Joakim Noah, The DPOY Who Might Be Better On Offense
The Bulls’ defense does not rely on Noah. But their offense does.
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Articles by Mark Deeks
Basketball writing, scouting reports and salary cap analysis from the archive.
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And the winner is…..
Steeve Ho You Fat! Yay Steeve! Thank you all for playing. There will indeed be another competition: 84 names are already being parsed for the 64 spots available, and should more be found, an NIT may even be possible. Well, unless it's overkill. And now back to basketball…
The 2014 Ridiculous Basketball Player Names Bracket, CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
[Previously: First round , second round , sweet sixteen , second round , elite eight , final four .] This is it, the final showdown. After a long, fiercely competitive, hit-count friendly month of titanic struggle and mesmering battle, we have eliminated 62 competitors in the first annual…
The 2014 Ridiculous Basketball Player Names Bracket, Final Four
[Previously: First round , second round , sweet sixteen , second round , elite eight .] 60 down, four to go. (Click here for full size version) As always, these names are completely genuine. If you don't believe it, Google it. (1) Grienntys Chief Kickingstallionsims v (1) Gang…
The 2014 Ridiculous Basketball Player Names Bracket, Elite Eight
[Previously: First round , second round , sweet sixteen .] Due to an administrative error whereby I accidentally set the Sweet Sixteen polls to run for a week longer than they were supposed to, the 2014 Ridiculous Basketball Player Names Tournament is still going on, having lost all…
Kings to sign Chris Johnson
Tomorrow, the Sacramento Kings will sign former LSU Celtics, Blazers, Hornets and Timberwolves big man Chris Johnson . It is not known at this time whether it will be for the remainder of the season, multiple seasons, or a 10 day deal. Johnson has spent this season in…
The 2014 Ridiculous Basketball Player Names Bracket, Sweet Sixteen
The results are in from the second round , and so it's Sweet 16 time! (Click here for full size version) THE "WHAT THE HELL?" REGIONAL (1) Grienntys Chief Kickingstallionsims v (5) Solomon HorseChief: Vote wisely. Vote HorseChief. Grienntys Chief Kickingstallionsims or Solomon HorseChief? (3) Typhoon Dusk Nurse…
The 2014 Ridiculous Basketball Player Names Bracket, Second Round
The results are in from the first round , and there were upsets. It's almost like a proper bracket. (Click here for full size version) In accordance with prophecy, the number one seeds made it through unscathed, Grienntys Chief Kickingstallionsims and Steeve Ho You Fat putting up dominating…
The 2014 Ridiculous Basketball Player Names Bracket
[Voting is now over. Go to ROUND TWO .] In compiling a scouting database, hopefully to be launched in June time, I have spent a lot of time rooting through rosters of basketball teams all around the globe. And while this website and the subsequent database are to…
The tax paid by title winners
Previously. Previous to the previously. Subsequently: All right. Orange = title winners.
The same thing again if you take the Knicks out of it altogether
The ten highest individual non-Knick team luxury tax payments of all time: 1) 2013/14 Brooklyn Nets: $89,582,458 (assuming that Jason Collins signs for the remainder of the season on 4th March, his first allowable opportunity) 2) 2002/03 Portland Trail Blazers: $51,971,000 (rounded only to the nearest $1,000) 3)…
A short sharp examination of how paying luxury tax does not necessarily correlate with winning
An important and unique feature of this website is the annual monitoring of every luxury tax dollar paid in NBA history. Using that data, here's a short sharp hot sports take. The ten highest individual team luxury tax payments of all time: 1) 2013/14 Brooklyn Nets: $89,582,458 (assuming…
This post is no longer relevant.
There follows a post that was in the process of being edited ready for posting on SBNation.com which talked about the Spencer Hawes to Cleveland deal and how it did - or rather, didn't - affect the Sixers's proximity to the salary cap floor. However, Adrian Wojnarowski's latest…
Bookkeeping the retired guys, 2014 edition
In keeping with what is becoming an annual tradition, there follows a very, very lengthy look at all the retired players this site has, for whatever reason, kept tabs on before. (Some of them are a bit niche. But when you're in, you're in for life.) This list…
How do you solve a problem like Taj Gibson? A follow-up.
Despite it running in the initial instance with a rather significant error in it - I spent a lot of time breaking down how the Bulls had arrived at, and would extricate themselves from, a luxury tax position that they weren't actually at - the previous post entitled…
How do you solve a problem like Taj Gibson?
Found this on the internet but couldn't find anyone to credit, so...good work, random anonymous person. Taj Gibson is bloody excellent. Long noted for his technically precise interior defence, he has managed the rare feat of developing his offensive game to the point that he is a versatile…
2013/14 Luxury Tax Payers, as it stands at 11.52am GMT on 13th January 2014
(click here for the Instant Gratification Version ) Determining a team's luxury tax number is not quite as simple as looking at their payroll and comparing it to the luxury tax threshold. This is about 98% of the job, of course, but there are a couple of other…
The Bulls should trade for Andrew Bynum
This article was due to run on Monday on another site. However, it seems as though there can be no delay. Andrew Bynum’s time in Cleveland is all but over. After a poor first few months on the court, in which he has looked awful at times in…
Name that player!
As is my wont of an evening, I sometimes trawl through the rosters and box scores of the more obscure leagues of this world, looking for two things - players I've heard of (so as to see what they're now up to), and any novelties I happen upon…
The amount of cap room teams actually have, updated
The previous post attempted to explain how much cap room all NBA teams would (or wouldn't) actually have in this upcoming free agency period. It was a bit presumptuous. It had to be. Now, we can be reflective. Here's what's left. All salary information is taken from this…
It’s official – Keith Bogans will earn $5,058,198 next year. All guaranteed. Keith Bogans.
Happy? You should be. Keith Bogans has an uncanny knack for being in the right place at the right time. He has become throughout his NBA career the archetypal three-and-D wing role player, the kind of piece you want around star point guards or big men (or both),…
Did Milwaukee pick up Gustavo Ayon’s option? Yes. Will they have to do so again in a week? Also yes.
Gustavo Ayon, thinking of victims A month ago, it was widely reported via all media outlets (though seemingly originating from Mexico ) that the Bucks had picked up Gustavo Ayon's team option for next season. This week, the story's doing the rounds that the Bucks need to pick…
2013 Summer League rosters, Vegas – D-League Select
Zach Andrews Since graduating from Bradley in 2007, Andrews spent four years touring the world's lower leagues, then joined the reformed L.A. D-Fenders in 2011. He spent a full season with the team, averaging 8.4 points and 6.8 rebounds, then left last summer to go to Italy with…
Complete History of Luxury Tax Payments, Updated for 2012/13
This website and its sole proprietor keep a spreadsheet containing to-the-dollar information on all luxury tax paid to date. In the 12 seasons since the luxury tax was created, it has been applicable in ten seasons; in those ten seasons, 24 NBA franchises have paid over $920 million…
2013 Summer League rosters, Orlando Summer Pro League – Orlando
Jared Berggren True to the Wisconsin way, Berggren makes few mistakes on the court. Or at least, he does now. Throughout his career, Berggren significantly reduced his foul and turnover rates to the point that they're now very strong suits of his. He also got bigger and tougher,…