The D News is reporting that Larry Miller just got out of the hospital, which is of course a good thing. He also had a heart attack, three operations, kidney problems, internal bleeding, and is in a wheelchair. Oh, and admits that it's a miracle he's alive. So I don't think things are exactly going swimmingly. Knowing Larry though, he'll be up early to watch D Will and Boozer play in the Olympics on Sunday. Er, will be up bright and early to set the VCR to record the game so he can watch it on Monday after the sabbath ends.
With Spain set to seriously challenge Team USA in the Olympics, NBA fans would be wise to keep their eye on this young man, Ricky Rubio, seventeen year-old Spanish phenom. ESPN calls him i) the most talented point guard to ever emerge from Europe, ii) a young Pete Maravich, iii) the most fun European player to watch, and iv) a magnificent defender. He is 6'4,", is fearless with the ball, and has great length and speed. And lest we blow him off as another hyped nobody, let's get some perspective: He STARTED for the competitive Badalona squad at age 17 in Spain's 1st division, arguably the second best league in the world after the NBA. He will be a lottery pick next June, but wait until this "chico" is 21 years old. But for now, let's see how he handles Deron Williams and Chris Paul . . . .
They say that to make it in the NBA you need to be able to do one thing phenomenally well, be it shooting, rebounding, defense, or (in Collins' case) friendship.
Remember Quincy Lewis? Of course you do. He played only three, mostly uneventful, years with the Jazz. The highlight of his career was when he went berserk in the 2001 against the Kings, scoring 4.3 points per game in the four-game series! Those types of numbers temporarily earned him the 6th spot in the coveted "Jazz Greats" feature on TCG. Unfortunately, they did not earn him a new contract. But don't worry about ol' "Q"; he landed on his feet. He went to play ball in Europe before playing ball in Europe was the cool thing to do. Last summer he signed with Bilbao Berri in the Spanish league.
Recently, I found an interview in which Quincy describes his role on his new team. Don't watch the whole thing, it's sinfully boring. Quincy is an impeccably polite fellow, but he makes a dreadful interviewee. But you don't have to wait long for the money quote, it comes early on: Quincy drops a line that might just explain his all-too-brief NBA career.
"I'm not great at anything."
He goes on to list passing, shooting, ball-handling, and post play as aspects of the game at which he does not excel. Not exactly "ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE," but then Quincy never made you think of Kevin Garnett.
Note: The video has subtitles for TCG's vast Spanish-speaking fanbase.
For an example of an athlete that was able to convert excellence in only one aspect of the game into success, look no further than Joe Montana (via Freedarko). In fact, Montana's one skill was so excellent, that he was able to propel a team with nothing but Karl Malone and Hakeem Olajawon over a team with Jayson Williams and two old dudes. Now that is talent.
Remember when L.A. Gear was cool? Yeah, me neither.
In what is usually one of the most boring press releases of the offseason, the Jazz just announced next year's schedule of games. There's a bit of an interesting twist this time around though: it turns out the great NBA computer system in the sky has decided that our boys are only going to play the Lakers, Spurs and Hornets three times this year. The Jazz play every other Western Conference team four times, except for the Clippers, who they also get for three games. Considering that the Lakers and Spurs pretty much own us (especially on their court), the Hornets are damn good and Western Conference playoff seeding will no doubt once again be determined by a game or two, this is great news.
Team USA did battle with the mighty Aussies (sans Bogut) yesterday and eeked out a win. But three stats loom "large and in charge" for Jazz fans. 1) Carlos Boozer Minutes - 0! 2) Other Team USA Players Who Did Not Play - 0! 3) Other Team USA Players Who Played for Coach K at Duke - 0!
Booner treated us to his thoughts on Jazzdom today on KFAN's Locked on Sports program. For those of you who missed the 4:00 show, here's a link.
Booner hits all the hot topics, like Ronnie Brewer's worth, Ron Artest's impact, the Jazz' current roster balance, and why the Jazz will lose to the Rockets in game 7 this year. Surprisingly there were no expletive-laced tirades about Kobe Bryant or the Spurs franchise. Way to raise the bar, Booner!
The Jazz have a power forward problem. During the pre-Olympic friendly matchup between the USA and Russia, our very own AK47 played exclusively at power forward for the Russian Red.
Kirilenko impressed in his role at power forward. He roamed from baseline-to-baseline, utilized his quickness, agility and face-up game and ventured out to the high-post and top-of-the-key where he was able to show off his passing skills and playmaking ability.
After AK’s first-class outing, I realized during this contest (in spite of the fact that Kirilenko was the focal point of the Russian team) that AK plays better at power forward than small forward. A la Josh Smith of Atlanta and Lamar Odom of LA, Kirilenko belongs at power forward, where he’s able to set up camp closer to the rim and offer us his length, athleticism and ball-skills. If I’m not mistaken, Kirilenko played his best seasons with the Jazz in 2003-04 and 2004-05 while playing the power forward position. Unfortunately, the Jazz (as currently constituted) are loaded at PF, with Carlos Boozer (himself good enough to be a member of USA’s best) and Paul Millsap entrenched in the paint. Neither should we forget that Mehmet Okur masquerades as a center, when truthfully he plays a pseudo-role of post-up power forward and long distance sniper. What do the Jazz do with all of these power forwards?
In the summer of 2009, Boozer and Okur have the option to opt out of their contracts, if they desire. The Jazz are on tap to pay anywhere from $47 million to $62 million of salary (depending on who opts out) to their contracted players. If only Booz and Memo opt out (and not Korver), the Jazz would only have about $20 million to use for their signature (as well as the re-signing of Paul Millsap).
What is clear and obvious: We won’t have enough “cha-ching” to re-sign our players in ’09 if we don’t make a move soon. This potentiality then begs the question... Well, who do you value most?
The Jazz have few trade assets to move (Harp?) that would open up significant salary cap space for the Summer 2009 Re-signing Extravaganza. Kirilenko’s contract is certainly viewed as the albatross. Yet, if the Jazz wanted to move Kirilenko and score “said” salary cap space (to re-sign this triumvirate), AK would need to be moved for expiring ’09 contracts BEFORE next season’s trade deadline. Otherwise, if not traded then, Kirilenko’s contract would languish on the Jazz salary cap throughout the 2009-10 season. In simpler words…keeping Kirilenko equates to losing two others. Would the Jazz deal AK47 before the 2009 playoffs? At a time when his talents and abilities would be most appreciated and desired? If not…We would essentially be saying goodbye to possibly two of Carlos, Memo and Paul. Once again, I ask…which power forward do you value most?
Carlos Arroyo, former Jerry Sloan whipping boy, has signed a three-year deal with powerhouse club Maccabi Tel-Aviv. Arroyo joins a long list (8) of NBA players that have skipped town after last season to sign in Europe (I know, Israel isn't techinically in Europe, but just play along). ESPN's Mark Stein claims he's just the second player (after Childress) to establish himself in the NBA before bolting to Europe, but that's debateable: he averaged about 20 minutes per game last season, fewer minutes than Childress, Carlos Delfino, Juan Carlos Navarro and Bostjan Nachbar last season. And did he ever really "establish himself?" Aside from claiming the title of second best Puerto Rican to play for the Jazz, he put up 12 points and 5 assists as the starting point guard for a terrible Jazz team. I wouldn't call that established. Let's just lump him in with the other mediocre backups that the NBA has lost and continue to assert that Childress is the only really surprising loss. So far.
As you can tell, I was never a big Arroyo fan. TCG's esteemed Booner, on the other hand, was. In the comments to this post, I expect Booner to give us the inside scoop on Mr. Arroyo. Booner had such a personal relationship with Carlos that he (A) once beat Arroyo in a game of horse and (B) can comment on Arroyo's opinion of homosexuals. This should be good.
Two Jazz Olympians had solid games on Sunday morning. Deron had 5 points, 9 assists, a couple of steals, and no turnovers in 20 minutes of action. He also was the "most effective player on the court" when the U.S. finally made their second half run to hold off Russia's comeback bid. Coach K kept Jason Kidd glued to the bench in the second half, prompting ESPN to speculate that his playing time may dry up. Benching Kidd is the only sensible thing to do against teams like Russia. The legitimate threats to the U.S. (Argentina, Spain, Russia, Lithuania) know that they can't run with the Americans. Typically they pack in a tight zone and force the U.S. into half court sets. Kidd is not a shooter so he's much less effective against zone. He is a master of the fast break, but against Russia the fast breaks were kept to a minimum. Deron is the half court master. Let him roam, Coach K!
The Jazz' other Olympian also had a solid game. No, not Boozer. He only played 5 minutes, scoring 2 points. But Kirilenko proudly led the Russians offensively and defensively. His 18 points, 8 boards, 4 assists, and a steal and block kept Russia in it until late in the game. His only negative was his 50% foul shooting. Kirilenko loves playing Russian basketball.
The highlights below are mostly breakaway dunks for Kobe, Lebron, and Dwayne Wade, but ESPN also sneaks in a Kirilenko layup to be fair and balanced.
Love the blowby move on Carmelo. No defensive effort whatsoever. Don't be surprised if someone like the Bucks puts up 160 on the Nuggets this year.
Looking for something to do this Sunday at 1:00 AM? Of course you are. Well, look no further. In their penultimate tuneup before the Olympics, our boys in the red, white, and blue will be taking on the original evil empire: the U.S.S.R. That means we'll have our own Utah Jazz version of Rocky IV. A playbill:
Carlos Boozer as Rocky Balboa
---Carlos Boozer plays our hero, Rocky Balboa. Just like Rocky, Boozer was just another tough guy thought to be too small for the big time. No one from Philadelphia/Duke ever makes it in the real world, right? Wrong. Boozer came out of nowhere (the 2nd round) to become one of the most dominant strongmen in the world, just like Rock. But now, the champ has lost some of his luster: Rocky lost his belt to Ivan Drago, and Carlos has lost his mojo to Lamar Odom's length. While Rocky had to travel to Russia to avenge the death of Apollo Creed, Boozer must also travel to the far east to redeem his dismal playoff disappearance. Can Boozer be like Balboa and win over the Chinese naysayers and show the world once and for all that (1) he is a champion and (2) anyone, even foreigners, can change? Stay tuned.
Money Quote: "If I can change . . . you can change . . . everybody can change!"
Deron Williams as Apollo Creed
Deron Williams takes on the role played to perfection by the indomitable Carl Weathers: Apollo Creed. After reaching the pinnacle of achievement (a title for Apollo; a fat contract for Deron) each man decides he must further challenge himself. For Apollo that meant fighting Ivan Drago; for Deron that means playing 2-guard behind Jason Kidd. In the end, however, neither man properly prepares himself for the challenge and they are killed in the heat of competition by their opponent. Oh, whoops, that analogy sucked. Let's just move on.
Money Quote: "Get your hands up, it's time to go to school."
Andrei Kirilenko as Ivan Drago
In the role he was born to play, Andrei Kirilenko takes on the role of Russian fighting machine, Ivan Drago. A mysterious hulk of a man, he comes out of nowhere to take the world by storm and capture the highest achievement in his chosen field: with the help of anabolic steroids. But Kirilenko's gold medal, and Drago's belt are not enough. THEY FIGHT FOR BLOOD (and patriotism)!!! Just as Drago takes it to Apollo and Rocky, so must Kirilenko fight for his homeland's pride against Deron and Boozer. Dolph Lundgren played Drago to a steely-edged perfection, while Kirilenko's version involves a lot more giggling and chocolate milkshakes.
Money Quote: "If he dies, he dies."
Travis Hansen will not play LudmillaDrago
Unfortunately, Travis Hansen will not participate in Monday's showdown, nor will he be by Kirilenko's side when the Russian flag enters Olympic stadium. Had he been asked, he would have played the role of Drago's evil, controlling, blond (traitorous?) wife, Ludmilla. He would have been phenomenal.
Money Quote: "You have this belief that this country is so very good and we are so very bad. You have this belief that you are so fair and we are so very cruel."
Sasha Kahn as Russian Extra
Also featured in Sunday's production will be former Jazz draft workoutee, Sasha Kaun (master of word processing). Sasha will be guarding Dwight Howard.
The Cowhide Globe (TCG) is a blog devoted to the one great eternal and scientific truth which has been proven by empirical evidence and spiritual manifestations throughout history: THE UTAH JAZZ IS THE GREATEST NBA TEAM IN THE HISTORY OF BASKETBALL.
And lest we blow him off as another hyped nobody, let's get some perspective: He STARTED for the competitive Badalona squad at age 17 in Spain's 1st division, arguably the second best league in the world after the NBA. He will be a lottery pick next June, but wait until this "chico" is 21 years old. But for now, let's see how he handles Deron Williams and Chris Paul . . . .
