TP. Nice job. Original content.
- There is an outfit call Synergy Sports that provides the type of data you mentioned that I assume the Cs subscribe to (and a lot of media types appear to). They use to have a retail version that I subscribed to that had a scaled down version for consumers, but they discontinued that. Very useful and much better for defensive analysis than +/- stats. Each and every player and opposition possession accounted for and categorized by type of play (e.g, PnR, off the dribble, fast break, etc) and outcome and you could compare a player's performance to peers across the league.
- As for JS, KO, and TZ having value: Bigs take longer to develop but they are bigs, they are young, they are on rookie contracts, they all have upside, and they have years to go before they become UFAs. Every one of Danny bought/picked on the cheap. What's not to like from a GM's POV? You're not getting Anthony Davis where these guys were picked.
GMs apparently talk/text each other all the time and by reputation, "Trader" Danny's one of the most active GMs in the NBA and an opportunistic, value guy. If he is cocky as a GM in the trade market, it is because he has pulled off some remarkable deals. If you have had success doing something repeatedly, it breeds a lot of confidence. Think of the Patriots and the cap and Revis.
If you have enough interactions with the market, you can peg value pretty well. Think line makers, market makers, appraisers, etc. Danny knows what players are worth. CBlog posters do not. They do not have the same level of market access, information, and relevant experience.