Throwbacks

The other night against the Pacers, the Jazz wore green throwback uniforms. I have to say that I was very happy to see them break out something new/old. While those uniforms were worn before I was born, or at least before I was cognizant of basketball, they sent a message that the Jazz have a nice history. While the Jazz's existence in the NBA is not as storied or decorated as the Celtics or the Lakers or the 76ers, they have had a long streak of success and a long line of great players that spans back to when the green uniforms were worn.

I know that while it is easy to root for teams with a long tradition and history, I am proud of my team's accomplishments. I am well aware of the fact that Utah has never won a championship, and only been to two NBA Finals, but they have only had two sub-.500 seasons in Jerry Sloan's tenure as coach. If you look at the men who have numbers retired by the Jazz, they are all men who made a lasting contribution to the team and the league. Stockton, Malone, Maravitch, Dantley, even Layden- these are great NBA contributors that have made the Jazz a team of proud tradition that hopefully will see more men wanting to join their ranks in the rafters of the Energy Solutions Arena.

I hope to see the greens on the team again, and hopefully the old purple ones will be soon to follow. The throwbacks not only let the players know of the team's history, but the fans as well, and that is something to be happy about. I like the idea of kids getting to know more about what came before, and who put the Jazz on the map as a Western Conference winner.

-Conor Bentley

The Great Debate

January 4 is an important day. No really. Just ask Wikipedia. Did you know that Isaac Newton was born on this day? How about that Jesse "The Body" Ventura was sworn in as governor of Minnesota? Or that Utah became the 45th state on this day? Bored yet? You should be. Newton was a virgin, Superfly Snuka was better, and nobody would've cared even had Utah been one of the 13 original colonies.

January 4 will also see the Utah Jazz taking on the New Orleans Hornets at the Energy Solutions Arena, and you know what that means? Chris Paul and Deron Williams together again at last! This will mark the 14th time that these two have played against each other since the 2005 draft. And no doubt over the years you've heard the virtues and flaws of each espoused ad-nauseum by their respective supporters and critics. Even my cat has an opinion (though that could just be a hairball).

Deron Williams is without a doubt on of the top players in the NBA. Since being drafted 3rd overall by the Jazz in 2005 he has career averages of 16.3 points and 8.7 assists per game. The Jazz have never finished with a losing season since drafting him, and they have made the playoffs each of the last 3 years (including one trip to the Western Finals). That being said I think Chris Paul is a better player.

Sorry. It’s true

I understand that we as Jazz fans have an inherent persecution complex fostered through years of nationwide scrutiny of the local religion. And that because of this scrutiny we always feel the need to enthusiastically support any and all things associated with our state even if we come across as more desperate than the class nerd turned millionaire at a 10 year high school reunion. Remember how drunk with lust Utah soccer moms and teenage girls became when David Archuletta went through puberty on American idol before our very eyes? How proud did you feel when Ken Jennings laid waste to the Jeopardy landscape like a 7th century Viking horde or Trogdor the Burninator? So naturally when the Jazz picked Deron Williams over Chris Paul in the 2005 draft we talked ourselves into believing that it was the right decision.

It wasn’t.

Now before you make up your mind to have me killed for such blasphemy, allow me to explain myself. I’m not comparing this to Bowie over Jordan in 84’. Think of it more in terms of Olajuwon over Jordan in 84’. Should the Rockets have taken Jordan over Olajuwon? Probably. Are they disappointed with the 2 titles they won with Hakeem? Probably not. I had a business-law class in college where each question on the tests had 5 answers. Of those 5 answers, only one was completely wrong and earned you no points, the other 4 earned you points based on how “right” they were. If you answered Olajuwon or Deron, you were definitely passing the class with a good grade; if you picked Jordan or Paul then you were probably class valedictorian (If you picked Bowie, then yes, I WILL have fries with that).

Still with me?

Why Paul over Williams? Let’s compare them using a 3 season window starting with the 06-07 season and ending with last season (I’m disregarding their rookie seasons because Paul was clearly better as a rookie and Deron hadn’t been given the keys to the car yet)

Chris Paul: 20.6 PPG, 10.6 AST, 4.7 REB, 2.5 STL, 48.1 FG%, 84.9 FT%
Hornets: 144-102

Deron Williams: 18.1 PPG, 10.1 AST, 3.1 REB, 1.1 STL, 47.8 FG%, 80.9 FT%
Jazz: 153-93

Head to Head: 11-2 Deron Williams

From an individual perspective Chris Paul is better across the board. Dig deeper and those differences become even more pronounced when you consider that the Hornets played at one of slowest paces in the league, averaging over 3 less possessions per game than the Jazz. Even the better W-L record by Deron is misleading when you consider that Chris Paul’s teammates are recruited directly from the local YMCA. In fact I’m pretty sure that it was Morris Peterson who I dropped 20 on in a church-ball game last year. Offer to switch their supporting casts and I’d bet their answers would go something like this…

Deron Williams: What!? Hell no! I left those guys behind in high school.
Chris Paul: Thank you God!

Deron Williams has had 3 All-Stars for teammates (Boozer, Okur, and Kirilenko), all of whom are still in their physical primes. Chris Paul has David West and the corpse of Peja Stojakovic as his "All-Stars". Deron has had role players like Matt Harpring, Ronnie Brewer, Derek Fisher, Kyle Korver and Paul Millsap. Chris Paul has had Tyson Chandler, James Posey, Count Chocula, Jackie Moon, and Ollie from Hoosiers as his supporting cast. Big difference. In three years playing with Paul, Tyson Chandler was a borderline All-Star; averaging 10 points and 11 boards a game while shooting 61% from the field. That 61% percent is more amazing when you consider that Chandler has shot below 50% in 4 out of the 6 seasons Chris Paul wasn’t his point guard. David West's breakout season just happened to coincide with Paul's rookie year; before that he was a spot starting backup forward that averaged 6 points on 43% shooting for a team that went 18-64. Now he's a two-time All-Star. What changed? Hurricane Katrina certainly didn't give him any sudden superpowers.

When you think about it, how is Andrei Kirilenko much different from Tyson Chandler? If anything Andrei is a slightly smaller, more versatile version with a better offensive skill-set. Imagine Kirilenko and Ronnie Brewer (Two of the better players in the league when it comes to moving without the ball) running off screens, slashing to the hoop, and just waiting for Chris Paul's lob passes at the rim 10-15 times a game? Under these circumstances do you think Andrei is crying in the 07' playoffs against Houston because he’s frustrated with his role on the team? He might still be crying, but those tears are tears of joy after he just dunked on T-Mac's lazy eye for the 10th time off of an alley-oop (Either that or Masha just told him he could have 2 freebies a year instead of one).

I love Deron Williams, believe me I'm not complaining about the nightly 20-10 he gives my fantasy team; but Chris Paul is just the better player.

Remember January 4 is an important day.


Elliott Zgraggen

The Return of Andrei Kirilenko

The Jazz have done a nice job in their recent three game winning streak of playing as a team and maintaining focus for the entire four quarters. I am excited to see the team improving and realizing their potential, but there is one person in particular I am happy to see return to form- Andrei Kirilenko. The once spindly, whiney small forward has emerged as one of the Jazz's best weapons. I was encouraged to see how much bulk AK had added to his wiry frame in the off-season, but since then I have been even more excited by his strong play. While Boozer seems to see-saw between good and bad games, and the rest of the team struggles with injuries and illness, Kirilenko, along with Deron Williams, has become the most dependable player on the team.

In the past few seasons it was hard to count on Andrei for much consistency, but this year is proving to be his best since his All-Star season a few years ago. His shot, defense and mentality are as good as they have ever been, and he is now a very reliable clutch performer. He was able to hit some huge shots and free throws in the critical final moments of the Jazz OT victory over Detroit on Saturday. In the last few seasons it was customary to leave AK on the bench at the end of the game because of his suspect shooting. I guess the work with former big shot man Jeff Hornacek is paying off because Kirilenko's shot is on target from all over the floor. He led the team with 22 points and 10 boards versus the Pistons. He has been much more prolific from three point range this year as well, which is good, in light of Kyle Korver's absence.

I know things could easily go back to the way they were, but I am confident because of the way he seems to be approaching this season. The added muscle on his body shows me that he is committed and ready for the long haul. If he can keep it up, I see another All-Star game in his future. Welcome back, Andrei, we missed you.

-Conor Bentley