7 Seconds or less

So I will be heading to the book store shortly looking for a book titled "Nothing else matters" by Michael Leahy. It tells about Michael Jordan and his time with the Washington Wizards. I have two 23 jerseys in my closet, got the second one because the first was too small, so you can say I was a big Jordan fan when I was younger. In my prized dvd collection is the "ultimate Jordan" dvd which has 5 full videos like "Come fly with me" and "Playground" as well as 5 complete games including 97 Jazz vs Bulls game 5 (Jordan with the flu game) as well as 1990 Cavs vs Bulls (Jordan scores 69 points). Now you would think I would avoid any negative stories in regards to MJ like the older "Jordan Rules" book, which I did end up reading and while it did give me a new perspective on the guy, it did not change my admiration for him. When you are young, you put the heros on a pedestal and it really can be heart breaking when they are knocked off. So even though his character was exposed in a negative light, I just kinda ignored it. But I am not young anymore with little need for a hero in the same sense as before. I still have my Jordan jersey and the DVD and will hopefully keep things like that for a very very long time. But I can now also enjoy hearing about the tough times he might have had in his career and find that interesting as well. And let's be honest, everyone considers the shot against Utah in 98 for his sixth title as his last shot ever. We kinda just ignore the whole Washington Wizards phase of his career. More like a tribute tour then a legit entry to his legacy. And of course, as the brain behind the scenes, it was as tough as it gets as well. His second run with Charlotte might be different (if they make the playoffs everyone will be happy, but the only way a GM is somewhat successful is making the team a legit contender IMO) but the first go around was anything but a success. And I would like to learn more about that. Hear exactly what mistakes he made beside the obvious ones like taking Kwame Brown first or just stepping back on the court and blowing dunks. We have seen quite a few former players taking the big role behind the scene and it looks like maybe it takes more then successfully playing the game to be successful in running a team. Larry Bird and Isiah Thomas are both just as weak as Jordan was with Washington. So anyhow, I am rooting for Jordan to lead Charlotte to big things, just like I rooted for him for many many years when he was on the court, but I am also looking forward to understanding the flaws of the man as well.




So the title of this blog entry says 7 Seconds or less, and the reason being it is the name of a book that came out last year called "7 Seconds or less: My season on the bench with the running and gunning Phoenix Suns". A great book about the behind the scenes action from the Amare injuried season. And I am not talking about a book full of fluff like hearing Kobe discuss how he did not have an issue with Shaq. I am talking about a book from an impartial party giving all the info, good and bad about one of the more exciting NBA teams in the league. The insecurity of Shawn Marion, and leadership of Steve Nash and the problems with ego with Amare Stoudemire. In fact, Amare I am sure will not have the kindest words for Jack McCallum (the author) after reading this book. It also talks about Bryan Colangelo's move to the Raptors (not nearly in enough detail though) as well as spending a great deal in time discussing everything possibly about the 7 game Lakers/Suns series from 2 years ago. Information about the players, but also the game itself, the preperation the coaches go through and strategy and so forth. Just an excellent read that had me wanting more. And now when I watch the Suns play, I can see a whole new side to the game. I can watch the reaction of Marion and Nash and Amare and Raja Bell and can get a better idea what they are thinking based on this book. I do recommend it to any basketball fan. I hope that the Jordan book as just as insightful and I also hope to see more books like this in the future. The Raptors don't have the drama, but I would love to learn about the behind the scenes info on the team, just to get that closer connection over all to the franchise.