First Daryl Morey used his proficiency with advanced stats in Boston's front office to land himself a head GM job in Houston. Now the current Celtics moneyball guy is apparently a candidate for the open Philadelphia Sixers GM position.
Celtics' Zarren among candidates for Sixers general manager job - Sam Amick - SI.com
Zarren is an intriguing addition to the field of prospects; a widely-respected purveyor of advanced player statistics in the NBA who is one of the least-known yet most-influential members of the Celtics' front office group. A lifelong Celtics fan and season-ticket holder who began as an unpaid intern in 2003, Zarren -- a Harvard Law graduate who has also served as Celtics' team counsel -- has become known as the right-hand man of general manager Danny Ainge. He is a regular speaker at the annual MIT Sloan Conference where so many NBA executives explore new ways to analyze players and teams in a more accurate, efficient and in-depth manner.
You can read more about Zarren here:
More sports teams use advanced statistical analysis - The Boston Globe
If you're a Celtics fans, you probably don't know Zarren. The team wants it that way. The less that is known about Zarren and his methods the better. Go on the team's website and there is no biography for him, even though he carries the title of assistant general manager. The Celtics guard his advanced statistical analysis like it's the security code to owner Wyc Grousbeck's house. Ask the Green's stats guru why the Celtics have been up and down this season and he all but pops a cyanide pill. Zarren, who joined the team in 2003 as an intern, is Ainge's database-devising aide de camp, dealing with new-age basketball stats such as Pace factor (average possessions a team uses per 48 minutes) and true shooting percentage (a team's weighted shooting efficiency adjusted for 3-pointers and free throws). Zarren was also one of the stars of the sixth annual MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, which invaded the Hynes Convention Center yesterday and runs through today.
It would be too bad to lose a guy that appears to be a great asset to Danny Ainge and the Celtics. But from my interactions, he's a great guy and I wish him the very best of luck.
I wonder what the stats would say about how to best utilize Andrew Bynum and how to fill in the roster around him. That's something the folks at Liberty Ballers would have to consider.