Wesley Matthews returns to ESA tonight, and if he's true to form he will leave Jazz Nation pondering on what might have been.
As you undoubtedly recall, Portland offered Matthews a toxic contract very similar to what they offered Paul Millsap as a restricted free agent the year before. The Jazz brass wisley ponied up the scratch to keep Paul in a Jazz uniform, but they simply weren't able to do the same thing two years in a row to keep Wes along the Wasatch front. Instead, they had to settle for Raja Bell, who just didn't pan out as well as they had hoped.
The Jazz were so burdened by AK-47's contract that they really had no choice but let Matthews go, so you can't really fault them for that. I say the real Wes Matthews mistake was made about a year earlier, when they didn't offer him a multi-year contract as an undrafted rookie.
The Jazz knew they had something special when they brought Matthews to camp, and it became pretty obvious that he would make the roster. As an undrafted rookie, they could have tied him up for several years for peanuts. Instead, they offered him the league minimum, and when he blew everyone's expectations away, his market value became impossibly high for a team already teetering on the luxury tax brink. Essentially, they fell prey to the conventional wisdom that no player that got passed over by every NBA team twice could be worth a guaranteed multi-year contract. They should have trusted the coaching staff's evaluation that he would be worth keeping him around, and if they had, Wes could have saved the Jazz from last season's debacle.
Maybe there were legal reasons that sort of contract wasn't possible. Or maybe Matthews was so confident that he would be successful that he only wanted a one-year contract so he could cash in on free agency. Whatever the answer, he turned out to be the winner.
So join me for a trip down memory lane, courtesy of Memoismoney.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Booing the Booers
There's a lot you could say about last night's much-anticipated game against the Nets. You could talk about how it was the Jazz' first real blowout win of the season. You could note that five Jazz players scored in double figures. You could observe that Derrick Favors actually logged an assist. And you get speculate on interesting lineup possibilities, such as Jazz starters against five former Jazzmen.
But there's only one thing I really have to say about the game.
BOOOOOOOO!
That's not me jumping on the bangwagon and bagging on Deron Williams. That boo is directed at all the knuckleheads that decided to boo Deron Williams not only during the starting lineup intros, but every time he touched the ball. I gather from the twittersphere that was probably just a very vocal minority, but I feel compelled to go on the record.
I can understand booing some players. There are several NBA players, including some ex-Jazz guys, that I don't like. There are others who I think are despicable human beings. I think I've even boo'ed someone at a game (probably Bill Laimbeer). But D-Will? I just don't see it.
Let's think for a minute about how Deron ended up leaving the Jazz. He didn't ask or demand to be traded. It's not like he left the team as a free agent to seek a championship (a la Karl Malone). The Jazz decided it was time to rebuild and suddenly shipped him to New Jersey. I was at work when I heard about it; a Spurs fan I used to work with sent me an e-mail about it. I couldn't believe the Jazz decided to unload the face of the franchise, a move that basically amounted to tearing up the roster and giving up on the season.
The boo-birds probably blame D-Will for Jerry Sloan's sudden departure from the team. I've read a lot of speculation on that, but I think Jerry left mostly because of Jerry. Sloan had dustups with other players over the years, but this time, I think he had just had enough and was ready to hang up the clipboard. And as much as I love Jerry Sloan, I think Ty Corbin has been able to make some positive changes that eluded the Jazz the last few years. They are playing better defense on most nights, and except for the first few games have shown some mental toughness down the stretch. And the Jazz got some nice players and draft picks out of the trade that are immediately paying off. So even if you wanted to blame Deron for Jerry's departure and the lost 2010-2011 season, Jazz fans still have plenty to cheer about this year. While you could debate the point, I think they are better off how things turned out.
So if D-Will didn't destroy the Jazz, why boo this guy? Deron not only put up great numbers on the court, he also did a lot of great stuff for the community during his time here. He made SLC his home during the offseason and was a good citizen, except for the goofy Park City incident during his rookie season. He fed the hungry on Thanksgiving. He gave to needy moms and kids. He held golf and the wildly popular Dodge Barrage tournaments. And he still held those community events the summer after he got traded. He's a great guy and a was a great player for the team. And even though the Jazz brass shipped him to one of the worst teams in the league for cold, calculating business reasons, he still has nothing negative to say about the team, and until last night, had nothing bad to say about Jazz fans. Deron Williams just doesn't deserve to be booed.
It would be like booing AK-47 when he makes his eventual return to ESA in a visitor's uniform. Andrei's albatross of a contract did more damage to the Jazz the last couple of years than anything else, and that wasn't his fault. It was the team management that did it to us.
Deron's suffering enough in Jersey. There's no reason to kick him while he's down. So again I say, "Shame on you" to everyone who booed him last night. And to Deron, I sincerely apologize for their loutish behavior.
But there's only one thing I really have to say about the game.
BOOOOOOOO!
That's not me jumping on the bangwagon and bagging on Deron Williams. That boo is directed at all the knuckleheads that decided to boo Deron Williams not only during the starting lineup intros, but every time he touched the ball. I gather from the twittersphere that was probably just a very vocal minority, but I feel compelled to go on the record.
I can understand booing some players. There are several NBA players, including some ex-Jazz guys, that I don't like. There are others who I think are despicable human beings. I think I've even boo'ed someone at a game (probably Bill Laimbeer). But D-Will? I just don't see it.
Let's think for a minute about how Deron ended up leaving the Jazz. He didn't ask or demand to be traded. It's not like he left the team as a free agent to seek a championship (a la Karl Malone). The Jazz decided it was time to rebuild and suddenly shipped him to New Jersey. I was at work when I heard about it; a Spurs fan I used to work with sent me an e-mail about it. I couldn't believe the Jazz decided to unload the face of the franchise, a move that basically amounted to tearing up the roster and giving up on the season.
The boo-birds probably blame D-Will for Jerry Sloan's sudden departure from the team. I've read a lot of speculation on that, but I think Jerry left mostly because of Jerry. Sloan had dustups with other players over the years, but this time, I think he had just had enough and was ready to hang up the clipboard. And as much as I love Jerry Sloan, I think Ty Corbin has been able to make some positive changes that eluded the Jazz the last few years. They are playing better defense on most nights, and except for the first few games have shown some mental toughness down the stretch. And the Jazz got some nice players and draft picks out of the trade that are immediately paying off. So even if you wanted to blame Deron for Jerry's departure and the lost 2010-2011 season, Jazz fans still have plenty to cheer about this year. While you could debate the point, I think they are better off how things turned out.
So if D-Will didn't destroy the Jazz, why boo this guy? Deron not only put up great numbers on the court, he also did a lot of great stuff for the community during his time here. He made SLC his home during the offseason and was a good citizen, except for the goofy Park City incident during his rookie season. He fed the hungry on Thanksgiving. He gave to needy moms and kids. He held golf and the wildly popular Dodge Barrage tournaments. And he still held those community events the summer after he got traded. He's a great guy and a was a great player for the team. And even though the Jazz brass shipped him to one of the worst teams in the league for cold, calculating business reasons, he still has nothing negative to say about the team, and until last night, had nothing bad to say about Jazz fans. Deron Williams just doesn't deserve to be booed.
It would be like booing AK-47 when he makes his eventual return to ESA in a visitor's uniform. Andrei's albatross of a contract did more damage to the Jazz the last couple of years than anything else, and that wasn't his fault. It was the team management that did it to us.
Deron's suffering enough in Jersey. There's no reason to kick him while he's down. So again I say, "Shame on you" to everyone who booed him last night. And to Deron, I sincerely apologize for their loutish behavior.
Friday, January 13, 2012
What I wish they had when I was a kid.
I have a list of things I wish I had when I was a kid. The Internet. The Wii. A cell phone- or any phone, since I lived 20 miles from town adn we didn't get a phone until I was in 5th grade. Add this to the list: a luxury tour bus that will take you to and from a Jazz game for $69. Shoot, I'd do it if it was a yellow hound or the back seat of a Suburban. Good luck, Mr. Belnap!
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
2011-2012 Jazz winning me over
My outlook on the Jazz' fledgling season is much improved these days. After the shaky start, the Jazz are officially on a tear, winning five in a row and all five home games. The team is executing well on defense, the backcourt is starting to make shots, and the defense has been been much better. It was so good during the Golden State game that Matt Harpring couldn't resist using his "Welcome to Swat Lake City" line, even though it was a road game.
Tonight the Lakers invade the ESA, and we'll be able to see how far the Jazz have come along since getting creamed by the Lakers on opening night. Tonight's rematch will show whether their recent success is more attributable to the weaker teams they have played or their own improvements.
I'm guardedly optimistic, mostly because the players are responding so well to Ty Corbin's excellent coaching. He's got an uncanny ability to put the right guys on the floor, and the team seems to be responding well, even though the bench doesn't know how long or when they will play. And even though they no longer have a point guard that averages 10 assists per game, each player is sharing the ball, except for Derrick Favors, who still has zero (zilch, el zippo, nada) assists for the season this far.
So, this group of guys is winning me over. I usually find myself getting attached to most Jazz players for some reason, even though I rarely get to see them play in person. I find myself missing Kyle Korver and Ronnie Brewer (but definitely not Carlos Boozer). I miss AK-47 and Deron Williams. I pine for the Stockton to Malone days, when Adam Keefe, Greg Foster, and Antoine Carr were doing the lunch pail stuff. I find this year's team equally engaging, and I even find myself overcoming my early reservations to Devin Harris as the starting PG.
Tonight the Lakers invade the ESA, and we'll be able to see how far the Jazz have come along since getting creamed by the Lakers on opening night. Tonight's rematch will show whether their recent success is more attributable to the weaker teams they have played or their own improvements.
I'm guardedly optimistic, mostly because the players are responding so well to Ty Corbin's excellent coaching. He's got an uncanny ability to put the right guys on the floor, and the team seems to be responding well, even though the bench doesn't know how long or when they will play. And even though they no longer have a point guard that averages 10 assists per game, each player is sharing the ball, except for Derrick Favors, who still has zero (zilch, el zippo, nada) assists for the season this far.
So, this group of guys is winning me over. I usually find myself getting attached to most Jazz players for some reason, even though I rarely get to see them play in person. I find myself missing Kyle Korver and Ronnie Brewer (but definitely not Carlos Boozer). I miss AK-47 and Deron Williams. I pine for the Stockton to Malone days, when Adam Keefe, Greg Foster, and Antoine Carr were doing the lunch pail stuff. I find this year's team equally engaging, and I even find myself overcoming my early reservations to Devin Harris as the starting PG.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Ostertag Back For More. Why not?
Everyone's favorite ex-NBAer with a Fred Flintstone tatt has decided he's still hungry. That's right, Greg Ostertag has signed with the Texas Legends of the D-League. Ty Corbin reportedly laughed when he heard 'Tag was making a push to return.
I say good on him. Who knows if a time will take a flyer on him, but he's got a better chance of returning to the NBA than anyone else that played on the Jazz teams that went to the finals.
Well, maybe that's not saying much, but think about it this way. Ostertag is 38, but he left the league when he was 33, so his mileage is low enough to up his Kelly Blue Book considerably. He was also pretty durable when he played for the Jazz, so he doesn't have any chronic injuries that have foiled other comeback hopefuls (read Alan Houston). And while is 280 pound listed weight is probably not accurate, he doesn't look much different than he did when he hung up the sneakers in 2006. He certainly looks better than Shaq, his old sparring partner, did any of the last three years he played in the league. At worst, he looks like a guy that could clog up the middle for 10 minutes a night, give you 3 boards, a blocked shot, and maybe a bucket or two.
Comebacks are always good for nostalgia, and Ostertag's is no exception. I immediately thought of the Jazz-Knicks game I attended with my friend Brian in the mid 90s. Ostertag ate Patrick Ewing for lunch that day. So good luck, Greg.
I say good on him. Who knows if a time will take a flyer on him, but he's got a better chance of returning to the NBA than anyone else that played on the Jazz teams that went to the finals.
Well, maybe that's not saying much, but think about it this way. Ostertag is 38, but he left the league when he was 33, so his mileage is low enough to up his Kelly Blue Book considerably. He was also pretty durable when he played for the Jazz, so he doesn't have any chronic injuries that have foiled other comeback hopefuls (read Alan Houston). And while is 280 pound listed weight is probably not accurate, he doesn't look much different than he did when he hung up the sneakers in 2006. He certainly looks better than Shaq, his old sparring partner, did any of the last three years he played in the league. At worst, he looks like a guy that could clog up the middle for 10 minutes a night, give you 3 boards, a blocked shot, and maybe a bucket or two.
Comebacks are always good for nostalgia, and Ostertag's is no exception. I immediately thought of the Jazz-Knicks game I attended with my friend Brian in the mid 90s. Ostertag ate Patrick Ewing for lunch that day. So good luck, Greg.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Last night's "big win".
Celebration time! The Jazz hung in there to pull of an ugly win against the Bucks last night. The Jazz are perfect at home, back to .500 and everything is great. Right?
Well, maybe. The Jazz did overcome a lot of adversity to pull off the win. Devin Harris and Josh Howard both checked out early due to minor injuries, and Paul Millsap hyperextended his knee. They didn't shoot the ball very well and threw the ball away quite a bit. Fortunately, the Bucks were absolutely horrible, missing more than 60(!) shots. In short, it looked like a game between two teams that had both played the night before, which is exactly what it was. The Jazz kept it together and rebuilt a double-digit lead after letting the Bucks get within a bucket during the third quarter, which showed some encouraging mental toughness.
Ty Corbin's coaching was also encouraging. He's doing a great job finding minutes for everybody; even Tinsley got some PT for a change. Sloan's substitution pattern was pretty mechanical, and Coach Corbin is proving he's not afraid to mix things up. He doesn't have a lot of time to practice because of the compressed schedule, so he's finding ways to get the young guys on the court to see what they can do. If he can keep it up and the Jazz hover around .500 all season, things will only get better.
Well, maybe. The Jazz did overcome a lot of adversity to pull off the win. Devin Harris and Josh Howard both checked out early due to minor injuries, and Paul Millsap hyperextended his knee. They didn't shoot the ball very well and threw the ball away quite a bit. Fortunately, the Bucks were absolutely horrible, missing more than 60(!) shots. In short, it looked like a game between two teams that had both played the night before, which is exactly what it was. The Jazz kept it together and rebuilt a double-digit lead after letting the Bucks get within a bucket during the third quarter, which showed some encouraging mental toughness.
Ty Corbin's coaching was also encouraging. He's doing a great job finding minutes for everybody; even Tinsley got some PT for a change. Sloan's substitution pattern was pretty mechanical, and Coach Corbin is proving he's not afraid to mix things up. He doesn't have a lot of time to practice because of the compressed schedule, so he's finding ways to get the young guys on the court to see what they can do. If he can keep it up and the Jazz hover around .500 all season, things will only get better.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Five questions for the 2011-2012 Jazz
Four games into the Jazz season, and so far it looks like there are more questions than answers about the team so far. Here are a few questions on my mind:
1. What are they trying to accomplish out there? So far the biggest difference between this year's edition of the team is that it's hard to tell what kind of team they're trying to be. When it was Jerry Sloan's team, you more or less knew what to expect. Lots of picks, lots of cuts, lots of layups. This year, it looks like Church Ball. Wait, it's not even that organized. It looks like early morning pickup hoops at the Stake Center. You know what I'm talking about. Walk the ball up, pass once, jack up a shot. Last night against the Spurs, the Jazz tallied 11 assists as a team. Eleven. Only three of those came from point guards. It was every man for himself, and every man was settling for outside shots most of the time. This team is not going to win many games playing like that, especially when they're shooting as poorly as your Elder's Quorum President.
2. Why didn't they trade Al Jefferson instead of Memo? Okur gives you something none of the other Jazz bigs can-- three point range. Memo creates all kinds of mismatch problems for other teams. Right now, the Jazz are stockpiled with power forwards and centers that are good only out to about 15 feet on a good night. Al Jefferson is good for an occasional 20 footer, but so far he's been taking them way too often. Keeping Memo would really help open up the middle for the young guys. Even if you love Big Al's game, you have to wonder why the Jazz brass would want to keep so much of the same kind of player. Maybe the answer is they shopped Jefferson to the Nets but they weren't interested.
Perhaps the worst thing about the Okur trade is it leaves Paul Milsap as the only remaining guy on my Jazz "Five Player" t-shirt I bought a few years ago, which I will probably be giving to one of my kids, or maybe even a San Antonio thrift store, where the workers are likely to spit on it and toss it into the rag heap.
3. How long until Earl Watson becomes the starting point guard? Devin Harris isn't winning me over yet. Earl Watson is more of a pass-first point guard, and that's what the Jazz need right now to get more of a team effort. If you watch old Jazz clips from the Stockton days, it's amazing to see the team execute. Everyone on those teams know that if they got themselves open, Stockton would get them the ball. Deron Williams scored a lot more than Stockton, but he flirted with double-digit assists most of the time. Devin Harris just doesn't seem like the same sort of player, and while the SLC press recently ran a story saying the Jazz were just fine with that, we'll probably soon see that Jazz Nation is not. As a sub-question, I wonder if the Jazz even tried to get Chauncey Billups when the Knicks used their amnesty clause to cut him loose. The Clips ended up getting him from $2 million, an absolute steal. Maybe the Jazz tried and couldn't lure him aware from the prospect of playing with Chris and Blake, but I would gain some confidence in the front office if I knew at least they had tried. Who would you rather have as the starting point guard: Billups or Harris? It's a no-brainer.
4. When is Matt Harpring going to cut his hair? He looks like that Facebook app that lets you create a fake high-school yearbook photo. It's good for a few laughs, but it will get old pretty soon.
5. How long until Ty Corbin is on the hot seat? The Miller family is known for loyalty to employees, and I expect they will give Coach Corbin more time than most owners would to turn things around. I'm sure the coach wants the team to play a certain way, and I'm sure he's telling them how he wants things done. But when the team is actually on the floor, it's hard to see any sort of system in what they're doing. If he isn't successful in getting them to put his system, whatever it is, into practice, the Jazz should look for someone else. The only question is how much time he'll get. My prediction is that he will get the entire season, unless the team start's looking like last year's T-Wolves. I hope he's able to turn things around in time.
1. What are they trying to accomplish out there? So far the biggest difference between this year's edition of the team is that it's hard to tell what kind of team they're trying to be. When it was Jerry Sloan's team, you more or less knew what to expect. Lots of picks, lots of cuts, lots of layups. This year, it looks like Church Ball. Wait, it's not even that organized. It looks like early morning pickup hoops at the Stake Center. You know what I'm talking about. Walk the ball up, pass once, jack up a shot. Last night against the Spurs, the Jazz tallied 11 assists as a team. Eleven. Only three of those came from point guards. It was every man for himself, and every man was settling for outside shots most of the time. This team is not going to win many games playing like that, especially when they're shooting as poorly as your Elder's Quorum President.
2. Why didn't they trade Al Jefferson instead of Memo? Okur gives you something none of the other Jazz bigs can-- three point range. Memo creates all kinds of mismatch problems for other teams. Right now, the Jazz are stockpiled with power forwards and centers that are good only out to about 15 feet on a good night. Al Jefferson is good for an occasional 20 footer, but so far he's been taking them way too often. Keeping Memo would really help open up the middle for the young guys. Even if you love Big Al's game, you have to wonder why the Jazz brass would want to keep so much of the same kind of player. Maybe the answer is they shopped Jefferson to the Nets but they weren't interested.
Perhaps the worst thing about the Okur trade is it leaves Paul Milsap as the only remaining guy on my Jazz "Five Player" t-shirt I bought a few years ago, which I will probably be giving to one of my kids, or maybe even a San Antonio thrift store, where the workers are likely to spit on it and toss it into the rag heap.
3. How long until Earl Watson becomes the starting point guard? Devin Harris isn't winning me over yet. Earl Watson is more of a pass-first point guard, and that's what the Jazz need right now to get more of a team effort. If you watch old Jazz clips from the Stockton days, it's amazing to see the team execute. Everyone on those teams know that if they got themselves open, Stockton would get them the ball. Deron Williams scored a lot more than Stockton, but he flirted with double-digit assists most of the time. Devin Harris just doesn't seem like the same sort of player, and while the SLC press recently ran a story saying the Jazz were just fine with that, we'll probably soon see that Jazz Nation is not. As a sub-question, I wonder if the Jazz even tried to get Chauncey Billups when the Knicks used their amnesty clause to cut him loose. The Clips ended up getting him from $2 million, an absolute steal. Maybe the Jazz tried and couldn't lure him aware from the prospect of playing with Chris and Blake, but I would gain some confidence in the front office if I knew at least they had tried. Who would you rather have as the starting point guard: Billups or Harris? It's a no-brainer.
4. When is Matt Harpring going to cut his hair? He looks like that Facebook app that lets you create a fake high-school yearbook photo. It's good for a few laughs, but it will get old pretty soon.
5. How long until Ty Corbin is on the hot seat? The Miller family is known for loyalty to employees, and I expect they will give Coach Corbin more time than most owners would to turn things around. I'm sure the coach wants the team to play a certain way, and I'm sure he's telling them how he wants things done. But when the team is actually on the floor, it's hard to see any sort of system in what they're doing. If he isn't successful in getting them to put his system, whatever it is, into practice, the Jazz should look for someone else. The only question is how much time he'll get. My prediction is that he will get the entire season, unless the team start's looking like last year's T-Wolves. I hope he's able to turn things around in time.
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