Links to the Present: September 26, 2013
2013-09-25
ESPN offered up the next 75 players in #NBArank. From 276 to 300, no more Cavs. At 270, in slides C.J. Miles. If last year serves as indication of where @masfresco’s prime heads, his spot is ascendant for next year. The next 25 include T-Zell at #250 and Alonzo Gee at #241; not a bad spot for the 9th and 10th ranked players on a team. No way Norris Cole should be above them though; definitely some fevered experts there.
As the rankings head into solid rotation players, eight Cavs still remain: Kyrie, Tristan, Dion, Varejao, Bynum, Jack, Anthony Bennett, and…Earl Clark? Did I miss him somewhere? If not, playing in LA did well for his reputation. Earl, I’m rooting for you, but no way do you belong (50 spots) ahead of 3J Miles.
In other news, USA Today declared the Cavaliers the NBA’s tenth most watchable team. Damn straight; get your popcorn ready. Reasons obviously include Kyrie, and more obviously, Andrew Bynum’s hair.
Finally, a lengthy article from Crain’s Cleveland Business about the Cavs’ use of Sports VU, the data tracking cameras that are taking over the NBA. What did you do before you knew that Tristan Thompson ran 2.31 miles per game? Did we even exist before having a dribble-count for CJ Miles at our finger tips? I don’t remember, nor do I want to.
Seriously though, massive quantities of data tracking are coming to every NBA arena this year. Read the article. Cleveland “wouldn’t disclose the size of (their) beefed-up analytics department, but it’s evident the organization, in the words of Mr. Carper, is going ‘all in’ with the data.”
And in the biggest news, Cavstheblog will be shutting down for the weekend, for a long overdue upgrade. Maybe the comment monster will finally be vanquished. The plan is to be operational again by Monday.
It’s cool to see people starting to realize that the Cavs could be pretty damn good this year. This article projects them to finish 5th in the East:
http://leaguebeats.com/2013/09/27/eastern-conference-preview-2013-2014-projected-standings/
I’m pretty sure NBA & MLB teams can skimp on analytics dept. salaries. I know at least one Econ MA who was offered an unpaid internship with the Tribe.
Pure speculation on my part, but sports stats are so “fun” that any team could have a line of qualified analysts stretching out of the building. The guys who don’t get the jobs can go make twice as much in less appealing industries.
Man if I get a PhD in analytics I hope I make more than 60k/year. Bah who am I kidding. I’d probably work for the Cavs for free – granted I get to hang out with Z and Andy at charity events.
How much would the Cavs have to pay you to work for them?
Dan Gilbert could pay 10 PhD analysts at 60k/year and one research director 120k/year to research every possible angle of NBA analytics … For 1/6 the cost of the whatever the hell Earl Clark contributes this season.
Earl Clark rolls in at 214. Figure Anthony Bennett is next, then Bynum? I predict than other than the large gap between Kyrie and our #2, we’ll be rolling in about 1 player every 20 spots from here on out. I.E. 190 (Bennett), 170 (Bynum), 150 (Jack), 130 (Waiters), 110 (Varejao), 90 (Thompson), 15 (Kyrie)
If I was going small with two of Tristan/Bennett/Clark and two of Waiters/Kyrie/Jack, I’d think I’d rather put Gee out there, instead of Miles, for the defense. I think any small-ball unit has enough offence to make Miles’s premier skill redundant. I foresee Miles being utilized with Zeller/Varejao/Gee and Jack, in a second unit squad that is looking for buckets. I just see C.J.’s defense not endearing him Mike Brown to get in heavy rotation, unless in back-to backs or as an injury prevention/repacement situation. Gee and Clark seem like players who will earn Mike Brown’s allotment of minutes at… Read more »
Dave – I think that CJ Miles can get some burn at SF in small-ball lineups that are becoming prevalent in today’s NBA.
Given that I think Karasev is going to get some playing time this year, I think it more likely that Earl Clark plays more minutes than CJ Miles. Without injuries, I just don’t see alot of time for Miles to get in a game. I think the intention is to play Kyrie, Jack, and Waiters at least 28 minutes a game at guard positions. That doesn’t leave alot of room for Miles and Karasev to log minutes. Meanwhile, at least for the first half of the season, I expect Earl Clark to log 20-30 minutes a game at SF.