My name is Matt Zakrowski. You may know me from my baseball writing that I did at Light Sabermetrics, Pale Hose Pariah, and RotoHardball. If you know my work, you will also know that my approach was heavily rooted in sabermetrics, or advanced baseball statistics. You probably also wonder why I'm making the switch to not only basketball writing, but into less number heavy work. There's a number of factors involved in me making this leap.
One is the combination of factors that re-awoke my love of hoops. The 2010 free agency sweepstakes, and the outside chance of the Bulls landing a big time free agent definitely caught my attention, but the aftermath left me resigned to the idea that the Bulls would be stuck in NBA hell fro the foreseeable future. Still, I was intrigued by the new NBA landscape, and figured my Bulls were due for some fun this season.
Then the Bulls got good. Derrick Rose became a legitimate superstar, Luol Deng put it together on both ends of the floor, and a number of reserves played their role on the way to 62 wins.
It wasn't just about the Bulls, of course. Oklahoma City progressed faster than expected and became one of the most fun teams to watch in the game. Miami and it's big three had a level of ups and downs that got way too much coverage, but was also fascinating. It got even better in the playoffs, where Dallas star Dirk Nowitzki reminded us all how great he has been, and how little we've appreciated him. The Thunder's struggles and the rumors and speculation about Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant's chemistry was a bit much, but was also compelling.
So where does this leave us? The league is heading towards an almost certain work stoppage next season, on the heels of record TV ratings, seemingly trying to kill the momentum they have built in the past year. The Miami Heat are one win away from dispatching the Bulls and facing off against Dirk and the Mavericks in the finals. As for this blog? Well, I'm here to give you a balance of compelling thoughts and smart analysis with a hint of snark.
