Salt City Hoops

Condensed Season? No Problem

January 26th, 2012 by Jeff Lind

Note from the Editor: Spencer Horner joins Salt City Hoops to chat condensed season and this young Utah Jazz team.

Tom Smart, Deseret News

Last fall, I told my wife that an NBA season was the only present I wanted this Christmas. I got my wish. However, the season has arrived with basketball’s top minds predicting it to be one of the sloppiest in NBA history. With only a few days of training camp and a shortened preseason, teams haven’t had much time to gel and players are in their worst shape ever.

The jam packed 66 game schedule hasn’t helped much either. Teams are playing 4 or 5 games a week, which means less time for practice, player development, and team strategy. This also means less time for injury recovery, meaning more banged up veterans. Injuries are going to mount up and NBA Darwinism is going to favor the young, and athletic.

As the Jazz have started a playoff worthy season, it struck me that this team is built for lockout season success. First, they are younger than ever at an average age of 26. But more importantly, the Jazz’s roster is deeper than ever.

Tyrone Corbin has the team on a consistent 10 man rotation, keeping lineups fresh with frequent substitutions. Al Jefferson has anchored the team as the highest scoring center in the West with 18.3 ppg. But on any given night, Millsap and Favors are also capable of posting consistent double-doubles. Coach has now worked rookie Alec Burks into the every game corps of Jazz wings including Bell, Hayward, Miles, and Howard. Don’t leave Earl out either. Watson has been awarded bigger minutes, providing a consistent floor general for the Jazz’s second unit. In recent weeks, coach has had Watson and Harris on an equal split.

This young and athletic lineup will allow Coach Corbin to outrun opponents over the course of a game, hopefully, leading to easier points in transition. Their roster depth will also continue to mitigate the risk of injury throughout the brutal condensed schedule. There have been games this season where 5 or more players have offered double digit points. If a player goes down or has a bad day, another can fill in the gaps. This year’s Jazz are a team of talented role players that can have each other’s back night after night.

On a defensive note, I almost did a full Hollywood spit-take when I heard that the Jazz were leading the NBA in blocked shots earlier this season. I don’t think I can remember the last time I heard that statistic being associated with the team. Now, at the close of last week, the Jazz were top 10 in Blocks, and Forced Turnovers. I’m not saying we should hang a “We are Swat Lake City” banner or rename the stadium “Defensive Solutions Arena,” but it’s obvious that the Jazz are playing some great team defense.

I’m excited. The Jazz are coming together as team and chemistry is developing. They are devoted to defense, and playing unselfishly. Add that up and they have the potential to be one of the most athletic and talented teams in Jazz history.

But the Jazz’s biggest tests are yet to come. They’ve had their fair share of and haven’t proven themselves against major contenders yet. We’ll see how fit they are for this unique season

Follow Spencer on Twitter!

Millsap and Watson playing like true captains

January 22nd, 2012 by Salt City Hoops

No players exemplify the Jazz organization like the understated Earl Watson and Paul Millsap. The Jazz, now 10-5, defeated the Pesky™ Minnesota Timberwolves 108-98 Saturday night at EnergySolutions Arena. Utah has taken advantage of its home-heavy schedule, going 8-2 through 10 home games so far this season. In Salt Lake, Utah has lost by a total of only six points combined.

By Chris Kamrani

Earl Watson earned Jazz lifer status on Thursday when he stepped to Dirk Nowitzki and slapped the defending NBA champion in front of a national audience.

[Editors Note: I agree with Charles Barkley in the clip above. Derrick Favors has to stand up for himself when Nowitzki knocked the ball out of his hands. That's the moment to get in Dirk's face and show some fire. Nowitzki was out of control all night--if Favors stands up to him there's a good chance Nowitski does something to get himself ejected instead. Could have saved Favors $25,000, too.]

On Saturday night, Watson broke a tooth taking a charge from Minnesota rookie flopping sensation Ricky Rubio, and further solidified his place as one of the most popular faces of the new Jazz. An NBA journeyman, the 32-year-old UCLA alumnus seems to have finally found a home in Utah.

Though starter Devin Harris continues to struggle, Watson has stepped up from the backup spot and magnetized the fans with his tenacious point-guard play. Asked postgame if he recalled the charge he took from Rubio, Watson smiled. “I remember it well,” he said. “Whatever it takes to win.”

Watson’s play continues to make some Jazz fans clamor for a shakeup to the starting lineup. He played 28 minutes to Harris’ 22, though to be fair, Harris has been battling a bout of the stomach flu for the last couple days.

Head coach Tyrone Corbin praised Watson’s leadership skills in his team’s fast and surprising start to the season. “He’s a pro,” Corbin said. “He understands the game, and he understands how to get his team going. He’s going to fight for everything—he’s not going to give anybody anything. Our guys feed off that when he’s on the floor.”

Whatever it is, Earl Watson has captured the hearts of Utah Jazz fan base. The Watson love could be a sign of gratitude to the hard-working point guard, or an indictment of Harris, whose on-court play sometimes seems to be the weak link in the armor of this upstart group.

Watson finished with 10 points, seven assists, four rebounds, and unlike Thursday against Dallas, got to stay on the floor all the way to the final buzzer. Harris joined him in the backcourt for the final two minutes. When asked why Watson earned the right to finish the game, Corbin said, “The way he played.”

—

Then there’s Paul Millsap. Always a fan favorite, he’s taken his play to another level this season. Millsap thrived under Jerry Sloan as a backup to Carlos Boozer. Unfortunately, his time to shine last season coincided with the infamous implosion of the team.

Now, with some resemblance of continuity, Millsap is doing what he only knows how to do: Play hard and try his very best to walk off the floor a winner every night. Averaging 15.9 points per game along with 8.7 rebounds, the Louisiana Tech man went 2-1 this week against a terror of challenges in Blake Griffin, Nowitzki and Kevin Love. And coupled with Watson, they make an unlikely duo to be leading the most unlikely successful team in the league.

Asked postgame if he is playing some of the best basketball of his career, the coy Millsap stayed true to his behind-the-scenes form. “I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t really look back. I’m only as good as my last game.”

When notified that some fans had been chanting “All Star” during a free-throw attempt, he said he had no idea: “I sure appreciate that,” he said.

The easy criticism of this Jazz team is to point out the feast of home games served so far. Later road trips and the condensed schedule could very well tear this young team apart in the coming months. The presence of Watson and Millsap, however, makes me think the worst won’t happen. And while the notion of a “team captain” is trivial, it’s obvious Watson and Millsap deserve that title.

After Thursday night’s 94-91 loss to Dallas, Watson sat in front of his locker for a good half hour stewing.

“It took a while (to get over),” he said, “but I think our team moved forward tonight.”

Speaking like a true general of a young and talented team, Millsap took the stern and respectable route when asked what Saturday’s bounce-back win meant to his squad.

“We accepted the challenge,” he said.

—

Follow Chris Kamrani on Twitter: @ckamrani

Jazz 91 – Mavericks 94

January 20th, 2012 by Salt City Hoops

Let’s let Earl Watson’s words after the game serve as the balm to heal after a tough, tough loss. It’s your team, Earl.

Earl Watson:

On the technical foul and scuffle with Nowitzki:

“…apparently it’s the second one that counts. Next time I’ll try to be first.”

—

If he’s encouraged by the fight shown by the team:

“I’m not into moral victories, man. I’m into wins and losses; I don’t care about stats, I don’t care about anything but winning and losing. You couldn’t pay me enough money to be happy to lose, so…

—

On whether he was standing up for Favors:

“Yeah, a little bit of that, a little bit of believing he would do the same thing. We move forward–it’s a tough loss…it’s pretty bad.”

—

On whether he was trying to set an example for the younger players:

“I’m not trying to show anybody anything. I am who I am, and whether it’s good or bad, I’m just going to be myself. My teammates are like my brothers. I love all my teammates, I love my team. It’s like protecting your house, you know. We’ve all gotta be respectful. Be respectful; if not–whatever happens, happens.”

—

Was it as good a crowd as he’s seen here?

“The crowd was good, the crowd is always good here. I wish we could have sent them home with a win. It would have been big for us, momentum-wise.”

—

On what separates the top teams from the rest:

“Belief. Belief is strong. Once we start believing we can be as good as we can be, which is great. You don’t get to be second in the West by accident, and you know, when you get it you want to maintain it, when you get it, you want to be first. And once we get that mantra as a team, we’re going to be strong. Belief is stronger than reality.

Dallas Mavericks

Final

Recap | Box Score

Utah Jazz

	Paul Millsap, PF 40 MIN \| 6-16 FG \| 4-4 FT \| 13 REB \| 2 AST \| 16 PTS \| +1 Solid play from Millsap, but seemed to be spooked by the long arms of Haywood and Nowitzki. The Mavs cause all kinds of problems for the Jazz, so it was good to see them fight through the first-half deficit and make an exciting game of it.
	Gordon Hayward, SG 27 MIN \| 4-9 FG \| 1-2 FT \| 3 REB \| 1 AST \| 9 PTS \| -5 Not a great game from Hayward, but his breakaway dunks seemed to exorcise a few demons and got the team rolling. It’s fun to see him attack the basket with confidence. Hopefully we see more of that and less of the “pick-and-nothing” guy who forces the offense to restart.
	Al Jefferson, C 32 MIN \| 8-18 FG \| 6-8 FT \| 9 REB \| 2 AST \| 22 PTS \| 0 Had a few moments of brilliance and several more where he kicked the ball out and got it back several times in the same possession as he improved is position, but also spent several other possessions reverting to his tendency to burn the entire shot clock and throw up his famous “wheazy.” TM @allthatamar
	Raja Bell, SG 26 MIN \| 2-6 FG \| 2-2 FT \| 2 REB \| 0 AST \| 7 PTS \| -1 Another feisty night from Raja, which seems to rubbing off on the team in a good way. Even though there were moments when in looked like the Jazz were spending too much time complaining and losing focus, the rough-and-tumble
	Devin Harris, PG 24 MIN \| 0-7 FG \| 1-1 FT \| 2 REB \| 2 AST \| 1 PTS \| -3 Just a terrible game all the way around for Harris. His overthrown pass to Hayward on a breakaway and his airballed 3-pointer were horrible moments to come up empty against his old team. Corbin was clearly kicking himself after the game for not riding Earl down the stretch.
	Earl Watson, PG 24 MIN \| 2-4 FG \| 1-1 FT \| 2 REB \| 7 AST \| 5 PTS \| 0 Tough to tell from his line that Earl was the heart and soul of the team on the night. His scuffle with Nowitzki set the tone.
	C.J. Miles, SF 22 MIN \| 5-11 FG \| 6-6 FT \| 3 REB \| 1 AST \| 17 PTS \| +5 Another strong game from CJ Miles. He seems to be getting comfortable with his role and is making the most of his moments. Probably should have been awarded an extra 10-15 points for the spectacular crossover and dunk in traffic that he pulled off in the first half. One of the most ferocious dunks of the year.
	Derrick Favors, FC 10 MIN \| 1-1 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 2 REB \| 1 AST \| 2 PTS \| 0 The ejection for Favors was a tough break for Favors. Didn’t deserve the foul call, definitely deserved a technical for his reaction, didn’t deserve to get thrown out. Rules are rules, but it seemed like a stretch to accuse him of throwing the ball in the stands, if that’s what the referees decided.
	Alec Burks, G 22 MIN \| 3-6 FG \| 3-3 FT \| 1 REB \| 0 AST \| 10 PTS \| -2 I tweeted during the game that Burks is the Jazz’s version of JR Smith, in all the right ways. I’m talking about the fearlessness and the sparkpluggedness. His confidence sometimes gets him in trouble, such as when he took a play off to complain about a call, but it serves this team well because he’s never afraid to take a shot or make something happen.

—
Thanks for input on grades from @brownbear844, @lord_chadeous, @yaboymitchd, @cowhideglobe, @matt_jury, @jazzingitup, and @bvanwagoner

Hollinger’s numbers start to tell good things about the Jazz

January 19th, 2012 by Salt City Hoops

After roundly (and well-deservedly) lambasting the Jazz early in the season for terrible play, ESPN’s John Hollinger takes a deeper look into his statistical crystal ball and reveals some good trends for Utah this season. The entire story is only available to Insider subscribers, but here are a few points:

Hollinger points out that Paul Millsap is playing like he’s from another planet. His production levels and PER are putting him in MVP territory. But even the most optimistic fan has to expect that will even out a bit as the season moves on. But I’m going to enjoy it while I can. Here’s Hollinger:

…Even with a fairly substantial regression from Millsap and an injury rate somewhere above zero, the Jazz look like legitimate playoff contenders. We don’t know yet whether they’ll make it, partly because we don’t know how high the bar will be — it’s plausible that it will require 36 or 37 wins just to grab the No. 8 seed, and if that’s the case Utah could play quite well and still fall short.

But the Jazz will be around, for a couple of reasons. For starters, their depth is an underrated advantage, one that will pay dividends if, and when, injuries do hit. Eleven players have seen more than a hundred minutes, and of those only one — shooting guard Raja Bell — has a single-digit PER. Conversely, Al Jefferson is the only player averaging more than 30 minutes a game, which means the schedule shouldn’t grind the Jazz down the way it will some other teams.

Hollinger goes on to talk about depth and non-fluky play being good indicators that the Jazz are for real. Then there’s this:

The only major concern for Utah is on the defensive end. The Jazz are 10th in Efficiency, but they’re emulating the Sloan era tactic of fouling the bejeezus out of everybody. Utah is 28th in opponent free throw attempts per field goal attempt, which has been the team’s Achilles’ heel for the past decade [...]

Of course, all this somewhat misses the point. The biggest reason to be excited about Utah’s start isn’t because of what it portends for this season, but because of what it means for their future. With quality young players like Hayward, Kanter, Favors and Alec Burks already making contributions, and two frontcourt linchpins — both of whom are just hitting their prime as players — Utah is set up to be a force for years to come. They may also be getting a lottery pick form Golden State to augment the roster next year; it’s top-seven-protected and the Warriors own the league’s ninth-worst record at the moment.

Overall, I like what I’m seeing from the Jazz. The most difficult trick in front-officery is to remain competitive while rebuilding and the Jazz are doing exactly that. The team might struggle a bit in the later stages of the season when the schedule reverses that the road beckons, but there’s no denying the mental advantage for a young team to get some wins early and build an identity.

Nasty Jamaal Tinsley wrap-around

January 19th, 2012 by Salt City Hoops

Our friends at Shaky Ankles sent a clip of Jamaal Tinsley’s ridiculous wraparound tomfoolery from the Jazz-Clippers game. An even better clip of the same play comes from the incomparable memoismoney, which gives you a nice view of the whole thing. I was sitting on the other side and I think the trickery looked a little more devious from that that point of view, but it’s still a great move from any angle.

The Jazz have an underrated luxury with Tinsley as the third point guard. It isn’t often the case that a team can confidently play the third string guy and expect a solid contribution. Here’s to more blowouts and more breakaways.

You can follow @shakyankles and @prodigyJF on Twitter.

Jazz are rolling – and that’s all that matters

January 18th, 2012 by Salt City Hoops

The Jazz are etching their identity in stone early on in the season. After a rough start, Utah is rolling — and that’s all that matters

By Chris Kamrani

So what nickname do we give this Jazz team? Actually, who cares? Utah is winning, and right now, that’s all that matters.

The Jazz are 9-4 — winners of eight of their last nine — including recent wins at Denver Sunday night and Tuesday’s 108-79 thrashing of the visiting Los Angeles Clippers. If that proved one thing, it’s this Utah team has found its identity and it shouldn’t be too hard to identify with.

Team basketball. Every Jazz fan knows it. It was Jerry Sloan’s orchestra during his 23 years at the helm: Pass, cut, defend and, when on offense, simply take what the defense gives you.

Tuesday night against the Chris Paul-less Clippers, Utah took and took and took some more. Maybe Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and Paul should file a joint copyright infringement lawsuit against Earl Watson and Jeremy Evans. “Lob City” seems to be sitting on the end of the Jazz bench, just itching for eye contact with his point guard partner in crime.

Sure, the schedule has been courteous to the Jazz, as they have had the pleasure of gracing EnergySolutions Arena eight times in 13 games so far this season. But look back to how the season started, a cheap-thrill Hollywood disaster film was Utah’s opener in Los Angeles. Couple that with blowout performances at Denver and San Antonio, and the Jazz were on the wrong side of looking toward crossing their fingers once the ping-pong balls began to fly again.

Now, nine games later, Utah is the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.

[Editor's note: Let's say that one more time: Utah is the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.]

“It was fun, which is the way it should be when we play hard,” said CJ Miles, who had easily his best performance of the year Tuesday against the Clippers, totaling 19 points, five rebounds and four steals. “You can just see it. Everybody is confident in the way they’re playing.”

Confidence is one thing — a total team facelift in roughly two weeks is another thing.

Credit must go to Utah’s coaching staff for finding a way to gel this once confounding group of professional basketball players into a legitimate mold. The Al Jefferson-Paul Millsap frontcourt seems to be working out just fine now as Millsap’s offensive game has taken center stage over the course of the last four games. Jefferson, right now, is playing a decent Robin to his counterpart’s Batman.

“We had a good team effort and everybody had a lot of energy,” Millsap said postgame. “We attacked first, and we came out with the win.”

Maybe that’s it. In recent years, Jazz teams have faltered once pushed back on their heels. Over the last nine games, Utah is pushing first and not budging, let alone allowing opposing teams to dictate the pace of the game.

Defensively, the Jazz have found a rhythm. The first four games of the season, Utah was allowing roughly 105 points per game. That’s been chopped down by over 10 points in the nine games since.

“If everybody takes initiative to guard their guy and help each other, we’re a good defensive team,” Millsap said.

“Offense is going to come,” Miles added. “Defensively, we have to do that every night. The biggest thing was just being aggressive.”

Utah’s defense didn’t allow Griffin to get into any sort of comfort zone. The high-flyer had 10 points on 5-of-12 shooting. Chauncey Billups was 3-of-12, while Randy Foye was 4-of-14. Some nights, the opposition will have bad luck. Right now, the Jazz seem to be the beneficiaries of defensive karma.

“That’s what we’re talking about. Forty-eight minutes, man,” said head coach Tyrone Corbin. “We’re continuing to build on what we talk about. We’re still learning. We talk about how we want to set a way we play.”

Half-court offense and a respectable effort on the defensive end? Sounds like the ghost of Sloan (in the Barklian sense) is somehow still with the Jazz. But make no mistake, this is Corbin’s team — he has done a tremendous job 13 games into the season figuring out the strengths and weaknesses of this squad.

The question everyone asks now is: Can the Jazz continue this effort away from Salt Lake City when the tightened schedule beckons in February and March? Seems like right now, Utah is enjoying itself and will cross that bridge when it gets there.

“We’re playing together and holding each other accountable and going out there and getting it done,” said Evans, whose dunks electrified the eager ESA crowd.

“I guess people know who we are now,” Millsap said.

That’s the first trick. The second trick is making sure they don’t forget you were ever there.

—

Follow Chris on Twitter: @ckamrani

#LOLCity: Jazz 108 – Clippers 79

January 17th, 2012 by Salt City Hoops

Los Angeles Clippers

FinalRecap | Box Score

108

Utah Jazz

	Paul Millsap, PF30 MIN \| 7-11 FG \| 6-6 FT \| 6 REB \| 1 AST \| 20 PTS \| +22 Shut down Blake Griffin on the defensive and dazzled on the offensive end. Deserved every second of the loud standing ovation from the crowd when he finally checked out of the game. Continuing to play on another level.
	Gordon Hayward, SG18 MIN \| 0-4 FG \| 3-4 FT \| 3 REB \| 0 AST \| 3 PTS \| 0 On a night when everyone on the team was getting buckets, Hayward struggled again. He does a lot of good things away from the ball, but needs to regain some confidence to stay on the floor.
	Al Jefferson, C26 MIN \| 4-14 FG \| 2-2 FT \| 13 REB \| 4 AST \| 10 PTS \| +8 Not a great shooting night, but it didn’t matter. Jefferson dominated the middle with his sixth double-double of the season.
	Raja Bell, SG29 MIN \| 3-8 FG \| 1-1 FT \| 2 REB \| 1 AST \| 8 PTS \| +17 His quiet line is indicative of the unselfish play from the Jazz. Several possessions included touches by every player. Bell talked about how the trust level is much higher among the teammates compared to past seasons and that sharing the ball is contagious. Said Raja: “I think we had a good training camp that emphasized defense. There were some clear-cut rules and Ty was pretty specific about what they wanted and what they expected out of us. It’s not unlike a child – If you give them some structure and express what you expect from them, then you can get that done.”
	Devin Harris, PG26 MIN \| 5-9 FG \| 2-2 FT \| 1 REB \| 4 AST \| 13 PTS \| +10 Not flashy, but possibly Harris’ best game of the season.
	Jamaal Tinsley, PG6 MIN \| 1-2 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 0 REB \| 2 AST \| 2 PTS \| +2 Made a nice appearance in garbage time, but did his best work with his post-game wardrobe. Ref: twitpic.com/88k0h1 via @increase_always
	Earl Watson, PG18 MIN \| 1-1 FG \| 1-2 FT \| 4 REB \| 3 AST \| 3 PTS \| +20 I hope Earl Watson is buying Jeremy Evans food and sending him small gifts. The only Lob City tonight was the Jazz, led by Watson. Eight dunks by the team on the night, but it felt like 80. Watson and Evans also tied for the team lead in blocked shots with two each.
	C.J. Miles, SF29 MIN \| 7-13 FG \| 4-4 FT \| 5 REB \| 1 AST \| 19 PTS \| +26 Another great night from CJ Miles, who scored a season high and helped the Jazz bench outscore the Clippers 54-32. He also tied a career high with 4 steals. He’s also been a model citizen off the bench.
	Jeremy Evans, SF17 MIN \| 4-4 FG \| 1-2 FT \| 3 REB \| 1 AST \| 9 PTS \| +9 A simply electric game from Evans. His nine points are a season high, but I tweeted during the game that he’s running on a staunch anti-physics platform, and tonight it was just silly. I asked him how it’s possible that other teams don’t prepare for his patented finish: “I don’t know, I don’t know,” he said with a big smile. “Tonight they did, though. I heard their couch yelling at them to watch the lob, but they still let me go.”
	Alec Burks, G19 MIN \| 3-9 FG \| 5-6 FT \| 6 REB \| 1 AST \| 11 PTS \| +12 Alec Burks plays like he’s the go-to guy, and I like it. It’s fun to watch a guy with a scorers mentality (and not a “shooter,” to channel Jerry Sloan.) Burks made great use of his time on the floor.
	Enes Kanter, F22 MIN \| 4-7 FG \| 2-2 FT \| 5 REB \| 0 AST \| 10 PTS \| +19 A great night from the young rookie. Games like this are great opportunities for Kanter to work on his game and get some confidence.

Tinsley working the nerd-chic before the game. From his twitter feed: http://twitpic.com/88k0h1

Time Off Comes in the Off Season

January 16th, 2012 by Salt City Hoops

Jazz 107 – NJ Nets 94

January 14th, 2012 by Salt City Hoops

New Jersey Nets

Final

Recap | Box Score

107

Utah Jazz

	Paul Millsap, PF 28 MIN \| 6-13 FG \| 6-6 FT \| 12 REB \| 3 AST \| 18 PTS \| +15 Paul Millsap is playing fantastic basketball. The Jazz outscored the Nets by a brutal 64-26, with Millsap and Jefferson doing most of that heavy lifting. The ferocity of Millsap’s dunks is back, and I like it.
	Gordon Hayward, SG 23 MIN \| 3-5 FG \| 2-2 FT \| 2 REB \| 3 AST \| 10 PTS \| +13 Hayward threw a pretty, pretty bounce pass through traffic on a fast break that was a thing of beauty. He should probably get an “A” just for that.
	Al Jefferson, C 23 MIN \| 9-16 FG \| 2-2 FT \| 4 REB \| 1 AST \| 20 PTS \| +15 Another solid game from Jefferson, who finally went up-and-under instead of relying solely on his shot-put shot. Also had a beautifully unnecessary piroette on a scoring move.
	Raja Bell, SG 22 MIN \| 5-6 FG \| 1-1 FT \| 1 REB \| 3 AST \| 12 PTS \| +9 A visit from Bell’s muse Kobe Bryant earlier in the week seems to be the secret to awakening his inner NBA starter. For the second straight game he got out to a fast start and played well the entire game. As @djjazzyjody tweeted a great quote from Gordon Hayward after the game: “It was a lot of fun. When Raja’s getting ‘and-one’ dunks, you know you’re having a good time.”
	Devin Harris, PG 24 MIN \| 1-3 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 1 REB \| 6 AST \| 2 PTS \| +12 A quiet night for Harris, but he did a nice job harassing Deron Williams into poor shooting.
	C.J. Miles, SF 18 MIN \| 6-8 FG \| 5-5 FT \| 6 REB \| 2 AST \| 17 PTS \| +5 CJ finally had a big game, notching a season high in points and rebounds.
	Derrick Favors, FC 27 MIN \| 2-7 FG \| 2-5 FT \| 3 REB \| 1 AST \| 6 PTS \| +4 Not really an “A” game for Favors, but he gets the “A” for picking up his first assist of the season. Favors has faded from the spotlight a bit lately, but the team effort tonight was tremendous. His poor free throw percentage (56%-ish) seems to be in his head a bit, making him try to avoid going to the line.
	Enes Kanter, F 19 MIN \| 3-6 FG \| 1-2 FT \| 8 REB \| 0 AST \| 7 PTS \| -8 Kanter is second only to Dwight Howard in rebounds per 48 minutes and made great use of his time again tonight. He tied his career high of 7 points, too.

SCH Podcast: 01-14-2012

January 14th, 2012 by Salt City Hoops

The Salt City Hoops podcast returns! Join us as we discuss tonight’s return of Deron Williams, LBJ on the gridiron, and announce the winner from last week’s drawing! Good times all around.

Your hosts:

Spencer Hall – @saltcityhoops
Justin Davies – @jazzhype
Jeff Lind – @jefflind

If you have a take you’d like us to discuss on the air, hit us up on Twitter! Stay tuned next week for some exciting news and another awesome drawing where you could win tickets, Jazz swag, or overall good times.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

	Paul Millsap, PF 40 MIN \| 6-16 FG \| 4-4 FT \| 13 REB \| 2 AST \| 16 PTS \| +1 Solid play from Millsap, but seemed to be spooked by the long arms of Haywood and Nowitzki. The Mavs cause all kinds of problems for the Jazz, so it was good to see them fight through the first-half deficit and make an exciting game of it.
	Gordon Hayward, SG 27 MIN \| 4-9 FG \| 1-2 FT \| 3 REB \| 1 AST \| 9 PTS \| -5 Not a great game from Hayward, but his breakaway dunks seemed to exorcise a few demons and got the team rolling. It’s fun to see him attack the basket with confidence. Hopefully we see more of that and less of the “pick-and-nothing” guy who forces the offense to restart.
	Al Jefferson, C 32 MIN \| 8-18 FG \| 6-8 FT \| 9 REB \| 2 AST \| 22 PTS \| 0 Had a few moments of brilliance and several more where he kicked the ball out and got it back several times in the same possession as he improved is position, but also spent several other possessions reverting to his tendency to burn the entire shot clock and throw up his famous “wheazy.” TM @allthatamar
	Raja Bell, SG 26 MIN \| 2-6 FG \| 2-2 FT \| 2 REB \| 0 AST \| 7 PTS \| -1 Another feisty night from Raja, which seems to rubbing off on the team in a good way. Even though there were moments when in looked like the Jazz were spending too much time complaining and losing focus, the rough-and-tumble
	Devin Harris, PG 24 MIN \| 0-7 FG \| 1-1 FT \| 2 REB \| 2 AST \| 1 PTS \| -3 Just a terrible game all the way around for Harris. His overthrown pass to Hayward on a breakaway and his airballed 3-pointer were horrible moments to come up empty against his old team. Corbin was clearly kicking himself after the game for not riding Earl down the stretch.
	Earl Watson, PG 24 MIN \| 2-4 FG \| 1-1 FT \| 2 REB \| 7 AST \| 5 PTS \| 0 Tough to tell from his line that Earl was the heart and soul of the team on the night. His scuffle with Nowitzki set the tone.
	C.J. Miles, SF 22 MIN \| 5-11 FG \| 6-6 FT \| 3 REB \| 1 AST \| 17 PTS \| +5 Another strong game from CJ Miles. He seems to be getting comfortable with his role and is making the most of his moments. Probably should have been awarded an extra 10-15 points for the spectacular crossover and dunk in traffic that he pulled off in the first half. One of the most ferocious dunks of the year.
	Derrick Favors, FC 10 MIN \| 1-1 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 2 REB \| 1 AST \| 2 PTS \| 0 The ejection for Favors was a tough break for Favors. Didn’t deserve the foul call, definitely deserved a technical for his reaction, didn’t deserve to get thrown out. Rules are rules, but it seemed like a stretch to accuse him of throwing the ball in the stands, if that’s what the referees decided.
	Alec Burks, G 22 MIN \| 3-6 FG \| 3-3 FT \| 1 REB \| 0 AST \| 10 PTS \| -2 I tweeted during the game that Burks is the Jazz’s version of JR Smith, in all the right ways. I’m talking about the fearlessness and the sparkpluggedness. His confidence sometimes gets him in trouble, such as when he took a play off to complain about a call, but it serves this team well because he’s never afraid to take a shot or make something happen.

	Paul Millsap, PF30 MIN \| 7-11 FG \| 6-6 FT \| 6 REB \| 1 AST \| 20 PTS \| +22 Shut down Blake Griffin on the defensive and dazzled on the offensive end. Deserved every second of the loud standing ovation from the crowd when he finally checked out of the game. Continuing to play on another level.
	Gordon Hayward, SG18 MIN \| 0-4 FG \| 3-4 FT \| 3 REB \| 0 AST \| 3 PTS \| 0 On a night when everyone on the team was getting buckets, Hayward struggled again. He does a lot of good things away from the ball, but needs to regain some confidence to stay on the floor.
	Al Jefferson, C26 MIN \| 4-14 FG \| 2-2 FT \| 13 REB \| 4 AST \| 10 PTS \| +8 Not a great shooting night, but it didn’t matter. Jefferson dominated the middle with his sixth double-double of the season.
	Raja Bell, SG29 MIN \| 3-8 FG \| 1-1 FT \| 2 REB \| 1 AST \| 8 PTS \| +17 His quiet line is indicative of the unselfish play from the Jazz. Several possessions included touches by every player. Bell talked about how the trust level is much higher among the teammates compared to past seasons and that sharing the ball is contagious. Said Raja: “I think we had a good training camp that emphasized defense. There were some clear-cut rules and Ty was pretty specific about what they wanted and what they expected out of us. It’s not unlike a child – If you give them some structure and express what you expect from them, then you can get that done.”
	Devin Harris, PG26 MIN \| 5-9 FG \| 2-2 FT \| 1 REB \| 4 AST \| 13 PTS \| +10 Not flashy, but possibly Harris’ best game of the season.
	Jamaal Tinsley, PG6 MIN \| 1-2 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 0 REB \| 2 AST \| 2 PTS \| +2 Made a nice appearance in garbage time, but did his best work with his post-game wardrobe. Ref: twitpic.com/88k0h1 via @increase_always
	Earl Watson, PG18 MIN \| 1-1 FG \| 1-2 FT \| 4 REB \| 3 AST \| 3 PTS \| +20 I hope Earl Watson is buying Jeremy Evans food and sending him small gifts. The only Lob City tonight was the Jazz, led by Watson. Eight dunks by the team on the night, but it felt like 80. Watson and Evans also tied for the team lead in blocked shots with two each.
	C.J. Miles, SF29 MIN \| 7-13 FG \| 4-4 FT \| 5 REB \| 1 AST \| 19 PTS \| +26 Another great night from CJ Miles, who scored a season high and helped the Jazz bench outscore the Clippers 54-32. He also tied a career high with 4 steals. He’s also been a model citizen off the bench.
	Jeremy Evans, SF17 MIN \| 4-4 FG \| 1-2 FT \| 3 REB \| 1 AST \| 9 PTS \| +9 A simply electric game from Evans. His nine points are a season high, but I tweeted during the game that he’s running on a staunch anti-physics platform, and tonight it was just silly. I asked him how it’s possible that other teams don’t prepare for his patented finish: “I don’t know, I don’t know,” he said with a big smile. “Tonight they did, though. I heard their couch yelling at them to watch the lob, but they still let me go.”
	Alec Burks, G19 MIN \| 3-9 FG \| 5-6 FT \| 6 REB \| 1 AST \| 11 PTS \| +12 Alec Burks plays like he’s the go-to guy, and I like it. It’s fun to watch a guy with a scorers mentality (and not a “shooter,” to channel Jerry Sloan.) Burks made great use of his time on the floor.
	Enes Kanter, F22 MIN \| 4-7 FG \| 2-2 FT \| 5 REB \| 0 AST \| 10 PTS \| +19 A great night from the young rookie. Games like this are great opportunities for Kanter to work on his game and get some confidence.

	Paul Millsap, PF 28 MIN \| 6-13 FG \| 6-6 FT \| 12 REB \| 3 AST \| 18 PTS \| +15 Paul Millsap is playing fantastic basketball. The Jazz outscored the Nets by a brutal 64-26, with Millsap and Jefferson doing most of that heavy lifting. The ferocity of Millsap’s dunks is back, and I like it.
	Gordon Hayward, SG 23 MIN \| 3-5 FG \| 2-2 FT \| 2 REB \| 3 AST \| 10 PTS \| +13 Hayward threw a pretty, pretty bounce pass through traffic on a fast break that was a thing of beauty. He should probably get an “A” just for that.
	Al Jefferson, C 23 MIN \| 9-16 FG \| 2-2 FT \| 4 REB \| 1 AST \| 20 PTS \| +15 Another solid game from Jefferson, who finally went up-and-under instead of relying solely on his shot-put shot. Also had a beautifully unnecessary piroette on a scoring move.
	Raja Bell, SG 22 MIN \| 5-6 FG \| 1-1 FT \| 1 REB \| 3 AST \| 12 PTS \| +9 A visit from Bell’s muse Kobe Bryant earlier in the week seems to be the secret to awakening his inner NBA starter. For the second straight game he got out to a fast start and played well the entire game. As @djjazzyjody tweeted a great quote from Gordon Hayward after the game: “It was a lot of fun. When Raja’s getting ‘and-one’ dunks, you know you’re having a good time.”
	Devin Harris, PG 24 MIN \| 1-3 FG \| 0-0 FT \| 1 REB \| 6 AST \| 2 PTS \| +12 A quiet night for Harris, but he did a nice job harassing Deron Williams into poor shooting.
	C.J. Miles, SF 18 MIN \| 6-8 FG \| 5-5 FT \| 6 REB \| 2 AST \| 17 PTS \| +5 CJ finally had a big game, notching a season high in points and rebounds.
	Derrick Favors, FC 27 MIN \| 2-7 FG \| 2-5 FT \| 3 REB \| 1 AST \| 6 PTS \| +4 Not really an “A” game for Favors, but he gets the “A” for picking up his first assist of the season. Favors has faded from the spotlight a bit lately, but the team effort tonight was tremendous. His poor free throw percentage (56%-ish) seems to be in his head a bit, making him try to avoid going to the line.
	Enes Kanter, F 19 MIN \| 3-6 FG \| 1-2 FT \| 8 REB \| 0 AST \| 7 PTS \| -8 Kanter is second only to Dwight Howard in rebounds per 48 minutes and made great use of his time again tonight. He tied his career high of 7 points, too.

Salt City Hoops

Condensed Season? No Problem

Millsap and Watson playing like true captains

Jazz 91 – Mavericks 94

Hollinger’s numbers start to tell good things about the Jazz

Nasty Jamaal Tinsley wrap-around

Jazz are rolling – and that’s all that matters

#LOLCity: Jazz 108 – Clippers 79

Time Off Comes in the Off Season

Jazz 107 – NJ Nets 94

SCH Podcast: 01-14-2012

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