JazzFan 4 Life

Let's see what's going on in Jazz land today:

* I've always thought that when the Gordan Giricek trade went through in 2004, the Jazz seemed to get the best of the deal, especially when you consider the big man heavy 2004-05 roster (Okur, Boozer, Humphries) that would have allowed him to be a lights-out 3-point shooter. Throw in the fact the Jazz gave him a 4-year deal after 2004 and he seemed to be the shooting guard of the team's future.

The 2004-05 season was a wash and Giricek was lost in the shuffle of bad play that year. He also seemed to wear on Jerry Sloan because he often broke off plays and didn't play defense every time down the floor. These were warts in Giricek's game when he played in Memphis and Orlando, and they still exist.

Now comes news that Giricek didn't play in the opener against Houston because coach Jerry Sloan says Giricek hasn't worked hard enough to warrant time.

"I don't have anything against him personally," the Jazz coach added. "I just think it's important that he works. He's got a lot of talent, and I think he wastes it. Right now, he's wasting some of it."

Giricek can score and make some shots, but I think he's wearing out his welcome in Utah. He didn't get along with Arroyo when he was here. Arroyo, coincidentally, couldn't get along with Sloan at times and now he's a backup point in Orlando. I wouldn't be surprised if the Jazz try to ship Giricek to Charlotte, Atlanta or some other outpost for a second rounder.

* The Jazz won't have set captains this year, but instead Sloan will nominate different players each game.

* This has nothing to do with the Jazz, but a recent NBA.com survey of rosters, Warriors SG Jason Richardson is Mr. Average ... well at least in terms of height, weight and age. Most interesting fact from the study: NBA players are shrinking, getting lighter and younger.

Here's some links from the other side -- The Phoenix Suns:

* Jalen Rose needs a home and the Suns always need more forward/guard players to go along with Raja Bell, Jumaine Jones, Eric Piatkowski, James Jones and Boris Diaw.

* Amare Stoudemire isn't at full strength yet (duh) and wishes he were playing more.

* Leandro Barbosa might be starting soon.

Jazz vs. Lakers -- Preseason Game 1

Well, after a few months of waiting and a little bit of hype, the Jazz finally kicked off the 2006-07 campaign. The results? Disappointing, I would say. Utah fell to the L.A. Lakers, 94-79. During the season, we'll review each game and provide the sweet music (good stuff) and sour notes (bad stuff) from each game. Here's our first go at it:

Sweet music

* Deron Williams: 16 pts (7-13 FG, 2-3 3-pt FG, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, blocked shot) - This guy is proving why the Jazz picked him No. 3 overall. He may not have the flashy moves and crossovers like Chris Paul, but he's looking like the right kind of point guard for this Jazz team. I like that he's taking charge of the offense and he's gradually looking more and more like the Jason Kidd-style point guard many expected him to become.

* Carlos Boozer: 18 pts, 12 reb (9-13 FG, 2 assists, steal) - Six of Boozer's rebounds were on the offensive glass. Any playing time Boozer can get is a plus and if he stays healthy during the preseason, he might be OK when it counts, too.

* Rafael Araujo: 7 rebounds (3 offensive), 2 steals, 4 turnovers, 4 fouls - OK, he missed all 4 of his shots, but the 7 rebounds are a nice make-up for the 0-fer. He's gotta cut down on the fouls (which is supposedly his biggest weakness), but I think he could be a solid, Greg Foster-type backup center for the Jazz.

Sour notes

* Defense (or lack thereof) - Maurice Evans. I like the guy, he's a solid role player, but he scored 10+ points in only 2 of his last 17 games with Detroit last year. He had 12 points on Tuesday, which, on it's own isn't so bad. But throw in that Luke Walton (11 points) and Sasha Vujacic (13) and we see problems here.

* Slow go for Kirilenko - 12 minutes, 4 points, rebound. Plus, the Salt Lake Tribune reports that Kirilenko's back might be acting up again. Great ...

* Gordan Giricek: 6 points (3-10 FG, 4 reb, 3 ast) - I'm not wild about Matt Harpring's ability to miss layups, but at least he tries to fight for some points and not fall in love with the jump shot. Giricek is supposedly healthy, but he's played awful for the last 2 years and should not be starting. We'll have to see if Brewer develops into a viable option at the 2 guard spot.

Sixers/Suns just ended on ESPN2 with the Sixers edging by, 103-100. It's NBA preseason, but it was a pretty good game, especially the furious comeback by the Sixers. Few things I noticed:

* During the broadcast, multiple points were made about how the Suns have to play better defense in 2006-07 if they want to get to the Finals. Despite all the talk about how Steve Nash has improved on defense and the Suns are making it a priority this year, Nash still looks like he couldn't guard Rick Brunson (and he didn't).

* Rodney Carney tore it up! 14 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and a block. Oh yeah, and the game-winning 3-pointer. Willie Green should watch out, because his replacement might be a few seats down on the bench.

* Amare Stoudemire looked OK. If he gets a consistent 15-foot jumper, he'll be the closest thing to a Karl Malone-Elvin Hayes-Shawn Kemp hybrid we'll ever see. He supposedly worked on his jumper while rehabbing, but all I saw today was a guy trying (unsuccesfully) to dunk on everyone.

No, it's not the theme song for a gay rights march. That's is actually the "theme song" for the Jazz in 2006-07. According to the Jazz Web site, "The song will be featured in team advertising and in arena during games." Have a listen and be warned ... it couldn't sound more gay. I know when I hear it, I can only picture a cheesy 80s style music video with former Jazz guard "playing" the saxaphone Jay Humphries and Bobby Hansen on the drums.

After those couple of cute preseason games in Europe, as part of the NBA Europe series, we get some real NBA action back in the USA! Sure, it's meaningless NBA preseason to some, but to me it's the start of another year of headaches and agony. I'm interested to see how the Northern Exposure version of the Suns looks this year (aka the Raptors). Chris Bosh was an all-star last year on an awful team. If he can be a part of the offense in Toronto like Amare Stoudemire was in Phoenix, watch out. I think Bosh is one of the most fundamentally skilled young bigs in the league.

Stats
Height/Weight: 6-6/215 lbs
Games played: 23 (0 starts)
PPG (2005-06 season): 3.4
RPG (2005-06 season): 1.7
Blocks (2005-06 season): 16

What he's good at
It's hard to say what C.J. is good at ... he hardly played last year. Sure, he appeared in 23 games, but he only played about 10 minutes a month. Not exactly quality time to get acclimated to the NBA pace. C.J. had a good finish to the season, scoring 32 points in the final 3 games (10.6 ppg for all you math majors out there). Granted, 23 of those points came against the Warriors in the season finale, but scoring 23 points in an NBA game as an 18-year-old ain't easy. The biggest knock on Miles was his confidence (or lack thereof) and him questioning his decision to sign with the Jazz rather than go play a few years at Texas. Miles was helped tremendously, confidence-wise, by playing in the NBA Developmental League from January to February.

What he's not-so-good at
Much like what he's good at, it's hard to say what Miles is bad at. My guess would be playing major minutes for a playoff-type team (aka the Jazz this year). Reports are he's rounded into form athletically, which is good to hear. As long as he's not playing more than 10-12 minutes a night, Miles' flaws shouldn't be too exposed.

What to expect in 2006-07
The skills that Miles has, although raw, are enough to make any Jazz fan salivate. Rare is the player that is both athletic and hard-working that comes through Utah, but it seems Miles may just be that type. You could see him getting a serious look if Gordan Giricek struggles. I'm predicting about 4.5 ppg and 3.4 rpg this year for Miles. The stats aren't eye-popping, but I think his play this year might be.

NBA.com gives the Jazz some love, particularly to Deron Williams. I know I'm keeping AK-47 on my Sportsline league team ...

Everything I've been reading in the off-season about AK-47 says he's bulked up, worked on his shot and is ready for a breakout year. NBA.com lists Kirilenko as being 6-9, 227 pounds and I can't imagine he's added more than maybe 5-10 pounds of muscle. In addition, Kirilenko has worked on improving his off-season diet and nutrition.

All of this is really great to hear, but my concern is that a heavier Kirilenko may not be a better Kirilenko. AK-47 is one of the fastest baseline-to-baseline players in the NBA. How many times have we seen him miss a shot on offense, the other team gets a fast break, and AK-47 somehow gets back quick enough to block the other team's shot? It's something Kirilenko pulls off at least one or two times a week during the season.

Kirilenko is at his best when he's able to use his wiry wingspan and athleticism on defense and pulls off one of those herky-jerky shots on offense around the basket. My concern is that AK-47's extra weight might not make him as athletic as he was the last few seasons. But hey, if all this work helps him make the All-Star team again and shut down Crymelo Anthony a few times a year, I'm all for it.

Sonics PF Nick Collison is one of the hardest-working guys in the NBA. As such, he's willing to work hard for his big payday. In other Sonics news, Kareem Rush is still in the NBA (sort of) ... Looking for a payday, but not finding it -- Michael Pietrus, Dahntay Jones, Beno Uterus ... Being a Knick has finally cracked Malik Rose ... I took a Spanish class, but I know I couldn't explain what "Jail Blazers" means in Spanish any better. ... Does playing zone defense in the NBA make you retarded? ... The Magic's arena needs a new corporate sponsor. For now, the kids are calling it "The O-rena." How creative!

Interesting stuff from Portland, namely that Darius Miles and Zach Randolph aren't on the team's tickets this year. Also, Miles finds playing pro basketball tiresome. Everyone together now ... AWWWWWWWW!!! ... We know the Bobcats have had trouble with injuries, but now coaches are casualties? ... It's really hard to hate Chauncey Billups. ... Nellie goes back to basics with the Warriors ... Live, from New York! It's blame the ex-coach! Starring Stephon Marbury! ... KG as part owner? And can someone pick up Eddie Griffin? ... And lets call it a day with NBA Executive VP Stu Jackson talking about his new balls

A quick rundown of what's happening with the Jazz today:

* Matt Harpring is trying not to do anything stupid ... always a good plan

* Two different takes on Dee Brown: 1. Go out there and work hard and 2. Just get your butt kicked by a better player/former college teammate

* Jerry Sloan cleans out his closet

* Stop me if you've heard this one before: Carlos Boozer is healthy and he likes playing for Utah