Archives For Utah Jazz

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.

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Jazz 107 – Sixers 91 Complete Highlights

Spencer Hall —  March 26, 2013 — Leave a comment

It may have been the most “boring” game of the year, but the Jazz needed a win in a big way. Nice of the hapless Sixers to oblige. Check the ESPN recap and box score here. View the complete highlights from the game in the video below. I especially enjoyed Kanter mimicking the old Shaq Reebok logo at 4:20 and the jaw-dropping Jeremy Evans dunk off a behind-the-back pass from Jamaal Tinsley at 4:50.

(h/t @alxander_3)

With the Lakers continuing to look a gift horse in the mouth and losing again last night, somehow the Jazz are still only one game away from the last playoff spot. Not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing at this point, but it could very well happen. The Jazz might be the first team to ever successfully tank while earnestly trying to win.

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I have a few things to say about Al Jefferson’s pump fake, his complete aversion to drawing fouls despite shooting a very high percentage, and the possibility that Al’s ACL injury changed his approach to the game. Thoughts forthcoming in a new post.

As long as we’re talking fakes, here’s BYU’s Brandon Davies sending the Cougars to Madison Square Garden in the NIT tournament with a nasty two-man fake pass and dunk–narrated by Bill Walton:

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JazzRank 6: Mo Williams

Evan Hall —  October 30, 2012 — Leave a comment

Salt Lake Tribune

In a head-to-head comparison of their statistical output last season, Devin Harris performs surprisingly well against Mo Williams. In fact, take a jaunt over to Basketball Reference and look at Devin Harris’s advanced season statistics last season. In other words, while Devin Harris’s exit went unheralded, excitement about Mo Williams’ return to the Jazz has gone unchecked. I say this not to downplay the addition of Mo Williams, but to pay my respects to Devin Harris who was a legitimately good basketball player last season and the Jazz’s only offensive weapon for entire stretches of games.

That said, MO WILLIAMS! If the Jazz are going to continue to trot out Al Jefferson as the primary source for offensive production for this team (and they really will), then I can’t imagine a point guard better suited for that kind of offense than Mo Williams. If the Jazz are going to play half court basketball and camp Al Jefferson out in the post, the perfect point guard is one who will avoid turnovers and knock down threes. Mo Williams fits that profile: he Mo had a career low 11.7 TOV% last season, which for his usage percentage, is above average, and he has shot 39% from three over his career. Devin Harris, who has shot just 32% from three over his career, had a career year last season from downtown. Defenses recklessly collapsed on the Jazz bigs, leaving criminally open shots for Harris. To put it simply, Devin Harris is not a three-point shooter, but because of the Jazz’s frontline, he became one. Mo Williams is a three point shooter and now has the advantage of that same front line.

Offseason Accomplishments: Traded to the Jazz for the trade exception, and he inadvertently broke the story of Big Al’s disproportionately gargantuan bed (which became a disproportionately fun story, I might add).

Patronus: Emperor Penguin. The only animal as aesthetically impressive as Mo’s shooting stroke. Check it:

Stat to Watch: Assists per game. This is complicated. As I just explained, Mo would do well to set up a lawn chair on the three-point line and get up only to wantonly drain  deep bombs to his heart’s content. Still, the Jazz wings are far more efficient when they’re out and running. Marvin and Gordon were born to play freestyle, wide open, know-the-scales-and-improvise basketball. In fact, this belies the crux of the Jazz’s most formidable obstacle to greatness this season: an identity crisis. Unfortunately, Al Jefferson’s ample skill set is diametrically opposed in practical application to the skill set of Gordon Hayward, Marvin Williams, and even to a lesser extent, Favors and Burks off the bench. Those players were meant to thrive in fast break basketball, whereas Al’s undisputed dominion is the low post in half court sets. Where does Mo fit in? He can be the spark plug for the running offense or the outlet for the methodical one. You’ll be able to tell which one he chooses by watching his assists.

Three Outcomes for the Season:

1. “The Big Al Identity.” Half court sets, wide open threes, a career year in efficiency for Mo.

2. “The Run-n-Gun Identity.” Bloated assist numbers, 110 points per game offense, 7th seed in the West and an extremely bright future at season’s end.

3. Somewhere in between. Mo Williams’ year will be something of a microcosm for the whole team, in part because his identity as the point guard is so entangled with the team’s identity as a whole. All the pundits are consistently slotting the Jazz in for the eighth seed and this seems superficially accurate, but only because so many of the Jazz’s starters are known quantities. If at any point Corbin moves away from the Big Al team identity and gambles on the more volatile quantities like Kanter, Favors and Burks, this season could go in a million different directions, and Mo Williams’ stat line will be the first place I’ll look for explanations.

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JazzRank 14: Kevin Murphy

Evan Hall —  October 16, 2012 — 3 Comments

We understand if you all have a bad taste in your mouth after reading “JazzRank 15: Raja Bell.” Or, as it was entitled in the draft stages, “The Many Odious and Infamous Crimes of Utah’s First and Hopefully Only Rostered Non-Player.” Fortunately, coming in at number 14 is the heart-warming Kevin Murphy Experience.

Offseason Accomplishments: Under the scrutiny of almost any standard of judgment, Kevin Murphy’s greatest accomplishment this offseason was fathering a child. This is because the miracle of human birth trumps any and all achievements that could occur on a basketball court. Many thanks to Jody Genessy of the Deseret News for providing the Best Feel-Good Jazz-related Story of the Year.

While everything else Murphy accomplished this offseason pales in comparison to that, he still managed a number of other important triumphs. He was drafted 47th overall by the Jazz, becoming only the third player from Tennessee Tech to be drafted into the NBA since the draft moved to the two-round format. Also, this YouTube video of Murphy scoring 50 points (totally worth the 1:40 it takes to watch) surpassed 26,000 views. While Murphy’s summer league and preseason performances have been solid, if unspectacular, other than hitting five 3-pointers in the intra-squad scrimmage. The sample size has been small enough that any other quiet performance can be justifiably ignored. Finally, there was his radio fail, and if you listen to that without smiling affectionately, then you have no heart.

Patronus: Ring-tailed Lemur. Adorable, right?

Stat to Watch: Minutes played. Like with many late second-round draft picks, evaluating how Kevin Murphy performs at the NBA level will be difficult since he’s likely to play so few minutes. This is especially true in a system like Tyrone Corbin’s that values veteran presence. If Murphy can prove that he’s as offensively talented as advertised, he can begin carving out a Jeremy Evans-like slot on the roster.

Three Potential Outcomes for the season:

1. He gets cut, forcing him to temporarily find work elsewhere to support his burgeoning young family. This is depressing. Let’s move on.

2. Jeremy Evans 2.0: Not with the dunking, so much as becoming a perennial presence at the end of the Jazz’s bench, collecting his paycheck, and providing some instant and entertaining offense at the end of blow-out games or during stretches where the line-up is injury depleted. Not only does this seem like the most likely scenario for the season, but this is a win-win-win for everyone involved.

3. As already mentioned, if Murphy gets playing time, I think he has the skills to contribute offensively. If nothing else, Murphy can do what Raja did last year, only hopefully more efficiently: roll off screens for open jump shots, knock down catch-and-shoot threes when the defense collapses on the bigs, and avoid turnovers. Paul Millsap, the Jazz’s last 47th pick, ended up getting 18 minutes a game during his rookie season. Millsap earned time by pounding the glass with relentless tenacity. Murphy can do it by stretching the defense with his long-range shooting. So for the third, most shamelessly optimistic outcome, Murphy becomes Young Raja 2.0, sans the attitude and the established but slightly overrated perimeter defense. In case you justifiably can’t endure the comparison, let’s call him Suns-era Quentin Richardson.

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Exchange Week: Jazz in Hollywood

Spencer Hall —  January 25, 2011 — Leave a comment

Hollywood asks the tough questions at Sundance.

It’s exchange week between SLC and LA. We’re hosting Hollywood at Sundance and they’re hosting the Jazz against the Lakers on Tuesday night. Andy Kamenetzky of ESPN Los Angeles exchanged thoughts with Salt City Hoops about the matchup between the Jazz and Lakers. I should have asked if he missed James Franco at all this week. Instead, here’s what he had to say:

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SCH: Tuesday’s game is a rare time when both team teams have been struggling, so how do you (or do you) help fans maintain perspective while things seem to be falling apart?

AK: I laugh because it’s true.

No doubt, things get pretty intense in this neck of the woods when the Lakers drop a few games. Former Salt Lake Tribune Jazz beat writer Ross Siler used to cover the Lakers for the L.A. Daily News, and he once described each Laker game as Game 7 of the Finals to fans. Pretty accurate depiction.

With that in mind, I guess I help maintain perspective by reiterating how I truly feel about the regular season: It’s often a horrible barometer for what happens in the playoffs. Not that the first 82 games are meaningless or without purpose, of course, but it’s just dicey to use them as a road map. Last season, two bad losses to the Cavs convinced the entire basketball universe LeBron that the gang had the Lakers figured out and that Kobe was changing cities. Well, Cleveland didn’t even make it to the Eastern Conference Finals. A LOT happens over the course of five months, so you have to take each loss (or win, really) with a certain degree of salt. That doesn’t mean you should gloss over bad performances or habits, no questions asked. Being critical of the team is part of my job. But I tend to assess situations through the prism of “is what happened fixable?” Assuming the answer is “yes,” and with a team this talented it typically is, my faith in the long view tends to be strong.

Plus, NBA basketball is supposed to be fun, and I don’t want to ever be responsible for sucking the joy out of that experience for our readers. You can be dead honest about how the team is playing without making it deadly serious.

SCH: Speaking of not serious, do you miss Sasha and Jordan Farmar? Vujacic made such an excellent villain; his cartoon persona was like a perfect storm of annoying for so many Jazz fans. And their recent performance for the Nets against the Jazz has me convinced they were the secret to the Laker success last year.

AK: As a writer who likes to blend comedy with analysis, Sasha is definitely missed. Dude provided me some of my best material since Slava Medvedenko and Von Wafer were teammates. Never a dull moment with The Machine.

On the court, however, I wouldn’t say either guy is truly “missed,” even though certain elements of their skill sets occasionally are at times.

For example, Steve Blake does a better job running the triangle than Jordan Farmar, if for no other reason than he’s willing to do it. Because Blake considers this priority one, the second unit has generally been more cohesive, particularly while at full strength. However, with Matt Barnes out, some scoring punch is missed, which means Farmar’s tendency to call his own number might come in handy. At the very least, Blake needs to be a “poor man’s Jordy.” He’s simply not shooting the ball enough.

Nor, for that matter, is he making enough of those rare shots. In theory, that outside touch could be provided by Sasha, but in practice, not really. Vujacic was buried in the rotation, and they really are a better bench unit with Blake running the show. He just needs to become more of a scoring threat.

Follow the Kamenetzky brothers on Twitter @espnlandolakers.

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Jazz vs Lakers | ESPN Game Preview
8:30 PM MST | NBA TV
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Staples Center / Los Angeles

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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.

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2010-11 Game 16: Jazz 105 – Hornets 87

Spencer Hall —  November 25, 2010 — Leave a comment

Jerry Sloan enjoys the effort from Deron Williams. Copyright 2010 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)

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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

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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 , , , , ,
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Game 13 Preview: The Spurs invade the ESA with TMZ

Spencer Hall —  November 19, 2010 — 1 Comment

Gone are the days when the LA Lakers were daily tabloid fodder. Perhaps jealous of the attention being paid to the chill bros in Miami, the San Antonio Spurs roll into SLC tonight with a media circus in tow. Tony Parker is dealing with his impending divorce from Eva Longoria, to say nothing of the team chemistry issues caused by his purported relationship with the wife of former teammate Brent Barry.  Not fun for anyone involved, but it will be interesting to see how all the drama affects the surprisingly 9-1 Spurs.

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Game Info:
Spurs (9-1) at Jazz (8-4)
Coverage: FOX ROCKY
7:00 PM MT, November 19, 2010
EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, UT

ESPN Preview

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Last season, the Jazz swept the Spurs in the regular season, going 4-0 and exorcised the demons that made the Spurs almost invincible against Utah for about 10 years. Will the recent succes continue? All four wins came fairly early last season and current Bull Carlos Boozer was a beast for the Jazz in all four games.

The stars are aligned for a huge game from Paul Millsap. Boozer is gone and Millsap wasn’t included on the newly released All-Star ballot. You can vote for Memo Okur, who hasn’t played a game since last spring, but you can’t vote for Millsap. Hopefully for the Jazz, the snub results in rampage from the oft-overlooked second-round pick.

The Spurs are off to their best start in franchise history and are putting up their most points per game since the 1987-88 season. They’re also shooting a blistering 44% from behind the three-point line.

Surprising rookies Gary Neal and James Anderson are second and third in the league among rookies in three-point field goals made. Neal went undrafted out of college and then tore up leagues in Turkey, Spain, and Italy. He hit 5 three-pointers against Charlotte earlier this season and Anderson hit a 3 in each of his first 6 games, the first Spur to ever do so.

On the Jazz side, Jerry Sloan will be away from the team to attend a funeral. Longtime assistant Phil Johnson will take over the head coaching duties for the next two games. Raja Bell is recovering from a groin injury but will play, while CJ Miles is a gametime decision after sitting out the second half of the previous game with a sprained back.

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When should Jazz fans start worrying about Gordon Hayward?

K.Malphurs —  November 19, 2010 — 5 Comments

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In 2004 the Jazz gave up Keon Clark and Ben Handlogten in a trade with the Phoenix Suns, who had recently fleeced the New York Knicks. It was one of those strange trades that still don’t make much sense, but it worked out great for the Jazz*. Clark and Handlogten never played a minute for any other NBA team besides the Jazz. Somehow the Jazz got Gugliotta, a 2004 1st round draft pick and this protected Knicks pick. Here’s how NBA.com described the trade before the draft:

It was Feb. 19, 2004, when O’Connor and the Jazz sent backup centers Handlogten and Clark (who played in two games for Utah) to the Suns. In return, they got Gugliotta, the No. 16 pick in 2004 (Kirk Snyder), a 2005 second-round selection (which they traded), cash, and the Knicks’ No. 1 pick, a pick they probably coulnd’t use until some ridiculous wait forever into the future — 2010. Phoenix had no idea it would turn into this. No one did, because it was impossible to see the Summer of LeBron coming six years away.

Knicks president Donnie Walsh gets the heartache, but not the blame. His predecessor, Isiah Thomas, did the deal (on Jan. 5, 2004) to acquire Stephon Marbury, Penny Hardaway and Cezary Trybanski from the Suns for Antonio McDyess, Howard Eisley, Charlie Ward, Maciej Lampe, the rights to Milos Vujanic and two first-round picks. Phoenix flipped one of the picks to the Jazz about six weeks later.

Continue Reading…

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