I just got done reading a fascintating NYT article by Michael Lewis on the use of statistical analysis in NBA Basketball. Lewis primarily focuses on the Houston Rockets' Shane Battier, who produces average stats in the scoring, assists and rebounding department. And yet, when Battier plays, the Rockets tend to win far more than they do when he has missed games due to injury. If Battier is so average, how can this be?

One interesting statistic that Lewis covers is called "plus-minus," which is basically what happens to a team's score when the player in the game. If a player is a "plus-minus" 3, it means that his team is averaging 3 more points per game then the opposing team when the player is on the floor. An superstar like the Celtic's Kevin Garnett might average about a 10. League MVP Steve Nash once had about a "plus-minus" of about 14 in his best year. What is the very average Shane Battier's "plus-minus?" It's been up to 10, but on average it's been 6, which turns out to be about the same as all-stars like Vince Carter and Carmelo Anthony. So, if you are playing "Moneyball," and you have to choose between a Vince Carter and a Shane Battier? You go with "average" Battier, of course, and save yourself millions of dollars in player salary. It's a great read!

Lewis, by the way, writes about other aspects of sports... if you have never read Moneyball, or the raised-by-wolves football book "The Blind Side," add them to your GoodReads list!