Going Back to Dallas!

Deron Williams has finally been named an NBA All-Star, and so he'll be returning to his native Dallas where he first learned to play ball (see awesome photo above and below).

Objectively speaking (i always speak objectively), i cannot believe it has taken D Will this long to make it. And truth be told, I was surprised that the coaches voted for him over Chauncey Rutherford Billups. But in any event, welcome to the All Star game D Will!

(What are the chances that D Will is a "One-And-Done All Star" a la Booz and Ak-47?)

Trade Talk

Trade talk is starting to heat up. The Jazz may be in discussions with several teams to make a deal. The Memphis Commercial Appeal is reporting a rumor that the Grizzlies would like to trade for Ronnie Brewer in exchange for cap space and future draft picks. I don't exactly know why the Jazz would do such a deal. However, here are a few of my reasons why it could happen (or at least something else might happen)...

1. The Jazz would like to lower their salary to avoid the luxury tax completely. A trade of either Ronnie Brewer or Kyle Korver could possibly make that happen. I wonder which teams have trade exceptions? Who has extra space?

2. Perhaps the Jazz are concerned about re-signing Ronnie Brewer next summer when he becomes a free agent. Re-signing Carlos Boozer will be a long-shot, but, opening up more dollar space for him could be part of the reason for trading away Brewer.

3. Wes Matthews is playing well... And he's cheap! The Jazz will want to keep it that way. Matthews is the fill-in for Brewer, if he leaves.

4. Kirilenko is immovable. Plain and simple.

With all that being said, I hope Brewer stays with the team. I like him as a Jazzman. I do expect the Jazz to make a deal (of some-sort) before the deadline though. And it's primarily due to reason #1.

Spurs Sweep!

In this up and down season, it sure is nice -- and almost unbelievable -- that we just swept the Spurs 4-0. It was one thing to beat them a few months ago in San Antonio when they were at half-strength, but this time Timmy D, Manu and the rest of the floppers were all playing. San Antonio hasn't been swept in a four-game regular season series in something like ten years. . . pretty sweet that we were the ones to do it.

The icing on the cake was Duncan fouling out at the end of the game, one point away from 20,000 career points. So sad, Tim! Better luck next time.

Unfortunately our boys have a way of following up these games with complete and total meltdowns. And wouldn't you know it. . . we've got New Jersey at home on Saturday. Let's hope we play some inspired ball, because a loss there would just about cancel out the San Antonio and Cleveland wins.

Mid-Point

In full confession, I’ve gone through a mini-type of hibernation from following the Jazz. Sundiata Gaines pulled me out of my funk as a Jazz fan, helping me appreciate the unheralded passion of a D-leaguer hitting a game winning shot against the best player in the game. It was miraculous and motivating at the same time. If he can do it, we can all succeed in life.

The Jazz are sitting in a precarious spot. We’re inching closer to the heavy-weights of the Western Conference while also being chased by the up-and-comers of the league. Portland, Phoenix and San Antonio are sitting just ahead of us, while Houston, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, and Memphis (!) are nipping at our heels. With a quick run, we could be well-positioned. Though, with a downward spiral, we’re quickly out of the playoff race. I’ve never seen the Western conference so evenly matched with parity. The next few games will be telling of which direction we decide to go. Will the Sundiata Gaines “miracle shot” drive us to a new, better destination? We shall see…

Sundiata Gaines!

You bet! Best regular season Jazz game of the last two years at least. We had it, we gave it away, we got it again. Thanks to Sundiata!

The Mailman Speaks

Please, hurry and click on this link before CNN.com takes it down.

This interview is classic for several reasons:

1) Karl's apparel is unmatched (he looks like an African American Hulk Hogan who just stepped out of the woods after a week of turkey hunting); and

2) Karl belittles the Reverend Al Sharpton; and

3) Karl once again exhibits his eloquence with lines like "once NBA player, alway NBA player;" and

4) Karl is starting to look fat, a la Chuck Barkley.

Classic, classic, classic, classic interview. As a Jazz fan, I really miss Karl.

Jazzland

It's been a rough ten days in Jazzland.

• Our boys continue to suck on the road and in the second half of back-to-back games. Could the despised shootaround be the problem? The NY Times thinks so, and reports on research that finds an extra couple of hours of sleep for NBA teams is much better than getting them out of bed in the morning for a half-hearted practice. I agree. The shootaround makes no sense. 82 games a year is brutal, not to mention the travel that goes along with it. You're going to spend all that money on chartered planes, trainers, healthy diets, and weight rooms and then mandate that your players get five hours of sleep a night every time they go on the road? Unfortunately this is likely an example of something Jerry will never change. . . he's old school, even when the evidence indicates it's probably hurting his team's record.
• Greg Miller is getting active on Twitter and his blog. Here are his thoughts today on the Jazz. In general he has some good things to say. The short summary is, "We are over the cap and not that good, and we need to do something about it. Just because we aren't making trades doesn't mean we aren't pursuing them and you might just see us pull one off soon." He is a bit loose with his language, writing things like, "I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet," as if in a year or two he might be. But overall it's refreshing to see an owner communicating honestly and transparently about his team.
  
• In an extremely unfortunate development, the Jazz are four games better than the Knicks right now. Although it's unlikely, there's an outside chance our own pick could be better than their pick at the end of the year. Let us pray for the selfishness and ridiculousness that has plauged that organization lasts one more season.
  

Shuffle the Deck

We're approaching the mid-point of the season and it is abundantly clear that the Jazz is not a title contender. In fact, the way we're playing, I'm not even sure we're a playoff team. So I wasn't surprised when I read that Kevin O'Connor is actively exploring trades, and the Jazz could make a move as soon as tomorrow.

So here's my suggestion: The Jazz send Boozer and Kosta to the Warriors for Maggette and Randolph. The Warriors clear up some playing time for their young shooting guards, get two healthy post players, and create some cap space for next offseason. The Jazz get a shooting guard who can create his own shot and get to the free throw line, and a young power forward with star potential. Plus, the Jazz would save some serious cash.

I know that Maggette's contract is bigger and longer than it should be, and Randolph plays a lot like AK and can be a bit of a head case, but I think both could thrive playing in Sloan's system and alongside DWill.

If you still aren't convinced, watch some of these highlights Randolph put up against the Jazz.