Pro Basketball Prospectus: 2003 EDITION (Pro Basketball Forecast) [Paperback]

John Hollinger (Author)

Book Description

Series: Pro Basketball Forecast | Publication Date: October 21, 2003

Hoops fans want to know more than just who won the game. They want to know the hows and whys and the reasons and statistics to back up their knowledge. Sure, like all fans they're opinionated-but they want to have reasoned opinions and engaging insights. Thanks to PRO BASKETBALL PROSPECTUS, they can have all that and more. Where other basketball annuals simply reflect statistics back to the reader like a mirror, John Hollinger in PRO BASKETBALL PROSPECTUS instead treats statistics with an x-ray machine. He shows how you can break down statistics to try to determine the root cause of a problem as well as how you can combine certain statistics for an overall view of a player or team. He doesn't just tell you who is good or bad; he gives you a new way to appreciate every player's skills and weaknesses. In last year's edition, Hollinger discussed the many facets of quality defense and examined who was the best rebounder of all time. This year, Hollinger gives you an in-depth look at rookies and how they develop-or sometimes don't. Every basketball fan will gain incredible new insights into the game with PRO BASKETBALL PROSPECTUS.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Includes in-depth analysis of every team and all of today’s players

About the Author

John Hollinger authored the 2004-05 Pro Basketball Forecast and the 2002-03 and 2003-04 editions of the Pro Basketball Prospectus, with his work garnering rave reviews from publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Toronto Star, and Salon.com. Hollinger writes for ESPN.com as one of its NBA Insiders, and also inks regular basketball columns for the New York Sun. Since 1996, he's spearheaded a more analytical approach to pro basketball from his Web site, Alleyoop.com. Hollinger lives in Atlanta.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Potomac Books; F edition (October 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157488655X
• ISBN-13: 978-1574886559
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #293,450 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #25 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Basketball > Professional
  • #88 in Books > Education & Reference > Almanacs & Yearbooks > Yearbooks & Annuals

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fan-tastic, November 8, 2003

By 

John Budd (Dallas,TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pro Basketball Prospectus: 2003 EDITION (Pro Basketball Forecast) (Paperback)

This is an amazing work. As a long-time reader of Bill James and the "Baseball Prospectus" staff, I had my doubts as to whether a similar statistical approach would work when applied to basketball. John Hollinger, though, allays those fears.

Hollinger has developed several statistics that illuminate the game, including Player Efficiency Rating (PER), which is a stat taking into account most of the ways a player can influence the game. PER seems to me to be on par with OPS or TPR (similar baseball stats) in assessing player performance. This is truly groundbreaking work.

Moreover, Hollinger shares with Bill James an ability to write. His essays on each team are informative, entertaining, and on-the-money, as are his player comments. I would recommend this book equally to an NBA fan and to the "Baseball Abstract"/"Baseball Prospectus" fan willing to cross over (dribble) to the NBA.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Martin Taragano's Basketball Book Reviews, August 30, 2004

By 

martin taragano "martin taragano II" (usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pro Basketball Prospectus: 2003 EDITION (Pro Basketball Forecast) (Paperback)

After pouring over Pro Basketball Prospectus last winter, this volume has become as popular on my bookshelf as any in my sports library. The content focuses on both team & player critical analysis and lively dissection of the "why's" or "why-nots" of a player's or team's success in the NBA. It's much more than a mere statistical overview howevere; rather the content explores and evaluates the strengths and weaknesses and overall outlook of the forthcoming NBA season vis-a-vis its 29 team rosters. Fans wil enjoy the individual player profiles and analysis, somewhat reminiscent of the old Dave Heeren basketball season annuals -- but more in-depth here in PBP, 2003-2004. Moreover, while the book remains on the short side(barely popping over 300 pages) for most can't-get-enough NBA fans, PBP is nonetheless a book full of fascinating overall information. Its content also features evocative insights on players and teams in strong sports prose. The spareness of each volume of this annual perhaps is what keeps many readers flocking back; that and what Hollinger has to say and analyze about each new NBA season. But for one to hector over such a trivial aspect of the book is not fair. In a word, PBP(last year's version anyway) is a much better choice for NBA Lovers than scanning any online database's impalpable access. A tangible reference such as this by your side feels like a comforting friend with inside-out knowledge & expertise on the NBA. Highly didactic in tone from an NBA guru, but well worth The Learn!