Book Review: Pro Basketball Forecast by John Hollinger

In the past, I always enjoyed the Bill James Baseball Abstract annuals. These days, in each of the three major sports, there are quality annuals that try to follow in James's path. Baseball Prospectus, Pro Football Prospectus and John Hollinger's Pro Basketball Forecast. These are all annuals that look at the game from an intelligent, statistical standpoint. It's not all numbers though - it's the numbers that he uses to tell the story of a team or player. Having read Hollinger's previous annuals, I'm getting used to his style and some of the stats that he came up with. He's not afraid to give an opinion, even a very negative one...and that is GREAT for the reader! I will continue to pick up his annuals before the start of every basketball season. Leave the annual basketball magazines alone, and pick up this one. It's more expensive but more than worth the price compared to those magazines.

I think this is a solid book for basketball bettors. Although there is no direct mention of betting markets, pointspreads or anything of that sort, I can see how useful this annual can be for the bettor.