Sunday, July 22, 2012

Your Annotated Smartphone Bathroom Reader for Sunday, July 22, 2012.

Your Annotated Smartphone Bathroom Reader for Sunday, July 22, 2012.

A very Jeremy Lin-themed bathroom reader.  It's a slam dunk!

The Legend of Leremy Jin, James Leland Dolan and Carmelo McAnthonyTerry K. ParkHyphen
If Voltaire had witnessed Linsanity, he might've written this satire about the rise and fall of Jer...I mean, Leremy Jin.  Terry K. Park provides a fictional biography of James Leland Dolan, the great-great-grandfather of James Dolan, the current owner of the Knicks, and how he experienced the sensation that was "Jinsanity" way back in the 1820s.  The name "Carmelo McAnthony" made me laugh. If you liked Candide in high school, or at the very least, the 100 pages of Absurdistan you read on your flight from Dallas to Philadelphia, you might enjoy this piece.
- JG
Six Degrees of Separation: Jeremy LinHenry Abbott, J.A. Adande, Brian Windhorst, Marc Stein, Kristi Dosh and Chris BroussardESPN
This was the main feature this week on ESPN.com, and it's a pretty important piece for those who are still in the dark about what exactly transpired between Jeremy Lin, the Knicks and the Rockets.  The heavy hitters of ESPN basketball analysis come together to create a comprehensive narrative of the Jeremy Lin contract saga.  Each writer takes a different variable that played a role in Lin's departure from the Knicks -- the family, the Knicks, the Rockets, the Poison Pill, the financials and the Lin camp -- and closely analyzes each element to show the intricacies of the situation.  In the end, the pieces weave together, and create a full narrative about what exactly transpired.  While no new information is presented, this is the most comprehensive and chronological account of the end of Linsanity. 
- JG
Explaining Jeremy Lin's "Ridiculous" ContractAndres AlvarezThe Wages of Wins Journal
Carmelo Anthony caused waves when he called Jeremy Lin's contract with Houston "ridiculous."  What exactly made it "ridiculous"?  Andres Alvarez (who's quickly becoming a Diss favorite for his smart, funny, and succinct analysis) attempts to answer this question in this post on TWOWJ.  Alvarez takes a closer look at the third year of the contract, as well as the new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) to show why Lin's contract hurts the Knicks so badly in this new CBA.  He explains how the new progressive luxury tax, which charges more money per every $5 million exceeded, compounds the costs of expensive deals.  He also points out the most important, yet most understated, point: the only reason Lin's contract is "ridiculous" is because other players on the team are already signed to "ridiculous" contracts themselves.  This is essential reading to understand the larger cap implications of "poisoned" back-loaded deals like Lin's.
- JG 

Framing Linsanity Patrick MintonThe NBA Geek
Patrick Minton, better known as the NBA Geek, has been producing smart, statistically-driven NBA analysis on his blog and for The Wages of Wins Journal for a few seasons now.  I've always liked his work because it usefully mixes love of advanced stats with the human interests of the game, and does so in a highly readable and understandable way.  In this post, Minton helps the reader understand how "framing" and "anchoring" have driven the "ridiculous contract" narrative for Jeremy Lin.  Minton shows how wording in official statements can imply different meanings.  In the case of Lin, Minton explains that the Knicks have phrased statements about Lin's contract that seem to imply that his contract over others, will carry greater ramifications for the Knicks salary cap situation.  It's another interesting look into the way the Knicks and the media have framed the particularities of Lin's supposedly "poisoned" contract.
- JG
NBA Jerseys Will Have Sponsors Soon, and We're Here to HelpEric FreemanBall Don't Lie
In a move that Jordan accurately called "The Slipperiest of Slopes", the NBA will soon begin selling jerseys with ads on them.  Eric Freeman offers his suggestions for which companies will best represent the teams that are essentially becoming their billboards.  The best one, in my opinion, is for the Sacramento Kings, who will get a Taco Bell label on their jerseys. Freeman writes: "An absolutely horrible meal that still tastes quite delicious, in its way.  That makes it a perfect pairing for a bad team with DeMarcus Cousins and Thomas Robinson in the front court.  Plus, game times will perfectly coincide with Fourthmeal for fans watching on the East coast."  Well said.
- JG

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