New Year’s Off-Day Odds and Ends
One. Jazz at Clippers post-game: How do you keep the locker room positive and what is your challenge?
Tyrone Corbin : Well, continue to work. You know, continue to work. I mean, it’s a long season…Effort has been for the most part consistent. We getting better. And we just, we a little undermanned with, with, with a couple of guys being out. But we just have to keep playing hard, and it’ll work itself out.
Again, the definition of insani-ty.
Two. Per @saltcityhoops:
After the Clippers game, Paul Millsap was asked whether he was frustrated about being on the bench the entire 4th quarter. In response, Paul “bristled a terse reply” (DN) / “snapped” (Trib), “What do you think?”
Media personalities on the Jazz payroll have been saying that Paul’s struggles are the result of him regretting that he didn’t take the extension the Jazz offered him, but from where I’m sitting it’s more likely that Paul is pressing (if indeed he is pressing) about 1) being on the worst-performing team of his career in what is probably the biggest contract year of his career; 2) having the least defined role of his career this year.
Three. Also possibly struggling with his role is DeMarre Carroll.
DeMarre before the Clippers game:
“I feel like without the Jazz I wouldn’t even be in the position I’m in now for me to be able to display my talent to 29 other teams,” said Carroll, who mentioned his impending free agency. “That’s how I look at it. Whenever I step on the court, I’m not only playing for Utah, I’m playing for 29 other teams.” …
“Until I can get to a team that really want to put me in a rotation, really want to play, I’ll just take advantage of my opportunity whenever I get it.” (DN)
“A lot of people don’t realize I’m going to be a free agent in the summer,” Carroll said. “I’m playing for 29 other teams, not only playing for the Jazz.” (Trib)
In a vacuum, these comments are not a big deal at all. But he has repeatedly talked about playing for other teams since he’s been on the Jazz. DeMarre during locker room cleanout in May:
Until it’s set in stone, til it’s on paper, I gotta continue to be a true professional and still continue to play for 29 teams. (1280)
When you combine that with his comment about how he “didn’t work this hard to be out of the rotation” (Trib) just two weeks into the season, and other players’ complaints about playing time, and Corbin’s flip-flopping every time someone complains, you have to wonder what kind of atmosphere we have in the locker room right now.
Four. Jerry Sloan doesn’t get shown on the Jumbotron at Jazz games, but not so for BYU games. Here are Jerry and Phil Johnson on the Jumbotron at the BYU game (played at the ESA) on 12/29, via @saltcityhoops:
Per Jeremiah Jensen (@jjsportsbeat), Jerry and Phil got a nice ovation from the crowd:
As this game took place at the ESA, one can only wonder whether the Jumbotron operator faces disciplinary action and has lost Jumbotron privileges like the Jazz employee that accidentally sent that Phil Jackson tweet out on the Jazz’s official Twitter account.
Five. The Jazz have been showing this ad during game broadcasts and promoting the “Return of AK” to sell tickets:
This, shown during the Jazz’s last game, is therefore kind of a bitch move:
jazzfanatical 
my weekly comment: FIRE CORBIN. If the owners and GM honstly dont see that corbin is ruining a good team….not just failing to get the most out of them, but actually ruining guys…..that he has lost the locker roon……….then they are blind.
I think the front office sees everything we see…but to do something about it would mean admitting that they made a huge mistake giving him a 3-year contract off the bat and sight unseen, and then extending him.
I’m kind of disliking our entire organization more & more lately. And I don’t know how to feel about that.
me too. I feel sad and frustrated. I think given the right coach, the right offense…..hayward would be a 18pt a night guy, Favors would be an all star and Kanter would be a better version of nick collinson. And the team would be a five or four seed. It was such potential. And instead we have to watch al jefferson play an uninspired flat footed selfish game …..a game that can beat bad teams…..wont ever take you anywhere……..and its the whole offense. And i can see hayward frustrated, Favors probably wants to leave. Its just depressing and im starting to dislike the whole organization.
koc and jazz organization need to suck it up and apologize to Jerry Sloan. This team is full of talent, yet so messy in organization. I am doubting that the players respect Ty at this point.
I have been bracing myself for Jerry Sloan to coach another team, even if it is for Lakers or Trailblazers. It is quite obvious that Jerry’s love for the game is enormous. His passion about basketball is just the biggest out of any basketball personas that I’ve ever seen. He still goes to regular games and just enjoying the games as spectator. You don;t see ex-coaches do that kind of thing like that a lot. I felt like we (jazz FO) cheated Jerry his lifelong passion by giving up on him and took D-Will’s side.
as for the jumbotron, i’m quite positive by Jerry’;s attitude and approach, it is more likely that he’;s the one requested to be given no special treatment in Jazz games, especially in middle of game, as it can lead to few vocal fans booing Ty or clamoring Jerry to come back. Although at this point , I do entertain the idea to let Jerry come back.
The DMC story is really something. This team might just be as discombobulated as D-Will’s team but with less paparazzi-exposed drama.
I share your thoughts on Jerry. Not only is he at games, he is examining stat sheets at halftime. He just loves the game and is a basketball lifer.
Re the jumbotron, I have heard otherwise. That order came down from the top. So not only are fans not able to honor him and thank him for his 2+ decades of service, they can’t even show their appreciation by applauding him at a game. It’s disgraceful.