The Big Podcast Episode 36: Utah Jazz Edition

Should Utah Sell High and Trade Carlos Boozer?

Here is an outline of what hosts Jake Stowell and Mark Welling talk about in this week's podcast.

• The problems the Jazz have had against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
• The log jam at the two guard position.
• The defensive problems of the Jazz.
• What the Jazz have to do to win on the road.
• Deron Williams vs. Chris Paul who is playing better?
• Should the Jazz trade Boozer now that his trade value has elevated?
• Matt Harpring doing Jazz broadcasts—good or bad?

Download here (Right click and save as) or listen with the player below.

Read More >>>

Utah Jazz First Quarter Report Card: Can The Jazz Be an Elite NBA Team?

The Jazz regular season is already a quarter done. It is time to pass out first quarter grades to Jazz players, coaches, and management.

Deron Williams—Williams is playing like an All-Star, again. It is hard to think that Williams has yet to go to an All-Star game in his career. From the initial balloting it appears that Williams won’t be starting in the All-Star game, but if he continues to plays at this level there will be no way to keep him off another team.

When the game is on the line you want the ball in the hands of Deron Williams. He has been able to take an important next step this season. This season Williams is able to take over games. He is able to put the Jazz on his back for long stretches of the game, and produce wins. This year’s team is Deron Williams’ team. The Jazz will only go as far as Williams is able to take them this season.

Grade—A+

Williams is the best player on the Jazz, and might be the best point guard in the NBA right now.

Wesley Matthews—The rookie who is playing like a veteran. This season Matthews has been able to plug holes, and defend bigger known NBA players. Since his insertion into the starting lineup the Jazz are 11-5.

Matthews is still a rookie and will make some serious rookie mistakes on the court. The difference is Matthews will recover and respond better to his mistakes compared to other rookies. He isn’t afraid to guard anyone in the league, and he is very good at doing the little things to help his teammates while he is on the court.

It is still amazing that Matthews went undrafted, and that he was basically gifted to the Jazz when they were in need of a steady two guard.

Grade—A-

He has exceeded every expectation placed upon him when the Jazz invited him to training camp. Yet, he is still a rookie, and he is still learning and making mistakes.

Ronnie Brewer—His new nickname really should be “Mr. Baseline.” Brewer is an artist in the Jazz offense at working the baseline and finishing around the hoop.

His defense has also improved this season which is a real surprise. Last season Brewer was able to increase his number of steal per game; however, Brewer struggled to stay on his feet and play physical defense against bigger players. This season Brewer is not only playing strong off the ball defense, but he is able to play physical defense and rebound the basketball.

The part of his game which is still lacking is consistency with his mid-to-long range jump shot. There were multiple times last season and this season when teams would simply dare Brewer to take shots.

Grade—B+

When Brewer’s game is going, the Jazz are very tough to beat. Yet, Brewer has the same holes in his game this season as last season. He lacks consistency from the free throw line and his outside jump shot.

Carlos Boozer—Boozer after a terrible start has now turned on beast mode. He was named Western Conference Player of the Week. He is averaging 20.1 points and 11.1 rebounds a game. He is also shooting 54.9% from the field this season, which is over his career average.

He is doing everything on the court he can to not only get back in the good graces of Jazz fans, but also to ensure a big free agent contract at the end of the year.

While there has been some token gestures by both Carlos Boozer and the Utah Jazz front office it seems clear Carlos Boozer is on his way out of Utah at the end of the season. Carlos Boozer is going to want too much money, and the Utah Jazz simply can’t pay him to stay. Nor do the Jazz really want him to stay for that matter.

Utah has invested in Paul Millsap, and they are going to have a high lottery pick which they will most likely use on a young power forward.

This means that the best thing Utah can do is to start shopping around Carlos Boozer now that his trade value has increased. He is going to be an All-Star this season, and he is going to produce for whatever team he is on, because it is his contract year. This will be the best opportunity for the Jazz to move Boozer, and get equal value back for him.

If the Jazz were to move Boozer now it would give the team time to acclimate to the new player in the rotation.

The Jazz can be a very good team, this season, with Boozer on the roster; however, the Jazz could be a better team, in the long-term, if they were to get equal value for Boozer through a trade.

Grade—A

Like him or hate him Boozer is an All-Star this season, and he is one of the major reasons the Jazz were able to rebound from a slow start. Boozer is trying to prove he is an elite post player in the NBA this season. He really needs to stay healthy to prove to teams he can make it through an entire NBA season.

Mehmet Okur—Moneyman has been making it rain from beyond the three point line this season. Okur is shooting 42.9% from behind the arc this season, which is well above his career average. Yet, Okur’s minutes are down from where they are in the past.

Fewer minutes for Okur wouldn’t be surprising if he was still finishing games for the Jazz. Sloan has elected to not finish games with Okur and rather end the majority of the games this season with Millsap and Boozer on the court.

This is odd considering Okur’s attribute of being a big-time clutch shooter at the end of games. What is keeping Okur off the court for the Jazz is the fact that Boozer needs to be on the court. There has been a problem with the Jazz’s defense whenever both Okur and Boozer are on the court at the same time.

Both Okur and Boozer aren’t great defenders, but each can play well when they are surrounded with another good post defender (normally Kirilenko or Millsap). The problem is when both Okur and Boozer are on the court it is the same as giving the green light to teams to penetrate and score in the paint against the Jazz. Neither will rotate on defense, and both play defense too much with their hands and not enough with their feet. This means they will swipe at the ball, and that leads to teams scoring easy points from the free throw line.

With Boozer playing so well the past few weeks there really isn’t a reason for the Jazz to elect to finish with Okur at the end of games.

Okur’s season did get off to a rocky start when he injured himself on basically the first defensive play of the Jazz season trying to take a charge. Memo is such an iron horse of a player it is hard to tell exactly how those early nagging injuries have been affecting his play this season.

Grade—B

Memo is still hitting big shots for the Jazz, but he is still lacking the ability to play on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court.

Paul Millsap—Millsap got paid in the offseason and it seems to be affecting his game. Millsap isn’t dogging it like many other NBA players after they receive big contracts; rather Millsap seems to be pushing himself too much during games.

Millsap has gotten off to a slow start this season because he has been pressing to prove on the court he is deserving of the new contract he received. The stat which is way down for Millsap is his rebounding. His ability to rebound the ball is what got him drafted, and got him a large contract from the Jazz.

As the seasons progressed and Millsap has relaxed his numbers have improved, although not to same level as last season.

Grade—B-

Millsap has been picking up dumb fouls and his rebounding numbers are down. Hopefully he will improve and return to form as the season progresses.

Andrei Kirilenko—Andrei got off to a great start at the beginning of this season. He started to hit his jump shot like the Andrei of old, and his over/under numbers are among the best on the Jazz.

What has plagued Andrei during his entire tenure with the Jazz continues this season. While he is one of the best players on the Jazz with the ball in his hands, he is also the worst player on the Jazz at taking ill-advised shots.

This Jeykll and Hyde mentality which Kirilenko has is one of the most frustrating things about being a Jazz fan. Kirilenko has the ability to control the game on both sides of the court without taking a shot. Yet, Kirilenko seems determined to play outside of the Jazz offense and defense at times.

Grade—B+

Andrei really did get off to a great start this season. He has been active and his shooting has improved. Injuries have hurt his chances to return to an All-Star level of play. It still remains to be seen if AK can play his active style of basketball and be effective with an injury. The simple fact still remains: The Jazz are a better team when Kirilenko is on the court.

CJ Miles—He came into this season in the best shape of his life. Then he was injured early in the pre-season. CJ even after the injury still looks to be in better shape this season compared to where he was last season. He looks more muscular, and he is able to play more physical defense.

CJ has a very good shot, but he hasn’t been able to bring a consistent shot to actual games. He has the ability to give the Jazz an instant spark of offense; however, he is just as likely to shot the Jazz out of a ballgame. Miles doesn’t seem to have the ability to pick the right time to shoot and stop shooting to help the team.

Miles has struggled with running the Jazz offense the entire time he has played in Utah. He doesn’t set good back screens, and he is stagnate when he doesn’t have the ball in his hands. Miles will go to a spot on the floor and stay there waiting to get the ball. This season is more of the same lack of effort from CJ to do the little things to help the Jazz win.

Grade—Incomplete.

It is too early to give CJ a grade due to injuries. CJ does look to be improved from last year in the few games he has played this season.

Ronnie Price—This was the year that Ronnie Price had the inside track to the backup point guard position for the Jazz. Even before he injured his big toe things weren’t going well for Ronnie.

Price’s shooting percentage is way down this season. He is shooting 35.7% from the floor and 22.2% from beyond the three point arc. He struggled to get the Jazz into the offense when he was on the court.

With the way that Eric Maynor is playing it will be hard for Price to earn back his minutes at the backup point guard position.

Grade—C-

The way Price finished the season in the playoffs against the Lakers most likely bought him another year with the Jazz, but he isn’t taking advantage of that opportunity to find regular minutes in the Jazz’s lineup.

Eric Maynor—Maynor took over the back-up point guard position from Ronnie Price after Price’s toe injury. Maynor has shown signs of promise this season, but he has struggled with consistency this season.

He is a terrible three-point shooter(averaging 19%), and he really lacks a full grasp of the Jazz offense. What Maynor does well is pass the basketball. He has made some great passes this season, and he has been able to give good enough minutes in order for Williams to get some rest on the bench.

Maynor is still a rookie, and still makes some very dumb rookie level mistakes during games. Maynor looks to be a very good player in the NBA, and as he gets more minutes he will improve.

Grade—B-

He needs to learn that it is okay to pass the ball at the end of the quarter. Maynor also struggles to run the fastbreak. He is a good backup point guard and he has shown flashes of brilliance this season when given extended minutes.

Kyle Korver—A favorite of the ladies, Korver played in his first game of the season against the Timberwolves. He didn’t look like he was ready to be back on the court.

The downside of Korver has always been his defense. He has a problem staying in front of faster and bigger guards in the NBA. His shooting ability is what keeps him on the court. Yet, outside of his first year in Utah his shot has struggled.

Last season, Korver suffered from a wrist injury on his shooting hand which hurt his shooting percentage. This season he didn’t look much better in his first game back against Minnesota.

It is too early to give a grade to Korver, but with the emergence of Matthews and the play of Miles it will be hard for Korver to find minutes in the Jazz rotation.

Grade—Incomplete

Korver will need to regain his long range shooting prowess in order to find playing time this season.

Kyrylo Fesenko—Fes has now entered the “puppy zone.”

When you get a new puppy dog you are happy with everything it does. It doesn’t matter if the dog is yawning, scrunching its face, or flopping its ear around—you are just happy that the dog is doing anything. The puppy is cute, loveable, and full of potential.

Fesenko is the new puppy for the Jazz. Every time he walks onto the court you aren’t expecting much out of him, which means if Fesenko does anything while he is in the game it is a bonus. The arena seems to erupt when Fes does the littlest things, like rebound the basketball (for that matter even catch the basketball).

He is being graded on potential, and therefore is on a completely different grading scale.

Grade—A Gold Star

Fes has shown flashes of brilliance, but it will be interesting to see if the Jazz will invest in developing Fesenko in the long term.

Kosta Koufas—Yes, he is still on the team. What it takes for Koufas to get on the court is another story. If your team only has nine healthy players, and you can only get on the court in the last few minutes of a thirty point blowout, then you know your place on the team. That place, in the D-leauge.

Grade—D-league All-Star

Koufas is not ready to be in the NBA. In hindsight staying in college would have been the best thing for Koufas. He needs playing time to develop, but even that playing time might not be enough for him to find a permanent home in Utah.

Jerry Sloan/Coaching Staff—Sloan has managed to right the ship quite a number of times already this season. The Jazz got off to terrible start, and there were many who thought they would simply implode. Sloan was able to get players to buy back into his system, and once again soothe egos for the betterment of the team.

Injuries have plagued the Jazz already this season, but Sloan was able to find a rotation with a nine man roster to win key games. The Jazz are still in contention in the West, and they now have a full healthy roster.

Now that the Jazz are healthy Sloan faces another challenge. His bench seems to be filled with players of roughly the same talent level. Jerry has to find the right amounts of minutes to not only help the team win, but to please Jazz players desires to be on the court.

Getting players to accept their roles is a very difficult task for any coach in the NBA. How well Jerry gets certain Jazz players to accept a lesser role on the team will really make-or-break the Jazz season.

Grade—A-

Considering the state of the Jazz when the season started Sloan has proven himself once again a Hall of Fame coach. He needs to now get his players mentally tough enough to get up for game not only against big named teams, but to be prepared to play every single night. He also has to find a way to get the Jazz to win on the road.

Front Office—The Jazz stood firm during the summer against the media, opposing GMs, and Carlos Boozer’s demands. The reward for the Jazz is now they have a more marketable Boozer who is putting together a strong All-Star season.

The Jazz now have many options for how they can deal with Boozer, but most importantly the Jazz have all the leverage to make the decision which is best for the team.

So far you also have to give the front office high marks for handling of the past draft. Maynor looks to be a solid addition to the team. Plus, Matthews was a great find and addition to the Jazz as an undrafted rookie free agent.

There have been some real boneheaded moves by the Jazz management. The marketing department and the ticket sales division have brought inferior products to the Jazz fan base. As a result attendance at Jazz games is well below where the Jazz have averaged in the past.

The hiring of David Locke as the radio play-by-play voice continues to be a terrible move for helping to create interest in the team. Plus, it hurts the creation of new younger fans who simply won’t listen to the worst play-by-play call in the Utah sports market.

The elephant in the room still remains. The Jazz are over the luxury tax this season.

The Jazz are a small market team, and that means they have a limited amount of capital to spend on player contracts. To keep the Jazz in Utah, the Jazz simply cannot go over the luxury tax and be fiscally viable.

The salary cap will most likely decrease again next season. That means it will be increasing difficult for the Jazz to shed the money required to be a non-luxury tax paying team.

Grade—B-

Getting below the luxury tax is the most important task for the Jazz front office. As long as the Jazz are over the luxury tax threshold the front office isn’t doing their job.

Utah Jazz Overall—Watching the Jazz this season is like watching a person who is afraid to succeed. The Jazz have proven they can play with any team in the league.

The Jazz have beaten the Lakers, Magic, and Trailblazers. They have also won the season series against San Antonio for the first time since 1997.

Yet, the Jazz have also lost to Minnesota twice, Sacramento at home, and Oklahoma City at home. All games the Jazz simply cannot afford to lose if they want to compete in the Western Conference.

This lack of consistent play, and the poor play on the road, points to a lack of mental toughness on the Jazz.

The team continues to take steps towards looking like a Jerry Sloan coached team, but right now they don’t have the physical edge which has been associated with Jazz teams of the past.

Overall Grade—B

The Jazz seem to be at a critical junction in their season. A place where they could really step up their game and be an elite Western Conference team or slack off and be a team simply fighting to make the playoffs. How the Jazz play in the next quarter of the season will really set where the expectations should be for the post-season.

Read More >>>

The Big Podcast Episode 27- BYU Edition and 28 - Utah Jazz Edition

Episode 27: BYU Edition Are the Cougars Poinsettia Bowl Bound?

• BYU's complete domination of Wyoming
• How BYU is better when they are able to put pressure on the other teams quarterback.
• Why BYU doesn't play well in big time pressure games.
• The Bowl possibilities for BYU. It looks like BYU will play in the Poinsettia Bowl regardless of how they finish the season.
• Who will BYU play? Will it be a lower level PAC-10 team like Cal or UCLA? Could BYU possibly play Boise State? Or will it be a real dog like Idaho?

Download here (Right click and save as) or listen with the player below.



Episode 28:Utah Jazz Podcast Jazz Need to Trade Carlos Boozer Now!

• What is wrong with the Jazz?
• Is Deron Williams playing within the Jazz system?
• Does Jerry Sloan's three point defensive strategy still work in the NBA?
• Explain why the Jazz continue to blow fourth quarter leads.
• Carlos Boozer and David Locke make it tough to cheer for the Jazz this season.
• The Jazz need to trade Carlos Boozer now!
• Eight trades (some far fetched) the Jazz could make for Carlos Boozer.
• Jake and Mark go through the Jazz's November schedule and predict the Jazz's win/loss record.

Download here (Right click and save as) or listen with the player below.

Read More >>>

David Locke, Carlos Boozer, and Dishonesty to Fans All Problems for the Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz organization has a few problems.

The Jazz are one of the smallest market teams in the NBA; however, they have the third highest payroll (after the luxury tax) this season.

The Jazz weren’t a strong defensive team last season. This season they brought back all of the same players, and they are still a terrible defensive team!

The Jazz organization has tried to sell the league and Jazz fans on the idea that Carlos Boozer and Paul Millsap can co-exist on the same team. The production for both Boozer and Millsap is way down compared to last year.

The major excuse given by Jazz management is that once the team is healthy, then the team will start to compete at a top level. Last year when the team was healthy they played their worst basketball. This season, while Korver and Miles are injured, the rest of the team is healthy, and the team is now playing the same level of basketball they played to end last season. Awful selfish basketball!

This style of basketball isn’t going unnoticed by the Jazz fan base. Salt Lake City has always been one of the strongest basketball cities in the nation. Yet, anyone watching the Jazz’s first two home games against the Clippers and Rockets could see a noticeable absence of fans in the arena.

Traditionally the Jazz don’t start drawing large crowds until after the end of the college football regular season. Traditionally though this affects the upper-bowl more than the lower-bowl of Energy Solutions Arena. This season the lower-bowl just isn’t filling up. There are a lot of patches of empty green seats in the lower-bowl, and that is not good news for the Jazz organization.

The downturn in the economy has slowed ticket sales for the Jazz. Yet, last year the team was able to weather the economic downturn better than this season. So what has changed? Nothing and that is the problem.

Larry H. Miller was able to build the Jazz on a base of comfort and trust. He exemplified the slogan, “You know this guy!” Larry H. Miller was willing to shake hands with fans, and even come on the radio to talk about the team with the fans once a week.

Through this interaction the fans knew that Larry H. Miller was devoted to putting a winning team on the court, and keeping the Jazz in Utah.

Greg Miller who took over for Larry H. Miller after his father started suffering from serious illnesses and eventually passed away doesn’t have that trust with the fans.

There are many reasons Jazz fans are wary of Greg Miller. Greg was has been in charge of running the car dealership arm of the Miller corporation, and too many customers have been burned by shady business practices at those dealerships. Greg never claimed to be a fan of the game like Larry, and that means he will look at the Jazz organization much more like a business trying to make money first.

Some changes which reflected this business first approach to the Jazz: The decision not to televise preseason games, the move away from televising any games on KJZZ, not accommodating long time season ticket holders during last season’s playoffs to try and make a quick buck, and resorting to gimmicks instead of relationships of trust for selling tickets.

The opening speech Greg gave before the start of the season reflected the tension between the fans and the new head of ownership. Greg gave an awkward speech in which he somewhat threatened fans. He stated the team would stay in Utah as long as there was proper fan support. While some might say his intentions was to complement fans for supporting the team in the past. The message was very clear; the team with the third largest payroll needs to sell some tickets— or else!

A good example of the disconnect between fans and management is the hiring of David Locke to take over the radio play-by-play duties for the Jazz. When the announcement was made there was a large outcry over the hiring of Locke. Many locally remember him from his days of calling WNBA basketball games were worried about the direction the team wanted to go.

Management and Locke supporters made the claim that Locke was one of the best hires the Jazz could make. This is the same man who was fired after a single season in Seattle doing the same play-by-play job. The arguments that the Sonic fans used for firing him were similar to the complaints of Jazz fans before he took over the radio job.

Locke doesn’t have a play-by-play voice. He focuses too much on the stats and not enough on the game. He just turns the broadcast into an extension of his show. He forces his opinions down the throats of the listeners to the radio broadcast, instead of telling the facts of the game.

I wanted to give Locke a chance to prove his doubters wrong. I wanted to give him a listen during a game. I made it five minutes or so of actual game time before I turned it off (it might have been longer or shorter I wouldn’t know with Locke giving the call). I had no idea what was going on in the game!

Locke wasn’t giving a live description of the game; rather it was more like listening to him carrying on a conversation while the game just happened to be going on in the background. You could hear the crowd react to something in the background, but Locke would continue his thought and then fill in the three or four plays which had occurred.

I ended up calling my sister to know what was going on in the game. In a single sentence from my sister I knew the score, who was playing well, and what was going on in the game. She started to give me actual play-by-play, while she is no master wordsmith she was an instant improvement over David Locke.

I wanted to give Locke the benefit of the doubt.

No one is instantly great at a new job. Yet, according to Locke’s own website he has been doing radio play-by-play since 1998. This is not new to him. He is just terrible!

It just seems as if David Locke doesn’t understand that we as a radio audience cannot see the game. We are relying on him to describe the game like a storyteller. Giving us a detail description of how the players move on the court so we can imagine the court in our mind. Locke seems to think a description of the game would take away from his analysis.

So what are the Jazz fans left to do about the Locke situation?

There are only thirty or so NBA radio play-by-play jobs. This means that there are a lot of people who would try to get a limited number of jobs. According to simple economic principles the Jazz should have had a lot of great possible hiring options, due to the scarcity of quality radio jobs. The Jazz organization made a bad hire.

The organization has to defend its hire, instead of just finding a better solution. The team will tell fans to support Locke because he is part of the Jazz organization now. This builds more distrust with the fans, and will drive more away from the team.

Jazz fans are not dumb. The fans in Utah are very basketball savvy and they know good basketball and bad basketball when they see it. They also know when management isn’t being straight with them.

Locke is a terrible play-by-play guy. Boozer is having a terrible affect on the Jazz and Millsap while he is on the court. The defense of the Jazz will not be fixed when everyone “gets healthy.” Boozer and Millsap are both undersized and it is hurting Utah’s point production in the paint. The status quo will not be good enough to compete in the Western Conference, and might not be good enough to even make the playoffs.

Greg Miller needs to learn a lesson from his late Father. Larry H. was always upfront with the fans. He didn’t try to sell anything that wasn’t there. If the Jazz weren’t performing on the court he was the first to admit it. Larry H. proved he was on the side of the fans. He was concerned about putting a quality product on the court, and knew if he treated the fans right the fans would do their part.

It is time for the organization to be more upfront with the fans. Stop trying to sell us on the team, and just talk to the fans about the team. There is huge support for the Jazz in the community; we are already sold on supporting the Jazz. The only thing the Jazz are doing is destroying the trust they have with their fans, and ruining another season by taking no action.

The problem with the Jazz is doing nothing. Unless the Jazz do something, nothing is all which come of this season.

Read More >>>

Can Jazz Fans Forgive Carlos Boozer?

Jazz fans are angry with Carlos Boozer, can Boozer find his way back into Jazz fans good graces?

Carlos Boozer has some serious explaining to do to Jazz fans. Ever since Boozer's comment to ESPN's Chris Sheridan: "I'm opting out. No matter what, I'm going to get a raise regardless." Boozer has been on a fast decline to the doghouse of most Jazz fans.

Jazz fans know one thing for sure about Carlos Boozer, he is playing strictly for money. If any Jazz fan thinks he has any inkling of loyalty then Jazz fans must have forgotten how he came to Utah in the first place.

The only reason Carlos Boozer put on a Jazz uniform is because the Jazz were able to pay him more than Cleveland. Boozer, secret corrupt bargain with the Cavaliers or not, displayed no loyalty to Cleveland; the team which drafted him in the second round and gave him a chance to play in the NBA. As soon as there was more money on the table Boozer jumped took it.

Boozer also played last season with free agency in mind. Boozer wasn't going to hurry back from a nagging injury, he was going to wait until he was absolutely one-hundred percent. He couldn't have anyone see him play substandard basketball in a contract year.

Boozer was also going to get his stats regardless of the situation. When the Jazz were wondering if they should move him to the bench to help the team, Boozer refused. A demotion to the bench would have killed his value. He also couldn't let it appear as if he was on the same level as teammate Paul Millsap.

Millsap's rise, while Boozer was injured, was great for the Utah Jazz. Paul Millsap was able to help carry the team during Boozer's absence. Yet, for Boozer it was one of the worst things which could have happened to him.

Millsap's stats were very similar to Boozer's, and Millsap was not going to demand the same amount of money in the off season. This would cause general managers throughout the NBA to question, "why would we pay for Boozer when we could get Millsap for half the money?"Boozer needed to protect himself throughout last season so he could get paid.

Is it bad that Boozer plays just for the money? No, but Jazz fans just need to understand Boozer will always do strange things in order to get the most money possible.

One of those strange things was his decision to opt-in to his contract. Boozer publicly came out and said at least five time that he was going to opt-out of his contract. Yet, once it became clear the market for an often injured, undersized, power forward wasn't very good in a bad economy; Boozer took the most money which was on the table and opted-in to the final year of his contract in Utah. Even though it made him into a hypocrite, his character remanded constant.

Boozer then came to Utah and tried to workout an extension; however, the Jazz told him they weren't interested. The Jazz then signed Okur to an extension, and matched Millsap's offer from Portland. Boozer's days in Utah officially became numbered.

Boozer once again started looking to find more money, and the best way to do that was to get himself traded. Boozer and his agent started a cycle of following floating trade rumors, and doing media blitzes in the markets of potential destinations.

While Boozer was trying to make himself more appealing to NBA markets; what he actually did was kill his own trade value and further alienate himself from Jazz fans. Other NBA teams were just sending low ball offers to the Jazz thinking the Jazz simply wanted Boozer off their hands. Jazz General Manager Kevin O'Connor was doing more press than usual, simply to try and counter the damage that Boozer was doing to his trade value.

The Jazz proved they weren't just going to trade Boozer and be done with him. The Jazz want to get some value back for Boozer. Even if that meant they needed to bring Boozer back in a Jazz uniform for the start of the season, which the Jazz decided to do.

Now Boozer's decision to treat basketball strictly as a business is coming back to haunt him. Jazz fans are decidedly against Carlos Boozer. Jazz fans have a very high basketball IQ compared to other fan bases. Simply putting up stats is not good enough to satisfy Jazz fans, because the majority of Jazz fans know there is more to the game of basketball than stats.

Jazz fans like to see hustle and heart from their players; those are two characteristics Boozer's game is lacking. That is one of the reasons Boozer was already less popular among Jazz fans as other players on the team. Millsap has always been more popular ever since he came to Utah compared to Carlos Boozer. Jazz fans are now ready to give Millsap a chance to lead the team, even though Boozer has more basketball talent.

Besides the flaws in Carlos Boozer's game there are other factors working against him finding forgiveness from the fan base. Larry H. Miller not being here this season will hurt his chances.

Larry H. Miller and Karl Malone seemed to have multiple battles during the off season. Malone said some pretty stupid things too. Including the fact that he wanted to sign with the Lakers, which is the ultimate insult to Jazz fans. The fan base would be angered; however, Larry would always take care of these issues in the off season. He would also help the player to be accepted again by the fan base. Even if it meant Larry would have to shoulder more of the blame than he really deserved. Boozer will not have the protection of Larry H. Miller, Boozer is on his own.

The Jazz are also still shopping Carlos Boozer. The Jazz are over the salary cap, and they have until mid-February to trade Boozer in order not to incur the luxury tax. The Jazz are hoping Boozer will play well at the beginning of the season to raise his trade value, and once he has reestablished his trade value the Jazz will move him. Boozer will not have a chance to play his way back into the good graces of Jazz fans.

Boozer is going to have multiple statements saying how he is happy to be back in Utah, and how he is ready to win. He is going to say all the things an NBA player is expected to say. Boozer will also, most likely, put up an impressive stat line. The Jazz's media outlet will try to tell fans that they should forgive Boozer since he is playing well. Yet, there is little Boozer can do to get back on the good side of most Jazz fans.

Jazz fans reward loyalty among their players. Most Jazz fans believe there is more to basketball than simply winning a title. Jazz fans want their players to not only win, but win the right way. Perhaps this is naive considering the current structure of the NBA. Regardless, Boozer has shown his true nature, and he will continue to search for the next big pay check. He is unlikely to change, and Jazz fans are unlikely to forgive.

Read More >>>

How Much is Boozer Worth?

How much has Boozer made per game as a Jazz man?

The Jazz signed Boozer to a $68 million contract, for six years. It looks, and if you listen to what Boozer actually says(Cleveland fans just lit something on fire at the thought that anyone would take Boozer at his word), Boozer is going to opt out of his contract next season. The Jazz would owe Boozer $12.6 million next year, if he doesn't opt out.

With those numbers in mind how much have the Jazz paid to boozer for each of the games which he has played? So far Boozer has played 257 games as a member of the Utah Jazz, out of 410 games. Or roughly 62% of the Jazz's regular season games. Subtracting the $12.6 million from the overall $68 million, and not calculating the playoff games and pay, Boozer has earned $215,564.21 per game. If Boozer had played in every game he was contracted to play in, which would be asking quite a bit considering a normal players injury pattern, Boozer would have earned $135,121.96 per game.

Just a comparison here are some per game earnings this year. Paul Millsap who many considered could replace Boozer next year, if Boozer does opt out, makes (including the six games he missed due to injury) $9,726.60 per game.  

Read More >>>

Utah Jazz: Is It Time to Hit the Panic Button

If the Jazz continue to play poorly panic button talk will increase...

The Panic Button.

It seems that no matter how good a team is in the NBA there is a moment during the season that teams will think about pushing it. Every team has a different threshold that must be meet before pushing down hard on the button and thinking that the current season is a lost cause. Some like the Timber Wolves, Grizzles, and Thunder need to have the ball thrown up for the opening tip of the season. Others like the Clippers seem not to care enough to even find the panic button to push. The way that the current Jazz season has unfolded it might be time for the Jazz to start looking around for the panic button.

What does it mean to "hit the panic button?" It means that the current formulation and make-up of the team isn't working. That there needs to be some serious changes to the face of the franchise in order for it to take another step forward. In some cases this means taking quite a few steps back. The 76ers trading Allen Iverson to the Nuggets, or Shaq being traded from the Lakers to the Heat are two examples of teams taking a considerable number of steps back. Neither the 76ers or the Lakers received anything in return for their superstars, and both were far worse in the short term due to the deals. The Suns trading Marion for Shaq last season or the Harris for Kidd deal are examples of teams trying to trade a know commodity in hopes that an unknown piece will fit and take the team to the next level. in the case of both trades last year they proved poor decisions for the teams giving up known commodities.

The Jazz have problems.

Injuries to Kirilenko and Boozer have left the Jazz very thin for post players. Millsap and Okur have also been battling injuries all season, but have managed to stay on the court, for the most part. Yet, if either Millsap or Okur gets into foul trouble post-scoring comes to a grinding halt.

The Jazz have not been able to make defensive stops. This is a problem that started for the Jazz last season, and seemed to be resolved at the early stages of this season. The defense of the Jazz was the leading factor to the Jazz getting off to a quick start. Injuries, and lack of concentration have allowed other teams to put up big numbers against the Jazz, especially when the Jazz are on the road.

The Jazz need to make a decision about the current Jazz roster. Can these players that are currently on the roster take the Jazz to where they want to go, an NBA championship? If that answer is no, then it is time to hit the panic button and the Jazz need to start moving players. The time to make these moves are before the coming trade deadline.

If the Jazz do nothing they run the risk of not getting any value for the players that can opt out of the contract this season (Okur, Millsap, Korver, and Boozer). The Jazz organization is also saying that they think that once all the players on the current roster are healthy that they will be able to not only make the playoffs but win a championship.

The Jazz need to start playing better regardless of the injuries that they suffered. Yet, if the Jazz continue to play poorly then the front office of the Jazz will be looking at the panic button until the February 19th trade deadline. Each loss will put more pressure on O'Connor to push the button and make a big franchise altering deal.

Read More >>>

Quick Hits: Utah Football, BYU Football, Utah Jazz, and more...

I want to write more about these subjects, but school is killing me and I just don't have the time...

Deron Williams Returns

Before the season if you were to ask a Jazz fan what player the Jazz couldn't afford to lose, Deron Williams would be the first name mentioned. That makes the Jazz's 5-1 record in his absence even more amazing. Knight and Price filled in and gave the Jazz a great start to the season. Now with Williams returning it will be interesting to see how the Jazz transition. Last night both Knight and Price played the back-up role for Deron; however, it is becoming more clear that Knight is a better fit in the back-up position. Not to say that Price hasn't performed well, but Knight brings more to the Jazz attack. Williams had a quite night in his return. Deron had 7 points 9 assists and shot just 1-8 from the field. Although there wasn't any noticeable signs of limping, Deron appeared slower and less confident in his game. This should be little to worry about as Williams will play his way into a groove. The more interesting question will be how his ankle will hold up during the rest of the five game road trip. Williams played 31 minutes last night, and had to travel before their game tonight. How many minutes that Williams plays tonight will show the true health of his ankle.

Utah Football Under Attack From the National Media

The ACC, Big East, and PAC-10 are all really bad this year! Yet, the national media continues to try and force feed college football fans the company line that there is a significant difference between the BCS conferences and the non-BCS conferences. Why are they doing this? Unless something drastic happens both the WAC, MAC, and Mountain West Conference will have their champions ranked higher than the ACC, and Big East Champ. The major conferences don't want people thinking, how is it far that a North Carolina or Wake Forest is getting into a BCS bowl and an undefeated Utah/Boise State isn't getting in? If people were thinking about this then it would go further to expose the BCS as a joke.

The strategy that the national media is taking is to attack the University of Utah. This due to the fact that they are the strongest of the non-BCS schools. Claiming that they played in a weaker conference, and a weaker non-conference schedule compared to the champions of BCS conferences. Such a claim is unfounded and wrong. Just compare Utah's schedule to USC. USC might not even win their own conference, thanks to a loss to Oregon State. The same Oregon State team that the Utes beat at home the week following the Beavers beating the Trojans. So if the media is going to tell us how great the Trojans are this year, then the Utes need to be ranked above them and get more attention. Yet, doesn't USC play a tougher conference schedule compared to the Utes? NO, the Mountain West Conference is 6-1 against the PAC-10 with many of these wins coming from the lower level teams in the conference. Also the PAC-10 has just ONE, yes ONE team currently in the top 25 of the BCS rankings. That is compared to the three teams that the Mountain West Conference currently has ranked. On paper, and since there is no playoff that is all you can go on, Utah should be ranked above USC. If that is the case then any national media member would also rank North Carolina, or South Florida well below USC.

Not having the Utes ranked higher, and getting more respect insults the intellect of college football fans.

BYU Still Has a Shot at the BCS

With the Utes beating TCU the table is set for BYU to play themselves into the BCS picture. No one is talking about this possibility, because people assume it is far fetched; however, it is more probable than people realize. Here is what has to happen:

1 - BYU wins out. This would include beating Utah which would be a top ten team, and that would propel them up in the polls/help their BCS computer ranking. Also this will keep a one lose BYU team ahead of a undefeated Ball State.

2- Boise State loses a game. Boise State hasn't looked dominate all season and end the season against Nevada on the road and Fresno State.

3 - BYU doesn't get leap-frogged by the Big East/ACC/PAC-10 Champion(right now Oregon State is leading). If BYU finishes ranked ahead of any of these teams they earn the automatic birth.

It isn't an easy path, and BYU doesn't control their own destiny; however, the scenario is more likely than people want to admit. (Although the scenario of going to the Poinsettia Bowl is more likely)

Andrei Kirilenko Making the Jazz Go

Kirilenko has been creating an instant spark off the bench for the Utah Jazz, and it appears that Sloan's "Bring AK off the bench experiment" is succeeding. Kirilenko has the highest over/under rating in the NBA, and AK and Millsap are the over/under combo as well in the NBA. (http://www.nba.com/statistics/plusminus/plusminus.jsp) Besides AK providing a statistical advantage for Utah, he is also providing leadership and defensive toughness. The Jazz will now need consistency from Kirilenko as the season goes on if they hope to make a charge for the title.

What Happens to Boozer At the End of Games?

Since last year's playoffs Boozer has turned into a terrible clutch player. Boozer ranks 17th in turnovers per game among forwards. Yet, I can't prove this but he seems to lead the league in turnovers in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter. Boozer has seemed to press, and force passes at the end of games trying to make something happen. Instead of using the offensive set to create a scoring opportunity. Boozer has been a workhorse for the Jazz in the early part of the season, but if Boozer wants to be the closer for the Jazz he needs to be smarter with the basketball.

A Cool Site For Jazz Stats

http://www.atsdatabase.com/Stats/NBA/Utah-Jazz-Basketball-Past-Results.html

Read More >>>

E:60 Story About Carlos Boozer

"E:60 feature on Carlos Boozer and his wife's long journey with sickle cell and the difficult decision to save their family..."

First Half:


Second Half:


Link to Full Story:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=boozers

Read More >>>

Jazz Preview: Five Questions About This Season

The season has not started, but there are still questions surrounding this year's Jazz squad...

The 2008-09 season is finally beginning. The Jazz will be without Deron Williams to start the season, but that looks to be a short term arrangement for Utah; as Deron should return to the starting line up shortly. On paper the 2008-09 Jazz team looks very good, but there are still some serious questions surrounding this season. List here are the top five question that will be answered by the Jazz this season:

#5: How are Boozer, Memo, Millsap, and Korver going to handle the contract year?

If you want to be technical about it, Millsap is the only player on the list that is in a contract year. The other three players(Boozer, Memo, and Korver) all have option that they can exercise to make themselves free agents. Yet, everyone really knows that there is little to no reasons for any of them to stay in their current contracts. They are all going to opt out at the end of the season, and they should all receive pay increases for their services next season. Now what needs to be seen is how these players who are in a contract year will respond. The Jazz offense is all about passing the ball to the open man, and getting high percentage shots. The offense breaks down when players are trying to take shots outside of the offense to pad their stats.

Boozer got short chained by playing for the Olympic team. He was downgraded to no more than a human victory cigar, playing only when the game was firmly in hand for the United States. Boozer could try to send a message to the league that he is better than what he showed during the Olympics. That could lead to Boozer becoming more of a black hole on offense looking for his own shot. That would hurt the numbers of Memo and Korver, both of whom get many of their shots by Boozer passing them the ball out of the low post. Typically having a player in a contract year is good, because the player is looking to play their best ball; however, having four players in contract years could lead to problems of players putting their personal interests above the interests of the team.

#4: Can the Jazz stay healthy?

Last year the Jazz were fairly lucky with the injuries that the players sustained. Deron Williams' injury in the early part of the playoffs did slow him down, but didn't hamper the Jazz in their efforts to make it out of the first round.  Kirlenko and Boozer have both proven that their bodies aren't able to hold up to the rigors of an 82 game season. The question isn't if they will go down, but how much time they will miss this season.

Deron Williams starting the season injured isn't a good sign. It is important that the Jazz keep Williams off the court until he is healed. It is better to be cautious and struggle to start the season than to have Williams with a lingering injury for months. Matt Harpring is a huge question mark this season due to his injury. Harpring may never have played healthy since coming to the Jazz. His knees have always bothered him, and limited his minutes; however, the knee injuries have expanded to the rest of his legs. His ankles and feet are starting to go out. Plus, last season's mystery disease that caused Harpring to miss multiple games could rise again and give him problems this season. For the Jazz to be successful this season they need to stay healthy.

#3: What will change this season with Larry Miller stepping down and his son Greg taking over the team?

Greg Miller might have more of an impact on the Jazz during the off season. Yet, Larry H. Miller has always had impact on the Jazz during the season. He was always there to give a bode of confidence to Jerry Sloan, always siding with him over any player. Larry would always say five or six really stupid comments during the season that would cause some sort of falling out with a Jazz player. Larry was always the face of the Jazz crowd, sitting in his normal court side seat. Plus, will we still get the emotional speeches from Larry, when he will break down due to his deep love for _______. (You can really insert anything there. His wife, the crowd, D-Will, his weird bump on his elbow.) Seeing how Greg interacts with the team will be very interesting to see this season.

#2: Will Andrei Kirilenko come of the bench the entire season?

AK is already getting some early votes for sixth man of the year. Sloan seems to have like the way that Kirilenko played coming off the bench, and will start the season using AK as the sixth man. The real question is whether Andrei will continue to keep his emotions/ego in check and fully commit to the role of coming off the bench. It almost seems too perfect for Andrei to fill that role. Kirilenko plays much better with Boozer off the court. AK gets more touches on offense, and he doesn't have to pick up fouls covering Boozer's defensive weakness.

Harpring is the other element that could complicate AK coming off the bench. Whose minutes do you take away and give to Harpring? Miles has played well since being inserted into the starting lineup, and AK's minutes have been cut with him coming off the bench. You could play Kirilenko at the same time as Harpring; however, that would limit the offense of the Jazz and most likely take away minutes from another player(Most likely Millsap). On paper the move of having Kirilenko come off the bench looks really good, but the move does have the danger of killing team chemistry.

#1: How far can the 2008-09 Jazz go?

Likely, this is the last year that the core players of this team will be together. Last year this team made it to the second round and were eliminated by the Lakers, the year before to the Western Conference Finals losing to the Spurs. Just how far can the 2008-09 team go?

A NBA title has to be the goal of the team this year. Anything besides winning it all would be a disappointment. The Jazz added very little from last year's team, but they are relying on the players they have whom are young improving this season. The Jazz don't expect another disappearing act by Boozer in the playoffs. The Jazz are also relying on the fact that many of the core players are improved from last season. This year's Jazz team already looks like they will be in better shape than last year's Jazz team.

Memo, Brewer, Williams, and Miles all look like they dedicated themselves in the off-season and improved their physical conditioning. Okur is the best example of the conditioning change. He appears to have dropped a lot of weight and added muscle. Okur has especially added upper body muscle.

This is the most talented team on paper that the Jazz has ever had. This might be the last chance for this team to win a title due to contracts. It is all or nothing this year.

Read More >>>

The Wife's Outburst: Annoying Commercials

A look back at last year's NBA playoff coverage...

With the start of the new basketball season, I thought I would pay homage to the playoffs. Every year during the NBA playoffs on TNT, you see a Saving Grace or Closer commercial every commercial break. Annoying!!! Seeing that many commercials in a 3 hour time period does not make me want to watch this show. In fact I avoid it at all costs. I can't stand it. When it is shoved down our throats, why would I want to see it. I feel like I have already seen a season by watching all the commercials. Sometimes TNT will even show both tv trailers in one commercial break.

Saving Grace


The Closer


To end on a happy note, TNT does know how to have a good commentating crew on Inside the NBA.  They have a good groove going on.  It is a nice change of pace from the annoying commercials.

Charles and the Ring of Fire

Read More >>>

The Wife's Outburst: Dreadful performance by Boozer

After watching the game last night I had 3 comments:

1. The Jazz were playing like cowards.
I noticed the Lakers were playing with their heads held high (yes, maybe that was mostly becasue they knew they could do anything and not get a call). When the Jazz players would walk down the court, it was like they were moping and dragging their feet. The is the Spurs series of last year. This is the series the Jazz are playing as if they know they won't make it out.

2. The refs were handing the game to the Lakers on a silver platter.
Even though Kobe won and was presented the MVP award last night, they did not need to throw the game. The Lakers shot 43 free throws because the Jazz "touched" them. Whenever the Jazz would try to do something and the Lakers would commit a foul right in front of the refs and they wouldn't make any calls.

3. Carlos Boozer needs to step it up or pack his bags.
He only shot 30% last night. He only had 10 points. During game one: only shot 43% and had 15 points. This type of play does not win games. Boozer is our All-Star; however, he is not playing like one. What is his problem? If the Jazz lose this series because of Boozer's crapy and non-existent play, the Jazz must trade him. I am sad to say, but he has got to go if he doesn't care about Jazz basketball.

Read More >>>

Quick Hits:Utah Jazz, Agent Zero's Blog, and American Gladiators

Quick thoughts before game six tonight...

Utah Jazz: Fans step away from the panic button.
Tonight's game is big. There is no need to panic if you are a Jazz fan...yet. After the butt kicking that Houston laid on the Jazz Tuesday, the panic bug started. Yet, there is no reason to worry. The Jazz have put themselves into a position to advance to the next round of the playoffs on their home court. That is why they went to Houston and won the first two games. Thanks to that effort at the beginning of the playoff series the Jazz had a mulligan that they could play on their home court. Sure it would have been easier for the Jazz just to show up and win game three and sweep the series. Sure the Jazz could have at least made the game respectable on Tuesday. Even with that in mind, the Jazz are a force when they play on their home court. Also the blowout loss should have refocused the Jazz for tonight's game.

Other reasons for Jazz fans to be optimistic about tonight's game. Boozer. The lone bright spot about the end of game five was the recognition of Boozer that he is a low post beast. He took the ball to the basket, and their wasn't a single person on Houston that could stop him. Hopefully, the break between games five and six doesn't cause Boozer to forget this fact. There is no reason to panic...although if the Jazz drop the game tonight save me a spot on the ledge.

Agent Zero's Blog
I was late coming to this party, but Gilbert's blog is AWESOME. I read over three month's worth of entries yesterday, and was pleasantly surprised about the quality that Arenas puts into all of his blog entries. What also shocked me was all of the negative criticism that comes from the media in relation to the Blog. It is a little understandable for the local media to be upset, because Arenas openly bashes the media in his post. Saying he will not talk to media members after games, and breaking news on his own, bi-passing the need to talk to the media.

This is especially interesting after watching Costas Now. On the program Bob Costas had town hall style panel discuss the merits of media coverage of sports. It was interesting to see all of the negative feelings towards Blogs that media members have. They openly wondered how a person without any formal training could think to write information about sports. Well...it is called an opinion. Speaking for myself I don't try and break news, or get close to knowing about players. I don't always agree with what the news media says about a certain situation.

A good example of the media bias was the Wallace situation in Portland. The media in Portland black listed Sheed, and called him a head case and a thug, why? He wouldn't do any interviews with the media after games. That is right, he was helping in the community and was a positive influence in the locker room, but the media painted him as Mr Hyde. Did Sheed lead the league in technicals? Yes. Yet, they never talked about his passion for playing the game. You could never say that Sheed didn't do everything he could to win a game when he was on the court.

I don't think that the print media should be done away with. That is just dumb! There needs to be someone there covering the stories, and interacting with the players. Someone that can try to be unbiased. Yet, to turn their backs on blogging make absolutely no sense. Welcome to the Internet my friends...and guess what, I think it is going to be a big deal.

American Gladiators
It looks like the producers of the show on NBC have made some changes for the second season that is coming later this month. Hopefully, they have made the changes for the better which I already went over in my first piece about the program. I also like that they are coming up with new events that are completely original. This is the make or break season for the show. I am pulling for this show to work out.

Read More >>>

Carlos Boozer MIA: Utah Jazz Need More Production from Boozer in Playoffs

Boozer hasn't been awful in the first three games, but if the Jazz want to go deep in the playoffs Boozer needs to step up his game...

In game one of last year's playoff series between the Jazz and the Rockets, Boozer was a non-factor scoring just 11 points and pulling down 12 rebounds. Those are solid numbers for a role player, but not for a star. The TNT post game crew after seeing this performance called out Boozer, saying he needed to step up his game. What was Boozer's response last year? Game two he put 41 points on the board, against Yao Ming!

Fast forward to the playoffs this year. Once again the Jazz are battling the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs. What is Boozer averaging for the playoffs through three games? 16.5 points and 11.5 rebounds a game. A huge step down from last year when he averaged 24.7 points and 11 rebs. There is no Yao Ming on the court, instead he is facing an older slower Mutombo. There are more weapons on the floor for the Jazz, but generally that opens up the floor more for Boozer. Boozer needs to step up in the series and take contol, because currently he is Missing in Action(MIA) in the series.

The Utah Jazz are up 2-1 in the series despite of the poor performance from their lone All-Star. The difference? The team is just better this season. Andrei Kirilenko is playing on the court as opposed to sulking in the corner. Okur is actually scoring this year, now that he doesn't have the task of trying to stop Yao Ming on the defensive end. Williams, despite playing injured, is carrying the team on his back. Plus, the bench is giving the team a lift. Yet, all of those points would be null and void if Boozer doesn't start to play much better.

One couldn't blame the entire loss last night on Boozer. The Jazz still had a chance to the win the game, despite another poor outing and poor free throw shooting; however, if Boozer would have shown up and given a Boozer like performance the out come would have been much different. So, what does Boozer need to do to turn things around?

He needs to demand the ball in the key! Boozer only took 11 shots last night. Of those only four were taken in the key, and he converted on three of four of those attempts. Making him 3 for 7 outside of the paint. His is very efficient at getting to the rim, and getting to the free throw line when he forces the issue in the paint. Yet, it seem this series that he is relying far to much on his outside jump shot. When Boozer does get position under the basket his teammates aren't looking for him. Boozer was wide open twice, when Williams had the ball late and they were looking to to take the lead late in the game, and he didn't get the basketball. If the Jazz want to win, they can't play that way. They need to give Boozer the ball!

Hopefully it won't take Kenny and Charles challenging Boozer again before he starts playing in the post season. Hopefully he will make the necessary changes on his own. Yet, until that takes place Boozer is still MIA in the playoffs.

Read More >>>

Quick Hits: Jazz Lose to Spurs, NBA Playoffs, NHL, and More...

Last night may have been the best loss of the season for the Jazz...

It seemed a very unfavorable time to take a break from writing on the Blog for the last few days; however, my wife had her Wisdom Teeth pulled and I have been taking care of her. That has really cut into my blogging time. She is doing much better now, and so I am now able to touch some topics I would have liked to have written a full entry on.

The Spurs Flexed Their Muscle Against the Jazz Last Night -- Wow! The Spurs shut down everything that the Jazz were trying to accomplish last night. Sure Deron Williams wasn't going at a hundred percent, but he was completely useless last night. Parker made him look terrible for the entire first half. Yet, it was nothing in comparison to the egg that Boozer laid last night. Letting Tim Duncan go coast-to-coast, was just another highlight on the Defense-by-Boozer highlight real. Though, his offense might have actually been worse last night. He was passing on wide open shots. He wasn't going to the rim. When he would get the ball in good position under the hoop, it seemed he would panic and try to outlet the ball to the outside as fast as he possibly could. His lack of an inside game caused multiple turnovers which the Spurs capitalized on. The Spurs were better at every position last night.

The Good News The Jazz Avoid the Spurs in the First Round--Before the game yesterday, the Jazz fans seemed to be ingesting large amounts of liquid courage. With this courage they were calling for the Jazz to play the Spurs in the first round. Forgotten were the Western Conference Finals of last year or the fact that 1999 was the last year the Jazz won a game in San Antonio. Forgotten, that the Jazz have NO answer for Manu Ginoboli. All of that didn't matter because the Jazz were playing far better basketball over the last five game than the Spurs. The game last night was a giant wake-up-call to Jazz Nation...THE SPURS OWN UTAH! That fact makes the loss last night bearable. With a win the Jazz would have been facing the Spurs in the first round, a very challenging match-up against a veteran team. Instead, the Jazz face the Rockets and Tracy (My hands influence the course of the universe, but I can't get out of the first round) McGrady.

The Greatest Fear All Jazz Fans Should Have Right Now!--How injured is Deron Williams? After Carmelo Anthony took Deron to the ground, Deron has been playing awful. The game against Houston was the first indication that Jazz fans should worry. Bobby Jackson...YES...Bobby Jackson gave Deron Williams problems the entire game. One could have made an argument that this one game was a abnormality, but Parker's schooling of Williams last night proved he is more injured than he is letting on. Why is this a HUGE problem? Deron Williams is everything for the Jazz. Take away Williams and Boozer and Okur become very average players. No one can create their own shot on the Jazz besides Williams. No one can create shots for other people, if Williams isn't orchestrating the offense. Take away Williams and the Jazz wouldn't even be sniffing the playoffs this or any season with the current lineup.

NBA Officiating in the Playoffs -- One more quick thought on the NBA Playoffs. I think it will be interesting to see one year removed from a major officiating scandal how the NBA will deal with the "Star Treatment" that has been present in the playoffs since Jordan. The series that will point out if this is an issue for the NBA is the Wizard Vs. Cavs. This is the third year in a row that these two teams have faced each other in the first round of the playoffs. The past two the Cleveland LeBrons have narrowly won the series, thanks in large part to suspect officiating. If this continues for a third season, the NBA might have a much larger officiating problem than the scandal of last year. This will be an interesting unspoken subplot in that series to keep an eye on.

NHL Playoffs -- Yes, the NHL playoffs are going on right now. This could be shocking to most people considering they get the same exposure as the Mountain West Conference. The shame of the non-exposure for the NHL is the fact that they now have an enjoyable product to watch. I can't name a single player on Detriot's or Nashville's roster; however, it was very enjoyable to watch their game last night between commercials of the Jazz-Spurs. The new rule changes make the game more open, and more athletic. There are players now that have serious talent. Crosby on the Penguins is really amazing. If you have a minute and Versus, you might want to think about giving the NHL Playoffs a look in from time to time.

Read More >>>

Utah Jazz 2007-08 MVP

Making a case for every player on the Jazz and their importance to the team...

The MVP debate has been heating up as the end of the regular season is nearing. The national media has narrowed it down to four players. Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, and Chris Paul. While arguments can be made for any of these players to be the MVP of the league(although the arguments for Chris Paul are really shaky, and don't make much sense) it looks like the MVP award will be a tough call. This leads back to the definition of the MVP? Is it suppose to determine the best player numbers/talent wise or is it the player that meant the most to the team? Everyone has their own opinion about the definition, and it doesn't look like David Stern or anyone in the NBA front office is going to define the meaning any time soon.

For Jazz fans the debate over who was the MVP of the team during the Stockton/Malone era has revolved around this question. Malone had talent coming out of his ears and carried the team, but in the clutch the ball needed to be in the hands of Stockton to get the team over the top. On the current Jazz squad their is an abundance of talent, but who is the team MVP for this year? Here is a case for everyone on the Jazz roster. (In no particular order)

Jason Hart - Well...he is still alive, and suppose to be a really nice guy. Not MVP material. (Side note: If someone invented a time machine and was offering trips back to change the past don't you think that Hart would be first in line to talk himself out of leaving the Clippers? He is again buried behind Price on the bench like he was at Sacramento, and Cassell did nothing for the Clippers the entire season right up to the point that he left for Boston. I am pretty sure that situation would suit him better then the situation he is currently in.)

Morris Almond - He is the team MVP!!! If you are talking about the Utah Flash. The D-league Kobe has little chances of getting any playing time with the Jazz, but if he doesn't win the D-league MVP something is very wrong.

Kyrylo Fesenko - Fes is a fan favorite. He is a more lovable version of Greg Ostertag. Also he appears to have the desire to improve himself. As long as he doesn't get a cartoon character tattooed on his calf he is in good shape for the future, but has little chance of capturing the MVP for the Jazz this year.

Jarron Collins - He can still draw a charge.

Ronnie Price - Energy! Energy! Energy! When he comes into the game for the Jazz, the tempo of the game changes. He is running up the court with the ball and getting the team into the offense. He has been the spark to at least two Jazz victories this season. Also, since Price earn the back up position the Jazz are 26-8(.764) as compared to 22-18(.550) before the move was made. That is a very big swing in winning percentage. Good spark guy, team MVP?...No.

C.J. Miles - He has kept himself ready for any playing time that Sloan has given him. His game has grown huge amount since last year, and he could be competing with Brewer for most improved player on the team. He is still stuck behind Korver and Brewer for playing time, and he hasn't proven he can maintain his effort game-in-game-out. Future bright, team MVP?...not even close.

Paul Millsap - Here is a case of misconception among fans. Many fans have complained this year about the lack of play from Millsap. Yet, Millsap has improved in every statistical category from last year. The shock comes from the lack of increase from last season. After watching Millsap's play in the playoffs and the Rocky Mountain Review people were projecting a monster year from him. His game is improved, but he is no longer catching teams by surprise this year. He still has room to grow, but he is not the team MVP.

Matt Harpring - The lack of playing time due to his injury hurt the Jazz earlier in the season. Yet, with the emergence of young talent behind him his role on the Jazz has become less crucial. He is still a key to the Jazz success, but not the team MVP.

Andrei Kirilenko - It is obvious that AK is much happier with his role on the Jazz this year as compared to a year ago. He has shown the brilliance that made the Jazz sign him to the max money deal, but those moments this season has been rare. He has the ability to take over the game on both sides of the ball, but his intensity night-in-night-out has visibly wavered at times. It is frustrating to think of the player he could be for the Jazz if his ego wasn't involved. He is a BIG key to how far the Jazz make it in the playoffs, but not team MVP critical.

Ronnie Brewer - His role on the Jazz this year has been downplayed on all fronts. Mostly his athletic defensive ability. This was seen in the loss to the Timberwolves. He was the only one on the court, due to other injuries on the team, that could slow down the speedy back court of the T-Wolves. The ability of the Jazz to have a defensive presence on the perimeter has allowed AK to help on the inside. Also the ability of Brewer to finish around the basket opens up the offense around him. His stats are decent, but it is the little things that makes him valuable to the team. Team MVP? Nope.

Kyle Korver - Chicks dig the long ball! He is the MCP - Most Crushed on Player by both women and men. On the court his impact was felt the moment he arrived in Utah. The threat of him on the three point line forces teams out of zone defenses. He is a key, but not the team MVP.

Mehmet Okur - Memo has a huge impact on the Jazz. The Jazz are 4-6 when he is out of the line up. He is the most underrated player this year for the Jazz. His defense, while at times is lacking, is much improved compared to last season. He has also expanded the ways which he can score. Teams can no longer send a smaller perimeter player out to guard against the three, because of the ability Memo has now to dribble and pass the ball.

Carlos Boozer - He was the only All-Star and sadly the only sure member of the Jazz on Team USA on the Jazz. He is the guy that has carried the bulk of the Jazz scoring this season, and is the leading rebounder. Yet, Boozer has a glaring hole in his game DEFENSE! Calling Boozer a sub par defender would be a compliment of which he is undeserving. He is slow to cut off his own man, and never rotates to help.

Deron Williams - Who is the guy you don't want to see injured? D-Will. Deron is the only Jazz player that can create his own shot on a consistent bases. He is also the backbone to the Jazz offensive rhythm. If he is not hitting on all cylinders than the Jazz will struggle. He is a great shooter, but his pass first mentality makes everyone on the floor better. He also puts the team above his own quest for numbers. There have been times this season Deron has asked for Price to get more minutes because he is playing well. That is something you don't see from a top player in today's diva filled NBA. Although Booz, AK, and Memo are important they are expendable in the big picture in comparison to Deron.

If there was a vote for team MVP the ballot this year should read:
1) Deron Williams
2) Carlos Boozer
3) Mehmet Okur/Andrei Kirilenko

Read More >>>