You Are An Educated Fan (or More)

by Jeff Clark on Jul 19, 2007 6:12 PM EDT in Boston Celtics News & Links

I found this to be an amusing and interesting breakdown of categories of people that watch basketball games (by Brian Windhorst filling in at TrueHoop)

Here are the lowest two categories:

Casual fan -- This covers the large majority who watch basketball for leisure. They watch the ball, mostly focusing on who scores and who has the ball in his hands. Television broadcasts are presented mostly in this context.
Educated fan -- This usually includes those who maybe played the game or coached, be it at the local rec center or in school, and some media members. They pay more attention to matchups, who's guarding whom, which plays are run or what defense a team may be
in. It might also include eyeing substitution patterns and general rotations. Considering it is July and there's not much going on in the NBA, I think anyone who is visiting Truehoop today earns this elevated status in my mind. And come to think of it, anyone who watched more than six hours of summer league basketball should be upgraded as well.

I submit that anyone reading this blog in July and August is an educated fan or higher.

The next two are "Insider" and "Pro" and are worth a read too, but the other one I wanted to highlight is the highest, which is...

Eye in the sky -- Or, in many cases, the tunnel. These are the general managers and team executive-types who see everything with an additional political layer. Not only do they watch players, but they do so knowing what their agents are calling to complain about. They also evaluate assistant coaches and pay attention to who has influence in huddles. They see players and think about contracts and true value to a franchise. They look at officials assigned to the game and calculate their potential biases and decide what to complain to the league about. Overall, when they watch the games they don't have much fun.

So that is why Danny looks, umm, not regular when he's on the sidelines.

Tweet Comment 18 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Here’s the thing I don’t get about the “Eye in the Sky” types. I understand that there’s only so much player pie to be divvied up, and some teams have to lose in order for other teams to win, so I don’t think it’s fair to expect every GM to assemble a winning team.

BUT … when I see GMs make decisions that even most casual fans instantly recognize as, well, stupid … that’s the part I don’t get.

Cases in point: Vin Baker. NOBODY thought that was a good decision. Nobody. More recently, Orlando tying up $135 million for Rashard Lewis.

Choosing the wrong guy in the draft is forgivable. Signing a player who then becomes chronically injured is forgivable. Bad luck is unavoidable, and it’s almost unrealistic to expect a GM to “win” every trade. But when an “Eye in the Sky” who’s getting paid millions to live and breathe hoops does something blatantly stupid … that’s just mind-boggling.

by Cousin It on Jul 19, 2007 6:40 PM EDT reply actions

well, it makes you wonder how many owners are “casual fans”

by Jeff Clark on Jul 19, 2007 6:56 PM EDT reply actions

Cousin It said:
Cases in point: Vin Baker. NOBODY thought that was a good decision. Nobody. More recently, Orlando tying up $135 million for Rashard Lewis.
==
This is a good point. I don’t remember speaking with one person who thought the Vin Baker signing was even remotely smart.
At least Rashard Lewis can ball and isn’t a lush…
…but still…$135,000,000.

Let’s all think about that # for a moment, shall we?
One hundred and thirty five MILLION dollars.

And I’m still watching the games in non-hdtv.

by mcpu40 on Jul 19, 2007 6:57 PM EDT reply actions

These categories make no sense. Either you know the game and follow the NBA or you don’t. I don’t pay much attention to statistics. You don’t need them to understand basketball any more than you need them to uderstand Alvin Ailey.

Tendencies are easy to spot, but you have to take the time to watch. Tape helps, for the simple reason that you can watch a game in 48 minutes instead of 2 hours, and with the new video technologies, you can isolate on a particular player and watch him on every possession. That’s really the advantage that coaches and scouts have.

I agree that alot of GMs are stupid. Too many ex-jocks. Owners, as a group are porbably smarter, although their area of expertise temds to be business, not basketball.

You are going to see more and more GMs in the league like Daryl Morey and fewer and fewer like Larry Bird or Kevin Mchale, both of whom have been absolute disasters as NBA general managers.

by Brickowski on Jul 19, 2007 7:11 PM EDT reply actions

Those are excellent points, Brick.
I must argue, however, that Bird can not really be considered a “disaster”. The Pacers had a good squad on his watch for many seasons.
McHale on the other hand, has for the most part been unsuccessful.

by mcpu40 on Jul 19, 2007 7:15 PM EDT reply actions

When I read the description of “The Insider” it made my think of everything shira springer writes. You could probably write just as well by just describing what you see in the box score, without even having watched the game. I wish Bobby R and Jackie could cover the C’s full time. Thank god for blogs.

by Underneath2DJ on Jul 19, 2007 7:16 PM EDT reply actions

The Pacers had good teams when Bird was coaching, and Donny Walsh was the full-time GM. Ever since they kicked Bird upstairs the franchise has declined. Name me a single good trade or draft choice.

Last year’s trade with Golden State was a disaster. How could anyone voluntarily acquire Mike Dunleavy, Jr., no matter what the price?

by Brickowski on Jul 19, 2007 7:31 PM EDT reply actions

Brick – Is that response of not agreeing with the categories so that you don’t have to come right out and call yourself an “eye in the sky”? Come on Brick – We all know that you are really Rick Pitino on here trying to get us all to see the light!

by EJPLAYA on Jul 19, 2007 7:37 PM EDT reply actions

LOL. I’m just a fan. But I would have done a better job as the Celtics GM than either Pitino, Wallace or Ainge.

I’ll tell you one thing. If I had been the GM, Travis Knight, Jerome Moiso, Joe Forte, Vin Baker and Raef LaFrentz would never have worn Celtics uniforms. That already makes me smarter than those three guys.

And someone like Ettore Messina would be coaching the team, not Rivers.

by Brickowski on Jul 19, 2007 7:51 PM EDT reply actions

Brick, a ‘good’ trade occured in 2001/2002 season – - – I’d also call firing Thomas in 2003/2004 season a VERY good move.

I’m just struggling to comprehend the words Bird and Disaster in the same sentence…

Not a ‘great’ GM, but hardly a ‘disaster’…

Some notes:

1999/00: Larry Bird would chose not to renew his contract saying the daily grind of Coaching was too much.

2001/02: The Pacers struggling around .500 for most of the season the Pacers pulled of a blockbuster 7-player traded with Chicago Bulls near the trade deadline. Sending Jalen Rose, Travis Best, and a second round pick to the Bulls for Brad Miller, Ron Artest, Kevin Ollie and Ron Mercer.

2003/04: The Pacers began the season with turmoil as Larry Bird the new heard of personnel fired Isiah Thomas and replaced him with Rick Carlisle a move that was unpopular among several players including Jermaine O’Neal who said he would have not resigned if he knew Thomas was getting fired. However, on the court once the season began the Pacers played well and with more defensive discipline as they posted a 14-3 record at the end of November.

2002/03: With the physical play of Jermaine O’Neal, Brad Miller, and Ron Artest the Pacers were one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference contending all season for the Central Division. However the volatile nature of Artest would sometimes prove to be a distraction as on court outburst and flagrant fouls got the Pacers star suspended several times. The Pacers would end up finishing 2 games behind the Detroit Pistons for first place with a solid record of 48-34. However, in the playoffs the Pacers would come up flat as they fell behind the Boston Celtics 3 games to 1 before being eliminated in 6 games. Following the season the Pacers would lose Brad Miller to free agency as he signed with the Sacramento Kings. However they would be able to keep their young rising star Jermaine O’Neal. The off-season would also see the return of Larry Bird who took over day-to-day operations as team president. One of Bird’s first moves was to fire Coach Isiah Thomas whom he had a bitter rivalry with in his playing days, replacing him with former Pacers assistant Rick Carlise.

by mcpu40 on Jul 19, 2007 7:53 PM EDT reply actions

They never got close to the NBA finals after Bird stopped coaching. Thomas was a poor coach, but they didn’t do anything for Carlisle, either. The Artest trade was a big win on talent, but Artest duid his best to destroy the franchise emotionally. If you go by wins and losses, the Bird tenure has been a disaster.

by Brickowski on Jul 19, 2007 8:00 PM EDT reply actions

I know Brick.

But it’s Larry Bird.

After all he’s done for the C’s, I just have a hard time with someone calling him a “disaster”…sorry.

Pick a different adjective, yes?

How about ‘marginal’?

by mcpu40 on Jul 19, 2007 8:18 PM EDT reply actions

He’s not a Celtic any more. Neither is McHale.

by Brickowski on Jul 19, 2007 8:51 PM EDT reply actions

Horny fan here..

by havlicekstoletheball on Jul 19, 2007 9:41 PM EDT reply actions

Hmmmmm………. How about a “fan” who thinks he is an “eye in the sky” but who relentlessly circulates the same stale air round and round using their own out of balance thin “blades” of logic which often spin backward? What would be that called?

A Blow Hard “fan” that otfen sucks

by Master Po on Jul 19, 2007 10:20 PM EDT reply actions

I find that every time I move up a notch in my own areas of expertise, I realize how much I didn’t know, and couldn’t possibly have known, before I got there. The worst coaches and GMs in the NBA know 10X the basketball, and more importantly—the business of basketball—than anyone posting on this blog could know. And the thing about it is, we don’t know what we don’t know. So, I have my disagreements with some moves and decisions. I critique the team—that’s part of being a fan. But the tone that some people on this board take is completely ridiculous. When Danny says things like, “If the fans knew what I knew…” we all roll our eyes. But, the truth is he is only saying what al the other GMs and coaches know to be true but won’t say because they want to placate us. You can disagree with a decision, even a direction. But there is a big difference between disagreeing with a decision and calling someone “stupid” or an “idiot” as Doc and Danny are often referred to on this board. And frankly, if any of us actually had the knowledge requisite to call them idiots, we wouldn’t be posting on this blog.

by migit on Jul 19, 2007 11:06 PM EDT reply actions