Quick Hits: Riley Nelson, NBA Playoffs, Sports Dead-Zone....

Quick thoughts on a variety of issues...

Riley Nelson Transfers to BYU, Why? I am not saying that what Nelson did was right or wrong, just as I didn't try and place blame when Ben Olsen left BYU. Yet, the move doesn't make a lot of sense from a football point of view. On the surface, Nelson was the golden child of Utah St. football. The team is just treading water at the quarterback position until Nelson returns form his mission. The program is on the rise, and would be set to exit the basement of college football when he returns. He would be the starter, and he would get serious playing time at a quality division one university. Meanwhile, BYU is stacked at the quarterback position. Right now Hall is the man at the quarterback position, and barring injury he will be the starter for the remainder of his BYU career. Behind Hall is Munns, Lark, Covey[I put Doman in the original version...my bad. Scott called me on this.], and Gaskins. Gaskins should be done at BYU when Nelson arrives, and Lark just left on a mission so he should be return the year after Nelson arrives. So that leaves Munns(although he is thinking of a mission as well) and Covey(depending on his mission plans) competing for the starting job. Both would have far more experience with the offense, which makes a huge difference with the Cougar offense, and they are both bigger quarterback. Munns is a mini-mountain that has a cannon attached to his body. Nelson, unless he grew a foot or two isn't that big. He is a gamer, and will find ways to win, but on paper his games doesn't fit with the current Cougar offense. BYU knew this when he came out of high school, and didn't offer him a scholarship. Lark and Nelson was in the same recruiting class and BYU thought Lark was a better fit. Nelson can do what he wants to do with his life, and if he thinks it is a better fit at BYU, more power to him. He may be the next great BYU quarterback. Yet, on paper it doesn't look like a smart decision from a football point of view.

Spurs Get A Bitter Taste of NBA Officiating. HA HA HA! As a bitter Jazz fan I am happy that the Spurs got the shaft from the officials at the end of game four. Derek Fisher jumped on the back of Brent Barry as if he was trying to ride him out of the arena. There is no question that this was a foul at the end of the game, but the officials did nothing. Ironic that the Spurs are done in by poor officiating in game four of the Western Conference Finals, a year after Steve Javie single handily gifted the series to the Spurs during game four in Utah. It sucks when you are on the other end, doesn't it San Antonio. HA HA HA!

Sports are Dead in Utah. There is a little over ninety days until the start or the college football season. Until the start of college football, Utah is in a Dead-zone in regards to sports. There are no sports that require appointment viewing. Bees/Owls/Raptors games are fun to go to, but there is no point in following a minor league team. Real Salt Laaaaaaaaaakkee (sorry I fell asleep just typing the name) is awful. I am not anti-soccer. I am just anti-American soccer. It is slow, it is boring, and once anyone gets good they go to Europe to play for the big money. Until a team gets smart and buys an entire Brasilian soccer team, there is no point in wasting your time on this lesser sport. There is arena football. I would rather watch a pick-up game of backyard football, because that in a nut shell is a good description of Arena football. You go for it on fourth down, you can be at your own one yard line and throw it into the end zone, and there are restrictions placed on the defensive players for strategies that they can employ (much like an alligator/Mississippi rule for rushing a passer in backyard football). Maybe it is just me, but I can't stand all of the scoring. Watching an arena game just reminds me of all the good elements of actual football.

Utah Jazz: NBA Draft. What should the Jazz do with their draft pick? Option 1 - Trade out of the first round. A late round draft pick hardly bares any fruit, and you are locked into a guaranteed contract with the player you select. Trading down into the early second round would be the best move for the Jazz. It would allow the Jazz more flexibility with the player they select, and it would give the Jazz future picks that they can use in the trading and acquiring of players(that is how the Jazz were able to move up and select Deron Williams). Option 2 - Draft based on a need. The Jazz need another big coming off the bench. Roy Hibbert seems to be the name that the national analysts are agreeing would be available at that stage of the draft, and would fit that need. I can't say I don't like the selection, but it seemed that Hibbert maxed out his talent in college. People were always projecting him to take the next step and have a break out year. While he did post big stats in college, he never did take that next step to become a dominating presence. He is big; however, he is slow, doesn't have great hands, and got into foul trouble early and often. Sounds like Ostertag version 2.0. Option 3- Invest in an International player. The Jazz don't have room on their roster for another player to develop. The solution? Draft a player under contract with another team, and allow them to develop overseas. This strategy can go either way. You can get an Andrei Kirilenko or a Raul Lopez. There are so many factors that go into allowing a player to develop overseas that can go wrong, that these picks often don't turn out. Yet, if they don't turn out the team is better off than taking a domestic player. The team didn't need to give up a roster spot, the team didn't spend money on keeping the player, and there was no ill effect to chemistry. Going International is like picking up a lotto ticket, if you don't win then you are out the price of the ticket (draft pick in NBA terms). If you do win, then you win BIG (hidden International Gem in NBA terms).