My Favorite NBA Analysts——Bill Simmons

When I think of Bill Simmons, I think of two things, the city of Boston and NBA Basketball.  His “Book of Basketball” is not only required reading for anyone who wants to write about basketball at 25TwoFour, but is also enormous in its detail and scope.  It is a testament to his knowledge – past and present – and his ability to make sound arguments in historical context without succumbing to present-event bias. His ESPN articles masterfully blend the pop cultural and the detailed statistics; he has a powerful insight into players’ hearts and natures that make his analysis not only interesting but also piercing.

But you have to watch out. – he’s got some major idiosyncratic biases.  I’ve got a buddy that lives in Boston who says Simmons’ “metaphysical” arguments about heart, clutch, intangibles are a load of crap.  Whether it’s crap or not is for you to decide. Nevertheless, it adds up to a bunch of biases that extend beyond his obvious Boston bias because which is easy to detect.  Consider a statement made in his book about Vince Carter: he openly admits that he shafts Carter for the length of his book.  Simmons has certain players (McGrady, Carter, sometimes Rasheed Wallace) that he particularly targets, so I find that it’s important to temper what I read from Simmons.