cover image The Long, Hot Winter: A Year in the Life of the Portland Trail Blazers

The Long, Hot Winter: A Year in the Life of the Portland Trail Blazers

Rick Adelman. Simon & Schuster, $19.5 (223pp) ISBN 978-0-671-74852-4

In 1990, his first year as coach of the Portland, Ore., basketball franchise, Adelman took the Trail Blazers to the NBA finals; this book, written with Oregonian sportswriter Jaynes, covers the following season. It quickly becomes clear why Adelman is such a brilliant coach. He is democratic, even soliciting opinions from his players about a prospective trade; studying his men carefully to see not what they do wrong but what they do right, he utilizes each player in the role for which he is best suited, with the best shooters shooting, the good rebounders rebounding, and so on. The team had a highly successful 1991 season, with the top record in the league, but was defeated by the L.A. Lakers in the third round of the playoffs. The book is an excellent recap. (Jan.)