SB Nation User Blog: Basketball John

Game Thread - Utah Jazz @ Atlanta Hawks

Basketball John — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 23:12:02 -0000

I'll just keep this image straight forward

The Downbeat - 18 December 2009 - #125 - The Hotlanta Edition

Basketball John — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:50:53 -0000

Amazing stat. It took a few hours, but I think I found the formula for Jazz success.

They are an incredible 15-0 when they score more points than the other team. They are 0-10 when scoring less. They have yet to tie on points, do I don't know how they would fare then.

A little more seriousness - Last year I talked about the Jazz record when Memo scored more than 15 points a game. When that happened, the Jazz were 33-10! That's almost a 77% winning clip.

This year, he has only 5 such games and the Jazz are 2-3. Now, he was called on to score more last season with all of the injuries and his scoring load is down for this season. But I think I have to agree with clarkpojo when he says that Memo needs to shoot threes more and stop with the headfake crap.

Almost all of his stats are down this year. You would think that with all of the driving and posting up, he would be getting to the FT line more, but even that's down. Again, some of that has to do with the workload on offense.

Memo, just camp out on the three-point line, preferable at least a half foot behind it, and let it fly. I miss the Deron and Memo pick play where Deron draws Memo's man into the lane with him and he kicks it out for the corner three.

Thanks to Shums for putting up the post on Deron's appearance on TNT. I had written something up for it for VoteDeron.com. You can read it there.

Also, make sure to vote before you read on.

The Jazz have lost their last two @ATL but have had success overall against them over the past several seasons.

The Jazz actually had a lead going into the fourth in last season's game but they got blown out in that quarter. That was an all-too familiar trend that road trip.

With all of the sports scandals and gossip, the Jazz have been relatively scandal-free. That doesn't mean that nothing is happening.

If there was a scandal involving one of the Jazz players, which one would be the biggest shock? It doesn't have to be like Tiger's deal, just something that comes out that blows you away. Like finding out the KOOF is a mere mortal or something just as outrageous. Don't get carried away though.

It's not Lame, it's the 10 days of Christmas - On the fourth days of Christmas...

Basketball John — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 21:50:19 -0000

More photos » by Daniel Ochoa de Olza - AP

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...the Utah Jazz gave to me, European Vacation.

The Jazz got called to Europe to serve a 2-game mission to spread the NBA gospel in the pre-season. They went as part of the NBA's EA Europe Live tour which has been going on for a few years now.

For Jazz fans and NBA fans alike, we finally got our first action of the season.

The Chicago Bulls were joining them for the first game in London as Luol Deng returned home. I was just hoping that Deron could escape that game without injury.

The game itself was good. The Bulls had quite a lead in the third quarter until the Jazz started chipping away and finally took the lead late in the fourth. Paul Millsap ended up missing a crucial free-throw late, giving the Bulls a shot to win the game. After a miss, the long rebound ricocheted right to rookie James Johnson who quickly put it back up to win the game at the buzzer.

The Jazz then traveled across the Channel to take on Real Madrid. Confusion abounded when the Jazz arrived here and tried to get in a practice session. Suicide drills became literal and most keeled over when having to run 5 laps after missing layups.

via upload.wikimedia.org

Anyway, when they finally arrived at the right place, they must not have been too winded as they soundly beat the Real Madrid basketball team, 109-87.

Couldn't wait for them to get state-side and for the rest of the season to begin.

More 10 Days of Christmas

The Downbeat - 17 December 2009 - #124 - The Five Minute Edition

Basketball John — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:44:44 -0000

Read the game thread from last night. Glad to see we're back on track. As far as the Rain Man pic, I'm an idiot. I got my Jazz player catch phrases mixed up in my head. I was going with "definitely" but that is Ronnie Brewer's.

For some reason, when I was thinking of "regardless" to associate Boozer and his return to NJ, I got "definitely." Don't ask me how.

Too bad the Jazz did themselves a huge disservice last night by beating the Nets. They'll be feeling that one when NJ ends up with a better pick than us :).

This spot might be a permanent reminder to vote for Deron every day. So click on the box at the right if you haven't already and vote. Then proceed.

In case you're not following me on twitter or using twitter at all, Deron is going to be on TNT tonight in studio with Ernie, Charles, and Kenny per @lockedonsports. Make sure to catch that.

And to finish out this cheapened Downbeat, since Deron's 7-turnover game against OKC, he's averaging 11.2 assists and only 2.45 turnovers while averaging 38 minutes a game. And in 3 of the last 5 games, he's had exactly one TO while averaging 12 assists. Ninja.

Game Thread - Utah Jazz @ New Jersey Nets

Basketball John — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 22:38:05 -0000

Too obscure?

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It's Not Lame, It's the 10 Days Of Christmas - On the third day of Christmas...

Basketball John — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 22:17:02 -0000

the Utah Jazz gave to me... No KJZZ

So I guess that should read the "Utah Jazz took away from me." And technically they're not taking away KJZZ, they're just not ever broadcasting Jazz games again on that station.

It started when it was getting late in the offseason and the team still hadn't announced its TV schedule. So I emailed the program directory at KJZZ to find out when they were going to be releasing the schedule. I didn't ask if there were going to be games, just when would we know,

BBJ: Has the schedule been released for what games will be on KJZZ and what games will be on FSN?

KJZZ: There will be no games on our station this year. All games will be on FSN Utah.

That post prompted Siler and others to question Randy Rigby about it when they were in Europe which Randy denied,

Jazz president Randy Rigby also disputed a blog report that KJZZ will not be televising any Jazz games this season. Rigby said the final decision has not been made and that he has some issues to address on the subject once he gets back to Utah. If nothing else, he's been quizzed on the matter in three different countries in the past week.

You can read the team's response to me and then the official announcement.

It still seems like this has been in the works for a long time given that the program manager was so up front with me when I asked. Deals like this normally don't come to fruition in just a couple weeks. Also, as was pointed out by someone, the pocket schedules that had been printed stated,

"All games televised on FSN-Utah in High Definition (except nationally televised games on TNT or ABC)."

I'm guessing that the printing of that had to be planned for a while before it was released.

I'm sure they were working on the final details, but it was a done deal a long time ago I venture. There were comments on my first post about it that the Jazz wouldn't comment on stating that FSN had offered them a deal that they couldn't refuse. But that and other comments all appeared to be true.

As it is, it's pretty significant that the station that had been carrying the Jazz, and still bares it's name, dropped the coverage for almost 20 years. Now FSN has a contract through 2020 for exclusive rights to Jazz games.

There are some winners, namely those that didn't get to see KJZZ but now will have extra games to watch on FSN. There are losers in this, more than the winners I would think, that could only watch the Jazz over the air. That's how I first started watching though I was a fan before that. But I wonder if I hadn't been able to watch, would I have lost interest? Hard to say. It will be hard to say what impact, if any, this has on the Jazz keeping and building up fans.

As I stated before though, if the deal leads to the long-term viability and stability of the team, then it will be a good deal in the end.

More 10 Days of Christmas

SLC Dunk is growing

Basketball John — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 22:10:48 -0000

Sorry to keep you in suspense all day. I'm not going to ESPN or SI or anything like that. But as your waistline normally grows during the holidays, SLC Dunk is going to grow a bit, in a good way. Not in a "I plan on getting rid of you after the New Year" kind of way.

You may have noticed already some articles from clarkpojo and moni lately. That's nothing really new as they put up quite a bit of stuff. What I've done though is to bring them and others on board officially to write for SLC Dunk. Most of them already have their own blogs and they'll keep posting there. Without further ado, they are,

There's a few reasons why I wanted some additional people for SLC Dunk. First, I really like their blogs about the Jazz.

Second, I think they each bring something different that will make SLC Dunk great. They all have specialties but aren't limited in that scope either.

Finally, I've found that when I try to do SLC Dunk along with some other things (like VoteDeron), nothing gets done at all.

The main difference you'll see is that their stuff automatically goes to the front page and they'll be listed in the footer at the bottom of each page. I'll also call on them (or they'll just notice) if I forget to put up a game thread or something like that.

So thanks to them for accepting. You'll get a lot more content this way and won't always have to rely on me. I'm not going anywhere of course and I'll still be posting a lot. These guys (and girl) will be great additions.

Of course that doesn't preclude anyone else from posting FanShots and contributing. That's what's made this the best Jazz fan site/community.

Thanks for continuing to read and participate.

BBJ

The Downbeat - 16 December 2009 - #123 - The Booyah! Edition

Basketball John — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:34:04 -0000

Boozer returning to the scene of the crime tonight, regardless.

Golden State of Mind is reporting that everyone on the Warriors roster is available. They put up Anthony Randolph as an example. He was thought to be untouchable before. Would he be worth a trade? Would he fit in here or just get buried on the bench? He's long, he can rebound, and he can block shots.

Get voting! Great video.

I've been getting a few more responses for the SLC Dunk night out. I'll keep posting this to see if we can't get some more.

If you're signing up, it doesn't commit you to be there, I just want to get a feel for what night, how many, etc. So head to the form if you haven't already and let me know.

I only wish we could fly everyone in.

A little site announcement coming later today.

It's Not Lame, It's the 10 Days of Christmas - On the second day of Christmas

Basketball John — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:01:47 -0000

m&m (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE/Getty Images & AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza)

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the Utah Jazz gave to me... Rookie contributions

It's very possible that Eric Maynor and Wesley Matthews might not have been members of the Jazz this season but for different reasons.

First, the Jazz were facing the salary tax for the first time in team history. Given that first-round picks have guaranteed contracts, that's additional money that the Jazz would have to pay. I would think that there had to be some discussion of trading the pick or even selling it. As it is, with the 3 PGs that Sloan likes to carry, the team drafted Maynor from VCU.

Next, can we say we're thankful for the injuries to C.J. Miles, Kyle Korver, and Ronnie Price? Matthews has to be given that he faced even tougher odds to make the team. First, he wasn't even drafted. Second, he was brought to a team that already had a gluttony of wings. And finally, the luxury tax was an issue as well given that if he was signed, the Jazz would be paying double what they normally would. That turned a cheap option of about $500k into almost $1M with the tax.

But he had the perfect storm of events. The Jazz were short on wing players due to injury. That was about the only thing that he couldn't control. There's no doubt that that played a big factor, but without Matthews' hard work and you know, skill, the Jazz likely would have gone out and got some journeyman to fill in until the regulars got back.

Think about that, a coach that has a reputation for not playing the rookies and for putting them in the doghouse for even one mental lapse, signed off on signing Matthews and not a vet.

As we can look back now, they've turned out to be fantastic signings for the Jazz.

Maynor struggled out of the gate early in limited PT. He got a huge chance though when Deron had to fly home to be with his sick daughter while the Jazz were on a road trip. He responded with games of 13 & 11 and 24 & 4 against Philly and Cleveland respectively. The Jazz were able to beat the 76ers and almost pulled out a win against the Cavs.

His shooting hasn't been anything to write home about but he has 3 to 1 turnover ratio and has a per 36 minutes average of 13 & 8. With Ronnie P missing time due to injury, Maynor has earned his keep.

First off, how can Wesley Matthews only be the second Matthews in NBA history? Second, he's another one of those "How could everyone have passed on him twice?" guys.

Wesley, as he prefers to be called apparently, has made quite a mark on the team. His three-point shooting has been down as of late, but he was hitting 40% in November which helped spread things for the Jazz. He also brings another slasher that can finish at the basket, a type that fits perfectly into the Sloan system. He's had some astonishing, acrobatic finishes at the rack that bring everyone out of their seats.

To say he's been a welcome addition to the team is a gross understatement.

Matthews will be a restricted free agent next year and let's hope the Jazz can find a way to bring him back. If not, he'll be gobbled up by another team given his play.

They both still have a lot to work on of course like consistent shooting and better D, but it will be great to see them progress this season and hopefully for seasons after this.

More 10 Days of Christmas

The Downbeat - 15 December 2009 - #122 - The Coming Back to Earth Edition

Basketball John — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:38:52 -0000

So much for the best start in December since 2001. I'm just going to shut my yapper from now on. Maybe I should start by reading my own jinxing guidelines. And then I go and say this in the preview,

Anyway, the Jazz need a win before heading on their pre-Christmas 5-game east-coast roady, something that they should get. It could be the classic let-down game but maybe, just maybe the Jazz are peaking out a little bit more around the proverbial corner.

Brilliant.

And here's where the season hinges I think. Here's a 5-game roady where we're @NJ, @ATL, @CHA, @ORL, and @MIA.

This has disaster written all over it. We won @ NJ for the first time in the last 4 seasons just last year and that took a huge comeback. We haven't won @ CHA since 2005. And ATL, ORL, and MIA are about as tough as it gets playing on the road.

We'll see the Jazz exactly once at home, Dec 26, as they finish out the month having 7 of 8 on the road.

A renewed push for VoteDeron.com. Please make sure to vote. More importantly, make sure you get other people to vote for Deron. Publish it on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace (I guess), etc. Like I mentioned on VoteDeron, I need to start a DontVoteTMac.com and publish it in Chinese.

The KOOF was on the inactive list last night all but sealing his fate to head down to the D-League. Right now he just needs some PT and hopefully he'll get that.

And sadly this is so true,

NBA 'Watchability' Scale: He nails the Jazz
15. Utah Jazz If the Utah Jazz played every game at home, they would be one of the five most watchable teams in the league. If they played every game on the road, they would be one of the five worst.