Re: Gasol is in!

[Kestutis.Kveraga@dartmouth.edu (Kestutis Kveraga)]

--- You wrote:
I had the same thoughts when I heard the news, and read today that it was
Ron Artest (ESPN Insider, I think). Then again, when did Antoine ever play
aggressive enough defense to crack someone's ribs?
--- end of quote ---

The lower ribs are supposedly really easy to crack because of their weak
attachement . When I used to do martial arts, one of the areas we were taught
to attack was the lower part of the rib cage (with an uppercut-type punch, or a
front kick).   

--- You wrote:
 I'm hoping that Antoine
sticks with the program too. I'm looking forward to seeing Antoine take it
in and jam it over hapless defenders, reject Tim Duncan's shots, and muscle
Karl Malone out of rebounds. OK, I would settle for him getting enough
elevation to avoid getting his shot blocked so often.
--- end of quote ---

I wonder what 'Toine's pre-draft physical results were - his vertical,
wingspan, actual height etc. We know he's not a leaper, although that might be
because of his typically carrying extra fat and avoiding weight training, but
does he also have shortish arms? 
On a related note, although wingspan is clearly a better approximator of
basketball-related "length" than height is, why don't they use vertical reach
instead or in addition to wingspan? While wingspan is clearly important in
steals and "covering" the area under the basket, shotblocking and rebounding
probably benefit more from greater vertical reach. If it seems like
hair-splitting, consider that the measure of wingspan incorporates bi-acromial
width, or how wide the shoulders are, while vertical reach doesn't. Wingspan
also is less height-dependent than vertical reach. If you take, let's say, Pot
vs. Battie, they might have similar wingspans (because Pot has broad shoulders
whereas Battie is quite "narrow"). But if you compared vertical reach, it'd be
no contest - not only does Battie have longer arms and is taller, his shoulders
are also up around his ears, as they say. While a couple of inches may not seem
like much [insert your dirty joke here], in similarly athletic and motivated
players in a highly competitive league, it may mean getting a critical rebound
or block when everything is on the line - or not getting it. 
When you have a rich draft with lots of similarly good players to choose from,
it is these critical  bits of information about unalterable basketball-related
giftedness that may allow you to select the best player. 
Which reminds me: does anyone know if NBA teams do any kind of data analysis
from available past and present player data to see what predicts success in the
NBA? Or is it all qualitative, seat-of-the-pants stuff - you know,
such-and-such player put on a helluva workout for us, scored 20 points a game
in college, measured out at 6-10, and seemed like a nice-enough guy, so we'll
take him? 
Kestas