Season Wrap-Up

This was how the season was supposed to be. A happy DWill leading the team with Jerry in the background, playing on a different level than anyone else on the floor and clearly in a class of his own. Instead…sigh.

I kind of fell into blogging by accident two years ago. In the beginning, I just needed a place to–

–share my joy (5%);
–vent one-liners (95%)
     –(Boozer’s defense: 85%)
     –(Boozer’s inability to think before he speaks: 15%)

–about the Jazz, since I don’t have any fellow Jazz fan friends around me (converted exes I’m no longer in touch with notwithstanding). I only started posting in earnest and writing game recaps this season–and that really started out as a simple exercise in posting pictures of DWill’s outfits when he began the season on the injured list. To my total amazement and surprise, I seem to have picked up a few readers along the way–and not just those few friends that I told about this particular blog.

[DWill has matured as a basketball player and point guard, and seems to be moving in the right direction in becoming a locker room leader as well. But perhaps the most apparent difference is his sartorial choices--which have improved from *cringe* to, well, !very delicious! lol.]

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How would I sum up this season in one word?

Derailed. (Not totally in train wreck territory though).

Between Jerry saying that this was the most talented team he’s ever coached, and Memo reporting to camp in the best shape of his career, and KK2’s already legendary hardworkitude, and most of the team voluntarily returning to SLC early to work out and train together, and what was seen as an extraordinarily deep bench, and the new sound system and intros at the ESA–there was no conclusion to be reached, other than that it was going to be OUR YEAR.

And then Stinking Rose did this:

Although we didn’t know it at the time, our season had begun circling the drain. It started out well enough. Five straight wins to get Jerry his 1,000th win with the Jazz at home, and then the guys packed up their stuff and headed off on an Eastern road trip.

That’s when the cracks started showing. Bad losses to bad teams. Becoming the Bullets’ win virgin sacrifice. Memo’s dad taking ill. DWill coming back too early and setting himself back. Boozer going down. AK going down…Matty never having gotten back up from his pre-season surgery and JC having to take months off to rest his golf cart elbow…Sap going down…finding out that the road woes from last season were still here and oh-so-real, and now were accompanied by back-end-of-back-to-back woes. The absolute, absolute highlight of the season taking place in the form of a dance-off between Fess and KK2…and then LHM so completely unexpectedly and devastatingly passing away. A 12-game win streak that included victories over LAL and BOS ended with a horrible 3OT loss in Miami. The next game, a no-show in Orlando, accelerated the drain circling…suddenly we were having locker room issues and everyone hated each other…all the while, we kept losing and losing and losing. Thinking that we had hit bottom with the loss to Minnesota at home, only to have that topped (or bottomed) with the home loss to GS, who had 4 undrafted players, 3 rookies, and an assistant coach to its name.

We limped into the Playoffs, limped through the Playoffs, and limped out of the Playoffs, and our season ended.

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There’s nothing easier than overreacting and throwing blame around when things are rough, and believing that a massive overhaul is the only solution in the universe. We as Jazz fans don’t really know how to deal with injuries, and only know how to judge healthy teams. And while this past month has hurt and disgusted and frustrated and pained, I have to say that the coaching staff and ownership did an admirable job this year, getting the Jazz a Playoffs berth considering the pervasive “Man Down” theme that never seemed to end, and personal losses. There are a lot of bad franchises out there that wouldn’t have given a second thought to tanking for a Lottery pick, but not our team. Our team forged on ahead and did the best they could–until they had to fight for a good seed and then collapsed (the “look at the bright side” attitude can only last so long).

If “who’s returning” is the biggest question heading into this offseason, the next question would seem to be if Jerry will return for a 22nd campaign. Maybe I’m in the minority and maybe I’m completely past it and/or just really old, but I don’t want the inmates running the prison. I like having a coach that I respect completely. I don’t agree with all of his decisions, but I absolutely love Jerry’s competitiveness. I also like to watch tough, physical, bang it out basketball (which the new rules and our current roster have stolen from me).

And so if it comes down to changing the system (coach) or personnel, I say change the personnel. I don’t think the system is broken (although it could stand to be tweaked; more emphasis on perimeter defense comes to mind); it’s often been said that this year’s team was not a Jerry Sloan team in that it was not only soft, but extremely poor at executing. There are only a handful of players on the current roster that “get it”–as “it” is defined by Jerry (DWill, Harp, Collins, Ronnie B, Sap, and KK2). I don’t know if the same could be said for AK, KK, and Memo, but I think they buy into the system. And there are two guys–CJ and Boozer–that have no idea what Jerry wants or expects from them on the court. So front office, it’s on you to go out there and round out the roster with guys that fit the system (some defensive-minded vets with nothing to prove individually–or as Coach Pop puts it, guys that are “over themselves”–would be nice. Real nice. So nice).

Some say that Jerry doesn’t develop young guys–I call bullsh*t. Very, very few players leave the Jazz and go on to excel. Mo Williams, perhaps the guy that springs to mind that did, has said that Jerry taught him how to be a point guard. Jerry developed or at least played a major role in developing Stockton and Malone. Bryon Russell, Shandon Anderson. DWill would NOT be the player he is today if he hadn’t gone through that rookie season. OK, so he played behind crap players that he was superior to his first year, but that made him better and aggrandized the chip on his shoulder that we’ve all come to know, love, and depend on. Millsap and Brewer–both developed by Jerry. Like I said above, I don’t want the inmates running the prison, and I like that our players have to earn their playing time. As for the assertion that Jerry doesn’t play young guys–Sap is the living proof that that’s not true. Like all other fans, I would have liked to see KK2 get more minutes this year, sure. But I’m not going to say that because KK2 didn’t get much playing time during his rookie season, we need a new coach.

Anyway, if Jerry decides to retire, then that’s that. The man has earned the right to decide what he wants to do, and how and when he wants to do it.

This should probably be a separate post, but I’ve come to the realization that my hopes for next season/the future of the Jazz are completely and unhealthily (unrealistically?) pinned on the development of Kostko into Mark Eaton-lite*. I think we’ll see a lot more of him next season, and I can’t wait to see how he develops. [The months are stretching out in front of me now as far as the eye can see, and I won't even have the Olympics to distract me during the interminably long basketball-free months of interminable boredom. Sigh.] Secondary hope: that DWill matures into the locker room leader and voice of the team that we need–we started seeing signs of that during the Playoffs, but we need more.

It’s going to be an interesting (and hopefully active and fruitful) off-season, to say the least, and could be the most important off-season in Jazz history–including ‘03.

Some dates:
6/25: NBA Draft
6/30: Deadline for opting out

*Stuff like this just fans the flames of my hope fire:

Following the Flash’s win Saturday night, Koufos drove up to EnergySolutions Arena for a late-night shooting session on his NBA team’s court.

The 20-year-old rookie didn’t leave the building until he hit 100 shots, which happened just before midnight.

Tru Love

Dear Ball,

Throughout my life, you have been my faithful companion. I could not have grown from a crimson bear into a Blue Devil without you at my side, and for that, I’ll be 4eva grateful.

We’ve had some good times through the years, haven’t we? Like all those times when someone tried to take you away from me, and I fought for you and proved my love with loose ball fouls…

Baby, I know that it’s been rough lately.

I know that I heartlessly ignored you for three straight months during the ball season, from before Thanksgiving to after Valentine’s Day.

I know that it’s humiliating for you when I yell at you and order you to “get in there!!!” in front of 20,000 people.

I know that when I order Memo to block you at the top of my lungs, it amounts to emotional abuse. Just like I know that when I order Memo to grab you, it amounts to cowhide harrassment. I just forget. I don’t mean to be so inconsiderate, honest.

And so, I’m going to close my eyes and let you go. And I don’t just mean out of bounds this time. If you come back to me, you’re mine. If you don’t, well, I saw a fine-looking sister of yours in Beijing last summer, then I guess you were never meant to be mine and I’ll be sad that I will no longer get to throw you up in the air as I fade away…

XOXO,
Carlos

Game 5 – No Show

We is gone fishing.

And that’s because the Jazz just were not able to pull it together. I wouldn’t say that they didn’t show up, but everyone only played well in spurts. AK had a great first half. Sap had a good fourth quarter. Ronnie P came in late in the game and FOUGHT in a way we haven’t seen from a Jazz player in some time. [Jerry said in the post-game, "I've never seen a guy play that hard in my life in that situation." High praise indeed.] Until Ronnie P checked in, the only person showing any fire on the Jazz side was Jerry. That’s not exactly a recipe for success. DWill seemed to have left it all on the floor–in Game 2. And Boozer might as well not have played (despite this, he chattily talked about how he’s knows he’s “such a huge impact player” in the post-game.)

Apart from Ronnie P, the only other thing that caught and kept my attention was DWill wearing an undershirt. He wore one in Game 4 as well, and it was the first time I’ve seen any Jazz player in one. (Yeah, it was that kind of game).

There is a silver lining to the Jazz’s season being finito: the Laker trolls that descended on Jazz sites and blogs roughly two weeks ago have now crawled back into their a) asses; b) holes; c) both of the above. And given just how obnoxious and putrid they were, that is indeed a very shiny silver lining.

Game 4 – It’s not over yet…

…hence the extra “y” at the end.

You Gotta Love Hot Rod, Baby

Hot Rod’s retirement announcement yesterday marked the close of yet another chapter in franchise history. I don’t think I can say anything that hasn’t already been said by other fans. Like everyone else, I grew up listening to Hot Rod, and his instantly recognizable rumble was and is, to me, synonymous with the Utah Jazz. You can’t not love the way he calls games and paints an exact picture of what is happening on the court for the listeners. In an era of drivel overload, it is a pleasure, privilege, and relief to be able to put the TV/video feed on mute (no offense, Boler and Booner), and tune in to Hot Rod on KFAN.

His objectiveness and non-homerness sets him apart from too many of his colleagues in the NBA. If you’re not paying close attention and just rely on the cadence of his voice to tell you when something has happened or someone has scored, you’ll never know which team it was. Hot Rod gets excited about great plays regardless of uniform color, period. When the Jazz are sucking, he’ll call them out with as much disgust in his voice as we fans feel. And when things are dragging and the refs are holding the ball, his “come on, just let ‘em play” is exactly what the fans are thinking.

I said a few days ago, in regards to Dikembe, that it’s always sad when fate prevents people from retiring on their own terms. I guess that I can be happy for Hot Rod then, that he does get to do that. But I’m going to miss you enormously, Hot Rod. Whoever replaces you has some huge, huge shoes to fill, and I have no doubt that the poor guy that replaces you will be beset by unwarranted cries of “he sucks!” simply because he is not you.

It’s nothing short of devastating to lose first LHM and now Hot Rod in the same season (I was going to post a picture of Hot Rod being presented the signed “Hundley” jersey on his 3,000th game in January at the top, but seeing Larry next to him made me sad). When the duo of StocktonToMalone bid us farewell after 18 years, it was the trio of LHM, Hot Rod, and Jerry that made it so easy to be and stay a Jazz fan through the next few years and all the changes that okurred. And so when I read Jerry’s comments on Hot Rod’s retirement–

“I know I don’t have much time left (either),” said Sloan…”(But) life goes on, and we wish him nothing but the best, because we’ve also been good friends.”

–my heart sank. Stick around, Jerry. We can’t lose all three of you in the same season.

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Hundley has broadcast 3,048 Jazz regular-season and playoff games, as the team’s simulcast voice on radio and television for 31 seasons and radio alone for the past four seasons.

But the NBA hasn’t made Hundley’s job any easier in recent years. No longer are teams required to provide courtside seating for radio broadcasters, forcing Hundley to call games from the very top of the lower bowl at EnergySolutions Arena and elsewhere (sltrib).

I don’t get this. I just don’t get this. Can someone explain it to me? I’m sure there’s more to the situation (money, etc.) than meets my simple eye, but how do you not give this freaking legend that has not only been around since the New Orleans days, but has also called 3,000 games for the franchise the seat of his choice? If you ask me, it should be the play-by-play radio guy that gets the courtside seat rather than the TV guys who can and do wander off on random tangents throughout the game (did you know that Matt Harpring used to be a football player, and that Ronnie Brewer broke his arm when he was a kid? Again, no offense Boler and Booner).

Final random tangent of my own: the more I watch Playoff games, the more kudos I must give KOC for only signing Euros with normal, non-ugly hair.

Game 3- Matthew Joseph Harpring is My Hero

It was a dark, emotionally stormy night in the SLC. The raucous crowd was filled with despair and their hearts had plummeted into their stomachs as one of the most magnificent, spectacular [read it the way it sounds in my brain: spek-ta-koo-laar] 3rd quarter collapses in Utah Jazz history unfolded before their eyes like a car accident in slow motion. A 4-point halftime lead had turned into a 13-point Laker lead, and the Jazz were building a brick house.

And then former football player Matthew Joseph Harpring checked into the game. In six minutes spanning the end of the 3rd and start of the 4th, the Jazz’s only resident Mr. Nasty connected on five consecutive shots, including one dunk. (Contrary to popular belief, it was not his first dunk of the season. I definitely remember him having one earlier in the season (I just checked; CBS’ Dunk-o-Meter indeed has him having 1.)) By the time he checked out, the Jazz had regained a 2-point lead. Yes people, Matty saved our butts.

It started out looking like it would be a DAL-SASesque massacre, with the Jazz turning the ball over three times in the first 100 seconds. But, 3rd quarter notwithstanding, our boys managed to hold it together, and for the first time in what feels like months, the Jazz looked like a Jerry Sloan team (the system is not broken!).

Having carried the weight of every single one of his teammates on his shoulders two nights before, DWill’s tank was on empty. In a game that was thisclose and ultimately decided by 2 points, he went 7-12 from the FT line and also committed a WTF turnover late in the 4th. But ultimately, it was Deron’s Dagger that saved the day and turned my day into a beautiful one.

Giving credit where credit is due: Boozer had a monster game–he was one point away from a double double in the first frickin’ quarter–and kudos to him for showing that he does have cojones and taking it to the hole when the game was on the line instead of taking jumpers. Most importantly, he had a good game in a Jazz win.

AK set the defensive tone for the game early, and was focused in on D–which was exactly what we needed from him (how I love his swats). Even better, he finished at the rim not once, not twice, but multiple times. And I really like what he’s doing with his hair.

Ronnie B played with enormous heart that resulted in the defensive game of his life in front of his dad, Sap came away with some beastly “how the heck did he get that?” boards (he and Carlos combined for 36 rebounds) and 3 blocks, KK finally stopped being timid about shooting and hit big, bright, beautiful 3s, and Jerry worked the substitutions like a master puppeteer.

Kobe shot 5-24 (yeah, he so totally has matured and trusts his teammates), and in the post-game said, “The referees aren’t really used to seeing [Bynum] bang…and once they get used to his game and the way that he plays, some of those [fouls] won’t be there.” I’ve got a newsflash for you, Kobe: Fouls are fouls, no matter who, what, when, where and why. I understand why Kobe doesn’t get that with DStern living in his pocket and all, but that’s no excuse.

Phil Jackass was an even bigger ass, complaining about the officiating [one example: "Andrew had two fouls that were bad calls to start the ball game...Kirilenko grabs his arm and he retaliates"--so no fouls should ever be called on acts of retaliation?] and while dissing DWill, claimed that the Jazz won only because Boozer, in the game of his life, “just ended up falling into some really good plays…made by other guys, Deron actually, but I think Deron just didn’t have the same kind of night that he had in LA.” I’m as far from a Boozer fan as you can get, but like I said above, give credit where credit is due.

Everytime Jackass opens his sore loser mouth, he makes me appreciate Jerry, and the way he’ll give all the credit in the world to his own guys and/or the opposing team while deflecting all credit away from himself, that much more.

When all’s said and done, this game came down to the last shot and easily could have gone the other way. So Jazzmen, I hope to see you playing your best basketball in Game 4.

P.S. David Locke, I hope that you really did go out and punch all those purple and gold-clad bastards in the mouth. Lakers fans in the ESA make me sick.

Odds & Ends

–Only douchebags wear shades indoors, Part 2:

–Miracles do happen, Part 2:

No, your eyes are not deceiving you. That is indeed an image of Carlos Boozer diving for a loose ball. I know. I couldn’t believe it either.

–Jazz Nation, don’t expect to see Memo in Game 3 or maybe for the rest of the series:

The one-time NBA All-Star from Turkey was offered advice by teammate Carlos Boozer, who’s had hamstring issues of his own — and previously missed more than half a season because of it.

“He told me, ‘Just keep getting treatment; you’ll get better,’ ” Okur said. [source]

Hammy and injury advice from Boozer. Kill me now.

–The description of Powerhouse’s 4/21 “Best of” podcast:

what has to happen for a Jazz win tonight? If Carlos Boozer took Ronnie Brewer aside to talk about shooting, shouldn’t Brewer pull Boozer aside about defense?

–Finally…

The Oregonian quotes Dikembe Mutombo: “I’m going to need surgery. For me, basketball is over. I cried so much about it when I was laying on the floor.”

His 18-year NBA career ended Tuesday night with a gruesome knee injury midway through his 1,297th game. He left the floor on a stretcher after every single teammate had surrounded him on the floor.

That gesture spoke volumes about what they thought of him. He’s the funniest, smartest professional athlete you will ever meet.

He has that booming raspy voice, that wide smile and that very loud laugh. …

Afterward in Houston’s locker room, the 7-foot-2 veteran was on crutches and fighting back tears. “Nobody ever thought they’d be carrying the big guy out like a wounded soldier,” he said. [source]

This is one of the saddest things I’ve ever read. It’s always sad when fate prevents people from retiring on their own terms. Chin up, Deke.

Who can forget this?

Game 2 – Three good quarters this time

First off, I apologize for understating this, but Deron Frickin’ Williams is flat-out amazing.
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So, we lost. Our boys actually put up a good fight, but in the end, they were just too undersized and overmatched. DWilly entered crazy ninja mode in the 2nd half, and maybe could have won the game if he hadn’t been hampered by his teammates. Unfortunately, he got no help from anyone in navy and seemingly ran out of gas towards the end, going something like 0-6 to close the game.

Carlos did not have a great game offensively, jacking up way too many bad jumpers in the 4th, and was an abject failure on defense. Time after time and time and time again, Gasol spun around him and went to the hoop like he wasn’t even there. And half the time, Carlos didn’t even notice that Gasol was gone until the caveman had already scored.

The Lakers offense was en fuego, no question about that. But their bigs got away with roasting marshmallows, telling ghost stories, and singing “Kumbaya” in the paint the entire night, and there were also suspect sequences like this:

Explain to me how the Lakers got away with a 26-second possession?

All us fans were screaming our heads off for Fess, but his number was never called. Surprisingly though, Price’s did. Ronnie P came in for DWill in the 2nd half instead of Brev Brev, but like Brev Brev, gave us nothing. That’ll perhaps quiet that contingent. AK, meanwhile, was benched in the second half and only played 16 minutes (though he had quite a decent first half with 1 block, 2 steals, and 0 3-point attempts). [Speaking of 3s, DWill took 10 (and made 6). That's got to be some kind of Jazz record right under Jerry Sloan, right?] Anyway, the point is that changes were made, and that perhaps bodes well for Fess getting some minutes in Game 3. Baby steps…

Disagreements over who should and shouldn’t be playing aside, I still believe in Jerry and his system. He can’t make the players have heart. He can’t make them get along. He can’t make them play defense if they refuse to. Looking at the big picture, he did an amazing, amazing job getting us this far this year with all the injuries, distractions (cough*Boozer*cough), and sadness. And if our season was derailed by locker room problems, that’s not his fault. I really believe that if the players actually execute Jerry’s offense the way he draws it up, we’d be a lot different team.

Maybe these are the bad years. The losing years. The training wheel years. And maybe a few years down the line, Jerry’s way will have helped the guys mature faster and developed their in-game decision making skills. (If some Jazz fans can tell themselves that Jerry ordered the Jazz to play like crap to lull the Lakers into a false sense of security, I can tell myself this.)

Keys to Game 3:

1) Playing time for Fess. No more of that countering 7′0″ with 6′8″ (if that) futility.

2) Making fouls count. If you’re going to foul them, hit them hard. Channel Jerry. No more of that ticky-tack crap you’re all so fond of.

3) DWilly for 48. No more of that backup point guard nonsense. Period.

In the toaster, but not yet toast.

Sigh.