Who's Better, Who's Best in Basketball?: Mr Stats Sets the Record Straight on the Top 50 NBA Players of All Time

San Francisco Chronicle, November 29, 2003
"...a book that any hardcore basketball fan can savor."


Review
"...a book that any hardcore basketball fan can savor."


Book Description

ABC's and ESPN's "Mr. Stats" ranks the NBA's greatest players of all time in this provocative and comprehensive book

"Elliot Kalb's work is beyond excellent. He thinks in story lines and uses numbers and history to make compelling and often original points." --Bob Costas

"...a book that any hardcore basketball fan can savor." -- San Francisco Chronicle

When the NBA released its supposedly authoritative list of the top 50 players, basketball fans everywhere begged to differ. In Who's Better, Who's Best? Elliot Kalb, known to TV viewers as ABC's "Mr. Stats," enters the fray.

The ultimate NBA historian and authority in armchair athletes' disputes, Kalb interweaves numbers, facts, and anecdotes to flesh out the central question in every basketball fan's mind: Who's the best? His choices are provocative (Michael Jordan isn't #1; he's not even #2), framed by discussions with unorthodox sources and respected NBA experts, players, and coaches.

A tremendously satisfying book for anyone hungry for statistics and debate, this is the ultimate behind-the-numbers story of the best of the NBA.


From the Back Cover

"Whatever the issue or debate in sports, 'Mr. Stats' has more than just the facts."
--Bob Costas

"For NBA fans, there is no one better at what he does than Elliott Kalb--he's simply the best."
--Bill Walton

Should Michael Jordan really be ranked #1? Is Dennis Rodman a Hall of Famer? Who's better--Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Wilt Chamberlain? Who was the best point guard in NBA history: Cousy? Stockton? Kidd? How good was Julius Erving in the ABA? These are only a few of the questions that have launched a thousand heated debates among NBA fans--and you can find the answers here, from the one and only "Mr. Stats."

"No one is more qualified, more of an NBA historian, more opinionated than I am," writes Elliott Kalb in this tremendously satisfying book--and he's right. Known to TV viewers as "Mr. Stats," Kalb is the ultimate authority in armchair athletes' disputes. Here, he gathers together the informed opinions of coaches, players, broadcasters, and super-fans, interweaving numbers, facts, and anecdotes to flesh out the central question in basketball: Who's the best?

Along the way, Kalb revises the list of the fifty greatest players in NBA history, presents eye-opening essays on all-time greats, and puts today's stars in context with the legends. This ultimate behind-the-numbers story will provide powerful ammunition for your next debate--and who knows, in the end, Mr. Stats may even convince you that Jordan really isn't #1.


About the Author

FROM THE PUBLISHER

ABC's and ESPN's "Mr. Stats" ranks the NBA's greatest players of all time in this provocative and comprehensive book

"Elliot Kalb's work is beyond excellent. He thinks in story lines and uses numbers and history to make compelling and often original points." —Bob Costas

"...a book that any hardcore basketball fan can savor." — San Francisco Chronicle

When the NBA released its supposedly authoritative list of the top 50 players, basketball fans everywhere begged to differ. In Who's Better, Who's Best? Elliot Kalb, known to TV viewers as ABC's "Mr. Stats," enters the fray.

The ultimate NBA historian and authority in armchair athletes' disputes, Kalb interweaves numbers, facts, and anecdotes to flesh out the central question in every basketball fan's mind: Who's the best? His choices are provocative (Michael Jordan isn't #1; he's not even #2), framed by discussions with unorthodox sources and respected NBA experts, players, and coaches.

A tremendously satisfying book for anyone hungry for statistics and debate, this is the ultimate behind-the-numbers story of the best of the NBA.

SYNOPSIS

"Whatever the issue or debate in sports, 'Mr. Stats' has more than just the facts."
—Bob Costas

"For NBA fans, there is no one better at what he does than Elliott Kalb—he's simply the best."
—Bill Walton

Should Michael Jordan really be ranked #1? Is Dennis Rodman a Hall of Famer? Who's better—Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Wilt Chamberlain? Who was the best point guard in NBA history: Cousy? Stockton? Kidd? How good was Julius Erving in the ABA? These are only a few of the questions that have launched a thousand heated debates among NBA fans—and you can find the answers here, from the one and only "Mr. Stats."

"No one is more qualified, more of an NBA historian, more opinionated than I am," writes Elliott Kalb in this tremendously satisfying book—and he's right. Known to TV viewers as "Mr. Stats," Kalb is the ultimate authority in armchair athletes' disputes. Here, he gathers together the informed opinions of coaches, players, broadcasters, and super-fans, interweaving numbers, facts, and anecdotes to flesh out the central question in basketball: Who's the best?