The master copy "Bad News" basketball game histrion was a guy named Jim Barnes, a pretty practiced college forrard out of Texas Western who didn't do much inwards the pros.
And when it came to bad news, the master copy couldn't come upwardly closed to the actions of Marvin "Bad News" Barnes."
Marvin was bad tidings to his opponents, because he had then many skills - a 6-foot-9 filled-out trunk amongst speed, forcefulness together with agility. He was too bad tidings to his ain team, because Marvin wasn't the most dependable teammate inwards the world. You never knew if was going to present upwardly at practice, or do something strange at a game.
Most important, though, was the fact that Marvin Barnes was bad tidings to himself. He was, every bit the maxim goes, his ain worst enemy.
Mike Carey, a quondam NBA reporter out of Boston, is good qualified to writes Barnes' story. He knows the game together with encountered Barnes when he was at his best together with at his worst. That makes his mass "Bad News" quite a dramatic read.
Barnes is a classic floor of hapless circumstances leading to missed potential - together with there's nix sadder than the latter. He grew upwardly inwards a dysfunctional family, only had a gift to play basketball. Barnes was i of the best prospects inwards the province coming out of high school, together with flooded amongst scholarship offers. He ended upwardly staying closed to domicile at Providence College, together with this tall African American apace bonded amongst a brusk white signal guard past times the refer of Ernie DiGregorio - on the courtroom together with off. The floor of Ernie D inviting Barnes over to the identify unit of measurement solid for dinner - together with watching Barnes react to all of the nutrient that was pose on the tabular array - is a memorable one.
The ii helped the Friars teach a basketball game powerhouse. They missed a run a jeopardy at a national championship inwards 1973, when Barnes wound his articulatio genus inwards the NCAA tournament. UCLA won that year, together with inwards 1974 Barnes couldn't atomic number 82 the squad dorsum to glory without Ernie D. Trouble occasionally followed Barnes inwards college, only he got through it.
From there, it was on to the pros. Barnes signed amongst the Spirits of St. Louis is the American Basketball Association; his contract negotiation amongst Philadelphia of the NBA somehow got botched. Barnes had some practiced moments inwards the ABA inwards the early on days, including a playoff upset of Julius Erving together with the New York Nets, only it was too the fourth dimension that Barnes kickoff became caught upwardly inwards the drug culture. He became friends amongst i of the biggest dealers inwards the country, who was stationed out of St. Louis. Barnes was paid to host late-night parties for high rollers, together with the amount of drugs together with coin said to live on involved is staggering.
By the fourth dimension Barnes reached the NBA after the ABA merger inwards 1976, he was a addict. Sometimes he'd present flashes of ability, only at others he gave inwards temptation. That started him good downwards the route of erratic behavior, together with Barnes bounced closed to the NBA. There was unremarkably someone who would accept a run a jeopardy on his talent, only sooner or afterward that someone would expect patience together with give up. Eventually, Barnes ran out of chances.
The final tertiary of the mass details Barnes' life after basketball. If you've read other stories virtually addicts, you lot know the drill good - the patient way well, only after a piece something goes incorrect together with he gives inwards to temptation over again ... together with has to start over. Wash, rinse, repeat. Barnes was past times all accounts a fun someone when he was straight; sportscaster Bob Costas writes virtually his friend inwards the foreward - "my unlikely together with unforgettable friend."
Carey somehow became acquainted amongst Barnes i time over again afterward inwards life, together with genuinely gave him a room to alive for quite a while. Here Barnes no incertitude told the stories of his life, which are yet pretty amazing. Carey went to the problem of checking them out, together with they look to live on true.
This is written inwards a comfortable style, every bit the pages overstep pretty apace - fifty-fifty if nosotros know what's coming. Finally, Barnes ran out of chances together with died. Costas said he epitaph should live on "Squandered Talent," together with he's right.
"Bad News" isn't a pretty story, only it's an instructive one. You'll come upwardly away wondering if Marvin always genuinely had a run a jeopardy to brand it, inwards spite of some gifts. And you'll enquire who mightiness live on the adjacent Marvin Barnes out there, someone who threw a lot away, together with how nosotros tin ship away halt some other similar floor from existence written.
Four stars
Learn to a greater extent than virtually this book.
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