SB Nation User Blog: Shums

HAFA IS BACK! Aw, I missed you, you big Brazilian stiff.

Shums — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 22:31:32 -0000

HAFA IS BACK! Aw, I missed you, you big Brazilian stiff.

Gatorade vs. Powerade vs. Vitaminwater -- who wins?

Shums — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 22:32:50 -0000

The recent posting of the Vitaminwater ads starring D-Will and other Olympic stars got me thinking: which NBA sports drink endorsers would win in a game?

According to this, Gatorade’s NBA endorsers include Kevin Garnett, Kevin Durant, and Dwyane Wade. I couldn’t find any other current endorsers, but obviously you could add Michael Jordan. On the other hand, current Powerade endorsers include our own C-Booz, along with Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudamire, Paul Pierce, and Baron Davis, among several others.

So, who would you roll with?

Vitaminwater:
PG: CP3
SG: D-Will
SF: Kobe
PF: LeBron
C: Dwight
(worth noting, Shaq also endorses Vitaminwater)

Gatorade:
PG: Dwyane Wade
SG: Jordan (let’s say an in-his-prime Jordan, for the sake of argument)
SF: Kevin Durant
PF: Kevin Garnett
C: ? (couldn’t find a center who endorses Gatorade -- let's assume a player on par with the others on Gatorade's team, like, say, Tim Duncan.)

Powerade:
PG: Baron Davis
SG: Paul Pierce
SF: Carmelo Anthony
PF: Carlos Boozer
C: Amare Stoudamire
(optional replacement: Tyson Chandler)

Talk amongst yourselves.

[EDITED: changed placeholder center on Team Gatorade, because Gatorade would probably only choose a top-caliber player as an endorser. Also added Powerade endorser Tyson chandler as an option, as per comments below.]

Poll

Who wins?

Former Jazzman Mo Williams now a Cavalier

Shums — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 23:16:24 -0000

A six-player, three-team trade has former Jazz guard Mo Williams headed to run the LeBrons in Cleveland. ESPN's got the goods, their report is here. The breakdown:

Cavs get:
Mo Williams

Bucks get:
Damon Jones
Luke Ridnour
Adrian Griffin

Thunder get:
Joe Smith
Desmond Mason

Thoughts? Impressions? My first instinct is that MoWil isn't the optimal guy to run the Cavs, but he's certainly an upgrade over Delonte West, and Boobie Gibson won't have to run the point. Don't think the deal will affect the Bucks all that much -- Williams was on his way out there anyway. The Thunder get some veteran, if unspectacular, help.

Sound off.

Shums on Locke

Shums — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 22:06:16 -0000

As Basketball John has done in the past, your friendly neighborhood Shums was on the Locked On Sports radio show yesterday as part of the Jazz Blogger Roundtable. Topics discussed included USA's performance against China, the ramifications of Larry's luxury tax statements, and how the schedule will affect the upcoming season.

The mp3 of the roundtable is here. Folks from The Salt Palace and The Cowhide Globe, two newer Jazz blogs, were on too and had great insights. Be awesome, take a listen.

[Note by basketballjohn, 08/12/08 4:47 PM MDT ] Embedded the audio. Click play.

Deron Williams in a new Vitamin Water ad. Looks like he's cracked the NBA All-Star Inner Sanctum,...

Shums — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 21:38:09 -0000

Deron Williams in a new Vitamin Water ad. Looks like he's cracked the NBA All-Star Inner Sanctum, starring in the ad with Kobe, LeBron, Dwight Howard, and He Who Must Not Be Named But Whose Initials Are C and P. D-Will's agent must be doing cartwheels over this whole Olympics thing.

(via Ball Don't Lie, here's the link)

Wages of Wins shows some love (but only some)

Shums — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 19:40:23 -0000

The good folks at The Wages of Wins blog have crunched the numbers, as is their custom, and come out with a strong case for the Jazz as the fourth-best team in the league last year:

The top three teams in the NBA this past season were Boston, the LA Lakers, and Detroit. Whether we look at won-loss record or efficiency differential, these three teams were clearly the best.

Utah’s mark of 7.15 was just behind the Lakers differential of 7.35. And the difference between Jazz and the Pistons (Detroit’s differential was 8.17) was actually smaller than the gap between the differential of Utah and New Orleans (the team with the 5th best differential last year).

In spite of this mark, though, Utah tends to be ignored when people get around to listing the NBA’s elite teams. For example, Houston - the team Utah eliminated in the first round of the 2007 and 2008 playoffs - seems to be more frequently listed as a potential NBA contender (this is just my impression).

The blog entry goes on to say that, even though similar success can reasonably be expected this year, a championship is not in the cards:

Even if the Jazz are still stuck with Jarron Collins in the front-court, though, Utah looks like a formidable team. Unfortunately, it also looks like Utah is once again destined to fall just a bit short. ... We should expect the Jazz to be one of the top teams in the league. But I can’t see this team passing the Lakers or Celtics in 2009. So although Utah has assembled an impressive roster - perhaps the most impressive edition of this franchise since 1996-97 - the fate of this team will probably be similar to what we saw in 1997. Utah will win a mess of games, only to lose the last game it plays in the 2009 playoffs.

Nice to see that the numbers bear us out somewhat, even if the final analysis is a bit less pleasant than we would like. Oh, and it's worth noting -- the author of this post at Wages of Wins now resides in Utah. So, there's that.

Note to the Media -- One of the Best Teams in the NBA is in Utah [Wages of Wins]

Carlos Boozer: Betrayal Skull Dude

Shums — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 09:14:27 -0000

Tom Ziller at AOL Fanhouse gives us this nugget from Beijing:

In the latest "incredible Chinese nickname" news, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports Utah forward Carlos Boozer is known in China as Fan Gu Zai, which translates as "Betrayal Skull Dude." The Dealer's Jodie Valade explains:
The betrayal skull reference comes from the Chinese story of Zhuge Liang, one of China's most well-known intellectuals and military strategists. According to legend, before Zhuge died, he said, "Wei will betray the country sooner or later." Wei was a general under Zhuge's supervision."

How do you know?" someone asked.

"He has a protuberant bone on his head," Zhuge answered.

Apparently the Chinese have noticed a similar protuberance on our All-Star forward. Take note, Jazz front office: maybe it would be better to trade the Betrayal Skull Dude before he can, you know, betray us.

Larry Miller still standing firm on luxury tax

Shums — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 07:03:27 -0000

According to this article from the Deseret News, if Larry Miller has any further say in the day-to-day operations of the Utah Jazz, they will NOT be breaking the luxury-tax barrier. Observe:

Miller added at his health-update press conference that he's "very worried" about the "big challenge" ahead for next offseason, during which three of the Jazz's top players — Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur and Kyle Korver — could become free agents along with Paul Millsap and three other bench players. If that happens, Utah would likely have to go above the luxury-tax level — and pay a dollar-for-dollar-fee — to keep its current core intact.

But don't bank on that happening, Miller forewarned.

"We're going to have to make some very, very tough decisions next year," he said. "I do not intend us to be a luxury-tax payer, but only because we have to have an economically stable franchise regardless of anything else." That decision will ultimately be on the shoulders of newly appointed Jazz CEO Greg Miller, his oldest son who was recently given boss duties general manager Kevin O'Connor and team president Randy Rigby. The elder Miller, who was released from the hospital after a two-month stay, said he doesn't intend to be as involved in the operations of his businesses as he has been in the past.

The article also goes on to state that Miller wasn't allowed to give input on the CJ Miles deal -- he thought the new contract was too large, but his opinion was disregarded:

"...As a matter of fact, I tried to give input and they told me to shut up."

So where does this leave the Jazz? With empty pockets, that's where. They simply can't pay Boozer, Okur, AND Korver, and keep Kirilenko at the same time. Something's gotta give, by next off-season at the very latest. We'll all just have to stay tuned.

Best. Photo. Ever. (via Yahoo's Ball Don't Lie blog. Thanks, Skeeters.)

Shums — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 00:28:46 -0000

Best. Photo. Ever.

(via Yahoo's Ball Don't Lie blog. Thanks, Skeeters.)

Sloan hearts KK v2.0

Shums — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 07:59:13 -0000

Jerry Sloan: not a fan of the rookies. Except maybe the big Buckeye, Kosta Koufos. From the Deseret News:

"He's only 19 years old and hasn't had the experience of being here," said Sloan, who had only seen Koufos play on tape when the Jazz drafted him last month. "But he has worked hard. That's all you can ask, and you let the rest of it take care of itself. He has some things that he can work on, as everybody does. But he has some things that can be worthwhile to his career.

"He runs pretty well for a big guy. He seems to have pretty good hands. He has the ability to be able to shoot the ball pretty well."

Sloan especially enjoys the 7-foot-1 big man's long-distance shot, even if it does seem to be a bit funky-looking.

"So was Larry Bird's. Larry Bird's shot was kind of ugly at times. Except it went in," he said. "I'll tell you one thing: When he (Koufos) gets the ball on the perimeter there and looks at the basket, you think it's going in. There are not a lot of guys (like that). But you think his shot's going in just about every time he shoots it."

Attitude seems to fall on the plus side, too.

"Obviously he's a young kid who's gonna have to work very hard to make himself a player. I mean, who else doesn't have to do that?" Sloan said. "Very few have come in this league that can just step out here and play. (But) he seems to be aware of the fact he's gonna have to work.

"He looks like a guy that can (make the league)," the Jazz coach added. "At 23rd (overall) ... he seems like to me a very good pick."

Um, wow. For Coach Sloan, that's downright effusive. So one day, Sloan is bagging on Big Fes for being a "clown" and not paying attention, and the very next day, he's praising a less-experienced player for his work ethic and shooting and calling him "a very good pick."

This could get interesting.