Thursday Bolts – 9.15.11
Really interesting stuff from Rob Mahoney at PBT on overvaluing scorers: “The precedent has been set that scoring gets players paid, and reversing that trend is more complex than simply increasing awareness of the value of non-scoring contributions. This is true primarily because those best positioned to shell out money to deserving non-scoring players are encouraged to play the free agency game by its current rules. After all, why should the owners and managers who embrace a holistic understanding of the game pay any more than the market dictates they have to? So long as capable non-scorers remain underpaid, they’ll fill up less of a team’s cap space while largely being courted by only those in the know. There are real contributors in the league who simply produce in ways not accurately measured by the box score — and not encapsulated by trope tags like “championship experience.” By reinforcing the current NBA values, savvy execs are able to find said contributors in the bargain bin.”
At the Back For The Future site, you can enter in dates and KD does some funny things. Check KD’s Twitter for some of the dates.
Ben Golliver of CBSSports.com is at the lockout league and it hasn’t had a great turnout: “Wall’s appearance roughly tripled the average number of ticket-paying customers at Impact, but that number still fell short of 100 people. It is an astonishing number, considering Wall’s popularity in college, his strong rookie season, the inherent marketability of his game and his fan-friendly personality. He stole the show in this very same town in the Summer of 2010, providing highlight reel play after highlight reel play during the annual Las Vegas Summer League. The lesson here? Well, it’s more of a reminder than a revelation. Wall might be irreplaceable on the hardwood, but he doesn’t promote the games, he doesn’t market the league and his team, he doesn’t cultivate years-long relationships with corporate partners, he doesn’t create season ticketholder retention plans, he doesn’t sign the television deals, he doesn’t design the jerseys, he doesn’t conduct market studies on the ideal in-game experience to maximize fan happiness and he doesn’t own or operate the building.”
TBJ’s countdown of their top 40 had KD 17: “Fun debates going on this summer regarding whether or not Kevin Durant could some day be classified as one of the best ever. Well, I’ve got another point of discussion which has a much more concrete answer: Can basketball fans ever hate KD? Can he be the bad guy? The answer, most definitely, is “No.” We’re only four years into this love affair and I can’t see it going sour. Long live Durantula!”
Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld on a hard cap: “What this has done is – in a nutshell – create a class system in the NBA. The rich teams who play in major media markets or have owners who will spend any amount of money to win are consistently among the ranks of contenders, while the teams that follow the rules are generally known as the lottery teams. Sure, there are exceptions, like the Oklahoma City Thunder, but let’s see what their cap looks like when Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka and company come off of their very affordable rookie deals. The rest of the time we’re talking about teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, Orlando Magic, Miami HEAT, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs – teams who treat that $58 million number as if it doesn’t exist.”