survive and Advance", and "Youngstown Boys". I can't recommend these enough, and hey, free on Netflix! Also, tune in for a free rant on college sports.
League of Denial is a great documentary worth your time.
Dave Berri(@wagesofwins) for his great post on how college athletes are exploited. He has another great one up on why immigration is a good thing.
Iceman in last week's comment section gets a shout out for highlighting about individual defense and the lack of "LeBron stoppers".