The Year of the Point Guard

As big of a Jazz fan as I am, I might enjoy watching college hoops more so than the pros (Am I able to admit that on my own Jazz blog?). It’s a beautiful time of year when the NBA season tips off and the annual Midnight (October) Madness pops off on college campuses.

In light of the excitement and anticipation of the season starting, I wanted to introduce to you my thoughts regarding the theme for this coming season… “The Emergence of the Elite Point Guard”. The reasoning behind my theme comes from a few schools of thought:

1. I believe Deron Williams will have a breakout, All-Star caliber season for the Jazz.
2. Chris Paul will also emerge as an elite PG, if he hasn’t already (And…Yes, Deron Williams matches up favorably with CP3 on many levels, regardless of what the Sports Geek says).
3. It’s never too early to embrace the enjoyment of college hoops and being able to scout future NBA talent.
4. Point guards run the show and win championships.
5. And finally… the Utah Jazz will have a backup problem. The Jazz's backup point guards are both in the final year of their respective contracts. So, we’ll soon need a new backup PG next year. Right?

Without further ado…next year’s crop and a primer for the college hoop season.

From Overseas:

Ricky Rubio, Spain: The next big rage has some real razzle-dazzle to his game. He loves the no-look pass and the circus-like, ball handling show. Rubio has already made a big name for himself, playing for the Spanish Olympic team.

Brandon Jennings, Italy: The fresh American high-schooler took his game across the pond to make some bucks overseas. He’s quite flashy himself, reminding many of the left-handed showmanship of Georgia Tech’s finest, Kenny Anderson.

Patty Mills, from Australia to St. Mary’s of California: Once was then unknown, is now beknownst to us. Huh?! Mills surprised many observers with his cat-like quickness and speed (while playing for the Boomers in the Olympics). He even gave Deron and CP3 some Olympic trouble.

Points-A-Plenty:

Stephen Curry, Davidson: Who can forget Curry’s shooting barrage during last spring’s March Madness? Three-point binges resulting in 40, 30, 30, and 25 points became common place to him. How awesome would Curry look in a Jazz uni (just like Pops once was)?

Tyrese Rice, Boston College: Rice put up 46 points against North Carolina last season. Against NC! That’s impressive.

Jonny Flynn, Syracuse: Averaged over 15 ppg as a freshman for the ‘Cuse. Flynn’s an excellent outside bomber and tenacious defender. I believe he’s ready to explode this season.

The Vets:

Darren Collison, UCLA: It seems like he’s been on campus for decades. Collison has been on 3 Final Four teams over the course of his career.

Ty Lawson, North Carolina: He’s the floor general, leading the best, most talented team in the country. Will he win them a championship?

Eric Maynor, VCU: Who can forget the buzzer-beating jumper by Maynor to upset Duke in the ’07 NCAA tournament? A day when Duke loses is always a happy day for me.

Say Hello To:

Jrue Holiday, UCLA: Holiday will quickly show the country how talented he is by filling in for Russell Westbrook. The similarities to the 2008, #3 pick are readily apparent.

Tyreke Evans, Memphis: Has amazing hoop skills and opposition breakdown ability. He’ll be the new star to lead the Memphis revival.

Others: AJ Price, Jeremy Pargo, Curtis Jerrells, Nick Calathes, Greivis Vasquez, Lester Hudson, Jerel McNeal, Scottie Reynolds, Nando De Colo, Rodrique Beaubois… the list goes on.

Here’s to the beloved point guards that make our teams run. Let the Madness begin!… both college and pro.

Seriously?

Many of you have surely seen this quote by now from ESPN's Bill Simmons. But I have yet to wrap my mind around it:


"By the way, we need to stop comparing Williams to Paul. It's just dumb. This is not Pacino versus De Niro. This is not Brady versus Manning. This isn't even Morris versus Slater. Williams has a chance to go down as one of the best point guards of his generation. Paul has a chance to go down as one of the best 25 players ever. Big difference."

I know how I feel about this quote, and I know how most Jazz fans will feel about it, but I would be interested to hear how non-jazz fans feel about it.

Seriously? Can this argument really be made?

Band of Brothers

As the blessed preseason gives way to the new season, full of hope, promise, and unfulfilled magic, I want to take one last look ahead for the Jazz. Everyone knows that there will be some changes next year. Whether Boozer, Okur, Korver, Collins, etc. are in Salt Lake next year is an open question. Convincing NBA players to stick around in a small city is an art, an art that San Antonio has mastered and Atlanta has not. But free agency isn't always about dollar bills; sometimes its the little things. Remember when Stockton took a pay cut to resign with the Jazz, in exchange for "ice time" for his son (link, scroll to bottom)? He's the original Hockey Dad!

You see, free agency for small market clubs is just like basketball recruiting: you have to pull out all of the stops. In college basketball teams love to pull the hire-the-star-player's-dad-as-coach routine, or the sign-the-crappy-teammate move. You basically waste a scholarship or a coaching slot in order to attract talent. Well, why leave all the fun for the NCAA? The Jazz need to pull out the big guns. That's why I'm calling for the NBA's first sign-the-crappy-brother-to-a-12-day-contract or throw-away-a-worthless-2009-second-round-pick-on-Jazz-kin. Get on this Kevin O'Conner. Our future may depend on it.

• They say you can never have enough shooters. Well, you can also never have enough Christian teen heartthrobs in Salt Lake. There are a ton of sweet-shooting Korver's playing basketball for a mid-major in the midwest just waiting to hear their names called by the Jazz on draft day. Best of all, they all have cute names that start with K, just like a boy band. There's Klayton, a senior shooting guard at Drake; he's the shy one. And don't forget the outgoing one, Kaleb, a freshman guard at Creighton. Or the funny one, younger brother Kirk whose myspace page lists his weight preference for girls as "not huge."



• Looking for more interior toughness once Harpring dies? Look no further than Paul Millsap's brother John. John, like his gentlemanly brother, played college ball in Louisiana. Also, John already knows the system since he's played on the Jazz' Rocky Mountain Revue squad as well as the Jazz' D-league team. What does a 12-day cost the Jazz? $20,000? That seems like great value on our investment.



• OK, I admit it, Boozer is not a saint. He lied to a blind man and reneged on his agreed contract with the Cavs, all just to grab a big pay day from Larry H. But he's not a monster. He wouldn't stab his own brother in the back, would he? Let's find out! If we can convince his brother, a freshman guard at Iowa State, to declare for the draft, we can scoop him up for a measly second round pick. If Boozer is willing to leave his scrawny brother alone in Utah while he is cruising for chicks along Miami Beach, well then good riddance.



• Now most people aren't too worried about Ronnie Price leaving. He went to school in Utah, he has a defined role on a championship contender, and he's not very valuable. But, if our free agent choices involve resigning Jarron Collins or keeping Ronnie Price happy, which would you choose? That's what I thought. Even more enticing, we could ditch Collins and sign the founder of Daze Streetball who invented a move called the "Texas Tornado" and had changed his name to Konfusion and keep Ronnie happy and ditch Collins! Win-win.

Trailblazers Preview

In preparation for Utah's last preseason game tonight, TCG presents you with a Portland Trailblazers preview compliments of SJ and the guys over at Rip City Project.  And be sure to check out our own Guru's take on the Jazz, which is up on their site.  

As Jazz fans everywhere remember, the Blazers gave us plenty of heartache back in late 90s.  Anyone remeber this guy gliding on the hoops court as well as he does on the dance floor?  Hint: despite an uncanny likeness, it's not Daryl Strawberry. 

Since those glory days, of course, the Blazers have fallen on some hard times.  Will this be the year they climb back and challenge our Jazz in a race for the NBA's Northwest Division crown?  To the preview. . .

SJ, what are you thoughts on the Jazz this year?

The Utah Jazz are scary. I believe they are easily in that top-5 of the West that is not going anywhere, anytime soon. On paper they may not have the greatest talent but they have the best talent for that system. Sloan manages to get the most out of every piece of the pie. Not to mention that the Jazz have two great things going for them: depth and home court advantage. It's damn hard for teams to win in Salt Lake City and I feel like it's been that way forever. And their depth is sneaky. Guys like Korver, Milsap and Harpring get overlooked for their contributions. But then the devil's advocate in me wonders how far a team can go that depends on Ronnie Price, CJ Miles and Ronnie Brewer in a tough Western Conference playoffs series. I do wonder if they are good enough to get to the Finals. It will be interesting to see how good the Jazz are this year, and whether or not they can move up from that #4 spot they seem to be stuck in.

How do you see Portland and Utah matching up?

I'm very confident about our matchup with the Jazz this year. We definitely have the beef to bang with you guys. Last year the sight of Boozer, Milsap and even Okur overwhelming poor LaMarcus and Channing made me whimper, and Big Joel could only do so much. Now we've got those three with Oden and Ike Diogu...so we can definitely match with your greatest strength inside. It's going to be extremely physical inside but I'm ten times more confident this year. 

On the perimeter, on paper you could say we have an advantage. Roy, Fernandez, Martell, Outlaw are more 'talented' if you will than AK, Brewer, Korver and CJ Miles. But to their advantage the Jazz have scrappy, long, hard-working guys. And again they are the guys who work perfectly for Utah, kind of like how the Spurs manage to squeeze the most out of guys like Jacque Vaughn. Kirilenko and Brewer can absolutely cause fits on defense and Korver didn't exactly get murdered. Plus the Jazz are very, very physical. Add a banger like Harpring and it will be interesting to see if the Blazers can handle that kind of toughness on the road. And yes whenever I imagine a matchup with the Jazz, I imagine playing in Salt Lake because that's the real Jazz.  

How would you grade Portland's offseason?

The Blazers off-season...A++++++. And I'm not even kidding. Technically the only moves we made this season were letting James Jones walk (underrated move) and dumping Jarrett Jack for Bayless and Ike (direct revenge for Dale Davis/Jermaine O'Neal). But truly the off-season of 2008 is really reaping the benefits of the off-season of 2007. Greg Oden will be trading in his smile, crutches and dress clothes for a bit of determined frustration and more importantly a Blazer uniform. Rudy Fernandez will also be in uniform not in Spain. 

What excites you most about Portland this year, and how high do you think they can finish?

The wealth of talent surrounding this team is what excites me the most. As Blazer fans we went through a definite dry spell when it came to the 'depth' department. This is heaven compared to the Brian Skinner, Ha Seung-Jin, Charles Smith, Vashon Lenard, Viktor Khryapa, Sergei Monia, Sebastian Telfair era. And yes they all were significant players at one point two years ago. GM Kevin Pritchard said he believes we have 4 options at every position. It's a luxury that I for one am not taking for granted. To have three great players like Roy, Aldridge and Oden surrounded by talent like Rudy, Martell, Bayless, Outlaw and the rest...it just makes you smile. Our depth has depth which makes me forget we're incredibly injury prone. Bayless or Sergio could see themselves on the outside looking in, ditto for Frye or Diogu...all guys who could easily be rotation players anywhere else. 

I don't see the Blazers finishing any higher than 6th in the Western Conference. I've gotten it a lot of ways from Blazer fans who think I'm lowballing, but I have to be realistic. Despite all the hype, excitement and potential...this team hasn't done a thing. Combine that with an extremely tough Western Conference and a particularly nasty first month or so and you see what I'm saying. The top 5 teams in the West should not be going anywhere, anytime soon unless they suffer catastrophic injuries: Lakers, Hornets, Spurs, Jazz and Rockets are the elite. Then you've still got Dallas and Phoenix who while they may not be in the top 3 or 5 are still very good teams, and both are being slept on which may be perfect for them. So my high end is the 6 seed and my low end is the 8th seed. 

What do you think of head coach Nate McMillan?

I feel great about Nate. I feel like he's the perfect coach for this team. A lot of pressure is going to be on him as his cupboard is finally full of talent...but I know he can do it. He knows this team has yet to arrive and he is going to do everything in his power to get him there. He did a tremendous job last year of getting a much less talented team to compete for the majority of last year (before trailing off). Nobody expected anything from that team minus Oden and they busted off 13 in a row (before being overshadowed by the Rockets and their record breaking streak). The road won't be easy. He'll have to find a way to get the most out of every player, find shots and minutes for everyone, keep people happy and get everyone to buy in. I know there are Blazer fans out there who wonder if he's the guy...but he deserves the chance to lead this team after what he's gone through. That being said...I'm still bitter about the Mo Cheeks firing. 

Finally, what's your favorite Jazz-Blazers memory?

Probably a tie between 1999 when we finally got over the Jazz hump and sent y'all packing or 2000 when we just crushed you on the way to the Western Conference Finals. Other than that...truth be told the Jazz have caused a lot of heartbreak. Every game in Salt Lake was a tear jerker, especially Game 5 in 1996 when you gave us the worst elimination game beating this side of the Atlanta Hawks. Speaking of Salt Lake...such a hellacious place to play at. I've watched enough games in that building to just see things coming from a mile away. The backbreaking three pointer...the offensive rebound....the stop....I just get a feeling. 

Point Guard Dilemma

“And now, folks, it's time for…Who do you trust! Hubba, hubba, hubba! Money, money, money! Who do you trust?”

Now that our superstar point guard has fallen on hard times (an ankle sprain which will keep DWill out for a minimum of two weeks), who can the Jazz trust to run the point guard position?
The Jazz are gonna have to trust a new floor general to lead the team. We, as fans, know how important and vital the point guard position is to the Jazz system. The point guard runs the show! He gets the team into the offense, distributes the ball to the right players, directs traffic on the floor, and sets the tempo of the game. Indeed, Dwill has been the ideal floor general for us.

Coach Sloan, in times of need, has attempted to try out different point guards during the preseason and during past seasons. While it seems that Ronnie Price and Brevin Knight would obviously get the nod at the point, both have been limited because of preseason injuries as well. Thus, Jerry has experimented with CJ Miles and Andrei Kirilenko running the show from the backcourt. Will this trend continue during the regular season?

In his first attempt at point guard, CJ was rather impressive, collecting 5 assists in his brief PG stint against the Denver Nuggets. AK47 has certainly been counted on in the past to bring the ball up the floor for the Jazz. Most notably, he gathered extensive playing time a couple seasons ago during the 2007 playoffs against the Golden State Warriors. Kirilenko’s PG debut abruptly came when Dwill had foul trouble, Derek Fisher had been attending to his child’s illness, and Dee Brown had suffered a spinal cord injury because of a nasty player collision. Needless to say, Andrei played admirably despite the circumstances. In my opinion though, I’d rather not see either one of these guys getting extensive minutes running the point.

That leaves us with the recovering injured reserves, and our true back-up point guards, Ronnie Price and Brevin Knight.

Clearly, the pressure and responsibility of the point guard position will fall upon the local hero, Ronnie Price. Price will be able to bring intensity, enthusiasm, and energy to the position. He has tremendous athletic ability and loves to push the pace of the game. He’s a natural scoring guard and athlete, meaning…he’ll be able to get into the paint practically whenever he desires. Price also plays tenacious defense and will always be anxious to take a defensive charge or dive for a loose ball. The question for Ronnie will be…can he hit the open jumper, direct the team into its offense, or be able to make the open pass?

On the other side of the bench is Brevin Knight. Brevin provides everything that Ronnie may not. He’s a fantastic passer, ball-handler, and team player. He’s got the experience to run the team and its offense. Will he be able to handle bigger guards on defense? Will he be able to hit the open shot when it’s given him? Perhaps his lack of ideal size and strength will be balanced out by his impressive court IQ and experience.

Joker: “Me? I'm giving away free money. And where is the Batman? He's at home, washin' his tights!”

I wish we had the Batman…our Batman, out on the floor directing traffic, hitting the jumpers and making the no-look passes. Deron will soon be back. But, in the mean time, we’ll have to rely on other players and wait for him to overcome a bum ankle injury. That sucks!

Ugh!

Our Jazz season hopes and dreams nearly came to a crashing halt when Deron Williams twisted his ankle in a pre-season game against the Chicago Bulls. Luckily, the DNews reports that it was only a severe sprain and his X-rays came out negative. Deron was carried off the floor by teammates Ronnie Brewer and CJ Miles, and left the arena in a wheelchair. We can only hope he makes a full and speedy recovery.

These are the moments when a fan wonders...what in the world is Deron Williams doing, playing in a meaningless preseason game? I suppose athletes can get injured at any time during the season, ripping apart team expectations and future hopes. We can only hope that our franchise player recovers from this 'thunderbolt'. Get well soon, D-Will!

Trade Chatter

Would the Jazz really trade Carlos Boozer? According to Chad Ford of ESPN.com, the Jazz may consider Boozer as a possible trade candidate, for the fear that he might leave the team come seasons end. Since we've discussed the Jazz and the team's future ad nauseum, I'll refrain from delving into the speculation too far.

But, the question still remains...Would the Jazz trade Boozer during the season, in order to recoup something for potentially nothing? Chad Ford, in his assessment, fails to take into consideration the ramifications of taking on longer-termed contracts for the Jazz. The money involved in taking on another star's contract in place of Boozer's nullifies the opportunity for the Jazz to re-sign many of their key contributors later. Thus, I don't believe the Jazz will make that type of decision to trade Boozer now.

In my mind, I believe the Jazz will play out this season with its current core of players, hoping that it might be a championship blend. It'll essentially be "all for one and one for all"... a last ditch effort to a win a championship now, and then worry about the future later. Certainly, by season's end, we could definitely be in trouble with losing Boozer to another team. Would the Jazz be devastated if he left? Could we play competitive ball without the Booz?

I have hope that the Jazz management will make the right decisions in order to keep the franchise stable and competitive. Even if Boozer left, I don't think the Jazz would fall to shambles. The reasoning is that we'd have plenty of cap room to spare (with Boozer's departure), a near expiring contract to potentially unload (in Kirilenko) and a possible 'high' 2010 NYK's draft pick to utilize. The future could be bright regardless of what happens to Boozer then.

Sloan's Preferences

Anyone who follows the Jazz knows that Jerry Sloan hates rookies, young people, teens, and Russians. It is a commonly held belief that Sloan will not play young players the minutes they deserve. Look at CJ Miles, the Sloan critics say. Or Kris Humphries, or Deron Williams (as a rookie), or DeShawn Stevensen.

But I'm here to tell you that the Sloan-as-rookie-hater theory is wrong. Sloan, like most 80 year-old farmers, isn't hip. He doesn't text, he doesn't listen to the rap music, and he certainly doesn't play unproductive young players over unproductive veterans. But this country boy may be cooler than you think.
Over the past 8 years, Sloan has put his trust in 3 rookies. He has let these three young bucks run for nearly 20 minutes a game, while more veteran, established players languished on the bench.

Deron Williams, 2005-06: There is often a perception among Jazz fans that Sloan was so stubborn that he wouldn't even play Williams, our franchise player, as a rookie. But Deron averaged 29 minutes per game over the course of the year and earned the starting role before the all-star break. Sloan started the rookie even though Deron's numbers were nowhere near what they are now: he shot poorly (42%) and his assist/turnover ratio was high (2.5:1). Consider this: Stockton didn't start as many games in his first three years in the league as Deron did in his rookie campaign.

Paul Millsap, 2006-07: Here's the classic Sloan rookie. Underappreciated (2nd round pick), fighting for a roster spot, undersized (listed at 6"8'), and a perfect gentleman. Millsap came out of nowhere to play 18 minutes a game as a rookie out of Lousiana Tech. The Gentle Bulldog only started one game that year (he has three total starts in his career), but has consistently been one of the first players off the bench since he entered the league.
Jarron Collins, 2001-02: If anyone complains about Sloan not playing rookies, simply point them to the greatest Stanford big man to ever tape up for the Jazz. Collins, an unheralded second round pick, stormed into the league with a rookie campaign that saw him post career highs of 6.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game (incidentally, those remain career highs to this day). Most amazing of all, however, is that Jarron started 68 of the 70 games he played in that year! And he wasn't playing because of lack of bigmen: the Jazz bench that year included Andrei Kirlenko, Greg Ostertag, and even John Amaechi.

So, what does this tell us about this year? Well, it means that Sloan may turn to Kofous to fill the huge void at backup center. All of the rookies listed above had good attitudes, worked hard, and didn't get in bar brawls (oh wait, scratch that last one). Kofous is destined to be Sloan's favorite player ever and appears to be a hard worker. Whether he is skilled enough to play against NBA bigmen is another question, but if Collins' story is any indicator, talent doesn't factor into the playing time equation.

The Backup Center Situation

While AK's move to the bench appears to be paying off nicely, all is not well with the Jazz' second unit.  Specifically, we continue to have a major problem at backup center.  Koufus is a rookie.  Fes plays like one (last night's double double notwithstanding) and compares his own strength to that of a small girl.  Finally, to pour salt on this open wound for Jazz fans everywhere, Jerry Sloan had this to say when the D News asked him to list Collins' attributes:

• "Tries" to take charges (note that he didn't say "does" take charges).  
• Unafraid to pass the ball.
• Good at setting screens.  
• "Usually" knows his assignment.  

Let's be honest -- an average high school player could get us all of those things for the league minimum.  To top it all off, it now turns out Collins hurt himself in the same golfing accident that's sidelined his twin brother for the first few months of the season.  So, to review, we have a) a rookie b) a "small girl" and c) a guy who gets hurt golfing filling this spot for us.  

Backup center is clearly not the most important position in the NBA.  But it is a huge hole for the Jazz -- at last year's shortened playoff run highlighted -- and is one that doesn't seem likely to get filled any time soon.  

 

"I am not strong, I am a small girl"

Did Fesenko really say this after last night's loss? You bet he did. The Deseret News is reporting that, when asked about playing against an overweight and out-of-shape Shaq, Fesenko said "I am not strong, I am a small girl."

Hopefully this is a "lost-in-translation" type blunder, but does it bother anyone else? Before you answer, let's review the statement one more time. This is your big, young, talented center saying "I am not strong, I am a small girl." Wooof.