Nothing But Net: Just Give Me the Ball and Get Out of the Way by Bill Walton (1995-02-01) Paperback – 1832

Wonderful!

Bill Walton has lead an interesting life, an ideal life for autobiographical purposes. He has always been reflective and opinionated. He has always marched to the beat of his own drum. He was also one of the greatest collegiate basketball players. He very well could have become one of the greatest pro players, too, if not for continual foot problems. Still, he managed to win 2 NBA titles.Walton discusses all of these things in his book. Unfortunately, he also leaves a lot out of this book. Not much is said about his private life. Not enough is said about the Patty Hearst incident. Perhaps most important for a basketball autobiography, not enough basketball stories are told.Walton discusses his love and admiration for legendary coach John Wooden. He also talks about Larry Bird and Kevin McHale. Still, Walton played with so many great players and characters, I expected more interesting stories. Walton is known for doing his own thing, yet at too many points in this book, he comes off as restrained. That is the real shame of this book.Overall, basketball fans will enjoy the book. To be honest, I ended up being a bigger fan of Walton after reading it. You will probably gain a bit of respect for him along the way as well or at least you will enjoy the journey.

I still remember Bill Walton's 44 point performance in the NCAA Championship game in 1973, maybe the greatest NCAA final performance ever. Walton followed his collegiate career at UCLA at the end of the 1974 college basketball season with an injury filled NBA career with just three full seasons, his championship year with the Portland Trailblazers in 1977 in his first full pro season (he was hurt most of the 1974-75 season and the 195-76 season)--still Portland's only championship--1985 with the LA Clippers (he missed all of the Clippers' 1981-82 and 1982-83 seasons), and an unusual season as Sixth Man of the Year in 1986 as he won a championship with the Boston Celtics.After more injuries Walton retired and started a new career as a basketball announcer for NBC, and I've been impressed:he's good, he's honest, and he's funny! And he's parlayed the broadcasting into a career as an entertaining writer, too, as his articles are a blend of former New York sportswriter Dick Young and every ultraliberal who ever played a guitar, protested, or smoked marijuana. So I was expecting a lot from NOTHING BUT NET, but as much as I hate to admit it except for the stories about his 3 seasons with the Boston Celtics--particularly a one on one game with Kevin McHale and his thoughts about Larry Bird--Walton leaves out too much of the obvious, like what happened to his wife, the mother of his 4 sons? And what about all the controversies involving drugs, the Draft, and Patty Hearst that he got into at UCLA? And what about the feud between him and John Salley at NBC? Just like Walton's career, sometimes in NOTHING BUT NET Walton is there, and sometimes he's not. Chari Krishnan RESEARCHKING

I liked this book. I had the pleasure of meeting Bill Walton a few months ago and I subsequently read his book.What you get in the book is an honest discussion of basketball and life. It is not written so much to "entertain" you with juicy gossip or snide remarks as it is to explain what it is really like. What are the pressures of big time college basketball and the pros? That is the insight that I appreciated.Bill clearly conveys his experiences, the successes and the failures. As a person of similar age, I found it fun to remember what I saw and thought and compare it to someone who was experiencing it first hand.Bill Walton is a man of principle and honor. He doesn't necessarily say the popular or the politically correct thing. But, he speaks his mind and he makes a lot of sense.Read this book with an open mind. If you approach it as a conversation, not a logical, step by step lesson, you will find yourself like I did, listening, reflecting, and thinking. Isn't that what you really want in a book?I have seen Bill Walton go to great efforts to speak to ordinary people he meets on the street. I have seen him personally provide motivational materials and notes of encouragement to Special Olympics kids that he will never meet. I have seen the real Bill Walton. It is someone that you should meet. Your life will be all the richer for it.

I ENJOYED THIS BOOK. I FOUND BILL TO BE HONEST, REFRESHING AND OPINIONATED. I DON'T AGREE WITH SOME BUT HE MAKES MANY GOOD POINTS. HE DOES NOT GET INTO HIS PRIVATE LIFE TOO MUCH BUT THAT IS WHY IT IS CALLED PRIVATE. I ENJOYED HIS STORIES AND PHILOSOPHIES OF JOHN WOODEN AND THE OTHER COACHES HE PLAYED FOR. WALTON WAS A REBEL IN HIS YOUNGER DAYS BUT HAS CALMED DOWN. HIS FEET INJURIES TOOK AWAY A GREAT CAREER. HE WAS THE BEST PASSING CENTER I HAVE SEEN. THIS BOOK IS FOR BASKETBALL FANS AND DEADHEADS. (GROUPIES OF THE GRATEFUL DEAD)