Freakonomics asks about the absence of Leon Powe. (hat tip TrueHoop)
When Levitt and I were up in Boston a couple months ago to write about the Celtics’ reliance on statistical analysis to make strategic and personnel decisions, one goal was to figure out strengths and weaknesses the Celtics knew about their own players and other teams’ players that weren’t obvious. Danny Ainge and Mike Zarren were understandably not very forthcoming — trade secrets and all that — but Zarren was willing to admit that:
Ray Allen’s worth goes far beyond his perimeter shooting, that Rajon Rondo’s rebounding was an undervalued asset, that Leon Powe’s surprisingly strong play was not so surprising to the Celtics …
It’s true that Allen found ways to score in the last few weeks even when his jumper was stone cold. It’s also true that the diminutive Rondo loves to get inside and grab rebounds. But watching the Celtics beat the Pistons last night, I found myself thinking: Where in the world is Leon Powe?
I haven't a clue really, but one great find in that article was a link to a Leon Powe Fan Site. Leon Powe has a fan site? That's fantastic! Their theory: Doc Rivers Doesn't Like Leon. This from after game 2:
You may ask why was Leon pulled? Well during a 4 on 3 break Leon got stuck guarding more than one guy because P.J Brown was too slow to get back on defense. Leon then went to cover one guy and Tayshaun Prince was then left open for a dunk. Yes, Leon should have seen it coming and opened up quicker but I'm sorry he isn't perfect like Doc Rivers. Powe was then pulled never to be seen again. Instead of Leon we got 7 excruciating minutes of Glen Davis. He was awful and the during his time on the floor the Pistons went on a run. The thing about this is that Davis, Perkins, and Brown can mess up over and over again and stay in the game. But if Powe makes one slip up he never touches the floor again.