Archives For Spencer Hall

Preseason Game 3: Jazz at Lakers

Spencer Hall —  October 13, 2012 — 6 Comments

JAZZvsLAL-preseason-G03

UTAH JAZZ (1-1) vs. LOS ANGELES LAKERS (0-2)
Preseason Game #3 • AWAY Game #2 • STAPLES Center • Los Angeles
October 13, 2012 • 8:30 p.m. (MT) • TV: None
RADIO: 1280 AM/97.5 FM

Coming off a nice win at home last night against Kevin Durant and the OKC Thunder, the Jazz get their first look at the new Laker superteam. Kobe is questionable for the game with a shoulder injury and Dwight Howard is still recovering from back surgery and won’t play. The two teams will play again on Tuesday in Anaheim.

Once again Paul Millsap will be away from the team while he is with his family following the death of his grandmother. All our best to him and his family. Earl Watson is still out while he rehaps his left knee. Jamaal Tinsley is back with the team after missing Friday’s game for personal reasons.

The Lakers are winless in the preseason, with losses to Golden State and Portland. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the third quarter is the LA achilles heel:

Leading by seven at halftime of their first preseason contest against Golden State and tied with Portland through two quarters in their second preseason outing, the Lakers were outscored 37-10 by the Warriors and 29-18 by the Trail Blazers in the third quarter; a 66-28 overall total for the two third quarters combined (38 point margin). For sake of comparison, during the 2011-12 season, the Lakers also outscored their opponent in the opening half 48.9 to 47.7 points on average but were also outscored in the third quarter, albeit by a quite slimmer margin (23.6 points for the Lakers to 23.7 points for all opponents).

Not that you care, but the Lakers and Jazz have played each other 14 times in the preseason, with games also played in Provo, Honolulu, Ogden, Anaheim and Fresno.

Some interesting stuff about Coach Corbin in the game notes:

With a basketball career spanning 30 years, Corbin has both played and coached under some of basketball’s best. In addition to seven seasons working as an assistant under Jerry Sloan and another three seasons playing for him, Corbin also played for Rick Adelman, Cotton Fitzsimmons, Pat Riley and Lenny Wilkens over 16 seasons as a player. In fact, Corbin is tied for the second-most NBA playing experience among all current NBA head coaches, trailing only Golden State’s Mark Jackson (17 seasons) by one season.

The game won’t be televised, sadly. In the meantime, here are some highlights of Gordon Hayward’s great performance against the Lakers in April of 2011, just for fun:

In Utah Jazz , , ,
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Preseason Game 2: Jazz 97 – Thunder 81

Spencer Hall —  October 13, 2012 — Leave a comment

Oklahoma City Thunder 81 Final
Recap | Box Score		 97 Utah Jazz
Marvin Williams, F 23 MIN | 3-6 FG | 3-4 FT | 4 REB | 2 AST | 10 PTS | +13

A nice, if unremarkable showing in his home debut.
Gordon Hayward, F 21 MIN | 3-10 FG | 7-8 FT | 7 REB | 2 AST | 13 PTS | +12

Poor shooting again from Hayward, but it’s clear
Derrick Favors, F 18 MIN | 0-5 FG | 1-2 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 1 PTS | +5

Favors posted his second straight disappearing act. One possible explanation for Favors’ struggles? Maybe his confidence has been shot by seeing Enes’ abs every day in the locker room.
Al Jefferson, C 21 MIN | 6-10 FG | 0-0 FT | 7 REB | 3 AST | 12 PTS | +12

Jefferson looks much quicker on his feet than I’ve ever seen. His strong baseline dunk was a beautiful change from the man who once said dunking wasn’t his game.

Mo Williams, G 23 MIN | 6-7 FG | 1-2 FT | 2 REB | 2 AST | 15 PTS | +13

A nice little showing in Mo’s home return.

Jeremy Evans, F 16 MIN | 1-5 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 2 PTS | -5

It’s hard to come up with a scenario that opens up more playing time for Evans. In the meantime, he’s going to have to take advantage of the lobs and out-of-bounds set plays that give him chances to use his freaky athleticism.

Enes Kanter, C 18 MIN | 5-9 FG | 2-2 FT | 12 REB | 1 AST | 12 PTS | +8

The nasty baseline dunk shown above was all I needed to see to finally go all-in on the new Kanter Era. He’s still awkward at times, but he gobbles up rebounds and plays with infectious energy. He’s also showing off some new range with that little 15-ft jumper. I like what I’m seeing from Kanter.

Alec Burks, G 18 MIN | 4-6 FG | 3-7 FT | 1 REB | 1 AST | 11 PTS | +7

It looks like Burks and Randy Foye will probably share a lot of time at the backup point guard spot. Burks makes things happen whenever he’s on the floor, so it’ll be interesting to see how the coaches find time for him to shine.

In Utah Jazz , , , ,
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Preseason 2012-13 Game 2: Home Opener

Spencer Hall —  October 12, 2012 — Leave a comment

burks-season-opener

Is anyone else excited for the game tonight? I can’t wait.

Unlike the road opener against the Warriors, this game will be televised. You can find the game in the usual spots: ROOT Sports (Comcast 693, DIRECTV 684.1, DISH TBA) and @1280sports (1280AM / 97.5FM). It’s only preseason, but it’s going to be the first real look for most people to see the new look Jazz.

Both Paul Millsap and Jamaal Tinsley will be away from the team for personal reasons, so that’s some extra time for young guys at the 4 spot and we might see some Burks at the point. It’s a pre-season game, so let’s please avoid the temptation to read too much into the rotations and the playing time. It’s basketball in Salt Lake City, and I couldn’t be more ready.

probable-starters

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Al Jefferson’s Gigantic Bed Sets the Internet on Fire

Spencer Hall —  October 10, 2012 — 6 Comments

So last week I came across a crazy picture of an invoice for a gigantic 10′ x 12′ bed set that was about to be delivered to a certain Al Jefferson of Salt Lake City. I tweeted out the following:

A few days later, Mo Williams posted pictures of the bed on instagram and twitter:

al-jeffersons-bed-02

There are probably good reasons for a professional athlete of gigantic proportions to buy a gigantic bed. But a $23,000 bed better be able to cook breakfast and drive you to work, is all I’m saying. It was definitely poor timing to have the pictures come out the day after the ESPN debut of “Broke,” a documentary about how professional athletes lose their money.

As Herm Edwards said in the documentary, some athletes have champagne taste but beer money. Al Jefferson is one who is making legitimate champagne money, but if the picture below is any indication, I think he paid champagne money for a beer-level bed. Not even Memory Foam!

al-jefferson-bed-01a

The invoice is itemized and appears to charge $10,000 for the mattress alone. Is the bed frame made out of solid gold? What is the thread count for sheets that cost $900? They even gave him a $6,000 discount–probably for purchasing their “Bed the Size of a Normal Apartment Package.” Is the bed flavored? Can it sing you to sleep? So many questions.

In Utah Jazz , ,
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Jazz Brothers: Thurl Bailey B-Sides and Rarities

Spencer Hall —  October 9, 2012 — 1 Comment

While the Jazz were starting the 2012-13 preseason with an inauspicious loss at Golden State with no television coverage on Monday night, the internet was doing what it does so well– serving up the following incredible tracks featuring Utah Jazz players singing. Enjoy “Keep Fightin” and “Keep it Sexy” by The Jazz Brothers.

From the New York Times in 1987:

Thurl Bailey, Del Curry, Rickey Green, Darrell Griffith, Karl Malone and Carey Scurry of the Utah Jazz, with time to spare during a recent road trip, tried their hand at making a recording of the Temptations’ song ”My Girl,” in a shopping mall in Phoenix. After the recording was well received by listeners of several Salt Lake City radio stations, they formed a group known as the Jazz Brothers.

We need to get our hands on that recording of My Girl in a shopping mall. Internet, don’t let us down.

Thanks to @typhill for the discovery. I realize it’s been featured here and there in the past, but it deserves a little more shine.

In Retro Jazz
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Full text of the new Anti-Flopping Rules

Spencer Hall —  October 3, 2012 — 4 Comments

NEW YORK, Oct. 3, 2012 — The NBA will adopt an anti-flopping rule beginning with the 2012-13 season, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations Stu Jackson announced today.

“Flops have no place in our game – they either fool referees into calling undeserved fouls or fool fans into thinking the referees missed a foul call,” Jackson said. “Accordingly, both the Board of Governors and the Competition Committee felt strongly that any player who the league determines, following video review, to have committed a flop should – after a warning – be given an automatic penalty.”

“Flopping” will be defined as any physical act that appears to have been intended to cause the referees to call a foul on another player. The primary factor in determining whether a player committed a flop is whether his physical reaction to contact with another player is inconsistent with what would reasonably be expected given the force or direction of the contact.

Physical acts that constitute legitimate basketball plays (such as moving to a spot in order to draw an offensive foul) and minor physical reactions to contact will not be treated as flops.

Any player who is determined to have committed a flop during the regular season will be subject to the following:

Violation 1: Warning
Violation 2: $5,000 fine
Violation 3: $10,000 fine
Violation 4: $15,000 fine
Violation 5: $30,000 fine

If a player violates the anti-flopping rule six times or more, he will be subject to discipline that is reasonable under the circumstances, including an increased fine and/or suspension.

The league will announce at a later date a separate set of penalties for flopping that will apply during the playoffs.

In Press Releases, Utah Jazz
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Media Day – Player and GM Interviews with David Locke

Spencer Hall —  October 2, 2012 — Leave a comment

In case you haven’t listened to the David Locke one-on-one interviews with the players and Dennis Lindsey on Media Day, here they are:

Utah Jazz Media Day: Randy Foye
Utah Jazz Media Day: Enes Kanter
Utah Jazz Media Day: Al Jefferson
Utah Jazz Media Day: Kevin Murphy
Utah Jazz Media Day: Marvin Williams
Utah Jazz Media Day: Jeremy Evans
Utah Jazz Media Day: Alec Burks
Utah Jazz Media Day: Demarre Carrol
Utah Jazz Media Day: Earl Watson
Utah Jazz Media Day: Dennis Lindsey
Utah Jazz Media Day: Mo Williams
Utah Jazz Media Day: Gordon Hayward
Utah Jazz Media Day: Derrick Favors
Utah Jazz Media Day: Paul Millsap
In Media Day, Utah Jazz
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Jazz Statement on Raja Bell

Spencer Hall —  September 28, 2012 — 1 Comment

The saga of Raja Bell’s inauspicious second stint with the Jazz continues, but it won’t continue with him around the rest of the team. The Jazz partially answered one of the strangest questions of the off-season: What to do with the charred remains of the bridges burned by Bell last season?

The team released the following statement Friday afternoon:

SALT LAKE CITY (September 28, 2012) – Utah Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey issued the following statement today regarding guard Raja Bell:

“I have spoken with Raja and his representative, Herb Rudoy, and we have mutually agreed that although Raja remains under contract, it is in the best interest of all parties that he not re-join the team next week when the Jazz begins training camp. We will now move forward focusing on Jazz basketball and our preparation for the upcoming season. We will have no further comment on this matter.”

The only way this scenario of makes sense is if the Jazz have a good idea of who will occupy roster spots next season and they can bide their time long enough to completely freeze out any opportunities Bell might otherwise have to join another team anytime soon.

Besides making his feelings unmistakably clear on his way out of locker clean out at the end of last season, Bell has made statements at stops all around the league listing all the top teams as potential destinations for his specific set of skills.

Interestingly, his pitch to the league has changed quite a bit since his bold exit. While he clearly considered himself an elite player in the league (and seemed to think the feeling was mutual), his statements to a radio station in Miami showed he was willing to market himself as simply an experienced veteran willing to fit in in a limited role. But with a contender, of course.

The two-time member of NBA All-Defensive teams said he appreciates any role would be limited.

“At my age and what I’ve got in my tank, I feel like a limited role is best,” he said. “I don’t really like playing 35 minutes a night anymore.”

Shane Battier currently stands as the Heat’s lone perimeter defensive specialist, although LeBron James often takes the critical perimeter defensive assignment in crucial situations.

“As much as I control what I do, I don’t,” Bell said. “The Jazz hold my rights, they are the owners of the contract. And so if they tell me I’m coming back to camp, then I have to go back to camp.

So apparently Bell returned to Utah on Monday for his physical, hoping to get word one way or another on his status with the team and to work out details of his departure. The Jazz appear to have reciprocated with the NBA equivalent of Time Out.

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Utah Jazz Announce 2012-13 Season Broadcast Schedule

Spencer Hall —  September 28, 2012 — Leave a comment

ROOT SPORTS to Broadcast all 82 Regular-Season Games

1280 The Zone to Air all 90 Pre- and Regular-Season Contests

SALT LAKE CITY (September 28, 2012) – The Utah Jazz announced today the 2012-13 broadcast schedule for Utah’s upcoming NBA season. ROOT SPORTS, which will televise Jazz games for the 24th consecutive season, will broadcast all 82 regular-season contests as well as four preseason games. In addition, 1280 The Zone (1280 AM/97.5 FM), will carry all 82 regular-season games and all eight preseason games.

Continue Reading…

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Kiki Vandeweghe’s Utah ties run deep

Spencer Hall —  September 11, 2012 — 3 Comments

Hutchins

With the Summer of Enes in full swing, a lot of attention is on Kiki Vandeweghe, the former NBA forward and front office fixture who is teaching Kanter his bag of tricks. In the rush of excitement about Kanter’s development, don’t overlook the most important detail: Kiki Vandeweghe is the son of former Miss Utah and Miss America Colleen Hutchins and the nephew of BYU basketball star and early NBA pioneer Mel Hutchins.

mel-hutchins-topps-card

All five starters on that BYU 1951 NIT Championship team were drafted into the NBA. Hutchins was the number two pick overall and went on to be a four-time All-Star. The 1951 team is the focus of a great book called “Forgotten Champions” by Rocky Steele, that you should probably pick up if you haven’t already.

1951-BYU-basketball-in-Brazil

The 1951 BYU basketball team on a barnstorming tour of Brazil. Click the image to see it full size.

While Mel was playing for the Knicks, his sister Colleen met and married his teammate Ernie Vandeweghe. Read this great write-up about her remarkable life. Colleen Vandeweghe passed away in 2010 at the age of 83. Ernie Vandeweghe studied medicine while playing in the NBA and later served as a physician in the US Air Force.

I’m hoping all this means young Enes Kanter is in good hands.

As a side note, I grew up around the corner from one of the other players on that 1951 team, Boyd Jarman. (He’s the second player from the right in the photo of the team in Brazil, wearing those awesome “Mormons” warmups). He’s one of the most important mentors in my life and probably the main reason basketball is a central part of my life. It’s an absolute tragedy that the memory of that team isn’t better preserved. I’m so happy Rocky Steele was able to finish his book while there was still time.

In BYU, NBA , ,
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