Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 3, 1994 TAG: 9403270158
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: F-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: REVIEWED BY: JOHN A. MONTGOMERY
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Any worthy overview of professional basketball history should include many contributions from the Lakers. In fact, there are a sufficient number of Lakers contributions to fill their own book.
The game's greatest periods are associated with names from the Minneapolis/Los Angeles franchise: George Mikan. Elgin Baylor. Jerry West. Wilt Chamberlain. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Pat Riley. Magic Johnson. Could any other NBA team - could all of them combined - offer a stronger all-time team?
One of the NBA's most controversial moments is associated with the Lakers as well: who can think of Magic Johnson and not be reminded of his dramatic 1991 announcement that he had tested HIV-positive?
In "The Lakers: A Basketball Journey," former Roanoke Times & World-News reporter Roland Lazenby carefully traces the five-decade history of this storied team, from the early years through "Showtime." He provides a detailed analysis of Magic's revelation, his retirement, and his subsequently aborted comeback attempt.
Lazenby opens his saga in a hotel lobby in Hawaii, 1992. "Basketball is a game of lobbies," he writes. "Fans, former players, broadcasters, writers, analysts, young statisticians, old coaches, equipment salesmen - they all find their way to the bar stools and couches, where they kibitz until the wee hours, replaying games, advancing and testing theorems, trading tales and gossip, talking hoops.
"They smoke; they drink; they dream; they commune with the great basketball spirits. And I am one of them, a deep sub on life's all-lobby team."
With this work, Lazenby may just have improved his position on the bench.
Interweaving eras, Lazenby presents a fascinating account of a squad that has changed cities, owners, players and coaches, but has always retained a high profile among Hollywood celebrities, and consequently, the American public. Easterners are seldom privvy to West Coast box scores; our exposure to the Lakers generally has been superficial, limited to the playoffs or an occasional Sunday afternoon televised game against the Celtics or the Bulls.
In this, his 25th sports book, Lazenby adequately satisfies our fill. Once again, he's done his homework. He conducted interviews with 75 subjects - ranging from Bob Cousy to Jerry Tarkanian - and cites 41 periodicals and 45 books as sources of background information.
The result is highly entertaining.
Fresh anecdotes abound, often revealing complex idiosyncrasies in a short exchange. We learn of former Lakers owner Jack Kent Cooke's abrasive, exacting personality in a meeting with then-assistant coach Bill Bertka at Cooke's home. Cooke asked Bertka if he wanted a cup of coffee.
"That would be nice," Bertka said.
"Bill," Cooke said, "I didn't ask you if it would be nice. Do you want a cup of coffee?"
In recounting the barhopping antics of "Hot Rod" Hundley, the first pick of the 1958 NBA draft, Lazenby chooses this gem:
"One Friday night in St. Louis, [Lakers owner] Bob Short saw Hundley standing in front of the team's hotel waiting for a cab to take him off to another good time. Knowing that the Lakers had a game the next afternoon and that Hundley needed his rest, Short tried to get the player to stay in his room. `Hey, you guys go on up to your room,' Short said. `I'll send a woman up. You can take care of your business and then go on to bed and get some rest for tomorrow.'
'Bob, you know I don't work that way,' Hundley said, draping his arm around Short's shoulder. 'The thrill is in the chase, baby."'
Lazenby offers an appropriate sampling of on-court action, but what sets the book apart are the nuggets of information that his thorough research has uncovered: Cooke "hates" the color purple, and insisted his team color be identified as "Forum Blue;" Lakers legendary broadcaster Chick Hearn has missed just two games in three-plus decades, although he is now "pushing 80;" the Lakers' record-setting 33-game win-streak started the day Baylor announced his retirement.
Many of the sport's most revered names receive some Lazenby elbows in the back. Adolph Rupp and Red Auerbach, basketball's all-time winningest coaches in the college and professional ranks, respectively, are only mentioned in disparaging terms.
And is it just me or do the Boston Celtics emerge as unwarranted villains? We get an overabundance of whining about Auerbach turning up the heat in the Lakers' locker room in Boston; Kevin McHale clotheslining Kurt Rambis; M. L. Carr howling from the bench and causing James Worthy to miss a critical free throw. We read that Larry Bird won three consecutive regular-season Most Valuable Player awards (1984-86), but that Magic deserved them.
In fact, one of the biggest criticisms is that the book centers too much on Magic, and not enough on the other Lakers stars and supporting cast. We could argue that Jabbar and West, in particular, made a longer and more significant impact on the Lakers program than did Johnson.
We're led to believe that it was Magic who raised the level of Jabbar's play to another tier, and that West wishes he were Magic or Pat Riley.
Another complaint is the presentation. Lazenby toys with the chronology, interspersing chapters from the past and present. This is a valiant effort to maintain some suspense, but unless you have a thorough understanding of the characters beforehand, and even if you do, this style can be downright confusing.
Otherwise, there's no denying that the book is well-written.
Sixteen pages of photographs (eight black and white, eight color) are featured, including three shots from Roanoke native Scott Cunningham. And before you ask, there is a picture of Lakers superfan Jack Nicholson, seated courtside.
John A. Montgomery is a contributing writer to this newspaper.
by CNB