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smtenaglia's review against another edition
4.0
“The careers of one of the NBA’s greatest classes of players, those who entered a man’s league directly from high school, are drawing to a close. Time caught them all. They had entered the NBA with nothing but bright futures ahead of them. Gravity eventually pulled their games back down to earth...They are forever linked with the few who took a big leap and fell short. Those are the names lost beyond serving as footnotes to a debate that has long passed them by. Time claimed them as well, although in a different manner. Their dreams of stardom, fame, and money have mostly faded. But their lives continue, those of onetime prodigies...”
sandin954's review against another edition
4.0
A well researched and written look at the group of young men who went directly to the NBA after high school and how they impacted the league. As someone who has always felt that the minimum age rule that the NBA now has is wrong, this book did reinforce my views but also presented the association's side.
kristi_starr35's review against another edition
4.0
*Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advanced copy to read and review.
With March Madness in full swing and the Final Four determined, I ask myself how any self-respecting basketball fan can not help but love college basketball. The domination, the Cinderellas, the emotion, the buzzer beaters. All of it. And for the past 10 years, American would-be NBA players have had to subject themselves to the roller coaster ride that is college basketball. For at least one year, that is. And every March/April we look at those seniors - Frank Kaminksy (2015), Perry Ellis and Buddy Hield (2016) - who have stuck it out for four seasons to take one last shot at winning it all.
Flashback to 1974. Moses Malone bypassed a college career with coach Lefty Driesell and would-be-teammate John Lucas at Maryland to enter the ranks of professional players. 1975 saw Darryl Dawkins and Bill Willoughby make the jump from high school straight to the NBA. Then ... no one.
The drought ended with a young Kevin Garnett, selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1995. Garnett, who became the first NBA player to have played in the league in his teens, 20s, 30s, and 40s (p. 280), reopened the door for top high school talent to consider the NBA as the next step. He was followed by standouts like Kobe Bryant, Jermaine O'Neal, Tracy McGrady, LeBron James, and Dwight Howard. But the blessing of the open door was also a curse.
Jonathan Abrams reviews the history of the prep-to-pro generation of players. That group contains can't-miss future Hall of Famers. But the story is full of busts. Taj McDavid. Al Harrington. Korleone Young. Leon Smith. There are the coaches - not just NBA, but high school and select teams - the camps, the agents, and the corporate wheeler-dealers. Some encouraged 18-year olds to make the jump. A few cautioned against. Everyone wanted something. The next Jordan! The next Garnett! The next Bryant or LeBron! Who wouldn't want to chase that dream?
This is also the story of David Stern and, later, Adam Silver. The current generation of one-and-done players owes their collegiate experience to them. Abrams introduces the reader to the players and pawns in the game. He presents both sides - exploitation of college students vs. the opportunity to learn and mature. The reader can make his/her own decision about whether the current NBA eligibility rules offer the best option for would-be players.
Whether it's March Madness or not, this a book that basketball fans won't want to miss.
With March Madness in full swing and the Final Four determined, I ask myself how any self-respecting basketball fan can not help but love college basketball. The domination, the Cinderellas, the emotion, the buzzer beaters. All of it. And for the past 10 years, American would-be NBA players have had to subject themselves to the roller coaster ride that is college basketball. For at least one year, that is. And every March/April we look at those seniors - Frank Kaminksy (2015), Perry Ellis and Buddy Hield (2016) - who have stuck it out for four seasons to take one last shot at winning it all.
Flashback to 1974. Moses Malone bypassed a college career with coach Lefty Driesell and would-be-teammate John Lucas at Maryland to enter the ranks of professional players. 1975 saw Darryl Dawkins and Bill Willoughby make the jump from high school straight to the NBA. Then ... no one.
The drought ended with a young Kevin Garnett, selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1995. Garnett, who became the first NBA player to have played in the league in his teens, 20s, 30s, and 40s (p. 280), reopened the door for top high school talent to consider the NBA as the next step. He was followed by standouts like Kobe Bryant, Jermaine O'Neal, Tracy McGrady, LeBron James, and Dwight Howard. But the blessing of the open door was also a curse.
Jonathan Abrams reviews the history of the prep-to-pro generation of players. That group contains can't-miss future Hall of Famers. But the story is full of busts. Taj McDavid. Al Harrington. Korleone Young. Leon Smith. There are the coaches - not just NBA, but high school and select teams - the camps, the agents, and the corporate wheeler-dealers. Some encouraged 18-year olds to make the jump. A few cautioned against. Everyone wanted something. The next Jordan! The next Garnett! The next Bryant or LeBron! Who wouldn't want to chase that dream?
This is also the story of David Stern and, later, Adam Silver. The current generation of one-and-done players owes their collegiate experience to them. Abrams introduces the reader to the players and pawns in the game. He presents both sides - exploitation of college students vs. the opportunity to learn and mature. The reader can make his/her own decision about whether the current NBA eligibility rules offer the best option for would-be players.
Whether it's March Madness or not, this a book that basketball fans won't want to miss.
kyleontheshore's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not the biggest nonfiction/sports reader but this was great.
bflores's review against another edition
2.0
Given the subject matter, this book should not be so boring. But it is. It is just one long statement of facts. No compelling storytelling. The author is a reporter, and he writes one long newspaper column here. And like a newspaper article, there is no flow.
atayebi's review against another edition
emotional
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Enjoyed this book on the prep to pro generation of NBA basketball stars.
Could tell this was well researched with countless sources and quotes throughout the book. Felt more personal hearing from so many entities that play a role in the league: coaches, executives, scouts, reporters and former players.
I really liked hearing of the stories of players in the league especially those that I had not heard of previously that had issues acclimating to the NBA lifestyle like Bill Willoughby and Lenny Cooke. Makes you appreciate those that could handle the pressure along with how far the league has come in helping the players reach their full potential and being a bit more understanding in a high pressure sport.
The draft story around Kobe was also very interesting and one I didn’t know involved John Calipiari when he was coaching the Nets.
Finally, I thought this book was well organized and a joy to read. Could’ve been a bit more detailed/intense but I liked the format and pacing really sucked me in. As a basketball fan, it was great to read a general book on the NBA not centered on a championship run or a specific team but the players. Interesting to think about the ripple effect of these draft picks and how they affected the age limit rule being imposed. KD would’ve definitely jumped straight to the NBA!
For comparison, I thought this book was much more enjoyable to read than Blood in the Garden.
Could tell this was well researched with countless sources and quotes throughout the book. Felt more personal hearing from so many entities that play a role in the league: coaches, executives, scouts, reporters and former players.
I really liked hearing of the stories of players in the league especially those that I had not heard of previously that had issues acclimating to the NBA lifestyle like Bill Willoughby and Lenny Cooke. Makes you appreciate those that could handle the pressure along with how far the league has come in helping the players reach their full potential and being a bit more understanding in a high pressure sport.
The draft story around Kobe was also very interesting and one I didn’t know involved John Calipiari when he was coaching the Nets.
Finally, I thought this book was well organized and a joy to read. Could’ve been a bit more detailed/intense but I liked the format and pacing really sucked me in. As a basketball fan, it was great to read a general book on the NBA not centered on a championship run or a specific team but the players. Interesting to think about the ripple effect of these draft picks and how they affected the age limit rule being imposed. KD would’ve definitely jumped straight to the NBA!
For comparison, I thought this book was much more enjoyable to read than Blood in the Garden.
blacksentai's review against another edition
1.0
So this books point is that if kids go to the NBA out of high school then people will try to exploit them at younger ages, ignoring entirely that the NCAA exploits them as well. The book only casually mentions how the sham of amateurism is the crux of the problem with young athletes. It focuses on every failed high school to nba prospect ignoring all the four year college players who failed and ended up in hard times. It never looks to the source of the problem, which is an unequal distribution of wealth, instead it says that kids should be forced to be exploited by larger and larger corporations in order to be deserving of a paycheck.
Right.
Right.
gstone899's review against another edition
4.0
I listen to the audio book and this is solid. I take a full star away from this book, that would have been a five-star, because the narrator does not know Sports and especially basketball whatsoever. The amount of names that he mispronounced was staggering. And the names, especially last names, where aren't even difficult to pronounce. I'm sorry but if I am an audiobook narrator and I don't know how to pronounce a name I'm going to ask somebody before I record. other than that it was a really good the book
joshurl's review against another edition
4.0
Jonathan Abrams shined a light on the Preps-to-Pros generation in the NBA and illuminated a point that most who criticize that generation have failed to grasp - The majority of players who jumped from high school to the NBA were more successful than the average NBA player in that time frame. Through the use of copious interviews (in one interview he said over 500) Abrams paints a picture on the stories of that generation of players including both the highs and the lows. It's a wonderful read on an interesting topic that I highly recommend to any basketball fan!