I was bored today and ran a regression model (with a stepwise selection procedure) to see what team stats (season averages) were most associated with the number of NBA wins in a season.  I used data from the 2008-2009 regular season.

Outcome: Number of Wins
Variables considered:  FGA, FGM, FG%, 3PTA 3PTM, 3PT%, FTM, FTA, FT%, Total Rebounds, Offensive Rebounds, Defensive Rebounds, Total Rebounds, Turnovers, Steals, Assists, Personal Fouls, Points


Final Model:

Predicted # of Wins = -41.22 +2.71*FGM - 4.02*FGA +0.60*3PTA +1.64*3PT%+5.32*TOTREB +1.82*AST-5.48*TO +7.11*STL

This simple model fits the data quite well, maybe too well (R-squared = 0.98).  My next step is to see what the model looks like using data from the previous 3-5 seasons. 

Applying the current 2009-2010 season stats to the above model, the Timberwolves
will win 1.28 games!  Ouch! For comparison, the Lakers will win 51.8 games.

The Wolves need a lot of help shooting the ball, dishing assists, and decreasing TOs.  Steals look great!

Source: ESPN

PHILADELPHIA -- Former NBA player Jerome "Pooh" Richardson reluctantly testified Monday that his close friend, a Philadelphia police officer, tipped him about an imminent drug raid involving his half-sister.

Richardson, 43, testified under a grant of immunity about two phone calls around 3 a.m. from childhood friend Rickie Durham in August 2005. Durham told him the FBI was about to take down a drug kingpin and take the sister down too, he testified.

Richardson said he quickly called his sister at the New Jersey home she shared with the drug dealer and told her to "leave right now."

"I just said that something was going to go down," Richardson said, his head hung low and his voice barely audible.

He never looked at Durham.

Durham, 42, is charged with obstruction, leaking information about a search and lying to authorities about the calls to Richardson in Los Angeles, which were made on an FBI-issued cell phone.

Despite her brother's warning, Asya Richardson was arrested with boyfriend Alton Coles on Aug. 10, 2005 when an FBI task force raided their new $500,000 home near Mullica Hill, N.J. at 6 a.m.

Continue reading this post »

From: Yahoo Sports

The Minnesota Timberwolves and the NBA will have to wait until 2011 for Ricky Rubio(notes) to leave Europe, a high-level source told Yahoo Sports on Monday night.

Regal of Barcelona has agreed to a six-year contract with Rubio after working out a buyout package with DKV Jovenut of Spain on Monday.

After weeks of haggling, Minnesota Timberwolves GM David Kahn was unable to facilitate a buyout that would’ve brought the fifth pick in the 2009 draft to the NBA this season.

From the PiPress:

Minnesota Timberwolves president David Kahn has traded shooting guard Quentin Richardson to the Miami Heat for former Timberwolves center Mark Blount, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The deal was more about creating roster and salary cap flexibility than getting Blount, who likely won't be on the roster when Minnesota opens training camp in late September.

The Timberwolves acquired Richardson in late July, when they traded Mark Madsen, Craig Smith and Sebastian Telfair to the Los Angeles Clippers for the 29-year-old swingman.

From the AP:

UNION, N.J. — A northern New Jersey man is charged with stealing a prime piece of Internet real estate and reselling it for $111,000 in the first prosecution of a suspected domain name thief in state history.

Authorities say Daniel Goncalves, 25, of Union, hacked into an online account belonging to one of the owners of the P2P.com domain name. He allegedly shifted ownership to himself and resold the Web site address on eBay to professional basketball player Mark Madsen of the Los Angeles Clippers.

Goncalves faces felony charges of theft by unlawful taking or deception, identity theft, and computer theft. State police say each of the three counts carries a maximum sentence of 10 years. Goncalves, who did not respond to a reporter's phone calls, is free on a $60,000 bond.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5goj6VtaQaw9n3UUzdZq9neNnq5qAD99RJMKO1

From Marc Spears at Yahoo Sports:

There is a “50-50” chance the Minnesota Timberwolves’ heralded draft pick Ricky Rubio(notes) will play for the NBA team next season, a source close to Rubio told Yahoo! Sports on Thursday. Another source indicated that the team’s chances might even be better than that.

“They are becoming much more optimistic that they are going to get him,” an Eastern Conference executive told Yahoo! Sports.

The source in Rubio’s camp said it would behoove the Timberwolves to move swiftly in trying to secure Rubio, as there also is strong interest in him from international teams, and Rubio is expected to make a decision soon.

While not divulging Rubio’s preference, the source added that the Timberwolves’ choice for their next coach among ABC NBA analyst Mark Jackson, Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Kurt Rambis and Houston Rockets assistant coach Elston Turner also will factor into Rubio’s decision as to whether to join Minnesota. The team is expected to hire a coach as early as Friday or as late as Monday, a source has told Yahoo! Sports. Jackson is being viewed as the front-runner for the position.

Minnesota has pledged to pay a maximum of $500,000 toward Rubio’s mammoth $8.2 buyout clause with his current club, Spain DKV Joventut. Spain Regal FC Barcelona reportedly also is interested in the fifth overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft. Rubio is expected to depart from DKV Joventut even if he and the Timberwolves cannot reach a deal.

Ed Note: Sometimes it helps to check the fan posts before putting up links of my own.  This was posted last night and I fixed the link and bumped it to the front page.

From the Professional Sports blog:

....Asked which of the North Carolina players in last month's NBA Draft he liked the most, Kupchak said he was particularly high on shooting guard Wayne Ellington.

 

In fact, had Ellington slipped to them at the 29th pick, the Lakers had contingencies in place where they could have nullified their trade with the Knicks for the pick or acquired a second-rounder a few picks later to nab him. Ellington instead went 28th to Minnesota.

"We thought would be a good pick late in the draft," said Kupchak, a North Carolina alum. "I think of all the (North Carolina) players, the one player that has an NBA position is Wayne Ellington because he's a true off guard."