Layups: The NBA in 86
Posted by Neil Paine on September 11, 2009
This is apparently an old blog that hasn't been updated in quite a while, but when it was active it ran for a few years... A guy named John Marzan took the time to type in many of the player comments from the old Zander Hollander 1986 Complete Handbook of Pro Basketball. If you're an eighties-era NBA head (which I expect almost all of you are), odds are you read the Hollander books back in the day, and even if not, these are fun scouting blurbs to look back on.
September 11th, 2009 at 7:45 am
Awesome. Reading Hollander again makes me wish he still made such reports. I also read the 1998 handbook, which I believe is the last one made, and twelve years later, I still find myself referring to in my mind. Is there any internet equivalent?
September 11th, 2009 at 9:14 am
John Hollinger's reports at ESPN are basically the modern equivalent, mixing humor with serious analysis. In fact, from an objective standpoint Hollinger's stuff blows anything Hollander did out of the water, but for nostalgia's sake we all still look back fondly on those Hollander Handbooks.
September 11th, 2009 at 9:30 am
Great find, Neil! Love the notes on Buck Williams. That was back when the term "Power Forward" meant "interior bruiser who gets all over the boards" and had no real expectation of major point production.
September 11th, 2009 at 11:23 am
Some things never change.
In the report about Jerry Reynolds: "[Reynolds] certainly got the cold shoulder from Don Nelson, who hardly ever uses rookies very much."
September 11th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
I used to love reading those books before the season started and then rereading them again after the season. I think I had something like 1989-1998. Unfortunately one of the many things lost in Hurricane Rita including every Slam Magazine from Issue 1 to whatever they where up to in 2005, every Calvin and Hobbes book put out, and every Hoops Basketball card from 1989-1995.
September 11th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Man, sorry to hear that, Trev. It really sucks that you lost all that cool stuff.
September 11th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
It's alright, I'm slowly replacing it by going on eBay and buying a box of cards occasionally and it's actually pretty fun opening those packs and reliving that part of my life. Also I'm seeing where you can buy the Hollander books used pretty cheap online and my wife got me this http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Calvin-Hobbes-v/dp/0740748475 chunk of awesomeness last Christmas so that took care of that.