Game 17 vs. MEM: Ridicarlosly confused

Fes showing off moves even he didn’t know he had

Memo and New Matty getting stepped on aside, there was no bad or ugly to this game. It was all the good and the pretty. This is the Jazz that I envisioned at the start of last (‘08-’09) season–rolling over opponents, clicking, great chemistry, playing team ball. Last season, the Jazz train got derailed, and the way this season started, it looked like we were in for a heck of a train wreck. But–dare I say it? Think it? Hope for it?–something’s…changed? We’ve turned a corner? Gotten back on track? C’est possible?!

I’d love to end with that high note, but there’s “awkward” I must address.

I totally take pride in not being a (and look down my nose with disdain at) fairweather fan(s), and my body rejects the thought of being one. I’ve spent many an hour mercilessly mocking fairweather/bandwagon fans (aka the entire Laker fan base) and proudly touting myself as someone who has stuck with my team through thick and thin (in the Jazz’s case, “thin” being the two-year rebuilding era and the tidal wave of injuries last year).

I’ve also been ranting and raving and railing and raging against Boozer for what seems like an eternity. But something happened today. Around the end of the first or beginning of the second, Boozer threw a pass right into the hands of a Grizzly bear, and I thought, “oh darn.” A second later, I was completely floored by what had just happened. My eyes hadn’t rolled of their own volition, and vitriol, hatred, and disgust were not pouring through my veins as usual.

That’s a reflection of the fact that Boozer is playing out of his freaking mind, and has been shooting the ball into the ocean (70% over the last five games). The sight of him today did not instantly make me feel annoyed. And when Ronnie B scored at the end of the third, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir would have been proud of the way I shouted “And-1!” in perfect synchronicity with Boozer.

For the most part, Boozer has even kept his mouth shut this season (numerous references to Sap as a bench player while at the same time calling himself the starter aside).

And so, I don’t know what to do with myself now. I kind of even hate myself for not hating him and being so easily appeased. I couldn’t even give you a definitive answer at this moment if you asked me whether I remain adamant that a trade is absolutely crucial to the future of this franchise. And the remedy of reminding myself of all the times/games/weeks/months/seasons that he hasn’t played like this despite the figure on his paycheck and all the times he didn’t keep his mouth shut when he should’ve…well, I’m just not sure that it’d be all that effective. You feel what you feel, right?

Anyway, don’t get me wrong. All is not forgiven, though some may be forgotten. I’m not suddenly in love or trying to horn in on Locke’s affaire d’amour with Boozer (if that were the case, I’d know it’s time for a lobotomy. And/or, feel free to shoot me). It’s just a weird and awkward feeling, to suddenly not hate Boozer.

---

Ladies and Gents, Your BA Leader!

Hardwood Paroxysm’s new feature, Blockclocked, tracks “which players are getting their stuff sent away, out of here, gotten gone, rejected, denied, and heretofore blocked.” In the first installment, HP predicted:

I’ve got a feeling this might be Boozer’s time. It’ll all come down to whether injury slows down Crash’s persistence and numbers, or if Boozer gets lazy. But with a contract year in sight, I can see Boozer making a push for being the most often blocked guy in the league.

Unsurprisngly, Carlos is indeed leading the league in getting his weak stuff sent away as of the end of Week 2:

I feel good about Boozer’s ability to maintain here. He’s got the skillset and mindset to make this dream a reality.

---

Did anyone catch that little David Stern interview in which he claims he/the NBA did “nothing” to prevent Donaghy’s book from coming out? Give me a break. If truly “nothing” were done, we’d all be holding it in our hands, salaciously devouring the truth within right now.

Anyway, speaking of David Stern, the NBA, and game officials, Dwight Howard was fined for criticizing (although it was more complaining than criticizing) the officials on his blog just 24 hours after SJax’s agent went off on Don Nelson. That got me wondering…whenever NBA players have beef with the refs, why don’t they get their agents to complain for them? The NBA can’t fine agents, can they? Another route I’d take is signing up for a twitter/blog account and say everything I want to say, and then claim it’s not me when I’m taken in for questioning. Afterwards, I’ll *wink, wink* claim to the media that it’s not me so that everyone will know it is me. But maybe that’s just “late at night + I’m on meds” talking (although it’s only 9:58).

Game 2 vs. LAC: Schizo Recap

Quarter 1 to Quarter 3:
UTAH SUCKS!! UTAH SUCKS!!! And it freaking sucks to be me. What is this @#$%#$%#$^%?

Quarter 4:
Ah…sweet, sweet Sap.

Boozer continued his one-man campaign to convince Jerry that he is a shooting guard that can’t shoot (9-22). Refusing to go inside, he continually jacked from outside the key and once missed by about six feet. While he did have seven assists (raise where raise is due…oh oops, did I say raise? I meant praise), he also had 5 BAs* and 3 TOs. In comparison, Sap got things done and won the game for the Jazz not through sets or having plays run for him, but through pure, unadulterated hustle. Speaking of hustle, Ronnie P had the dunk of the night–which can be seen here (-00:49 mark). Keep watching through the end and watch the Fes interview clip. We all know that he is hilarious, but even his voice–regardless of what he is saying–is hilarious. I wonder what he’s going to be this Halloween. This man should have his own reality show.

*In honor of Boozer’s effort tonight, I am adding a new stat to the Random Jazz Stat Box over there on the right: “No. of times Boozer has been rejected.”

P.S. Shame Ronnie Brew and the Jazz couldn’t reach an agreement on the extension. Heartening to hear KOC say that he’s definitely in the team’s future plans though.

---

Game 1 @ Denver: I boo you, Jazzmen

To quote BBJ from the slcdunk game thread:

---

All the months of waiting and anticipation and hibernated energy and adrenaline culminated in this moment: Tipoff. 24 seconds later, Jazz fans everywhere I was gripped by terror that the curse of last season lived, and this season was already over:

As Memo hobbled off the floor on one leg, words that I should not repeat here circled and whirled through my mind.

Memo eventually came back to play despite a mild ankle AND knee sprain, and hit all of the toe-on-the-line twos that he cast up, which raised the hope. Then the clock struck midnight in the form of Mr. Boozer and Cinderella was dressed in rags once more.

In the end, the Jazz did what they do best: play well enough to give us hope, and then cruelly kill it by reverting to their true selves despite all the pre-season talk about defense (stop me if you’ve heard this before).

I always laugh when I read scouting reports and player profiles and season/playoff previews and the like that talk about how strong Boozer is and what a beast he is in the paint. He could be, if he were to use his strength, but he thinks of himself as such a great player and/or hates contact so much that he is content jacking elbow jumpers possession after possession. Newsflash: “If at first you don’t succeed, keep failing” is not a mantra we want to be following. Of course, if you were listening to Boozer homer boy on KFAN, you heard about how horribly Sap was playing, how Boozer’s performance was the result of him “wanting it too much,” and how he got a double double. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, Boozer has the highest number of no-impact, non-win-assisting double-doubles in the league.

Also unaware of FB’s futility was FB himself:

“I had some good shots – just missed ‘em. They’re shots I’ve been making my whole career.” (desnews)

On a final note, hustle is its own reward:

---

Media Day Odds and Ends

Tip:
If you’ve been itching for six months for this day to arrive, Media Day (Weekend) is not the best time to attend an out-of-the-country wedding.

–Great start to the season Part 1:
DWill on FB being back: “It’s not that awkward yet.” (H/T desnews)

–Great start to the season Part 2:
AK (strained left quadriceps muscle), CJ (strained left hip flexor) and KK (inflamed left knee) sat out the second session of two-a-days.

–No Matty, obviously. But no Fes in any of the pictures either. Maybe he was taking an extended smoking break during the photo shoot.

–Lots of talk about AK’s new guns. See much of a difference?

I see that he has grown-up hair now and DWill appears to have shrunk…I will say, though, that the difference is probably more noticeable between April ‘09 and September ‘09 than September ‘08 and September ‘09.

–Does this look like a happy camper to you?

He looks just slightly happier than me to have Carlos back.

–Time for Jerry to put his money where his mouth is:
“Take guys out of the game,” he said. “If they’re not going to run the floor and get involved on the defensive end, I’m going to have to take them out of the game.” (H/T sltrib)

…and…

“Actually, ‘four’ from an offensive standpoint is probably Andrei’s better position,” Sloan said. “So maybe we take a look at that.” (H/T sltrib)

---

–FB can’t even keep his lies/stories straight for one day. Remember how he spent all summer adamantly declaring that the Jazz and he mutually agreed for him to be traded? On Media Day, he changes his story:

That message [from management that he was not part of the Jazz's future plans], Boozer suggested, was delivered when the team declined to offer him a contract extension after he decided June 30 [to opt in]. (H/T sltrib)

But then, he also says: “Coach wants me to be here. My teammates want me to be here. Management brought me back and I’m happy to be here in a Jazz uniform and not going somewhere else.” (H/T Dime)

So just to recap, first he and the Jazz agreed for him to be traded. Then, he and the Jazz never had any agreement, and he was merely drawing his own conclusions when the Jazz failed to throw more money at him even though the return on their initial investment was so freaking high. Then, management “brought me back.” You’re the one that opted in; the final year on your contract was not a team option. What the hell are you talking about?

As if that’s not enough prickery dickery dock for one day, he once again declares himself the starter:

“I feel like I’m the starter. I think I’ve earned that. That’s the only role I’ve been in my whole career.”

…declares himself far superior to Sap (even if he is, what kind of self-purported team guy does that? Do you hear DWill talking about how he’s leagues ahead of Price, or KK talking about how he’s a FT shooter than CJ?)

“You know, I think Paul is very good. I guess if we are competing, then we’re competing for it. But I feel like I am the starter.”

…and then tops it all off by claiming that winning is all that matters to him and that he’s magnanimously willing to sacrifice seconds from his playing time for the sake of the team:

“I mean, if we win that’s all that matters. Not to try to make people happy. But to win basketball games. So if we focus on that, and I have to take two less minutes a game, or whatever the case may be, I think I can make that sacrifice for the betterment of the group.” (H/T desnews)

Which is it, Carlos? Are you the starter, or is winning all that matters? His sense of entitlement is incredible, astounding, unreal. Mind-boggling! Unbelievable, incomprehensible, etc. He’s earned starterhood? How? By sitting on the bench for 50 games? By putting himself ahead of team, time and time again? By destroying the locker room? By decimating the Jazz’s chances of winning? By shooting his mouth off and talking out of his ass at every available opportunity? By being a snake (apologies to snakes)?

Like many others, I am sick of reading and writing about FB, but he just won’t go away or shut his mouth. Even the sound of his voice offends me. Even the way his yappy jaw moves when he snaps at his gum annoys me. It’s unbelievable how disconnected from reality he is. He never once admitted any wrongdoing or offered an apology (not for what he said, not for lying, not for speaking out of turn, not for conduct detrimental to the team), and instead kept giving explanations as to why he didn’t do anything wrong. You could have not opted in. Simple as that.

---

Haven’t had a chance to listen to all the Media Day interviews yet, will get around to that hopefully tomorrow…

NBA Free Agency Made Simple

This NOT Just In–Odds and Ends

A few weeks back, I talked about trying to recapture the same enthusiasm I had going into the season last year–when I believed that such a deep roster –> deep into the Playoffs–but I can’t seem to. The reason being that the man who came in when we were in the middle of a 12-game win streak and proceeded to wreck the rest of the season is still around, and his only motivation this year will be making himself look good.

Carlos Boozer: Poster Child for NBA Stat Stuffers

Pro-Boozer fans out there (all two to three of you KFAN employees and Boozer family members) will and are saying that he’ll play harder and be more motivated to stay healthy and whatnot because he’s playing for his next contract. But, and this is a big but, his one and only consideration this year will be his own stats, regardless, and at the same time, not a single thought about team or winning the game will run through his betrayal skull. I mean, on July 1st and in Miami and Chicago, we saw just how self-involved and selfish this individual can be. YES HE CAN.

So anyway, my point in all this, which was likely lost as I ranted, is that Sap needs to start. By now, all the cards are on the table and he is the Jazz’s PF for the forseeable future (“forseeable future” here is defined as “somewhat shorter than Karl’s career”). Now, just because FB prickedly opted in doesn’t mean that the Jazz should stunt Sap’s growth and development as a basketball player by continuing to use him as a backup. The Jazz should be doing everything it can to hasten Sap’s growth by having him play against other teams’ first teams, and FB should be an afterthought. If Jerry can throw max player AK into the second team for a “spark,” he damn well can throw Boozer into the second team (where his defensive deficiences wouldn’t be so blindingly apparent, and, in all honesty, he would probably be a huge spark) as well.

Uncurrent Odds and Ends:

1. Fes was benched by the Ukranian national team and subsequently left the team. I’m going to go not very far out on a limb and say that summer is not his beat season. Has he landed in Utah yet?

2. KK2 is doing somewhat better with the Greek national team.

It’s hard to get a hold of box scores for pre-Eurobasket friendly matches (at least it is if you don’t very hard), but it seems that he-who-all-hope-is-pinned-on is doing all right scoring and boarding in Europe. He has even been described as a “power in the paint” and mentioned for his “tough defense” in the excruciatingly short game recaps over at Eurobasket.

3. So it turns out that all of my speculation about Yeliz being pregnant wasn’t wrong, just slightly premature. Memo’s website says that the Okurs are expecting a baby in February. Hopefully (fingers crossed) Memo’s game won’t be hit as hard the second time around…

4. HAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAH…..HAHAHHAHHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHA (via Ball Don’t Lie)

5. Empty the Bench is grading NBA logos. It hasn’t gotten to Utah yet, but I think it’s safe to say that the Jazz’s current logo is serviceable but a little boring, and its best logo was the music note (image from sportslogos.net).

Meanwhile, I just have to say that as time go on, a logo that I always made fun of as a kid has, no exaggeration, become one of the most awesome logos in NBA history. The Nuggets’ rainbow logo is so ridiculous that the needle on the meter went around twice and sent it into ridiculously awesome territory.

And do you know that it gets even better? There were shoes that went with the uniforms. It doesn’t get any more sweet(ly nostalgic) than this.

I would totally be in the market for this Mutombo jersey, if someone would tell me where I can find one…

6. Light reading: 10 Reasons Why NBA League Pass is Cooler Than Your Significant Other

Jazz Fans (Bloggers) Have Never Been This United

In chronological order:

Jazzing It Up

Please, be quiet.

The Cowhide Globe

Seriously, shut-up!

Living and Dying by the Jazz

Just STFU already

True Blue Jazz

Shut the fVck up and play…Seriously, just shut the fVck up…

SLC Dunk

“Boozer, I wish you would shut your big yapper!”

JazzBots

Dude, just shut up.

On a side note, David Locke is trying to convince listeners that ESPN Chicago got FB on the air under false pretenses (by saying that the interview would be about his basketball camp) and poor FB got bamboozled when they started asking him free agency questions. Meanwhile, 1280’s morning show is on a mission to get Boozer on the air, and has left Pelinka something like 15 voice mails so far.

Note: The pacifier in the picture above is 14K gold and studded with diamonds, and has a price tag of $17,000. I hope Boozer can afford such a luxury, with the economy the way it is…