Johnny Carver, the man that will change the NBA

Johnny Carver was born into a basketball family. His father and his older brother both played division 1 basketball. So naturally Johnny would follow in their footsteps. He played all throughout high school but in his senior year something changed. When playing basketball Johnny would struggle with stamina and often felt fatigued. He wouldn't be able to exert the same amount of energy that other players would; he later found out he suffered from a severe muscle disease called ulcerative colitis which ended his basketball career.

 

Johnny was determined to stay connected to the game he loved and had a deep passion for. He stayed close to the game by covering basketball for the high school newspaper. This lead to him and his brother writing a book where they developed an algorithm in ranking the greatest NBA players of all time. Hours and hours, months and months of work lead to them finding the correct and most efficient way to rank them using 19 different statistical and analytical categories.

 

The book, Ranketology,  was edited by his grandfather who was an author of two books in the 1980's. It's always a great resource to have when you're grandfather is a published author. During the process of completing the book, Johnny was able to email Dallas Maverick's owner Mark Cuban. He gave Johnny great advice on how to self publish the book in order to keep full control of the book and profits.

 

Johnny is a freshman at Sam M. Walton College of Business. Here he has really found both himself and a mentor in the assistant director Renee Clay. It's always a blessing when you find someone to guide you through your journey. Johnny has since sent his book and resume out to a few NBA teams in hopes of landing a job in the Analytics department, which is a definite possibility.

 

NBA legend, former Boston Celtic and now President of the Indiana Pacers basketball operations, Larry Bird, loved the booked and set up a meeting between Johnny and the Pacers organization. Other NBA teams have also reached out to him like the Clippers, Spurs and Thunder.

My personal preference is that Johnny can land a position with my favorite team, the Lakers. We all know they could use help from a great basketball mind like Johnny Carver's. His book is quickly catching the eye of NBA executives and basketball lovers everywhere.  Ranketology is available for purchase on Amazon and soon to be in Barnes and Nobles book stores. Best of luck to Johnny from me, #BlueCollarSports and page2sports.com.

#BlueCollarSports Podcast Show 24 featuring Johnny Carver

This week we interview Johnny Carver, the author of the book Ranketology. In this book Johnny developed an algorithm that ranks the greatest NBA players of all time using 19 different statistical categories. Listen to our interview by clicking the link below..

https://soundcloud.com/bluecollarsportspodcast/blue-collar-sports-show-24

Lakers, who's staying and who's going?

The hardest part for fans is to understand the business side of basketball. Throughout the season fans fall in love with the players on the roster and the guys they see play every night. Every game we are cheering and hoping that the players do well and improve. Fans also fall in love and appreciate the players stories of how they arrived with the Lakers. This is also part of the reason why its tough for fans to say goodbye to certain players. But this year they're going to have to do just that.

 

I'm also a victim of falling in love with players on the Lakers. I wish these guys could be more successful on the court together but I'm well aware of what an NBA team needs to succeed at a high level. At this point there are four to five players on the current roster worth keeping while moving forward. Clearly Kobe Bryant is at the top of the list. He's in the final year of his contract, even though I feel he'll play another year after the 2016 season. Aside from Kobe we have to start with Julius Randle, the Lakers top 1st round draft pick in the 2014 draft. I believe he'll believe an all star and one of the focal points of the team. As well as Lakers 2nd draft pick and diamond in the rough, Jordan Clarkson. I have no doubt he'll be a star in this league. Lastly, the 6th man scoring punch off the bench and spark plug Nick Young. Hopefully this off season he can work primarily on his defense while adding weapons to his offensive arsenal.

 

I am a legitimate fan of a few other players on the Lakers. Players like Jordan Hill, Ed Davis and Wayne Ellington. I think Jordan Hill could be a top 10 center in the league if he improves more defensively and is put into the right situation. His production at $9 million per year is a good deal. Davis is cost effective. He's solid defensively but struggles offensively and from the free throw line. Wayne Ellington is a good spot up shooter who has improved his offensive game all around. He too would be a good pick up but ultimately would either take playing time away from Clarkson or he wouldn't get very much playing time at all.

 

I know other guys like Robert Sacre, Ryan Kelly and Tarik Black have become fan favorites but I feel they have run their course on the team. Sacre and Kelly specifically have had enough time to prove themselves but it looks like they've pretty much reached their potential. Tarik Black is another version of Ed Davis but cheaper financially. Fans might wonder about the future of Jeremy Lin and Carlos Boozer with the Lakers; they should know it was only a one year rental.

 

I look forward to seeing the Lakers rebuild next year with $30 million in cap space and building with Kobe, Clarkson, Randle and Young. Key free agents in the off season is a must and likely they will be here for next season. Hopefully they can put together a roster intriguing enough for big time free agents like Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love to come to the Lakers.

Why Jordan Clarkson belongs on the Rookie 1st Team

Jordan Clarkson has turned out to be a great 2nd round pick. Fans and analysts knew Clarkson was long, fast and athletic but no one expected him to be able to score at this rate and play with such poise. For most of the season Clarkson had very limited playing time, mostly garbage time minutes. So far this season he's averaging 10.8 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds per game. Since he was placed into the starting line up he's really played well and his numbers have improved.

March was great a month for Jordan Clarkson. In that month he averaged 16 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds per game; not to mention improving his PER to 2nd in the league at 15.98 amongst all rookies. His play has been so well that he's even surprised Head Coach Byron Scott and earned a spot in the Lakers future plans. At this point he's leaving his imprint all over the game; each team has been in for quite a surprise. There is no doubt in my mind he's been the best rookie since the beginning of March which is why he was named Rookie of the Month.

The 2014 draft was one of the most talented drafts in recent years. The names in that draft were expected to be franchise changers. Despite that Clarkson has out played nearly every rookie in this draft with the exception of Andrew Wiggins who is probably going to be the Rookie of the Year. Let's take a look at his numbers for a second. Wiggins is averaging 16.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game on the year. If we put his numbers up against Clarkson's, who can only be judged since he was given the starting point guard position in these last 20+ games, Clarkson would have the better stat line. This is another reason why Clarkson is a top rookie talent and deserves a spot on that Rookie 1st Team.

Clarkson's ceiling is very high and he is improving each game. He's well on his way to be a future All Star and focal point of the Lakers moving forward. Hopefully his journey continues with a spot on that Rookie 1st Team, which he's clearly earned after he was named Rookie of the Month. Clarkson has started making a name for himself and is forcing you to pay attention to his game. Let's hope Kobe has recognized his game as well and is willing to transition Clarkson into one of the faces of the franchise after he retires.

#BlueCollarSports Podcast Show 21

All new #BlueCollarSports Podcast... This week we have on our own MMA Analyst. We also dive into the NCAA Tournament, Lakers/Clippers and MLB opening day. Click the link below..

https://soundcloud.com/bluecollarsportspodcast/blue-collar-sports-show-21