Comments on: Evaluating the Top Scorers in 1977-78 http://dberri.wordpress.com/2007/08/20/evaluating-the-top-scorers-in-1977-78/ More Stories from The Wages of Wins Sat, 02 Jan 2010 08:09:16 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Pete http://dberri.wordpress.com/2007/08/20/evaluating-the-top-scorers-in-1977-78/#comment-36950 Pete Fri, 24 Aug 2007 02:39:11 +0000 http://dberri.wordpress.com/2007/08/20/evaluating-the-top-scorers-in-1977-78/#comment-36950 This is my favorite post from this blog. Great job. This is my favorite post from this blog. Great job.

]]> By: dberri http://dberri.wordpress.com/2007/08/20/evaluating-the-top-scorers-in-1977-78/#comment-36550 dberri Tue, 21 Aug 2007 22:42:54 +0000 http://dberri.wordpress.com/2007/08/20/evaluating-the-top-scorers-in-1977-78/#comment-36550 Chirstopher, I think players are better today than they were in the past. When I get the time I will try and look at the standard deviations in the league. As Stephen Jay Gould argued, larger standard deviations tells us that there is a wider mix of players. This tells us that quality is lower since the league is being forced to use talent that is not very good. You can see this in baseball back in the first half of the century. MT, Just glancing at the numbers, it doesn't look like Earl the Pearl was that great in his prime. But I need to look at this in more detail. Chirstopher,
I think players are better today than they were in the past. When I get the time I will try and look at the standard deviations in the league. As Stephen Jay Gould argued, larger standard deviations tells us that there is a wider mix of players. This tells us that quality is lower since the league is being forced to use talent that is not very good. You can see this in baseball back in the first half of the century.

MT,
Just glancing at the numbers, it doesn’t look like Earl the Pearl was that great in his prime. But I need to look at this in more detail.

]]> By: MT http://dberri.wordpress.com/2007/08/20/evaluating-the-top-scorers-in-1977-78/#comment-36514 MT Tue, 21 Aug 2007 16:49:52 +0000 http://dberri.wordpress.com/2007/08/20/evaluating-the-top-scorers-in-1977-78/#comment-36514 Can't speak for Barry but by 77-78 Pearl was a near cripple. He has had two artificial knees for a long time. Can’t speak for Barry but by 77-78 Pearl was a near cripple. He has had two artificial knees for a long time.

]]> By: Chirstopher http://dberri.wordpress.com/2007/08/20/evaluating-the-top-scorers-in-1977-78/#comment-36511 Chirstopher Tue, 21 Aug 2007 15:55:28 +0000 http://dberri.wordpress.com/2007/08/20/evaluating-the-top-scorers-in-1977-78/#comment-36511 Interesting to see that the model holds in the past. I generally think it is very hard to compare between eras. Can you tease out some of those questions with your data and model? The assertion that today's players can not make a jump shoot worth beans, that the league is so sissified due to touch fouls that did not exist back in the day. Or the counter assertion that defenses are just plain better and that the average player is also just plain better today versus in the Red Auerbach era. A lot of pundits pine for the good ol' days when the game was better. Do they have a leg to stand on? Was it better? I figure these might be interesting questions since you are headed into history :) Interesting to see that the model holds in the past. I generally think it is very hard to compare between eras. Can you tease out some of those questions with your data and model? The assertion that today’s players can not make a jump shoot worth beans, that the league is so sissified due to touch fouls that did not exist back in the day. Or the counter assertion that defenses are just plain better and that the average player is also just plain better today versus in the Red Auerbach era. A lot of pundits pine for the good ol’ days when the game was better. Do they have a leg to stand on? Was it better? I figure these might be interesting questions since you are headed into history :)

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