Athlon Sports NBA preview...

[Kestas <Kestutis.Kveraga@dartmouth.edu>]

...has Paul Pierce on the cover! Moreover, of the three article headlines
on the cover, two are about the Celtics: one says "No Pitino? No problem.
O'Brien has Celtics on right track"; the other is about the 1976 Champion
Celtics. 

Lots of good stuff inside, including predictions that actually make sense
(i.e., I agree with them :>). Of special interest to the Walker vs. Pierce
debaters is their 2000-2001 scoring efficiency index. They divide players
into 9 categories according to their scoring effiency and utilization of
that efficiency by the team. They range from "elite scoring efficiency,
optimal utilization" to  "low scoring efficiency, over-utilized". Pierce
checks in at #6 with the highest, "elite...optimal" rating; Walker is near
the bottom, in the "low...over-" category. They also predict 3rd team
ALL-NBA finish for Pierce. I haven't perused it all yet, but their
attention to the Celtics and other interesting tidbits convinced me to buy
it - something I haven't done in years for reasons that should be obvious
from my annual rants about NBA previews and sportswriters in general. Am I
being naive, and they're just selling "regional" versions of this magazine
tailored to the fans of the regional team? 
Kestas