Re: Fortson Effect

[Alex Wang <awang@mit.edu>]

> - Did Antonio McDyess' shooting percentages rise with the more time that
> Fortson got (eg. were his percentages higher or lower than in the first
> 12 games compared to his season percentage? If so, was their a
> significant rise or fall (eg. say .500 to .515 or .485?).

His shooting percentage dropped markedly after February. He shot 50.4% in
February, 47.5% in March, and 46.1% in April.

> - Were the Nuggets shooting better or worse as a whole in the first half
> of the season (when Fortson had a lack of playing time) or in the second
> half (when Fortson got his playing time?).

Couldn't find season splits here.
 
> The answer to those two questions will answer how much of a steal this
> trade was for the Boston Celtics.

I don't know how many conclusions that you can draw from this because of
the small data set. With that in mind, it's possible that LaFrentz gave
McDyess more room to work by drawing opposing centers out with his ability
to hit the outside shot. Another explanation is that McDyess had to carry
more of the offensive load, taking 1.5 more shots per game in March;
his shot selection may have suffered under this burden.
 
Alex

> 
> Warwick
>