What do you think?
Rate this book
The Open Man: The Championship Diary of the N.Y. Knicks
This The Open The Championship of the New York Knicks, is a diary of he 1969-1970 NBA season; Dave DeBusschere tells the ultimate story of the New York Knicks.
267 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1970
2 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 4, 2024
Most sports books are bland and read like the back of a baseball card. This books is very entertaining. Dave is insightful and very funny. Dave could have made a living as a comedian. A very quick read as well.
September 10, 2008
Great read, good insight into the minds and hearts of champions as told with humor and self-deprecation by a basketball Hall of Famer.
August 12, 2020
I wasn't expecting the diary format even though the book is clearly titled "Championship DIARY" so that's on me.
This is DeBusschere's story of the 1970 NBA champion New York Knicks. DeBusschere (it's Belgian he tells us) was a 6-6 rugged power forward who excelled at defense with a strong basketball IQ. He was a hell of an athlete as well, spending two seasons as a pitcher with the Chicago Whitesox and even throwing a complete game shutout before eventually committing exclusively to basketball. By age 24, he was the player/coach of the Detroit Pistons. This was one of the more outstanding pieces of info I took from the whole book and was generally blown away by the idea of say ... Domantas Sabonis (a 24-year-old all-star in modern game) being a player coach.
DeBusschere's writing is highly accessible and it should be as the book was edited by Paul Zimmerman and the legendary Dick Schaap. But the ever-present humor is all Debusschere's I gather. There's a little joke or punchline every couple pages; some groan worthy, others kinda hilarious.
The team and player insights are pretty good with insights into DeBusschere's Knick teammates drawn up fairly and with humor. Without any dryness, the coach's mind comes through on bite-sized scouting reports of opponents. For someone who wasn't yet alive when these games were played, getting perspective on Connie Hawkins, a rookie Lew Alcindor, Wilt, Billy Cunningham, etc is great. For all the criticism Chamberlain received over his career, DeBusschere had nothing but positives to say about the big man including an anecdote of how Wilt came into the Knicks locker room to congratulate the team after they beat his Lakers in 1970.
It's hard reading to not pick up on a theme I've come across in other basketball books from the same era that black and white players largely socialized with their own race. DeBusschere, in this telling, isn't immune from that. While there's plenty of locker room clowning and the essence of genuine feeling (that, to some degree at least, seemed to emanate from Willis Reed) and care for each other, outside the team functions, DeBusschere most frequently talks about Bill Bradley and Mike Riordan. I found myself wondering about DeBusschere's racial awareness, something that looked a lot different in 1970 than it does in 2020, but there was a brief anecdote that revealed a depth that otherwise wasn't explored here. DeBusschere re-tells a story of Cazzie Russell, a 25-year-old reserve, showing up to practice heated up because he'd been racially profiled and pulled over by a cop and had a gun pointed at his head. As DeBusschere writes that Cazzie's "practically shaking as he told the story," he writers, "I don't blame him. I wonder if they would stop every white guy because one had shot a cop." This was a small anecdote in a 267-page book, but it caught me because it showed an awareness of privilege (even if that may not have been how he described it) while also showing ability to empathize and put himself in other person's shoes.
Not sure I walk away from this read with any paradigm-shifting perspectives, but it did provide insight into the Knicks team and their characters along with the and the league in 1970.
This is DeBusschere's story of the 1970 NBA champion New York Knicks. DeBusschere (it's Belgian he tells us) was a 6-6 rugged power forward who excelled at defense with a strong basketball IQ. He was a hell of an athlete as well, spending two seasons as a pitcher with the Chicago Whitesox and even throwing a complete game shutout before eventually committing exclusively to basketball. By age 24, he was the player/coach of the Detroit Pistons. This was one of the more outstanding pieces of info I took from the whole book and was generally blown away by the idea of say ... Domantas Sabonis (a 24-year-old all-star in modern game) being a player coach.
DeBusschere's writing is highly accessible and it should be as the book was edited by Paul Zimmerman and the legendary Dick Schaap. But the ever-present humor is all Debusschere's I gather. There's a little joke or punchline every couple pages; some groan worthy, others kinda hilarious.
The team and player insights are pretty good with insights into DeBusschere's Knick teammates drawn up fairly and with humor. Without any dryness, the coach's mind comes through on bite-sized scouting reports of opponents. For someone who wasn't yet alive when these games were played, getting perspective on Connie Hawkins, a rookie Lew Alcindor, Wilt, Billy Cunningham, etc is great. For all the criticism Chamberlain received over his career, DeBusschere had nothing but positives to say about the big man including an anecdote of how Wilt came into the Knicks locker room to congratulate the team after they beat his Lakers in 1970.
It's hard reading to not pick up on a theme I've come across in other basketball books from the same era that black and white players largely socialized with their own race. DeBusschere, in this telling, isn't immune from that. While there's plenty of locker room clowning and the essence of genuine feeling (that, to some degree at least, seemed to emanate from Willis Reed) and care for each other, outside the team functions, DeBusschere most frequently talks about Bill Bradley and Mike Riordan. I found myself wondering about DeBusschere's racial awareness, something that looked a lot different in 1970 than it does in 2020, but there was a brief anecdote that revealed a depth that otherwise wasn't explored here. DeBusschere re-tells a story of Cazzie Russell, a 25-year-old reserve, showing up to practice heated up because he'd been racially profiled and pulled over by a cop and had a gun pointed at his head. As DeBusschere writes that Cazzie's "practically shaking as he told the story," he writers, "I don't blame him. I wonder if they would stop every white guy because one had shot a cop." This was a small anecdote in a 267-page book, but it caught me because it showed an awareness of privilege (even if that may not have been how he described it) while also showing ability to empathize and put himself in other person's shoes.
Not sure I walk away from this read with any paradigm-shifting perspectives, but it did provide insight into the Knicks team and their characters along with the and the league in 1970.
June 5, 2025
An insightful, funny book from the late, great Dave DeBusschere. It rreally details what I think was a more interesting time in the NBA than today's game. Interestingly, DeBusschere pitched for the Detroit Tigers, was player-coach for the Detroit Pistons, before becoming a Knick. He went on to become commissioner of the American Basketball Association (ABA).
His quick quips are funny. Example, he can't find teammate Bill Bradley at a party. He goes to the kitchen and Bradley is washing dishes. Dave says, "Bill will make someone a nice wife someday."
Really great insights into the game, his coach, teammates, NBA travel, and living in New York. Great read.
His quick quips are funny. Example, he can't find teammate Bill Bradley at a party. He goes to the kitchen and Bradley is washing dishes. Dave says, "Bill will make someone a nice wife someday."
Really great insights into the game, his coach, teammates, NBA travel, and living in New York. Great read.
January 23, 2024
Probably the second most important diary ever published. It chronicles one of NBA’s greatest season through the wit and Midwest charm of one of its greatest players. DeBusschere is open, honest and surprisingly progressive — though some casual misogyny is sprinkled in (e.g. telling Bill Bradly, who was doing dishes, that he’ll make a great wife someday). Regardless, this daily log of an NBA player is a time capsule of a simpler time, in a simpler league than today’s NBA. Highly recommend for hoops fans and anyone looking for an escape to basketball’s garden of Eden.
August 12, 2013
A wonderful glimpse into not only a championship season and team, but also a behind-the-scenes look at life as a pro basketball player in the swingin' seventies.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews