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Chasing Perfection: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the High-Stakes Game of Creating an NBA Champion
Basketball team building is the ultimate challenge at the NBA level and the last few years have seen a massive change in the amount of money, technology, and approaches to finding and evaluating players. This process starts at the high school level, goes through college, and culminates in the NBA, where the ability to identify and cultivate talent is at an absolute premium. Media and fans like to talk about "busts" when a player doesn't work out, but in truth, it takes a complete team/franchise culture beyond any evaluation system to ensure the greatest chance of player success.

Spanning the entire amateur and pro basketball landscape and using the 2014-2015 NBA season as a prism to a much larger story, Chasing Perfection is a fascinating, all-access spin through the inner workings of the smartest minds at every level of the game. It is about the ongoing, relentless, high-stakes quest to find what national sports writer Andy Glockner calls "Perfected Players" and what ultimately happens to them at the highest (pro) level. Every team knows they want to find the next Jordan or LeBron. Rather, the resources teams are pouring into various kinds of research and analysis is intended to turn less expensive, supporting players into crucial extra wins and, hopefully, championships. Chasing Perfection explores those players who, by the end of their run through high school and college and into the NBA, hit as many qualitative and quantitative predictors of future success as possible. Molded and then unearthed by years-long processes, they theoretically should be very strong contributors, but there are a ton of external factors that can affect individual success. Sometimes, though, they bomb, and the stories of why they do are as interesting and illustrative as those who actually succeed. Maybe more so.

Chasing Perfection will generate a lot of conversation, as fans of both basketball and Moneyball-style performance analytics, people in the industry, and fans/outsiders will then discuss further and expand their understanding and approaches. It answers questions such as: How do the San Antonio Spurs continue to get enormous production above normal from their complementary rotation players? What is behind the quite rise of the Atlanta Hawks? What is philosophy behind the so-called "tanking" employed by the Philadelphia 76ers? Where do Perfected players come from? How are NBA teams using Big Data? Who are the top 10 current Perfected Players and the most Perfected Player?
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Chasing Perfection: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the High-Stakes Game of Creating an NBA Champion
Basketball team building is the ultimate challenge at the NBA level and the last few years have seen a massive change in the amount of money, technology, and approaches to finding and evaluating players. This process starts at the high school level, goes through college, and culminates in the NBA, where the ability to identify and cultivate talent is at an absolute premium. Media and fans like to talk about "busts" when a player doesn't work out, but in truth, it takes a complete team/franchise culture beyond any evaluation system to ensure the greatest chance of player success.

Spanning the entire amateur and pro basketball landscape and using the 2014-2015 NBA season as a prism to a much larger story, Chasing Perfection is a fascinating, all-access spin through the inner workings of the smartest minds at every level of the game. It is about the ongoing, relentless, high-stakes quest to find what national sports writer Andy Glockner calls "Perfected Players" and what ultimately happens to them at the highest (pro) level. Every team knows they want to find the next Jordan or LeBron. Rather, the resources teams are pouring into various kinds of research and analysis is intended to turn less expensive, supporting players into crucial extra wins and, hopefully, championships. Chasing Perfection explores those players who, by the end of their run through high school and college and into the NBA, hit as many qualitative and quantitative predictors of future success as possible. Molded and then unearthed by years-long processes, they theoretically should be very strong contributors, but there are a ton of external factors that can affect individual success. Sometimes, though, they bomb, and the stories of why they do are as interesting and illustrative as those who actually succeed. Maybe more so.

Chasing Perfection will generate a lot of conversation, as fans of both basketball and Moneyball-style performance analytics, people in the industry, and fans/outsiders will then discuss further and expand their understanding and approaches. It answers questions such as: How do the San Antonio Spurs continue to get enormous production above normal from their complementary rotation players? What is behind the quite rise of the Atlanta Hawks? What is philosophy behind the so-called "tanking" employed by the Philadelphia 76ers? Where do Perfected players come from? How are NBA teams using Big Data? Who are the top 10 current Perfected Players and the most Perfected Player?
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Chasing Perfection: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the High-Stakes Game of Creating an NBA Champion

Chasing Perfection: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the High-Stakes Game of Creating an NBA Champion

by Andy Glockner

Narrated by Graham Corrigan

Unabridged — 7 hours, 36 minutes

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Chasing Perfection: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the High-Stakes Game of Creating an NBA Champion
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Chasing Perfection: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the High-Stakes Game of Creating an NBA Champion

Chasing Perfection: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the High-Stakes Game of Creating an NBA Champion

by Andy Glockner

Narrated by Graham Corrigan

Unabridged — 7 hours, 36 minutes

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Overview

Basketball team building is the ultimate challenge at the NBA level and the last few years have seen a massive change in the amount of money, technology, and approaches to finding and evaluating players. This process starts at the high school level, goes through college, and culminates in the NBA, where the ability to identify and cultivate talent is at an absolute premium. Media and fans like to talk about "busts" when a player doesn't work out, but in truth, it takes a complete team/franchise culture beyond any evaluation system to ensure the greatest chance of player success.

Spanning the entire amateur and pro basketball landscape and using the 2014-2015 NBA season as a prism to a much larger story, Chasing Perfection is a fascinating, all-access spin through the inner workings of the smartest minds at every level of the game. It is about the ongoing, relentless, high-stakes quest to find what national sports writer Andy Glockner calls "Perfected Players" and what ultimately happens to them at the highest (pro) level. Every team knows they want to find the next Jordan or LeBron. Rather, the resources teams are pouring into various kinds of research and analysis is intended to turn less expensive, supporting players into crucial extra wins and, hopefully, championships. Chasing Perfection explores those players who, by the end of their run through high school and college and into the NBA, hit as many qualitative and quantitative predictors of future success as possible. Molded and then unearthed by years-long processes, they theoretically should be very strong contributors, but there are a ton of external factors that can affect individual success. Sometimes, though, they bomb, and the stories of why they do are as interesting and illustrative as those who actually succeed. Maybe more so.

Chasing Perfection will generate a lot of conversation, as fans of both basketball and Moneyball-style performance analytics, people in the industry, and fans/outsiders will then discuss further and expand their understanding and approaches. It answers questions such as: How do the San Antonio Spurs continue to get enormous production above normal from their complementary rotation players? What is behind the quite rise of the Atlanta Hawks? What is philosophy behind the so-called "tanking" employed by the Philadelphia 76ers? Where do Perfected players come from? How are NBA teams using Big Data? Who are the top 10 current Perfected Players and the most Perfected Player?

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher


Praise for Chasing Perfection

Jay Bilas, ESPN basketball analyst and author of Toughness
"Every player hears about working and playing hard, but the game is rewarding those that work and play smart. Chasing Perfection is a terrific look at how every level of the game, from high school to the pros, is taking advantage of cutting-edge technology and new strategies to find and develop better players, teams, and game plans."

Fran Fraschilla, ESPN basketball analyst and former head coach at Manhattan, St. John's, and New Mexico
"Andy Glockner takes you on a fascinating and entertaining look inside the world of basketball analytics. Whether you are 'old school' or 'new school', you will know a lot more about the game of basketball than you did before."

Doug Gottlieb, host of The Doug Gottlieb Show on CBS Sports Network
"If you love basketball and you love learning about how basketball is evolving, this is the book for you. Throwing around the term 'analytics' sounds cool, but what if you really knew how math and science are playing roles in perfecting the game? Chasing Perfection nails this, in depth and in timely fashion."

Library Journal, 3/1/16
“[A] balanced account…Highly recommended for NBA junkies who scour box scores.”

Booklist, 3/15/16
“Solid, and just in time for this year’s playoffs.”

Washington Post, 3/20/16
“[A] revealing…look into the world of advanced analytics, training technologies, roster management and peak fitness strategies for professional and collegiate basketball.”

Signature, 3/22/16
“As Michael Lewis did with baseball in Moneyball, sportswriter Glocker shows how scrutiny of seemingly obscure performance stats drives everything from predicting how much a young player will improve to improving a three-point shooter’s accuracy in the NBA with Chasing Perfection.”

BBallBreakdown.com, 3/23/16
“Chasing Perfection will not only show how analytics become so popular in basketball, but will take you through how organizations use all forms of advanced metrics to construct their roster in the best possible way. The book is perfect for both analytic novices and those that have stats.nba.com as their homepage…After reading this, you will know doubt have a better appreciation for how off the court information is translated to on court success.”

The Bookworm Sez, 6/2/16
“Perfect for hardcore hoopsters.

Library Journal

03/01/2016
Why do the Houston Rockets take so many three-point shots? How did the Phoenix Suns resurrect Grant Hill's injury-plagued career? Sportswriter Glockner answers these questions as he examines the way in which analytics are revolutionizing basketball, focusing on the 2014–15 NBA season. Teams are embracing technology in order to build "perfect" players and win championships. Court cameras allow teams to track player movement to help improve offensive and defensive sets, yet there is no singular stratagem to championship success as illustrated by the four 2015 conference finalists. The Houston Rockets relied on superstar James Harden, while the Atlanta Hawks have succeeded with a "no-star system." As players' salaries steadily increase, analytics play a pivotal role in sports medicine as teams seek to maximize players' performance while avoiding injuries. The three-point sharpshooter Kyle Korver, whom Glockner calls the "most perfected" player, benefited from motion capture technology and new training regimens to enhance his strength and shooting mechanics. Glockner's balanced account also notes limitations, such as when coaches or players refuse to buy into the idea of analytics. VERDICT Highly recommended for NBA junkies who scour box scores.

Product Details

BN ID: 2940173484345
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Publication date: 03/14/2017
Edition description: Unabridged
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