Who is your favorite NBA writer?

[D-Rose]

I don't mean reporter per se, but more so someone that is either an author or an online writer.

Mine probably has to be Zach Lowe. He's over at Grantland in case some didn't know. Read his stuff and you will become a basketball genius. I once read someone calling him a 5 tool writer...perfect description. He integrates the x's and o's with the more casual understanding as well.

I enjoy Woj's pieces from time to time. Lee Jenkins at SI is a good story teller.

Any others?

[SOD 21]

Zach Lowe is my favorite basketball writer as well because he is very well thought out, provides a lot of detailed analysis and I find him very objective.

[RedBlackAttack]

Definitely Zach Lowe and no one else is close. There are a lot of "insider" guys who are good for breaking news on signings, trades, draft picks, etc. like Woj, but when it comes to complete breakdowns of the games and understanding the concepts, tendencies and strategies, there is Lowe and then everyone else.

[LoneyROY7]

Gotta go with Brian Windhorst.

Dude's piece on LeBron's memory and his incessantly churning mind was awe-inspiring to say the least.

[PJR]

Zach Lowe for national guys. Locally(Miami), I like Ethan Skolnick.

[kshutts1]

Zach Lowe clearly has an understanding of the game, but I find his writing to be too similar to a text book. I want entertainment from my reading, and that's why I choose Simmons.

[Denitron]

Lowe and Simmons

:bowdown:

[Smook A.]

Zach Lowe. Like RBA said, Lowe has a lot of knowledge for the game and that's what makes him my favorite NBA writer.

[navy]

Chris Broussard

[RedBlackAttack]

I personally think Windhorst has gotten a little overrated in the last few years. He is good for information on LeBron and that is pretty much it. He's a one-trick pony and even that has gotten shaky recently. He went out on a limb during the season and said LeBron wouldn't even consider coming back to Cleveland unless we first traded Kyrie Irving.

It was an odd statement and I'm sure he figured he had nothing to worry about because James was probably going to re-sign in Miami, but he put himself out there and really got burned. He seems to have an issue with Kyrie for whatever reason.

When it comes to breaking down the games, understanding how the cap works and general basketball and NBA knowledge, I've found Windy is sorely lacking, especially when compared to a guy like Lowe.

Locally, Jason Lloyd does good work for the Akron Beacon Journal.

[Levity]

Give me Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, all day, every day

He write so good.

[LoneyROY7]

I personally think Windhorst has gotten a little overrated in the last few years. He is good for information on LeBron and that is pretty much it. He's a one-trick pony and even that has gotten shaky recently. He went out on a limb during the season and said LeBron wouldn't even consider coming back to Cleveland unless we first traded Kyrie Irving.

It was an odd statement and I'm sure he figured he had nothing to worry about because James was probably going to re-sign in Miami, but he put himself out there and really got burned. He seems to have an issue with Kyrie for whatever reason.

When it comes to breaking down the games, understanding how the cap works and general basketball and NBA knowledge, I've found Windy is sorely lacking, especially when compared to a guy like Lowe.

Locally, Jason Lloyd does good work for the Akron Beacon Journal.

I was kidding man. :lol

[SHAQisGOAT]

Yea Zach Lowe is a good choice.

Bill Simmons pours out a bit too much bullshit, a bit too much fallacies, a bit too much ignorance... for my taste (not saying he has little knowledge, or something like that, though).

[RedBlackAttack]

I was kidding man. :lol
Oh. Lol. Has it gotten that bad for old Windy? :oldlol:

[GODbe]

TWITTERbe :pimp:

[Heavincent]

Oh. Lol. Has it gotten that bad for old Windy? :oldlol:

Yeah. People have been clowning on him throughout the offseason for his creepy Lebron stalking and weird quotes like "my mom taught Lebron sex education".

[Jailblazers7]

Yeah, I think Lowe and Simmons are my favorites. Lowe is fantastic at breaking down statistics, tendencies, etc and adds a little personality in as a writer. Simmons ties in pop culture references, strong opinions, random anecdotes, and overall kid-in-a-sandbox attitude makes his stuff a lot of fun to read.

[RedBlackAttack]

Yeah. People have been clowning on him throughout the offseason for his creepy Lebron stalking and weird quotes like "my mom taught Lebron sex education".
I stopped reading his stuff years ago unless it is Cavs related. Didn't realize he had gone that far with his personal savior. He has all the reason in the world to be in love with James. Before LeBron came along, he was just an obscure sports writer for a medium sized newspaper in Akron.

[D-Rose]

Simmons is a hard one to judge. He's for sure a much better writer than a TV personality.

He does have some great stories to tell and he's a true historian of the game...he def lacks in x and o of the game, but that's not his style anyway. Overall, I do enjoy his writing but sometimes it's an article about Lebron that's 80% about a Larry Bird story...and that's annoying.

[ralph_i_el]

Zach Lowe is a bball writing god. I've learned so much

[RoseCity07]

David Halberstam. He died 8 years ago. He wrote the best Jordan book ever. You will get a deep understanding of what it was like to be on the Chicago Bulls during the Jordan era.

[Thorpesaurous]

David Halberstam. He died 8 years ago. He wrote the best Jordan book ever. You will get a deep understanding of what it was like to be on the Chicago Bulls during the Jordan era.


He also wrote The Breaks of the Game, probably the best basketball book ever.

John Feinstien wrote The Last Dance, all behind the scenes stories from The Final Four.
Let Me Tell You a Story, a collection of Red Aurbach interviews that's one of my favorite reads ever.
The Punch, another great read about the Rudy T / Kermit Washington incedent.
The Last Amatuers which follows a season of basketball in The Patriot League, or the little Ivy as it's sometimes called, a conference that doesn't offer any athletic scholarships. I haven't read it, but it's supposedly great.
A March to Madness, that follows the 96-97 ACC, including Dean Smith's last season (a team that I have a special fondness for).
Forever's Team That followed the late 70's Duke teams.
And his famous A Season On The Brink that followed Bobby Knight's Hoosiers for a year.

Now that's a resume'.

Woj wrote A Miracle at St. Anthony's, one of my favorite books ever in the genre.


I am a total Grantland desciple. I have all the same nits to pick with Simmons as everyone else, but I still love his work. He's smart. He's funny. He gives a shit. He has a sense of historical perspective. He understands the numbers enough but doesn't lose sight of the cool factor within the game.

I also love Lowe, who has had some of Simmons' affectations wear off on him. But he's still a basketball purest at heart. And his plain english explanation of pretty nuanced x's and o's are great.

One last guy I'd say I really like who's barely a writer but does really cool innovative stuff is Kirk Goldsberry at Grandland. It's mostly charting and graphics, but it's a really neat visual presentation of a lot of usable data.

[Gotterdammerung]

No love for Bethlehem Shoals?
:oldlol:

Internet wise, I enjoy Simmons and Charley Rosen and David Friedman of 20 Seconds Timeout blog.

Book, it's Halberstram. No contest. :cheers:

[fpliii]

I personally think Windhorst has gotten a little overrated in the last few years. He is good for information on LeBron and that is pretty much it. He's a one-trick pony and even that has gotten shaky recently. He went out on a limb during the season and said LeBron wouldn't even consider coming back to Cleveland unless we first traded Kyrie Irving.

It was an odd statement and I'm sure he figured he had nothing to worry about because James was probably going to re-sign in Miami, but he put himself out there and really got burned. He seems to have an issue with Kyrie for whatever reason.

When it comes to breaking down the games, understanding how the cap works and general basketball and NBA knowledge, I've found Windy is sorely lacking, especially when compared to a guy like Lowe.

Locally, Jason Lloyd does good work for the Akron Beacon Journal.
Windy is somewhat like Notah Begay on the Golf Channel IMO (inside guy for Tiger who parlayed it into a broadcasting/analyst position; given he was a pro golfer, but I think it's similar) in the one-trick pony sense.

[NuggetsFan]

Simmons. As a Nuggets fan I don't mind the bias towards the Lakers/Celtics bias. Entertaining and knows his stuff, and unlike some writers you already know his bias/agenda before anything even begins.

[fpliii]

I think it's Lowe. Really the only guy in the national spotlight who is both able and willing to break down film (laziness/complacency, as Cuban noted when he absolutely eviscerated Stephen A/Skip a few years ago, prevents others from doing the same). Some others have taken to doing the same on blog networks, but he has visibility, and insider info.

Would be nice if he delved more into the quantitative side, but I wouldn't want it to take away from his analysis. ESPN's partnered with Silver's 538 venture, and they'll touch more on that side of things.

Nothing I hate more in articles than reading regurgitated box score numbers, senseless narrative, and baseless speculation.

[D-Rose]

Roland Lazenby is also a really good MJ biographer. I recall that I really liked reading Phil Jackson's work..particularly the book after he left the Lakers in 2004 or so.

[poido123]

Simmons is a hard one to judge. He's for sure a much better writer than a TV personality.

He does have some great stories to tell and he's a true historian of the game...he def lacks in x and o of the game, but that's not his style anyway. Overall, I do enjoy his writing but sometimes it's an article about Lebron that's 80% about a Larry Bird story...and that's annoying.


"The book of basketball" by Bill Simmons is a masterpiece. I haven't read many other NBA books but I thought this one was excellent :rockon:

I do appreciate his commentary too, even though a lot of people don't like him.

[lilteapot]

Zach Harper, Ethan Strauss