“I’ll repeat what I said before about this job,” says Russell. “The best player I’ve got is me.”
Author Archives: bobkuska
Bill Russell’s Biggest Challenge, 1967
The success or failure achieved by Russell, his team, and the NBA in picking their precarious way along that path will, justifiably or not, affect the future ambitions and lifetime careers of Black athletes in baseball, football—indeed, in all sports.
Charles Barkley’s Bitter End, 1986
The loud, proud burghers of Milwaukee streamed out of the stands to gather behind Barkley and blister his ears until Maurice Cheeks came back to lead him to quiet, if not necessarily peace.
Coach Pat Riley: Satin Steel, 1995
Unlike Riley’s Hollywood, show-business Lakers, the Knicks are just plain business, more closely resembling the stock exchange and Wall Street.
Willis Reed: Managing The Knicks’ Special Agony, 1978
Just as he did as a player, Reed threw himself wholeheartedly into the job.
The Imminent Decline and Fall of the New York Knicks, 1975
Basketball may be the No. 1 sport in New York, but the Knicks no longer will be kings of the NBA.
The Last Hurrah for Dave DeBusschere, 1974
If you had to describe in one sentence the way DeBusschere plays, it would be this: He plays like a man trying to bring on a coronary.
The First and Final Year of Bill Bradley, 1973
It isn’t easy to strip away the superlatives, to assess Bill Bradley calmly, to look at both the veteran pro and the rookie pol.
The NBA’s Five Toughest Arenas, 1975
Despite the inexorable march of progress, some places in the league are still tougher to play in than others.
Joe Lapchick: Down Memory Lane, 1969
There is no bitterness in the man because he played in a time when the game was not appreciated, and the rewards were relatively few.
From Way Downtown 