tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33624629.post116500800745187979..comments2024-03-17T03:18:56.070-04:00Comments on Dan Shanoff: Is Craig Smith the NBA's Best Rookie?(Related: Could I Really Be Right? Wow.)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33624629.post-1165084649365555772006-12-02T13:37:00.000-05:002006-12-02T13:37:00.000-05:00Craig Smith has been awesome this year. So I think...Craig Smith has been awesome this year. So I think you got this one right. I think he will continue to get better and each time he comes into the game, the wolves energy seems to go up.<BR/><BR/>www.mn-sz.comLegacy Userhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18063392932304715591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33624629.post-1165072134493666572006-12-02T10:08:00.000-05:002006-12-02T10:08:00.000-05:00M4Att, we went like 20 posts on Kobe vs. Wilt on y...M4Att, we went like 20 posts on Kobe vs. Wilt on yesterday's Daily Quickie.<BR/><BR/>Like it or not, Dan and some of his fans care about the NBA. If you don't like the posts, just skip them.<BR/><BR/>I have no opinion about Kyle and Craig, or I would have chimed in earlier.<BR/><BR/>With Stern, Simmons, Cuban, Barkley, Isaiah Thomas, Don Nelson and "random criminal act of the week", the NBA offers way more entertainment than any other sport. It's basically Premier League and NBA.<BR/><BR/>Things haven't even heated up yet and already we have the NBA getting sued, Cuban on a silence strike (like anyone minds) and the new ball getting pub. <BR/><BR/>I'm a Bills fan and the Sunday game is blacked out. Do you really think I want to read about the NFL right now? Maybe I don't care about some random NBA rookie. But whether kobe is better than Wilt, why the American team won't win a B-ball title again, whether Zeke will get fired before the All-Star break, and If the Atlantic division is REALLY the worst division in all of sports history? That's fascinating stuff.<BR/><BR/>As for the NFL, here are 3 mildly interesting things: If Peyton wins a Super Bowl THIS year, isn't he the most dominant player ever? Can Andy Reid win with Garcia, or was Garcia's big talent just a result of throwing to TO? When will Romo screw up?<BR/><BR/>Between the steroid stuff, the predictability and the painful stubbornness of its best players/coaches, the NFL is driving me crazy. And now that we're in the ridiculousness of the bowl season, NCAA football is off my radar. I'm going to stop ranting about it now. The NBA has moved to the front burner until NFL playoffs at least.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33624629.post-1165040370766758582006-12-02T01:19:00.000-05:002006-12-02T01:19:00.000-05:00I encourage anyone here to read Malcolm Gladwell i...I encourage anyone here to read Malcolm Gladwell if you haven't before. He writes on some really interesting implications of statistics and psychology, with the literary appeal that most scholars can't reach.<BR/><BR/>He has a blog, which I don't feel like linking to, where his focus right now seems to be on sports stats.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33624629.post-1165034553566488532006-12-01T23:42:00.000-05:002006-12-01T23:42:00.000-05:00I think the fact that the top two were 2nd-rounder...I think the fact that the top two were 2nd-rounders says more about the small sample size than anything else...we'll see if it's still that way at the end of the year...Kevinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01764597535956025803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33624629.post-1165014331866518282006-12-01T18:05:00.000-05:002006-12-01T18:05:00.000-05:00Just an off-the-cuff first thought: don't second r...Just an off-the-cuff first thought: don't second rounders usually come off the bench and therefore have fewer minutes, so they make the most of their opportunities. First rounders play more of the game (unless your name is Darko) and have to struggle through ball hog teammates (here's to you, Michael Redd).Trayton Ottohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11000773101670303756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33624629.post-1165014056727695782006-12-01T18:00:00.000-05:002006-12-01T18:00:00.000-05:00And on a side note about 2nd rounders, they typica...And on a side note about 2nd rounders, they typically seem to be able to contribute more right away if they were college seniors, because of the maturity and experience factor. Too many "projects" get selected in the 1st round of the NBA draft.BLUEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01547964589052140083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33624629.post-1165013991814596432006-12-01T17:59:00.000-05:002006-12-01T17:59:00.000-05:00Dan, Dan, Dan...it's a popularity contest for awar...Dan, Dan, Dan...it's a popularity contest for awards. And Morrison is his teams main option, that's not expected of many "normal" rookies. It's one thing to be efficient and a totally different thing to be effective. As Hollinger's efficiency ratings don't have anything to do with who has the greatest impact on the game.BLUEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01547964589052140083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33624629.post-1165010562000678292006-12-01T17:02:00.000-05:002006-12-01T17:02:00.000-05:00His stats were pretty good for a rookie, but what ...<I>His stats were pretty good for a rookie, but what swayed me was that of the group of ROY contenders, Smith was the only one from the second round – there's got to be a bonus for exceeding expectations. After all, Top 10 picks are SUPPOSED to contribute.</I><BR/><BR/>Dan, you pulled this same thing with your Frank Thomas-for-MVP idea. "Expectations" have <B>nothing</B> to do with handing out awards.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33624629.post-1165010044313445442006-12-01T16:54:00.000-05:002006-12-01T16:54:00.000-05:00had to stop back to say that i absolutely love Kyl...had to stop back to say that i absolutely love Kyle Lowry. He's scrappy and has a lot of heart. But he's not QUITE rookie of the year material... although i do like the Win-score premise.Sheldizhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01198083524704018695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33624629.post-1165008612392280452006-12-01T16:30:00.000-05:002006-12-01T16:30:00.000-05:00Dan, better question....Jack McCallum (SI's NBA gu...Dan, better question....<BR/><BR/>Jack McCallum (SI's NBA guy since at least when I was a teenager) is going to be at the next Varsity Letters next week, and no mention?<BR/><BR/>Did you completely drop out of that, turning it over to that other guy listed on its blogspot page?Brian in Oxfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16053368055698118199noreply@blogger.com