March 2014 Basketball Wiretap

NBA Teams Licensing RealGM Product To Manage Scouting Database

Apr 30, 2014 12:32 PM

NBA teams use three different methods to manage their scouting databases.

The most common is a custom-built program by the team that lives on a private, internal server, which cost between $50,000 and $60,000 to design, and around $20,000 per year to maintain. Those teams include the Charlotte Bobcats, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, Orlando Magic, Dallas Mavericks, Toronto Raptors, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland Trail Blazers, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers and Utah Jazz.

"A third of the league builds their own very high-end, very sophisticated, very comprehensive internal database, which you can't get into," another scout said. "They'll tier it. The GM can see everything. The assistant GM can see most. But the scouts won't read the GM's notes."

The second way is to share emails, Word documents and spreadsheets among the front office.

The third, which is the trendiest, is a password-protected online account through RealGM.com. Eleven teams are now involved.

"It’s the depth of information, and the quality of our tools and reports, that set RealGM apart," said Todd Essman, RealGM's chief operating officer.

But one NBA scout was surprised to hear that teams use RealGM, saying, "I'm really not sure why they would for security purposes."

To note, at the recent MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, a big conversation piece centered around "high-profile hacks," according to another scout, in the wake of a breach of credit and debit card data at Target that may have affected as many as 40 million shoppers.

"NBA teams were saying that they feel like that could be the next big embarrassment, like if somebody downloads all your scouting files and tracks them or leaks them to Deadspin," the scout said.

But Essman made it clear, "We have never had a security issue. We practice the protocols that big financial institutions do so everything is as safe as an online banking session."

RealGM's scouting servicewhich also has a salary cap and player transaction software product—first arrived during the 2011-12 season. Each team's cost per season is between $30,000 and $40,000, and the overall price tag is about $50,000 less than an internal database over a five-year span, according to a scout.

Jared Zwerling/Bleacher Report

Tags: NBA, NBA B-Ball IQ

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Durant Could Join Dirk, Moses Malone, Unseld As MVPs Losing In 1st Round

Apr 30, 2014 10:10 AM

Kevin Durant is widely expected to be named 2014 NBA MVP, but the Oklahoma City Thunder are on the cusp of elimination by the Memphis Grizzlies in a 2-3 deficit.

Dirk Nowitzki is the most recent regular season MVP to have his team lose in the first round, falling to the Golden State Warriors in 2007.

Wes Unseld (1969) and Moses Malone (1979, 1982) are the other two MVPs to lose in the first round, while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was named MVP in 1976 despite missing the playoffs in his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Durant has a PER of 18.96 during the first five game of the series, down from his season mark of 30.2. Durant's True Shooting Percentage has dropped from .635 to .492 as the Grizzlies have done an excellent job in defending him.

Nowitzki's PER dropped from 27.7 during his MVP regular season to 21.8 against the Warriors over six games.

RealGM Staff Report

Tags: Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder, NBA, NBA Award, NBA B-Ball IQ

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Top-5 Playoff PER: Aldridge, LeBron, Troy Daniels, Gibson, Dwight

Apr 28, 2014 12:16 PM

LaMarcus Aldridge has the top Player Efficiency Rating through the first four games of the 2014 NBA Playoffs with a mark of 34.0.

LeBron James, who has played three games, ranks second at 33.1.

Troy Daniels has played in just two games, but ranks third with a mark of 29.5.

Taj Gibson (28.6) and Dwight Howard (28.3) round out the top-five.

Blake Griffin ranks sixth at 26.9 followed by Tim Duncan (25.7), Chris Andersen (25.4), Paul George (25.3) and Andray Blache (23.7).

RealGM Staff Report

Tags: LaMarcus Aldridge, LeBron James, Troy Daniels, Dwight Howard, Taj Gibson, Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets, Miami Heat, Portland Trail Blazers, NBA, NBA B-Ball IQ, NBA Playoffs

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Popovich Seeking 'More Nastiness' From Spurs

Apr 27, 2014 11:29 PM

The San Antonio Spurs have a 1-2 deficit against the Dallas Mavericks heading into Game 4.

The Mavericks have succeeded at dictating tempo and playing physical against the Spurs.

“I don’t think the guys are disrespecting Dallas because we beat them in the season four times," said Gregg Popovich. "They know it’s the playoffs. But at the same time, I’d like to see a little bit more nastiness, a little bit more physicality, a little bit more fire from people.”

Jeff Garcia/Project Spurs

Tags: Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs, NBA, NBA B-Ball IQ, NBA Playoffs

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Warriors Seriously Considering Lineup Change For Game 4

Apr 25, 2014 11:59 PM

Mark Jackson said he's giving "some serious thought" to making a chance in the Golden State Warriors' starting lineup heading into Game 4.

"I could make a change," Jackson said Friday. "I won't say whether I will or with who, but it's possible. We've got to figure out a way to present some resistance. I think things are going a little too smoothly right now for Blake" Griffin."

The Warriors could start Draymond Green in place of Jermaine O'Neal, a switch that took place in the Warriors' second half run in Game 3.

Rusty Simmons/San Francisco Gate

Tags: Draymond Green, Jermaine O'Neal, Golden State Warriors, NBA, NBA B-Ball IQ

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Isiah Wishes Knicks' Core Of Randolph, Lee, Crawford Had More Time Together

Apr 25, 2014 7:29 PM

With Zach Randolph, Jamal Crawford, David Lee and Trevor Ariza all playing important roles in the NBA Playoffs, Isiah Thomas is left to wonder what would had happen if his core with the New York Knicks had more time together.

“We had all those players while they were young,” Thomas said Thursday on Spike Lee’s SiriusXM NBA Radio show. “I can’t remember a time where the Knicks have had two All-Stars and a Sixth Man of the Year and they were all under the age of 29. I just wish we would have had the luxury of having a little bit more time to more or less let the tree grow and let it bear a little bit more fruit.” 

Thomas served as general manager of the Knicks from 2003 until 2008.

“It was a very young group. And we all want more time,” said Thomas. “And sometimes time is not the luxury that you have at your fingertips. But I wish that we could have kept that group together just a little bit longer as we’ve seen that they’ve grown into exceptional players and All-Stars in the league.” 

Ian Begley/ESPN

Tags: New York Knicks, NBA, NBA B-Ball IQ

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Lawrence Frank Still Filing Daily Reports For Nets

Apr 25, 2014 1:03 AM

Lawrence Frank was reassigned from his role as assistant coach of the Brooklyn Nets early in the season and he continues to file daily scouting reports.

"In order for [Jason Kidd] to be successful, I had to make a decision, so I said, 'Let's reassign him,' " King said during an interview with NBA TV. "He does his report -- I got it this morning -- and he's helping from afar. But I believe in Jason and so to give him the ability to be successful, we had to make that decision."

The Nets bottomed out at 10-21, but they turned around their season with small, unconventional lineups.

"[Kidd] believed in himself," King said. "And that was the biggest thing. When he walked into a room, there was confidence. When he talked to the players, there was confidence," King said. "He went at KG [Kevin Garnett]. KG went back at him. He went at Paul [Pierce]. So he wasn't afraid to challenge guys, and that, to me, showed that he was going to be a good coach.

"You've got a Hall of Famer in KG and Paul -- 19 years and 16 years in the league -- and you challenge them in front of the rest of the team, they all believe, 'Okay, this guy's real.' "

A.J. Perez/Star-Ledger

Tags: Brooklyn Nets, NBA, NBA B-Ball IQ

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Pacers Likely To Stick With Roy Hibbert As Starter But Considering Change

Apr 25, 2014 11:07 AM

Frank Vogel is reportedly thinking about bringing Roy Hibbert off the bench, but said Thursday night that the Indiana Pacers are probable to keep the center in the starting five.

"We'll see. Probably," Vogel said. "We'll look at everything. I can't say (he's starting in Game 4) for right now. But I do have confidence in Roy Hibbert. I do have that. He hasn't played well in this series to this point, but I do have great confidence in him.

"We're not going to quit on him. We're going to keep trying to figure it out.''

Hibbert has averaged 6 points and 4.7 rebounds in the first three games of the Pacers' first round series against the Atlanta Hawks.

Hibbert has a PER of -1.20 in the playoffs, compared to 25.0 in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat last season.

Bob Kravitz/Indianapolis Star

Tags: Roy Hibbert, Indiana Pacers, NBA, NBA B-Ball IQ

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Lee: More Westbrook Shots Means Fewer For Durant

Apr 23, 2014 3:15 PM

Russell Westbrook went 11-for-28 in a 105-111 Oklahoma City loss to the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 2.

The Grizzlies apparently prefer a high usage rate from Westbrook because it limits the number of opportunities Kevin Durant receives.

"We're fine with Westbrook taking shots, I mean, that's kinda what you want - the more shots he takes, the less Durant takes," said Courtney Lee.

Peter Edminston/Commercial Appeal

Tags: Russell Westbrook, Memphis Grizzlies, Oklahoma City Thunder, NBA, NBA B-Ball IQ

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Griffin: Relationship With Chris Paul Has Evolved Every Year

Apr 22, 2014 11:10 PM

Blake Griffin had the best season of his career in 13-14 and his ability to coexist with Chris Paul has also improved in their third season together.

"Every year (the relationship with Paul) has evolved," Griffin said Tuesday. "You can't expect two guys who have never played together before to just come in and just right away be the best of teammates and understand everything that they're doing. It takes time.

"You figure out ways to make things work every year…I think last summer was big, because we spent a lot of time together — not just (in Los Angeles) but also in China, doing tours (for their shared Jordan brand) over there. We went to (Las) Vegas — we worked out in Vegas a little bit. Little things like that helps build the relationship."

Griffin's production also jumped during Paul's absence due to injury.

"Blake was always like the little brother (to Paul)," Jamal Crawford said. "And when the big brother is down, the little brother has to step up. And me and Blake looked at each other, because he was like, 'Now we've got to be more aggressive. We've got to go.' He led with his voice. He led by example. He led us every single night when Chris went out.

"This guy just wants to be great. He really does. I've said it before — (Kevin) Durant (of the Oklahoma City Thunder) will probably win MVP this year, but with those guys being the same age I could see them going back and forth for years to come. ... Blake's one of the special talents in the world."

Sam Amick/USA Today

Tags: Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers, NBA, NBA B-Ball IQ

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Durant Shooting 36 Percent Against Tony Allen

Zach Lowe/Grantland

Bulls Excited To Own Two 'Invaluable' First Round Picks

Joe Cowley/Chicago Sun-Times

76ers' Harris: No Shortcuts To Become Elite Team For Long Period

Jaosn Wolf/The News Journal

New Bucks' Owners Hope To Follow Model Of Spurs, Thunder

Don Walker/Journal Sentinel

Spurs, Clippers, Thunder, Heat, Warriors Finish In Top-5 In Efficiency Differential

RealGM Staff Report

John Wall Leads NBA In Corner-3 Assists By Wide Margin

Kirk Goldsberry/Grantland

Amar'e: Knicks Might Be Best Team In NBA On Paper

Peter Botte/New York Daily News

Thibodeau: Carmelo Doesn't Get Enough Credit As A Very Good Passer

K.C. Johnson/Chicago Tribune

Anthony Praises Thibodeau's Coaching, Compares System To Popovich

Frank Isola/New York Daily News

Thunder Join Spurs In Securing Homecourt In Finals

Anthony Slate/Oklahoman

Durant Compared To Len Bias By Monty Williams

Anthony Slater/Oklahoman

Russell Westbrook: Knee Injury Made Me Even More Mean

Marc J. Spears/Yahoo! Sports

Shumpert Forcing Turnover On 18.5 Percent Of Opponent ISOs

Christian Baber/Posting & Toasting

Exec: Surprised Knicks Didn't Do More Homework On Bargnani

Marc Berman/New York Post

18 Of Past 23 GM Hires Weren't Former NBA Players Or Coaches

John Ezekowitz/Five Thirty Eight

LeBron Concedes Durant Has Performed 'Most Consistent' For MVP Award

Joseph Goodman/Miami Herald

David Lee Doesn't Pay Attention To Criticsm Warriors Better Without Him

Bay Area Sports Guy

Pacers To Sit Entire Starting Lineup Against Bucks

Candace Buckner/Indianapolis Star

Brett Brown Has Had Analytics 'Capture Imagination'

Keith Pompey/Philadelphia Inquirer

Irving, Waiters Insist No Issues Exist Between Them

Tom Withers/AP