19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
First Rate Sports Journalism, August 29, 2002
This review is from: The Jordan Rules (Mass Market Paperback)
With "The Jordan Rules," Sam Smith proves why he is one of the very best sportswriters in America. The book follows Jordan and the Bulls during their first championship season (1990-1991), before Jordan established himself as the most successful NBA player (in terms of championships) since Bill Russell. What is largely forgotten today is that in his first six years in the NBA was thought of as a selfish ballplayer who would never win a championship because he was not a "team player." Enter coach Phil Jackson, who in his first year would manage to convince his star player that in order for his team to win the championship, he would need to rely more on his teammates.
Great sports books are usually the case of the right writer (Smith in this case) being in a position to cover the right story at just the right time (Jon Krakauer's "Into Thin Air" is another example). That is certainly the case here. As a sports reporter for The Chicago Tribune, Smith had plenty of access to the team during that first championship run, and he interviewed all of the principals extensively. Fortunately, Smith pulls no punches. The book's title refers to the preferential treatment afforded to Jordan that was a constant source of irritation to his teammmates. Then-Bulls Center Bill Cartwright, for example, is memorably qoted as saying that Jordan is, "Maybe the greatest athelete ever to play any sport...He's just not a basketball player."
Overall, "The Jordan Rules" is that rare sports book that transcends the particular sport it covers and can be enjoyed by any sports fan.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still a masterpiece long after its publication., May 9, 2007
This review is from: The Jordan Rules (Mass Market Paperback)
This is one of the great books that I had a hard time putting down. Sam Smith plays with our intrigue and wins out, enticing us to keep reading as we ask, "Did Isaiah Thomas really say that?" or "How did the Bulls stand together when at least half the team was demanding trades in 1991?"
We see them as if we were a part of the team.
*Hopson weeping after the 1991 title due to a fleeting feeling of comradely.
* Michael Jordan's off-the-court feud with Isaiah Thomas.
*Pippen demanding to be traded due to contract negotiations.
* Jerry "Crums" Krause being ridiculed publicly by Jordan and his brown-nosing cronies.
* Alliances forged through empathetic teammates who viewed the team's other pockets of faction with distrusting, and sometimes vengeful eyes.
* Cliff Levingston's constant butt-kissing of "His Airness".
* Horace Grant physically standing up to Jordan in practice and bragging about it later.
* Scottie Pippen's inward fear of Dennis Rodman.
* Phil Jackson's craving to buy a gun after a private meeting with a then-psychotic Scott Williams.
* The Pistons' mental control of B.J. Armstrong, Scottie Pippen, and others.
* Stacey King and Michael Jordan's verbal wars.
* Literal fist fights between certain players in practice.
* Jordan's constant campaign to assume control of the team's decision-making processes and how Phil Jackson combated his egocentric, and often enigmatic star.
A priviledged look into the makings of one of sports' greatest teams ever, and a eye-opening look into the makings of sports' greatest hero.
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Inside Jordan & The Bulls, February 23, 2001
This review is from: The Jordan Rules (Mass Market Paperback)
Michael Jordan has transcended from the ranks of a mere athlete to a cultural icon. Between the shoes and clothing line, all the commercials, the image, the accolades, the title of ultimate champion, one can sometimes forget that before he won his first title in 1991, people viewed Mr. Jordan in a different light. He was looked at a tremendous scorer, but not a winner. People questioned whether he would tone down his scoring and become more of a team player in order to breakthrough and win a title. The name of the book comes from the Detroit Piston's rules against playing Jordan. Sam Smith was a beat reporter for the Bulls and his insights into the innerworkings of the team during their first title run in 1990-91 are revealing and entertaining. Though his views of Mr. Jordan sometimes cast him in a less than favorable light (in reading the book you get the feeling that Mr. Smith is not a big Jordan fan), what he does show is that Mr. Jordan had an intense desire to be the best at everything he does. It is this intensity that made him the greatest ever. Every fan of Michael Jordan or fan of the game of basketball should read this book as it is an interesting chapter in the career of the best ever to lace up the sneakers.
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