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Cover Design Tricks
One of the most helpful articles I’ve read about designing a book cover — something sorta salient to me at the moment. If you’re publishing a book, check out this piece by Derek Murphy. This piece by...
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Should Wall Be Part of National Team?
USA Basketball’s 28-man player pool for international tournaments in 2014 and 2016 got leaked to ESPN yesterday. Wizards fans were pleased to see the name of Bradley Beal on the “newcomers” list, but...
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Washington Wizards: Total Mediocrity
Ask a Wizards fan to describe the team, and odds are he’d say the starters are pretty good, but the bench is awful. And he’d probably take a shot at Randy Wittman’s coaching — something Wittman would...
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Washington Wizards 2013-14 Wrap-Up
Marcin Gortat honored to hear he led the Wizards in PPA last season. In the relentless quest to keep First Draft on the vanguard of current events, I’m going to post my final regular season grades for...
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Wizards Update: Just the Numbers
No time today, so straight to the numbers. Well, sorta. Could we please stop imagining that Kevin Seraphin is a good or even useful NBA player? This is probably as good a defense of Seraphin as could...
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NBA Playoffs: PPA Update Through Round Two
Just numbers because…no time. This update includes all playoff games through the completion of round two. Player Production Average (PPA) is an overall rating stat I developed that credits players for...
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A First Look at the Wizards Trade for Morris
In a trade deadline deal, the Washington Wizards acquired power forward Markieff Morris from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for power forward Kris Humphries, forward/center DeJuan Blair, and a first...
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A Bit More on the Trade for Markieff Morris
In talking with fans, I’ve pulled up all kinds of information about Markieff Morris. Here are a few observations that came mostly from examining the claims made by folks who support the acquisition:...
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Wizards Turn To Plan B
After spending two years carefully clearing cap space for an offseason in which nearly half the league would be able to have room to add a maximum salary free agency, the Washington Wizards top free...
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Wizards Remain Mediocre and Will Miss Playoffs for Second Straight Season
Yeah, I know the season is underway. Many teams have three games in the books; the Spurs already have four. This still serves as my Wizards preview, because while I’ve watched their first two contests...
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Wizards Stagger Continues
No time for major analysis the next couple weeks, but…here’s the Player Production Average update. It’s not pretty. Player GMS MPG LW PPA Otto Porter 12 35.3 173 177 John Wall 10 33.1 168 167 Marcin...
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Wizards Roll With NBA’s Worst Bench
Wizards bench. With an average starting unit and the NBA’s worst bench, the Wizards are lurching toward an inevitable appointment with the 2017 draft lottery — assuming team president Ernie Grunfeld...
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Interesting Stuff I Read Today, 12/3/18
This idea popped into my head while I was on a long drive around Thanksgiving. I spend a lot of time reading each day, and some of it is pretty interesting. So, I’m going to endeavor each day to post...
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When A Newspaper Editorial Board Doesn’t Understand the First Amendment
The Kansas City Star editorial board published an editorial that suggests a fundamental misunderstanding of what the First Amendment does and doesn’t do. Here’s the lede: “Here’s a brief refresher...
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Washington Wizards 2013-14 Wrap-Up
Marcin Gortat honored to hear he led the Wizards in PPA last season. In the relentless quest to keep First Draft on the vanguard of current events, I’m going to post my final regular season grades for...
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