I Heart the Utah Jazz

When John Stockton and Karl Malone were with the Utah Jazz, I honestly could not stand to watch them play, similar to how I feel about the San Antonio Spurs right now. It was typical pick-and-roll, pick-and-pop, not too different than the sets they run now. Don't get me wrong, it was beautiful basketball in the most fundamental of ways, but something was always missing for me, or maybe it was just a loathing of Karl Malone that bothered me. Like I already mentioned, the plays have not changed that much since Stockton and Malone failed to win championships in the 1990's, the thing that has changed has been the athleticism.

The duo of Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer is one of the best in the entire NBA. Williams embodies what coaches want in a NBA point guard. He passes well, he runs the offense efficiently, and he can score the ball. Even with all he brings on the offensive side of the ball, he is not a slacker on defense. Teamed with Carlos Boozer at power forward, they have the same on-court connection as Stockton/Malone but with more athleticism, more dynamic plays, and they bring a certain swagger to the game. Although undersized for a power forward at 6'8", Boozer makes up for it in girth as he weighs in at a hulking 266 lbs. The future is bright as long as these two are in the mix for the Utah Jazz.

In addittion to the two stars, Utah has some of the best sets of role players to complement what they do. On any team, you want to have clearly defined roles and the Jazz have that and each player accepts their specialized role on the team. Mehmet Okur is a knock down shooter, and teams that with the ability to take leaner players to the post. Andrei Kirilenko is the defensive stopper, and the hustle player for Utah, and he also a reliable scorer. I love the freakish athleticism of Ronnie Brewer, as you don't find many people with the springs for legs that he has. Paul Milsap in the Jazz's designated rebounder, as he always down low mixing it up for every loose ball. Kyle Korver is another dead eye shooter for the Jazz, but his defense and athleticism are underrated. The rest of the Jazz players like Ronnie Price, CJ Miles, Matt Harpring, Morris Almond, and Brevin Knight provide solid veteren play coming off of the bench.

But to be honest, one of the best things about the Utah Jazz is their cornerstone, and solid block to which the rest of the team is built around is coach Jerry Sloan. He is the longest tenured coach in professional sports at 20 years with the Jazz. His gritty, take no excuses attitude has lasted 2 decades in a era of sports where the attitude is what have you done for me lately. He is one of the coaches I respect because very little "family" stuff involving the team leaves the locker room, and he does not hesitate to discipline a player, whether you are the highest paid star, or the last man on the practice squad. He has adapted with the times, and that is a testament to his foresight, and ability to change as the league has changed. Despite never winning a championship, or even a coach of the year award, many coaches and organizations envy what he has done in Utah throughout his coaching career.

As the Utah Jazz continue to grow, and if they add a couple of the correct pieces to the team, it is highly likely that they could compete for a NBA Championship in the next 3 years. Many teams fall into that same category, but I believe Utah is one of the best run organizations in pro sports from the owner down to the ball boys/girls and will find a way to get it done and make those moves. If they don't win a championship I will still enjoy watching them play, because they play the game of basketball in its purest form.

2008 NBA Draft "Winners"

This past Thursday's draft was one of the deepest in recent years with good players being passed on, and falling lower than expected, big trades galore, and drama. It also saw many difference making moves, and next years NBA season will be better for it. When I look at this draft, I am only going to look at it from a 1st Round perspective, and general moves, and utilization of their draft opportunities.

The top 3 picks went as many expected with Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, and O.J. Mayo going in order, and then there were surprises to follow. This draft was filled with more trades than you would usually see, and especially involving the first round players. I am excited as the highly competitive Western Conference got stronger, and the Eastern Conference added some potential stars.

The following is a list of the players selected or obtained by each team:

• Atlanta Hawks: None
• Boston Celtics: J.R. Giddens, Bill Walker (via Washington), Semih Erden
• Charlotte Bobcats: D.J. Augustin, Alexis Ajinça, Kyle Weaver
• Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose, Ömer Aşık (via Portland)
• Cleveland Cavaliers: J.J. Hickson, Darnell Jackson (via Miami), Sasha Kaun (via Seattle)
• Dallas Mavericks: Shan Foster
• Denver Nuggets: Sonny Weems (via Chicago)
• Detroit Pistons: Walter Sharpe (via Seattle), Trent Plaisted (via Seattle), Deron Washington
• Golden State Warriors: Anthony Randolph, Richard Hendrix
• Houston Rockets: Donte Greene (via Memphis), Joey Dorsey (via Portland), Maarty Leunen
• Indiana Pacers: Brandon Rush (via Portland), Roy Hibbert (via Toronto)
• Los Angeles Clippers: Eric Gordon, DeAndre Jordan, Mike Taylor (via Portland)
• Los Angeles Lakers: Joe Crawford
• Memphis Grizzlies: O.J. Mayo (via Minnesota), Darrell Arthur (via New Orleans, Portland, and Houston)
• Miami Heat: Michael Beasley, Mario Chalmers (via Minnesota)
• Milwaukee Bucks: Joe Alexander, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
• Minnesota Timberwolves: Kevin Love (via Memphis), Nikola Peković
• New Jersey Nets: Brook Lopez, Ryan Anderson, Chris Douglas-Roberts
• New Orleans Hornets: None
• New York Knicks: Danilo Gallinari
• Orlando Magic: Courtney Lee
• Philadelphia 76ers: Marreese Speights
• Phoenix Suns: Robin Lopez, Goran Dragić (via San Antonio)
• Portland Trail Blazers: Jerryd Bayless (via Indiana), Nicolas Batum (via Houston)
• Sacramento Kings: Jason Thompson, Sean Singletary, Patrick Ewing Jr.
• San Antonio Spurs: George Hill, Malik Hairston (via Phoenix), James Gist
• Seattle SuperSonics: Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, D. J. White (via Detroit), DeVon Hardin
• Toronto Raptors: Nathan Jawai (via Indiana)
• Utah Jazz: Kosta Koufos, Ante Tomic, Tadija Dragicević
• Washington Wizards: JaVale McGee

The Winners- These are the teams that made solid but generally unspectacular moves. Most added players that fall in the middle of the talent pool and will be contributors to their team but not be stars. When building a team that will be competitive for several years, it is imperative that good role players be added around the superstars.

The Utah jazz fall into the category of the winners because of their ability to constantly draft players that fit their system perfectly. This year is no different, as they drafted freshman Kosta Koufos, and 2 international players, and I do not make assumptions on international players until they play in the NBA. Koufos is a versatile 7'1" center that played one year of college basketball at Ohio State University. During this past season he showed his ability to step outside the college 3-point line, and also play with his back to the basket as well. He will fill in well, and add to an already aggressive rebounding team.

The Washington Wizards drafted 7-foot Center JaVale McGee from Nevada, although they have 2 centers in Brendan Haywood, and Etan Thomas on the roster. This may spell the end for one of them in D.C. Mcgee is a underdeveloped talent on the offensive end, but is a good shot-blocker with good instincts. Although Washington may lose star player Gilbert Arenas to free agency, they have seemed to play better as a cohesive unit when he has been injured.

The Toronto Raptors did not win in the draft, but they did win because of a draft pick they traded to get veteran Jermaine O'Neal. They traded the 17th pick that turned out to be Roy Hibbert in exchange for an international player, and O'Neal. They decided that it was better as a franchise to win with an experienced big man, instead of waiting for a young one to come around. Teamed with Chris Bosh, and the other talent on the Raptors team, Toronto should be able to advance beyond the first-round of the NBA Playoffs. The only question will be whether O'Neal can stay healthy all year.

The Boston Celtics made the conscious effort not to allow the spoils of this years championship to hold them back in the future showed in the draft. The Celtics should be aware that their core of players is getting older, and that they will need to be replaced totally in the next 5 years. They made the effort by drafting athletic swingmen J.R. Giddens, and Bill Walker. These players will not be pushed to play early, but hopefully groomed to take over in the future.

The Sacramento Kings came up with 3 solid picks that were all college seniors in Jason Thompson, Sean Singletary, and Patrick Ewing Jr. While Thompson may develop into a star years down the line, but he is a project for now. Ewing and Singletary however will be able to step in and contribute minutes immediately. The Kings needed to replenish their front line as there have been rumors of a Brad Miller trade, and Shareef Abdur-Rahim has been often injured.

The last "Winner" of the draft was the Cleveland Cavaliers. Cleveland honestly is trying to do everything they can as far as adding pieces so they can keep Lebron James from leaving in free agency after next year. In the draft the added J.J. Hickson, Darnell Jackson(2008 NCAA National Champion), and Sasha Kaun(2008 NCAA National Champion). They have added proven winners to their front line, to spell aging Joe Smith and Ben Wallace. Jackson and Kaun were seniors on the Kansas Jayhawks team that won the National Championship, and should be able to add valuable minutes to a team that is always looking for spark besides Lebron James