SB Nation User Blog: Dr Dave

Sport and Spirituality

Dr Dave — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:34:13 -0000

Sport and Spirituality

The subject of sport is often thought of as the union of two powerful forces: the body and the mind. This piece focuses on a third facet often over overlooked: the spiritual.

It's an interesting, well written and thought provoking read.

Crazy Trade Fodder

Dr Dave — Tue, 27 May 2008 16:29:19 -0000

The recent story of a minor league baseball player being traded for ten maple bats got me thinking. In pro basketball we have players, draft picks, future draft picks, money, future considerations, etc. offered as trade currency. Some folks on here have even suggested donuts or beer as equal value for certain un-named players.

When making trade proposals, GMs often get to a point of stalemate and the negotiations end. I'm thinking that with a little creative pot-stirring, a crazy offer could be thrown into the mix to spice up the deal and achieve the desired result. Here's an example: GM "A" wants player "Z" but his offer of a future 1st round pick and players "Y" and "X" just doesn't quite get it done for GM "B". GM "A" then offers to relenquish his two scheduled home games and play them at GM "B"'s venue the following year. The intrigue of the offer is just enough to get the deal done and everyone is happy.

Another example: to finalize a deal that is going nowhere, GM "C" throws this out: "OK, GM "D",...in all our head-to-head games at our house, for the next three years, your fans will be issued megaphones and free beer. Bingo! Deal done! WARNING: the "free beer" clause in this proposal will definitely separate team "C"s true fans from the bandwagons.

One more: To consummate a tough deal, GM "E" counters with this: "If you really want player "W", in addition to your offer, in all our mutual games this year, your players must wear their vintage 1970 unis. I mean literally - short shorts, tight jerseys, Converse AllStars."

Get the idea? Let's give KP some trade fodder to work with this summer.

Welcome to my lab

Dr Dave — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 22:08:45 -0000

It's midnight. Thunder and lightning outside. The high-pitched howl of jackals pierces the tense thickness of anticipation as I prepare to assemble the ideal point guard for the Portland Trailblazers. I have shelves and bins filled with spare parts from all the great PGs of past and present (DNA technology is a wonderful thing). Near my workbench is plenty of duct tape and baling wire. Electrodes are connected to the lightning rod on my roof awaiting the next atmospheric jolt. I can't stand the suspense. I leave the room momentarily to prepare a cup of calming tea....

Watching the whole scene from behind the curtain, you realize you have but a minute or two, at the most, to step in and create your version of the answer to Portland's need at point guard. And remember, you're not after the ultimate, perfect player neccessarily - just the ideal player for Portland's need.

Chose wisely and work fast. I hear the teakettle heating up...

Report card : Kevin Durant

Dr Dave — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 04:42:22 -0000

Remember the hot debate over Kevin Durant or Greg Oden on this site as draft night drew nearer? They were touted as the two best prospects in a decade. We didn't know for sure how KP was going to pick until the final hours. Unfortunately we were not able to see Oden in action but Durant went right to work in Seattle.

So...how is Kevin Durant doing in your opinion, in his rookie year? He's averaging about 20 points, 4 rebounds and 2.5 assists. Is he meeting or exceeding expectations? Will he be a major force in the league?

Here's a totally un-related musical interlude to listen to as you ponder.....and an un-related poll to satisfy a curious dog lover.

Poll

In appearance and demeanor, I resemble...

an Irish Setter

3 votes

a Pug

2 votes

a Boxer

7 votes

a Doberman

2 votes

Goofy

20 votes

a German Shepherd

0 votes

a Black Lab

5 votes

a Poodle

1 votes

a Golden Lab

5 votes

a Collie

2 votes

47 votes | Poll has closed

For Stat Geeks Only

Dr Dave — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 15:39:37 -0000

As opposed to evaluating a particular player based on statistics, I thought it would be interesting to place a value on the statistic itself. For example an ASSIST, by its very nature, would have a high value because it always results in points scored. Whereas an OFFENSIVE REBOUND simply represents a retained possession with no guarantee of points scored. Other than satisfying one's curiosity, quantifying certain stats could help in designing game strategies, coaching emphasis and even player evaluation.

I've listed several common statistical categories. Rate them in order, in terms of value to YOUR team. Comments welcome, too.

ASSIST
BLOCKED SHOT
FOUL (before penalty)
FOUL (after penalty)
FLAGRANT FOUL COMMITTED
JUMPBALL POSSESSION
LANE VIOLATION (offense)
LANE VIOLATION (defense)
REBOUND (offensive)
REBOUND (defensive)
STEAL
TECH.FOUL COMMITTED
TECH.FOUL COMMITTED/ejection
THREE SECONDS (offense)
THREE SECONDS (defense)
TURNOVER (forced)
TURNOVER (unforced)

BONUS QUESTION: where would you place the "zero line", separating positive value from negative value?

Poll

In basketball, possession is (choose one) of the law

25%

0 votes

100%

2 votes

Doesn't matter. I'm Bruce Bowen.

8 votes

90%

6 votes

75%

4 votes

50%

1 votes

21 votes | Poll has closed

NW Division - Remaining Schedule

Dr Dave — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 22:50:24 -0000

With talk now of possibly making the playoffs, let's take a look at the remaining schedules for the top three teams in the Northwest Division:

DENVER - At first glance, Denver has a moderately difficult schedule the rest of the way with a 24-28 home/away slate. Their longest homestand remaining is a three-gamer in the middle of March. After that, they have 6 and 10 home and away with a five game and a four game road trip in that four week span. Twelve of their last sixteen are against the Western Conference.

PORTLAND - A daunting task remains directly ahead for Portland. Twenty-three at home and twenty-eight on the road including outings of seven, four and five games before March 14. Yes, that's a 13-22 home/away schedule between now and March 13! An absolutely grueling stretch. There IS a six game homestand sandwiched in the middle of that Bataan Death March. Mercifully, from that point on it's 10-6 home/away, however 14 of those are against Western Conference foes.

UTAH - By far, the easiest schedule of the three. They have 27 home games and 22 road games remaining. Their longest road trip ahead is a four-gamer in the middle of March. From that point on, they have 10 of 14 at home including a five and a three game homestand. Eleven of those against the Western Conference.

There seems to be a defining point in the middle of March for all three. This is about the time competitive teams make their stretch run. Utah and Portland will be driving for the finish line before home crowds. Denver not so much.

Will Portland have anything left after those long road trips? This is one place young legs and a deep bench can help. Will the use of that zone defense have helped or hindered the team in the late stages of the season? Many questions arise - and at this point, it's all conjecture - but considering the task ahead of these three teams, what do you think?

Time-traveler's Journal

Dr Dave — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 01:01:57 -0000

So, there I was, relaxing in my Bark-a-lounger after the latest sweet Blazer victory. I decided to engage in a little 'remote viewing' and shoot forward about ten years...

I found myself in this very same spot, albeit this time in a new-fangled, air suspension, self-propelled, atom-powered lounger. The radio (yes, still a viable medium) was playing and the KPTB Sports Roundup was on. This is what I heard:

The five-time World Champion Portland Trailblazers will be hoping to extend their current 12 game win streak tonight against the upstart Boise Banditos, the newest and youngest franchise in the NBA. The Banditos are hoping to repeat an earlier feat when they stopped the Blazers' eight game win streak early in December, 48-44. The Boise full-time zone press has given the league fits since it's introduction by coach Bruce Bowen last year. The Blazers are expected to counter with their trademark "prevent' defense which has limited opponents to an average 5.5 points in the paint... ...Young point gaurd phenom Derek Deckard has announced through his agent David Deckard that he will forego signing a letter-of-intent to Duke or UCLA at this time. The two college powerhouses have been recruiting the younger Deckard since his amazing performance in an exhibition game last July at the NBA Summer League.
"I just want to enjoy fifth grade a little longer" said the slightly shy lad. "Besides, I'm just getting to know that cute, new girl in the second row..." ...In a related story, David Deckard tells KPTB he is being wooed by Trailblazer management concerning the expected vacancy in the Sports Information Director post. Deckard has also been approached by KPTB regarding an opening alongside play-by-play icon Brian Wheeler with the KPTB radio broadcast team. Deckard, as you may recall, earlier declined a plea from the Jeb Bush administration to help broker a peace deal between Israel and Islamistan... ...Former Trailblazer Clifford Robinson replied, "Let's wait and see...I feel like I can still compete" when asked if he would retire after this season... Citing a need to "blaze new trails",Portland general manager Kevin Pritchard has been negotiating with Boise Banditos owner Kobe Bryant. Pritchard, who master-minded the Trailblazer dynasty, sees a new challenge in the young, talented Bandito franchise. His contract with the Blazers expires this year... ...The Portland Trailblazers organization will honor Blazeredge at halftime of the next home game. Blazeredge was one of the pioneer "blogs" in the days of computers. Pushed aside by advancements in telepathic and bio-kryonic communication, computer interaction has become virtually obsolete. However, the early contributions of blogs such as Blazeredge will forever be recognized as stepping stones to the inter-planetary popularity professional basketball now enjoys.

As I re-established contact with the present, the pain of the last three years seemed to fade a bit. If my 'viewing' was accurate, we're in for some good times, folks! And...remember the old adage, "The more things change, the more they stay the same".

Merry Christmas everybody! PS I can hardly wait for that nifty lounger!

Sportsmanship or Gamesmanship?

Dr Dave — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 17:10:32 -0000

NBA basketball has rules. They were instilled for the safety of the players and to provide a level standard of play for both teams. We all know the rules are not strictly enforced and much is left to the discretion of the officials - for example, hand-checking, "star" treatment, home-crowd pressure and downright bias against certain players.

There is another category of intentional rules violation we are also well aware of which usually takes place in close quarters, behind the official's back. These are the elbows in the kidneys or knees to the groin intended to inflict pain and send a message. Think Bill Laimbeer or Karl Malone...as extreme examples. Less extreme examples might include anything from verbal threats to spitting on an opponent.

One of the indictments against our current team has been a lack of toughness. My subject for your discussion includes these questions: Is there a place within the game for these sometimes-not-so-subtle physical suggestions? Can a line be drawn between "competitive spirit" and "covert flagrant foul"? If so, where is that line? Can these acts be included in an attitude of toughness? Is it a level playing field if one team strives to play strictly within the rules? Is there a classy way to play a little bit dirty? The questions could go on...

I'd love to get your input on this matter.

Off the bench

Dr Dave — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 20:40:41 -0000

Joe Freeman's recent piece on Jarrett Jack finding his niche got me thinking: what are the dynamics behind a guy who actually performs better in a non-starting role as opposed to a starting role - and seems to relish coming off the bench? This question is not necessarily centered on Jack. Think of some of the great off-the-bench guys ( John Havlicek, Detlef Schrempf w/Indy, Manu Ginobili, et al ). What is the common thread(s)?

A short answer might be that watching the flow of the game from the bench gives certain players a better perspective as to exactly what is needed at critical times. I think it goes deeper than that. I have some ideas and will weigh in if my points aren't covered. But I'd really like to hear from our panel of armchair analysts out there in BE land.

An Oden-sized can of worms

Dr Dave — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 12:06:43 -0000

The recent chatter concerning Greg Oden's bulking up has raised some questions for me:

How much is Odie "owned" by the Blazers?
Is it all spelled out explicitly in his contract? Where do Greg's personal rights end and the Trailblazer's rights to his body begin? It is intriguing to me to think a team owns the rights to a still developing youngster and can "shape" him to conform to a particular need. For example, Nate wanting a wiry-strong body for his style of play. Another coach may want a bulky wide-body for another style and need. A young developing body is like clay in the hands of a potter. How will this tinkering affect a young man later in life? How would an athlete's body naturally develop without the intense isolation training?

Where's the communication?
How was Greg allowed to get so top-heavy before Nate had to say "Whoa!"? Aren't these things covered in staff meetings? Why do we rarely hear from Oden's agent?

Have we really come that far?
With all the modern shoe technology, R & D, training methods, innovative offensive and defensive schemes - in essence, making a science out of winning games - has the game really improved over the years? Sure, players do fly higher and the average physical size of teams has increased. But I bet we still have as many or more injuries, careers are shorter, and overall fan interest in pro basketball has diminished.

I suppose it's just the natural evolution of the game where equipment, strength training and cerebral court concepts are emphasized so much that we find the simpler, inner virtues like heart, effort and the will to win sometimes so wanting. I can understand doing all one is able to make winning happen but is there now a line one eventually crosses where he becomes more machine than man?

This may be much ado about nothing and I admit to ignorance. But that's why I'm asking. What do you think?