‘Oden: Scheduled to School?’

With the NBA’s official release of the 2008-09 schedule, there are a few games that have really wet my whistle. Let me take a moment to step out of the Homer-Jazz-Box and toss some games out there that aren’t all Jazz oriented, but rather, Basketball related.

For one, I can’t wait to finally see “Old-Man” Oden play on opening night October 28th versus the LA Lakers: this game will show us what two different new big men are made of. That’s right I’m talking about Oden vs. Bynum. My money is on Bynum because of his experience, but I have this funny feeling that Oden will own him defensively with the Blazers winning it in the end 98-93.

Secondly; Utah vs. New Orleans -Ok I admit I said I would step out of the Jazz box, but gimme a break! This rivalry could heat up after the Olympics are over and everyone starts comparing their stats from the China games! I just can’t believe we have to wait clear ’till January 7th to see the game that features the BEST two point guards in the NBA, I hate waiting, but I guess we’ll have a lot to talk about in the lead in to this game won’t we? Read more…

‘The Coveted Official Jazzbots Blogger Hat’

What is a Jazzbot? It’s the second most popular question I’m asked after, what’s this blog thing you’re doing? Being a Jazzbots blogger has meant a chance to write about the Jazz from my perspective. I’m not a journalist, and while I appreciate the job that sportswriters do, I frequently might have a different view, or I might be interested in a completely different aspect of the story. I’m a huge Jazz fan, and I love the chance to get to talk about the team and things related to the team from my unique angle.

I’ve had the opportunity to meet some very interesting people, and see some things that other fans might not get the chance to see, as a blogger for the Jazz. This of course was a huge incentive for me to “try-out.” These are great perks, but being able to have a voice and write about something I love to talk about is the best reward. Getting feedback from complete strangers can also be considered a perk (at times). The opportunities for all fans to join the discussion is an amazing thing, because even if I don’t agree with what’s being written in the comments, I’m usually led to another topic to write about when I read those comments. I love that interaction, and it’s really not as scary as I thought it would be when I considered answering the call for Jazzbots.

If you’re considering joining the ranks now is the time. The search is on. You can also write a comment, or send an email to annie.whittaker@jazzbots.com. I would be happy to share my insights with you.

P.S. I almost forgot, when you’re a Jazzbot, you have to beat the throngs of adoring fans away with a club.

‘What’s a little shove among friends?’

Welcome to the Heartbreak Hotel. Located in downtown Salt Lake City, we have a rare collection of rooms guaranteed to draw moisture from even the driest of tear ducts. You must show your colors as a true Jazz fan to reserve a room here. This means no turning off the television when things look bleak, no heading for the Energy Solutions Arena exit until the final second has slipped off the clock. A real Jazz aficionado holds out until the bitter end. If you prove yourself worthy, you can stay with us for many restless nights of tossing, turning, and wondering what might have been. You’ll also get a chance to see many of your heroes, past and present, for the ghosts Karl Malone, John Stockton, Carlos Boozer, Deron Williams, and others have been known to haunt the corridors of the Heartbreak Hotel.

We have eight games—er, rooms—from which you can choose. Taking into account proximity to a championship, as well as ramifications for the franchise, the following are ranked backward, ending with the most heartbreaking performance in Utah Jazz history. Leave now if you wish, for once you enter this hotel, the burn of sadness will linger as long as you root for the Jazz.

8. Game 6 loss to Portland, Second Round, 1999
The Jazz literally aged before our very eyes in the 1999 playoffs. First, they held on for dear life against a Sacramento team that would eventually compete for a Western Conference crown. Then the Jazz simply failed to keep up with a younger, quicker, more explosive Portland squad. The Blazers added insult to injury when some of their players removed their shirts during the on-court, post-game celebration. Had the Jazz managed to win Game Six, they would have returned to the Delta Center’s friendly confines for the deciding match. Even if they had won, however, it’s unlikely the Jazz would have gotten by San Antonio in the Conference Finals. Still, 1999 marked the Bulls’ first season without Michael Jordon, and thus perhaps the last real shot for an aging Stockton and Malone to win a championship. Read more…

‘San Antonio: Remember the…mermaid?’

I spent the last week in San Antonio, Texas, at a conference with some fellow teachers from around the country. Normally I love visiting new towns. But try as I might, I couldn’t find a place in my heart for the Alamo City. This got me wondering, do I really find San Antonio unappealing because it lacks merit? Or has my pure hatred for the Spurs completely clouded my vision and caused me to see San Antonio through dirt colored glasses?

The first thing I noticed about San Antonio was its unimpressive skyline. San Antonio ranks seventh among our nation’s most populated cities, ahead of such behemoths as Dallas, Detroit, San Francisco, and Seattle. Yet each of these other locations has a more impressive cityscape than San Antonio. I enjoyed the Riverwalk, though I couldn’t help but notice its artificial sentiment. It felt like Little Italy in lower Manhattan, a collection of tourist-frequented restaurants lacking that authentic feel. And if I eat another plate of Tex-Mex food this month, my insides are going to make a last stand like Davy Crockett at the Alamo. Speaking of, San Antonio’s most famous monument didn’t quite capture my imagination. The Alamo reminded me of visiting Mount Rushmore in South Dakota—it was cool, for sure, but it somehow left me disappointed and wanting more.

Despite its lack of magnificence, San Antonio offers plenty to do and seems like a nice place to live. But I don’t like the city. In fact, I found myself hating it, wanting to leave as soon as possible. My only explanation, after much reflection, is the Spurs. I so hate the Spurs that I’ve completely associated San Antonio with its basketball team. The Jazz’s well-documented struggles in San Antonio lie at the root of this hatred. I can imagine some poor sucker in San Antonio back in the 1990s feeling the same way toward Salt Lake. Remember the good old days when the Jazz used to knock the Spurs out of the playoffs every other year, and Jim Rome referred to David Robinson as The Mermaid? Despite having home court advantage, the Spurs couldn’t get past the Jazz in 1994 or 1996. In 1998, following a Game 3 debacle, Karl Malone promised his team would not return to San Antonio, meaning they had to win Game 4 in Texas and finish it in Salt Lake. Of course, the Mailman delivered on his word. Read more…

‘Ron Artest: Now Rocket Fueled’ (Associated Press)

My brother is usually the one to deliver breaking sports news to my attention. Thus, I learned of Houston’s recent acquisition of Ron Artest in a text message that read, “Rockets got Artest for Bobby Jackson. Little bit scary.” The move does scare me a little, potentially a lot.

For two straight years, the Jazz and Rockets have found themselves engaged in hand-to-hand combat in the playoffs. With quarter neither asked nor given, the Jazz put their foe on the canvas in the late rounds of both series. But with only a break or two going the other way, Houston could certainly have sent the Jazz home either year. Consider how hard the Jazz had to fight last spring to finish off a Houston squad riddled with injuries. With a healthy roster, plus the added punch of Ron Artest, Houston might have the strength to knock the Jazz out.

In the ultra competitive Western Conference, the Jazz can ill afford to lose their slight edge over a team like Houston. Does Artest give the Rockets enough to surpass the Jazz? The answer depends largely on how well Artest melds with the current cast of characters in Houston. On paper, he makes the Rockets better at both ends of the floor. The explosive New York City native reminds one a little of Dennis Rodman but with superior offensive skills. Read more…

‘Paul at the Peak?’ (Associated Press)

The NBA is a vastly different beast than the NFL; in the NFL parity is King and rules year in year out - though the best do win it all year in, year out.

In the NBA the only parody is at the 7th seed and 8th seed; and even then it seems like those are set in stone after the free agent signing period has been completed.

For example: I just can’t see the Golden State Warriors really battling for that 8th seed like they did this year. That being said, did the Nuggets get a lot worse by trading their only defensive player away? In a conspiracy theorists mind that move only happened so that the Warriors and the Nuggets could continue to battle for that coveted 8th seed, but this time the Portland Trailblazers will have something to say about it.

P-town is the only “outside looking in” playoff contender in the Western Conference. Will the standings change much this next season? Short answer yes. Long answer, barely…

My thoughts on the West are as follows (yes a bit premature):

1. New Orleans Hornets
2. LA Lakers
3. Utah Jazz
4. San Antonio Spurs
5. Houston Rockets
6. Phoenix Suns
7. Dallas Mavericks
8. Portland Trailblazers

What is my reasoning? Read more…

 
‘Larry: Still Making His Mark’

Larry Miller’s recent health problems elicit reactions of concern on multiple fronts. First and foremost, Miller is a husband and father. Thoughts and prayers certainly go out to Miller and those closest to him. Larry Miller is also a public figure, and his illness reverberates far beyond the lives of those who know and love him personally. The Utah Jazz owe their tremendous, sustained success to the man who owns and operates the franchise.

Since Miller bought the team in the spring of 1985, the Jazz have finished below .500 exactly once. John Stockton and Karl Malone deserve most of the praise for producing results on the court, while Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer can claim more recent credit. But taking a step back to examine the organization from the top down, any reasonable Jazz fan must recognize Miller’s success as a businessman. For over twenty years, the one constant for the Utah Jazz has been Larry Miller. Nearly two and a half decades have seen numerous NBA teams rise, fall, and rise again. Somehow the Jazz have managed to stay competitive throughout. While various tacticians and strategists have helped make personnel decisions under Miller, the buck ultimately stops on the desk of the man in charge.

Not every move made under Miller’s watch has elicited a euphoric reaction. The decision to give Andrei Kirilenko a maximum deal, the signing of John Amaechi, the trade for Rafael Araujo, and the move to acquire Jay Humphries and Larry Krystkowiak come to mind as less than brilliant maneuvers. Utah has also had its share of draft blunders. Yet, generally speaking, the Jazz have operated smartly and skillfully. The Jazz don’t make a lot of moves, but the ones they do pull off tend to be beneficial (Jeff Malone, Jeff Hornacek, Tyrone Corbin, Donyell Marshall, Kyle Korver, etc). Furthermore, consider the coaching carousel that we witness at the conclusion of each NBA season. Other owners might have fired Jerry Sloan after the playoff disappointments of 1989 or 1995, the let down season in 1993, or the disastrous 2005 campaign. Miller, however, has remained loyal to Sloan, and that loyalty has paid off. The Jazz have remained competitive for well over 20 years while other teams have fallen by the wayside. Read more…

‘Just another ‘Dream Team’?’ (Nike Basketball)

I was lucky enough to attend the 2008 version of the Rocky Mountain Revue last week. It’s a great opportunity to get a live basketball spectator fix during the summer. A few of the tangents that I will probably wander off on, are as follows:

1. The Jazz “veterans” were extremely disappointing. Fesenko, is-um-was a crowd favorite, until the first two games were over, then Fes fizzled in the popularity department. I wish he understood how important his performance in this tournament was. Morris Almond wasn’t great either. I think we all feel that these guys can and should play much better. I think they both feel the same. (They did improve in the last game). It was just a summer tournament though, at least it wasn’t during the NBA season. Now they’ve had a chance to knock some of the rust off, they should be great come early fall.

2. International basketball is fun to watch. The Iranian team brought with them an intensity that was evident in the way they played, and in the way that their crowd cheered. They would be losing by 30 points and the Iranian crowd continued to roar and chant, and the basketball team continued giving it their all. I would love to see some of that work ethic and passion from team USA in 2 weeks. Read more…

 
‘More Mileage’ (Gus Ruelas - Associated Press)

A week ago Friday, sitting in a watering hole in New Orleans, reflecting on another week of summer school with my fellow teachers, I received the following text message from my brother: OKC giving Miles 4 mil a year. The offer tendered to the gifted but relatively unproven Miles came as a surprise. A larger shock wave hit when the Jazz matched the offer, apparently committing to Miles for the next several years.

What did the Utah brain trust have in mind when they made the move to keep Miles? The Texas native essentially lost his spot in the rotation when the Jazz traded for Kyle Korver in December. So why give Miles money that could eventually be added to the Save Boozer fund? Perhaps the Jazz intend to deal Miles, not wanting to find themselves empty handed when CJ walks out the door. Or maybe the Jazz really do plan to make Miles a significant part of their future.

Assuming the Jazz keep Miles, they practically have an obligation to play him. Otherwise, they are wasting money. This thinking violates the very principals by which Jerry Sloan runs his team. Sloan would give playing time to a short order cook if he thought the man would hustle, defend, and run the offense. But Miles proved he could produce in the weeks before the Korver trade, so more playing time may benefit the team. Read more…

‘Knight: Part of the Stanford Streak?’ (Jeff Gross - NBAE/Getty Images)

I had three thoughts when the Jazz acquired Brevin Knight for Jason Hart last week. The first was good riddance to Hart. The man worked hard, tried his best, and ultimately found himself backing up the back up point guard. Hart shot a dreadful 32% from the field last year. Hopefully he will have better luck spotting Baron Davis.

The second thought that entered my mind was the memory of Andre Miller battling Knight’s Stanford squad during their Sweet 16 cliffhanger in 1997. The Cardinal point guard hit a 3-pointer with seven seconds remaining on the clock to send the game to overtime. Despite seeing Keith Van Horn foul out in the first minute of the extra session, Utah hung on to earn an Elite 8 date with Kentucky two days later. We all know how that ended. Ideally, the Utah-Stanford showdown would have come one year later with an NCAA Championship at stake. Perhaps 2008 would have been the ten year anniversary of a national title if only Stanford had only held off Kentucky in the semifinal.

My final and most sobering thought was the realization that Knight is destined to disappoint because he played at Stanford. Read more…