"From two senior Sports Illustrated writers comes an explosive, fast-paced satire that will do for today's NBA what North Dallas Forty did for the NFL a generation ago. Just months from his Yale graduation, street-smart whiz kid Jamal Kelly leaves school to take a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join the front office of the Los Angeles Lasers. Once on the West Coast, Jamal gets a quick introduction to a subculture awash in big egos and fast cars, as well as an introduction to the charms of the team's new hard-charging beat writer, Jilly Forrester. In the spirit of Primary Colors and The Devil Wears Prada, Foul Lines peels back the curtain on the trappings of big-time professional basketball. No other sport encapsulates so many cultural hot-button topics, and Foul Lines at once exposes and lampoons this parallel universe.
Customer Review: Geographically challenged and unfunny
Onw wonders how accurate the rest of the book is when a character apologizes for being late to a meeting because she took Wilshire Blvd. all the way from Studio City. Uh, Wilshire Blvd. is nowhere near Studio City. It does go Downtown, though, east from the beach, where it passes right by UCLA where Bill Walton used to play. One would think that Bill would have spotted this geographical faux pas before he gave the book such a glowing accolade. Leads me to wonder whether he actually read it, or was doing a favor for a couple of pals? The Amos and Andy dialogue, along with the hilarious making up of names such as Litanium, is, come on, frankly racist. Don't be suckered in by the 'insider' pitch. This alleged roman a clef reveals nothing even the casual fan doesn't know. The rambling plot, cliched characters, and flat writing doesn't help either. Question: How many writers does it take to write a novel anyway? Answer: not these two.
Customer Review: Great game plan; okay execution
Entertaining trip with an NBA team. Predictable with no twists or turns, but the authors kept it moving. A real fun read. If this is "dead-on" as Bill Walton says in the cover blurb, then the NBA life is just as good and bad (and as R-rated) as you imagine it to be. A couple minor irritations:
- As another reviewer says, the authors use unnecessarily obscure words. Sample: "... Kwaanzii would be ushered to center court, in mufti, and panegyrized by Padgett..." This is in the same paragraph where they use the word "redolent".
- The lingo and feel of the religious player is so thoroughly wrong that it makes you wonder what else is phony. Fortunately, this player's lines are few.
All in all, I enjoyed the book. I wish there were more like it.