SI.com - Opposing Scout Analyzes the Clips

Some pretty interesting stuff. I obviously don't agree with everything, but it's good insight nevertheless.

over 2 years ago madglove 7 comments 0 recs |

Comments

Good link

I have a hard time believing this was produced from a scout though.

First it discusses the Clippers ownership situation and how that affects the team. I doubt that an advanced scout would provide that sort of information in preparation for a match up against the Clippers.

Next is some information that is just filler and conjecture. It would have very little benefit to an organization who is presumably paying the scout to bring in information on the Clippers.

I’m sure [Griffin’s] cocky and you can see why, but he’s not a chest-thumper. He’s one of those guys who goes to work and works hard, a blue-collar guy who is very serious about the way he works.

There’s also plenty of swipes on the organization, " Eric Gordon — and maybe even Al Thornton — have a chance to join up with Griffin and lead the Clippers in a different direction, away from their derelict past." (emphasis mine.) Completely unnecessary. Then, the author does launch into an actual analysis on these players, noting Gordon’s quick trigger and Thornton’s propensity to play with his head down and take (the author points out) incredibly bad shots.

There is ceratinly good stuff in there, but it just doesn’t read like a scouting report (IMO.) Perhaps, its because it appears in a mainstream publication like SI, but the author takes way too many leaps of faith for me even emphatically stating that Ricky Davis will be a cancer and negatively impact the other players. Is he wrong? I’m not sure, but again, its not something that a scout would generally discuss in a scouting report.

A scouting report should read like an intelligence breifing: all facts and no opinion. The prose in the article reads more like an analysis from a ESPN personality—- not that there’s anything wrong with that, it just led me to question whether a scout actually wrote it.

by Michael White on Oct 21, 2009 3:42 PM PDT reply actions

Scout's comments doesn't equate Scouting Report

I think your premise is wrong here. Nobody is claiming that it’s a “scouting report” from the NBA. SI isn’t claiming they got ahold of some internal scouting report written for a team in preparation for a match up like you seem to be thinking.

It’s simply a scouts commentary (hence the opinions you seem to object to) on the Clips. It’s no different than if you sat down with a scout at Summer League and just had a convo with them.

That’s why SI calls it “roster analysis.” It’s not a league scouting report.

And personally, I doubt SI wants a bare bones scouting report with “all facts no opinion” anyway. That’s not really a fun read for anyone but a serious hoops junkie…which isn’t exactly SI’s target audience.

If you read it without the expectations that you seem to have had, I think it’s a lot more straight forward.

by madglove on Oct 21, 2009 3:51 PM PDT up reply actions