Return to Dominance

2006-12-07T15:59:00.000-08:00

Deron Williams. When the Jazz first picked D-Will, I wasn't sure they had made the right decision. I thought maybe Chris Paul was the man Utah needed to follow in John Stockton's shoes to run the point. Boy was I wrong. Even though Paul's numbers are a tad better than William's 16.5 ppg and 8.9 apg (as of December 7), it is impossible to really measure some of the stuff that this guy is bringing for the Jazz. The main difference between this guy and the others that have tried to run the point for Utah in the last couple of years is composure. This guy defines it. He plays the backcourt cool, calm, collected, and confident. He rarely rushes things, his game is pass first, but he is also a scorer. In two words, he is an all-star.
Recently, USA Today published an article on Deron, and I was really impressed with what I read. Yea he is a little cocky, but who cares? What I got most out of the article is that Deron believes in himself. He mentioned in the article that he read an article that somebody wrote in the pre-season about the best up and coming pont guards in the NBA, and his name wasn't even mentioned. Not even mentioned?! He then talked about how his whole life people have been over-looking him, and he said that that only motivates him.
I really have no idea how this season will end up for Deron Williams. But this kid believes in himself, and I have a feeling that he is only going to get better. He knows how to win, he was part of a winning program at Illinoise, and he is hungry for it. Whatever happens, I think the whole NBA better buckle up, and whatever they do, if they know what's good for them, they had better not over look him.

2006-11-16T15:37:00.000-08:00

Another strong week, and Utah has the best record in the NBA. It's not just that the Jazz are winning right now, it's how they are doing it. True, true they did survive a scare against the Bucks on Saturday night...who knew that Michael Redd had it in him? Anybody who watched that game knows exactly what I am talking about-the Bucks are getting murdered by the Jazz, and Redd decides to step it up and go off the chain for 57 points! Three words for that one: re-dic-ulous. I am not going to lie, I was definitly holding my breath when he let that last three-pointer fly that luckily bounced off the rim. Bottom line, Utah walks away with the "w". Props to the Bucks though, cuz they showed a lot of heart.
That brings us to this week. Every Monday I like to check out the ESPN.com power rankings to see how everyone fared during the previous week. Last week they had Utah ranked third behind New Orleans and San Antonio. Well, New Orleans lost three games last week, so I figured at the very least, Utah (since they were tied with San Antonio for the best record in the league) would be ranked second. Little did I know that Sam Cassell and the upstart Clippers would somehow weasle their way into the number 2 spot with San Antonio at 1, and Utah still at 3. I'm not going to lie, I initially thought that this was just the latest way the overly biased media ignored the Jazz to give undeserved props to a big market team. I didn't realize that LA had only lost one game, but what I was really excited about was that the Clippers were actually coming to SLC for a good ole fashion showdown on the Delta Center floor on Tuesday night. A lot of the Media was touting this game as a test for both teams, and a lot of people wondered if Utah could handle Dunleavy's boys. Well, LA came into town, they walked on the Delta Center floor, and then they got pimp slapped. Matt Harpering ran lay-up drills, Paul Milsap put on a defensive clinic worthy of AK-47, Deron Williams ran the point like he's been in the league for a decade, Ronnie Brewer played great in his first career start, and Booz through down yet another double-double. The result: a 22 point Utah victory. And by the way, San Antonio lost the other night, so who's number one now?
It is still early in the season, and most likely Utah can't keep up this pace, but I think they are sending a message to the rest of the league that they are the real deal, and in my opinion, they are the most exciting team in the league to watch as well.

2006-11-09T15:42:00.000-08:00

Well well well, here we are five games into the season, and my Utah Jazz have a 4-1 record. You know what's funny? A lot of people are acting like they are surprised. I think its pretty rediculous how little respect the Jazz get. This is a team that has spent the last three years putting together a young team that they feel could eventually get them back to the finals. This is a team that is extreemly deep and talented, and that could very well boast homecourt advantage in the playoffs come April. This is a team coached by one of the best coaches the game has ever seen, that despite winning more games in the last twenty years than almost anybody has not one coach of the year.
You know what gets me fired up? The fact that all of these supposed "experts" that are supposed to know something about the NBA never seem to give Utah the respect they deserve...I'm not just talking about the last few years either. I'm talking about during the height of the Stockton to Malone era-they never got respect. Someone almost needs to die for them even to get mentioned on nba.com. These "experts" need to wake up and realize that no matter how bad they want New York to make it back to the playoffs, they suck. No matter how bad they want Kobe and the Lakers to win another title, it just aint gonna happen. These "experts" need to stop focusing on where the money is and start giving credit where credit is do- Like to the 4-1 Jazz who in the first week of the season beat Phoenix (the so-called "expert" pick to win the NBA finals) on their home floor, and then a few nights later gave Detroit a reality check in SLC. Its time to give credit to Jerry's kids cuz there is something going on in Salt Lake City...something that in the next few years might bring home that gold trophy that has always somehow elluded them.

2006-10-04T20:52:00.000-07:00

Training camp for the Jazz began this week in Boise, Idaho. A lot of questions remain unanswered for this latest version of the Jazz, but with the beginning of camp underway, and the preseason right around the corner, those questions will begin to be answered shortly. One of the biggest questions on my mind as well as everybody elses is whether or not this team can remain healthy throughout the season. The biggest question mark for me is Carlos Boozer. The guy can really throw down when he is healthy. He gives the Jazz the post-up presence they have been missing since the Mailman left three years ago. He appears to be in the best shape of his career after spending the off-season in Miami. He says his hammies are strong, and that he is ready to help Utah get back into the playoffs.
I have read a few of the pre-season predictions from various magazines, and it looks as if most sports analysts agree that come April, Utah will be in the playoffs. One magazine I read had them picked fifth in the West. regardless of what happens in the Spring, this team looks like they are going to pretty exciting-lets just hope they stay healthy.

2006-09-21T17:45:00.000-07:00

The 2006-07 season schedule has been announced for the Utah Jazz. The Jazz kick off thier season against the Houston Rockets November 1, at 7:00 p.m. I was really excited to see that the Jazz will have all eighty-two of their regular season games televised again this year. I was afraid that after last seasons attendance at the Delta Center, old Larry H. would get cheap on us and pull some of the games from tv in an attempt to get people out to see the games. This marketing strategy never has made sence to me, since it seams like if you want people to come out to the games you need to create a solid fan base, and thet will come from putting the games on tv. I my self like to catch a couple of games a year at the Delta Center, but nothing sucks more than to come home from a long day at work or school and find out the game isn't on tv. Last season every game should have been on tv, but for those of us who have (or I should say had) Comcast, several games were missed in an attempt by that pathetic company to save a few bucks... I'll never subscribe to Comcast again because of that little manuver.

2006-09-14T13:33:00.000-07:00

The Utah Jazz are about to begin what will most likely be one of their most exciting seasons in recent years. The Jazz have a solid starting five players, all of which are one year older, and provided they stay healthy, are poised to make the playoffs. It will be exciting to see what this group of guys can do. The Jazz ended last season on a hot-streak, winning enough games to make them the best team not to make the playoffs. They really seemed to gell when Carlos Boozer came back after missing most of the season with a torn hamstring. There was a lot of speculation as to whether or not the Jazz would put Boozer on the trading block after rumors began circulating that Boozer was unhappy with his situation in Utah. I for one like Boozer and am happy that as of right now, it looks like he will be staying put in Utah. i think he will be an essential piece of Utah's playoff push this season.