Author Message
basketballvalue
Joined: 07 Mar 2006
Posts: 208
PostPosted: Wed Mar 02, 2011 12:48 pm Post subject: Proposed open-source proj: Track the NBA's social network Reply with quote
Hey everyone,
SSAC usually energizes everyone to put more time in on APBRMetrics, and I'm often asked for ideas people can work on. Here's an idea I've had kicking around in my head, if people are interested it's something we might want to pursue.
The basic idea is to create a database/site that tracks all the people in the NBA and how they're connected. We often hear relationships matter, and many of the relationships are well-known and can be deduced from media guides and other public info (coaches, players, scouts, front offices,....). Similar to LinkedIn, Facebook, and also political donor tracking sites (e.g. http://unfluence.primate.net/unfluence. ... eMin=10000), this would track who knows who and how they know them. Including agents, college coaches, and I'm sure many others could also be valuable. It's not exactly APBRMetrics, but it could be handy in potentially undertstanding the context of hiring decisions (e.g. Monty Williams and Dell Demps were teammates in '95-'96), front office moves (a player just traded wasn't drafted by the current front office), and more.
I think it's an interesting topic, but I certainly don't have the time to take this on myself. Maybe Justin and b-r.com should do it as it could fit in nicely there. However, if people are interested in doing this collaboratively as an open-source project, maybe we should. I could help out a little in getting it started in that scenario.
Maybe it's just a discussion topic for the hallways of SSAC this week, but I thought I'd throw it out there and see what people think.
Thanks,
Aaron
_________________
http://www.basketballvalue.com
Follow on Twitter
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
acollard
Joined: 22 Sep 2010
Posts: 56
Location: MA
PostPosted: Wed Mar 02, 2011 1:14 pm Post subject: Reply with quote
Brainstorming types of people, linkages:
Player, Coach, Agent, GM, Scout, Writer.
Obviously representing same team would be one link. Would Olympic teammates be linked? What about siblings (lopez twins) or in-laws (Mike Bibby and Eddie House)?
Players/ Coaches would be relatively easy, because databases exist. Front office/scouting/media members would be much harder to do.
Using network diagrams you could visualize this linkage. I'm not sure size variance could be used, perhaps based on years of data? Suggesting longtime players, coaches, GMs and a combination are more important.
The nodes (dots) could be color coded by position type, with dots either mixed colors or split in half (not sure if possible in R or other program). e.g. if red was player and blue was coach, purple would be player/coach.
Vertices could be color coded based on type of connection. Either a mix in color of the two types of nodes, or differently color coded based on linkage relationship. sporting (on court), professional (off court but BB related), or personal(friend or family)
Just some ideas. Again, data for non-players would be the hardest.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
horsecow
Joined: 01 Dec 2009
Posts: 12
Location: Iowa City, IA
PostPosted: Wed Mar 02, 2011 1:55 pm Post subject: Reply with quote
This is a fascinating idea. I'm particularly struck by how the early history of basketball's development on the east coast (mainly New York City and Philadelphia) continues to make its presence felt in basketball today. Just to take one example:
Frank McGuire, born in NYC, 1914, coached:
* Larry Brown, born in Brooklyn, 1940
* Donnie Walsh, born in NYC, 1941
* Doug Moe, born in NYC, 1938
* Bobby Cremins, born in The Bronx, 1947
* Mike Dunleavy, Sr., born in Brooklyn, 1954
That's a pretty good list of VIPs in basketball coaching/front office work, even today (more so 20 years ago). I imagine if you could map how basketball coaching developed, there would be several geographic wellsprings (Kansas, New York, Philadelphia, Indiana), then all kinds of intertwining as streams mixed and diverged (e.g., how Dean Smith played for Phog Allen [Kansas] but then coached with Frank McGuire [NYC]). Now it's all pretty mixed up, but it's still amazing how often you'll hear a New York/Philly accent coming out of a coach or commentator's mouth.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Ed Küpfer
Joined: 30 Dec 2004
Posts: 785
Location: Toronto
PostPosted: Wed Mar 02, 2011 5:20 pm Post subject: Re: Proposed open-source proj: Track the NBA's social networ Reply with quote
basketballvalue wrote:
The basic idea is to create a database/site that tracks all the people in the NBA and how they're connected.
This is such a great idea.
That I won't be able to contribute to.
_________________
ed
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
schtevie
Joined: 18 Apr 2005
Posts: 408
PostPosted: Wed Mar 02, 2011 5:32 pm Post subject: Reply with quote
Oh, you already have. It will be called: Six Degrees of Ed Küpfer.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Chilltown
Joined: 16 Apr 2010
Posts: 15
Location: Boston
PostPosted: Thu Mar 03, 2011 1:44 am Post subject: Reply with quote
My friend at the Harvard Sports Analysis Collective has done this already for all NBA players. We will write about this more in the coming weeks, but here is the link to the site (sneak preview I guess):
https://www.hcs.harvard.edu/pallas/resu ... vin+Durant
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
basketballvalue
Joined: 07 Mar 2006
Posts: 208
PostPosted: Thu Mar 03, 2011 5:06 pm Post subject: Reply with quote
Chilltown wrote:
My friend at the Harvard Sports Analysis Collective has done this already for all NBA players. We will write about this more in the coming weeks, but here is the link to the site (sneak preview I guess):
https://www.hcs.harvard.edu/pallas/resu ... vin+Durant
That seems like a great start, but I'm thinking of something more encompassing in that it covers everyone surrounding the league, not just players (as I said, coaches, agents, scouts, owners, front office,team mds,....). Also, per the comments above, I would definitely think links from events such as National teams would be included, as well as college and why not AAU or other levels. Also, I guess I was thinking of a more flexible interface, among the many things you might want to see would be all the current players Kareem is only one degree of separation from.
I do think if a student group such as the HSAC wants to spearhead it, that's a natural way to make this happen. I'd be happy to chat a little with any interested folks.
_________________
http://www.basketballvalue.com
Follow on Twitter
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Chilltown
Joined: 16 Apr 2010
Posts: 15
Location: Boston
PostPosted: Thu Mar 03, 2011 8:55 pm Post subject: Reply with quote
No, you are exactly right. I didn't intend this as "hey look, we've done it already," but rather as "we've made a small dent."