Saw this linked on Grantland, seems like an interesting metric to add to the mix.  Chris Paul adding the most total points per game and Ricky Rubio subtracting the most sure makes sense to me.  Wouldn't be surprised if new school guys like Presti and Morey start using this data by next year when it will have been integrated league-wide.


On Brooks as a good/bad coach, this is going to be a debate until he wins a championship or is fired.  No one truly knew with Doug Collins either (outside of the intangibles which Collins was horrible with, see When Nothing Else Matters for full description of his crazy when it came to interpersonal/emotional things) until PJ took over and the Bulls soared and Doug was seen as stunted retroactively.  Another coach may well have been able to do the same with similar transcendent talent (especially as Brooks had the Trinity the only time they've made it to the finals.)  There are certain points that seem to bode well for his coaching prowess - one is OKC's surprisingly good defense that only seems to be getting better (7th in pts allowed, 4th defensive rating, first in TRB and blocks) along with their minimal dropoff in play over with Westbrook out this season (though the stellar play of Lamb and Jackson was certainly a larger factor than coaching.)  Offensively, OKC still runs things pretty archaicly compared to some other squads - the famous pindown that they ran 10 straight times against the Spurs in the playoffs two years ago is still their go-to, other than doing Jordan ball with Durant.  Watching the Heat-Clippers last night, especially the first two quarters, was revelatory - this is how an offense should run.  Wade, James, Bosh all got so many shots a foot or two from the basket with an array of screens, backdoors, and corner three misdirection.  I'd like to see OKC get more smart shots.


Brooks is certainly no Del Negro, but I don't think he's Pop either.  He strikes me as more of a Skiles, with a more even temperament and slightly more emphasis on offense.  He fell into a tremendous situation and appears to be making the most of it.

Must have skimmed the box too quickly, seemed like two random topics (Fish and Brooks.)  Don't pay enough attention to OKC's games, specifically Fish's play to have an opinion.  He seemed pretty good against the heat the other week though.


I do think at this point, the Thunder as an organization are more interested in grooming the young guys than putting in the aging vet.  So whether or not Brooks knows how to utilize may partially tie into when he is utilized, and this might be affected by the guys upstairs.  When they signed him in the first place he seemed like he was there more for the playoff/championship experience and veteran presence on a very young team than for his particular skill set. 

So question, is taking the time to groom a young PG worth risking the #1 seed and home court for the Playoffs and Finals if all you care about is killing the Heat?

Just saw the highlights of the Clippers/76ers game.  Or should I say Harlem Globetrotters/76ers game.   

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1953965-philadelphia-76ers-vs-los-angeles-clippers-2914-video-highlights-and-recap

Haha, you guys aren't getting Embiid.