Yardbarker: Josh Howard

Charting Assists for Chris Paul and Jason Kidd

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 20:10:17 -0500

The last time that I charted assists, 13 of the 16 assists that were officially credited to Chris Paul and Tony Parker fit the rulebook definition* of an assist. Chris Paul and Jason Kidd were officially credited with 23 assists in New Orleans' 102-92 home victory over Dallas on Sunday. Here is how I would have scored those 23 plays:

Chris Paul's 17 Assists

1: Peja Stojakovic jump shot, 11:11 1st q: Correct; this was a straightforward catch and shoot play.

2: Peja Stojakovic jump shot, 6:37 1st q: Correct; Stojakovic took one rhythm dribble before going straight into his shooting motion (by "rhythm dribble" I mean that the player dribbled the ball without actually significantly changing his position on the court, almost like a free throw shooter taking a dribble before shooting).

3: Melvin Ely dunk, 4:09 1st q: Correct; Paul's feed created the play.

4: David West jump shot, 3:26 1st q: Correct; this was a straightforward catch and shoot play.

5: James Posey layup, 2:31 1st q: Incorrect; Posey caught the ball on the right block, took two dribbles, made a spin move and did an up fake before making a short shot (and drawing a foul). Posey's one on one moves created the score, not Paul's simple entry pass.

6: David West jump shot, :40 1st q: Correct; this was a straightforward catch and shoot play.

7: Antonio Daniels jump shot, 7:50 2nd q: Correct; Daniels took one rhythm dribble but then went straight into his shooting motion.

8: Peja Stojakovic three pointer, 4:45 2nd q: Correct; this was a straightforward catch and shoot play.

9: Rasual Butler three pointer, 3:23 2nd q: Correct; this was a straightforward catch and shoot play.

10: Rasual Butler three pointer, 6:54 3rd q: Correct; this was a straightforward catch and shoot play.

11: David West layup, 6:22 3rd q: Correct; Paul's feed created the play.

12: David West jump shot, 5:50 3rd q: Correct; this was a straightforward catch and shoot play.

13: David West dunk, 2:16 3rd q: Correct; Paul's feed created the play.

14: David West jump shot, 1:42 3rd q: Correct; this was a straightforward catch and shoot play.

15: David West jump shot, 9:30 4th q: Correct; West took one rhythm dribble and then immediately shot the ball.

16: David West turnaround jump shot, 3:48 4th q: Incorrect; West caught the ball on the left block, backed down Brandon Bass with two dribbles and then shot a turnaround fadeaway jumper. What is the difference between this play and Kidd's sixth assist (see below)? I think that Kidd's sixth assist was borderline but I gave him the benefit of the doubt because Howard took one dribble that did not improve his position on the court and he went straight into his shooting motion; on this play, West not only took an extra dribble but on each of his dribbles he noticeably improved his post position, thus setting up his defender for the turnaround, fadeaway shot. It cannot be said that Paul's pass created this play.

17: Rasual Butler layup, 3:25 4th q: Correct; Paul's slick feed in traffic created the play. Butler also got fouled and made the free throw to put New Orleans up 91-86.

Jason Kidd's Six Assists

1: Dirk Nowitzki jump shot, 8:06 1st q: Correct; this was a straightforward catch and shoot play.

2: Jason Terry three pointer, 2:05 1st q: Correct; this was a straightforward catch and shoot play.

3: Dirk Nowitzki jump shot, 7:31 3rd q: Correct; this was a straightforward catch and shoot play.

4: Josh Howard jump shot, 6:33 3rd q: Incorrect; Howard received the ball in the midpost area, faced up Rasual Butler, jab stepped and then made the shot. Kidd had drifted away and was already spotting up on the other side of the court by the time that Howard made the shot.

5: Jason Terry jump shot, 1:54 3rd q: Correct; this was a straightforward catch and shoot play.

6: Josh Howard jump shot, :40 3rd q: Correct; Howard caught the ball on the right block with his back to the basket, took one quick rhythm dribble and shot a turnaround jumper over Paul. This was somewhat of a borderline play in the sense that Howard still had to make a move to score but I think that Kidd deserves the assist because Howard made an immediate reaction to shoot after catching the ball and did not change his position on the court with the one quick dribble.

Other Noteworthy Plays:

* At the 9:08 mark of the second quarter, Nowitzki passed to Howard, who took one dribble and made a tough floater in the lane; in previous games that I charted, Paul was incorrectly awarded an assist on similar plays but this time the correct ruling (no assist) was made.

* At the 8:52 mark of the third quarter, Nowitzki took two dribbles, spun, faked and then made a jumper after receiving a pass from Kidd; in previous games that I charted, Paul was incorrectly awarded an assist on similar plays but this time the correct ruling (no assist) was made.

* At the :33 mark of the third quarter, Paul passed to West, who took three dribbles and scored over Kidd with a nice one on one move; in previous games that I charted, Paul was incorrectly awarded an assist on similar plays but this time the correct ruling (no assist) was made.

Although it was not perfect, this was perhaps the "cleanest" game that I have charted not only in terms of the officially awarded assists matching the rulebook definition of an assist but also because the three plays listed above were scored correctly by not awarding assists. Hopefully, this is a sign of progress and not simply an aberration. Of course, getting things (mostly) right in this game does not address the fact that Paul's season and career totals still include the incorrect assists that I highlighted in previous posts in addition to his two gift assists today. Another cautionary note is that most of the passes that resulted in made baskets in this game were simple catch and shoot plays, while some passes that were followed by missed shots were on plays where assists would not have been merited had those shots connected; would the latter plays have been scored correctly had the shots been made? Hopefully, the three above examples indicate that perhaps the NBA is cleaning up some of the scorekeeping sloppiness that I have been documenting for nearly a year.

Overall, this is the sixth game during which I have charted Chris Paul's assists (including two games from last year's playoffs); in three of those games I also charted the assist totals for the starting point guard on the other team (Tony Parker twice, Jason Kidd today). Paul was officially credited with 72 assists in those games but only 57 of those assists fit the rulebook definition (and that includes some borderline plays). Parker officially had 11 assists but should only have been credited with eight, while five of Kidd's six assists were correct.

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*For those of you who have not read my previous posts on this subject and/or do not know what the rulebook definition of an assist is, here is a passage that was posted on NBA.com in 2002 (yes, that was seven years ago but the NBA has not announced any official changes in its scorekeeping procedures regarding assists since that time):

An assist is a pass that directly leads to a basket. This can be a pass to the low post that leads to a direct score, a long pass for a layup, a fast break pass to a teammate for a layup, and/or a pass that results in an open perimeter shot for a teammate. In basketball, an assist is awarded only if, in the judgement of the statistician, the last player's pass contributed directly to a made basket. An assist can be awarded for a basket scored after the ball has been dribbled if the player's pass led to the field goal being made.

The concluding words of my December 18, 2008 post on this subject are well worth repeating here:

The rule of thumb to keep in mind is that the pass is supposed to "directly" lead to a basket. Every fake, dribble and move that the recipient makes after getting the ball makes that "direct" connection more and more tenuous. If the recipient is running down court uncontested and his teammate passes him the ball, then the number of dribbles he takes is irrelevant: he is meeting no defensive resistance and he clearly would not have scored without receiving that pass--but if a player is running down court, receives a pass, does a crossover dribble to shake one defender and then twists and turns to lay the ball up over another defender, then the pass did not really "directly" lead to the score because the scorer did most of the work. If the scorer does most of the work then the passer should not receive credit for an assist.

Dallas Mavericks clinch Playoff Spot

Thu, 09 Apr 2009 13:25:10 -0500

A couple of days after pummeling the Phoenix Suns, the Dallas Mavericks clinched a playoff spot and beat the Utah Jazz. This Mavericks team seems to be clicking on all cylinders and the Dirk/Jason Terry is looking pretty dang remarkable again, like it used to. Josh Howard continues to step up in big games, and [...]

NBA highlights from April 5th

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 12:19:33 -0500

Here Are your NBA highlights from last night, April 5th. LeBron James and the Cavs were home against the Spurs. How would they do? Click on the video below to find out.Here Are Your Top Ten Plays!Check Out Your Top Play! Josh Howard Sinks it from 3/4 Court!

Idol Recap 3/3/09

Tue, 03 Mar 2009 22:35:55 -0500

Hi, I'm Josh Howard. I hate the National Anthem.
American Idol: 8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Maryland vs. #10 Wake Forest: 9:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Idol keeps conflicting with meaningful Terps games. Your regular Idol recapper is at Comcast Center and all his co-contributors are watching the game. By the time we DVR, the results show will be on. All we can say is we're rooting for our boy from Bowie but don't love his chances.

Look for us back immediately upon the resumption of live performances and voting. By that time there shouldn't be a conflict with meaningful Terp games.

The Top 5 NBA Little-Man Freak Shows Ever

Sat, 20 Dec 2008 12:40:19 -0500

As expected, inspite of Josh Howard's return, The Legend of Jose Juan Barea lives on. In the two games that Howard has been back from injury, Barea has still managed to play about 21 minutes a game - and has produced as a passer and rebounder, averaging 4.5 rebounds and 4 assists in limited minutes.Although it takes great guts and skill to create a niche for yourself as a little man in the NBA, because hoops junkies adore these diminutive guards so much, I have decided to coin The To...

Josh Howard Says He's Sorry For Slamming Star Spangled Banner

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:13:30 -0500

Josh Howard formally apologized for the viral video featuring the Mavericks star slamming the Star Spangled Banner. Concerning his anthem dissing, Josh responded, "That's not me. That's not Josh Howard. That was an idiot."

Patriots Legend Troy Brown to Retire Today

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 08:42:37 -0500

It looks like Troy Brown will be retiring after 15 seasons in the NFL. He holds the New England Patriots team record with 557 receptions. At a time when we have people like Josh Howard and Pacman Jones crushing the public opinion of sports stars, people like Brown should be applauded.

Cuban Posts Fans Responses On Blog

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 20:00:49 -0500

Dallas Mavericks Team Owner Mark Cuban said he felt sick to his stomach after posting fans negative comments concerning Dallas forward Josh Howard Friday. Cuban not only posted some e-mails questioning Howard's allegiance to the USA, but posted their e-mail addresses as well. The Dallas Morning News reported that many of the e-mails printed had some vitriolic racist language as well.

I Hate People

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 01:12:25 -0500

Josh Howard, blah blah blah. You don't need to hear me talk about it, when others have addressed it so eloquently. Still, I will

Josh Howard at it again.

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 13:05:19 -0500

At Allen Iverson's charity event in July, Dallas Mavericks forward Josh Howard disrespected the national anthem. His comments were captured on tape and have the all-star saying, "'The Star-Spangled Banner' is going on. I don't celebrate this [expletive]. I'm black." Howard also makes a hard-to-hear reference to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama....

In Defense of Josh Howard

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:39:46 -0500

My take on Josh Howard and his weed smoking....we got bigger issues to deal with.

Does Shaq Make Sense In Dallas?

Tue, 08 Jan 2008 21:35:14 -0500

Dallas needs a post player, and Miami might willing to part with Shaq for some bench players and expiring contracts... Terry, Diop, George, and Hassell to Miami Smush and Shaq to Dallas Miami's payroll drops, Diop and George are both expiring contracts, and Terry is a good compliment to D-Wade. Dallas gets a reliable post player that can play with Nowitzki and Josh Howard (who both command double teams). Shaq would have a field day. Dallas also would be a tougher match-up for Phoenix and San Antonio. The numbers work, what do you think???