Malcolm Gladwell: Stats vs. Intangibles
1-liner, NBA October 21st. 2009, 2:30pmMalcolm Gladwell on the NBA: “I remember once having a conversation with a top executive with the Toronto Raptors. I asked her about the stats revolution in basketball and she just kind of shrugged and said, ‘It’s interesting, and we look at those things, but you have to understand that for our purposes, it’s all [about] character.’ The thing that separates players is that some have a work ethic, some don’t; some are coachable, some aren’t; some party all night, some go to bed early. From her standpoint, it’s all those intangibles.” [Time]
49 Responses to “Malcolm Gladwell: Stats vs. Intangibles”
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October 21st, 2009 at 2:32 PM
this explains a lot about why the raptors suck ass.
because they have a woman executive
/be here all week
//try the pork
October 21st, 2009 at 2:38 PM
What intangibles did Vince Carter possess that made him a good signing? It was his work ethic, right?
October 21st, 2009 at 2:40 PM
Amazing with all that insight the Raptors ahve continued to suck for years.
October 21st, 2009 at 2:40 PM
Well she gave Hedo a rediculous contract, so strike 1
October 21st, 2009 at 2:41 PM
Does not compute.
/chauvinist’d
October 21st, 2009 at 2:42 PM
/Threadjack
Not sure if anyone saw this, but interesting article on journalist who has reported on 300 executions.
/End Threadjack
October 21st, 2009 at 2:42 PM
@cowboy- you dont like Vinsanity?
October 21st, 2009 at 2:43 PM
What intangibles did Vince Carter possess that made him a good signing? It was his work ethic, right?
I’m pretty sure that was under a different regime. Colangelo has been pretty adamant about not signing jerks. Bosh, Calderon & Bargnani are all solid dudes and are very active in the city. The Turk is also integrating himself pretty quickly.
October 21st, 2009 at 2:44 PM
/runs out
October 21st, 2009 at 2:44 PM
That last post needed more ‘pretty’
Kill me
October 21st, 2009 at 2:49 PM
@cowboy- you dont like Vinsanity?
I LOVED Vince at UNC and I hate UNC. His pro career (except the first couple years) has sucked. He’s good though, no doubting that.
October 21st, 2009 at 2:50 PM
im looking forward to having him on the Magic this year. he better produce
October 21st, 2009 at 2:53 PM
i know of a certain Cavs fan that just had a brainsplosion reading that.
October 21st, 2009 at 2:54 PM
/threadjack pt. 2
@oh no Romo — excellent article! I read it this morning. I can’t imagine having done that job for so long. I’d have nightmares. Accompanied by the singing on “Silent Night”
/end threadjack pt. 2
October 21st, 2009 at 2:54 PM
I see VC having the same effect Lamar had on the Lakers. He probably won’t be a leader on the team and won’t produce consistently, but when he does show up, the team is nearly unstoppable.
October 21st, 2009 at 2:59 PM
That sounds about right. Vince likes to play his own schedule of about 50-55 games a year. He’ll show up for the others but will be there in body only. That should be enough for Orlando to be a top 3 seed again.
The big test comes in the playoffs. If the Magic can get VC to show up every game and play hard, they’ll be even better than last year.
October 21st, 2009 at 2:59 PM
threadjack – but sports related-apologies if it’s old news
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/maac/2009-10-20-manhattan-laue_N.htm
/end threadjack
October 21st, 2009 at 3:00 PM
t/j #2 93?)
Deadspin just crushed Erik Kuselias
http://deadspin.com/5386829/espn-horndog-dossier-erik-kuselias-updated?skyline=true&s=x
/bet there’s no more talk about blogs on ESPN anymore’d
October 21st, 2009 at 3:00 PM
BigBrainOnBrett does not approve of the Malcolm Gladwell 1-liner.
October 21st, 2009 at 3:00 PM
Yeah, it’s good to have those intangibles. Coachability, work ethic…you know, THINGS THAT MAKE THEM BETTER PLAYERS AND SHOW UP IN STATS! Jesus people are stupid.
Though, to be fair, this isn’t baseball. A selfish player in basketball (oh, hi Answer, didn’t see you there) despite being one hell of a worker can screw up the way a team plays on the court. But, to pretend stats don’t actually show any of this, that’s idiotic.
October 21st, 2009 at 3:01 PM
Has there ever been more TJs in a sub-20 comment thread?
October 21st, 2009 at 3:03 PM
Wow. That is crazy. I don’t think a paper would have enough money to pay me to do that job. The last graph is fucked up.
October 21st, 2009 at 3:03 PM
If an intangible showed up in a stat it would be tangible, and therefore beneath the interest of people whose primary job is spinning why what they do didn’t work.
October 21st, 2009 at 3:03 PM
Has there ever been more TJs in a sub-20 comment thread?
every day in the Onion bag
October 21st, 2009 at 3:03 PM
Is all the hate for Vince because he was never MJ? he has been a very good player his entire career. very good.
October 21st, 2009 at 3:04 PM
TJ/
i just farted in class, smells like an open sewer lid
end TJ/
October 21st, 2009 at 3:05 PM
I heard he was whiny, lazy, and frequently quits on his teammates, unlike most NBA players.
/that’s racist.
October 21st, 2009 at 3:06 PM
I thought the outstanding Canadian tax rates were the reason for Toronto’s suck.
October 21st, 2009 at 3:09 PM
Or else he’s going to get the Pat Burrell treatment?
October 21st, 2009 at 3:09 PM
fixed
October 21st, 2009 at 3:09 PM
I don’t hate Vince. I just find him to be a huge disappointment. Physically, he should have been on par with or better than Kobe.
Instead, he’s maybe 75% the player that Kobe is (being generous) because he isn’t willing to put in the work to improve or make the sacrifices required (i.e. go to the fucking hoop and take a hit from time to time) to reach that level. It just doesn’t matter to him that much.
Good for him that he managed to be a second level star for all these years and make a boatload of money but he definitely left some chips on the table.
October 21st, 2009 at 3:10 PM
pretty much tkmsu
October 21st, 2009 at 3:10 PM
Canada’s contributions to the world:
1. Good weed
2. decent comedians
October 21st, 2009 at 3:12 PM
October 21st, 2009 at 3:14 PM
Not true at all. All things considered, we’re just about equal. Different in a lot of ways, but equal.
October 21st, 2009 at 3:16 PM
By the way, the tax thing being an issue for American athletes playing here is more or a less a myth. With a good accountant, players are better off playing here than in about 50% of the U.S. cities that have teams.
October 21st, 2009 at 3:17 PM
4. shania twain and all the playmates from vancouver
October 21st, 2009 at 3:19 PM
What do Americans do better? Genuinely curious.
October 21st, 2009 at 3:20 PM
5. Kristin Kreuk (for bsanders)
6. Hockey
7. Saturday Night Live (yes, I know it sucks now)
October 21st, 2009 at 3:25 PM
I think Americans are more actively patriotic. I’m not talking about the extremist version but rather the average American who will hang a flag outside their house. Canadians tend to need someone to insult them before they will take some kind of pride in who and what they are.
There’s other stuff but that was the thing that first came to mind.
October 21st, 2009 at 3:29 PM
Speaking of all things Canadian, I’m still confused by this week’s episode of HIMYM… how come Barney thinks Tim Horton’s makes good coffee?
Seriously, it’s terrible. I drink it every day, but only because the closest Starbucks is miles away.
October 21st, 2009 at 3:29 PM
How does this make us better?
October 21st, 2009 at 3:35 PM
As a dude who worked at Tim Hortons…the coffee is nothing special. In fact, don’t even eat the donuts there. In the summer months there’s sometimes flies flying around on the donuts, its pretty disgusting actually. The ice-cap though is awesome.
If I was an athelete, I’d rather be living in Toronto than places like Milwaukee, Oklahoma, etc.
/ Never been to either
// Torontonian for life
October 21st, 2009 at 3:37 PM
Canada is too multicultural to be patriotic to the level that America is. Everyone is more patriotic about the country that they left behind then the country they are currently living in. I love Canada though, but I don’t need a flag on my house to show it.
October 21st, 2009 at 3:41 PM
Toronto is a great fricking city. I love it. It’s clean, safe, multicultural, millions of things to do. USed to go there 3/4 times year when I lived up north.
karma & GG: what’s that little “island” you ferry to outside TO? Great little place in the summer for a day with little kids
October 21st, 2009 at 3:47 PM
Olympic Island. Great venue for concerts too.
October 21st, 2009 at 3:49 PM
I worked at a Tim’s as well, and I will never eat at a Tim Horton’s ever again. Mostly because I also know what goes on back there.
October 22nd, 2009 at 12:07 AM
Garland Greene rocks. Except for his Argos.
October 22nd, 2009 at 12:10 AM
I think this is one executive thinking about long-term enterprise value and capitalisation over typical short-term pump and dump a la the American and “capitali$t” style …interesting but if they franchise becomes the Clippers of the north it’s all academic …give them four more seasons.