JazzFan 4 Life

A quick look at today's Jazz-related news/headlines:

• Paul Millsap is thriving this year, despite not having any plays called for him.
• Larry Miller thinks something is wrong if Jerry Sloan doesn't win the NBA Coach of the Year award. You can read my thoughts on this topic here.
• Ronnie Brewer enjoyed the annual Leapin' Leaners charity benefit. I'm sure he'd enjoy some playing time, too (4 minutes the last 5 games).
• A good column from HoopsWorld.com says the Jazz will surpass the Spurs for the Western Conference's third seed. I like the idea, but I don't think it will happen. Utah has played incredible this season, but they're likely a little too young to know what it takes to close out the season strong and finish in third.
• AUDIO: Larry Miller discusses the state of the team, other guys stepping up and Karl Malone's departure on 1280 The Zone.
  
• VIDEO: Finally, some great video of ex-Jazzman Greg Ostertag playing with about as much heart as we're all used to. Except he's playing PING PONG (and getting abused by a kid during the game)!
  

Great stuff if you haven't seen it ... nice job by YouTube user Boschead

I've neglected my blog just because I've been a little tired, my wife and I were on vacation and it's just been hectic overall. Here are some quick thoughts on the Jazz:

• Deron is struggling -- Sure the scoring average has been around 16.5 ppg each month this year (16.7 ppg in Nov, 16.9 ppg in Dec and 16.8 so far), but his shooting percentage sucks. He went from a healthy 47 percent in November to a steady slide. He's now bottomed out at 38 percent from the field. Worst of all, when he's been open, he doesn't seem confident in shooting a jumper. Not a good sign.
• Giricek is no sharp-shooter -- This guy is supposed to be the 3-point shooter in the starting line-up, right? Then explain to me why he only has made 5 of 19 of his 3-pointers in the last two months! He's a frustrating player to watch (he can't seem to make a pass without doing so off the dribble or, worse yet, jumping in the air). I would love to see him traded ... ANYWHERE! He's gotta have incriminating, naked photos of Jerry Sloan or something ... that has to be the only reason he gets consistent time.
  
• Boozer's production doesn't change -- When the Jazz started 13-4, Boozer was quietly being mentioned as an MVP candidate as he was powering the team's start. The Jazz have been a little better than .500 since then (11-10) and there have been more than a few games in which Boozer hasn't played like the team's best player. Sure, he gets his 20 points and 10 rebounds, but he doesn't demand the ball and take over the game when the Jazz blow a lead and turn a safe lead into a close game. I'm starting to think he doesn't have that ability, but maybe it will come.

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.

Game 3 of the preseason got underway last night (Jazz/Blazers), with Utah taking a 104-90 victory. Let's hear some sweet music & sour notes ... \

Sweet Music

* The Naked Russian: 15 pts (5-7 FG; 5-5 FT), 6 reb, 7 assists, 6 blocks - Don't try to tell this guy preseason games are worthless. After missing the past two preseason games with lower back trouble (uh-oh), Kirilenko went crazy against the Blazers. When he's playing this well, it's easy to find more sweet music.

* Carlos Boozer: 23 pts (8-13 FG), 7 reb, 4 assists and 2 BLOCKS!! - Nice to see Boozer playing defense and boxing out once in a while. Just stay healthy and AK-47 will make you look like an all-star.

* Mehmet Okur: 13 pts (6-10 FG), 12 reb, 2 blocks - It's nice when the frontline contributes. Okur will probably have more games like this (minus about 3 rebounds and 2 blocks) on most nights provided The Naked Russian and Boozer do their jobs.

Sour notes

* Jazz fall asleep on lead - Utah led by as many as 17 points before the Blazers closed the gap to three with 8:16 left in the fourth quarter. Not a good sign against any team, but a really bad sign considering it was Portland. The Blazers will probably be challenging for the worst record in the league, so you've got to put them away early.

* Brandon Roy & Jarret Jack - They scored only 27 points combined, but had Juan Dixon found his shot last night (4-13 FG), the crappy Jazz defense in the backcourt would have been exposed once again.

* C.J. Miles struggles - I like that Ronnie Brewer and Matt Harpring played well, but Miles is supposed to be the future, too. A one-for-three night from the floor with 2 fouls in 16 minutes isn't too good. He seems to be having trouble getting into a groove.

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.

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.

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.

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