The Summer of Our Discontent

April 28th, 2009 by Salt City Hoops

passion_and_apathy
The NBA, where caring happens for a 68 year-old coach but not for the overpaid malingerers who sabotaged the season. I’m pretty sure Jerry Sloan would chew off his own leg to compete.

So the season ends the way it began: Ronnie Price and various role players bringing hustle and heart and competitive fire to the floor. That’s all we ever wanted. Sure, a championship would be nice, but we’ve been diehard fans for years without a ring. Read the open letter from The Cowhide Globe:

Dear Ronnie Price:

You embody everything a Jazzman should be. Thanks for bringing your heart, energy, determination and toughness! I hope that you will be with us again next season.

Here’s to your ability to lift the Jazz from a 20-point deficit in the fourth and rallying the boys to close the gap to 5… I can guarantee you… that you have every Jazz fan behind you. You’ve more than earned your keep. In fact, you’ve completely endeared yourself to all of Jazz nation. Please come back next season!

Hard to believe it was just a few months ago that the Jazz were getting performances like that out of everyone. Instead, the Jazz head to the exits with the chants of “Utah Sucks” ringing in their ears from the classy crowd at Staples.

Somehow, though, I’m excited about this summer. I’m sad to see Hot Rod Hundley retire, I miss Larry Miller on the radio and on the sidelines, free agency will turn the team inside out, and the financial apocalypse is poised to change professional sports as we know it. But still, I like I mentioned in a previous post, the end of this season feels like the end of a bad relationship. It’s that feeling you get when you finally break up with someone after staying together way too long. Each season is a new dance, and I’m looking forward to the Fall look.

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So, I’ll need a few days to mull things over, but I’ll be back with thoughts about Hot Rod’s retirement, (classy move by Derek Fisher to pay respect to the man after the game), summer prospects, Rocky Mountain Revue coverage. Spring is in the air and it’s time to move on.

In the meantime, is it so wrong that I’m shamelessly jumping on the Denver Nuggets’ bandwagon?

Nuggets Hornets Basketball

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Chad Ford’s Letter to Dikembe Mutombo

April 23rd, 2009 by Salt City Hoops

The career-ending injury to Dikembe Mutombo is a terrible shame, but I’ve loved reading all the tributes to a man whose life was so much bigger than the game we knew him for. Chad Ford traveled to South Africa with Mutombo and wrote about the life-changing experience here. Dr. Ford was nice enough to let Henry Abbott reprint a letter he sent to Mutombo upon hearing of his injury and subsequent retirement:

I filed that story, which is my favorite I’ve ever written. I was overwhelmed by the response to it. People offered to help Mama Jackey. Donations came flowing in. ESPN featured the story on the front page of the site. It was my first inkling that sports truly can make a difference in the lives of others.

Within months I was looking for a job teaching conflict resolution program at a university, preparing to travel to Israel to write about sports and conflict resolution there, and thinking everyday about Mutombo and what I saw him do in Africa. In 2005, I left ESPN on a full-time basis to run the McKay Center for Intercultural Understanding in Hawaii. I also began reporting about and ultimately consulting and working with PeacePlayers International in the Middle East — an organization that has shown the power of sports to bring enemies together.

I can trace almost all of it back to that day in Soweto. To those that say basketball can’t make a difference in people’s lives, I wish they could meet Dikembe. Not only has he changed the lives of tens of thousands in Africa, but he made a difference in my life that I’ll never forget.

Great stuff from Dikembe and Chad Ford. In Mutombo’s honor, here are two great clips:

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Of Blowout Losses, Rez Ball, and D-League Playoffs

April 20th, 2009 by Salt City Hoops

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When Kirilenko choose to fire a baseline pass into the 15th row rather than drive hard to the hoop in the closing minute, I’d seen about all I could take. And it’s getting cliche to point fingers at Boozer, but Basketbawful reader Misha said everything I wanted to say about Sunday’s game:

Carlos Boozer: From Basketbawful reader Misha: “I want to make sure that Boozer gets a mention in tomorrow’s WotW post. I don’t think I’ve ever been as disgusted by watching basketball on TV. Boozer’s selective effort was insulting. While I am sure he played as hard as he could on offense, he was practically absent on the other end of the court. He was absolutely abused by Bynum and Gasol in the post. After every turnover, he walked back on defence and several times the Lakers had the numbers just because he didn’t bother to run just a little bit harder. His screen and roll defense was by far the worst I’ve ever seen. Pretending to step out on a screen without actually doing so is much worse in my mind than doing nothing. During the game, he actually created lanes for Kobe to drive to the hoop (picking his own man, Kirilenko or Brewer, a few times).” Yep. The Booz was a loss on defense. But Jerry Sloan doesn’t have much choice other than to play him…and pray the Lakers miss a shot or two.

—–

The important question came from the post game show on NBA TV. After Jerry Sloan finished his press conference, Andre Aldridge and Steve Smith took a few moments to appreciate Sloan’s old-school aphorisms and tough love for his team. Then Smith dropped the bomb by mentioning that he and Sloan once co-hosted a basketball clinic on an indian reservation and it was a great experience.

?!?!?

Google knows nothing of this mythical basketball camp for our indigenous ballers. Was it hosted by Kareem at the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in Whiteriver, Arizona? Is this the explanation for the unbelievable basketball being played on reservations across the country?

That’s not a joke, by the way. “Rez Ball” is legendary among any baller who has seen it firsthand. Check this:

But what exactly is rez ball?

“Organized chaos,” says Mabry, “much more physical than organized ball.” Exact definitions differ but most agree that it’s a run-and-gun, fast-breaking endeavor full of showboating and no-look passes.

Rob McDonald, the spokesperson for the Salish Kootenai tribe and a longtime rez ball fan says, “Indian ball is its own kind of ball.”

He explains that there is a rare connection between players in rez ball. With fewer players, fewer time-outs, no organized plays, he likens it to jazz musicians who compliment each other. He insists there is a pureness and excitement in rez ball that exemplifies native traditional and family ways.

“Rez ballers were my NBA when I grew up,” he says proudly.

“Rez ball” has a long history in Indian Country and has existed largely as a world unto itself, mostly confined to reservations and surrounding areas. Indian basketball tournaments, essentially semi-pro events, have enjoyed a huge following for many years.  The Wapato Tournament on the Yakama reservation in Washington State, which is in its 52nd year, is one of the larger, more established events and hires state-certified officials to oversee competition.

Even with the tenuous “Basketball is Jazz” connections, I can’t imagine Jerry Sloan and Steve Smith crossing paths in the tunnel after a game and discovering they have a shared passion for hoops education on Indian Reservations and exchanging contact info to make it happen. But make no mistake: I would pay top dollar to attend that basketball camp.

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Tonight is the second round of the D-League Playoffs. The Utah Flash are at home against the Dakota Wizards. As always, Ridiculous Upside has the preview.

Join me at the game in Orem or follow my live updates at http://twitter.com/saltcityhoops as I try to make witty commentary and enjoy the only team in Utah who seems to want to play another day.

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Party like it’s 1998

April 17th, 2009 by Salt City Hoops
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Photo: Michael Brandy, Deseret News

These are the kinds of stories that make fans of other teams detest the Lakers:

Lakers forward Luke Walton poked his head out of the weight-room door gazed out onto the court. The Lakers had just finished a highly-spirited 90-minute practice, which had players trash-talking and woofing like they were on the playground instead of the slick hardwood of one of the jewels of the NBA.

“Lamar,” Walton yelled at Lamar Odom, who was engulfed in television cameras and reporters. “You gonna win championships out there, or in here?”

Responded Odom: “In there.” And then, under his breath laughing, “He’s a jerk.”

Times and smiles are good in LA-LA land as championship hopes spring eternal once again. This time, though, the Lakers wont creep up on anybody. Last year, without Andrew Bynum, they were counted out before advancing to the NBA Finals. This year their young fireball is healthy, albeit wearing a purple and gold knee brace.

Ahh, times and smiles. Life is good in LA! The most crushing part of the Jazz collapse is that few Jazz players seem interested in wiping those smiles off their face. Deron Williams seems angry and ready to go for 50 with 0 assists, which I would have absolutely no problem watching. Harpring and Collins are always ready to foul someone, but that’s just what they do. I’m not even sure they’re aware of their surroundings anymore. They just enter the game and start fouling. And who else? Milsap maybe?

Now, all motivation for paying attention to this series seems to shift toward ruining the LA coronation rather than hoping for a long Jazz run. Would anything be more satisfying for a Jazz fan than to play the spoiler in this season? At this point I’d settle for stealing Game 1 and still losing is 6.  In fact, that’s my prediction for the series.

Lastly, I keep hearing the words of Verne Lundquist calling the 1998 Jazz-Lakers series and opening the Game 1 broadcast with “Everyone expects the Lakers to roll through the Jazz on the way to the Finals!” We all know that series ended in a Jazz sweep of the Lakers. Someone hypnotize the Jazz with Backstreet Boys music and blonde-tipped hair cuts and make them think it’s 1998.

So, what’s it going to be? Do the Jazz steal a win? Do they shock the world and completely alienate the players who already have vacation plans? Make your predictions in the comments.

Update: I love this reprint of a Boozer photo shoot from SLAM Magazine, and especially this comment:

sadly, that basketball drove past Boozer and layed it up with ease.

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Follow Me, Follow Me to Freedom!

April 15th, 2009 by Salt City Hoops

empty_bandwagon

Ross Siler said everything that needs to be said about the way the Jazz finished the regular season last night. Boozer came through with the heart-of-a-champion quote:

We don’t back down from any challenges,” Carlos Boozer said. “We haven’t all season.

O RLY? Young Ken had the appropriate response to Boozer’s boring comment:

Ummm, yes, you have, Carlos. That’s why you’re an eighth-seed. Denver challenged your team; it backed down. San Antonio challenged your team; it backed down. Dallas challenged your team; it backed down; Miami challenged your team; it backed down. Golden State—all seven players!—challenged your team; it backed down. Minnesota challenged your team—in YOUR house—and it backed down. And with one last, desperate opportunity to avoid becoming an eighth-seed, the Lakers challenged your team last night, and—surprise, surprise!—it backed down. The Jazz HAVE backed down—all season.

Excellent work Ken. And that’s why I’m calling on all Jazz fans to shift their allegiance with me to the Flash, who are opening the D-League Playoffs tonight vs. the Bakersfield Jam at 7:00 in Orem at the McKay Events Center.

Ridiculous Upside gets you up to speed with the game preview.

Just to cheer us all up a bit, I’ll re-link the famous Koufos-Fesenko Dance-Off:

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Bring on the Lakers

April 14th, 2009 by Salt City Hoops

we_want_the_lakers

So I just finished watching a fantastic replay of the Jazz-Lakers Game 4 of the 1997 Western Conference Semifinals at the old Forum in LA. Karl Malone went for 42 and was 18-18 from the free throw line. Bryon Russell had 29, Stockton had 11, Hornacek 14 and the rest of the team combined for only 14 points. Seriously, check the boxscore:

Starters MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
Bryon Russell 45 12 20 .600 4 9 .444 1 1 1.000 2 8 10 3 1 0 4 4 29
John Stockton 40 5 12 .417 1 2 .500 0 1 .000 2 3 5 11 5 0 4 3 11
Karl Malone 39 12 27 .444 0 0 18 18 1.000 2 7 9 3 0 0 2 4 42
Jeff Hornacek 37 3 8 .375 1 3 .333 7 8 .875 1 5 6 6 0 0 0 2 14
Greg Ostertag 32 0 3 .000 0 0 2 2 1.000 2 3 5 0 1 2 0 5 2
Reserves MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
Greg Foster 15 0 2 .000 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 1 0 1 0 3 0
Shandon Anderson 11 3 3 1.000 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 6
Antoine Carr 11 1 4 .250 0 0 1 2 .500 2 1 3 1 1 0 1 3 3
Howard Eisley 8 0 1 .000 0 1 .000 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0
Chris Morris 2 1 2 .500 0 0 1 2 .500 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3
Team Totals 240 37 82 .451 6 15 .400 30 34 .882 11 30 41 27 9 3 11 27 110

Can you imagine how tough that Malone/Stockton/Hornacek trio could have been with a supporting cast? I mean, I enjoy a Chris Morris cameo as much as the next Jazz fan, but wow, those teams were slim pickings after the first four.

Also, I hope all the Jazz players were in their hotel rooms watching this game to learn how to play on the road. It’s not fair to expect a player to be Karl Malone or John Stockton, but it was startling to watch two superstars and a one-legged specialist put on a clinic on the road against a young Shaq, Kobe, and a smattering of classic late 90s Lakers.

Let’s get nostalgic for a bit. And since I was living in the middle of nowhere in Argentina with no access to a television that year, I want to hear what it was like to follow the team that year. What are some things you remember about that 1997 Jazz team? In the meantime, enjoy Hornacek at the line:

hornacek

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Utah Flash > Utah Jazz

April 13th, 2009 by Salt City Hoops

dleague_playoffs
On Friday I made the easy decision to take in the Utah Flash v. Colorado 14ers game in person at the McKay Events Center in Orem rather than sit home and watch the Jazz break my heart on the road against the Spurs.

It turned out to be a great decision as the Flash put on a great show in winning the 25 second replay from their previous matchup and then following up with a great performance in the full game. My only complaint is with owner Brandt Andersen’s write up on his blog:

Did anyone see the reaction of the head coach of the Colorado 14ers-Bob MicKinnon? I have rarely seen such a poor display of sportsmanship. After loosing the first game he claimed he was not coming back out onto the court. He was yelling and swearing at anyone he could find. Then after loosing the second game he refused to shake the hand of our coach. I hate loosing as much as anyone but that type of behavior is unacceptable. I know those were tough losses but they were meaningless to the 14ers. They still have the best record in the league and they still have home court advantage throughout the playoffs. That was a classless display and I hope the league takes action against him for his behavior. For about a minute I considered saying something to him but there was nothing that was going to break my mood last night. Flash prevailed.

Now, I was sitting across the court with the basket blocking my view of the 14ers bench, so I didn’t see any of this untoward behavior. My complaint is with Andersen’s use of “loosing” in place of the correct spelling, “losing.” An online rant needs to fall into one of two categories to be effective: It needs to be completely crazy and typed in ALL CAPS, or it should be well-reasoned and grammatically correct and convince the reader to sympathize with the writer’s point of view. Also, it’s “MacKinnon.”

So now as the Jazz seem determined to drive away any fans left on the bandwagon, the Flash are peaking heading into their first home playoff game on Wednesday. Unfortunately for the Jazz organization, the Junior Varsity is the team playing like they enjoy the game while the Varsity appears to have their bags packed.

Anyway, I look forward to an exciting Utah Flash/Bakersfield Jam playoff game on Wednesday. The place will be packed and you can’t beat $7 general admission seats.

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Crickets

April 12th, 2009 by Salt City Hoops

Actually, the Jazz would be glad to hear crickets right now, rather than the deafening boos from the home crowd that started in the second quarter and went on for the rest of the game. Worst. Loss. Ever.

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Jazz 99, Spurs 105

April 11th, 2009 by Salt City Hoops

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And the Jazz bandwagon gets lighter. But as David Locke mentioned on the post-game radio show, the sad part is that Jazz fans are taking some solace in the fact that the team didn’t completely quit last night. We’ve reached the point where not quitting is seen as an improvement.

As a friend so eloquently put it this morning: It’s like falling for a girl in October, spending way too much time with her, some unexpected circumstances arrive that seem likely to derail the relationship but actually make you like her more (i.e. Boozer goes out and the team keeps rolling). Soon you’re making long term plans. Things get serious and you start thinking she might be the one. Now we’re at the point where you’ve taken pictures, sent announcements, and rented a reception hall.

But now things are a little off every time you’re together, and you can’t shake the feeling that she’s not going to show up to the wedding. She’s just not that interested, or she’s got something she’s not talking about.  Either way, it’s killing you because things were better than you’d ever imagined just a few months ago.

Hopefully the Jazz don’t let their body image issues play with their mind when they take on the younger model Lakers in the first round.

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At Least Obama Still Likes the Jazz

April 10th, 2009 by Salt City Hoops

President Obama reeled me in with his little history lesson to the Turkish Parliment last week, but then he deftly slipped in a reference to Mehmet Okur and Hedo Turkoglu at the 6:00 mark. Well done sir, well done.

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