Killing Internet Boredom with Basketball

 Around this time last year, we had a lot to debate and discuss as far as what was going on last season. Their were big time FA maneuvers, some interesting trades and the summer leagues were fast approaching. However, this board has become pretty dan stagnant and desperate since the lockout started. Yes, we know you are antsy and bored, but why not put it to better use than just whining about how scared you are that the lockout will suck up the season? Why not use this to maybe make yourself better aware of future and upcoming basketball talent? It is called research, and while it may be boring, a lot of people on here are good at it, and when it has to do with basketball, they are all up for it.

Here are some links that I hope many of you use often, and are very often the source of stories on here. ESPN.com goes without saying, but getting ALL of your info from one source is usually a pretty bad idea. Believe me, ESPN tends to get info and stories from the sites I will list. ESPN is a fine sports resource, but it and SLAMOnline are just starters.

My top link for statistical history or obtaining NBA players from past and present’s statistics would be:

http://www.basketball-reference.com

It has a lot of resources, it has where players are from, lists of who was born or went to school where, and it even has a fairly interesting concept in the "ELO rater". The rankings are not perfect, but it lets you compare players while give you a solid basis for doing so. Hope you guys knew about it, if not, CHECK IT OUT.

Another one I think we are all aware of as a news wire resource is:

http://www.realgm.com

This used to be the cool site you would use to check trades and make mock drafts. They kind of let that aspect slide, but they usually have pretty up to date news and also sometimes have interesting articles.

For salary cap info, I usually use:

http://www.hoopshype.com

I like the way they organize it and the time line shown by team. You get a real idea of what people are making and who is in what type of salary state. I do not use it for much more, but I really like the Salaries feature.

For funny, and sometimes definitely relevant news, this guy puts in A LOT of work:

http://www.shamsports.com

This guy will tell you about obscure players you are wondering about and certain contract situations, he works hard and is also good for a few laughs.

For Recruiting info, these are the sights I tend to check out:

ESPN Insider Recruiting

Scout.com (am not an insider)

Rivals.com (am not an insider)

247sports.com (am not an insider)

maxpreps.com (am not an insider)

and of course the obscure sights you get when you type in a players name to Google (also a resource many of you should use)

For European Prospects, these are two commonly used sites with solid info:

http://www.eurohopes.com

http://www.europeanprospects.com

They have rankings and info you might not otherwise get.

Well, I am sure I left some out, I apologize for any major ones. If you want to scout REALLY young prospects, MiddleSchoolElite.com has lists up to 4th grade, but I think that is a tad, uh, ridiculous. HoopScoop is a sight very similar, and Clark Francis is a big time name dropper, but provides very little basketball insight. Still, they probably have some names of young players who might stick around. Canadian Basketball sites I could suggest are:

http://www.northpolehoops.com

http://www.flagrantfouls.com

http://www.crownmagonline.com

(They are all becoming pay sites, and I have yet to subscribe to any)

Of course, two other places you can check out are TrueHoop on ESPN and Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo, who usually have some decent content and links. I have never figured out synergysports as of yet, and think it is mainly a pay site, but I definitely do not subscribe. 82games.com is a site with a lot of statistical breakdown, though they do not have the video aspect. Also, several team websites are still giving out constant info, like 8 points 9 seconds (which is under the supervision of a long time poster, who has contributed to ESPN.com’s 5 on 5 segments). 

Finally, my ultimate suggestion would be to go out and shoot some hoops! It is summer, and the odds are you are not missing much. You can learn and basically go through summer school, or you could use this time to let the owners and players hopefully get their act together, while you work on your game. Your left hand sucks, your shot needs work and you have no concept of post play! Sound familiar? Well, it is really all of us, lol. 

Also, if anyone wants to post links I left out that can help for research and educational purposes, feel free to post them. I hope mine were either redundant to what you already knew, or in some cases, maybe give you some new resources. Please do not use this as a spam to your more than likely Minnesota based sports site.