2014-2015 Panini Threads Basketball

The 2014-2015 Panini Threads were released this week.  I believe I heard these were only available at Target which is where I grabbed two packs for $3.99 each.  The each contained 10 cards.  A bit pricey but that is about all I'll complain about with these.  The photography on the front contains great action shots which is always a good thing.  The team logo is located in the top right or left of the card (random?) with the players name on against a vertical stripe background.  Both colors are team appropriate.  The Panini Threads logo is at the bottom centered between a collection of team colored stripes going to the sides at an angle.  I like the design which gives plenty of room for the photos.  The only thing missing is the player's position but that is a minor detail.

The back is also nice with the standard Panini collection of last year's stats and career totals at the bottom.  The card number, team logo, player personal stats and NBA logo are at the top left while a black and white version of the front photo fill up 2/3 of the upper part of the card.  The player's name is below the photo with a small write up below that.  Nice back.  Nothing special but considering Panini will never give us more than two lines of stats I like the photo and how the back is arranged.

 I pulled two inserts and two of the retired players featured in the set (Hakeem Olajuwon and Joe Dumars).  The inserts were a Gary Payton Century Great and Andrew Wiggins High Flyers card.  All four are nice cards with the old-timers being included in the base set being favorites of mine.  Looking at the checklist there are plenty of insert sets available in this version of Threads.  While the price point is a bit high for me I'll definitely pick up more of this set.  I did see the premium box which sells for $120 but couldn't pull the trigger.  Now it is even more enticing.  Nice design, great photos and plenty of insert options equals a good card set in my book.  Go getcha some!

Book Review: Dream Team: How Michael, Magic, Larry, Charles, and the Greatest Team of All Time Conquered the World and Changed the Game of Basketball Forever by Jack McCallum

I was finally able to pick up Jack McCallum's Dream Team book which was published in 2013.  I've looked forward to this for quite a while and snagged a used book through Amazon.  The book chronicles the 1992 Dream Team which allowed NBA players to participate in the Olympics for the first time as a reaction to college players not winning gold in the 1988 Seoul Olympics.  McCallum doesn't disappoint as he chronicles the forming of the team, the behind the scenes that made that possible, the marketing, international impacts and most importantly the players themselves.  From who wanted to be on the team, to who was selected and why, their relationships and stardom in Barcelona that transcended the lives these players already lived.  I love the back stories the behind the scenes goodies and this book delivered.

About the only thing this book won't provide is detailed analysis of the games themselves but they don't deserver to be front and center.  They weren't as important as the players and the stories.  The one game that stands out the most when the Dream Team is brought up is a scrimmage the team had which pitted Michael Jordan dueling Magic Johnson.  That was more important than the drubbing the team laid upon opponent after opponent.  Bottom line is I loved this book.  If you are an NBA fan of any sort this is an easy read.  The world's greatest players were on this team.  All, sans college player Christian Laettner, were future hall of famers and had either led the revival of the NBA (Magic Johnson and Larry Bird) or helped build on the momentum through 1992.  But not only were they great players, many were great personalities.  Some were exactly as I've known (John Stockton, Chris Mullin) but some surprised me some (Patrick Ewing).  It was great getting to know these players on a different level.  McCallum spoke to every player, coach, executive, competitor, or other writers who could bring the story more to life.  And it came together wonderfully.  Every NBA fan needs to read this book.