"Is there any person on the team who can replace fallen star Jimmy Butler, who was lost for the season with a torn ACL on Monday evening? Of course not, as Butler's blend of savvy scoring, versatile defense and underrated playmaking make up a rare package few possess. The 36-year-old averaged 20 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists while guarding every position but center in 38 starts."
"After much discussion, Brad Pitt, the depicter of real A's general manager Billy Beane, poses the simple query: "What we might be able to do is recreate him - recreate him in the aggregate." Instead of asking one player to match a superstar's contribution, the A's asked several players to thrive at one particular aspect of the game, with their collective talents combining to produce similar numbers as Giambi."
"While Giambi left in the offseason as a free agent signing with the Yankees, Butler is a midseason loss to injury. That shortens the time the Warriors have to create and execute a plan, but it also shortens how long they have to cover for the loss. But though basketball and baseball are vastly different games, the Warriors might be able to execute some variation of that tactic on the court."
Jimmy Butler suffered a season-ending torn ACL after averaging 20 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists while guarding every position except center. The Warriors feature a deep 11-man rotation that could try to collectively replicate Butler's scoring, defense and playmaking instead of relying on a single replacement. The Moneyball idea of recreating a superstar in the aggregate suggests several players can specialize in aspects of the game to produce similar overall output. Butler's midseason injury shortens planning time but also limits how long the team must cover his absence. Jonathan Kuminga's knee and ankle status could affect that plan.
Read at The Mercury News
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