OK, we're going to try something different this time around.  This is going to be a test post.  I'm converting all of our stat info over to easy-to-use Excel sheets that you guys can monkey around with and run all sorts of cool charts.

I'm attaching an Excel sheet to this post that has totals, per game, 36 minute, and advanced raw data on it.  Let me know if anyone has any trouble accessing the data.

Wolves 2009

While we're at it, let's take a look at a few of the charts I've attached to the spreadsheet (below the fold):

This little doozy is an attempt to measure broad impact (mostly offensive) on a game.  I included a broad efficiency rating (PER), points, rebounds, free throws, and usage. I wanted to know who was efficient, how much they scored, how many rebounds they pulled down, and how many possessions they ate up doing these things.  I think it's pretty self-explanatory. 

This chart is an attempt to give a visual representation to a player's defensive impact.  It measures defensive win shares, fouls, blocks, steals, and rebounds.  I should mention right now that this is one of those times where I really, really, really wish I had access to something like Synergy Sports.  These numbers really need to be weighted in order to give you a more accurate representation of any given player's worth on the defensive side of the court.  Simply using fouls and defensive rebounds doesn't really cut it.  I'd also like to run these numbers across the NBA as a whole.

As another quick side note, please start keeping track of how well Randy Foye does compared to Mike Miller.  This could end up being an important theme moving forward.

This is my favorite chart.  It's called Possessiony Goodness.  I took a bunch of possession-related numbers and ran an area graph showing which players do the most on a per-possession basis.  It is a pretty handy chart for making broad generalizations about this, that, or the other player. 

For instance, Bobby Brown is terrible.  Rodney Carney isn't nearly as good as we'd like to imagine him being.  Randy Foye is a very mixed bag of goods.  Mark Madsen doesn't belong on an NBA court.  Shaddy was a waste of Foye+ talent.  Kevin Ollie is nothing without free throws.  Mike Miller and Craig Smith performed at decent replacement levels (with Smith being the more Foye-esque up-and-down type of performer).  Sheldon Williams played some pretty decent ball down the stretch. 

This is one graph I'd really like to flesh out with more situational stats and deeper analysis.  Until more data points become available to the public, this is what we'll have to deal with. 

Anywho, I thought these three graphs offer a decent picture of which Wolves did what this year and which ones had the most impact.  Right now, it's pretty hard to walk away with the idea that this thing isn't simply a two man team of the Bigs: Al and Piranha.

In the coming days I'll post a few more of the charts that are attached to the Excel sheet.  Feel free to make your own and post them in the comments or in a Fan Shot.  If you have an interesting way of looking at the data, please let us know. 

Until later.