NBA lockout: What about the draft?

Look for the lockout beard to claim Stern's face once again

Not being the brightest mathematician, my freshman year of high school I found myself wedged in a math class with snot nosed, hormone in-raged, screeching 7th and 8th graders... I was one of two 9th graders in the class (and the other, an "Einstein" who used to stick sowing needles into his palm... great company right?).

As miserable as that experience was, like many historical events, I am able to now gleam from it a greater understanding of how Jimmer Fredette might of felt as one of the few 4 year college players in a draft of one and done's... like sticking needles in your palm.

Fortunately for me, I was able to move on out of Jr. High and into my sophomore year. I was then placed with other mathematical "slows" my own age. God bless "No child left behind"!

Unfortunately for the Jimmer, he may of just been placed on an team busting open with "needle in palm" types.

Good luck with that James.

Jimmer is a rather rare bread in today's "youth and potential over proven experience" style of NBA draft classes. One and done has gone from being the new baby elephant at the zoo, to just another pigeon in the city. Nothing against the pigeons of the league, but if a new flock are gonna learn to fly every year, can we at least keep more of them in the city park until they are less likely to "bomb" in mid flight (Hassan Whiteside anybody)?

What the front door am I talking about!? I'd like to see a better transition, with more options, from High school all-star to NBA rookie. The one and done, or the Jimmer four are fine, but shouldn't there even be more options? I would say yes, and can think of a few depressed NBA young guys (did I mention Hassan Whiteside) who would agree.

So assuming Adam Silver and Derrick Fischer are diligent readers of the Sports Cave, here is the second instalment of...

The NBA Lockout: How to fix it - The Draft & Rookie Development. (Read the first installment here)

The LeBron Clause

When LeBron opted to pass over the college experience (or took too much cha-ching to be allowed to play in college) he did so with a pretty good perfect understanding that he not only was going to be a first rounder, but a lotto draftee.

Mr. James is why the league needs to be able to draft out of high school again (18 year old+), to of missed the rookie season of L.J. would have been a shame.

Now what makes it the LeBron rule is where he was drafted...

Rule: Any player drafted out of high school (18 years or older) must spend 1 full season in the D-league if not selected as a lottery pick, and 2 full seasons if selected in the 2nd round/or signed as an un-drafted free agent.

This would greatly discourage any player from signing with an agent unless they felt very strongly they were a going as a high pick, and it would discourage a franchise from reaching too much late in the 1st and in the 2nd round.

It's not perfect, but it does give options to both players and franchises.

The Jimmer Clause

Jimmer spent four years becoming a better player without getting a dime. Mostly because he had to to get the exposure he needed, but there is no doubt he is a much better player today than after his Freshman year at BYU.

He will be able to contribute at a much higher level right out of the gate... he should be rewarded for the hard work he put in.

Rule1 : If a college player spends four seasons in college, his first 2 year's salary do not count towards the cap space of the team that drafts him for those two years.

The same four season player skips his rookie salary structure and starts his structure at the mid level exception if he is drafted in the first round.

If he is drafted in the 2nd round or as an un-drafted free agent, he is due to receive the same salary amount as any other 2nd rounder, but unlike any other 2nd rounder, is given the same guaranteed years as a first rounder.

Rule 2: A player that is drafted after his third season gets all the above, except he does not skip his rookie contract, and only his first year salary does not count towards the teams cap.

Rule 3: A player drafted after his 2nd season receives the same as the 3 college season player, but the franchise that drafts him does not receive any salary cap advantages.

Rule 4: A player who leaves after one season (one and done) receives the same as the 2 season college player, except does not receive the guaranteed contract if drafted in the 2nd round.

I almost called this the "No name guy from Iran Clause" as I was thinking about all the well developed, experienced college players that were passed on this last draft in the second round to pick up "some no name guy from Iran"!

By placing these draft rules into effect, the NCAA would also be more cooperative with the NBA. Allowing a much later date for college players to withdraw their names from the draft able players list and still maintain their college eligibility.

I had a few young students in that math class that actually became pretty good friends, and even helped me a lot with my sweet math skills.

NBA, meet NCAA. NCAA, meet NBA. I know you two would be great friends if you would stop trying to knock each other out!

If the NCAA would help guide great players to an NBA career instead of practically penalizing them if they even think about the NBA, the NBA would be much more "helpful" with donations and clinics. If you regulate those type of things instead of outlawing them both sides could benefit greatly.

and finally, one more though...

Just got this from a good friend of mine, Cody (Check out his blog here). Interesting possibility if the NBA lockout takes the whole season...

"Fist of all, let's hope it doesn't come to this.

So I read your tweet about where the Jazz might pick if the entire NBA season is cancelled. (Again, not hoping for that) I couldn't think of any precedence in the NBA, but I remembered that the NHL was locked out all of the 2004- 2005 season. Here is what they did (via Wikipedia) "As a lockout cancelled the 2004–05 NHL season, the draft order was determined by lottery on July 22, 2005. Teams were assigned 1 to 3 balls based on their playoff appearances and first overall draft picks from the past three years. According to the draft order, the selection worked its way up to 30 as usual; then instead of repeating the order as in past years, the draft "snaked" back down to the team with the first pick. Therefore the team with the first pick overall would not pick again until the 60th pick. The team with the 30th pick would also get the 31st pick. The draft was only seven rounds in length, compared to nine rounds in years past." Not sure if the NBA would do something similar but who knows? Another tidbit, that draft was the year the Pens nabbed Sidney Crosby. Things are looking dim. On PTI today the ESPN capologist pegged the odds of missing the entire season at 75%. 75%! I hope he is wrong."

I wonder if there is a written rule for this, or if it is just a "make it up as you go" kinda thing... just evidence that we are once again on a path that has never been tread.

Thanks Cody.

So now you have it, installment two on How to fix the lockout.

Mr. Stern, I will expect my "mediator fee" check to be in the mail.

NBA Lockout: How to fix it!

What a draft! The most watched boo session on David Stern since he shook hands with Kevin Durrant in 2007!
So now what? Now, after all the talking heads said was one of the most "talentless" draft classes became one of the most watched, and after a finals that pitted the villains of Miami against the "team first" Mavericks, and after the single most exciting college player in the last 25 years has just "Jimmered" his way into the league... now what? Now David Stern, Derrick Fisher, and the rest of the league want to shut it down, wear matching t-shirts, and whine about who's gonna pay for the insurance on their third home in Maui.

Great idea, fake businessmen.

When grown men wear matching T-shirts to a business meeting, how much progress can really take place? It's gonna be a long Summer... Fall? Winter?!

So how do you fix it? Like this!

A salesman in the NBA
Have you ever seen a really good salesman? Why are they good, because they have to be, that's how they feed their families.

Have you ever seen a player give up on a play, a game, a season? Yea, you have. What about owners? Yup, them too.

It's time to put a door to door salesman attitude into the league... it's time to bring a commission+base salary to the NBA!

Rookie Salary Structure:
A player is drafted and signed to a similar amount as is right now, but only 20% of it is guaranteed. The other 80% is divided up into 82 parts and one part is paid out with each win.

1st year: 20% Base 80% Win commission
2nd & 3rd year: 25% Base 75% Win commission
4th year: 30% Base 70% Win commission
5th year (team option): 50% Base 50% Win commission

Example: Gordon Hayward 2010-11 actual salary: $2,356,320

  $471,264 guaranteed (20% Base of $2,356,320)

+ 39 wins @ $22,988 a game= $896,532


Gordon's 2010-11 "Sportscave" salary = $1,367,796

the 2nd contract and beyond will follow a similar structure, but with a higher Base rate, and even higher if re-signed with current team.


Resign with current team:
1st year: 60% Base 40% Win commission
2nd year: 65% Base 35% Win commission
3rd year: 70% Base 30% Win commission
4th year (player option): 75% Base 25% Win commission

Free Agent sign with a new team:
1st year: 50% Base 50% Win commission
2nd year: 55% Base 45% Win commission
3rd year: 60% Base 40% Win commission
4th year(player option): 75% Base 25% Win commission


*A bonus system could also be applied for making the playoffs, conference finals, or NBA finals.

The cap would be hard, but would based off of 75% of the total potential salary. Each team could have 2 players that don't count towards the cap.
One is the "native"; any player that was drafted by the team and has never left under free agency (Example:Kobe Bryant, C.J. Miles, or Dwayne Wade). This rewards good drafting, and loyalty.
The second is 1 mid-level-exception player.

That's it. That's the basics of my salary structure.

This will be an on-going series that will deal with the reality of the CBA and what else is wrong with the NBA. If a fat guy sitting on his couch can solve the problems of the NBA, than there might be a fighter's chance for a new CBA to be drawn up... even if one side can't stop wearing matching clothes!

*My next one in the series will be on the draft and how to improve it.

Utah Jazz Draft Review

The NBA draft has come and gone for another year and the Jazz have picked up two young players. The Jazz had 2 picks and they drafted:

1st round, 3rd pick - Enes Kanter; Turkey, 6'11" 260 lbs, Center

Kanter brings much needed depth to the Jazz front-line and gives them a potential star. He sat out all of last season with Kentucky and has not played as much basketball as other prospects that were in this draft. From the tape I have watched on him I think he is similar to Brook Lopez of the New Jersey Nets. He has great size and is a better offensive player than he is a defensive player.

Here is his post draft interview as well as some highlights:





For more on Kanter checkout Draft Express

The Jazz with their 2nd pick selected:

Alec Burk; Colorado, 6'6" 190 lbs, Shooting Guard

Burk has been compared a lot to Ronnie Brewer by the local media, which is not a great comparison. Burk does not have the defensive abilities that Brewer did when he came into the league but he is a much better scorer. Burk has very good handles with the basketball and can create his own shot.... something Brewer still does not have. Another point is that Brewer came into the NBA after his Junior year (avg 18 pts a game)and Burk is only a Sophomore (avg 20 pts a game). Look for him to be more aggressive with driving in the lane rather than settling for a jump shot... something that Wes Matthews did extremely well with the Jazz.

Here is his post draft interview and highlights:





For more on Burk check out Draft Express.

You can check out what coach Tyrone Corbin had to say about the Jazz draft here.

Yahoo Sports are saying the following about the Jazz Draft:

"Winner: Utah Jazz:"

"The Utah Jazz quietly improved their team by adding Kanter (No. 3) and Colorado guard Alec Burks (No. 12). Kanter proclaimed a day earlier that he is the best player in the draft, and with his size, scoring ability and rebounding he has the talent and potential to prove he is right. While Burks isn’t a household name, he was a proven scorer in college, averaging 20.5 points last season as a sophomore. The Jazz have an intriguing group of young players in Kanter, Burks, Derrick Favors, Gordon Hayward and Jeremy Evans."

Fox Sports is also calling the Jazz a Winner:

"Many Utah fans were hoping the team would use one of its two lottery picks on BYU star Jimmer Fredette, but the Jazz got an impressive duo in center Enes Kanter (right) and shooting guard Alec Burks. Both are unfamiliar to many fans since Kanter was ruled ineligible before playing a game at Kentucky and Burks played for a Colorado team that didn't make the NCAA tournament, but they may be the best athletes at their respective positions."

Even a few ESPN analyst are jumping on board the Jazz draft:

Pick for draft winners-

"Hayes Davenport, Celtics Hub: Other than Metta World Peace, who has to be pretty excited that he out-trended the draft, the Jazz had the best evening. They were able to draft for need and overall value with both of their first-round picks without taking too many risks. But it's a close call, because the Wizards did the same."

Pick for draft steal-

"Dan Feldman, PistonPowered: The Jazz taking Alec Burks. Three guards -- Kemba Walker, Jimmer Fredette and Klay Thompson -- went immediately ahead of him, but Burks will be the best of the four.

He's predominantly a slashing scorer, but he'll also rebound and pass well for his position."

For more reviews check out the Deseret News.

NBA Mock Draft 3.1

Dear OKC Thunder fans

From A Jazz fan

Dear OKC Thunder fans,

Thank you. Thank you for the reminder… check that; thank you for the slap in the face and the ice-cold water on our sleeping faces.

The word passion is often over used to describe less than passionate realities. Not this time. The passion you put out to this paralyzing entertaining, but young Thunder team the past few years is astounding. Such a young franchise (or an old one beat up and re-built) often gets some excited NBA fans to follow right away, and drip by drip add in “home team” fans. But in OKC, a city known for overcoming adversity time and time again, someone turned the “big city/big market” sprinklers on and flooded the basement!

As an outsider looking in with no connection to your great Midwest town, I have no real reason to be an OKC fan… except for the fact that something has drawn us in. I use us, because there is an “us”.

The “us” is not just I and the few friends I waste too much time talking about Westbrook & Durant’s brilliant plays. It extends further than my limited following on twitter (@sportscavelive) or Facebook. It stretches a little more than the Salt Lake Valley. I know a good portion of Utah is on board, and hope our home team Jazz can emulate in some way what you have been a part of. When Durant quietly signed his extension without letting us know where is “talents” were going, it grew a little. When Westbrook first broke out those sweet interview specs… it spread a little more. When the beard took over the face, it took over a few fans too. After the fascination of “what’s in the backpack” took over a good portion of the web, we gained a few OKC bus riders. And when YOUR Thunder broke the mold of “what it takes to win in the NBA”… and still won, it became a passion again.

So although I may root against Durant when they come to play in SLC, from this moment on I’m not just a follower of the Thunder, I’m a fan.

-Sincerely,

A “new” OKC Thunder fan.

Dignan's 2011 NBA Mock Draft v.2

Dignan's 2011 NBA Mock Draft v.2 has a few subtractions (players staying in school), and one addition who has made it not only into the first round, but into the lotto picks! 

The addition, subtractions, and even some re-evaluations, have created a musical chairs feel from v.1. Check it out!

What is the most valuable NBA position?

Dignan's 2011 NBA Mock Draft v.1

Brandon Knight

What If

What if is something that I always think about. Something that can make me very excited for the future of the NBA as well as depressed, especially with this what if.

What if we don't trade Deron this year, and the NBA has a lockout next year. That would allow Deron to exercise his player option and opt out of his contract. If New Jersey then does not make any big moves both before the trade deadline as well as before the lockout that would pave the way for an interesting 2012 summer.

Assuming again that New Jersey has a ton of cap space and does not make a

move on Melo, both Chris Paul and Dwight Howard are in the same boat as Deron is in 2012. What if Gr8tness, CP3, and Superman all took their talents to the Garden State?! That would be a pretty good front court and add Devon Harris to the mix because he is signed through 2012-2013 and the Miami's/Boston's/L.A.'s/ and San Antonio's may fear heading into Brooklyn to get an old school dawg pound! Could this potentially be the new house that Deron built, and a change in the Eastern Conference's legitimate teams? Only time will tell...but I hope not.

Jazz Trades: Williams today, Harris tomorrow? ...A.K. all week.

As I sat surrounded by what seemed to be the visitor’s section for Golden State, I witnessed something that has not happened in my lifetime; the Jazz completed their worst home court losing streak since 1982.

If it hadn’t of been for the dry humor of my wife trying to convince me to steal the recently purchased Jazz ball from the pre-teen next to me, and then giving it to her to hurl at someone’s head, I might not of made it through the historic lose.

With a cool head from my wife’s humor, a good night’s sleep, and a much needed break ahead, I can calmly present what I will be using as therapy for the next 7 days… ESPN’s NBA Trade Machine.

1st trade: We found him, let’s get him back! (Submitted by: Ice-Man)

This is the trade to get Wes Mathews back! Giving up two pieces for “the one that got away” seems like a lofty price… until we saw Wes’s first game as a Blazer.

So consider this the Sportscave crew standing outside of Mathew’s house in the rain holding a boom-box blasting “In your Eye’s”.

2nd trade: Half the fat, twice the taste!

I have already presented this one… but I still like it. Especially when you look at the $ saved! Hill is an up & coming guy that hasn’t really had a fair shake in the league yet… put him in our rotation, shake the hell out of him, and see what comes out!


Lee is the most under rated, under used, under paid wing I can think of… If he is on this Jazz team, he shows his value and we have a good problem in a few years; Utah will have to pay him the big bucks to keep him!



3rd trade: “The big boy reset button” trade.

This is the one. This one hit’s the reset button on your old, grey Nintendo. You have gotten pretty far with this group, but you just can’t beat the last few levels… sometimes frustration kicks in, and in a haste you hit the reset button… S@#T! Mario would roll over in his grave.


After the despair drifts away, a slight amount of hope, excitement, and vision begins to seep in your sleep deprived & over carbonated brain as you see what could be… how you’ll do things differently this time around.

By giving up the talent of D-Will (hard to even think), the pieces that come back are REALLY exciting. Taking back Outlaw convinces N.J. to take A.K., and Harris is a top 10 PG now who could be even a little better in a few years with this team. The key to this is Watson, who let’s you do this because he is such a good back-up.

Kevin Martin is a scorer. End of story. He is average at everything else, but right now, for this team, that works. I think Patterson and Hill speak for themselves. Both will be productive, defensive minded bigs who can chip in a good night of scoring every once in a while as well.

It may take a while for this one to sink in, but I think it is an interesting thought.

So until Feb. 24th, look for me hoping for a trade... maybe.

Develop your kids into Millionaires!

To all you fathers out there. Make your personal failure a reality with your Kids!

Utah Jazz 2011 season: Grow it out, or shave it off?

In a fit of Jazz Depression, I once...

Kids, it's time to have a little talk.  All the crying, yelling, kicking, and screaming has got to stop.  The hours spent standing in the corner, trying to calm down, has put a kink in my spine and a new schizophrenic voice named GiGi in my head.  


That reminds me, her and I have a police car to tip later.


Before GiGi and myself are hauled off to the big house of West Bountiful, I sat down (via the world wide net) with the world traveler; Soren Jespersen, and a fellow depressed Caver; Iceman (Tyler Higgins).






Soren Jespersen   Tyler Higgins(Iceman)  Kelly Jewkes(Dignan)  






Question 1: What do you do with the starting five (two part question); Keep the same,  Bring up a bench player to start (who for who?),  Trade for a new (realistic) starter (who for who?),  Trade for a new bench player (who for who?).   WHY?


 I don't understand why Jerry is so averse, or hesitant, to experiment with the starting line-up. We are a .500 team since the start of December. Switching out CJ for Kirilenko, for example. Or CJ for Bell for just a couple of games and then to assess the results is the kind of experimentation this team needs. Not to mention that energy and focus have been one of our biggest weaknesses. Last I checked there is nothing better to incentivize increased focus and drive than the threat of losing your job or having your role reduced. But, and this sounds contrary to my first point but it really isn't, Sloan needs to begin to narrow down his bench and give more DNP-CDs. When guys like Fesenko, Price, Hayward, etc. are getting 2 mins one game, 14 the next, and a DNP on the third, it is really hard for the team to get in a rhythm. Popovich and Jackson use 8 or 9 guys religiously and everyone knows their roles...not so on the ol' Jazz. 

David Locke had a great article showing the most successful and least successful line-ups statistically this year… Interesting findings. Especially about the current starting line-up (Williams, Bell, AK, Millsap, Jefferson)… one of the poorest statistically rated starting line-ups in the NBA.
There may not be “one answer” as far as the line-up goes, but I think Locke’s findings make the current line-up pretty tough to swallow as our starting line-up.
At this time, I would start C.J. over Raja, with the intent to pull him if he is not on in 3-5 mins into the 1st.  If he is on, he stays in and pushes the lead.  If not… no harm, no foul.  Raja or Price sneak in and clean up for a few minutes, and then you can transition into your 2nd team late in the 1st/beg of the 2nd.
One of my biggest worries is Paul Millsap… his funk that he is in right now has been eye opening.  He has a skill set that is incredible, a work ethic that is unmatched, and court vision to go with it… similar to Charles Barkley!
What he doesn't have is height.  It has shown up like a poke in the eye against bigger 4’s.
So I guess the big hairy question is this; Is Paul the guy that needs to be traded for a “taller” big, sliding Al to the 4?  
He might be.
Would you pull the trigger on Paul if a 7-2  Roy Hibbert (12pts. 8rbs. 1.8blks. in 27 minutes) were on the other end?

One may say that we need to start C.J. For Raja but we learned that last year he could not start, he is a much better player off the bench...although he averages 4 points, 1 board and a better 3pt percentage than Raja. C.J. Needs to try to become 6th man of the year. We need his spark off the bench. When we picked up Raja in the off season I was so excited for his 3pt capabilities and tenacious defense, but I have yet to see either. We cannot start our spark plug in Ronnie Price because he is to small to guard a shooting guard, and if you move Deron to the 2 spot on defense he will get tired way to fast. We need to trade but we don¹t have any players good enough to trade in the 3,4,5 depth charts (shown below) nor do we have any additional money available...so they say.

My proposal is since Utah has the most season ticket holders of any team this year as well as the most successful merchandise sales in the league, we need to do two things. 1-Figure what's going on in the locker room and in the front office as well. Our drive to be a top tier team is no where close to where it needs to be. I know that we have done everything possible to beat L.A., but that doesn't mean we have to look like the L.A.
Losers. 2- Let's use that additional money (which we supposedly don't have) that we are pulling in for a player incentive given for player development. For every point you average different from today to the end of the year each player gets an additional $15,000 and the same goes for rebounds, steals and assists. An additional $50,000 will be given if the player plays in every game for the rest of the season. If you combine the totals and if the player raises his points by 4, rebounds by 2, steals by 1, and assists by 2, that is a player incentive of an additional $185,000. This is how the league needs to format their player contracts anyway, we are just going to be the trend setters. If every player qualifies for the incentive the Jazz would be out $2.4 million but would be way cheaper than
an additional player and we would be a complete team playing as one unit.

Question 2: Rank the roster from most important to this team, to least important.

1-Deron Williams
2-Paul Millsap
3-Al Jefferson
4-Andrei Kirilenko
5-Raja Bell
6-C.J. Miles
7-Ronnie Price
8-Gordon Hayward
9-Memo Okur
10-Francisco Elson
11-Earl Watson
12-Kyrylo Fesenko
13-Jeremy Evans

Deron is obviously the leader of the pack, but where we struggle is in the 4 and 5 rankings. We peak again with 6-8. You may be surprised that I have Memo at #9 but he is a 10 point man tops. His injury may be healed but he
will not be back until next season. 10-13 are fillers to spell the starters. For the first time in years we are not a deep Jazz team...actually we only have arguably 3 top tier players.


 I think CJ Miles is the most important player on this team this year. Not the MVP of the team, just the most important player. If Miles could get the minutes and improve his consistency, he'd open up the court for Jefferson and Milsap, while taking pressure off DWill in the back court. The Jazz should change their name to the Utah WeNeverHaveAShootingGuardThatCanActuallyShoots, because, well, other than Griffith and Hornacek, we've never had one. And getting one that can shoot AND can drive to the lane and finish, would be key to our emergence from upper-mediocrity. I think CJ could be an All Star someday, but maybe only after he gets out of Sloan's doghouse.

I took this question as “importance” not “best”.  Who’s absence would hurt Utah the most if he wasn’t here this year?

1. Williams
2. Jefferson
3. Paul
4. CJ
5. Watson
6. AK
7. Memo
8. Raja
9. Price
10. Fesenko
11. Hayward
12. Francisco
13. Evens

Question 3: Are any of Utah’s starting five one of the five best in the league at their position?  If so, list that position’s top 5.  (ex: Top 5 point guards:  1. Williams  2. Rose  3.  Paul  4.  Westbrook  5. Rondo)

The above example is my top 5 for guards.  That might look different by April.
I really thought this question was interesting, because it made me list the “best” in each position until I hit a starter for the Jazz… Raja fell the farthest.
Don’t know if that just means he is in a position that presents a lot of talent (yes!), or if Raja really is the starting line-up’s weakest link (Yes!).
One thing is for sure, W. Mathews was barely outside my top 5….

Deron is the one, but you can't rank the top point guards in this year's NBA. There are just too many great guards and they all do many things well.


PG: 1-Deron Williams 2-Derrick Rose 3-Rajon Rondo 4-Russell Westbrook 5-Chris Paul


PF: 1-Blake Griffin 2-Amar'e Stoudemire 3-Pau Gasol 4-Kevin Garnett 5-Paul Millsap

Jazz got Wizzed on

When I have time I like to watch the games a second time.  Or for the first time if I happened to miss the game, found out the score, and have it recorded (yesterday... Thanks 11am tip).
The following are just a few thoughts as I watched the game knowing the outcome.

-The first time the Jazz ran a pick and roll/pop (Williams & Jefferson on this one) was at the 7:41 mark in the first quarter... The bread and butter of Utah ball.

-Millsap is walking through, arms at his side... seems to be avoiding the ball.

-Jefferson is running the floor... hard.  Has out ran at least two other Jazz men almost every break.

-Millsap just got a pass from A.K.... missed the lay-up not because of McGee, but because he lifted slow.

-Blatche is on.  He creates space very well, and is causing a lot of guessing (outside or in?) with the Jazz bigs.

-2nd pick and roll(Sloppy) is run at the 5:38 mark... Al is running the pick and rolls... Millsap is standing strait up, facing the basket, with his man between him and the rim... makes it easy for Millsap's defender to leave him and help on Jefferson after the pick and pop.

-I have yet to see Millsap run the floor... "O" or "D"... really not like him.

-Millsap sap just walked into Jefferson at the top of the key on defense! He is on another planet!

-Great shooting by Washington.

-O.K., D-Will and Jefferson got the memo: We are the better team... play like it! Everyone else didn't check their e-mail.

-D-Will seemed to just force Paul to score... great drive and pass to Paul.

-Paul just played an entire D-set with his back to his much more athletic man... good thing Wall threw the ball away.

-Jefferson just got fouled bad by Blatche... no call. It's MLK day in the nations capitol!

-Utah has seemed to overlook the "set offense" flip is running... Jazz are constantly trying to "find" their man.

-Williams goes for over 30 pts if Kirk H. isn't guarding him.

-Most of the 1st team played the entire 1st qrtr.  Why?

-Memo is working! I like it!  A lot of running with this otherwise under-sized 2nd team...

-Watching Memo makes me think: He has been an All-Star, has a huge contract, and has nothing to prove... He is going to fall into this role amazingly well coming off the bench as an energy guy and not as one of the go to guys.  He will excel.

-After making 2 threes, CJ takes a 15 footer with an open lane to the rim in front of him... needs to be aggressive.

-Jefferson is running through! Effort = Production in a Sloan system, and he is figuring it out!

-I don't even know what to say about the D... so wide open... The Wiz are forcing Utah to an uncomfortable amount of spacing, leaving either a wide line, or an open 3... choose your poison.

-Al is going after tough rebounds!  He is working, and trying to play tough.

-If I was Al, I would have a strong word with my team tonight... except Williams... he might do some barking as well.

-Millsap was under the basket when Lewis, his man, shot the three... more of the same.

-Washington is playing right near the best they can.

-Paul is being hustled by Lewis.

-Lewis to Millsap: "I'm not a player I just crush a lot!"

-That oop by McGee was gross.  Somewhere a small child is crying.

-Young is a nice player... plays fast and a bit reckless, but can do some things.

-Thought: Blatche is not a defender, which allows him to push hard on offense... especially against a Millsap that was up all night ironing his jersey and doesn't want to wrinkle it.

-Raja and Kirilenko finish with less then 10 points... that is shameful.  You are NBA starters, act like it! Score 10 friggin' points.

Final Conclusion:  

-Utah had a job, and did not do it.  A few key Jobs that caused the loss;

-Every starter must score at least 10 points.

-Are you guys embarrassed yet... REBOUND!  Al pulled down ten, everyone else smelled.

-Don't leave a hot hand.

-Just decide to play with energy.

D-Will for MVP

This just in: ESPN has named Deron Williams as the number two prospect for the MVP watch in the league! Here is his stat line.

G	MIN	FG%	3P%	FT%	STL	BLK	RPG	AST	PTS	PER
22	37.8	.471	.337	.860	1.4	0.2	4.2	10.0	21.8	23.7

Compare these numbers to Dwight Howard who is number one in the watch.

G	MIN	FG%	3P%	FT%	STL	BLK	RPG	AST	PTS	PER
19	34.9	.579	.000	.541	1.2	2.4	12.1	1.1	20.9	24.5

ESPN also states: "Unlike the past two seasons, when you could automatically put LBJ at the top of the MVP list, there is no clear-cut favorite this season.

D-Will is playing as well as anyone, and has led the Jazz to a 16-6 record in the last 5 weeks, showing us all that he is a true year in and year out All-Star."

Deron has been the clear cut leader of the team...as he should be. He has been teaching the rookies as well as the new Boozer replacement, Jefferson (who still doesn't seem to understand the pass and screen away...but that's another post) what they need to do to be successful on a Jazz team. Utah has had a great few weeks filled with wins, but we need more MVP performances from Mr. GR8NESS to push us through this slump of terrible offensive spacing. With the great east coast victories Utah had early, this Jazz team created their identity. Now they need to prove themselves yet again to their fans... but this time on Larry H. Miller court.

If I were Sloan I would be barking in the locker room that Deron is the reason that we have been winning so many games, and that it is time to give him more support. Sure others have had great streaks of three to four games...but who is going to be the second and third go to guys who we can count on night in and night out. Is it Paul? Is it C.J.? Is it Big Al? The opportunity is available to anyone who wants to prove to both the coaching staff as well as the fans. who are the next no names to come out of Utah? Gordon? Ronnie? Fez? Boys, be ready.
Now make us all proud. Make us KNOW that nothing is left on the floor. Leave everything on the floor every game.
MAKE D*MN SURE WE NEVER LET ANYONE COME INTO OUR HOUSE AND PUSH US AROUND ON OUR HOME FLOOR!
Miami was Utah's East road trip springboard last month... complete the season sweep and make them the stepping stone to another streak of wins here at ESA!

Is Blake Griffin the next Karl Malone

Blake Griffin: Is he the next “IT” in the NBA?




YES! I’ll say it; He is the closest thing to Karl Malone I have seen to date. What I find incredible about him is he has the body right now that took Karl 6+ years to develop! At 6-10, 250lbs. (yea right, he’s got 15+lbs. on that) he is becoming not only the obvious choice for R.O.Y., but if he is able to shave off a few of these lower scoring games and somehow bring his young clippers to the 8th seed (doubtful), he should then be a long shot for MVP!

The next question has to be then are the 2010 Clippers equal to the 2008 Thunder- a team one season away from being a true playoff team? I couldn’t tell you for sure, but I would think they have to be making a good amount of noise by 2012. With the appearing of their guard of the future, Eric Bledsoe (Comparable to Westbrook?), I think they have some pieces in place to contend.

O.K., I’ll stop the Griffin love fest… Just thought the comparison with K. Malone was pretty accurate, and wanted to see what others thought.





Dignan also writes as a “Jazzbot” on utahjazz360.com & can be reached by e-mail at dignan.sportscave@gmail.com.

Are the Jazz Mentally Tough Enough?

Are the new look Jazz mentally tough enough to buckle down and play so good defense? That is the golden question that we all at the cave are wondering. Sure I agree that we have had some stellar defense on the road and going 4-0 for the first time since the mid 1970’s in great news for any Jazz fan…but what happened on Monday night?

Before I get to ahead of myself let me set the stage. The Jazz were home for the first time in a week and considered the hottest team in the league. Our legs finally had time to rest and we were ready to defend the court at ESA.

The Thunder on the other hand had everything to prove. They were embarrassed by the Jazz on their home floor by 21 at the end of October, just came off a loss to the Spurs and needed a break through game.

At the beginning of the game Deron was leading the team with an electrifying 13 point first quarter, but then the look of the old Jazz defense began to start showing its ugly face. Now I understand that we didn’t have Bell, and started the rookie (Hayward) in his place but that is no excuse to let Ibaka go for 22 points. That was the game killer not to mention the Thunder shooting 97% from the stripe and 51% from the field.

Boys its time to get back to basics and get down in the defensive threat position. We have New Jersey, San Antonio, Portland, Sacramento and New Orleans to tune up and see if our offseason trades and improved players have what it takes to defend the house in another big game against L.A. on the 26^th .

An Improved Jazz Team

The season has just started and the Jazz have logged their first big road trip of the year. As I have been watching this team during this past week I have been able to notice one glaring difference from years past... drum roll please… DEFENSE! Now I will admit that I do not believe this team has one defensive stopper or for that matter even a player that is capable of that title. What I would call it is a group of players that play team defense.

Allow me to point out some of the reason for this thought. First thing that stands out, is watching Big Al move his feet and stays in front of his man and the hoop. Big Al is no Dwight Howard but it is an improvement from watching Boozer scream at player as they dunked on him. Big Al might not block every shot but he will be there trying to contest each attempt that is taken. Boozer could not even stop his gym bag from breaking his wrist this offseason (thank you Chicago!).

The second point that stands out is the second unit’s defense as a whole. I know the second unit is one of the worse in the league in scoring but their defense is what is making the difference. Rather it’s Earl Watson blocking Jamal Crawford shot attempt of its Fesenko committing a hard foul in the paint. Also it is refreshing to watch Elson stand in the paint and contend shots. When comparing this to Collins and Memo of the past, who would just stand their ground and hope for a charging foul to be called! It is a needed addition.

Third and last of all is the Jazz are showing an ability to get defensive stops when they need them. When it is crunch time in the fourth quarter and the Jazz need a stop they are getting them! If the Jazz are going to have continued success these stop have to continue. One of the interesting statistics when comparing last year to this year is the turnovers. The Jazz are getting nearly 2 more turnovers from opposing teams on average. Last year they were committing as many turnovers as their opponents.

Lebron's new Nike Commercial... "What should I do?"