Fish, Cats, and Dogs..Oh My!!! - The Rants

I received this fantastic idea from my brother-in-law who felt that I needed to insert a little more sarcasm into my blog. Generally, I’m funnier when I’m responding to comments or thoughts with my own brand of sinister sarcasm. I’m not proud of it; but Jordan was blessed with the gift to fly through the sky and dunk; I was blessed with razor sharp wit and a tongue with cat like reflexes.

As I contemplated on how to fulfill my brother-in-laws wish; people who were aware of this blog kept asking me questions about the current sports stories. Although, I generally feel like opinions are like… well you know how that goes; I felt it necessary to answer all of their questions. That’s when it hit me; I could take the most frequent questions I get asked, and turn it into a blog of me ranting about it. So, here it is Jazz fanatics; the rants.

• First, the biggest question over the last ten days has been; what do you think of the Derek Fisher situation. In case you have been cut off from all forms of communication over the last two weeks; Derek asked to be released from his contract, in order to relocate to another city where his daughter can receive the cancer treatments that she needs. This in of itself didn’t seem like that big of an issue; but that all changed within a couple of days as reports started pouring in that Derek would be relocating back to Los Angels and teaming up with his former teammate Kobe Bryant.
  
  Normally I would welcome this; I like any idea that is bound to make the Lakers more uncompetitive, and cause the Mamba to go Lattrell on Phil. Seriously, what would Phil do if Kobe started strangling him? What is the Zen like response for that?
  
  Here’s what I don’t like about the deal. Fisher’s agent is also Kobe Bryant’s and Carlos Boozers agent. Does the name Rob Pelinka ring a bell anyone? Lest we forget, this was the man that may or may not have helped conduct contract negotiations between Carols Booze and the Cleveland Cavaliers while they were prohibited. The sordid tale, which caused the Clevelandites to accuse Carlos of stabbing a blind guy in the back.
  
  I’m not putting it past this guy to pull a Jay Mohr like stunt from the movie Jerry Maguire. You know the part where Mohr’s character is screwing over Cruise by stealing his player while Cruise is in the room.
  
  “Derek, cough once if Larry’s in the room”.
  
  “Cough”
  
  “Alright listen Derek, after that dramatic entrance during the playoffs your stock has shot up, I’m talking internet IPO pre-millenium kind of rise. I know you need to care for your daughter and you would really like to take advantage of this situation; but the problem is you’re in Salt Lake. This is what I’m proposing, I found a loop hole in the collective barraging agreement that allows you out if you and the team agree, it would allow you to make a move back out here to the West Coast, you could care for your daughter, take advantage of the endorsement; and if you can make it happen all throw in an ESPY nomination. What do you think? Can you make that happen? Say no comment if you do.”
  
  “No comment”
  
  “Excellent Derek, I’ll have a deal done before tomorrow you take care of the rest.”
  
  I’m just saying it’s not entirely out of reason to think this is how it went down right.
  
  
• Is Salt Lake the most undesirable location for a free agent? After the Utah Jazz missed out on another opportunity to sign a free agent the conversation came up quite a bit. Here’s the thing that I don’t understand; was Morris Peterson really the missing link? Not like a Patrick Ewing missing link, see dictionary reference evolution for that; but the link that kept us from making it to the finals. I’m going to lean toward No. Morris wasn’t even a starter on an okay Toronto team; let’s face it, Toronto was good this past year; but they play in the East. Would Toronto have even made it to the playoffs if the played in the West; I think it’s doubtful.
  
  I think Jazz fans should take solace in the fact; that New Orleans a division rival, just significantly overpaid for a player that couldn’t start on an average team. That they just signed a thirty-year old; let me repeat that, thirty-year old shooting guard to a four year deal. When Chris Paul hits his prime; he’s going to be throwing dimes to Grand-mama and her arthritic knees. Let’s just be thankful that the Jazz did the prudent thing this summer and let the Hornets over pay for a geriatric shooting guard.
  
• What may be the most disturbing news story that has happened over the last month or so; the Michael Vick dog fighting allegations and pending incarceration. Not to make light of the situation, but do you think that he named his dogs? Did he have his own “Little Jerry”? And what do you think the chances are that he’s talked with Jamal Lewis; about what to do when it looks like you’re going to be gang raped.
  
  
• Finally, a lot of people have come up and informed me that the Utah Jazz are looking for bloggers to write for this site during this season. Yes I am aware; and yes I will be applying for one of the positions. I have high hopes for my self that I will be selected; regardless of the decision this blog will keep going. After all you can’t get rid of me that easy.
  
  See you again soon.

Utah Jazz v. San Antonio Spurs - Game Summary - Rocky Mountain Review Day 3

The Utah Jazz made a late run early in the fourth quarter outscoring the San Antonio Spurs 13 – 2; unfortunately it wasn’t enough as the Spurs held on and clinched their first win of the Revue. While neither team shot particularly well, San Antonio forced Utah into twenty-five turnovers by using a high pressure full court press defense; which produced twenty-five points for the Spurs.

San Antonio opened the quarter jumping out to a quick six to two lead; but as he did the previous game; Paul Millsap placed the Jazz on his shoulders and guided the offense. At one point, Paul was beating the Spurs 13 – 12 in the first quarter; and it looked as though the Paperboy was head and shoulders above the rest. By the end of the first quarter, Paul was two rebounds shy of a double-double; however the Spurs regained the lead and took and ended the period with an 18 – 17.

The Jazz closed the first quarter with only their big men scoring; and the Spurs began the second countering by going to a small ball lineup. Apparently the strategy worked as the Jazz immediately committed two turnover to start the period; leading the Spurs in the category at that point 10 – 0. As substitution patterns began; the Spurs took full advantage of the weaker competition and went on an 18 – 7 run during the period extending their lead 36 – 24. The Jazz fought but were only able to reduce the lead to eight by halftime; which San Antonio led 41 – 33.

Both teams came out flat in the third period, with neither team shooting over 40% from the field. The Spurs were only able to score fourteen; while the Jazz could only muster eleven points as the Spurs increased their lead 55 – 44. As my notes indicate; the Zebras were busy trying to make this game about them; there were forty-two fouls called through the third quarter.

The fourth quarter sparked an entirely new Jazz team, as the team opened going on a thirteen to two run, which briefly gave them a tie, before the Spurs called a timeout with 6:20 left to play. For the next four minutes the Jazz and Spurs would fight vigorously as they countered each other. Through the stretch Millsap played some of the toughest ball that I have seen; as he worked to ensure that Jazz would not lose. His effort was like Bruce Willis walking across the Glass in Die Hard; you knew that not matter what this guy wasn’t going to quit.

With 2:37 left the Jazz and Spurs were knotted at sixty-six; and you hoped that this game was going to have another fantastic finish. Unfortunately, a few ill timed turnovers and fouls left the Jazz down 72 – 67 with 27.2 seconds left; which they weren’t able to overcome. The Spurs celebrated their first win of the review with a victory over the Jazz 75 – 71.

As you may have gathered, Paul Millsap played out of his mind for the second straight game; he collected twenty points on eight of fourteen shooting while also going four for four from the line; which made him the high scorer for the game. As always; he was a beast on the boards pulling down fourteen; five offensive and nine defensive.

Both teams shot poorly for the game; the Jazz managed to muster 40.6% while the Spurs were only able to hit 37.3% of theirs. However, the difference in this game seems to be free throws and turnovers, the Spurs attempted eleven more free throws than the Jazz and also shot a better percentage at 73.7% versus 66.7%. For the third straight game the Jazz committed more turnovers (25) than their opponents (11); which provided San Antonio with 25 points versus only 17 for the Jazz. Other statistics of note; there were sixty-seven fouls called for the game leading to 65 foul shots. The Jazz out rebounded the Spurs 44 to 22; they also had 42 points in the paint to the Spurs 16.

A Little Deeper

Stats you aren’t likely to see anywhere else. If you need clarification on what the statistics mean refer to this post; which explains the terms.

Click on picture to enlarge

Really there isn’t much to discuss with these stats. Both teams played so poorly, that the lines are pretty low. The bright side for the Jazz was the play of Paul Millsap, who was really the star of the game. Second to Paul was Fesenko, who played really well, and was a big part of the fourth quarter run. It wasn’t mentioned above; but Fesenko may have been the spark; during a trip to the free throw line, he missed his second attempt, grabbed his own rebound as it came back out; and then came through the lane and emphatically dunked the ball. It was a great possession for him; and his game has really started to blossom as he has gotten more playing time.

Be back on Thursday with the game summary for the Sonics game. As well as the introduction of the Thursday rants, where I’ll talk about the stories making headlines; and give you my take. See you then.

Rocky Mountain Review – Game 2 - Philadelphia 76ers vs Utah Jazz Game Summary

It was the best of halves; it was the worst of halves; as the Utah Jazz took a halftime lead of 45 -37; only to lose 100 – 85. The 76ers, on the back of sharp shooting John Cox and gritty, aggressive play of Louis Amundson; put themselves in a position to overcome their halftime deficit, and defeated the Jazz.

As I watched the first quarter; I was awe struck with how well Paul Milsap was playing. He played as though he was a man possessed; like Jack Nicholson in The Shining, minus the murderous tendencies of course. Paul fueled the Jazz to a seven point lead, while contributing eight points, two rebounds, two dimes, one blocked shot; and a biggie size drink and fries.

At the end of the first quarter I scribbled some notes; among which was that Philly was not impressive yet. Oh, how those words would come back to haunt me; a little psychic foreshadowing; (whispering) I see unavoidable losses.

In the second quarter, the 76ers began to become a little more aggressive; and also began hitting a few more shots. As the 76ers began to work themselves back into the game; the Jazz continued to be careless with the ball. My unofficial statistics had them at nine turnovers at half; with at least three notations in my notes where I marked bad pass, on which the ball knocked out of bounds or marked as a turnover. The Jazz survived the careless ball handling; and took a 45 – 37 lead into halftime.

The third quarter; was an entirely different 76ers team. It was apparent from the get go that the 76ers were going to come out attacking. In my notes, I talked about how the 76ers came out aggressive, and the only reason the Jazz were staying in the game was their ability to make shots while drawing fouls.

The sixers stayed aggressive, and rode on the backs of Jason Smith and John Cox. Jason Smith went off in the quarter making five of six baskets, as well as three of three from the line. At one point the 76ers went to him on three straight possessions in which he scored seven points for the team. Meanwhile John Cox went three for four; while hitting 2 for 2 behind the arch. The two combined for 19 points in the quarter; and helped the 76ers outscor the Jazz by thirteen; which gave them a 70-65 lead heading into the fourth.

Even with the lead, the 76ers didn’t let up in the fourth quarter, opening the final period with a 9 – 1 run extending the lead to 80 – 66. The 76ers ended with six players in double figures; John Cox lead the way with 20 points which was scored on 7 of 11 shooting and 4 for 4 beyond the arch. Louis Amundson, former Jazz man poured in 15 points and grabbed 15 rebounds; while getting to the stripe 11 times in the game. Six out of the nine players who saw playing time in the game shot better than 50% from the field; and as a team they shot 69% from beyond the arch.

All 15 Jazz players played in the game, each scoring at least one point; Morris Almond lead the group with 13 points on 5 of 8 shooting. Paul Milsap turned in another impressive performance with 12 points, four rebounds, and one blocked shot; unfortunately for the Jazz, he was plagued with foul trouble most of the night.

The Jazz turned the ball over frequently during the game losing it 17 times, leading to 19 sixer points. On the other side of the ball, Philadelphia turned the ball over only nine times; which netted the Jazz six points.

A Little Deeper:

As with the game one summary, I want to provide the readers of tUtah Jazz Fan Addicts a little deeper look at the game. The statistics here aren’t ones you’ll find in any box score; but are used by many in the league to get a better sense for the game. The terms are explained here, RMR Game 1

Click on picture to enlarge

There are a couple of things here that interest me. First, Louis Amundson was out of control in this game; I have never seen efficiency above 1; so for him to have a 1.19 is amazing. The way that Larry Miller has described the efficiency statistic, and I'm paraphrasing, is that a .50 or better is super-star, .35 - .50 is all-star, .25 - .35 is a good player. Not a bad night for Louis then; but take it for what it worth, I’m sure had Louis played more minutes his efficiencey would have gone down.

Second, the Jazz had multiple players with high offensive ratings; which is points divided by possession then multiplied by 100; really this stat is just points per 100 possessions. I found it odd how many players for the Jazz were in triple digits here; but had low efficiencies. This is mostly due to these players having few possessions but taking full advantage by scoring on those possessions. The only player who might have been able to maintain his rating is Paul Milsap.

Unlike the previous game; in which the Jazz and Atlanta had very similar team statistics; the 76ers clearly dominated the team statistics. They had four more scoring possessions; were more efficient in scoring on their possession as indicated by their floor percentage; and received high quality contributions from five players. Although it is hard to determine; you could make an argument that Philadelphia was able to do so well; because it left its high efficiency players in the game. Conversly, the Jazz made several substitutions; which in many cases brought in players who were less efficient than those they replaced.

Will be back shortly with a game three summary. FYI, expect game four on Thursday. I will be in attendance for Tuesday’s game; and won’t be taking furious notes and tracking as usual and will need time to review it on the DVR.

Rocky Mountain Review – Game 1- Atlanta Hawks vs. Utah Jazz Game Summary

On the first night of the Rocky Mountain Review fans were treated to an Almond Joy; and one very exciting game. The game featured 13 lead changes; the teams were tied 12 times; and both teams enjoyed a last second shot. Luckily for the Utah Jazz, theirs occurred with a little under five seconds to go.

Dropping behind after the tip; the Jazz responded with an alley-oop from Dee Brown to Ronnie Brewer that ignited the arena. The Jazz and Hawks fought back and forth throughout the first quarter; with the Jazz taking a slight lead into the end of the quarter at 18 to 16.

However, the Hawks did their best to fight back in the second quarter, and turned things over to the third overall selection in this years draft, Al Horford. Horford ended the night leading all other scorers with 18 points on six of twelve shooting. However, it Jamirus Jackson of the Hawks that infuriated the home team crowd with a buzzer beating shot at the end of the quarter to send the game into halftime tied at thirty-three

The second half featured the same up and down battling as the first half; and unfortunately, the intermission did nothing to rectify the plethora of fouls and turnovers that had marred the first half. For the game the Jazz committed 21 turnovers that lead to twenty-six points for the Hawks, while the Hawks only committed 16 turnovers and allowed only 16 points on those turnovers.

At the start of the fourth quarter the Jazz held on tightly to a one point lead; which would come in handy with about 5.9 seconds left. With 11.7 seconds the Hawks inbounded the ball to Acie Law the IV. Time quickly dwindled as the Hawks put the ball into the hands of Shelden Williams who was able to score and draw a foul on Milsap.

Following the free throw, the Jazz trailed the Hawks 63 to 62 with 5.9 seconds left. Coach Ty Corbin drew the play for new Jazz man, Morris Almond. Almond wrapped around a screen on the inbound play and got the shot off; as the ball eeked it’s way toward the hoop; it was noticeably short. Luckily for the Jazz; on this night the Jazz didn’t feel like a nut; Paul Milsap ripped down the rebound and quickly put it back up for a score and foul. Milsap missed the subsequent free throw, but by the time the Hawks were able to control the rebound; there was only enough time for a heave from the opposite side of the arena. The final score Utah Jazz 64; Atlanta Hawks 63, giving the Jazz their first victory of the Rocky Mountain Review.

In his first game as a Jazz man, Morris Almond scored twelve points on six of fourteen shooting; in addition he grabbed three rebounds and one assist. Other players of note; Kyrylo Fesenko also had his first game as a Jazz man in which he blocked three shots, grabbed one rebound, and harassed several others. Paul Milsap filled his stat sheet nicely, scoring twelve points on five of six shooting, grabbing nine rebounds, two assists; and four blocks.

For all the games stats you can go to this page http://www.nba.com/jazz/Revue/2007_Rocky_Mountain_Revue_Schedule.html; which is providing recaps and stats for the games; that’s only if you don’t like mine.

As an added bonus for readers of Utah Jazz Fan Addicts; I have taken the time to include a few other statistics that I think are interesting. The stats are calculated using formulas outlined in the book Basketball on Paper by Dean Oliver, http://www.basketballonpaper.com/. The statistics included provide a little more insight into the game that we all love an follow. A brief description of the statistics are included below:

1. Possession – Period between one team gaining control of the ball and the other.
2. Scoring Possession – A possession in which the team scores at least one point.
3. Floor Percentage – Fraction of a team’s or individual’s possession on which there is a scoring possession.
4. Offensive Rating – Points produced per 100 possessions.
5. Efficiency – As it is used here; it is based upon the Jazz’s formula for calculating how efficient a player is. Incorporates all the positives and negatives a player contributes divided by minutes played to provide an assessment of their overall capabilities.
6. % Team Possessions – Percentage amount the player uses of the team possession.

Click on picture to expand


Basketball is a game of back and forth, back and forth; so it should come as no surprise that in this game each team had the same amount of possessions. In addition, each team shot relatively the same amount; as well as scored about the same 64 – 63; which is why the scoring possessions and floor percentage were about the same. The offensive rating of 86 for each indicates that if the game would have gone to 100 possession each team would have scored approximately 86 points. Finally, efficiency is giving us an indication of each players approximate value; think of John Hollinger’s per calculation for ESPN, or a batting average in baseball. Percent of team possessions is interesting; but is more useful when used with efficiency statistics; as it indicates whether the player who is using the most possessions is also bringing the greatest returns for the team.

In this game, both Rafael Araujo and Morris Almond dominated possessions, and both were somewhat efficient in their use of the ball. Araujo’s numbers were aided by his ability to make shots at a 66% clip; and grabbing six rebounds. On the other hand, Almond’s scoring drove his numbers; but his less than 50% shooting hurt him.

What’s interesting about this game is that the players with the highest efficiencies used low amounts of the team’s possessions. In this case Paul Milsap and Matt Lojeski were both highly efficient; Milsap scored twelve points on five of six shooting and two from two from the line, he grabbed nine rebounds, and had four blocks. Lojeski’s efficiency was primarily from scoring. I enjoy looking at games this way; as it gives you a different perspective of what truly went on in the game.

Be back later with the wrap up of game 2 and game 3.

Morris Peterson and other possible Utah Jazz Free Agents; Part III – Centers

On Friday night I flew out to Tucson, laptop in hand with the absolute intention of writing an outstanding blog about the available centers. I had done the same research as with the other positions I had already blogged about; and was confident that it would be a decent blog. The only problem that I foresaw was there weren't as many available big men as there had been at shooting guard or point guard. Nevertheless; I was willing to put out the blog and give my two cents.

For some reason, by the time I reached Tuscon I was a little hungry; and ready to stretch the legs a little. My co-worker and I decided to grab a bite to eat; and then see what Tuscon had to offer, which turned out to not be much. Neither of us wanting to return to the hotel decided that we would go catch a movie and then call it a night. Trust me this is going somewhere. Anyway, the movie ended, we went back to the Hotel; I wrote the blog, and was ready to crash since I was staring at 2 in the morning.

The alarm went off bright and early at six; and I decided to log into the Hotel's wireless Internet; thinking like most Hotel's that this would be an option. Apparently, at the JW Marriott in Tuscon; it's $12.99 a day to do this. GULP!!! Apparently they charge this much in order to maintain the Golf Course.

I fought with myself internally for a few minutes about whether or not the blog was really worth $12.99 or not. In the end, I decided it wasn't; since I pay less than that monthly now; I decided that it could wait until Sunday when I got back home.

Well somewhere in between then and now; the entire article has blown up. Not in the I lost all of my data sense; but in the "There was only two good players to talk about; and now they have signed" sense. The whole blog was going to focus on Mikki Moore and Jamal Magloire; of course I was going to cover some of the lesser known names, but it was eventually going to come down to a choice between Mikki and Jamal.

Unfortunately, as some of you may know; they are no longer available. Mikki agreed to contract terms with the Kings for 3 years and $18 million dollars; while Jamal was not interested in going to Utah without a starters role; even though we were offering a two year deal instead of the one year deal he's looking at.

Where does that leave us Jazz fans?

I thought about this; and decided there is really only one clear answer...Fesenko!

Before I left on my trip, I set the DVR to record the Rocky Mountain Review for a couple of reasons. First; I'm a psycho and totally addicted to basketball; so any chance to watch basketball I get I do it. Second, I plan on putting out game summary articles for all the games; which will be coming soon.

As I watching the game and doing my best to transcribe the game; I noticed how well Fez seems to move. I'm use to watching our seven footers plod down the gym; and set up shop at the bottom of the key waiting to engage their respective offensive players. What I saw from Fez, was a player that was showing well on screens, blocking shots (3 in the first game; all with in about a ten minute span; going aggressively at rebounds; and what may be the best sign, a player that was playing with passion.

That last part is what truly stood out to me. Fez was working as hard as I have ever seen a player work; when rebounding it was as though his life depended on it. He played defense with an intent to not let the other person score. I know that last sentence sounds weird, because that's what a player is suppose to do, but this kid made you feel it.

I'm not saying that there aren't limitations on his game, because there were some holes that stood out. His conditioning is not where Sloan would want it to be; which was noticeable on a few plays where it looked as though he was laboring to get back down the court. His free throw shot is lacking some mechanics; he is not bending his knees enough, not lifting up on his release; and looks as though he is lacking concentration. The lack of concentration looks as though it may be caused by lack of routine; it may have been bad camera work, but it seemed as though he was really rushing the free throws. Finally, his offensive game needs a little work; which I believe will come if he pours as much passion into that as he does his defensive skills.

The Fez bandwagon has pulled into the station; and I'm hoping on baby.

In case you are wondering here are the potential centers that are still available:

- Rafael Araujo
- Earl Barron
- Calvin Booth
- Andre Brown
- Pat Burke
- Dale Davis
- Paul Davis
- Alonzo Mourning
- Michael Olowokandi
- Scott Pollard
- Jared Reiner
- Jamal Sampson
- Luke Schenscher
- Jake Voshkul

Morris Peterson and other possible Utah Jazz Free Agents; Part II – The Shooting Guards

I’m going to be honest with you Jazz fans, the options that we have at shooting guard aren’t that great; however a few could do what we need. Which if you haven’t heard by now is hit an open shot and play some perimeter defense. By the time you exclude free agents that have already signed, or players that are on the Jerry Sloan all-star rejects list there’s not a lot left.

To appease the masses I will unveil my potential list; fyi Doug Stats (http://www.dougstats.com/) has Mo’ Pete listed as a Small Forward but I went ahead an included him here.

And now on to the show my friends.

Level I – Elite Eight

Because Derek Fisher was our starting shooting guard last season, I have used him in the comparisons; however I don’t like this as Derek is more of a point guard so it may skew the results a little. With that said, I have not limited the free agents based on age or minutes played; only based on their overall comparisons to Derek Fisher. The following players were better or equal to Derek Fisher in eight of thirteen statistical categories. The list follows alphabetically:

Kelenna Azubuike –

Azubuike played 670 minutes for the Golden State Warriors last year, which included playing time in 41 games; and nine starts. He shot approximately 45% from inside the arch, and 43% from behind. Which makes sense with Nellie’s run and gun style. Azubuile also gathered twenty-two steals and ten blocks at only 6’5”.

The bad, Azubuike gave up thirty-nine turnover to twenty-eight assists, which gives him a .71 assist to turnover rate. Asubuike is also a restricted free agent this year; which allows Golden State to match any offer that he is given. I expect them to counter any offer that he may receive.

But it would be cool to have Fez and Az on the same team.

Eddie House –

What’s not to like about a 6’1” shooting guard? And why every time that I see his name spelled out do I think the TV show House, and picture our shooting guard walking around with a cane.

Eddie actually has some pretty solid stats; he shot 43% from inside and outside the arch, as well as 92% from the free throw line. He had solid assist to turnover numbers coming in about 2.5 to 1, and he was able to grab 92 boards.

But, and that’s a big but. He is twenty-nine years old and has already played on seven teams in seven years as a pro. I imagine that the better years for House are behind him; and given his vertically challenged stature; I personally wouldn’t look to sign him.

Mickael Pietrus –

The Warriors have Pietrus, Azubuike, and Bellinelli at the two guard spot; the prior two are both restricted free agents this year; so which one is the likely one to leave. My feeling is that it’s Azubuike; but I could be wrong. Pietrus has some decent stats, but I’m not feeling any type of a man crush toward him. Let’s hope that he stays in Golden State, by the way his picture looks an awful lot like Dikembe.

Morris Peterson –

Wow, Morris ended up in the Level I group; the way that worked out was almost like I rigged it or something. Seriously, though it wasn’t tweaked in anyway to reflect that the Jazz should highly consider Morris Peterson.

Let’s give a good thorough breakdown on Peterson since in about two days he will be a member of the Jazz, or as soon as he and his agent realize that no one is going to give him a five year deal. First, all of Peterson’s numbers for shooting were better than Fisher’s he had a true and effective field goal percentage above 53%, which is phenomenal. In addition, though some have knocked Peterson, especially here on local radio; his defense statistically appears to be effective. Having solid numbers in the blocks per personal foul and steals per personal foul categories.

There are however, a few downfalls to Morris’ game. First, from the categories evaluated he was toward the bottom for assists per game, he was last in number of assists to field goals attempted; and was only middle of the pack in assists to turnovers.

On top of that; of all the players analyzed, Morris had the highest three point attempts per field goals attempted of any other player. More than half of all his shots were from behind the arch, something likely to not bode well with Jerry Sloan who preaches layups first and jump shots second.

The last knock on his game is whether or not he plays aggressive enough offensively for the Jazz system; Fisher averaged almost half a free throw attempt for every field goal attempt. Morris on the other hand only averaged a little less than a quarter of an attempt for every field goal, only four players were lower statistically.

Away from his game, the biggest downfall of Morris is his contractual demands; he and his agent are asking for 5 years and $32 million. Gulp!!!

I’ll let Veronica Corningstone from Anchorman sum up my feelings about Peterson. “Oh Ron” ahem Morris, “there are literally thousands of other men that I should be with instead, but I am 72 percent sure that I love you.”

Level II –

I was going to spend a lot of time giving nice synopsis about the players here; but I think I ‘m going to give you a couple of highlights about them and leave you with this thought. Not one of them would be an upgrade, in my humble opinion; over any of our current players.

Dermarr Johnson -

I could pass Dermarr on the street and never know it. Like Mo’ Pete, Dermarr has never seen a three pointer that he didn’t like. From the statistical analysis point of view, the only bright side to Dermarr is that he plays better defense than Derek Fisher. However, I’m a little concerned that New Orleans is more interested in trying to sign Mo’ Pete than resigning this guy. This screams Lindsay Lohan type issues to me.

Dahntay Jones –

I wouldn’t mind too much if the Jazz made a move here. Dahntay is an ex-Dukie, who played along side Boozer. For years Jazz fans have talked about how great it would be to sign Corey Maggette; well one of the best aspects of Dahntay’s games is his ability to get to the line a la Corey Maggette. He went to the free throw line .38 times per field goal try. Of all the free agents included in the list; his was the highest; and while at the line he knocks down approximately 80% of his shots.

Dahntay has good shooting percentages knocking down 48% inside the arch and 42% outside. He looks to be a little turnover prone but that’s the knock on Morris Almond as well. I think this would be a great piece, and I think we could get him for Giricek type money or possible less..

Tarance Kinsey –

Another Memphis shooting guard that is available. Tarance shots the ball almost as well as Dahntay from inside the arch, but from outside he is terrible. Let’s put it this way, Araujo’s career three point percentage is only three hundredths worse than Tarance’s.

The positive about Tarance is that he plays really good defense. He had the highest steals per game of the group; and the numbers held up when you looked at steals per personal foul; which he was almost at one steal per personal foul. I would liken Tarance to Ronnie Brewer; probably a good slasher; gets easy point near the basket, but his shot isn’t anything to write home about. Personally I would rather just stick with Ronnie.

Desmond Mason –

Desmond Mason, played and started 75 games last year, shot the ball 900 times, not one of those were a three pointer. His free throw percentage was only 66%, and had more turnovers than assists. Oh by the way, he made eight plus million dollars last year. Mo’ Pete will be a much better bargain for the Hornets, but man this kid can score with style.

“And that’s all I got to say about that.”

Level III –

Unlike the Point Guards the players here seem to have a more potential to turn into something special.

C.J. Miles –

The guy has enough Tremendous Upside Potential that if he would have gone to college Dick Vitale would have blown two arteries talking about him on draft night. Unfortunately for C.J. and the Jazz, he opted out of college; and has now spent more time in the Jerry Sloan doghouse than Greg Ostertag. To top things off, C.J. opted to not participate in the Rocky Mountain Review this summer; which made Jerry a little less than happy. http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,685192661,00.html

Needless to say this isn’t going to bode well for C.J., if the Jazz chose to bring him back; which now does not seem like a fore gone conclusion. I’m not going to go into a lot of detail about C.J. we all know what he is capable of; it’s whether he will get the Deshawn treatment or not that keeps us fans on pins and needles.

Donnell Taylor –

Let’s face it, at the end of the list is not a good place to be. Donnell may turn in to a nice backup someday; but he doesn’t address any needs that we have right now.

Summary:

There you have it Jazz fans two or three potential shooting guards that could fill the Jazz needs. At this point I don’t think we will see C.J. in a Jazz uniform next season; and anticipate that the starting line up will be Giricek, Brewer, and Almond. For those of you ga-ga over Mo’ Pete; I ask that you help me start a sign Dahntay Jones petition and save our cap space for another big man.

Stay tuned the big man update is coming soon.

Free Agents Excluded:
- Vince Carter
- Matt Carroll
- Devin Brown
- Jerry Stackhouse
- DeShawn Stevenson

Morris Peterson and other possible Utah Jazz Free Agents - Part I - The Point Guards

As of midnight Derek Fisher is no longer a part of the Utah Jazz; which means we are down to one point guard. With that being said, let’s take a look at perspective Point Guards that could spell Deron for ten to twelve minutes a game; and still keep us competitive.

For a little background, I have excluded free agent point guards who played over two thousand minutes this past season as they are likely to be looking for starter minutes. In addition, no point guard over the age of thirty is included in the list; I’m trying to narrow the field to point guards that would be in their prime. Finally, I compared the free agents to Deron Williams in 10 statistical categories; and gave each free agent a point for being statistically better or equal to Deron.

Obviously, this presents some challenges as the players on the list would not have played as much as Deron did last year. I would have taken the time to weight the categories a little better in order to compensate for this, but I wanted to get these articles out prior to the Rocky Mountain Review; which I will be covering next week.

Please note the list only includes players who have not come to terms with another team.
And for those of you who are truly interested I have included the list of statistical comparisons at the bottom, with a brief description of each.

Level I –

Players included in this list have stats that are comparable to Deron Williams in at least 5 categories, in addition each of them played at least 400 minutes for their respective teams. They are in alphabetical order below:

Hassan Adams –

Last year Hassan played 505 minutes for the New Jersey Nets, he played in sixty-one games and of those had eight starts. For the season he shot approximately 55% from the field. Hassan is a big point at 6’4” and about two hundred and twenty pounds; and had the opportunity to learn from Jason Kidd for a year.

On the down side, Hassan committed 22 turnovers and only had 13 assists; he shot only 67% from the free throw line, and missed his one and only three pointer taken. I am assuming most of these would be corrected by more playing time as well as more experience.

Dee Brown –

The next player is one that we are all accustomed with as he played for our Utah Jazz last year. Dee Brown is a all about speed, and as Eleanor Roosevelt is quoted as saying “America is all about speed. Hot, Nasty, Bad-a** speed". Dee was able to play 451 minutes last season for the Jazz, although none of the minutes came as a starter. Dee’s ability to run at break neck pace allowed him to gather twenty-two steals last season. In addition, he tossed 83 dimes, and only had 31 turnovers, giving him the highest assist to turnover ratio of the level on players. Dee is intriguing for a couple of reasons; first he has had a year in the system which should make him better prepared to run the offense next year. Second, Dee and Deron have a friendship that runs deeper than just their time together in a Jazz uniform; and re-signing Dee may help in negotiations with Deron; and let’s face it everyone needs a good wingman.

On the negative side, Dee is significantly smaller than Deron, ESPN states he is six foot, but appears maybe closer to 5’10” or 5”’11”. I’m 6’2” and ran in to him at Café Rio, which by the way is an excellent spot to run into Jazz players, and I was much taller. Though I don’t think it’s typical of what we can expect from Dee, he has had a very poor shooting season, shooting roughly 33% from inside the arch, and only 21% from behind. He seemed to improve as the season continued, at least in my eyes; which would make sense since reports started to come in that he had been working on his shot.

At this point the Jazz have tendered an offer to Dee, making him a restricted free agent, and I fully expect the Jazz to match any offer within reason. Dee has considerable upside when you consider he received the Bob Cousy award in college for being the nation’s best point guard; given playing time I think we will see the Dee Brown that electrified Illinois basketball his Junior year.

Mike Wilks –

For the 06-07 season Mike played 539 minutes for the Seattle Supersonics. From a maturity standpoint, Mike is head shoulders above the other two on the list; he just completed his fifth NBA season with his sixth team. Wilks played in forty-seven games last year and was able to start four of those contests. He shot approximately 47% from inside the arch, while managing 33% beyond it. He has a solid assist to turnover ratio of 2.5 to 1, which is just slightly below Dee Browns. Wilks also shows some accuracy at the free throw line where he averaged approximately 79% last year.

So what are the down falls to Wilks? Like Brown he is short, ESPN has him listed at 5’10” and about 180 pounds; which if accurate; he would be the shortest out of this group. The stats aren’t impressive when it comes to steals, which could mean that he has slow foot speed for a small guy; or really short arms. Either option isn’t too appealing. The last problem with Wilks is his age; he is already 28; which means he may have already peaked as a player.

Level II –

The players in the Level II category were comparable in at least 3 statistical areas. The players, with the exception of Will Blalock, all logged at least 300 minutes of playing time as well. In alphabetical order they are:

Will Blalock –

In his rookie season with Detroit last year, Will was able to play in fourteen games. During which he compiled a list of statistics that weren’t all too impressive. His shooting was non-existent to the tune 30% inside the arch, and 20% outside. He had approximately 1.5 assists per turnover, and had only five steals. Don’t worry too much Jazz fans it’s not likely that Mr. Blalcok will have a Jazz uni on any time soon, but if he does we all need to sign a petition that allows us to call him Mookie. I really miss that guy!

Daniel Ewing –

Last year Ewing played 716 minutes for the Los Angeles Clippers last year, and started in three games. He shot approximately 40% from inside the arch and about 32% from behind the arch, and averaged a little shy of 2 assists per turnover. This could be an interesting target for the Jazz; however with the Sam (I am a Martian) Cassel starting to draw on his social security, and Shaun Livingston’s knee doing it’s best Bo Jackson impersonation, look for the Clippers to resign Ewing.

Royal Ivey –

With a name like Royal he must be good. Ivey has played 188 games for the Atlanta Hawks, and has started in 89 of those affairs; which really means that he has started 89 games for a junior varsity squad. His shooting percentages are okay, free throw percentage is a little low for a guard, 69%; but may not be a terrible pick. With his size he may be able to play a combo guard role in smaller lineups; Royal stands about 6’4” and 215 pounds. I don’t see Royal sticking with team, since the Hawks drafted Acie Law IV this year and have Salim Stoudamire already on the team, Royal may be looking at a job as a third stringer. I would expect him to look for locations that are likely going to give him a backup role; which may rule out the Jazz.

John Lucas

Let’s just say ESPN doesn’t even have a picture of him.


Keith McLeod –

Now here is a name we all know. Keith played in 48 games last year and started in 9. As a Jazzman he played in 119 games and started 79 times. Keith is not necessarily the best shooter coming in below 40% from both inside and outside the arch. He is a very good free throw shooter hovering around 88%. His assist to turnover ratios are approximately 2 to 1. Statistically his best years were with Utah; however his minutes were also up then.

The best part about Keith is his familiarity with the system; which would allow him to step in and help the Jazz right away. The bad part about Keith is that he is likely going to demand more money than the other’s listed above; his salary last year was about $1.3 million. In addition, by next year he will be twenty-eight and may be looking at some declining years ahead. Although maybe it’s true what they say "Senior citizens, although slow and dangerous behind the wheel, can still serve a purpose"

If the Jazz do sign McLeod look for Dee Brown to accept an offer to play elsewhere. McLeod will likely be the number two guard in Jerry’s rotation; and I’m not sure that Dee is looking to play third fiddle anymore.

Ronnie Price –

Another name on the list that many people may be familiar with. Ronnie played college ball at Utah Valley State College. Ronnie played in 58 games for the Kings and only had one start. Ronnie is probably closer to being a back-up than a third string guy; but it would be nice to see him in a Jazz uni. At least that way we can avoid him dunking on Boozer again.

As for me; I am not going to hold my breath. The Kings like many of the teams with these free agents are short quality point guards; and will likely work to keep their players.

Chris Quinn –

Quinn’s picture on ESPN is somewhat of a cross between frightened school boy and homicidal manic mug shot. Do with that what you will. With Miami looking like they have some serious interest in Mo Williams, it’s only a matter of time until Quinn is released. I expect Miami to bring the Glove back this off-season as well, which would give them a three point guard tandem of Williams, Williams, and GP.

As for stats, Quinn had a shooting percentage of 36% from inside the arch, but shot 35% from behind hitting 20-57. He has a 3.1 assist to turnover ratio, and played a total of 410 minutes in 42 games, while collecting one start.

At a salary of a little over $410,000 last year Quinn is likely a guy the Jazz could add to the roster with very little cost.

Level III and beyond

This is a group dedicated to the future Euro league ballers or the FEBs. There are a couple of names in here that may have some sticking power; they are marked with an astericks. The rest you are not likely to ever hear mentioned again. As such, there will be no synopsis here on out.

- Jose Barera*
- Junior Harrington
- Darrick Martin
- Roger Mason
- Jeff McInnis*
- Jannero Pargo*

Summary:

I expect the Jazz will add at least one player from this list during the off-season, and if it were up to me it would be Dee Brown. However, I have heard mentioned from Larry H. that the Jazz would like to carry three Point Guards. The most obvious solution seems to be give up a two guard, which we currently have three (possibility of four if C.J. resigns); and try to bring in a veteran point to help Dee along. I fully expect the Jazz to do this; and feel that it will most likely be Gordan Giricek who gets shipped. If that is the case, I would hope the Jazz will at least make an attempt to get a pick along with the player as Gordan’s expiring contract does have some value.

The Statistical Comparison List:
- Point Per Possession – Ratio of points scored by the player to possessions used. Measurement of efficiency.
- True Shooting Percentage – Developed by John Hollinger; measurement of a players scoring efficiency.
- Effective Field Goal Percentage – Developed by Mike Dunleavy; measurement of a players shooting efficiency, while adjusting for the difference between a two point and three point shot.
- Free Throw Attempts per Field Goal Attempt – Free throws taken by a player per field goal attempted; measurement of a players aggressiveness.
- Assist to Field Goals – Defined in the name; provides a measurement of who well a player sets up teammates relative to their scoring ability.
- Assist to Turn Over – Defined in the name – Efficiency measurement of how well a player takes care of the ball.
- Steals per Game – Defined in the name – Measurement of how well a player may play defense. - Steals per Personal Foul – Defined in name – Measures players’ ability to steal the ball.
- Blocks and Steals per Personal Foul – Defined in Name – May provide insight on a player’s ability to play aggressive defense without fouling.

Jazz Draft Report Card

Well, the Draft has come and gone; and we are moving into the NBA’s version of a garage sale better known as free agency. Yes it’s that special time of year where players that missed forty games last year will get four year twenty-five million dollar contracts. However, before teams get carried away opening up the coffers, let’s take a moment and review how each team did revitalizing their franchises with the draft.

Since this is first and foremost a Utah Jazz blog, we’ll let them lead off, followed by the rest of the NBA in alphabetical order. You may want to take a moment and familiarize yourself with my grading criteria in the Text Box to the right.

Utah Jazz "B+"
1st Round: Morris Almond
2nd Round: Kyrylo Fesenko

With this pick the Jazz draft history ends up looking like the Hawks draft history only substituting guards for forwards, which if you are keeping track of at home would have put us up to five had Fisher not retired.

With the situation I find myself vexed as to who I should cheer for. If I cheer for Morris I feel like Maverick moving on to a new wingman after Goose dies in Top Gun. It just feels like I need to have more loyalty to the vetrans, don't I?

Regardless, I think Morris at some point will be a starter for this team and will be a solid contributor; however with Boozer, Deron, and Memo I don’t see him as much more than serving a role on this team. In other words, will drop 10-15 points a game; but Deron and Booz will be getting all the All-Star nods.

By the way, at some point don’t you think one of these guys is going to turn into Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite? “If only coach would have put me in, we would have taken state.” Right now my money is on Giricek; all he needs is the moustache.

In addition to Almond, the Utah Jazz also drafted Fesenko in the second round, who I am personally very excited about. This is a solid pick of an athletic seven footer who could develop into the shot blocking/rebounding center that we have been looking for. I’m all over this pick like Kip was into gold jewelry after meeting LaFawnda. That’s right two Napoleon Dynamite reference in one evaluation of the Jazz Draft. What more can you ask for?

Atlanta Hawks "A"
1st Round: Al Horford; Acie Law IV
2nd Round: None

Al Horford will be a star on this team. Right now he has more potential and a better NBA ready game then the previous forward picks that the Hawks have gone through. However, I think the Hawks missed the boat by not landing Amare Stoudamire.

Amare would have made them a playoff team immediately and would have sold a ton of the new Hawks jerseys. I'm not going to totally kill the Hawks for this though, Stoudamire does have a huge I’m the man complex.

In the long run I think the Hawks get a slightly less skilled Amare, hopefully without the baggage.

As for Acie Law IV; he fills a need for a point guard, and is the best choice that they have for that position right now.

Boston Celtics "B"/ Danny Ainge "F"
1st Round: None
2nd Round: Gabe Pruitt; Glen “Big Baby” Davis

The pick of Big Baby here may possibly be the steal of the draft a la Paul Milsap for the Jazz last year. However, that’s going to depend on whether or not Davis can shed the pounds and go from double quarter pounder to a single. This was the same issue that many had with Deron Williams coming out of college. Deron like Big Baby placed a lot of blame on his diet; which Deron has been able to get under control; the jury is still out on Big Baby.

As for Danny Ainge, the single biggest blunder of the night was trading the number five pick for Ray Allen. I realize that Paul Pierce was posturing to get some help; but at the sake of cap space it hardly seems worth it. Ray Allen is nowhere near as athletic as he once was; and is going to be a shooter. Paul Pierce is nowhere near as athletic as he once was and wants to be a shooter. You now have two guys that want to shoot twenty footers instead of going to the hoop. I would have loved to see Danny, if he was going to move the pick anyway; trade with the Clippers for someone like Maggette. This would have allowed Pierce to shot and for Maggette to be the attacker that he is.

Charlotte Bobcats "D+"
1st Round: Jared Dudley
2nd Round: Jermareo Davidson

I’m not sure what to say about the Bobcats; Jordan stinks as an executive. I’m not sure if the sun is getting to him on the golf course; or if he just has too business ventures that keep him from running this team effectively. In either case, he is doing a terrible job in Charlotte.

Jason Richardson is a good player; but he doesn’t strengthen your team from a shooting perspective, he takes a huge chunk out of your cap; and he is on the back side of his career. I don’t see how trading away your pick of Brandan Wright for Jason Richardson was a good move.

As for the other two…I’ve had trips to the dentist that were more exciting.

Chicago Bulls "C"
1st Round: Joakim Noah
2nd Round: Aaron Gray; JamesOn Curry

I like the pick by the Bulls; because I like Joakim Noah; however I’m not sold that this is the right team for him. To me this pick feels like Steve Carrell in Evan Almighty, sure he’s funny and can carry the movie, but is it the right one for him. I think Joakim would have been fantastic on a team like the Suns. It fits his skills, rebounding, blocking shots, high motor; and would help the Suns, not that I want to.

In addition, the Bulls picking Joakim here feels like they have duplicated efforts with what they get with Ben Wallace, which is an undersized, high energy, offensively weak center. The argument could be made that the Bulls could move Wallace; but his contract is mighty big, and it was his dream to be in Chicago. I think Joakim will be on the pine for a while; and my guess would be that he gets moved before Wallace because of Ben’s contract.

Cleveland Cavaliers "F"
1st Round: None
2nd Round: None

The Cavaliers receive one of the two "F’s" of the draft. They have two free agents in Anderson Varaejo and Sasha Pavalovic that were instrumental to their finals run that they may not be able to re-sign because of cap restrictions. Those same cap restrictions will keep them from being active in Free Agency, and to top things off they had no draft picks this year. This could be a very damaging off-season for the Cavs; who still have to live with worry that LeBron will opt out in three years.

Dallas Mavericks "D"
1st Round: None
2nd Round: Nick Fazekas; Reyshawn Terry; Renaldas Seibutis

Here’s the story for Dallas, it looks like Nick Fazekas is going to be the only one likely to even play at American Airlines arena. Fazekas is an excellent shooter for a big man. However, Dallas already has one of those in Dirk. Which is like saying would you rather drive an Audi or a Saturn?

Exactly!!!

Sure you may be okay with a Saturn as a rental car while the Audi is getting detailed; but secretly you’d be hoping that your friends didn’t see you; that you didn’t have any important client meetings; and at the end you would deny ever driving the Saturn. That ladies and gentlemen is Nick Fazekas; he’s a Saturn to an Audi driver.

Denver Nuggets "F"
1st Round: None
2nd Round: None

Here’s the second “F” of the draft, and this comes under similar circumstances. The Nuggets are staring at one of the largest payrolls outside of New York with Iverson, Nene, Anthony, and Martin.

Martin?

As in Kenyon Martin, you know the guy who signed a ridiculous $60+ million dollar contract with your team; and has only played 138 out of 246 regular season games for the team, in three years.

Anyway, the Nuggets are severely limited in what they can do because of cap restrictions, and they were also without any draft pick this year. On top of that they are looking at the loss of their point guard to free agency. Like the Cavs, this team took a step back during the off-season so far.

Detroit Pistons "A"
1st Round: Rodney Stuckey; Aaron Afflalo
2nd Round: Sammy Mejia

I liked Detroit’s results here. They grab two solid players in the first round; which fit the style Detroit plays. If they can hold on to Billups without mortgaging the farm, and regain the heart that helped win the Championship the last time around; they will have put together a very nice off-season.

Golden State Warriors "A"
1st Round: Brandan Wright; Marco Belinelli
2nd Round: Stephen Lasme

Let’s sum up the Golden State Warriors moves this way:
- A potential all star forward - Cost #8 Pick
- A potential all star shooting guard – Cost #18 Pick
- Receiving a $10 million dollar trade exception by trading a declining shooting guard to one of the most inept General Managers in the league - Priceless!

There are some things that money can’t buy, for everything else there’s Eastern Conference GMs.

By the way Michael Jordan just signed on as official endorser of the 2007-08 Warriors.

Houston Rockets "D-"
1st Round: Aaron Brooks
2nd Round: Carl Landry; Brad Newley

My sum of the Aaron Brooks pick:
“I wish I was a little bit taller, I wish I was a baller, I wish I had a girl that looked good I would call her.”

At least the NBA contract will help with one of those. By the way, if the Rockets were smart they would have taken Big Baby Davis here. It would have been like having the Round Mound of Rebound all over again. Or as I like to dub it Chucky 2

Indiana Pacers "D-"
1st Round: None
2nd Round: Stanko Barac

“Stink, Stank, Stunk” – No Dr. Seuss was not referring to the Grinch when he wrote that line.

Los Angeles Clippers "C-"
1st Round: Al Thorton
2nd Round: Jared Jordan

At least he’s a young twenty-four. Get use to that line; you’re going to be hearing it every time Thorton steps on to the floor. Kind of like Matt Harpring’s football family or Okur’s money ball.

While we are here, can I just tell you how excited I am for the Jared Jordan pick? When the ESPN guys were talking about how he has small arms; for some reason all that kept popping into my head were the Umpa Loompas, and the line from Austin Powers about carnies:

“Carnies. Circus folk. Nomads, you know. Smell like cabbage. Small hands.”

It’s official Jared Jordan’s new nickname “Stubs”.

Los Angeles Lakers "B+"
1st Round: Javaris Crittenton
2nd Round: Sun Yue; Marc Gasol

Good draft for the Lakers, who we all know is truly the evil empire. By the way, does anyone else seem any resemblance between Kobe Bryant and Macaulay Culkin’s character in the Good Son? I’m just saying Kobe could go Sprewell on Kupchak.

Memphis Grizzlies "A"
1st Round: Mike Conley
2nd Round: None

This is an excellent pick by Jerry West; way to not sabotage a franchise on the way out. I think the Grizzlies did the right thing by not selling Gasol for pennies on the dollar; this team could be back to playoff form in a year or two.

Since, we now have two Mike’s on the Grizzlies, could one of them please change their last name to Concho? This really has to happen.

Miami Heat "C"
1st Round: Daequan Cook
2nd Round: None

If you were Daequan Cook you’d probably be feeling pretty good that Miami decided to trade for you. Until you realize by them letting you go to number twenty-one, instead of taking you at twenty with their pick, your salary was just cut by a couple hundred thousand. Ouch!!!

Milwaukee Bucks "A"
1st Round: Yi Jianlin
2nd Round: Ramon Sessions

Let’s face it; the Bucks did this in hopes of getting a package from someone else. Yi’s agent is already trying to move him; and I’m pretty sure that China is threatening some kind of embargo of imports if this doesn’t happen. At some point, one team is going to over pay for a seven foot Chinese guy who plays really good against chairs and janitors; and when that happens the Bucks are going to score. I’m just penciling them in for an "A" right now. It’s going to happen, just wait and see.

Minnesota Timberwolves "B"
1st Round: Corey Brewer
2nd Round: Chris Richard

Someone just go ahead and book a stay for KG at the Promises Rehab Center. Guaranteed by the end of this year Kevin’s going to need to join an AA group; I really hope he has a good therapist.

Wouldn’t this be awesome if this whole saga ended like the movie Anger Management? I can see it now, Kevin McHale has been screwing with KG to make him learn to love and appreciate the team. Then, just when KG can’t take any more; McHale goes on a wild and crazy spending and trading frenzy, which propels Minnesota into the eighth spot in the playoffs. On the shoulders of KG they make it all the way to the finals and win it all. That would be a really sweet ending.

Of course the more likely scenario is that this will play out like A Time to Kill, with Kevin Garnett playing the Samuel L. Jackson role; I think you know who Kevin McHale will be playing.

New Jersey Nets "B-"
1st Round: Sean Williams
2nd Round: None

As long as Sean Williams is in the league I am never going to get tired of making pot jokes about him. The great thing about this pick is you don’ t know if he is going to be Keon Clark or Lamar Odom; either way there’s going to be some doobie rolling. I just really wish Chris Farley was still around, so we could have a Matt Folley intervention with Sean.

New Orleans/Charlotte Hornets "C"
1st Round: Julian Wright
2nd Round: Adam Haluska

I don’t have anything to add to this one, Wright may be good; he’s a terrible shooter right now; not sure where that helps anyone out. Just ask Kirilenko.

New York Knicks "C+"
1st Round: Wilson Chandler
2nd Round: Demetris Nichols

Ah, the team that Spike Lee, I mean Isiah Thomas built; I like the trade for Zach Randolph; he’ll fit in good here.

By the way, I expect Derek Fisher to end up here or with the Nets when he’s finally had a chance to decide where his daughter will be able to receive the best treatment. I wish him and his family the best of luck at this time.

Orlando Magic "A"
1st Round: None
2nd Round: Milovan Rakovic

I originally had the Magic slated for a "D" minus; I figured I couldn’t give them an “F” since they had at least one pick. However, with ESPN reporting that Rashard Lewis has agreed to a max deal with the team, I think that calls for a bump up to an "A".

Besides. the Dwight Howard/Rashard Lewis tandem scares me; if they can conceivably get J.J. Reddick shooting like he was in college; they are going to be an extremely difficult team to beat next year.

By the way if you’re looking for an NBA team to jump on a bandwagon with; this may be the team for you. Lots of youth, good big in the middle, and they now have Stan Van Gundy as coach. Stan was really the impetus behind the Miami Heat championship run, too bad that Riley had to jab that knife so far in his back that it took a year to recover.

Philadelphia 76ers "B"
1st Round: Thaddeus Young; Jason Smith
2nd Round: Derrick Byars; Herbert Hill

Four picks, we have a Thad, Jason, Derrick, and Herb, sounds like a fun group doesn’t it? Not sure if that group sounds like basketball players or members of Mensa. If they could somehow get Spencer Hawes over from Sacramento they could have a lively debate about Political Issues, it's one of his favorite past time you know.

I’m sorry; bad form on my part. I really can’t beat the 76ers up here. They had some good picks, plus they let us have the 38th pick for Herbert Hill. Let’s just move on.

Phoenix Suns "D"
1st Round: Alando Tucker
2nd Round: D.J. Strawberry

The Suns really didn’t do much in the draft, picked up a few quality guys; but I’m knocking them down to a “D” for a couple of reasons. First, they couldn’t get the Garnett deal done; which it seems like they should have been able to give another piece up to finish this deal.

Second, Marion and Stoudamire’s names flew around so much; I’m sure they have enough frequent flyer miles to go to Europe. This puts new General Manager Steve Kerr in a very precarious situation; without a doubt he has to trade one of the two before the summer is out.

Then he has to convince the other that they never had any real intent of trading him. Good luck with that! If I’m Kerr; I have to let Marion go; his ego is so fragile that I’m not sure you could convince him that you wanted him at this point. Which is terrible news for the Suns, because I think Stoudamire is the one they would prefer to get rid of.

Back to the picks, I’ve decided that I'm excited about the Strawberry pick, if nothing else it may be good for some unintentional comedy. Couldn’t you see Daryl Strawberry getting out of the slammer in a few years and having the Ricky Bobby career day episode with D.J.?

Someone get Mark Brunett on the phone; this has all the makings of a reality show winner.

Portland Trailblazers "A+"
1st Round: Greg Oden; Rudy Fernandez; Petteri Koponen
2nd Round: Josh McRoberts; Taurean Green

There’s just too much talent here to not warrant an "A plus". Oden alone would have given this team an “A”, but then General Manager Kevin Pritchard and owner Paul Allen started toying around with everyone; and landed themselves a decent player in Fernandez who would have gone higher; if not for his terrible contract buy-out clause.

This team is like the exact opposite of Tom Cruise. They started with crazy and our now working back to normal with the potential for greatness. Meanwhile all the City of Portland can talk about is how this team is going to knock out winning season after winning season; kind of like how Cruise had five or six movies in a row that all grossed over $100 million.

As for Tom, well he was normal, hit greatness; and is pretty close to hitting the ceiling on crazy.

Sacramento Kings "C-"
1st Round: Spencer Hawes
2nd Round: None

There are times in life where you look back on the past and wonder what people were thinking such as: hammer pants, the mullet, spandex, etc. This pick is a lot like those things. Let’s move on.

San Antonio Spurs "A-"
1st Round: Tiago Splitter
2nd Round: Marcus Williams

I heard the other day that during the Spurs time on the clock it was the lowest rated period of an NBA draft ever. A lot of people complaining about how boring and predictable that the Spurs drafts have become; and that they liked the more up-tempo drafting of the Suns; and that if it wouldn’t have been for Portland buying the 24th pick that the Suns would have had a terrific draft.

Of course this was immediately refuted by draft experts and analysis who stated that fans just didn’t appreciate the draft process; and that the Spurs drafted the way a team is suppose to draft. They also stated that it was Phoenix’s fault; because after all they knew the rules, which are very black and white; and they should have known better than to sell the 24th pick.

Seattle Supersonics "A+"
1st Round: Kevin Durant; Jeff Green
2nd Round: None

I think I’ve covered the bases here, as I expressed my man crush for Kevin Durant in my draft diary. This team is solid 3 through 5, and Ridnour should have a little easier job now that he will be tossing the ball to Kevin Durant and Jeff Green.

I’m not a fan of Sczezerbiak, but I think the Sonics will be able to move him to another team before the end of the summer. By the way if you didn’t get to see one of the 10+ Kevin Durant commercials for NBA Live ’08 during the draft here’s a link just for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVaLX0wi5pY

Toronto Raptors "D-"
1st Round: None
2nd Round: Giorgos Printezis

They were originally going to be an “F”; however I like that they were able to sign Jason Kapono. Of course they over spent for him; but that’s what happens this time of year, plus they have to give him a little extra to make up for the 48% tax rate or whatever it is up there in Cananda.

Washington Wizard "B"
1st Round: Nick Young
2nd Round: Dominic McGuire

Okay pick. I think Arenas and Young duplicate a lot of the same role. I see Young being traded in a few years.

Thanks for hanging in there. Hopefully, you had a few chuckles here and there. I’ll be back in a few days to look at potential free agents the Jazz should target.

Gone Fishin'

There are days when the commute seems to last for two to three hours, and there are days when you wish the commute would take just a little longer; yesterday was the latter. As I drove home yesterday the local sports radio station interrupted to announce that the Utah Jazz had a big announcement to make. Instantly my mind began to race. I had to confirm with myself that they said "big" right. I mean this isn't that we have come to terms with Dee Brown. That's not to say that signing Dee Brown isn't big, but it certainly wouldn't cause the kind of commotion that I was hearing on the radio.

My mind darted from possible sign and trade of Giricek to the Raptors; or maybe a deal worked out with New Jersey to bring in Mikki Moore. Somewhere thoughts drifted toward a possible deal to move Andrei Kirilenko. Since his comments in the Russian papers; I've been expecting the Jazz to deal Kirilenko to whatever suitor would take him. During all of this, the Jazz remained no help, as the scheduled news conference failed to begin on time. To my disappointment, traffic seemed to move much faster than I wanted; and I soon found myself in my garage.

With some family matters to take care of, I had to abandon the radio; but not before I made sure that someone would call me the second the press conference happened.

When the phone rang my heart raced with eager anticipation; what could possibly be the big news. It was hard to comprehend what happened next, Derek Fisher is leaving the team. After hearing the news, I knew that a post to the blog was in order.

So what do you say about a Derek Fisher? He will never make it to one of the greatest to play the game status. He'll barely make mention from so called experts; they'll look at his stats and tell us how he was a good complementary player. They'll insist that he was an okay shooter, physically strong, and a good locker room guy; but he's no Kobe.

You can turn to his teammates, those that have gone into battle with him; and they will likely tell you that he's one of the best, that he's concerned about the welfare of the team more than his own shot, that he's a competitor; and that he loves the game. With any luck those same teammates will also say that he's no Kobe. I've had the privilege of watching Derek Fisher for eleven years now, and the only thing he has in common with Kobe is the fact that they came out of the same draft class.

As Derek prepares himself for life without basketball; we as fans must prepare ourselves for basketball without Derek Fisher. Even though he only had one year with us; I will always consider Derek Fisher a Jazz player. I will always remember watching game two of the Western Conference Semi-Finals. Watching Derek come up the tunnel in his T-shirt and jeans, rushing to get into the game. I'll remember the chills that came across my skin. I'll remember the defense that he played on Baron Davis to help send that game to overtime; and how he may have possibly changed the course of that series. However, the biggest contribution that Derek made that night was his ability to remind us how sports and athletes can change lives.

As Derek takes a step back from his career to focus on what is important to him; we are once again reminded about how athletes can change lives. He's reminding us that athletes, the right ones, can be role models.

Thank you Derek!!!