[Keith Glass]Taking Shots : Tall Tales, Bizarre Battles, and the Incredible Truth About the NBA(pdf){Zzzzz}

Bring a family of four to an NBA game today, and it costs around $500 to watch a bunch of seven-footers take bad shots. Perhaps the quote often attributed to P.T. Barnum is true—there really is a sucker born every minute.

The NBA is in trouble. And as NBA agent Keith Glass describes it—he's part of the problem! If team owners are willing to throw millions of dollars his way for marginal players, why should he be the only one with the self-restraint to say "no"?

In his insightful, funny, and often mind-numbingly bizarre tales of life in the NBA over the last twenty- five years, Keith Glass lets it fly from half-court. He'll tell you how we got to the present state—where an agent who makes millions off the game can't sit through one; why our NBA stars couldn't capture Olympic gold; and why the game he loves is in dire need of help.

Glass has seen it all as the representative of players like Mark Eaton, the seven-foot-five center found working as a mechanic because he hated basketball; Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, who converted to Islam and brought the wrath of the league upon him when he refused to stand for the National Anthem; and first-round draft pick Quincy Douby, who was forced to enter the draft before graduating from Rutgers because of the harsh NCAA rules regarding college eligibility.

With informative chapters such as "How to Feed Your Family on Only $14 Million a Year," "Eighty-one Feet of White Centers," and "From 6'11" to the 7- Eleven," Glass shatters the myth of NBA marketing: that everything about the game is great, and that as long as the fans in the luxury boxes are happy and weighed down with expensive merchandise, all is well. But have no fear! Keith Glass doesn't preach about the evils of highlight film slam-dunks—he'll just have you falling down laughing as he flagrantly fouls the league that was once the envy of the pro sports world.

Publisher: It Books (March 11, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061373907
ISBN-13: 978-0061373909

Editorial Reviews
Review
“Part memoir, part purist manifesto...a winding tour of everything right and wrong with the NBA.” (New York Times)

“…Entertaining and enlightening.” (Chicago Tribune)

“Taking Shots should be required reading for anyone who cares about the game.” (Fran Fraschilla, ESPN college basketball analyst)

“Interesting, insightful, humorous and factual—Taking Shots has it all! A must read for any and all basketball or sports fan.” (Jud Heathcote, former coach, Michagan State)

“I thought Keith Glass’s book was terrific. Taking Shots will now be required reading at St. Anthony’s.” (Bob Hurley, St. Anthony High School)

“Through humor, he expresses a fairly weighty opinion… Keith may have outsmarted us all with his covertly brilliant writing style.” (Paul Shirley, Phoenix Suns, author of Can I Keep My Jersey?)

“...insightful and at times very funny.” (Sports Illustrated)

“...a wild ride from start to finish.” (Asbury Park Press)

“I found myself only reading 20-25 pages at a time, because I didn’t want it to end too soon.” (Phil Jasner, Philadelphia Daily News)

“Glass displays a razor-sharp wit and an amazing capacity to tell a story. …fans will love this book…” (The Tennessean)

“Glass is deliciously passionate about things. …Strong opinions make for good reading.” (Orlando Sentinel)

“…It’s a good read, a rollicking ride, and bodes well for Glass’s retirement job as a stand-up comedian…” (Montreal Gazette)

“Glass has had some intriguing experiences as an agent for NBA players…he has some stories to tell…” (Bill Littlefield, WBUR)

“For an irreverent look at NBA life from an insider, consider the new book Taking Shots by Keith Glass.” (Good Times)

“Arguably the best basketball book that came out in 2007. …For those looking to get into the industry…this book is basically a must-read. It’s all told in a pointy, cynical tone… …Extremely informative and entertaining.” (draftexpress.com)

About the Author

Keith Glass has coached basketball at the high school and college levels (he was an assistant coach at UCLA), and has been a longtime agent for NBA players. He lives in Rumson, New Jersey, with his wife, Aylin Guney Glass, who played professional basketball in Turkey. He is the father of five children—Sami, Tyler, Alex, Maggie, and Lucas.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

So Good !
By D. Mandel on March 16, 2007
As a lifelong basketball fan, I was really pleased to read Keith Glass's view of today's NBA. This is a thoughtful, informative and personal look at the treatment and mistreatment of young athletes and their relationships with the public and their agents. I particularly enjoyed reading Mr. Glass's first hand experiences with professional basketball players and his telling of stories with humor and insight. Glass is direct, courageous and clearly unafraid to critique the organization that he has worked with for years. I found the chapter on his "Greek" player revealing and interesting; it showed how the draft operated, especially in connection with young, talented European players and how commitments were given and then ignored. Mr. Glass's chapter about Mahmoud Abdul Rauf was extremely informative and portrayed a different point of view from what I had read in the media. I appreciated Mr. Glass's insight (although his disagreement) with Rauf's position on the National anthem, and the problem of his relationship with Rauf because Glass was Jewish and Rauf a Muslim. I was touched by the airline tickets/ auction story, which presented a different image of Rauf and suggested that he could step up for the seemingly small and personal things that mattered. If you grew up with basketball as part of your life or are interested in today's world of the professional athlete, I recommend this book. You couldn't find a better read.


A Heart-felt Examination of What the NBA Has Become
By Andrew Hutchinson on October 6, 2007
Keith Glass tells a great tale, and his many years of experience representing NBA players has given him many to tell. Glass' book is a great insight into the other side of the NBA that the general public would otherwise have no access to. But one of the greatest elements of this book is Glass' true passion for the sport, and for the part he has played in it.

The book looks at Glass' upbringing, with basketball in his life from a very young age. Glass discusses how Larry Brown ended up living with his family, how Glass saw the evolution of basketball, and how he became a coach at UCLA. There's a very nostalgic and homely feel to these earlier chapters, and they definitely show a man who really loves the game and loves the relationships he has been able to establish through it.

The book then looks at Glass' adventures in representing top level NBA stars and how he came into this career. The greatest stories in here are the tale of Mahamoud Abdul-Rauf, the making of Scott Skiles (current head coach of the Chicago Bulls) and the sad story of Thomas Hamilton. It really is the stories like Hamilton's, a seven-foot-four giant with exquisite skills who could never get his NBA career started due to personal problems, that make this book. The power this story has is it makes you look at how some people can throw their God-given talent away, which gives you perspective to appreciate what you have in your life.

The latter chapters lack the same level of interest, as Glass discusses the various ways he NBA could improve the league and take it back to it's roots more, and further away from the greed-driven monster it has become. Glass makes some great points, but they could have been better illustrated through his stories, rather than telling the reader, point-blank

Enjoyable reading
By SD on September 21, 2009
I was pleasantly surprised that Glass was able to write such a good book without a ghost writer. Probably his law degree and daughter Sami helped a lot. The book is entertaining and at the same time full of street smarts, philosophy, facts and negotiations. He is a decent man, which probably makes it harder to survive and operate in the shark infested waters of NBA agency. He still was able to find his niche in that world. Lots of material comes from his connection to the legendary Larry Brown. The book generates many questions in a reader: How to make sure that the players appreciate their good fortune and do not squander it? Is it really necessary for the clubs to spend so much money on a seemingly average player? Isn't it easier to get a college rookie for much less money?