NBA 2014-2015

[Eboue]

Nothing wrong with stats, if they're put in perspective. The main problem with that plot is that it's missing Westbrook and Lebron. When you add Westbrook (TS%=53.6% for the season) and Lebron (TS%=46.7% for the last 5 games without Kyrie, with a FG% of 38.0%) it looks like both players will get closer to their teammates (with Lebron being closer to the left corner than the right corner).

Also, this chart measures performances, not players. IMO J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert are better players than Jeremy Lamb and Morrow, even though they didn't perform well in the finals (J.R. Smith's TS% during the regular season with the Cavs is actually 56.5%). MozGOD and Thompson are very solid players too, and the chart actually shows that the Cavs' problem with Thompson was in fact that they used him far too little.

The chart wasn't intended to look at Westbrook v. Lebron, it was to show the difference in supporting casts.

I don't know how you can say JR Smith is better, this is who he is. He actually had his highest TS% since his Denver years. Shumpert had his second highest TS% in his career. They are who they are. Moreover, I think you touched on a philosophical resistance to evidence that is contrary to your established beliefs. What exactly makes you think Smith is better than Morrow (who is a stellar 43% from 3 lifetime by the way)? I don't mean to be rude but what are you basing it on? I watch more basketball than the vast majority of people and I sure didn't watch many Knicks games the past few years. How many games of Morrow's did you watch recently? And if you did, were you watching Morrow or his teammates like Durant, Westbrook and Davis? Unless you are basically a full time NBA blogger who watches every game every night, you can't really have an educated opinion on role players. Neither can I. That's where stats come in.

If you want to tell me all about Udonis Haslems defense, I'll listen to you because I trust your opinion on that and you watch the heat more than I do. But if the subject is Beno Udrih's shooting? I'll take the stats and I don't see a good argument for doing anything else.

Regarding Thompson, you've actually touched on a weakness of TS%. It's easy to just say, oh give him the ball more! He's super efficient! Give deandre Jordan the ball every possession, he shoots
70%! But this is where watching the games and scouting illuminates the situation. Thompson doesn't have much of a post game at all. He doesn't a jumper either. The shots he does take are almost exclusively put backs or dunks lobbed from a teammate. I don't know where dxadel went but if he reads this, the same argument applies to Ed Davis. You can't just say "his TS% is great, feed him the ball".


FG% is redundant if you've already used TS% in the se sentence though. I always enjoy your posts Danny.

 

[Man of Leisure]

It's not like Curry did anything to deserve it.

I was referring more towards LeBron. 35.8, 13.3 and 8.8 on one of the shittiest supporting casts in finals history. Certainly more deserving IMO.

 

[Keeps It tidy]

Here is my last post in this thread since this story belongs in the 14-15 thread. Scathing from Stern here

http://espn.go.com/blog/marc-stein/post/_/id/3896/lebrons-handling-of-blatt-unbecoming

There was LeBron, in one instance I witnessed from right behind the bench, shaking his head vociferously in protest after one play Blatt drew up in the third quarter of Game 5, amounting to the loudest nonverbal scolding you could imagine.

Which forced Blatt, in front of his whole team, to wipe the board clean and draw up something else.

I understand LeBron had no input into Blatt’s hiring and had to roll with him in less-than-ideal circumstances. But it struck me as a rather unflattering look for an all-time great.

No matter how inept he might think the coach is.

How is any fellow Cavalier going to treat Blatt with something resembling reverence when LeBron treats him like a bench ornament in plain view?

How can LeBron publicly laud his own leadership, as he so often does, when setting that sort of tone?

My ESPN.com colleague Brian Windhorst, who ranks as the most credentialed LeBron-ologist there is after shadowing James since his teens, went on SVP & Russillo on Wednesday and posited that No. 23 actually wouldn't mind if the Euroleague import keeps coaching the Cavs because he "likes having Blatt to kick around."

It was obvious LeBron had no respect for Blatt but, jeez.

 

[ArmchairCritic]

If Blatt has no conviction in his plays because LeBron shakes his head then the lack of respect is more his fault than anyone elses. 'No matter how inept he might think the coach is', so running rubbish plays is better leadership than showing displeasure and changing the plays?

 

[PvsNP]

If Blatt has no conviction in his plays because LeBron shakes his head then the lack of respect is more his fault than anyone elses. 'No matter how inept he might think the coach is', so running rubbish plays is better leadership than showing displeasure and changing the plays?

What is he supposed to do? Going against LeBron at Cavs will cost you your job and the FO as well as Blatt know this. Considering that James can opt out every year, it'd be stupid to piss him off. This is mostly on LeBron.

Just because LeBron disagrees on the plays Blatt calls, they are rubbish?

 

[ArmchairCritic]

What is he supposed to do? Going against LeBron at Cavs will cost you your job and the FO as well as Blatt know this. Considering that James can opt out every year, it'd be stupid to piss him off. This is mostly on LeBron.

Just because LeBron disagrees on the plays Blatt calls, they are rubbish?

Earn the respect of LeBron, he's had a whole season to do it. If LeBron didn't go against Blatt's playcall vs. Chicago I don't even think Cleveland would have gotten to the finals. What this piece of writing forgets rather conveniently is that you've got a guy out there who's playing every single minute on the floor and is the entire offense by himself more or less, he's perfectly entitled to shake his head in disagreement especially considering how emotionally invested in the game he is. It is up to Blatt as the guy on the sideline to not be as emotionally invested and call the right plays and what plays could they even call? I think everyone knows LeBron runs that team and no one really cares as long as you win.

 

[Danny1982]

The chart wasn't intended to look at Westbrook v. Lebron, it was to show the difference in supporting casts.

I don't know how you can say JR Smith is better, this is who he is. He actually had his highest TS% since his Denver years. Shumpert had his second highest TS% in his career. They are who they are. Moreover, I think you touched on a philosophical resistance to evidence that is contrary to your established beliefs. What exactly makes you think Smith is better than Morrow (who is a stellar 43% from 3 lifetime by the way)? I don't mean to be rude but what are you basing it on? I watch more basketball than the vast majority of people and I sure didn't watch many Knicks games the past few years. How many games of Morrow's did you watch recently? And if you did, were you watching Morrow or his teammates like Durant, Westbrook and Davis? Unless you are basically a full time NBA blogger who watches every game every night, you can't really have an educated opinion on role players. Neither can I. That's where stats come in.

If you want to tell me all about Udonis Haslems defense, I'll listen to you because I trust your opinion on that and you watch the heat more than I do. But if the subject is Beno Udrih's shooting? I'll take the stats and I don't see a good argument for doing anything else.

Regarding Thompson, you've actually touched on a weakness of TS%. It's easy to just say, oh give him the ball more! He's super efficient! Give deandre Jordan the ball every possession, he shoots
70%! But this is where watching the games and scouting illuminates the situation. Thompson doesn't have much of a post game at all. He doesn't a jumper either. The shots he does take are almost exclusively put backs or dunks lobbed from a teammate. I don't know where dxadel went but if he reads this, the same argument applies to Ed Davis. You can't just say "his TS% is great, feed him the ball".


FG% is redundant if you've already used TS% in the se sentence though. I always enjoy your posts Danny.

Nothing philosophical about what I said. The comparison wasn't completely fair because these supporting casts faced different oppositions (/difficulty), and I showed that by comparing Lebron (who is undoubtedly much better than Westbrook as a player) to Westbrook under the same circumstances.

I'm not an expert, even when it comes to the Heat. Just having an opinion and making the points that I thought would support it.

Morrow is a great (spot-up) 3 point shooter, but that's just about it imo. J.R. Smith won 6th man of the year two years ago. His shooting percentages are not off the roof, but he can make his own shot and contribute more in other categories than Morrow imo. But we can disagree on that.

As for the FG%, you always post it to belittle players/performances (not only Westbrook, even Kobe...), so I just couldn't resist putting it out there.

Either way, the season is over. On to the 2015-2016 thread now...

 

[PvsNP]

Earn the respect of LeBron, he's had a whole season to do it. If LeBron didn't go against Blatt's playcall vs. Chicago I don't even think Cleveland would have gotten to the finals. What this piece of writing forgets rather conveniently is that you've got a guy out there who's playing every single minute on the floor and is the entire offense by himself more or less, he's perfectly entitled to shake his head in disagreement especially considering how emotionally invested in the game he is. It is up to Blatt as the guy on the sideline to not be as emotionally invested and call the right plays and what plays could they even call? I think everyone knows LeBron runs that team and no one really cares as long as you win.

And after that impressive record of 34-9 after they were only 19-20, you would've thought that was enough to earn at least an ounce of respect, but no. You don't even know what play Blatt drew up at the end. His FG% was only 33% that game, I can perfectly understand Blatt if he wanted another player to take the final shot. What you forget rather conveniently as well is that the rest of the team loses their trust in their coach when the star player behaves as he does. LeBron should trust Blatt more, especially when he managed to improve their defence immensely with a decimated roster during the playoffs.

The rumours about LeBron and his agent wanting free reign at the Heat organization and Pat Riley's reluctance to comply, which lead him to come back to Cleveland could be true after all.

 

[ArmchairCritic]

Man LeBron is not the first star player to show dissention at a play and he won't be the last. LeBron's body language can be pretty bad at times but there are 2 wins between this conversation never existing and it existing, if that doesn't highlight quite how tenuous a discussion this is then I don't know what to say. LeBron didn't even say anything, maybe Blatt actually genuinely thought 'actually you know what this is a bad play'. It is also extremely likely none of the other players were particularly bothered because they were focused on the game. If LeBron didn't support Blatt maybe Blatt wouldn't be in a job?

 

[Eboue]

I thought it was generally agreed Windhorst was full of shit.

 

[PvsNP]

Man LeBron is not the first star player to show dissention at a play and he won't be the last. LeBron's body language can be pretty bad at times but there are 2 wins between this conversation never existing and it existing, if that doesn't highlight quite how tenuous a discussion this is then I don't know what to say. LeBron didn't even say anything, maybe Blatt actually genuinely thought 'actually you know what this is a bad play'. It is also extremely likely none of the other players were particularly bothered because they were focused on the game. If LeBron didn't support Blatt maybe Blatt wouldn't be in a job?

Let's just agree to disagree. For the record, I appreciate his talent, but not the whole "King" portrayal.

I thought it was generally agreed Windhorst was full of shit.

He is, but Stein is reliable.