Warm & Fuzzy With Math

Armed with spreadsheets and dizzying formulas with names such as WINVAL, ProductivityValue and Player Efficiency Rating, some very smart people are trying to measure an individual's contributions in a complex team game.

``We absolutely take this very seriously,'' said Pete D'Alessandro, the Warriors' director of basketball operations. ``If you're not doing this, you're probably not keeping up. I can't imagine a team out there that at least isn't paying attention to it.''

Some franchises are adding front-office evaluators who know far more about snapping pencils than breaking ankles. The Houston Rockets' general manager in waiting, Daryl Morey, is a graduate of MIT's Sloan School of Management who has no coaching, playing or scouting experience.