Little known fact: there are actually teams still playing basketball at this point. I know-I was shocked to discover it as well. It turns out that the season continued even after the Magic were eliminated. I'm fairly sure that this is the first time this has happened, but I think we should all write a letter to David Stern to find out just what kind of crap he is trying to pull, as well as put a stop to this sort of thing.

Anyway, the two teams playing are the Pacers and the Heat.

Hey everyone, I found this link on line and thought you might like to see it:

ESPN announced today that their popular flash-based on-line trade resource, the Trade Machine, had completely and utterly collapsed in the wake of continued ridiculous trade proposals.

"Well, when we created it, we just thought it would be fun for people to play GM, check salaries, et cetera. We had no idea so many people would use it to create trades that had no real basis in reality, as though it were some kind of Monopoly for the NBA game,” Michael Cordwainer, the IT Manager for ESPN.com, said, “It was never designed to handle the sheer volume of idiocy it encountered, and apparently it overloaded.”

According to Cordwainer, the application stopped working at 12:49 PM EST on Sunday. At the time, a user known only as “theghostofBenQRock” was attempting to create a trade involving five teams (the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Los Angeles Clippers) that would create a lineup of the following players for the Orlando Magic: Chris Paul-PG, Kobe Bryant-SG, Kevin Durant-SF, Blake Griffin-PF, and Dwight Howard-C.

“The Trade Machine had endured a lot, I mean a lot, of abuse over the last couple of days,” said Cordwainer, “but when it saw some moron trying to trade Kobe Bryant for Earl Clark and Chris Duhon, well, I think that was just too much.”

Marc Stein, a senior writer for ESPN, said that “what people need to realize is that while trade salaries might work, the chances of a lot of these trades going through are really, really low – like close to nonexistent. And yet, despite that, people keep creating them and posting links to them. It says a great deal about our readers-I mean, these are really dedicated people. They persist in the face of adversity, complication, and even logic. They care passionately about the game of basketball. Also, a certain percentage of them are really, really, desperately stupid.”

ESPN.com has said that they have plans to restore the Trade Machine, and that repairs are under way. IT consultants are reportedly working around the clock to move the application back to a functioning level, and to insulate its memory algorithms against the sort of stupidity that caused the crash initially.

Outside perspectives of the collapse have been mixed, with most admitting that it came to very little of a loss in the scope of things. Asked for comment, Charles Barkley (analyst for TNT) was overheard to have said: “I’ve got nothing positive to say about that stupid web-site. You want something positive? OK-it’s positively a piece of crap. I mean, it's just terrible.”

Like many Orlando magic fans, I anticipate that the chatter regarding Dwight Howard's trade status is only going to increase. It is, I believe, primarily a function of media-the number of media outlets have increased, but the number of legitimate stories have not. As such, I believe that "sources" will continue to generate more and more stories about where Dwight Howard will be playing next year. And inevitably, with the generation of these stories will come trade suggestions. Some trade suggestions are well-thought out scenarios, with caveats given to respect the personalities that affect the trades themselves, as well as the myriad financial and personnel implications of aforementioned trades.

Many trade suggestions, however, are ridiculous pipe-dreams with no basis in reality. Some like to deride these trades, some dismiss them, I say . . .

. . .well, here's a place to put 'em!

Rather than dumping ridiculous trade ideas in a thread where they don't belong, put them here in this post! Is it silly? One-sided? Defiant of all reason? Now there's a place for it!!

Dwight for Varejao, Gibson, and Hollins? GREAT! Cleveland gets the most dominant center in the league, and Orlando gets Sideshow Bob, a guy whose nickname is "boobie," and . . . well . . . Ryan Hollins (couldn't think of anything funny about him.) And the salaries work! WIN-WIN!

Dwight to the Kings for Jimmer Fredette, Tyreke Evans, Isaiah Thomas, and John Salmons? Why not? Sacramento gets the most dominant center in the league, and I've been saying all along that Orlando really needs to get shorter! And think of all the options we'll have in the 1/2 spot! And we get Isaiah Thomas! Not the late '80s Thomas that played for the Pistons! No, the other guy! You know, Isaiah Thomas?! That plays for the Kings? You don't know?! Well, still: WIN-WIN!

This way, we can all have a laugh instead of weeping and gnashing our teeth. If there's anything missing in Orlando lately, it's smiling (well, besides consistency, hustle, dependable perimeter defense, etc.) Put your suggestions in the comments below. It's all in fun, so try not to take it too seriously.

Our society is, inescapably, one of imitation. If one movie studio is working on the giant 'earth-is-about-to-explode' film, another studio will try to beat them to the punch with the same story line and different actors (Armageddon/Deep Impact). If the music that is selling is performed by an effeminate teenage boy who appears to model his look after a woman's softball coach, then there will be an agent finding another Justin Bieber post-haste. It's not always so commercially depraved; it's natural, to a degree-in the wild it might show up as Batesian Mimicry.

And let's be honest, within sports it happens constantly. "If you want a plan to build a contender, just look at the 'insert championship dynasty here' team." If you just copy this team's model, greatness will follow. Naturally this is a bit misleading - for one thing, it factors out the randomness/luck that has to be a part of any sustained greatness by a franchise. For another, it makes the giant leap that most of the variables between locations will be constant, or at least comparable. But one of the things that people do is try to create order out of chaos, and make sense of the randomness-and sports is no exception in that regard.

So it makes some sense to try and draw parallels between the Orlando Magic and the Chicago Bulls, right? After all, they are both teams with, really, one superstar (Dwight Howard and Derrick Rose). They are also both teams that have played one "quality" team so far this season (Portland and the Lakers-quality in quotes because the actual quality of the Lakers has yet to be established.) They are both teams that have also beat up on lower-quality teams, and lost a game to someone they should not have lost to. They are also both teams that are probably going to be in/near the top half of the Eastern Conference come playoff time. And you can continue to stack up similarities if that is your preference.

Offensively, the Magic are coming in to this contest averaging 95.7 PPG, which is 14th in the league. The Bulls are averaging 97.1 PPG, which is 9th in the league. On the surface those stats don't seem notably dissimilar. Their is some difference, however, in where this scoring comes from. For the Bulls, the primary weapons thus far seem to be Rose, Deng, and a bit of Boozer. They get fairly adequate numbers, on the other hand, from Noah, Brewer, Hamilton, Gibson, Watson, and Korver. Orlando's scoring situation looks a little different. Orlando's main scorers have been Anderson, Howard, Turkoglu, and Redick. Their secondary numbers come from Richardson, Davis, and Nelson (with a cursomary reference to Duhon required at this point.)

One of the major differences, then, in the offensive production is the sheer number of scorers. Chicago has a deep bench-with about a 10-man rotation, and that bench contributes. Orlando's rotation seems to be more of the 8-9 man variety (depending on how you feel about Q), and they don't seem to be quite as effective as Chicago's unit (particularly if you consider Redick an outlier, in the Manu model). Of course, it's pretty early in the season to make any inferences about either of these 2nd units.

The defensive statistics are closer than the offense: Chicago holds opponents to 86.6 PPG (2nd in the league) while maintaining a defensive rating of 95.2 (also 2nd), while Orlando holds players to 88.4 (3rd). Both teams have coaches that emphasize defense in Thibs and Van Gundy-but Orlando has a force of nature to clean up errors made by perimeter players while Chicago seems to have more of a team commitment to defense.

But there is one thing that these teams have in common that will probably define this contest: inconsistency. Both teams have demonstrated that they can play brilliantly when engaged and inside their offensive/defensive scheme. But both have also demonstrated that they can stumble around the court like the All-Zombie-Living-Dead-All-Star-Team.

No matter what occurs tonight, this is an early-season test for both teams that will help us figure out who's the real deal . . . and who's just an imitator.

Well, it's the doldrums now. The league occasionally meets with the players, the players occasionally put on an exhibition, the fans try to watch FIBA or get really into college football season.

Yep, this is a lockout.

So, why fight it? Let's embrace the pain, shall we? In the comments, you can talk about what you miss/will miss the most because of this lockout. What are we, the fans, losing? What is it that this lockout really takes away from us? In the words of the bard:

"Give sorrow words. The grief that does not speak
Whispers the o'er-fraught heart, and bids it break."

Is this premature? I don't care.

For my part, there are four things that I think I shall miss by not having a season. 1. Dwight Howard playing for the Magic one more time. Yep, I think he's probably leaving. 2. Jason Kidd not getting one more season. He said he's retiring if the whole season is locked out, and he's always been one of my favorite players to watch. 3. The Mavericks not getting to really defend their title. I think an extra year off really reshapes the NBA landscape. 4. One less year of watching Miami play. No, I do not like them. Yes, I do like to watch them play basketball. The two are not mutually exclusive.

That's all I've got off the top of my head: anyone else?

Sartre: “It is only in our decisions that we are important.”

Apparently, Jean-Paul knew a great deal about basketball, and more specifically, the role of the basketball general manager. Because, let’s be honest: the role of the general manager is entirely consumed with the making of important decisions. Recently, Otis Smith has come under fire for some of the decisions that he has made as GM of the Orlando Magic. I think that the question of whether Otis should stay or go is an interesting one, whether it is academic or not. To that end, what follows here is a kind of “Otis Smith Rubric” which I invite you to complete.

First, how do you judge a general manager? Well, at the most fundamental level, you judge him by the decisions he makes, which take the form of transactions. This is not necessarily a simple task. Otis Smith has made 82 transactions during his tenure as GM (all data from hoopshype.com). And, let’s be honest, not all of these transactions are really worth examining, nor are they all created equal (was the waiving of Center Ruben Boumtje Boumjte a turning point in the Magic’s 05-06 season? New poll question-you decide!!)

So, what follows are a list of Otis Smith’s major transactions as GM of the Orlando Magic. (I decided what was major all by myself, so it’s a horribly biased sample, and you are free to disagree with it in the comments section). I propose that we rank these transactions using an ordinal scale ranging from 1 (totally boneheaded) to 5 (pure genius). After the transactions are ranked, the sum will allow us to determine Otis Smith’s effectiveness as a GM.

1.       2005, May: Named Brian Hill head coach.

2.       2005 draft: Fran Vazquez.

3.       2005 draft: Traded cash for Marcin Gortat’s draft rights.

4.       2006, February: traded Kelvin Cato and a first-round pick for Carlos Arroyo and Darko Milicic.

5.       2006, February: traded Steve Francis for Anfernee Hardaway and Trevor Ariza. (Waived Hardaway.)

6.       2006 draft: JJ Redick. (Subsequently signed Redick).

7.       2007, May-June: Fired Brian Hill. Billy Donovan thing. Hired Stan Van Gundy.

8.       2007, July: Traded for Rashard Lewis.

9.       2007, August: Signed Marcin Gortat.

10.   2007, November: Traded Trevor Ariza for Brian Cook and Maurice Evans.

11.   2008, Draft: Courtney Lee. (Signed.)

12.   2008, July: Signed Mickael Pietrus.

13.   2009, February: Traded Keith Bogans for cash and Tyronn Lue.

14.   2009, February:  Traded Brian Cook for Rafer Alston.

15.   2009, June: Traded Alston, Lee, and Battie for Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson.

16.   2009, June: Traded Hedo Turkoglu to Toronto Raptors.

17.   2009, July: Signed Brandon Bass.

18.   2009, July: Matched offer sheet for Marcin Gortat.

19.   2009, July: Signed Matt Barnes.

20.   2010 draft: Daniel Orton, Stanley Robinson. (Both signed.)

21.   2010, July: Signed Chris Duhon.

22.   2010, July: Signed Quentin Richardson.

23.   2010, July: Matched offer sheet for JJ Redick.

24.   2010, December: Traded Rashard Lewis for Gilbert Arenas.

25.   2010, December: Traded Vince Carter, Mickael Pietrus, Marcin Gortat, and a 2011 First-round pick for Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu, and Earl Clark.

Here is the grading scale, which I also completely made up by myself. 125 Possible points.

125 – 113 = A

112 – 100 = B

88 – 99 = C

75 – 87 = D

74 or below = F

A few caveats: a lot of the transactions above are now divorced from their context, unless the reader is familiar with the deal (Brian Cook for Rafer Alston, for instance). Also, as I mentioned previously, not all of those transactions are created equal (signing Rashard was a much bigger deal monetarily than signing Barnes) but they are all considered equally within my grading scale. I guess what I am trying to say is that this is in no way scientific, but it does give us a jumping-off point for the purpose of discussion.

I think that any discussion regarding Otis Smith has to consider his tenure from a gestalt perspective, and that’s what I have attempted to do here. As always, I look forward to your comments below. You can find my score there.

This is not a post on how to trade Dwight Howard. This is a post with some suggestions on: "how to write a Dwight Howard trade post," and also: "how NOT to write a Dwight Howard trade post." As other members of the community add suggestions in the comments suggestion, I'll add them to the text of this post (with attribution, of course-and pending my stern editorial approval.) So, let's begin:

1. You need to have a compelling reason to make a trade. Here are some examples of reasons that are not good:

"I just think that Blake Griffin and Dwight Howard would make the best frontline in the NBA." (This is probably true, but that can't be the only reason to suggest a trade. See items 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, & 7.)

"Dwight Howard will obviously get traded to the Lakers, because, hey, they're the Lakers." (This is, . . . well, . . . . if you don't understand what's wrong with this, I can't help you.)

"Dwight Howard obviously wants out of Orlando." (You can only make this statement if you are Dwight Howard.)

2. Please don't propose trades that are incredibly one-sided. For instance, salary-wise you could trade Dwight Howard to the Nets for Travis Outlaw, Jordan Farmar, and Johan Petro, but not even our GM would ever make that deal. As much as you'd like to dream that such a thing would happen, we don't all live in your version of good-time-happy-shiny-fun-town-land.

3. While we don't expect you to be a salary guru, please take a little time to familiarize yourself with the financial situation of the teams with which you are proposing a trade. If you will test your trade on ESPN's NBA Trade Machine before you post it, and provide the link in your post, that will be helpful. Remember that the salary cap is around 58 million right now, but that it will probably come down after the new CBA is ratified.

4. Please remember that your target audience (the members of OPP), on the whole, have NO DESIRE to trade Dwight Howard. We like him just as much as you want him, and don't want him to be traded-so write with that in mind.

5. Remember that the NBA needs a new CBA, and there is a fair probability that next season won't start until January. And when it does start, it will start with all sorts of new financial mandates.

6. If you can, use proper grammar. It is the internet, and English is not the first language of everyone on the board, so everyone here will try to be kind about this-but there is a better chance that your post will be taken seriously if it is well-written.

7. Do not put your Dwight Howard trade suggestion in the comments section of this post. Or in anybody else's post-write your own post if you feel so moved.

8. Really. Don't post it. (Contributed by Eltharion_doa)

That's all I can think of off the top of my head.

Well, the playoffs are over for the Magic. But, let's be honest, there is still some really cool basketball being played. While I didn't much enjoy the Magic's run, I think this has been one of the more enjoyable post-seasons to watch as a fan. I would not have called the Lakers and Celtics dropping both of the first two games in round two, and the Hawks and the Mavs seems to me to be better than they have been given credit for. Maybe we are headed for a Hawks/Grizzlies final, or as David Stern likes to call it, "the worst revenue/ratings nightmare of my entire life." Or, could we be looking at a Heat/Mavs finals re-match? (Sans Bennett Salvatore, I hope?)

In any event, this got me to wondering how the community here is responding to the rest of the season. So, with that in mind, I present a poll to determine who you're pulling for through May and June. Pick your poison, and make comments as you like.

I've created a poll where you can vote on how you think the 1st Round playoff series will end. After you cast your vote, please list your choice in the comments section below as "proof" of how you voted. You can also take a few words to explain your choice, and even specify exact number of games that will be won by each team, if you are full of bravado, drink, or something else. We're on the honor system here, so no lying. Anyone who waits until after the first game to vote, or who does not list their choice in the comments section below, permanently surrenders their "I told you so" powers for the duration of the series. If you're right, you get a license to brag.

Also, if there are way more poll results than comments, we know we've been trolled.

Happy Voting!

This is not supposed to be a funny post. If you find it funny, then I have clearly failed in my attempt.

Three basketball-related incidents occurred recently that got me to thinking about a particular topic.

The first was an article by Buzz Bissinger, who writes for the Daily Beast, entitled: “NBA All-Star Game: White Men Can’t Root.” The premise of the article was that the NBA was losing popularity because it did not have a white superstar. There was some discussion over this article, as well as a back-and-forth conversation between Bissinger and Mark Cuban.

The second was the showing of an ESPN “30-for30” documentary: “The Fab Five.” In the documentary, Jalen Rose (who was also the Executive Producer) included some dated material where he stated that Duke Basketball players were ‘Uncle-Toms.’ This brought a response from one of those players, Grant Hill, and some more conversation throughout the sports world.

The third was a post by OPP reader Manny55, entitled “Everyone wants to build a house in L.A.” Some comments made by Manny at the end of his post provoked a conversation among several readers that was related to both class and ethnicity.

By now, it has probably become clear to you that the topic to which I referred earlier is ethnicity/race. These three stories, unrelated by proximity but related by narrative, all created a discussion on this issue. And all of this got me to thinking.

Opinion time: It seems to me that race is an issue that has to be handled carefully in the world of basketball. On the one hand, we shouldn’t let a person’s skin color affect our decision-making. On the other hand, pretending that we live in a society that sees no color is delusional. In my own day-to-day interactions, I try to be as fair as possible in dealing with every person I encounter, regardless of their ethnicity. I recognize, however, that I carry with me certain social biases that operate on a subconscious level. I think the danger is not in having these biases, but rather, in not being aware of them. That’s all my opinion, and as such, it is worth what you paid for it.

Because I don’t have a clever ending of my own, I’ll close with the words of John Hope Franklin (1915-2009): “We know all too little about the factors that affect the attitudes of the peoples of the world toward one another. It is clear, however, that color and race are at once the most important and the most enigmatic.”

With the playoffs looming, I thought now would be an opportune time to find out how Magic fans feel about the competition in the Eastern conference. I was originally thinking of doing a post pertaining to playoff seeding, but that issue can be confounded by the "who-will-beat-who" discussion, so I think the following question is more easily addressed: Which Eastern conference team would it be nice to avoid in the playoffs?

I've included all of the Eastern conference teams that are playoff eligible at this time as options, even though the probability that we will face some of them is very low. As usual, you can defend your choice in the comments below. I am going to refrain from defining the discussion further to try and avoid biasing the poll results.

Hey everyone, I found this story on online and I thought you would all be interested:

ESPN announced today that their popular flash-based on-line trade resource, the Trade Machine, had completely and utterly collapsed in the wake of continued ridiculous trade proposals.

 

 “Well, when we created it, we just thought it would be fun for people to play GM, check salaries, et cetera. We had no idea so many people would use it to create trades that had no real basis in reality, as though it were some kind of Monopoly for the NBA game,” Michael Cordwainer, the IT Manager for ESPN.com, said, “It was never designed to handle the sheer volume of idiocy it encountered, and apparently it overloaded.”

 

According to Cordwainer, the application stopped working at 12:49 PM EST on Wednesday. At the time, a user known only as “theghostofBenQRock” was attempting to create a trade involving five teams (the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder, New Orleans Hornets, and Los Angeles Clippers) that would create a lineup of the following players for the Orlando Magic: Chris Paul-PG, Kobe Bryant-SG, Kevin Durant-SF, Blake Griffin-PF, and Dwight Howard-C.

 

“The Trade Machine had endured a lot, I mean a lot, of abuse over the last couple of days,” said Cordwainer, “but when it saw some yahoo trying to trade Kobe Bryant for Gilbert Arenas and Chris Duhon, well, I think that was just too much.”

 

Marc Stein, a senior writer for ESPN, said that “what people need to realize is that while trade salaries might work, the chances of a lot of these trades going through are really, really low – like close to nonexistent. And yet, despite that, people keep creating them and posting links to them. It says a great deal about our readers-I mean, these are really dedicated people. They persist in the face of adversity, complication, and even logic. They care passionately about the game of basketball. Also, a certain percentage of them are really, really, desperately stupid.”

 

ESPN.com has said that they have plans to restore the Trade Machine, and that repairs are under way. IT consultants are reportedly working around the clock to move the application back to a functioning level, and to insulate its memory algorithms against the sort of stupidity that caused the crash initially.

 

Outside perspectives of the collapse have been mixed, with most admitting that it came to very little of a loss in the scope of things. Asked for comment, Charles Barkley (analyst for TNT) was overheard to have said: “I’ve got nothing positive to say about that stupid web-site. You want something positive? OK-it’s positively a piece of crap.”

This is not a trade post. It does not reference trade machine, nor is it about bringing my favorite player to the Magic (where are you, Cherokee Parks?). It’s a post about Jameer Nelson.

In a previous thread, OPP readers indicated that they thought that either Jameer Nelson or Ryan Anderson were the 2nd most valuable players on the roster since the trades. A compelling argument was made for both players being crucial to the Magic’s success recently, as well as for the team’s success moving forward. In this thread, I’d like to solicit opinions on how crucial one of these two, Jameer Nelson, will be for the team moving into the playoffs. My choice of Nelson is due, primarily, to his position as a starter for the team.

Jameer Nelson shoots 12.2, assists 6.3, pulls 2.9 rebounds, has a PER of 15.22, and stands 6’0”. As I see it, there are four other point guards that are probably match-up opponents for Nelson in the playoffs. Here is some raw data pertaining to Nelson vs. each one:

Hawks: Mike Bibby shoots 9.6, assists 3.7, pulls 2.6 rebounds, has a PER of 11.96, and stands 6’2”.

NELSON VS. BIBBY THIS SEASON:

GAME 1: Nelson DNP.   

GAME 2: Nelson DNP.

GAME 3: Bibby (15 pts, 4 ass, 3 rbs, 39:37 minutes); Nelson (18 pts, 3 ass, 2 rbs, 31:04 minutes)

GAME 4: 3/30/11

Heat: Mario Chalmers shoots 6.3, assists 2.2, pulls 2.1 rebounds, has a PER of 10.45, and stands 6’2”.

NELSON VS. CHALMERS THIS SEASON:

GAME 1: Chalmers DNP.

GAME 2: Chalmers DNP.

GAME 3: Chalmers (0 pts, 0 ass, 2 rbs, 14:32 mins)*; Nelson (22 pts, 6 ass, 6 rbs, 35:49 minutes)

GAME 4: 3/3/11

Chicago: Derrick Rose shoots 24.9, assists 8.2, pulls 4.4 rebounds, with a PER of 23.32, and stands 6’3”.

NELSON VS. ROSE THIS SEASON:

GAME 1: Rose (15 pts, 4 ass, 0 rbs, 31:56 minutes); Nelson (24 pts, 9 ass, 4 rbs, 35:04 minutes)

GAME 2: Rose (22 pts, 12 ass, 6 rbs, 37:41 minutes); Nelson (0 pts, 1 ass, 2 rbs, 7:34 minutes)*

Boston: Rajon Rondo shoots 10.9, assists 12.2, pulls 4.4 rebounds, with a PER of 18.34, and stands 6’1”.

NELSON VS. RONDO THIS SEASON:

GAME 1: Rondo DNP.

GAME 2: Rondo (10 pts, 12 ass, 4 rbs, 37:20 minutes); Nelson (9 pts, 5 ass, 1 rbs, 32:32 minutes)

GAME 3: Rondo (26 pts, 7 ass, 1 rbs, 36:40 minutes); Nelson (10 pts, 3 ass, 2 rbs, 28:38 minutes)

Two things: 1. There is not really any raw data of substance to work with, given the interference of several DNP’s or low minute scenarios. 2. Individual match-ups are only of minor importance in a team game.

All that aside, let’s assume that Nelson will handle Bibby and Chalmers with little trouble. How will he fare versus Rose and Rondo? What stands out to you from their earlier match-ups? Will his play in these series be the most important factor to the Magic’s success? Or the 2nd most important?

Comment if you want to put aside trade chatter for a moment and just talk. Thanks!

*Low minutes.

Please vote in the following poll to indicate which Orlando Magic player, in your opinion, has been the 2nd Most Valuable Player since the trade. I've included everyone on the roster, regardless of minutes, position, usage, etc. You can defend your choice in the comments section.

I have not included coaching or management, but if you feel strongly about that, you could add it in the comments section as well.

Let's see what OPP comes up with . . .

This fanpost does not suggest a trade, nor does it reflect on recent trades. You may all breathe a sigh of relief. I frequently write fanposts asking questions, because 1. I don't know everything, and 2. I have absolutely no problem admitting it. My latest question involves Otis, and it is as follows:

On 2 occasions, Otis did something during trade negotiations that seemed to me to be a bit unusual: First, he matched the offer for Gortat and then signed away Bass. Some painted this as a real "sticking it to Cuban" kind of move. Second, during the offseason, he made Chicago wait until the end of the offering period before he matched their offer for Redick. I heard media outlets at the time say that he did this to make it a little more difficult for Chicago to find the player they wanted after Redick (by using more time than he needed to match).

So, my question is: is this normal kind-of GM behavior? It is cool to do this sort of thing, or can/does this affect his relationships with various teams down the line? I mean, I don't know if this is the sort of thing that every GM does, or if Otis is just a different kind of businessman.

If you have knowledge of this kind of thing, please respond, especially if it's common and you have examples of other GMs rolling in this fashion.

Can someone please explain the team efficiency stat to me? Some guy at work starting throwing this around the other day and I was at a loss as to what it was.  I have a basic idea of how the player efficiency stat is created, but I am not sure how they get from that to team. If there is a good link to this, or if Evan has already covered it in an article and I missed it, please just throw that out there.

Also, any opinions you have regarding the usefulness of this statistic as a metric would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Hi. It seems like turnovers have been an area of concern for the Magic this season. I posted this as a topic for discussion in a previous thread, and it seems salient enough to expand it somewhat here. I am going to quote eltharion_doa's thoughts on this topic verbatim at this point, because I think this is a good and succinct summary:

Firstly, we set a lot of screens, so we run the risk of being called for offensive fouls and turning the ball over. Secondly, we have a few players who can be a little inconsistent mentally and do things like step out of bounds. Thirdly, we run an at time complicated offense which relies on players being in the right spot to receive a pass, and every now and then that goes wrong. We use a lot of ball movement, especially with speed around the perimeter, which gives a defense the chance to steal the ball and means every now and then a pass isn’t quite precise enough. Finally, our guards are good, but not amazing, ballhandlers, so we’ll get the odd turnover from that too.

This explains some of the factors involved with this issue really well. My question is: In 2009-2010 we had 1155 turnovers in 82 games; roughly an average of 14.08; so far we’ve had 243 through 15 games; roughly 16.2. (These figures don't include the most recent contest, and I am cool with someone checking my math if they like-my raw data were from basketball-reference).

So, is an increase of that amount enough to be worried about? Or is it much ado about nothing? And, if it is a cause for concern, what has changed from last year? Doesn’t seem like replacing Barnes with Q could be wholly responsible, so, maybe the instability of the lineup at first? Or is this something that will work itself out with a larger sample size?

1. Rashard Lewis

2. Jermaine O'Neal

3. Elton Brand

4. Zydrunas Ilgauskas

5. Brad Miller

6. Peja Stojakovic

7. Al Harrington

8. Andres Nocioni

9. Darius Songaila

10. Ben Gordon

Really a fascinating list, in my opinion. It's telling that several of these players have moved around recently. I don't intend this as a bash-Rashard post, as most readers on this blog are already quite aware of the nature of his contract.

Thoughts?