Regular Season

A lot of the fans have been quick to say the Jazz are not going to do well this season. I kept saying wait until about the tenth game. I was disappointed in the first two games because it seemed like a few of them were still in the off season. Sunday my they arrived against the OKC Thunder. Welcome to the start of the new season. With an amazing output by Millsap and a great all around game by Al Jefferson, CJ Miles, and D Will.

Things I have noticed from the first four games. Jefferson does love to play in the PAINT! Just like he said, "real men play in the paint." D will when he attacks the basket he is able to pass the ball. The first two games the Jazz had some issues with switching on defense, but it looks as if they have figured it out and the chemistry is coming together. I have also been impressed with Heyward and his dedication to work. Of course, there has been a lot of people saying D Will shouldn't have yelled at him, I feel it was a good thing because it shows that D Will is ready to be the leader and to step up. Heyward will be great as he continues to work, he could spend some extra time in the gym on those 3's though.

I am excited to see what can happen, GO JAZZ!!!

Thoughts On An Alternate Jersey

Well, with the Jazz introducing new jerseys this year, they aren't allowed to wear any alternate jerseys next year. I know speculation probably won't be big next year like it was this year, but one can hope for something to do in the offseason. I am a huge fan of the green jerseys and I thought they looked good and definitely played well in them last year. I was browsing ebay the other day for some fun Jazz apparel and stumbled upon this jersey and thought I would post it here.

In other news, rumors have it that the Jazz are close to signing Francisco Elson. I am excited by the chance of him coming to Utah and feel he would fit in well. It isn't that often that we get a decent center that can hold his own.

New Uniforms!!!

With the much awaited changes and return to the old logo, the new uniforms were much anticipated. I love the new uniforms and can't wait for the season to begin.

Here are some mock-ups on the web that were pretty close. Jazz fanatical found some other ones posted by jazz fans that are pretty interesting.

I love the new uniforms and am glad that Jefferson was able to interact with the fans.

A lot of people have posted that they don't love the change in the color below the Jazz logo, but I think it sets them apart from each other. I like the change and can't wait for when they can introduce a new alternate jersey, which hopefully comes next season.

GM's Ranked around the NBA

I read online that they have ranked the GM's around the league, and our very own KOC made a good impression the last ten years with the moves he has made. He ended up making the top five. He ended at two only second to Pat Riley, and Riley is at the top because he landed Bosh and Lebron. Here is the article http://www.sbnation.com/2010/7/22/1582380/nba-general-manager-rankings-pat-riley-heat. What they had to say for our good old KOC was this,

"Hired: 1999.

Coaches: Jerry Sloan (1999-present).

Long-term plan: Build a good team that fits Sloan's vision.

Key draft picks: Deron Williams (3rd, 2005), Gordon Hayward (9rd, 2010), Ronnie Brewer (14th, 2006), Kris Humphries (14th, 2004), Kirk Snyder (16th, 2004), Sasha Pavlovic (19th, 2003), Eric Maynor (20th, 2009), CJ Miles (34th, 2005), Paul Millsap (47th, 2006), Mo Williams (47th, 2003),

Key trades:

• 2000: Traded Howard Eisley to the Mavericks, Adam Keefe to the Warriors and a first-round pick to the Celtics for Donyell Marshall.
• 2010: Traded Kosta Koufus and a future first-round pick to the Timberwolves for Al Jefferson.

Key free agent signings: Carlos Boozer in 2004 (six years, $68 million), Mehmet Okur in 2004 and 2009 (six years, $40 million, two years, $21 million), Andrei Kirilenko in 2004 (maximum contract), Matt Harpring in 2006 (five years, $25 million), Deron Williams in 2008 (maximum contract).

Key free agents let go: Boozer (2010), Karl Malone (2003), Derek Fisher (2008).

O'Connor may be the most underappreciated GM in basketball. Nobody does a better job of sticking to a plan. O'Connor has committed to Jerry Sloan as his coach and finds players that perfectly fit his system. Players like Wesley Matthews, Paul Millsap, Ronnie Brewer, C.J. Miles, Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur, Matt Harpring and even Deron Williams would all have been successful elsewhere, but their success was magnified because they were all perfect fits for Sloan. O'Connor understands that you can't just throw together talent and expect it to jell. You have to find the right kind of talent, and for over a decade, he's done exactly that.

O'Connor has also done a great job managing the luxury tax, something that will always be an issue because Utah is a small market. Last season, he made cost-cutting moves that didn't affect his team's performance, then recovered from losing Carlos Boozer by trading for Al Jefferson. His one mistake was giving Andrei Kirilenko too much money in 2004, but otherwise, his record is impeccable.

The only thing lacking is a championship, but that's tough to do when you only get one top-five pick in a decade. O'Connor used that pick well, and he's made every last move count. That's the mark of a good GM."

Lets go team now and make something happen this year!

Good Fit

The Jazz just added Al Jefferson according to a lot of media reports. It hasn't finalized yet, but they definitely get better in my opinion. Jefferson is longer and younger than Boozer. Add Brewer to the team and we are back to being top 4 in the west again. Just as I was wondering what was going to happen as a Jazz fan this year, KOC pulls out his knack for finding decent players and pulls off this trade. The Jazz also got Raja Bell back, here is to hoping we have the stopper we need.

That looks like it hurt!

In other news, Dan Gilbert got fined 100k for his letter about Lebron, and according to his twitter account (here link to Dan Gilbert on Twitter), he really is acting childish with this whole issue by calling out everyone that is now heading to Miami. Rev. Jesse Jackson probably hit it on the nose by ripping Gilbert in his comments (here link to ESPN article) and I couldn't agree more with him that Gilbert is treating James as a product and not a person. He had his rights as commissioner Stern stated (here link to ESPN article) to do what he wanted. James did show his honesty and sincerity in his "Decision," and ultimately it was his choice. hereA link to good article by Gordon Monson about the issue.

Free Agency

The team has definitely gotten worse with the losses of Boozer and Korver, but there is hope. Millsap is a good up and coming Power Forward in the league and with more minutes a night I feel he can step it up and become a strong player for our team. Plus Boozer is about to hit 30 and not many players get better after the age of 30. Boozer also has only shown up in one big game (Rockets game 7 2007 playoffs), and he has 28% of games over the last 6 years. Boozer also was a 13 points 9 rebounds a game before he got to Utah (a place where Power Forwards thrive, and where Jerry Sloan milks you for all you are worth), so who knows if he can produce with the likes of Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose (score first point guard) around him. Hopefully the Jazz can come to terms with Udonis Haslem or someone of his style of play because he could nicely fill in for the missing minutes of Millsap off of the bench (plus he works hard and hustles for every loose ball). I feel that Gordon Hayward will fill in nicely for Korver because he can dribble and pass the ball and he makes those around him better, but his shot will need to improve because Korver is amongst the best at this in the league. I believe the big question comes from what will happen with Memo, and AK. If Memo can return to what he was two years ago when Booz was out with an injury, and AK can return to his All Star level, the team will be much improved from last years team and there will not be any let down. Evans had a nice showing at the summer league and could possibly fit in nicely this fall, that is if he can bulk up by fall and make the team. We did get the TPE from the Boozer deal with the Bulls, so hopefully the Jazz can do something there to help the team and get some parts that will compliment Dwill and make him happy enough to see that the Jazz are dedicated to making a team that is competitive and that can compete for a title.
Around the league everyone is still buzzing about the James decision. I agree that his "decision" show probably was a little silly, but the way the media wants to be involved in everything these days, I am not shocked. James seemed sincere in his choice on TV and worried as to how people would react to him. The way I see it is that he worked hard for 7 years in Cleveland and he got them back into the playoffs and even made a run at the title in 2007 but lost the the San Antonio Spurs. He had his right as a FA to go where he wanted to, and to be honest if I were in his shoes I would have done the same thing. Teaming up with Dwade and Chris Bosh would make them the Ultimate team. It doesn't make him less of a person, because as you hear all the time, this is a business and in business if you want to be successful you want to package the best stuff. They did really well in the olympics together, so we will have to see what they can put around them in Miami with the money they have left over. My prediction is that the Heat are the team to beat for the next few years. As to my opinion of what the Cavs owner did, he could have been humble about the fact that he just lost the league MVP, but he decided to take the selfish route and blame it all on James. Very interesting articles are out there, and it will be interesting to see how David Stern reacts to it, but James took the higher road and said he didn't want to get into it when asked about the owner's reaction. here link to ESPN article

Gordon Hayward

http://www.nba.com/jazz/features/david_lockes_scouting_report_gordon_hayward.html
David Locke has a good breakdown of Hayward, and to be honest I think this may have been the right choice for the Jazz. Sure I would have liked a big guy, but if they are drafting for best available they may have gone and made the right choice. He seems to be an individual that will work hard, and sure he had a rough year shooting the ball, but with Jeff Hornacek as a shooting coach he will be able to recoup that. One thing I will remind fans of is that John Stockton was booed when he was chosen by the Jazz, so here is to hoping he works hard and turns out to be a great pick.

Jazz Franchise #7

According to John Hollinger, the Jazz is the #7 Franchise in the NBA.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2010/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=FranchiseRankings2010-Jazz
I can agree with this post as of course the Lakers, Celtics, Spurs, Bulls, Suns, Sixers all sit ahead of them. The Jazz has won 50 games in 14 of their last 22 seasons, and have won 40 games in 26 of their last 27 seasons. Pretty remarkable for being a "small market." Here is to hoping they can get some good pieces this offseason.

NBA FINALS Part 3

I have to give my congrats to the Lakers, it was a well fought game that Boston gave to them. Kobe and the Lakers played good team ball in the last few quarters and without Gasol's play, Fisher's three, and the shocking play that came out of Artest, the Lakers would have lost. Watching the first half it was a strong defensive battle and Kobe wasn't hitting the shots he normally hits with a hand in his face, but I was surprised when he came out in the second half and played more of a team game. Of course in the fourth quarter he turned it on and helped win the game, so props to them.

Now onto one of the biggest offseasons in NBA history and here is to hoping the Jazz improve their team. Maybe we can get some length that will help us compete with bigger teams.

NEW LOGO AND SUCH

It is here!!! I absolutely love it!!! New date to look forward to is August 16th for the new uniforms!!! http://www.nba.com/jazz/news/1011_newlogos.html?rss=true and as well http://www.nba.com/jazz/features/1011_historyofthenamelogo.html. Check it out and let me know what ya'll think.

6-15-2010

Tuesday the Jazz will introduce their new color scheme and logo (I guess I should say old logo revamped). As Salt Lake Tribune posted yesterday they say will be inviting the public to the unveiling (http://www.sltrib.com/jazz/ci_15279770). Here is a picture back when they showed the new jerseys to the team.