SB Nation - Kyle Korver

Congratulations Utah!!!

Stop-n-Pop — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 04:46:03 -0000

You are now responsible for 1/2 of the Wolves' victories. Well done. A zombie dance for you.

Game wrap in a bit.

UPDATE: Game wrap below the fold.

The Jazz are an interesting team. On one hand, they have some thoroughly non-enjoyable/unlikable talent. Carlos Boozer is a Dookie in preparation for leaving a 2nd team in his wake, Kyle Korver is a silly Iowegan, and Jerry Sloan will continue to coach as if the league were still in the midst of a coked-out pre-80s haze. On the other hand, they have the player I consider to be the best and most entertaining point guard in the game: Deron Williams. As much as I cannot stand to watch a backstabbing Dookie, Coach Cleaver, and the most annoying fellow Creighton Jayhawk in the world, there is no player I enjoy watching more when he is "on" than the former Illini point.

A couple of games ago the Wolves' TV crew ran a poll about who they thought was the best point guard in the game. I can't remember who they ended up picking, but for my money's worth, if I'm putting together a squad to win it all, here are my top 3 picks at the point: Williams, Rajon Rondo, and Tony Parker. Williams, to me, is the greatest surgeon in the game. He's not as flashy as Chris Paul or Steve Nash but he's physically dominant for his position with a balanced game that picks apart his opponent with precision and consistency. From the line, from mid-range, from beyond the arc, in transition, in 1/2 court...the guy does it all. He was playing out of the post of several key possessions in the 4th quarter and it baffles me that Sloan didn't ride that horse hard. Plus, when the game is on the line and time is running off the clock in a must-win playoff game, he can get his shot off in traffic, which is an amazingly important trait that some possess while others do not. Sorry CP3, I want D-Will for that possession.

Anywho, the first thing that should be pointed out about last night's tilt was that Williams was the best player on the court and it wasn't even close. He shot the lights out from the floor, got to the line a ton, dished out 13 assists, and...well, (robot voice on) Jerry Sloan is a fantastic coach and he knows exactly how to use Mr. Williams (robot voice off).

OK, now that we've talked about Utah's point guard, let's take a few minutes to gab about Jonny Flynn. Flynn undoubtedly shows flashes of brilliance. His quickness is world class and while he still needs to learn a thing or two about running a pro offense, his court vision is top shelf. His outside shot is surprisingly serviceable and should he ever develop an ability to dish off of the drive, he'll be damn near unguardable. That being said, the flashes of brilliance are accompanied by stretches of outright boobery. The CP3 inbounds boner in the NOLA game stands out over anything else but he is also guilty of overdribbling, going too much to his right, and inexcusably holding the ball when it is rotated his way on a nightly basis. Adding to our T-Wolves dictionary (first addition: Brewsist) is the Jonny Stop: The way in which a freely moving ball is stopped by an ultra-quick lead guard who uses the opportunity to survey the court and negate his greatest strength, his speed.

Watching Flynn play the point you can practically see his High School/AAU/Syracuse coaching play out in a motion picture thought bubble above his head. This kid has been the dominant lead guard for so long, and he has played for so long against such relatively inferior competition, that his first instinct in close games and/or highly leveraged situations is to do what he has always done: Be the be-all/end-all of ball movement and end the damn possession for his team. At Niagra Falls High, NY AAU, and Syracuse, his speed alone was enough to get the job done. No need for setting up teammates. No need for creating angles. No need for worrying about the shot clock. When the heat was on, it was Jonny, the ball, and his defender. This kind of nonsense will not fly in the NBA for a player like Flynn. He's not that quick. Maybe it will have its time and place in a few years when he gets the benefit of the whistle and learns how to better incorporate his teammates, but not now. While Flynn ended the contest with a career high in points while shooting the lights out from beyond the arc, he stunted several key possessions with the Jonny Stop. Also, while I'm very, very happy that he made the game winning shot, I think I suffered a Randy Foye flashback with the kamikaze drive down the right side of the lane. At least he didn't try and bank it off the shot clock.

Let's wrap this up with some bullet points.

Should the Wolves have lost, Kevin Love and Damien Wilkins would have been my choices for goats of the game. There is no dumber shot in all of basketballdom than the foot-on-the-line 3. There is no excuse for it. It has all the risk of a 3 pointer with none of the reward. Dumb, dumb, dumb, and more dumb. Love and Wilkins both made toe-on-the-line 2 pointers.
While Flynn took some heat earlier this season for an ill-conceived behind-the-back pass attempt, he and Love ran the behind-the-back pick-and-roll twice in the last two minutes of the game and it netted them two wide open three point attempts. It's really not a flashy play and it has the potential to be a nice addition to the offense. I want to see a lot more of the middle pick and roll with Love and Flynn.
The star of the game has to go to Corey Brewer. There were a few points in the game where Brewer reverted to the holy-crap-he's-everywhere kind of player that we got kind of excited about a few weeks ago. He was dunking, sticking shots, rebounding, and holding people up on defense all night long. It really is amazing how different this team looks with competent wing play. Imagine if they had some outside shooting to go along with the competent wing play. Paging Rudy Gay.
If the flash went to Flynn and the star went to Brewer, the workhorse award goes to Big Al Jefferson. The guy is really starting to return to form and he played the role of the bruising running back, grinding out short yardage situation after short yardage situation in order to keep drives alive and his team in the game. This site has been home to a long standing debate over the relative worth of Jefferson and Kevin Love for about 2 years now and my current thoughts on the duo are this: The problem with the Wolves is not Al Jefferson and Kevin Love. Neither has the advantage of playing with a consistently competent wing player or an outside shooter worth his salt. Neither has the advantage of playing with a group of properly-sized perimeter players. There is nothing wrong with having 1 or 2 undersized players in your rotation provided that you surround them with athleticism and length. Al and Love have complimentary skills and they are obscenely skilled on the offensive end of the court. My take on the pairing is that they are still in need of a Joakim Noah/Jason Thompson 3rd wheel and a pair of athletic slashers on the wing. I have been saying this since before Love came aboard. In the front court I want the aforementioned Noah/Thompson type and on the wing I have opined for, in order, Josh Smith, Trevor Ariza, and Rudy Gay. This team can put it together with some competent wing play and for either Flynn or Ricky Rubio to work out at the point...or for John Wall to land at the doorstep of 600 First Avenue. Wings, an athletic backup big, and hashing out the point guard situation, these are the things that need to be worried about before talking about whether or not Love and Jefferson can play together. Rudy Gay, Rudy Gay, Rudy Gay. Please, get 'r done. It has been obvious for over 2 years.

OK, that does it for tonight's wrap. We'll have a very cool announcement on the site tomorrow and then I'll follow that up with a post on the Lynx's choice in the supplemental draft, Rebekkah Brunson.

PS: If you really want to know why the Wolves won, it was because they collected a very large number of their misses:

	Pace	Eff	eFG	FT/FG	OREB%	TOr
Minnesota	98.0	112.2	52.4%	27.7	32.6	15.3
Utah		110.2	53.7%	25.9	17.1	12.2

When you have an eFG of over 50% and you are collecting a 1/3 of your misses, life is good. This is another reason why you don't want to monkey with the Love/Jefferson duo. If you surround them with competent perimeter players, they will destroy the boards. BTW: We need to come up with a Wolves Dictionary term for when Love grabs an offensive rebound in between 3-4 defenders.

Lakers-Jazz Preview

DexterFishmore — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 22:00:17 -0000

The Los Angeles Lakers aren't the only team that hasn't been getting out of the house much. The Utah Jazz have played seven of their last eight at home. They've won six of those eight to get well after a 4-6 start to the season, but the competition has been squishy: Utah's eight most recent opponents have a combined winning percentage of 0.415. The Jazz tonight attempt a big step up in weight class, facing the Lakers for the first time since the teams' opening-round playoff series last April.

Strength of schedule aside, there's no debating whether Utah's on a good run. They are. Carlos Boozer, the world's second-most famous Alaskan, is putting up All-Star numbers, and his running mate Deron Williams is getting sharp again after missing a couple games to deal with a family medical issue. Center Mehmet Okur, who played little in the playoffs last year, is back as the third option. Wesley Matthews and Eric Maynor are intriguing rooks getting real minutes.

There are new friends and old, in other words. With seemingly half the Lakers' games so far coming against Phoenix, Houston or New Orleans, I look forward to seeing someone new come to town. Let's get to know them a little better.

First, a quick review of who's not playing. Forward Andrei Kirilenko (strained lower back) and backup center Kyrylo Fesenko (stomach virus) did not travel with the team to Los Angeles. So much, I guess, for ratings in the former Soviet Union. Shooting guards Kyle Korver (recovering from knee surgery) and Ronnie Price (foot injury) are out as well. Utah's playing thin, obvy.

Also absent tonight will be our boy Stu Lantz. Stu, it's been announced, will miss the next seven games while his wife Linda recovers from surgery. Hot Rod Hundley, former Laker and longtime Jazz announcer, will be filling in for tonight at least. All our best to Stu and Linda.

Utah's strength is its offense, which tactically hasn't changed in about three decades. They still run that deliberate, half-court pick-and-roll game that drives everyone nuts. Their Offensive Rating of 107.3 ranks seventh in the NBA, and they're top six in both Effective Field-Goal and True Shooting Percentage. You won't see them bomb away from three a whole bunch, and their team three-point accuracy of 35% is only middle of the pack, but Jazz shooters enter tonight's game on a hot streak. Over the past five games they've drained a stellar 41% of their long balls.

After a forgettable, injury-filled campaign last year, Boozer now looks like a man playing for a new contract, which not coincidentally he is. The guy is destroying people. Here are his numbers over the last eight games.

FGs	EFG%	FTs	FT%	TS%	PPG	RPG
82-125	66%	45-56	80%	70%	26.1	10.2

A look at Boozer's shot-location chart shows the engine of his improvement: the midrange game. Away from the rim and out to 15 feet, he's taking the same number of shots he did last year, about four per game. But whereas last season he made only 34% of his attempts, this year he's making 50%. The Laker bigs have the length and quickness to frustrate Boozer, but they'll have to be active and aggressive. If they kick it near the hoop and wait for Boozer to come from them, he'll feast all night on those little 12-foot J's.

Deron Williams, though he's been playing pretty well lately, doesn't seem quite himself this year. His turnovers are up, he's making only 72% of his free throws (after hitting about 80% over his first four seasons), and he's getting to the rim much less than he has in years past. He still presents a difficult matchup for the Lake Show. I'm of the view that Derek Fisher has been better on D than he was last year, but he just doesn't have the muscle to control Williams. With Kirilenko and Korver out of commission, Utah's wings aren't much of a threat, so it's likely we'll see both Kobe Bryant and Ron Artest try to body up Williams at some point.

Who are Utah's wings, you ask? Matthews has been starting at shooting guard, and Ronnie Brewer at small forward. An undrafted rookie out of Marquette, Matthews has been a surprise contributor. He's a low-volume, turnover-prone offensive player, but he's making 38% of his threes, so you can't totally forget about him, and he's been earning positive notices for his D. He'll likely get first crack at guarding Kobe - good luck with that, young buck.

For the second straight game, the Lakers face an opponent with a "stretch 5" - a center who enjoys chucking threes. Channing Frye didn't do much damage on Sunday, and now Okur and his 48% three-point shooting are the challenge. The Lakers are the best in the league at defending the money ball. Their zone-y defensive principles mean Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol don't have to chase guys like Okur all over the court, and there's enough size on the perimeter between Kobe, Artest and Lamar Odom to make drainable looks hard to come by even for the tallest gunners. It seems, therefore, the Laker D is well designed and equipp ed for this matchup.

Eric Maynor is a dude I'm excited to check out. A member of what appears to be an all-time great class of rookie point guards, he comes off the bench for 15 minutes a night. He hasn't found his shooting touch in the NBA yet, but his assist and turnover numbers are fantastic. He should have a long pro career as a backup point.

Also off the bench we'll see power forward Paul Millsap, at $8 million luxury-grade reserve. He hasn't been the same productive force he was last year - turnovers up, rebounds down - but is nonetheless a valuable part of the second unit. Small forward CJ Miles recently made his season debut and could get 15-20 minutes of run.

Not unlike the Suns team the Lakers just got done embarrassing, the Jazz undo a lot of their good work on offense with a pretty terrible D. They control the defensive glass well but are below average in everything else. They're coming off two particularly grim performances, allowing 1.19 points per possession to Minnesota and then 1.16 PPP to San Antonio. Fouling the hell out of their opponents, look a disreputable feature of the Utah D, is again emerging as a tendency. Their opponents have an FTA/FGA of 0.34 for the season, seventh highest in the NBA, and that number has been even higher (0.41) over the past five games.

A central problem with their defense is their starting big men: Boozer and Okur have been terrible at that end of the floor. Their advanced metrics coming into this season weren't bad, but they've both posted defensive plus-minus stats this year that are just putrid. Millsap has been better those guys, as has been Kirilenko. The Lakers catch a break by not having to deal with the latter.

Utah is a perfectly decent team, to be sure. Williams is always fun to watch, and if the Laker big men are sloppy on D, Boozer and Okur could get big numbers. Staples Center, though, has become where perfectly decent teams go to get pounded. Absent a bed-crapping reminiscent of the Miami game, a 10th straight victory for the Lake Show awaits.

	Lakers	Jazz
*RECORD*	16-3	12-8
*NET POINTS PER GAME*	+8.3 (2nd)	+3.3 (9th)
*PACE*	97.8 (5th)	93.6 (22nd)
*OFFENSIVE RATING*	105.6 (13th)	107.3 (7th)
Turnover Rate (Off.)	12.9% (5th)	14.0 (18th)
FTA/FGA (Off.)	0.27 (25th)	0.31 (16th)
Free-Throw %	75.5 (15th)	75.3 (16th)
Effective FG% (Off.)	50.3 (12th)	52.2 (5th)
True Shooting% (Off.)	54.0 (16th)	56.3 (6th)
Off Rebounding Rate	27.8% (10th)	26.8 (18th)
*DEFENSIVE RATING*	97.4 (3rd)	104.6 (19th)
Turnover Rate (Def.)	14.5% (12th)	13.6 (7th)
FTA/FGA (Def.)	0.27 (6th)	0.34 (24th)
Effective FG% (Def.)	46.0 (1st)	50.2 (20th)
True Shooting% (Def.)	50.5 (1st)	54.8 (20th)
Def Rebounding Rate	72.3 (21st)	75.3 (5th)

All statistical terms defined here. Parentheses indicate league rankings. Numbers are courtesy of Basketball Reference and HoopData and, except for record and net points per game, are through Monday night's action.

Around the Web: Could We See a Woman in the NBA Within the Next Decade?

Q McCall — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 23:43:58 -0000

Could 2009 WNBA MVP and Finals MVP Diana Taurasi make it in the NBA? If so, how successful would should be? And what would it mean for women's basketball?

View full size photo »

After my earlier post today, I was asked by someone what I thought of the idea of women playing in the NBA.

To begin with, as Ian Thomsen described in his original SI article, the very premise that NBA commissioner David Stern’s response to the question of whether we’ll see a woman in the NBA one day does not exactly strike me as strong advocacy for basketball integration.

David Stern believes women could be playing in NBA within decade - Ian Thomsen - SI.com
"Sure," he said matter-of-factly. "I think that's well within the range of probability." He went on to explain his reasoning as well as jokingly ask that I seek out other opinions, so that he wouldn't appear to be pushing this most progressive and liberating pursuit down the throats of his players, coaches and executives.

It’s probably important to note that Stern built the NBA as a highly – some might say "ruthlessly" – image conscious and shrewd commissioner. On top of that, the WNBA is "his" project. It’s hard for me to imagine him saying, "No that will never happen" for two reasons: 1) it would open him up to the possibility of accusations of sexism and disrespect to women’s sports and 2) it would give haters that much more ammunition with which to demean the WNBA by association. Surely, he’s aware that the WNBA is losing money and doesn’t need anything that might even be taken as a hint of negative press.

Stern made the response he had to make as a businessman interested in the well being of both his image and the image of the WNBA. I have a hard time seeing it as anything more than that.

However, even if we are to take Stern’s response as genuine interest in moving in the direction of bringing women into the league, there are still challenges.

First, the question is would this woman who made a NBA roster just be present, part of the rotation, or a starter? Bethlehem Shoals has already explored this predicament down at The Baseline.

On the NBA's Gender Barrier - Bethlehem Shoals - The Baseline - Sporting News
This is where Diana Taurasi enters the conversation, seeing as she's got height, dead-eye range and a great basketball mind.

What exactly would Taursai do in the NBA, though? Be a 6' Kyle Korver? Would she want to do that? Would that really serve the purpose of breaking the gender line?

All of which undermines the final reason: "The first women will be greeted with newfound respect." This experiment only makes sense if a player is capable of playing her game with the men. Otherwise, it's condescending, pointless and an insult to everything the WNBA has achieved on its own.

When Shoals and I discussed Taurasi, other names that came up were Steve Kerr, Dell Curry, or Stephen Curry, point being that it would more than likely be a minimal role.

In other words, the experiment is more likely to become a media sideshow and with plenty of haterade to go around if a player like Taurasi – the 2009 WNBA MVP and Finals MVP – ends up being a minor contributor in the NBA. Really, if a player like Taurasi were anything less than an all-star in the NBA, it automatically damages the credibility of the WNBA.

Second, and an extension of the first point is that it is unlikely that any female players other than perimeter players – and really only athletic, quick guards -- would even have a shot at the NBA. Cleveland Cavaliers forward Lebron James sums that up nicely with his response to the issue.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James doesn't think women will be playing in the NBA in next decade - ESPN
Cavaliers forward LeBron James isn't so sure. The reigning NBA MVP was asked about Stern's comments prior to the Bulls-Cavaliers game on Friday night. "Ten years?" James asked. "That's, like, right around the corner. [In] 10 years, I'll be 34. I'll still be in the NBA. I think 10 years is pushing it, honestly."

Baylor University freshman Brittney Griner is 6’8", plays center, can dunk within a short range around the basket and is (justifiably) expected by many analysts to transform the women’s game. James is listed at 6’8" 250 pounds – though it’s commonly assumed that he weighs more -- could almost play four positions, can dunk over seven foot men, and is transformative in his own right. Griner would be a marginal NBA prospect at best for the NBA.

Could 6'8" Brittney Griner play in the NBA? - Ball Don't Lie - NBA Blog - Yahoo! Sports
And here's why: While Griner's 6'8" frame might make her the swat-blocking Gheorge Muresan of Texas women's high school basketball, it would mean nothing in the NBA. Can you imagine her trying to defend someone as athletic and strong as Rudy Gay or Andre Iguodala? It would be impossible. I'm still convinced that the first woman to play in the NBA will actually be a short, lightning-quick point guard with great decision-making skills and a jumpshot. You know, like, Jose Calderon ... but ... um ... not.

Sure, James is the extreme and Griner is nowhere near her peak potential though she is currently second in the NCAA with 5.9 blocks per game. But if we went down NBA rosters and just compared each player by position to their WNBA counterparts, physical mismatches would occur more often than not, despite J.E. Skeets' claim that the first woman would have to be a guard.

This is a point that WNBA legend Lisa Leslie has made in the past and Anthony Parker – Candace’s Parker’s sister -- made in the very same ESPN article. It’s less sexist than a current biological reality that realistically will not change in the relatively short time period of ten years.

Third, there is value to the WNBA in terms of providing great professional female sports role models for girls not only to model their games after, but also have a sense of an attainable goal.

A League of Our Own: Why Must WNBA Players Be Compared to Men?
I provided this brief history, including several failed professional women's basketball leagues, to set the framework for what I believe our focus regarding women's basketball should actually be: we need a successful league of our own. We don't need to try and play in the NBA to prove we are great players. We need the WNBA to prove itself a thriving professional league that will be sustained for generations to come, just as the men's professional sports leagues have. Our daughters need great professional players to model their game after, just as our sons have. It's imperative that we stop comparing the women's game to the men and allow women's basketball players to be just that…women's basketball players.

Prior to the existence of the WNBA, this question might have been more interesting given a potential opportunity for the best female basketball players to showcase their talents alongside the best male players. It was interesting when both Ann Myers-Drysdale and Nancy Lieberman took a shot.

Moreover, I don’t think we can disregard the significance of the WNBA to women’s sports at large – it is currently the longest standing women’s professional sports league in the U.S. If the best female players start playing in the NBA only to become average, it not only waters down women’s basketball, but also one of the most visible women’s sports "successes" and an indirect Title IX success (it’s very difficult to separate the quality of the professional game from the developmental quality of the amateur game).

Of course, the financial benefits of playing NBA basketball in the U.S. instead of Euroleague overseas may be appealing to some WNBA players. The two seasons are complementary, not competing, so a woman could conceivably play in both leagues. And yes, if we consider the NBA to be the best of the best in the world, if a woman can play in that elite company there is an argument not to stop her..

However, with the existence of the WNBA, I agree with Scott – women need to build the league of their own. Women don’t stand to gain a whole lot by attempting to play in the NBA.

Update: To balance out the cons with a pro from direct from a NBA player, Jayda Evans refers to an interview with former Seattle Sonic Kevin Durant in which Durant claimed that Seattle Storm forward Lauren Jackson could play in the NBA.

Sports | Seattle Times Newspaper
Did you know Lauren Jackson dropped 41 on Washington last summer: "It was 47, I think."

You know, you're right, excuse me: "Now, she's a player. She could play in the league [NBA]. She's a great player. She's one of those players that can do just about anything on the floor. I really have a lot of respect for her game. I forget where she's from [Australia], but she came over and took the game by storm and that's something I like to see. That makes the game exciting, to see a tall player like that do just about anything."

Poll

Who would be the most likely to make it in the NBA in the next decade? (Leave an explanation in our comments)

The Downbeat - 24 November 2009 - #107 - The Sparkly Edition

Basketball John — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:39:21 -0000

I know Fess will never be compared to Nowitski, but expand your shot a little.

Here's the chart for the Jazz so far this season. Nothing surprising from beyond the arc. Those cold spots are usually the hardest to hit. What is surprising is that I would assume your percentages should be going up the closer you get to the basket.

Yet in the three spots around the basket, the percentages are way down. I don't know why that is for sure. Is that because that's where floaters and other similar-type shots are taken from? For the Jazz I figured it was because they get blocked so much.

I took a look at other teams and almost all of them are the same. There's a few exceptions, but for the most part, everyone struggles in those zones. Is that the least efficient shot in basketball?

Kyle Korver and CJ could be returning as early as next week? What do you think, will it be worth the wait?

Did we as fans overreact? I guess that's part of our job. I'm glad the panic has died down yet I think most fans believe that the Jazz aren't above going into another slide.

You've seen the Korver/Kutcher comparisons, but what about Korver/Carrot Top? Have to say it's pretty close and scary. KK has the perfect costume for next Halloween.

While you're enjoying the game tonight, I'll be withing spitting distance of the Jazz/Thunder - well, if I could spit from the Megaplex at the Gateway. You'll be watching Deron and Durantula, I'll be watching sparkly vampires.

However, I will be at the Jazz/Bulls game on Thanksgiving night. Pretty good trade-off.

Tip-In: Toronto Raptors Post Game Report - 75% of the Way There?

RaptorsHQ - Franchise — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:06:27 -0000

More photos » by Colin Braley - AP

Deron Williams and the Jazz have felt plenty of pain of late...

Browse more photos »

After a loss to a more-talented Denver team last night, the Raptors prepare to take on the Utah Jazz tonight in a back-to-back. The HQ looks at last night's loss and discusses the keys to rebounding tonight with a W...

With the Raptors facing another tough test tonight against the Utah Jazz, I thought it would be apt to post a recap/preview combo a bit later today than usual.

After all, there's not a lot to discuss regarding last night's loss.

The Raptors hung tight with Denver for three quarters, even leading the game for most of the first half. Then in Part II of the affair, Toronto started to run out of gas on offence, and us fans all know that when that happens, the defense usually isn't good enough to keep things close.

This is especially the case when playing against a team as talented as the Denver Nuggets, a squad I described in my preview yesterday as being maybe the most balanced in the league.

You could see that balance last night too. If Melo wasn't attacking from inside and out, Denver was pounding the ball down low to Nene, or getting half-court heaves from JR Smith. Throw in some clutch 3's by Arron Afflalo, D in the post by Kenyon Martin, shot blocking by The Birdman, and of course, heady play at the point by Chauncey Billups, and they're a pretty intimidating group.

Toronto was simply out-classed talent-wise in the end, especially with Hedo Turkoglu sitting this one out, and kudos to Jay Triano for realizing this with lots of time left in the fourth quarter; with about six minutes left Raptors' fans were treated to the Patrick O'Bryant show.

Even the newest old Raptor got some minutes. (Although strangely, Marcus Banks did not - how much does Triano have to hate Banks for O'Bryant to play and not Banks???)

Yes, Pops Mensah-Bonsu is back with the Dinos as he was snatched off of waivers yesterday, and even in limited time late in the game, showed the same qualities that made him a desperately needed commodity last season. The kid simply brings it every night, and is a tenacious rebounder and defender. I mean, how many players get signed into the season, then in garbage time take a painful charge in a blowout?

That's Pops.

However as much as I like Pops, I've been pulling for Toronto to take a flyer on him since he left George Washington, I'm not quite sure I like the fit this time around. When Reggie Evans returns it gives the team seven big men for two positions; meanwhile, the wing positions, the 3 in particular, looks quite shallow. I love Sonny Weems but he's not quite big enough to guard the Carmelos and Kobes of the league. Outside of Hedo Turkoglu, Antoine Wright is the only player with the size for the 3.

Can Mensah-Bonsu play the 3?

Perhaps defensively, and maybe that's what BC and co envision with this signing.

However last season I remember him being much more effective at the 4 and if that's the case, I think he's going to have a tough time finding minutes unless Evans ends up being out for a very long time.

Is there anything else to break down from last night's loss?

Not really in my book, although I do want to touch on Toronto's play in the first half. Even minus Hedo, that was the best the team looked in my eyes (especially the first quarter) all season at both ends of the court. The club seemed very prepared and while they had no answer for Anthony, they didn't come unglued at the seams when he was putting on a clinic. Toronto played to its strengths and did a nice job keeping the rest of Denver in check.

Well, except for JR Smith.

But how exactly do you guard a player like that when he's taking shots from five feet behind the 3-point line and has the athleticism to get to the rim at will?

It's very difficult; he's like Ben Gordon on Red Bull and HGH.

Overall though, I've seen some nice stretches from the Dinos over the past week, even in losses and I'd actually say that last night's game was an analogy for how this team looks to me at present; three quarters of the way there.

When the defense is at least somewhat locked-in and the gang-rebounding is in effect, TO's offence is powerful enough to beat most teams in this league. The chemistry is coming (Jose looks like his old self again) and outside of Jarrett Jack, the players seem to be settling into their roles; DeMar DeRozan, Amir Johnson and Marco Belinelli in particular.

The light seemed to come on for DeMar in particular last night, and I'm hoping to see a continuation of this tonight against the Jazz.

Incidentally he helps lead off our first key:

1) Supporting Cast Play.

The Jazz are banged up. They're already short on the bench minus CJ Miles and Kyle Korver, and while Deron Williams appears to be playing tonight, he's missed the past few games to take care of some personal issues. Add these to the fact that Utah comes in with a disappointing 4 and 6 record and this is a great chance for Toronto to grab a win in a notoriously tough arena.

However to do it, they're going to need more than just the usual suspects.

As previously mentioned, players like Johnson, Belinelli, DeRozan, and even Sonny Weems have been providing solid minutes lately and I'm expecting that to continue tonight. Utah doesn't take a night off under Jerry Sloan and on the second night of a back-to-back, it's even more imperative that these types bring their respective fortes.

If they can do that I believe it seriously tips the scales in the Raptors' favour.

2) Bosh and Bargnani.

While the referees were hardly doing these two any favours last night, both weren't nearly aggressive enough offensively last night, something that they'll have to remedy this evening. The two have tough match-ups (Bargs looking at himself in the mirror in a sense if he's guarding Okur) but Toronto will need to lean a bit more on their scoring if they want to achieve victory and keep pace with what's become a high-scoring Utah team.

3) Pride.

One thing that irritated me last night, even in garbage time, was JR Smith's showboating. Toronto was already down big, and Smith bowing to the crowd and performing other theatrics was hardly endearing to me, and probably many others. In fact I was hoping that Pops would catch him with a good clothesline the next time down the court.

Point being, this team has had a rep of being "soft" for years now. Some of Toronto's additions this past off-season are trying to change that, but there's still a lot of work to be done. Contrast that with the Jazz who for decades under Sloan have held a "non-crème-puff" status and who generally fight and claw on each possession.

Therefore I'm wondering if tonight's game may end up being decided by simply "who wants this more."

Toronto and Utah believe it or not are actually quite similar statistically (great in terms of offensive efficiency, bad to terrible in terms of defensive ability) so this isn't a game where the Raps can just rely on streaky shooting. The Dinos need to come out hungry from the tip in order to grab an important W and I'll be looking for this all night.

No weak "second night playing in a row, Western conference road trip, blah, blah, blah" excuses.

If the Raptors want to be considered one of the better clubs in the league this season, they need to start winning these "gut it out" type of games.

The Downbeat - 5 November 2009 - #94 - The Great Debate Edition

Basketball John — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:15:45 -0000

Fantastic discussions yesterday. Whether it was in the Downbeat, a can of tuna (where Vromanite's trade machine 'shop was on BDL), or the beginning of the end, it was great to see everyone's opinions and discussion. Perhaps the best part was that it didn't regress into name calling, etc. We have an amazing group of posters, commenters, and lurkers. High quality stuff all around.

This was brought up in one of the discussions. But what would everyone think of a Boozer for Tyrus Thomas and Jerome James trade? Or also include Kyle Korver and John Salmons in the mix?

Everyone's deal, with the exception of Salmons, expires at the end of the year, so there's not a huge risk that way. Thomas has been disgruntled in Chicago because he believes he should be starting. Seems like both players could use a change of scenery.

However, if Thomas came here, he would likely be the backup as well to Millsap/Okur. He wouldn't start but I could see him getting huge minutes as he would come in for either one of them. What about a second unit of Price, Matthews, AK, Thomas, and Ronnie B? Does that work? Does acquiring him mean even less playing time for Fess and the KOOF?

From what I've read up on Thomas is that he's a great shot blocker, but not necessarily a good defender with help D and the like.

I think at this point, if the Jazz could land this deal, it would be a huge win given the current value of Boozer.

Late start again tonight against the Spurs. They've had a semit-easy start to the season as they've got to plan NOLA and Sacramento at home. Their lone loss came on the road against the Bulls.

And in a bit of a scheduling perk to give some of those old bones a rest, they haven't played for 5 days. So despite being on the road, they've had a mini vacation leading up to the game that will give them fresh legs and ample time to develop a game plan. Not good news.

Some of the biggest complaints from Jazz fans right now is the lack of hustle, lack of toughness, and seemingly lack of desire.

Has the bar been set too high for Jazz fans? Should be be comparing the current team to the Stockon and Malone days? We don't expect the same numbers necessarily that both of them put up on a consistent basis. They were once in a lifers.

I'm not going one way or the other with this issue, but is it fair to compare the two eras?

I just barely took a look at the stats from Dallas this morning. The Jazz were in the penalty with 9 minutes left in the game. The stats that stood out to me was that Deron AND Memo had 0 fouls to start the fourth quarter. They then are called for 5 fouls apiece and the Jazz as a team have 13 of their 24 fouls in that quarter alone. That resulted in Dallas going 18-18 from the free-throw line. Of course nobody could handle Dirk either. Unbelievable.

So, is that a result of fatigue? Home court advantage? They had more fouls called on them in the fourth than the previous three quarters combined.

It just seems weird that with the flip of a switch the Jazz would get tired at that point and start hacking at such a high rate.

Player Preview 2010 - Kyle Korver

Basketball John — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:00:31 -0000

View full size photo »

Don't know how I ended up with the injured players for this year's previews. So that makes it little harder to come up with what they're suppose to contribute this season, but we'll give it a shot.

Korver was of course a bit dinged up last season (who wasn't though?). His wrist had bothered him pretty much all year. Despite that, he played in 78 games for the Jazz.

It appeared that his wrist got better as the season went on and his stats seem to back that up. All of his shooting percentages went up after the break. That was in large part to having a huge March. In that month he shot almost 54% overall and 50% from three-point land.

In the final 8 games of the season (April), he fell off a cliff with the rest of the team and didn't do well at all.

Korver was one of the three potential free agents for the Jazz. The bleak free agent market affected him like everyone else. He wasn't going to get $6M from another team, at least from a team that would be a good fit.

So much to the delight of of the xx chromosomes in Utah, he opted back in. Financially it hurt the Jazz pretty bad.

So at present state, we all know that Korver is out after having been diagnosed with a bone spur on his knee. He had been trying to take care of things with just resting it, but it wasn't getting any better. That's when he went for the second opinion and they found the spur. Man, we haven't even played San Antonio this season and they're already causing problems. He's set to get his cast off when the Jazz are out in NY this month.

From what I found, bone spurs are caused,

... as the body tries to repair itself by building extra bone. It generally forms in response to pressure, rubbing, or stress that continues over a long period of time.

...Bone spurs also form in the feet in response to tight ligaments, to activities such as dancing and running that put stress on the feet, and to pressure from being overweight or from poorly fitting shoes.

Looks like you need to switch away from the Converse shoes.

Doesn't look like playing golf or dodge ball over the summer would have done anything to agitate it. They would have come on regardless. He could have been in some pain though.

Anyway, what that all means is that we're not going to have him back until probably December and who knows how long it will take for him to get back into the rhythm of things.

Hopefully it comes soon as we're missing shooters right now and that's the one thing we have him for.

What will be nice when he and CJ finally come back is that it will seem as if we've traded for a couple of quality players for nothing. It will be like two years ago when Korver came to the SLC for practically nothing.

Whether or not he will be back with the Jazz next season remains to be seen. He would probably have to take a pay cut to do so. But if there's leftover cash somewhere next season with a contending team, he could be making girls in a new city swoon.

Utah Jazz Halloween Pics

Basketball John — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:19:11 -0000

View full size photo »

UPDATE FROM CJ's FB Pic

Korver - Zach Morris

CJ - Kanye

Ronnie P - Taylor Swift

Wes Matthews - Hancock

Fess - Beetle Juice

Kosta - Harry Potter

Maynor - Batman

Ronnie B - Wolf

Millsap - T-Pain

Deron - Bob from Martin (Wikipedia),

Bob: A white man who worked in the marketing department of Gina's company who is best described as a stereotypical surfer-dude-cum-redneck. He spoke in a Southern Californian accent mixed with a Southern twang and often used words like "dude" and "man" even in professional settings. Lawrence achieved his appearance as this character with stage make-up and a prosthetic nose attachment to make him appear white, as well as wearing a long, blond mullet wig to complete the look. He only appeared in the first two seasons.

More pics after the jump...

(orig)

So we have Korver as ...? CJ as Kanye and Fesenko as Beetle Juice.

And we have this pic of Kosta Koufos as Harry Potter

Any guesses on the rest of them? Ronnie P? Deron???? Wes Matthews? Millsap in the wolf/grandmother clothing? Is that suppose to be Lil Wayne? And is that white face?

Looking at some of the other pics on Facebook, it looks like Maynor is Batman and Millsap is Lil Wayne. Can't tell if Brewer is the Wolf then.

That has to be Deron and Ronnie P up front, right?

Here's Fess up close,

And one more

Preview: Kings vs. Jazz, The Final Preseason Game

Exhibit G — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:00:47 -0000

More photos » by Rich Pedroncelli - AP

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This is it folks. The final preseason game.

The Kings (aka The Good Guys) hosting the Utah Jazz (aka The Bad Guys). An enthralling match-up of two teams asking themselves the same question that we all have on our minds: Is the regular season here yet?

Tyreke Evans saw limited minutes last night, and it will be interesting to see what approach Coach Westphal takes tonight. Does he let Tyreke get some burn to really tune up before the season opener, or does he get rest? Don't be surprised by either one. As last night showed us, Westphal is willing to throw a lot of different looks out on the floor.

If Tyreke does play significant minutes, the other question is whether or not Deron Williams plays significant minutes. If so, it will be another good test of how ready Evans is. Realistically, we shouldn’t expect Evans to prevail in this match-up, but after his performance against Steve Nash the other night, we can hope that he holds his own against an Olympic Gold Medalist. Honestly, I just wrote that sentence, and I can’t imagine how it is real. We can have honest hope that our rookie guard will hol

d his own against Deron Williams? Yeah, that’s where this is at.

As for the rest of Utah, it’s the same crew, new season. Kirilenko’s failed potential, Carlos Boozer’s packed suitcases, Kyle Korver’s Zoolander impression. The gang’s all here!

In an only-slightly-related note, I had a dream last night where Beno Udrih went on a murderous shooting rampage. I'm hoping this is a premonition that he's going to find within himself a killer instinct, and shoot lights-out this season. Yes, I regularly have dream that include Kings players. No, I don't think it's healthy either.

Tip-off is at 7:00, a game thread will be up. Go Kings.

Kyle Korver to have surgery on knee

Basketball John — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:38:51 -0000

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

Damnit!

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Breaking for David Locke's Twitter,

Utah Jazz shooting guard Kyle Korver will have surgery to remove the spur in his left knee.

Updates coming...

Tim Buckley

From the official press release,

Utah Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor announced today that forward Kyle Korver will undergo surgery on his left knee and will miss the start of the 2009-10 NBA season. The procedure will be performed on Tuesday, October 27 by Dr. David Altcheck in New York City.

Information on Dr. Altchek,

He is the Medical Director for the New York Mets and a medical consultant for the NBA.