Salt City Hoops

Chris Paul vs. Deron Williams (again)

K.Malphurs — December 17, 2010 — 5 Comments

On February, 10th 1997 Terrell Brandon of the Cleveland Cavaliers was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the title “The Best Point Guard in the NBA.” At the time it wasn’t completely off base even if advanced numbers would have suggested that the real best point guard was John Stockton. However, it wasn’t a completely egregious mistake. The previous year Brandon had the 3rd highest Win Shares Per 48 Minutes behind Michael Jordan and David Robinson, but right ahead of Karl Malone. He was 6th in total Win Shares that year behind John Stockton and right ahead of Scottie Pippen. At his pinnacle there really weren’t many point guards as good as Terrell Brandon.

The problem was his pinnacle just wasn’t that long. He peaked and then in a couple years was back down to being an above-average NBA player. That isn’t bad and he certainly had a good NBA career, but he is generally not remember as being one of the NBA stars of the 1990s.

Terrell Brandon is listed as 5-11 and 175 pounds.

Jason Kidd never had a year like Brandon’s 1995-1996 season according to advanced metrics. His highest Win Shares was in 2002-2003 when he produced 11.3 wins for the New Jersey Nets. Brandon had 12.7 in 1995-1996. However, nobody would ever suggest that Brandon has been a better NBA player than Jason Kidd. While Brandon had a higher peak, Kidd has had a longer, consistently better career. He has done all of this without ever being a really good shooter.

Jason Kidd is listed as 6-4 and 205 pounds.

It should be pretty clear with the title and with my word choice where my argument is going. I am obviously setting up an analogy between Chris Paul and Deron Williams. In my last post about the Jazz drafting, I listed Deron Williams vs. Chris Paul in the “comparable picks” despite the fact that Paul has 66.8 win shares compared to Deron’s 43.7. I think that it is clear Paul has been better than Williams, but I think that Deron Williams will end up being better than Paul from this point on.

This is in no means a way of discounting Chris Paul. He is extremely fun to watch play and has put up some incredible numbers. He is one of the 5 current best players in the NBA and it has been that way almost since his rookie year. However, I am going to make a case that Deron Williams has a better future and the reasons why I am happy the Jazz took Williams over Paul back in 2005.

Size – Chris Paul is listed as 6ft 175 pounds. Deron Williams is listed at 6-3 and 210 pounds. You can now see the comparison between Brandon (Paul) and Kidd (Williams). Paul is a small, quick point guard who relies heavily on his quickness to be effective. Also, Paul might be more injury prone because he is small. Williams on the other hand is bigger and should be a player that can age better because of his size.
Durability – Williams has played in 412 games compared to Paul’s 370 because Paul was injured last year and also in his 2nd year.
Playoff Experience – 44 games for Williams compared to 17 for Paul.
Chance of staying – While it isn’t a guarantee that Williams is going to stay with the Jazz, I think it is even less of a guarantee that Paul will be with the Hornets for a long time.
Flexibility - Williams can play point or shooting guard, which is really helpful for a Jazz team that seems to have been looking for an effective shooting guard since Jeff Hornacek retired in 2000. Chris Paul is and will always be a point guard.
Scoring/Usage % – Both are upwards trends for Deron Williams, while Paul’s numbers have stayed pretty flat. Deron seems to be shooting more, scoring more and doing this all while shooting at a higher percentage.
Shot selection- The closer you are to the basket the easier it is to make shots. Paul is more reliant on outside shots than Williams, which because he is smaller makes logical sense. This year Williams shoots 27% from close. Paul is at 16%. Last year it was 34% to 26% in Williams favor. By watching the game you can see Paul utilizing the mid-range jumpshot more than Williams. My thought is that he is able to shoot this often and effectively because his quickness allows him to get separation from defenders. As this quickness goes away he will have to either learn to shoot more from in close or make more from the three point line. Williams has less margin of error with his shot selection since he already shoots more from in close and also more from the three point line.

I think Deron’s size is going to play a huge advantage in his improvement over the next few years and the longevity to his career. It will allow him to be less reliant than Paul on quickness, which with age will decline for both players. Also, don’t underestimate the importance of Deron Williams’ mental makeup. In no disrespect to Paul, but Williams seems like one of the players who is wired differently. He seems ultra competitive and one of those players that will drag his team to the championship one of these days. Paul seems like a nice guy, but might have a little too much of the ”just want to be one of the guys” in his personality. I am probably overreaching, but the “Paul toasts Knicks future dream team with Stoudemire, Anthony” headline seems to lend credibility to that theory.

In the end Deron Williams won’t be Jason Kidd (he will be better) and Chris Paul definitely won’t be Terrell Brandon (he will be much better). I think however the analogy fits in that while Paul might have a better peak than Williams, that Williams will have a better career. And more importantly for the likely readers of this blog I think Williams will have a better career for the Jazz.

In Blog, NBA, Utah Jazz Chris Paul, Deron Williams, New Orleans Hornets, Utah Jazz

The Jazz championship problem – Look no further than the Draft

K.Malphurs — December 10, 2010 — 9 Comments

This summer there was a minor stir created by owner Greg Miller’s “I think that the best approach for us to take as a franchise is just to be competitive” quote. When he admitted that “we’re probably not going to win a championship, but that doesn’t mean we’re not going to give it everything we’ve got” it upset a lot of Jazz fans. The Jazz have come very close in the past and the current team they have isn’t that far off from being a championship caliber team. They just seem to be stuck in the tier right below the Lakers, Celtics and Spurs. Some of the fault is usually placed on the team being in a small market and that ownership isn’t willing to spend the required amount of money. I disagree with that. The main reason the Jazz don’t have a championship caliber team is because they have not drafted well over the past 7 years.

When I write that the Jazz haven’t drafted well over the past 7 years I want to be fair to Jazz management. Before I get into the negatives let me first start off with the few things the Jazz have done well in regards to the draft:

Trading up to get Deron Williams. Kevin O’Connor traded up in the draft to the 3rd pick by giving up picks that ended up being the following players: Martell Webster, Linas Kleiza and Joel Freeland for Deron Williams. If he had stayed with the 6th pick then the players he would have been forced to draft were players like Webster, Charlie Villanueva or Channing Frye. Wow.
2006′s draft - Something must have been in the air that night because Brewer, Millsap and even to a small extent Dee Brown were great picks. Millsap gave the Jazz leverage with Boozer and will be a great player for the Jazz for years to come.
Al Jefferson trade- giving up a 1st round bust (Kosta Koufus) and two protected 1st round picks (especially when you haven’t done a great job drafting) looks to be a smart move.

Without the above three things the below analysis would be even more depressing to Jazz fans. As far as the analysis goes though I am going to compare who the Jazz drafted with the player selected right after the Jazz pick. The reason being is that it frustrates me when people go back through drafts and play the “what if” game. What if the Jazz took Landry Fields instead of Gordon Hayward? Well of course the team would be better right now, but nobody would ever have suggested to Kevin O’Connor before the draft to take Fields with the 9th overall pick. It would have been a better pick, but it just isn’t realistic.

I could go back to 2001 (Raul Lopez instead of the next pick Gerald Wallace) or farther, but I would rather start with 2004 since that was a huge year for the Jazz as they had three first round picks. Let’s look at the Jazz picks compared to the very next pick and see how the Jazz did in their draft by comparing each player’s career *Win Shares.

*Win Shares = an estimate of the number of wins that can be attributed to one player. For a longer description check out this link.

Better pick by the Jazz: 3 times

2005 – C.J. Miles (7.4 WS) compared to the next pick Ricky Sanchez (0 WS). = +7.4 wins.
2006 – Ronnie Brewer (21 WS) compared to Cedric Simmons (0.1 WS). = +20.9
2006 – Paul Millsap (28.3 WS) over Vladimir Varemeenko (0 WS). +28.3
TOTAL: +56.6 in the Jazz favor

Worse pick – 7 times

2004 – Kris Humphries (7.6 WS) compared to the next pick Al Jefferson (31.1 WS). -23.5 wins
2004 – Kirk Snyder (4.5 WS) compared to Josh Smith (32.7 WS). -28.2.
2007 – Morris Almond (0 WS) compared to Aaron Brooks (10.8 WS). -10.8.
2007 – Herbert Hill (o WS) compared to Ramon Sessions (8 WS). -8
2008 – Kosta Koufus(1.4 WS) compared to Serge Ibaka (6 WS). -4.6.
2008 – Ante Tomic (o WS) compared to Goran Dragic (2.7 WS). -2.7
2009 – Eric Maynor (2.3 WS) compared to Darren Collison (4.0 WS). -1.7
TOTAL: – 79.5 Win Shares

Comparable picks (I excluded the random 2nd round picks like Robert Whaley if they were matched up with another bust. Also, I am a Jazz fan and despite evidence to the contrary I rate Deron Williams as the same as Chris Paul) - 3 times

2005 – Deron Williams (43.7 WS) compared to Chris Paul (66.8 WS). -23.1 wins
2010 – Gordon Hayward (0 WS) compared to Paul George (0.1 WS). -0.1
2010 – Jeremy Evans (0.2 WS) over Hamady Ndiaye (0 WS). +0.2
TOTAL: – 23 Win Shares

Overall Total: -45.9 Win Shares.

A negative 45.9 Win Shares difference between the Jazz pick and the very next pick shows how close the Jazz have been to getting some real impact players. What if the Jazz had drafted Jefferson and Smith in 2004 and played them very few minutes like they did with Humphries and Synder? What if they had then drafted Chris Paul the following year? Can you imagine a lineup with Chris Paul, Raja Bell, Andrei Kirilenko, Carlos Boozer, Memhet Okur with Al Jefferson and Josh Smith coming off the bench? Would that team have beaten the Spurs in 2007? What about the Lakers the next three years?

Even if you go back only 5 years or even 3 years then you see players that would help this Jazz team out. Darren Collison would be a great backup point guard for Deron Williams and if they had to trade him like they did with Maynor he probably would have brought back more in return. Serge Ibaka would have provided a solid inside presence to help every year against the Lakers.

Now you can see how the team I described It is pretty clear over the past seven years the Jazz have done a worse job drafting than the random teams that drafted after them. Does this make me worry more about Gordon Hayward? Does this make me think that Kevin O’Connor might not be the best GM at drafting? Does this make me think more highly of Coach Sloan? (Some might think this speaks less of Coach Sloan and point to the fact that he can’t develop 1st round picks. I disagree since I don’t know any coach in the world that would be able to make Kirk Snyder into Josh Smith.) Does this make it even more remarkable that the Jazz have been a consistent playoff team?

Yes to all of the questions in the paragraph above.

I think that if the Jazz would have made only one or two different draft picks over the past seven years then Greg Miller probably wouldn’t have had the “just to be competitive” quote this summer. I think there would be a decent chance that the Jazz would have at least one title and would be looking at another one this year.

In Uncategorized

Take it to the Court: Playing Ketchup

Jefferson — December 8, 2010 — Leave a comment

Take it the Court is a new weekly column on SCH featuring the arguments, opinions, and random musing of a Utah Jazz fanatic.

D-Will takes a seat (Ravell Call|Deseret News)

It has been a slow posting week for Salt City Hoops – but the Jazz haven’t had the luxury of time off.

The Streak Ends at 7.

On Friday, the Jazz looked flat in the second half against Dallas. I can’t pretend to know what the player’s were thinking, but it seemed as if they just expected their streak of stellar second-half play to continue. In the first half, the Jazz were step-for-step, every bit as good as the Mavericks. But as Jerry Sloan has pointed out so many times in his career, the game is 48 minutes long – and a good half won’t win too many games against the NBA elite. Bizzarro-Deron showed up on Friday – and put up AK47 type numbers – 12 points, 5 boards, 7 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block (and 4 turns). While the extra production in steals, boards, and the block might have helped your fantasy team, it was an uncharacteristically poor outing for D-Will, who shot just 30% from the field, including 1-3 from downtown. Conversely, Dallas looked every bit the serious contender – don’t say we didn’t warn you. Both D-Will and CJ are products of Dallas and both were Mavs fans growing up. Dallas’ victory over Utah made Marc Stein a fan, too.

Deron Williams and Point of Hope Assist Santa

(Scott Winterton|Deseret News)

Deron Williams shook off the loss and made the holidays a little brighter for some of Salt Lake’s less-fortunate on Saturday. Together with his Point of Hope Foundation, D-Will hosted 20 low-income single moms and their 40 kids for dinner (at Flemmings) and gifts. The Ebeneezer Scrooge in me insists that NBA players only provide this type of charity for the tax write-offs and additional jersey sales. Deron and his wife, Amy, though, appear to be genuinely happy to use their wealth and fame to do good. If you’re looking for a good charity this holiday season, consider Point of Hope.

A New Streak Begins?

Compared to this game, AK's hair looks pretty! (Tom Smart|DesNews)

My personal affinity notwithstanding (my pops played college ball with Memphis Coach Lionel Hollins*), a visit from the Grizzlies was just what the doctor ordered. Sure, the game was ugly. Big Al and Millsap combined for 19 points. AK was 1-10, with the sole bucket coming off of a baseline dunk. Deron never really got into the groove – and was hit with 2 quick pesky fouls in the first quarter and another in the second (though he did abuse the much smaller Mike Conley and finished with 27 points and 8 dimes). The most important stat of the night? W. Yep. Utah got back to its winning ways.

*For those of you out there that are impressed with completely useless random information, Memphis Head Coach Lionel Hollins (“Train”) spent two years as a Rebel at Dixie State College of Utah in St. George. He went on to Arizona State University, a sixth overall selection in the 1975 draft, and he even contributed to division rival Portland’s sole championship in 1977 (the first year following the ABA-NBA merger). Train also earned an All-Star nod in ’77. His #14 now hangs in the Rose Garden rafters.

LeBron & Company Looking for a Little Revenge

Millsap literally ran all over the Heat (AP)

The Miami Heat come into SLC looking for a little payback. In what SCH has dubbed “the Greatest Game in the History of the Universe,” the Jazz shocked Miami when Paul Millsap took his talents to South Beach. After the loss to Utah, many thought the sky was falling for LeBron and company – they lost to the Celtics (for a second time), the Grizzlies in Memphis, the Pacers, the Magic in Orlando, and the Mavs in Dallas. They’ve since pushed there record to a respectable 14-8. The Heat boast the 3rd best record in the Eastern Conference – but there are SIX teams in the West with better records (Spurs, Mavs, Jazz, Lakers, Nuggets, Hornets) and would be tied with OKC for the 7th spot in the West. Miami enters tonight’s contest with a wave of five straight victories (and haven’t lost yet in the month of December). You can be sure that the Three Stooges Amigos will bring it. I wouldn’t count on a huge comeback by the Jazz tonight – the better course would be to just play all 48 minutes and not let the Heat get ahead.

- – -

Contact Jefferson W. Boswell at jeffersonboz [AT] gmail [DOT] com.

In Uncategorized

Friday Night Inside Lights – Flash host Toros, Jazz host Mavs

Spencer Hall — December 3, 2010 — Leave a comment

Could I interest you in a little basketball tonight? The Utah Flash host former coach Brad Jones and the Austin Toros in their home opener at the UCCU Center on the campus of Utah Valley University at 7pm followed by the Jazz hosting the Dallas Mavericks at the ESA for the late ESPN game at 8:30.

If you can’t make it to the arena, the Flash game is available via Futurecast. Follow the Jazz game on the ESPN Daily Dime Live chat.

—

Jazz vs Mavs

Notes from the Elias Sports Bureau:

The Mavericks and Jazz have each won their last seven games. The Mavs snapped an eight-game winning streak by the Hornets (to begin the season) on November 15 and they ended a 12-game winning streak by the Spurs on Friday (November 26). The Mavericks have never snapped three different winning streaks of seven or more games in the same season. The last teams to do so were the Hawks, Pistons and Lakers, all during the 2008–09 season.
The Jazz lost the only previous game this season in which they faced a team on a winning streak of seven or more games. Utah’s most recent loss was at home against the Spurs on November 19, when San Antonio extended its winning streak to nine games (the streak that was eventually snapped by a loss to Dallas). But during Jerry Sloan’s tenure as Utah’s head coach, the Jazz have beaten 24 teams that were on were on winning streaks of at least seven games. That ties the Spurs for the most such wins for any NBA team over that span (since Dec. 9, 1988).
Utah was 13–3 in of November. It was the sixth calendar month in franchise history in which the Jazz posted a record at least ten games over the .500 mark. The others were January ’95 (14–1), March ’97 (14–1), March ’98 (15–2), April ’99 (15–4) & March 2000 (14–2).
Utah has been credited with assists on 64.6 percent of its field goals this season. It’s the second-highest percentage for any NBA team, behind the Celtics (67.0%). NBA average: 57.4 percent.
Raja Bell, Al Jefferson, Andrei Kirilenko, Paul Millsap and Deron Williams have played more minutes together on the court this season than any five-man unit in the NBA with the exception of the Lakers’ Ron Artest, Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom.
Deron Williams’s career 19.2 points-per-game scoring average against the Mavericks is his highest against any team.

In NBA

Is C.J. Miles the key to the Jazz season?

K.Malphurs — December 3, 2010 — 8 Comments

C.J. Milesis not going to be the best player on this Jazz team. At best I think he could be the 5th best player behind Deron Williams, Paul Millsap, Al Jefferson and Andrei Kirilenko. That, however, doesn’t mean that Miles isn’t the key to a season where the Jazz (hopefully) make the jump from good to great. Why is a player who isn’t even a starter, or one of the best players, possibly the key to the Jazz season?

AP Photo

In trying to answer the above questions lets look at the Jazz lineup more closely. Right now the Jazz have two below-average shooting guards in Miles and the starter Raja Bell. Neither are particularly good shooters (32%-33% from 3 and less than 42% from the field for both of them), and neither stand out as above-average in any statistical category. They both have less than average WS/48 (average = 0.10) with Bell coming in at 0.062 and Miles only slightly higher at 0.072. It isn’t really that big of a surprise to see that the Jazz production by position has the shooting guard position as a -4.9 PER compared to their opponent. The fault on this lies on primarily with Bell and Miles since they play the majority of the Jazz minutes there.

The shooting guard position isn’t a team strength, so let’s do a little more analysis and compare the two players who play there most. Bell is a better shooter this year and overall from the line, the field and from three. Miles is more athletic and thus has a higher rebounding %, steal % and block %. He also has a higher assist % (12.1 compared to 6.3). Still they aren’t too different when you compare the individual stats with Miles coming out only barely ahead. However, when you compare the team stats it is a completely different story. The +/- when Miles is on the court is +133, while Bell is -48. The team’s win percentage when Miles is on the court is 82.4% compared to Bell who comes in at 43.8% (check out some of the stats from 82games.com to see the differences in the play of the Jazz when both players are on the court).

For a little more clarity lets compare the Jazz starting lineup (Williams, Bell, Kirilenko, Millsap, Jefferson) with the starting lineup when Miles replaces Bell. These are the top two lineups that Coach Sloan has used this year. In 331.9 minutes the starting lineup has been outscored by 23 points. They score on average 1.02 points per possession and give up 1.07 points per possession. When Miles replaces Bell, the team (in only 62.3 minutes) has outscored the opponents by 51 points. They score on average 1.36 points per possession (.34 points more) and give up 0.94 points per possession (0.13 less) to their opponents. All it took for the Jazz to go from an average team to the 1996 Chicago Bulls is substituting Bell for Miles. Now before anyone writes this let me stress that all of this is based on a small sample size, which could mean that everything changes. Also, I recognize it just might mean that Bell is facing tough competition (the starting shooting guard) while Miles gets to play against the backups. I know both of those things, but you can’t ignore numbers like that.

Now if both players really aren’t that different why do the Jazz play so much better with Miles ? Here are a few theories:

Miles is a better defender- This is probably the most plausible explanation. Miles is taller, quicker and just from watching the games looks to be much better on defense. Opponents are shooting an eFG% of 37% when Miles replaces Bell in the starting lineup. With Bell the starting lineup gives up 45% shooting.
Miles shoots the ball- One of my main problems with watching Bell is that he doesn’t do anything. It isn’t like he is playing poorly, but sometimes it would be nice if the shooting guard actually shot the ball. He seems to be content passing the ball around the wing and doesn’t look for this shot nearly as much as Miles. The numbers reflect this. Bell’s usage rating is the 3rd lowest on the team at 14.4%. Miles, on the other hand, is second behind Deron Williams with a usage rating of 26.7%. Miles is 4th in field goal attempts despite being 6th in minutes. Bell is 6th in field goal attempts despite being 5th in minutes. My theory is that defenses have to respect the threat of Miles shooting the ball (even if he isn’t an above average shooter) more so than Bell and that opens up the offense. With extra spacing it gives Millsap and Jefferson a chance to dominate inside. The defenses seem to collapse and guard the paint more with Bell on the court.
He shoots the ball more from close range – Miles shoots 23% of his shots from close range compared to only 9% for Bell. This has two advantages. One it it is easier to shoot from up close (Bell makes 70% while Miles makes 61%). The second one is that while I can’t proof this I think Miles moves more without the ball than Bell. It seems to me that Bell stands outside the three point line and is strictly a catch and shoot player. Miles is a little bit more dynamic and that movement is something that is critical to Coach Sloan’s offense.

The season is only 20 games in and the Jazz are playing great. A 15-5 record makes me rethink my intial forecast of 50 wins and as a Jazz fan I have no problem with being wrong by guessing too low. Part of the reason for the Jazz record has to be C.J. Miles. Looking at those +/- numbers makes me think that Miles is really lucky, good or both. Let’s hope for both and that despite pedestrian raw numbers there is some magic to the way Miles plays that allows the Jazz to continue their strong play with him on the court. Overall I think that he is the key to the Jazz season.

In CJ Miles, Raja Bell, Uncategorized CJ Miles, Deron Williams, Raja Bell

Case of the Mondays: Black Friday Edition

Mychal — November 29, 2010 — 1 Comment

Apology

So I would like to apologize to all my Case of the Mondays fans (all three of you. Especially you mom). I work retail and I got thrown into preparations for Black Friday so there was no Case of the Mondays last week. If there is any woman out there that is vehemently opposed to MMA I’m going to show her a video of Black Friday shopping and scream hypocrite.

Black Mamba Friday

Kobe was in top form in the 4th quarter.

What a Friday for Jazz fans. D-Will’s plea for his team not to eat turkey evidently was heeded. The Jazz came out and beat the Lakers. Here are some of the things I noticed during the game:

Kobe’s Still Kobe – Despite putting up pedestrian numbers in the first 3 quarters, the Black Mamba came alive in the 4th. He had 14 straight points in the 4th quarter until …
Sloan’s Adjustments – Sloan’s coaching is like a fine wine. It just gets better with age. His 4th quarter adjustments to ge the ball out of Kobe’s hands helped the Jazz disrupt his flow and caused a turnover which resulted in an easy layup for Raja. Instead of the normal ending of Kobe finishing off the Jazz, the Jazz were resilient and fought back and got the win. Just another reason why Sloan is one of the best coaches in the game.
Rebounding – The Jazz out-rebounded the Lakers, 42-38. No, that’s not a typo. The Jeffer-Sap Monster was out in full force hitting the boards.
Big Al – Remember all the attention Big Al’s increased weight got at the beginning of the season? Pau Gasol had to deal with it all Friday night. I’m sure the only one who thinks he should lose that weight now is Pau Gasol. Jefferson’s size really disrupted Gasol’s flow and allowed the Jazz to focus on Kobe and not have to double team Gasol in the post.

L.A. Griffins

How many Clippers does it take to take a ball from a Millsap? (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Blake Griffin is so much fun to watch. In fact while I am typing this I am actually re-watching a Clipper game. Do you realize that re-watching a Clipper game used to be a punishment worse than waterboarding? Now it is actually enjoyable. I’m just scared that one of these days Blake Griffin might actually realize that the name on his jersey reads “Clippers” and stop trying. Here are some things I noticed during the Clipper game:

Blake Griffin, Blake Griffin, Blake Griffin – Get your wins now agains this guy. Honestly, it’s like the Clippers went “weird science” on us and instead of making their dream woman they simply imported Blake Griffin’s persona from NBA JAM and put him in a living body. Amazing.
Twitter Prediction Came True – I said it on twitter earlier today, “J.A. Adande + Attending Jazz Game + Jazz 5 game win streak + Sweep of L.A. teams = A Story on ESPN about the Jazz tomorrow.” And he did. In other news, I’m starting an online palm reading service.
Team Effort – The Jazz had 6 players with 10 points or more. Solid.
AK-47 – We witnessed some vintage Andrei last night. His line: 15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, and 1 steal.

Fesenko, Friend Me

So I must gloat right now. I took a shot in the dark and added Fesenko as a friend on Facebook. It looks I was worthy of friendship. I was accepted as one of his facebook friends. In case you were wondering what his most recent facebook status was it was this:

Yes this is not fake.

By the way, for all those out there, slcdunk.com does this thing called Fesenko Friday, in which they find a random picture of Fesenko and you get to make the caption of it. I totally recommend it. Great way to start your weekend. Kudos to slcdunk.com for such a great weekly holiday.

No Rest For The Weary

The Jazz have to face 3 tough basketball teams this week. They play against the Bucks tonight, the Pacers on Wednesday, and the Mavericks on Friday. The Bucks are coming off a win against Charlotte, the Pacers just beat the Lakers in L.A. on Sunday, and the Mavericks have won 5 straight. In case you’re wondering how the Jazz matchup, here are the team previews we did for each of these teams and how Utah matches up against them:

Milwaukee Bucks

Indiana Pacers

Dallas Mavericks

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In Case of the Mondays, NBA, Opinion, Uncategorized, Utah Jazz d will, opinion, Paul Millsap

Gift ideas for your favorite Jazz fan

K.Malphurs — November 26, 2010 — Leave a comment

Normally I try to provide statistical analysis of current or former Jazz players on my posts. This is something that I would like to continue to do since I think it provides value to any statistically minded readers that come across the site. Today is different. Today is Black Friday. In honor of that I thought I would provide a top 10 gift ideas for any Jazz fan on your shopping list.

1. Paul Millsap – white Revolution Swingman jersey – $80 – the top spot on the list goes to the perfect gift. The new jersey looks spectacular and Millsap has been the best player on this year’s team.

2. Jazz green warm up jacket – $85 – I love the way this jacket looks, but it probably isn’t for the the shy Jazz fans since it definitely sticks out. Something that is a little bit more understated and cheaper, but still pretty great is the Jazz 3 stripe track jacket.

3. John Stockton retro purple jersey – $80 – This is a must have for any Jazz fans who read my John Stockton – MVP? post and agreed with all of the points. There is much more I could (and have wrote) about Stockton and $80 is very reasonable price compared to the cost of the ultimate $250 Stockton retro jersey on Mitchell and Ness.com. (By the way if I ever become rich I will buy copious amounts of Mitchell and Ness jerseys.)

4. Karl Malone retro green jersey – $80 – I love the green jerseys. In fact the top gift on my list would be a green Al Jefferson Jazz jersey if I could find it anywhere. In its place I will put this jersey of the Mailman. However, if any of the loyal readers of this blog know where I could find a green Jefferson jersey just let me know in the comments section.

5. Jazz reversible knit hat. $20 – I’m not much a hat guy, but this hat is pretty sweet. However, the whole reversible thing confuses me. I have some reversible shorts and a long time ago I decided that I liked one side more than the other. Did I ever wear those shorts with the other side? No. Why would I? It isn’t like when I was picking up shorts I was looking for something to match my entire outfit. Maybe the reversible products have more of a market with people who are a little more concerned about options and color coordinating.

6. Jazz pendant – $42 – please give this to your girlfriend or wife just for the reaction. And if by chance the reaction is positive then consider me impressed with your choice in mate.

7. Jazz revolution shorts - $60 – Jerseys, pendants or other choices are really just luxury items that you might not wear often since wearing something like a jersey in public isn’t socially acceptable. Shorts on the other hand are something I find wearing many times over. I wear then when I go play basketball and I also like to wear them while lounging around the house. That is why out of all these gifts this would probably be the most useful one.

8. Jazz women’s tshirt – $32 – I showed this to my wife and her first response was on that the model didn’t look the typical model. Her midsection specifically made me at least wonder a little bit if it was a gift idea for your favorite pregnant Jazz fan. Anyway that aside my wife did say she liked the shirt and would enjoy that as a Christmas present, so that is good enough for me.

9. Nba Jam – $50 – This isn’t Jazz specific and I haven’t played it yet, but I am excited for the new installment of one of my favorite Sega games of all time. I don’t know if it will translate to the new gaming systems, but I’m optimistic. If you own a Wii it is supposed to be only $27 at Target and only $29 at Wal-Mart.

10. Jazz green tshirt – $24 – A pretty basic shirt, but again I like basic and also like the green logo.

That completes my first and probably only blog post that revolves around shopping as the subject. I don’t claim to be an expert and my style is probably different than yours. However, hopefully this list will provide some value to some readers who might need a Christmas list to give to their family.

In Uncategorized

2010-11 Game 16: Jazz 105 – Hornets 87

Spencer Hall — November 25, 2010 — Leave a comment

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After a season defined by poor starts and spectacular comebacks, the Jazz finally put together a nearly complete game and cooled off the hot New Orleans Hornets 105-87. Deron Williams now leads the all-time matchup with Chris Paul 12-3.

Even though Williams and Paul downplay the matchup every time the topic of the other is discussed, there was no question that the two were going after each other tonight. They’re both great players, and the great ones love to battle with any opponent, but tonight they put on an especially nice show for the fans. The energy in the arena was strong from start to finish, with Jazz fans on their feet for the last two and half minutes of the game.

DWill finished with 26 points and 11 assists, 10 of those assists coming in the first half. Chris Paul had 17 points and 9 assists but told the story of the game in his postgame quote: “It’s always been the New Orleans Hornets versus the Utah Jazz. We have not played a one-on-one game since we’ve been in the league. It was a collective group for them; they executed and we didn’t. It’s simple.”

And indeed it was the Hornets vs the Jazz rather than a simple point guard match up. The second unit for the Jazz turned up the intensity and broke the game open. I never expect the backcourt tandem of Earl Watson and Ronnie Price, much less expected it to be effective. As @jazzhype mentioned during the game, it almost seems like Watson’s veteran leadership helps Price reign in his manic energy and athleticism. Price still plays the role of spark plug, without the costly mistakes that used to offset his contributions.

A lot has been made of the friendship between the Hornets’ Chris Paul and Jarret Jack, but Watson and Price also have a strong mutual respect. Their lockers are next to each other and Price told me earlier in the season that for years he’s looked at Watson of an example of how to have a long career. For his part, Watson spoke after the game about how he considers Price like a younger brother.

Getting back to the starters, Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap dominated inside against David West and Emeka Okafor. Jefferson had 23 and 10, Millsap had 17 and 7. I asked Millsap if the other players get a little extra amped when they’re overlooked. “Absolutely.”

One starter who was a conspicuous non-contributor was Andrei Kirilenko. No points, 3 rebounds and single assist in 26 minutes of play? He also had multiple opportunities to score on easy layups that he somehow missed at point-blank range. We can only dream of a day when the Jazz bigs beast around the rim.

The team will take Thanksgiving off before hosting the Lakers at home on Friday. If the Jazz can bring the same energy tomorrow it will be a fantastic night of basketball.

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ESPN AP Recap | Boxscore | ESPN DDL chat

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Next game:

Lakers at Jazz,
Friday, November 26, 2010
7:00 pm MT @ Energy Solutions Arena

In Blog, Utah Jazz New Orleans Hornets, Utah Jazz

Take it to the Court: Thanksgiving Edition

Jefferson — November 24, 2010 — 8 Comments

Take it the Court is a new weekly column on SCH featuring the arguments, opinions, and random musing of a Utah Jazz fanatic.

Over the past several years, the Utah Jazz have teamed up with the Salt Lake Mission to provide Thanksgiving to thousands of underprivileged Utahns. Thus, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, here is a sampling of the Utah Jazz as your traditional holiday meal:

Turkey: I know you’re thinking Deron Williams as the main course, right? Guess again…how about Jerry Sloan? Don’t sleep on Sloan for Coach of the Year, tryptophan notwithstanding. Surrounded by change (during his tenure, he’s seen different players, management, different uniforms, even a different arena, and later a new arena name), Sloan is as constant as the Thanksgiving turkey tradition. This Coach won’t let his players nap on defense (or they’ll find themselves camping on the bench). Turkey is Thanksgiving and Jerry Sloan is the Utah Jazz.
Mashed Potatoes: Half Millsap + half Jefferson = one tasty serving of “Jeffersap.” Night in and night out, these two take turns filling the plates of opposing teams with tasty points and rebounds. Together, they are the glue that holds the meal together – It would nice to see them both on the table at the same time, but at least we can always count on one or the other. Thru 15 games, the duo is averaging a combined 36 points and nearly 18 rebounds per outing.
Gravy train? Here’s where D-Will comes in. You know that the key to turkey and mashed potatoes is a sweet tasting gravy to tie it all together. Likewise, Deron is the link between Sloan and his two-headed Jeffersap. When Williams is hot, he makes Sloan, Millsap, and Jefferson ALL look better. You can bet that opposing teams wish they could go easy on Williams – just like passing by the gravy at your family feast, overlooking D-Will is a recipe for destruction.
Sweet potatoes: How come we only eat sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving? It must be some holdover from a long forgotten era – but it still makes the menu every November. Raja Bell is the sweet potato in our analogy – a little old school, but the meal just isn’t complete without him. With Raja on the bench, the defensive difference in Utah’s home loss to OKC was palatable. Raja hasn’t had a defining game yet, but he makes his teammates better defenders.
Homemade rolls: Unless your willpower is stronger than mine (sweet, sweet carbs), you really can’t stop after one serving…just like Andrei Kirilenko. When AK is playing well, the team wins – plain and simple. Recall that is was AK’s inspired play that initiated the streak of comebacks. Pair him up with some Gravy or Mashed Potatoes, even cranberry sauce – and you’ve got a winning combination.
Green Beans: Not everyone likes CJ Miles. I have several FB friends who insist that he is the problem with the Jazz and needs to be shipped away as soon as possible. And then he knocks down HUGE buckets to keep the Jazz from dropping a close one to division rival Portland, followed by a great showing against the Kings. I, for one, am a fan of green beans AND CJ Miles. My only qualm? I don’t want my green beans thinking that it is my gravy. CJ, I love ya, but this is Deron’s team – you don’t have to be the hero every time you get the ball. Be content to be a green bean, for crying out loud!
Cranberry Sauce: Like it or not, a little bit goes a long way; enter the Utah bench – Fes, Elson, Price, Hayward, Watson [reserve "white meat" jokes about Fes and Hayward for another time]. The Jazz don’t need huge minutes OR huge numbers from their bench players. Instead, they need small doses of energy to keep things together.
Pumpkin Pie: If you don’t finish your meal with a slice of pie with some fresh whipped cream, you’re missing out. There’s just something about Mehmet Okur [shouldn't HE be the Turkey?] that can put the finishing touches on the Utah season. Sure, you may think there is no room for pie, but come on, you can always make room for a nice slice of pie – and a silky smooth jumpshot. Word is, Memo is getting close.

My wish is that each and every reader out there has a happy and healthy Thanksgiving with more food than you can eat and plenty of friends and family to share it with. From the staff writers of SCH, we’re grateful for you stopping by for the finest news and opinions on the Utah Jazz.

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Contact Jefferson W. Boswell at jeffersonboz [AT] gmail [DOT] com.

In Al Jefferson, Blog, CJ Miles, Deron Williams, Gordon Hayward, NBA, Opinion, Paul Millsap, Raja Bell, Take it to the Court, Utah Jazz Al Jefferson, Andrei Kirilenko, Deron Williams, Paul Millsap, Raja Bell, Utah Jazz

Morning After Drill: Chaos Engine.

Jeff Lind — November 20, 2010 — Leave a comment

The Jazz’ 94-82 loss to the Spurs Friday night was painful to watch. It wasn’t a horribly played game, necessarily, but it felt like the Jazz had opportunities to take the game over, but didn’t want to. I’m not doubting the team’s resolve to win, but I am disappointed in their inability to put a collective foot on the throat of their opponent… especially in Energy Solutions Arena. Good teams win at home. Really good teams win at home and on the road. If the Jazz want to continue to be taken seriously, they need to start finishing these types of games against good teams at home. Here are some overall thoughts on the game:

: AP

The Jazz started slow. Again. It took over four minutes for the Jazz to score their first points. It’s starting to get frustrating to watch the Jazz starters start so slow. The running joke is that they need a warm up quarter to really get going, and that seems more and more to be the case. By the time the second half rolled around, the Jazz were right there with the Spurs… so what happens if they actually play a complete game?
Someone on the Jazz, at some point, has GOT to box an opposing player out. It wasn’t the three pointers that killed the Jazz, and it wasn’t Tim Duncan (although he was great). It was Utah’s inability to stop the Spurs second chance point opportunities. This has been the most disturbing theme of the 2010-11 season.
The second chance points aren’t due to a lack of effort. The Jazz have guys under the basket during the shot… but fundamentally they are making HUGE mental mistakes. The first thing you learn in team basketball is that when the shot goes up, you box out your man FIRST, THEN you go get the rebound. Unfortunately, it looks like the Jazz are looking to rebound first, so their men are left to wander free and grab errant rebounds. I don’t know how many times we’ve seen three or four Jazz jerseys under the basket, yet still seen an opposing team’s jersey fly in and take the offensive board.
Parker’s ability to penetrate into the paint is impressive… and annoying.
The Jazz keep giving games away. In the past two losses, I never felt like the Jazz were getting dominated, or that they couldn’t win. I have got the feeling that the effort isn’t always there to finish the game.
The Spurs feel boring to watch because they aren’t all that flashy and they beat you by doing everything just a little better than you. It’s like playing your older brother in the backyard. Take a look at the following statistical categories:

FG%: Spurs: 43.9% Jazz: 41.9%
3Pt%: Spurs: 25% Jazz: 21.4%
Blocks: Spurs: 4 Jazz: 3
Turnovers: Spurs: 13 Jazz: 14
D-Reb: Spurs: 30 Jazz: 26

Al Jefferson got schooled by Tim Duncan. Duncan may be getting old, but he is so fundamentally sound that you have to respect him wherever he is on the floor. The thing with Duncan is that his game is based on hours of honed practice and it’s turned him into a fundamentally sound machine. His game is not an athletic one, which means that he’ll have more longevity then a player that depends on pure athletics to get the job done.
The Jazz have mental lapses on defense. It’s not like their defense is bad every time down the floor. It’s pretty good 80% of the time. It’s just that other 20% that ends up killing them. Help defense is the major problem, and when they play against penetrating guards, it really shows up. The bigs need to protect the paint better and work on their rotations.

In Al Jefferson, NBA, Utah Jazz Morning After Drill, San Antonio Spurs, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker