Wednesday Bolts – 10.26.11
Chris Palmer of ESPN.com tries to figure out who is most athletic between Rose, Westbrook and Wall: “Westbrook is as close to a perfect leaper as there is. He owns a high vertical leap, the ability to take off from far out and his versatility in jumping effectively off of one foot or two make him the complete package. Westbrook was third in the league among guards in dunks (52) and had almost as many as Rose and Wall combined (58). The Thunder point guard also has the unique ability to create a late burst with his last two steps — after he picks up his dribble — allowing him to essentially accelerate in the air, rendering most help defense useless. Westbrook’s long arms also allow him to time follow-up dunks while taking off from outside the charge circle.”
Howard Beck of the New York Times on scheduling: “Whenever the lockout is resolved, the N.B.A. will build a new schedule from scratch, using all arena dates that are still reserved, according to people who are aware of the league’s plans. N.B.A. officials declined to discuss the issue Tuesday. Thus, the decision to formally announce cancellations is an academic exercise, and perhaps a bit of political theater. The announcements are a warning shot to the league’s 430-plus players, a reminder that they are losing hundreds of millions of dollars.”
NBPA and NBA to meet today. HOPE EVERYONE!
Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com on small market owners taking over: “This is what deputy commissioner Adam Silver was referring to last week when he mentioned “robust” discussions about revenue sharing at recent owners’ meetings. This is also what Hunter has been referring to when he’s described a fracture within the ownership ranks. At the heart of this labor dispute is money, of course. But there’s that other classic element at play as well: power. And who has it among the ownership ranks is changing.”
Lockout thoughts from The Lost Ogle.
Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com on revenue sharing: “One day, another NBA franchise is on the block. It’s a real mess, but with some creativity and risk — along the lines of what you applied — it can eventually be a juggernaut. The league calls to see if you know any parties who’d be interested in buying. You’re an innovator, so you’ve probably encountered people who you share common interests, passions and success. You know the perfect investor, someone who’d make a super 21st Century owner. But if the best-case scenario is all giving away a fat chunk of hard-won profits, can you really, in good conscience, recommend the deal?”
Andrew Lynch of HP looking at bad contracts: “On the whole, front offices managed to hold themselves in check reasonably well. 21 of 30 teams had fewer than two Bad Mid-Tier Contracts (BMCs from here on out), and another four had two. The redheaded stepchildren were Indiana, Charlotte (each with 4), Golden State, New Jersey and Milwaukee (3 each). Those five totaled half of the BMCs in 2010-11. Oddly enough, four of the five were among the teams fighting for the last playoff spot in the East – another indication of just how awful the competition for that coveted spot was at the end of the year.”