Category: sports

Build the All-Time Greatest NBA Team

Don told me that he and Gregg had a discussion about this, and we started a discussion between us, but never finished it. I’m not sure about the parameters, but I think it involved choosing starters only, and choosing them with building the best team in mind, not just choosing the five best players. For example, if Kareem, Wilt, Russell, and Shaq made your top five all-time greatest NBA players, you probably wouldn’t choose them for your all-time greatest team (unless you’re willing to start four centers). Don, who did you and Gregg pick? Off the top of my head, here’s my selection Continue reading “Build the All-Time Greatest NBA Team”

2018 NFL Injury List

This is a thread to track injuries. Here a few guideline I plan to use. First, I want to track major injuries, which I loosely define as anything that will keep a player off the filed for more than a month, with emphasis on season ending injuries. Second, I will focus on good players and starters. Finally,I want to track when these injuries occur, at least making a distinction between injuries that happen before the regular season versus during. We’ve already got at least one season-ending injury that I know of. (By the way, please add or make any corrections.) Continue reading “2018 NFL Injury List”

NFL Running Back Thread

This is a general thread about NFL running backs (RBs).

I’m going to start things off with some comments about RBs who run with a physical, punishing style–something I really like in a RB. I went back to watch clips of previous RBs, and I came away with this impression: There really aren’t a lot of these type of backs. If you were to list all the best RBs of all time, my sense is that most of them wouldn’t really fall into this category. Most of them would rely on moves, speed, and vision. This isn’t to say that they’re not physical–a lot of them can break tackles–but they’re not the type that would punish defenders. So who are some of the really good RBs that do have a physical, punishing style? Off the top of my head, here are a few (in no order): Continue reading “NFL Running Back Thread”

Here’s a Way I Think AI Could Enhance Professional Sports

I can understand why some of you will think I’m stubborn traditionalist–a luddite when it comes to technology and the use of advanced statistics applied to sports. I think it’s more accurate to say that I’m a pragmatist–my position on both depends on whether I think either is effective or not. To give you an example, I want to talk about a scenario where I can see AI being an important and valuable tool. Continue reading “Here’s a Way I Think AI Could Enhance Professional Sports”

NBA Players Who Changed the Game

Here’s Colin Cowherd’s list:

There’s something that Dr. J said that makes me think of this topic. He said that one of his criteria for a great player is the impact a player can have on the way others play. He specifically said that if kids go out on the playground and try to emulate a player, that’s a sign of greatness. I don’t think I’d used that criterion to determine the best players, but I would use it to define players that changed the game. With that said, here’s some thoughts on this topic. Continue reading “NBA Players Who Changed the Game”