9/1- Montana St
9-/10- @ USC (Div)
9/17- @ BYU
10/1- Washington
10/8- Arizona State (Div)
10/15- @ Pittsburgh
10/22- @ California
10/29- Oregon State
11/05- @ Arizona (Div)
11/12- UCLA (Div)
11/19- @ Washington State
11/25- Colorado (Div)
So there it is, Utah's first Pac-12 schedule. I'm going to be a little biased here but also use some reason. I don't see anything that keeps Utah from being a major contender in the South Division and maybe even going to the Conference Championship game in the first year. First let me say that Utah is lucky not to have to play the 2 best teams in the conference in Oregon and Stanford, than indulge me as I break down the schedule.
Montana St gives Utah their first win and puts them at 1-0 and let's them not show to much of what they will be doing offensively. That will play well with them facing their first conference opponent the next week. I think Utah will be pumped up for it and I think Lane Kiffen is a moron. A low scoring win for the Utes putting them at 2-0, 1-0 in both the conference and division. Than Utah hosts Washington, who is coached by Steve Sarkisian, former BYU QB under Norm Chow and also, former USC QB coach under Norm Chow. This game will also be a close win for Utah, making them 3-0 and 2-0 in the Pac-12. Than they face the most dynamic passing attack they will face all season in Arizona State. This game will come down to the pass rush of Utah. If they can get to the QB, they can keep it close and fight for the win in the 4th quarter, however, if they can't get to the QB, they will get blown out because they don't have the talent at CB to keep the Arizona St. WR's covered to long. I'm going to say Arizona St. in a close game making Utah 3-1 and 2-1 in conference and 1-1 in the South Division. The Utes get a slight rest from the Pac-12 schedule here and go to Pittsburgh who will be trying to find themselves under new head coach Todd Graham. My first instinct here is Utah and move on, however, after thinking about last years meeting, and also how well Utah played against Notre Dame last year, I'm going Pittsburgh in a close, hard hitting battle making the Utes, 3-2. Utah gets to 4-2 at Cal and wins another at home against the high flying Beavers the next week making them 5-2 and 4-1 in the Pac-12. Utah goes into Arizona and beats them in another hard hitting match up getting to 6-2 overall, 5-1 in conference and 2-1 in the South division, all the while trying to chase down the Sun Devils. Then Utah goes to UCLA and puts up 45 points on them, just so Coach Chow can show his distractors what they did in not letting him run his own offense. Also adding 1 more win in each column, overall, conference and division. Than they go to Pullman and play the Cougars. With my affinity for Washington State as well, I'm just going to say it will be a win and leave it at that. Utah is now 9-2 overall, 7-1 in the Pac-12 and 3-1 in the South Division coming home to face their bitter rival, the Colorado Buffalos. And, as history shows, Native Americans eat Buffalo meat, (I'm sorry, I had to go there, at least once) Utah wins this one going away making them 10-2 overall, 8-1 in the Pac-12 and 4-1 in the South division. That puts them in a tie with Arizona St. for the top spot in the division losing the chance to play against Stanford in the Championship game.
Some of the games I think could go the other way, I debated on the Arizona, Pittsburgh, Washington and even USC. It could be the other way real quick to, this is the Biased Sports Report though and I reserve the right to be a practical homer. And of course, this is all dependent on Jordan Wynn's play in the new offense, which I think fits him MUCH better than the spread option, which no one thought was ever an option with him back there. But as is, here is my breakdown of the division.
PAC-12 South Division:
Arizona State: 10-2 overall, 9-1 Pac-12, 4-1 South
Utah: 10-2 overall, 8-2 Pac-12, 4-1 South
Arizona: 7-5 overall, 5-5 Pac-12, 3-2 South
USC: 6-6 overall (Lane Kiffen fired), 4-6 Pac-12, 2-3 South
UCLA: 4-8 overall, 3-7 Pac-12, 1-4 South
Colorado: 3-9 overall, 1-9 Pac-12, 0-5 South
This is all from someone who has not attended any spring games or practices of any team outside of Utah but who followed the Pac-10 as a fan of Washington State over the years and I truly believe Utah is in a sweet spot to surprise people this year. They don't have to play Stanford or Oregon and they get the toughest Division opponent at home. USC and UCLA or both going through some tough times and I don't see it getting better this year and Washington isn't quite there yet. Man, that North division looks to be scary for a while. My prediction is the Stanford to the Rose Bowl and Oregon to the Fiesta Bowl with only 1 loss. Mean while, Arizona State and Utah or left out of the BCS but both get to play tough opponents in bowl games and show that the Pac-12 is no longer USC and the rest.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
D-Will to the Nets
First off, I'm going to say a lot of things that I had been planning on saying for a while, but my internet went down twice. Now I'm back and rolling so here we go.
First off, I'm going to abstain from a lot of what I've been thinking about the lack of defense from our point guard position and with one exception. I think when Jerry Sloan was saying "help the helper," I think he meant to take the guy your guarding into the help defense, not away from it. That's all I will say about that.
I guess I'm not really going to say all I wanted to say. It's not conducive to rag on the ex, serves no purpose and only hurts feelings. So Deron Williams, I raise a glass to your health and wish you well. Have fun in Brooklyn.
What we gave away was an incredible PG who can create for himself or for his teammates, on his terms. A big guy who can dominate with his size and strength. What we got was a little PG who is also a really good facilitator. He is small, and quick. I have always liked Devon Harris and am looking forward to see what he can do in a system that is designed for a passing guard (if it stays similar under the Milk Man). The other piece we got was 6'10", 245 lb. Power Forward Derrick Favors. This is also a win, kinda. He is young, (not yet 20) and big. He is a project that can only get better under the tutelage of Ty Corbin playing behind Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap. I like the acquisition of another big with actual size, but now we have 3 PF's sharing 2 positions. Big Al can and does play the 5, however he is really a 4. Paul can kinda play the 3, but not really. I would love to see a line up of Harris at the 1, AK at the 2, Paul at the 3, Favors at the 4 and Big Al at the 5, just to see it. It would rival the Lakers for size, I don't think it would work very well, but I still want to see it just once.
We also got 2 1st round draft picks. New Jersey's (unprotected) this year, and Golden State's (lottery protected) next year. So we can use those to trade up like we did to get D-Will, or use them so we have 4 first round draft picks over the next 2 years. 3 really, I mean come on, when are the Warriors not in the lottery. This is where of Kevin O'Conner shines, or plays. I can't decide whether or not he likes to just play with "future considerations", or if it's just something that comes up so often with the Jazz that even he shakes his head and laughs. But we've got a lot of good players from moves like that. AK for one, Big Al for another.
This is a turning point for the Utah Jazz and I hope that we as Jazz fans can go through a growing pain with these guys because it could work. I don't like this excuse, but these guys are really young. Gordon Heyward is barely 20, Favors is the youngest player in the NBA at not yet 20. The dude is still a teenager for heavens sake. I'd like to see this same lineup next year with a year under their belt, well, maybe a different 2 gaurd, (love ya Raja), but other than that, no change. Even resign AK. Not for 17 mil, but bring him back please!!!!
Go Jazz!!!!!
First off, I'm going to abstain from a lot of what I've been thinking about the lack of defense from our point guard position and with one exception. I think when Jerry Sloan was saying "help the helper," I think he meant to take the guy your guarding into the help defense, not away from it. That's all I will say about that.
I guess I'm not really going to say all I wanted to say. It's not conducive to rag on the ex, serves no purpose and only hurts feelings. So Deron Williams, I raise a glass to your health and wish you well. Have fun in Brooklyn.
What we gave away was an incredible PG who can create for himself or for his teammates, on his terms. A big guy who can dominate with his size and strength. What we got was a little PG who is also a really good facilitator. He is small, and quick. I have always liked Devon Harris and am looking forward to see what he can do in a system that is designed for a passing guard (if it stays similar under the Milk Man). The other piece we got was 6'10", 245 lb. Power Forward Derrick Favors. This is also a win, kinda. He is young, (not yet 20) and big. He is a project that can only get better under the tutelage of Ty Corbin playing behind Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap. I like the acquisition of another big with actual size, but now we have 3 PF's sharing 2 positions. Big Al can and does play the 5, however he is really a 4. Paul can kinda play the 3, but not really. I would love to see a line up of Harris at the 1, AK at the 2, Paul at the 3, Favors at the 4 and Big Al at the 5, just to see it. It would rival the Lakers for size, I don't think it would work very well, but I still want to see it just once.
We also got 2 1st round draft picks. New Jersey's (unprotected) this year, and Golden State's (lottery protected) next year. So we can use those to trade up like we did to get D-Will, or use them so we have 4 first round draft picks over the next 2 years. 3 really, I mean come on, when are the Warriors not in the lottery. This is where of Kevin O'Conner shines, or plays. I can't decide whether or not he likes to just play with "future considerations", or if it's just something that comes up so often with the Jazz that even he shakes his head and laughs. But we've got a lot of good players from moves like that. AK for one, Big Al for another.
This is a turning point for the Utah Jazz and I hope that we as Jazz fans can go through a growing pain with these guys because it could work. I don't like this excuse, but these guys are really young. Gordon Heyward is barely 20, Favors is the youngest player in the NBA at not yet 20. The dude is still a teenager for heavens sake. I'd like to see this same lineup next year with a year under their belt, well, maybe a different 2 gaurd, (love ya Raja), but other than that, no change. Even resign AK. Not for 17 mil, but bring him back please!!!!
Go Jazz!!!!!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
I love Karl Malone!
Karl Malone is the man! I love how honest he is about his feelings. The man doesn't know how to hide his passion and that's a beautiful thing. In an interview with NBA TV he again said that "my coach has never quit anything." I don't know what happened inside the organization and I am scared of the implications of what could have happened, but I want this post to be about the Hall of Famer Karl Malone. He said in several other interviews that he wants to continue Coach Sloan's legacy in coaching. I would love to see him sit on the sidelines for the Jazz. He knows the system that Ty Corbin is likely to continue, but more than that, he knows how to be tough and won't allow the players he coaches to be weak. I am going to break down the Jazz players from not only last nights Phoenix game but from what I've seen the last little bit, and a lot of that could be fixed with someone going in and kicking some ass in practice. Karl Malone could fix a lot of the crap that's going on in the locker room as well as the front office. My advice to Ty Corbin, BRING IN THE MAILMAN!
Thursday, February 10, 2011
End of an era
Today may just be the saddest day I've ever known as a sports fan. I've lost Super Bowls, bowl games, NBA Championships (damn you MJ) and games to BYU, but I've never lost an institution. Jerry Sloan resigned from the Utah Jazz today. I'll get into what I think about the future and circumstances later, but right now I just want to reflect on what Jerry Sloan has meant to us as Jazz fans and to the rest of the NBA as a living legend. First thing is an incredible statement that the greatest basketball player to ever play once made. Michael Jordan once said in an interview that if he could play any NBA player in history to really test his skills, it would be Jerry Sloan. He said if he could score on Sloan, he could score on anyone, ever. Sloan made the all defensive team 6 times and an all-star twice. The beauty of that is that he doesn't care about that kind of accolade. Even now, when he has been snubbed for coach of the year, which I believe he earned many, many times, when asked about it, he rolls his head and says "I never really cared about that stuff." Jerry Sloan was the epitome of hard work. I love this piece done on him years ago. It shows who he truly was as an NBA player.
As a coach, if you ask me, there is none better. Especially none better for the state of Utah. Jerry Sloan ranks 4th all time among coaches in wins with 1190. 9th all in win % with .604. He has the most wins with 1 team (941) and his 23 years as a head coach with one team will probably never be matched again. Jerry Sloan had 1 losing season in his 23 years in Utah. He even lead a team that was projected to be the worst team in NBA history and win 9 games, to an even .500 record. He never had a perfect team, but coached them to perfection. Even in the two years they had championship runs, he had Greg Ostertag and Byron Russell starting for him. Almost every player he coached played better under him than anywhere else. He made an all star out of head case Carlos Aroyo and guys like Shannon Anderson, DeShaun Stevenson, Adam Keefe, Chris Morris, all played better as Jazz men than anything else. Even more recent, Ronnie Brewer's numbers are down, Kyle Korver got better by being here, and even Carlos Boozer was better last year as a Jazz man.
He was hard on his players, but they loved him for it. Look at his relationship with Greg Ostertag, he was always yelling at him and trying to make him better. The one year Greg wasn't here, he hated not playing for Jerry. Jerry Sloan was a perfect fit for Utah and Larry Miller was a perfect fit for Jerry Sloan. All my memories of professional basketball involve Jerry Sloan. I am 32 years old and he has been the head coach here in Utah for almost as long as I can remember. He will be missed greatly and should be remembered by all Jazz fans as a great man with great values who taught us that if we work hard and compete, we can do anything. Oh, and he was a damn good basketball coach.
As a side note to this, Ty Corbin should be a seamless transition and hopefully fill out his coaching staff with like minded individuals. I really hope he succeeds and the Jazz continue to succeed under his tutelage and he is given the same opportunity to grow as Jerry was.
As a coach, if you ask me, there is none better. Especially none better for the state of Utah. Jerry Sloan ranks 4th all time among coaches in wins with 1190. 9th all in win % with .604. He has the most wins with 1 team (941) and his 23 years as a head coach with one team will probably never be matched again. Jerry Sloan had 1 losing season in his 23 years in Utah. He even lead a team that was projected to be the worst team in NBA history and win 9 games, to an even .500 record. He never had a perfect team, but coached them to perfection. Even in the two years they had championship runs, he had Greg Ostertag and Byron Russell starting for him. Almost every player he coached played better under him than anywhere else. He made an all star out of head case Carlos Aroyo and guys like Shannon Anderson, DeShaun Stevenson, Adam Keefe, Chris Morris, all played better as Jazz men than anything else. Even more recent, Ronnie Brewer's numbers are down, Kyle Korver got better by being here, and even Carlos Boozer was better last year as a Jazz man.
He was hard on his players, but they loved him for it. Look at his relationship with Greg Ostertag, he was always yelling at him and trying to make him better. The one year Greg wasn't here, he hated not playing for Jerry. Jerry Sloan was a perfect fit for Utah and Larry Miller was a perfect fit for Jerry Sloan. All my memories of professional basketball involve Jerry Sloan. I am 32 years old and he has been the head coach here in Utah for almost as long as I can remember. He will be missed greatly and should be remembered by all Jazz fans as a great man with great values who taught us that if we work hard and compete, we can do anything. Oh, and he was a damn good basketball coach.
As a side note to this, Ty Corbin should be a seamless transition and hopefully fill out his coaching staff with like minded individuals. I really hope he succeeds and the Jazz continue to succeed under his tutelage and he is given the same opportunity to grow as Jerry was.
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