Triple-double index rating and classification system

Description

The applicant claims priority to provisional patent application No. 60/634,947 as filed Dec. 10, 2004 and titled, “Triple double index basketball rating and classification system”.

The present invention relates generally to methods and systems for rating and classifying players of a game. The methods and systems described herein may be particularly suited for the game of basketball, but is intended to be applicable to players of any game, to provide a rating and classification for a players or a team that sorts them by a single ranking, quotient and classification regardless of position, generation or duration of play.

The game of basketball has a continually expanding roster. As the roster of teams and players expands, it is useful to compare past and present players. Conventional ratings and classification systems are often based on secondary criteria and lack a clear method of interpretation. Also, many methods are based upon complicated mathematical formulas, which are not easily comprehended by the average sports fan and commentator. Another problem with prior art methods of rating players is that they provide a poor frame of reference by vague or undiversified brackets, as well as values that are not transferable across distinctions of position and era of play. Also, because of their complexity they are difficult to apply over brief durations such as game by game or quarter by quarter. Another problem is that they lack the descriptive quality of graphics, symbol or other accompaniment for practical accessibility and appeal.

Examples of prior art methods of rating players includes the approximate value index, the efficiency index and the euroleague index rating.

The approximate value index is credits^(3/4)/21. The term credit is the sum of points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks minus field goals missed, free throws missed and turnovers. The efficiency index is (((points+rebounds+steals+assists+blocks)−((field goals attempted−field goals made)+(free throws attempted−free throws made)+turnovers))/games). The euroleague index rating=(points+assists+rebounds+blocks+steals+fouls drawn+free throws made+field goals made+3 point field goals made−turnovers−blocks against−fouls−free throws attempted−field goals attempted−3 point field goals attempted).

While such prior art methods provide a rating for player, such methods do not provide an improved, integrated and summary evaluation of players regardless of their position, generation, or duration of play. Also, they fail to provide a representative formula with well defined bracket plateaus or boundaries for grouping players and teams. Also, there has been a long felt need within the art to provide well proportioned numerical values that are transferable across distinctions such as position, generation and duration of play. One example may be that they do not encompass play prior to 1973 because criteria such as steals and blocks were not recorded prior to 1973.

Accordingly, the present invention provides methods and systems to evaluate players and teams accurately, summarily, comparatively, diversely, objectively and graphically.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to methods and systems for evaluating players and teams.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a method of rating and classifying players of a game, the method comprising the steps of: evaluating a players rebounding proficiency to provide a rebounds per game for a player; evaluating a players shooting proficiency to provide a points per game for a player; evaluating a players passing proficiency to provide assists per game for a player; summing the points per game, the assists per game and rebounds per game for the player to provide a triple double rating; and providing a grouping according to the triple double rating to provide a triple double index.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of rating and classifying players of a game is disclosed, the method comprising the steps of: evaluating a players rebounding proficiency to provide a rebounds per game for a player; evaluating a players shooting proficiency to provide a points per game for a player; evaluating a players passing proficiency to provide assists per game for a player; summing the points per game, the assists per game and the rebounds per game for the player to provide a triple double rating; providing a grouping according to the triple double rating to provide a triple double index; and dividing the triple double rating by a minutes value to provide a secondary sum.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a method of rating and classifying players of a game is provided, the method comprising the steps of: evaluating a players rebounding proficiency to provide a rebounds per game for a player; evaluating a players shooting proficiency to provide a points per game for a player; evaluating a players passing proficiency to provide assists per game for a player; summing the points per game, the assists per game and the rebounds per game for the player to provide a triple double rating; providing a grouping according to the triple double rating to provide a triple double index; providing a graphic according to the triple double index for the player; providing a descriptive according to the triple double index for the player; dividing the triple double rating by a minutes value to provide a secondary sum.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts the present invention;

FIG. 2 depicts the present invention;

FIG. 3 depicts the present invention; and

FIG. 4 depicts the present invention.

DETAILED DESRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

According to the present invention, as depicted in FIG. 1, a method of rating and classifying players of a game is provided, the method comprising the steps of: evaluating a players rebounding proficiency to provide a rebounds per game for a player (14); evaluating a players shooting proficiency to provide a points per game for a player (10); evaluating a players passing proficiency to provide assists per game for a player (12); summing the points per game (10), assists per game (12) and rebounds per game (14) for the player to provide a triple double rating (16); and providing a grouping (18) according to the triple double rating to provide a triple double index.

FIG. 2 depicts a list of players according to their triple double rating (50) and secondary sum (52). The secondary sum (52) is arrived at by dividing the triple double rating by the number of minutes played. As shown, the higher the triple double rating, the better rated the player. For example, Wilt Chamberlain has the highest triple double rating of 57.4 and the highest secondary sum of 1.25.

As shown in FIGS. 3-4, the method may further comprising the step of: providing a graphic according to the triple double index for the player. The graphic may be a letter (as shown A, A+, B, B+, C, C+, D, D+), word (bad, average, good, great), stars (*, **, ***, ****) or any other graphic. There may also be step of: providing a descriptive according to the triple double index for the player. As shown in FIG. 3, the descriptive is bad, average, good and great. The descriptive may or may not be according to a grouping. For example, here the descriptive great is according to the grouping of a triple double rating between 30 and 40. There may also be a graphic according to the grouping. As shown, the graphic **** corresponds to great and a triple double rating between 30 and 40. The method may further comprise the step of: providing a symbol according to the triple double index for the player. FIG. 4 depicts symbols according to the present invention. As shown, 58 may indicate “did not play”,/(60) and may indicate a triple double rating less than 10, V (62) may be between 14 and 10, X (64) may be between 15 and 19, O (66) may be a triple double rating between 20 and 24, Δ (68) may be a triple double rating between 25 and 29, □ (70) may be a triple double rating between 30 and 34, ⋄ (72) may be may be a triple double rating between 35 and 39, and the star (74) may be anything over 40, etc. It is envisioned that the triple double index and the triple double rating may be displayed on a statboard. Also, the graphic, descriptive, grouping and symbols may be displayed on a statboard. FIG. 2, for example., could represent a statboard showing the triple double rating and the secondary sum.

The grouping may be a numeric bracket (80, 82, 84 and 86). As shown, the grouping for the triple double rating between 0 and 10, may correspond to the “bad”, D−>D+, and *. The method may further comprise the step of dividing the triple double rating by a minutes value to provide a secondary sum. The triple double index may be displayed on a statboard. The triple double rating may also be displayed on a statboard. The secondary sum may also be displayed on a statboard.

It should be understood that the foregoing relates to preferred embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.