Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Unbalanced.
The San Antonio Spurs Make Interesting Boring — Again
The 2016–2017 NBA season has been so rad. Even with the all-but-certain Cavs-Warriors Finals tiebreaker, there are more exciting individual storylines than the current Wrestlemania card. This season we’ve seen Russell Westbrook go supernova, James Harden turn into a deity, and Isaiah Thomas become the greatest 5-foot-9 hero since Tobey Maguire’s days as Spider Man. (Regards to Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland). LeBron James has had another LeBron season too.
By Charles Maniego8 years ago in Unbalanced
Who Should New Jersey Take First Overall?
The NHL Draft lottery was full of surprises. Despite only an 8.8% chance of gaining the top overall pick, the New Jersey Devils jumped over four teams to claim the first spot. Before the NHL Draft kicks off on June 23, the Devils and general manager Ray Shero have some decisions to make about which young prospect they will select.
By Kyle Vandenberg8 years ago in Unbalanced
The Toronto Raptors Are in the Danger Zone
The Toronto Raptors have their back against the wall (not John Wall). They fell to a 0–2 series deficit against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night. It was the second straight game in which the Raptors went down big, with the Cavaliers leading by as many as 25 points in Game 1. In Toronto’s Game 2 loss, they saw a deficit as big as 30 points — so yeah, Toronto has trouble keeping up.
By Charles Maniego8 years ago in Unbalanced
Why Patrik Laine Will Win the Calder
Each year, the NHL Draft brings a new crop of talent. Teams with the benefit of having a first overall pick get the chance to add a young player who might turn the franchise around. Some players wind up being superstars, like Crosby, Ovechkin, or Stamkos. Other times, names like Stefan or DiPietro are more synonymous with failure or bust. In recent years, the NHL Draft has been full of depth — offering any team with a top five pick the chance to grab a great player.
By Kyle Vandenberg8 years ago in Unbalanced
‘Stats-ing’ With Steve, Part I: Corsi, the Beginning of It All
Advanced metrics in hockey have more or less exploded onto the scene. Teams (the smart ones, anyway) are hiring folks who are responsible for assessing the game in a statistical and analytic fashion, and they’ve become so popular that even journalists and beat writers have had no choice but to learn and cite them to assess team and individual performance.
By Steve Smith8 years ago in Unbalanced
Just How Hot Is Garth Snow's Seat?
July 18, 2006. That was the day Garth Snow retired from NHL play and moved into NHL management, taking over Neil Smith’s position after an illustrious 41-day tenure as Islanders General Manager. Almost eleven years later Snow continues to hold this position, overseeing one last hurrah for the squad he inherited, followed by a long and arduous rebuild.
By Steve Smith8 years ago in Unbalanced
The Layers of Taking Deshaun Watson
With the 12th overall pick in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night, the Houston Texans traded up to get themselves a quarterback. While many had them taking the best available quarterback at No. 25, I believe the decision to draft Deshaun Watson is a little more complex than it seems on the surface. It isn’t simply because Watson was available and fills the need.
By Kenneth Wilson8 years ago in Unbalanced
Early NHL Free Agency Winners
Let the insanity begin! The first week of free agency is behind us with a number of huge splashes and new faces. Fans and analysts alike are making projections or registering complaints, depending on how you feel about your team’s activity (or lack thereof). None of this takes into account the NHL Draft, the Vegas Expansion Draft, and the number of trades that have occurred, adding to the shakeups.
By Kyle Vandenberg8 years ago in Unbalanced
‘Stats-ing’ With Steve, Part II: Expected Goals, a Deeper Understanding of Shots
Folks, hello. Thefirst installment of this series involved Corsi, a proxy for puck possession measured by counting all shot attempts. The only problem with Corsi is that it treats every shot attempt as equal. It’s still an extremely useful tool and simple to understand, so it’s used often (it’s usually the first statistic I check when looking to find out about a team or player, for example). It just doesn’t always tell the whole story.
By Steve Smith8 years ago in Unbalanced
How Zeke and the Dallas Cowboys Rejuvenated the Running Back
The 2017 NFL Draft has come and gone. As the hot takes, analysis, opinions, trends, and everything else come in, the NFL football fan should have plenty to tide them over for about a month. As many look to the future and how their team performed in the draft, this seems like a perfect time to look back into the past.
By Kenneth Wilson8 years ago in Unbalanced
MVP So Far: Connor McDavid
We’ve reached the midway point of the NHL season, and there have been some great story lines so far. One of the most interesting has been the discussion surrounding who is most deserving of MVP consideration. As it stands, it seems there are at least two favorites. Even if some people don’t want to hear another option other than Sidney Crosby, the truth is that 20-year-old Connor McDavid is absolutely worthy of consideration.
By Kyle Vandenberg8 years ago in Unbalanced
The Brooklyn Nets Are the Bizarro Golden State Warriors
Brooklyn and the Bay Area, on the surface may not seem similar at all as cities. Brooklyn has the reputation for being tough and gritty. The Bay Area is home to free spirit San Francisco — a stronghold of free thinkers. The Bay Area is hilly, with ideal views by the water. In Brooklyn, a Navy Yard and several shipping areas line the flat geography along the coast.
By Charles Maniego8 years ago in Unbalanced
