Archives For Spencer Hall

Salt City Hoops 2.0

Spencer Hall —  May 20, 2013 — Leave a comment

Hayward contemplates the future

After more than four years on the Jazz beat for the ESPN TrueHoop Network, some changes are in the works. As many of you know, I recently accepted a position as the news director at KSL.com. In order to deliver the finest in news and opinion on the Utah Jazz, I’m excited to introduce Andy B. Larsen as the new managing editor for the site.

Andy is a well-known member of the online Jazz family, contributing statistical analysis and clever writing all over the place — most recently for SB Nation at SLCDunk.com. Though a graduate of Westminster College in Salt Lake City, lifelong Jazz fan, and prodigious writer, his most important accomplishment was probably celebrating the end of the NBA lockout with me and @shandonfan at Dee’s in Sugarhouse at 3 o’clock in the morning. Andy stunned us by ordering (and finishing) a gigantic plate of spaghetti and meatballs despite the early hour. I needed no further proof of his credentials as a blogger.

I’ll continue to own the site and oversee the editorial direction as the Chairman of the Board (because that’s the kind of thing you do when you rule by fiat). I’ll also continue to tweet about basketball and nonsense from @saltcityhoops. You can follow my other thoughts at @spencerhall. Both handles work for Instagram, too, if you’re into that.

Jackson Rudd and Evan Hall (no relation) will join me and Jeff Lind on the Board of Directors, helping Andy as he assembles his world-class team of contributors.

On a personal note, it’s been a thrill to build the Salt City Hoops brand and represent the ESPN TrueHoop Network since 2009. So many of you have been incredibly kind and supportive over the years. A special thanks goes out to the gentleman/scholar Kurt Kragthorpe of the Salt Lake Tribune for allowing me to use him as a mentor. I delivered the Deseret News (where he used to write) as a kid and read everything Kurt ever wrote. Even though I pestered him with a million questions, he graciously treated me like a respected colleague from the minute I arrived on the Jazz beat and I’ll forever be thankful.

A special shout out to Jeremiah Jensen at KSL for helping launch our Retro Jazz project; to Dave Fox at KUTV for treating me like a superstar every time I appeared on his show; to Scott Garrard at 1280 The Zone for taking a chance on me and letting me host the Saturday Show on the Jazz flagship station; to Jody Gennesy at the Deseret News for his help and friendship and great humor; to Lisa Carricaburu and the sports team at the Salt Lake Tribune for giving me the opportunity to contribute to their gameday coverage. KSL’s Jarom Moore was a big help on press row as the honorary VP of Treats and Fourth Quarter Candy, as well.

I’ll continue to participate in the greater TrueHoop Network ecosystem, so a goodbye to my ESPN people is unnecessary. That said, a big thanks to ESPN‘s Henry Abbott and Kevin Arnovitz for the opportunity to represent the Jazz in the ESPN NBA community.

Thanks for all the good times. I’m confident you’re in good hands.

In Announcements
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Jazz announce pre-draft workouts

Spencer Hall —  May 10, 2013 — Leave a comment

The Jazz will host six players on Saturday, May 11 for pre-draft workouts. (Links to Draft Express and ESPN Insider profiles).

PLAYER POSITION HT. WT. D.O.B. FROM
James Ennis (Insider) Guard 6-6 235 7/1/90 Long Beach St.
Jamelle Hagins Forward 6-9 235 10/19/90 Delaware
Colton Iverson (Insider) Center 7-0 255 6/29/89 Colorado St.
Myck Kabongo (Insider) Guard 6-1 180 1/12/92 Texas
Mike Snaer (Insider) Guard 6-5 202 6/21/90 Florida St.
Nate Wolters (Insider) Guard 6-4 190 5/15/91 South Dakota St.

Highlights:

James Ennis

Jamelle Hagins

Colton Iverson (Best name, for sure)

Myck Kabongo

Mike Snaer

Nate Wolters (53-point game)

In Utah Jazz
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Walter Bond to chat with the Saturday Show

Spencer Hall —  April 26, 2013 — Leave a comment

Tune in tomorrow The Saturday Show to listen to former Jazz guard Walter Bond talk about his time in the NBA, his motivational speaking, and his new gig hosting a new Food Network show called “Giving You The Business.”

In the premiere episode, four Famous Famiglia employees from across the country are secretly put to the test in a series of outrageous challenges designed to test their management skills. Hidden cameras capture their every move at the company’s busiest Manhattan pizzeria, and the winner will be awarded their own franchise. Franchises featured in upcoming episodes include: 16 Handles, Freshii, Jersey Mike’s Subs, La Prep, Muscle Maker Grill, Saladworks, Topper’s Pizza and Wok Box.

Walter Bond uses what he learned on the basketball court and franchise world in his many speaking engagements around the country, discussing how to excel in business with owners and employees. He is a former NBA athlete who rose from being a reserve player coming off the bench to becoming the first rookie-free agent to start for the Dallas Mavericks. This journey provides the foundation for the principles he teaches to empower people in their own lives. Today he is recognized as one of the world’s preeminent experts on personal accountability. Walter has impacted hundreds of thousands of people in his rapid rise to the top of the speaking industry.

Bond will be the second player from the 1993-94 Jazz roster to appear on the Saturday Show, joining Luther Wright. Check the video at the top of this post to get familiar with Bond’s motivational speaking. Great stuff from beginning to end.

Listen to The Saturday Show at noon MT on 97.5 FM / 1280 AM or stream it on 1280thezone.com.

FOOD NETWORK WALTER BOND

In Utah Jazz , ,
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Jazz 97 – Warriors 90: The Mo Williams Dagger Game

Spencer Hall —  April 8, 2013 — 2 Comments

[ESPN Recap]

The Jazz don’t win often on the road (this was only their third road win since January), so it was a pleasant surprise to see the hustle and fight in a crucial game. Mo Williams was at his best (25 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals), but there were excellent performances from the entire roster. Derrick Favors cemented his status as an elite defender, Al Jefferson was a beast (19 points, 12 rebounds), Gordon Hayward was aggressive, and Jamaal Tinsley gave the team nice contributions in relief.

With the win and the Lakers loss to the Clippers earlier in the day, the Jazz remain in the 8th spot in the West and control their own destiny. The Warriors could have clinched their Playoff status with a win and seemed to be gunning for it early. Randy Foye mentioned in the post-game interviews that the he noticed Ws coach Mark Jackson left Steph Curry in the game longer than usual in the first half.

Up next, the Jazz face the Oklahoma City Thunder at home on Tuesday. It will be very interested to see if the Jazz can match the energy from Sunday night and take advantage of the vulnerable Thunder.

In NBA
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5-on-5: Predicting the Playoffs

Spencer Hall —  April 2, 2013 — 2 Comments

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I chipped in on today’s ESPN 5-on-5 to make predictions on the fast-arriving Playoffs. Check out the piece on ESPN.com to read the rest from Kevin Arnovitz, Jim Cavan, Ian Levy, and Darius Soriano. Here are my responses:

1. Fact or Fiction: The Lakers will make the playoffs.

Spencer Ryan Hall, Salt City Hoops: Fiction. The Lakers seem like the college student who assumes his dad’s connections will get him into law school, but he never bothers to go to class or study. The rejection letter is going to be a painful wakeup call in Lakers Land. All but one of their last eight games are at Staples, but every opponent is tough.

2. Fact or Fiction: The Jazz will make the playoffs.

Hall: Fact. It’s possible I’m simply intoxicated with the euphoria of the first five-game Utah win streak of the season, but the Jazz are finally playing like a team that could make noise in the playoffs. The memory of the recent 3-12 stretch is all but gone and the team is peaking at the right time with a healthy Mo Williams.

3. Fact or Fiction: The Mavs will get to shave this season.

Hall: Fact. Mercifully, the basketball gods will rescue us from further assault by the Nowitzki Beard, starting as early as Tuesday night against the Lakers. Stealing a win in L.A. would finally put the Mavs at .500 and allow us to bring the women and children out of hiding. [The editors wisely removed my joke about the surprising upset of Dirk Nowitzki looking the most like a caveman on a roster that includes Chris Kaman.]

4. Fact or Fiction: The Knicks are contenders.

Hall: Fiction. The path to the Finals for New York will probably be Chicago (first round), Indiana (conference semis) and Miami (East finals). I would love to see J.R. Smith get a chance to go seven games against the Heat, but I’ll be surprised if the Knicks even get past the first round.

5. Fact or Fiction: Without Manu, the Spurs will be eliminated early.

Hall: Fact. Not trying to jinx anything for the Jazz, but the stars are aligning for Utah to make some noise in the playoffs. With San Antonio “struggling” without Manu, a surging Utah team might have a chance to steal some games in a first-round matchup. More probably, though, a second-round matchup with the Grizzlies or the Clippers could undo the great season in S.A.

In NBA ,
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Jazz 112 – Blazers 102: Salt Lob City

Spencer Hall —  April 2, 2013 — Leave a comment

The Jazz continued to roll last night, picking up their first five-game winning streak of the season and handling the visiting Portland Trail Blazers in fine fashion [recap]. There was a lot to like, including 24 points and 10 rebounds from Al Jefferson, the newly-named Western Conference Player of the Week. The rejuvenated Mo Williams followed up Randy Foye’s team record 8 threes on Saturday night with 6-of-7 shooting from three and 20 points.

The thing everybody wanted to talk about though was the ridiculous no-look lob from Jamaal Tinsley to Jeremy Evans in the fourth quarter. As was pointed out by Matt Harpring on the broadcast, Evans is somehow three feet behind the three-point line when the ball is lobbed by Tinsley. That’s a lot of ground to cover.

Shoutout to SB Nation’s Mike Prada for the upload and the Salt Lob City moniker.

In Utah Jazz , ,
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5-on-5: Which records are meant to be broken?

Spencer Hall —  April 1, 2013 — 2 Comments

All-Time Assists Leaders

Last week I went 5-on-5 with a few of my TrueHoop brethren for a 5-on-5 piece for ESPN. Take a look at the responses and let me know your thoughts:

1. Breakable or unbreakable: The 1995-96 Bulls’ 72-win season.

Spencer Ryan Hall, Salt City Hoops: Unbreakable. That Bulls team descended from Mount Olympus and deigned to play among mere mortals for a season.

2. Breakable or unbreakable: The 1971-72 Lakers’ 33-game win streak.

Hall: Unbreakable. I really thought the combination of LeBron’s dominance and Shane Battier’s clandestine deal with the patron saint of win streaks would be enough to get the Heat to that 34th consecutive win. Breaking the Lakers’ mark would have been a more impressive accomplishment than an NBA title, but it’s clearly not a mark that any team will challenge anytime soon.

3. Breakable or unbreakable: Kareem’s career points (38,387).

Hall: Breakable. As someone who watched nearly every point of Karl Malone’s career, it’s unfathomable to imagine another player even approaching the combination of scoring ability, durability and longevity it would take to catch Kareem’s remarkable 20 seasons at 24.6 points per game. However, LeBron is already 10 seasons into his career, is averaging 27.6 points per game and is just peaking when Kareem was tailing off. Barring retiring and trying professional football, LeBron will only be 38 years old in his 20th season.

4. Breakable or unbreakable: Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game.

Hall: Unbreakable. The conditions were perfect and irregular for Wilt’s 100-point game and will never be repeated. Even though Kobe’s 81-point game didn’t start to feel remarkable until the second half of the third quarter — making it easier to imagine a James Harden-type getting fouled five or six times each quarter, hitting all 10 free throws, and making seven shots every 12 minutes — no future team will respond to such a performance with single coverage like the Raptors did to Kobe in 2006.

5. Breakable or unbreakable: John Stockton’s career assists (15,806).

Hall: Absolutely unbreakable. For reference, despite having Hall of Fame careers of 19 and 17 years, both Jason Kidd and Steve Nash are thousands of assists away from challenging the insane assist total amassed by Stockton. Who else is going to average more than 10.5 assists for more than 19 years? Even more improbable is seeing another player go nearly two decades and only miss games in two seasons. Untouchable.

Read the other responses from Kevin Arnovitz, Curtis Harris, Jeremy Schmidt, and John Converse Townsend.

All-Time Steals Leaders

As for my responses to the other responses, I’m a little stunned that anyone considered Stockton’s assist record as breakable. The Johnny Flynn mention was just silly. Amazingly, Stockton’s steals record might be even more untouchable.

Some have disagreed with my prediction that Kobe will pass Kareem (most agree LeBron will pass them both, however). I’m just saying, the rumors of Kobe’s demise are greatly exaggerated. We’re not even sure he won’t fly to Germany every year and get an entirely new set of bionic parts. I’m convinced he’ll play for at least 4 more seasons.

Anyway, give me your thoughts.

In Utah Jazz
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Jazz 116 – Nets 107: The Randy Foye Game

Spencer Hall —  April 1, 2013 — Leave a comment

(Including these highlights in case you missed it. Here’s the recap.)

Some notes:

  • It’s time to stop booing Deron Williams.
  • It’s fun when Randy Foye hits a million threes. (8-9 on the night, tying the team record held by assistant Jeff Hornacek).
  • Memo Okur has a beautiful family and should be very proud of what he’s accomplished: NBA championship with the Pistons, a great run with the Jazz, All-Star selection, and probably the best post-career life of any player in recent memory. Well done, sir.
  • Al Jefferson busted out a legitimate Dream Shake (seen at the 3:32 mark of the video above). It was filthy–and looked even better from the reverse side where we sit. I’m as guilty as anyone for paying too much attention to what he DOESN’T do, instead of enjoying his near-mastery of the left block. A true virtuoso.
  • The Gordon Hayward v. Deron Williams matchup is one of my favorite things all year. It’s a shame the teams only meet twice. For whatever reason, the two seem to have a rivalry that pre-dates the Baseball Pass from Hayward’s rookie year. The two battled all night. The defense they played on each other was the only defense to be had in the game, however.
  • D-Will finished the night with 21 points and 11 assists, but he’s now 0-4 against his former team.
  • Violet Palmer. Nobody does it better.

The Block:

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(Sorry about the watermark. You pay for it.)

Memo honored during a timeout:

417c834e9ad811e289bf22000a1fa4a9_7

In Utah Jazz
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Jazz 103 – Suns 88

Spencer Hall —  March 28, 2013 — Leave a comment

Clearly the Jazz just need to lock the doors when teams like the Suns/Pistons/Bobcats come through. Just play them 41 times a season.

Gordon Hayward scored a very efficient 25 points, including 3-6 from three. He also gave out 6 assists and picked up 5 rebounds. Al Jefferson also scored 25 points and added 9 rebounds. Randy Foye (12 points, 2-2 from three) finally got back on track, too. [boxscore].

It wasn’t all good times, though. Enes Kanter dislocated his shoulder in this scrum for the ball:

After the game, Kanter was upbeat and posted this tweet:

It was nice to see Memo Okur in the house, too.

sloan-memo

The Jazz play in Portland on Friday and then host Deron Williams and the Brooklyn Nets the next night at home. Should be a good time.

In Utah Jazz , , ,
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Saint Stock: John Stockton turns 51

Spencer Hall —  March 26, 2013 — Leave a comment

In honor of the NBA’s all-time steals and assists leader turning 51, I offer this masterpiece from the incomparable @beeteeth:

St.StocktonFull_1020

No. 12 John Stockton, “The Patron Saint of Ball Thieves” – 24×36 acrylic on tea-stained paper.

Check out the rest of the amazing work by artist Daniel Lee Christofferson and follow him on Twitter: @beeteeth.

Now watch the fantastic footage of KSL’s Jim Nantz after the Jazz drafted John Stockton. Uploaded by KSL’s Jeremiah Jensen for our Retro Jazz project last summer.

Featuring the aforementioned Nantz, a mustachioed Scott Layden, Frank Layden, and a surprisingly open and upbeat John Stockton. Special appearance by practice jerseys that appear to be stolen from a Jr. Jazz league.

In Utah Jazz ,
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