Trade Thoughts: If I were Kevin O'Connor...

So, it's pretty clear that the Jazz need to shake things up. Their recent trade (Eric Maynor and Matt Harpring to OKC for... nothing...) has some people scratching their heads. It makes sense to me, only from a purely financial point of view. Greg Miller made it clear at the beginning of the season that he was willing to bite the bullet and pay the luxury tax if that was what it would take to build a championship team. However, it's obvious that the Jazz -- as presently constituted -- are not even close to being a championship team. I'm guessing he's not as willing to pay the tax for a 8th seed, first round exit team. And I can't say I blame him. So, in order to dump Harpring's contract, the price was our impressive young rookie backup PG. I'm sad to see him go. (as a side note, I'm also sad we don't have Matt Harpring out there anymore, getting under people's skin and driving them crazy... I'll miss that guy.)

This trade, however, has left a vacancy on the Jazz's roster. Per NBA rules, teams are required to carry 13 players on their rosters, and we now only have 12. Does this mean another trade is in the works? Possibly a trade that will focus more on improving this team, rather than being purely a business move? Unfortunately, that is unlikely. As much as I'd like to hope that is the plan, it seems much more likely that the Jazz will call up someone from the D-League's Flash to fill the spot.

Nevertheless, it's fun to speculate on what could happen (however ridiculously unrealistic it might be...) In playing around with ESPN's NBA Trade Machine, I came up with this trade. I think it's a gem. Take a look:

Click HERE to enlarge

All in favor, please manifest. Any opposed, by the same sign? (Sit down, Brother Willey. I'm pretty sure you don't count anymore...)

Problem with trades is, the other team has to agree to it too. Darn.

Oh well.

Rivalry Week: I hate BYU!

Well, it's finally here again! Actually, it doesn't seem like it was that long ago that these two teams last met on the field. What a glorious day that was.

Last season, I posted this list of the reasons I don't like BYU. I'd like to revisit it. My feelings about BYU will never change, but since they're constantly finding new ways to be obnoxious, here are this year's top 10 reasons for hating BYU:

10. If you've a Ute fan, you've undoubtedly heard BYU fans refer to our football program as "Little Brother". I can't tell you how stupid I think that is. I can't understand where this term came from. Our programs is older than theirs, so age has nothing to do with it... Are they saying their program has had more success? Well, no, that can't be it either. Utah owns the series by 20 games. Surely it can't be because they have a national championship. Because any bonehead would have to recognize that if the same bogus system that awarded them that national title were still in place today, Utah would have TWO national championships (instead, a new bogus system is in place...). Are they saying that their recent success makes them our "big brother"? Well no, because Utah has gone undefeated twice in the last 5 years, won 2 BCS bowls, won 5 of the last 7 Holy Wars, and 8 bowl games in a row. BYU can't say they've done any of that. So I am left to conclude that the only reason we are "Little Brother" is this: We all know that every Cougar fan has the Book of Mormon memorized (they're just all so very righteous...). So they MUST be referring to the fact that Nephi (aka "Little Brother") was made a ruler and a teacher over his elder bretheren. That's GOT to be it.

9. This was, in all seriousness, said to my father at church last sunday. Please understand that this was not said in a joking manner. The man who said it was as serious as a heart attack. My dad asked this BYU fan in the ward how he thought the game will go this Saturday. The man's response: "BYU's going to win. They've got more returned missionaries on their team, so the Lord will bless them." WHA....??? Seriously??? And I have to say, he's not alone in this school of thought. Remember the imfamous quote by Austin Collie? You do. I know you do.

8. Bronco Mendenhall. This guy is just... it's so hard to even put in words. He is the epitome of what I don't want the world to think members of the church are like. He's arrogant, he's weird, and he ALWAYS make football about religion. What I wouldn't give for a chance to punch that guy in the face.

7. Speaking of coaches... BYU fans seem to take great pleasure in bringing up the fact that coach Whittingham played his college football at BYU. I always hear things like "It took a cougar to turn your program around!" Guys, get over it. Yeah, he went to BYU. He was there for 4 years and he's coached at Utah for over 15 years. And while we're on the subject, your golden boy LaVell Edwards played his college ball at Utah State, and earned his masters degree from the University of Utah. So if you really wanna play that card, it took a Ute to guide BYU to ALL of the success their program has EVER had.

6. Idiot fans. Please understand that what I'm about to say does not apply to all BYU fans. And I am able to admit that there are idiots at every school, and the U is no exception. But come on. You know the guys I'm talking about. The guy from number 9 for example. Or how about this guy. And definitely this guy. It's the arrogance. The "holier than thou" attitudes. Those are the fans I can't stand.

5. Speaking of fans, why do so many of you guys pretend you don't care about the rivalry game? That drives me nuts! You do care -- I know you do. How do I know? Because when you guys win, all I hear for the next 12 months are clever little quips such as "Hey, Harline is still open!" or "4th and 18!". So seriously, don't give me that bull. It is such an obvious ploy. Pretend you don't care so that when you lose, you can continue pretending you don't care.

4. Why on earth do you people sing "Popcorn Popping" (complete with actions) at your football games?! News flash: people already think Mormons are weird. Is this really necessary?

3. Traitors. Harvey Unga and Manase Tonga, I'm talking to YOU!

2. Here's a double-standard for you. Bronco always goes on and on about how BYU gets it done with returned missionaries. He seems to think that going on a mission is a pretty important thing to do. Couldn't agree more. In fact, at age 19, it is THE MOST important thing to be doing. So why then, does BYU distract young men who are on missions by recruiting them while they are on their missions?! BYU has a nasty habbit of stealing away athletes who have already committed to other schools. Somehow these guys commit to some other school, go on their missions, and come back Cougars. Fishy. Actually some guys are so distracted, they don't even finish their missions. *cough* Max Hall *cough* Sorry, but I think it is absolutely unacceptable for a school that is owned by the church to distract these guys while they're supposed to be focused on missionary service. A lot of these guys have a hard time making the decision to do the right thing and put their football careers on hold to go serve missions. Pretty shady.

1. Just because they're BYU.

Happy rivalry week, and GO UTES!!

Season Opener: Highlights and Lowlights

Well, I've been waiting for it since May... What a let-down.

Let's start with the highlights, since it's a much shorter list:

1. Deron Williams. We all know this guys is a stud. 28 points and 13 assists, he looked as sharp as ever. As long as Deron stays healthy, we will compete in most games.
2. Free throw shooting. The Jazz overall had a pretty good showing from the line, finishing 25-29 (86.2%)
3. Memo's outside shooting looked pretty good.
4. Fes didn't look too bad when he came in for Memo early in the game. He seems to have improved. I'd still like to see more Koufos.

And the lowlights? Well, there are many, but I'll just list a few:

1. Carlos Boozer. I think most of us are expecting Boozer to play out of his mind this year, since he's trying to get a big contract. Boozer's all about the $$. Maybe he still will, but last night he looked like crap. Poor shot selection, zero defense, the usual. He blew a couple of assists for Deron by not being ready for the passes. He just looked terrible.
2. Turnovers. We had 16 which isn't horrific, but they led to 22 points for the Nuggets. And we only lost by nine.
3. Second-chance points. We gave up 14 offensive rebounds that led to 20 second chance points. I don't know how many put-back dunks the Nuggets had, but it was a lot.
4. Defense. We didn't get back in transition, we didn't rotate over, and we gave them way to many easy baskets.
5. Depth. We were missing CJ, Kyle, and Matt last night, and it showed. I think those guys might have been able to give us the lift we needed.
6. Paul Millsap. I never thought he'd be a lowlight, but last night he didn't really do much to show the world why he got such a big raise. I have no doubt that will change as the season progresses, but as for last night, he just really didn't play that well. He's still one of my favorite players, and I don't think anyone (aside from Deron) works harder than him.

Agree? Disagree? What were your highlights and lowlights?

I hate bye weeks.

But in the mean time...

GO AGGIES!!

The Utes So Far

I have to say that I have been a little uncomfortable during both of our games so far. In the USU game, the second half was much better, but the SJSU game really could have been a disaster. Then again, it also could have been a blow out. We made some mistakes that cost us points, and I think it was more a case of us shooting ourselves in the foot than SJSU outplaying us. It's hard to guage this year's team based on the two games we've seen so far, but I have three areas of concern:

1. Turnovers. 3 against Utah State and 2 against SJSU (actually three if you count turning the ball over on downs -- which I do.) I think we need to really focus on this. We have to take care of the ball. You can get away with it against lesser WAC opponents, but if we don't get this fixed, teams like Oregon, TCU, and BYU (heck, maybe even AFA or CSU) will make us pay.
   
2. Pass coverage. We gave up a big pass play to USU, and a few of them to SJSU. Fortunately Oregon's strength is not the passing game, but that doesn't mean they can't burn us there. We have to do a better job keeping up witht he WR's. And it's not just the corners' responsibility. The pass rush has been pretty unimpressive thus far, and I am a believer in the addage "The key to a good secondary is a great pass rush".
   
3. Goal line offense. We've been stood up inside the one yard line twice in as many games. I really have to question the play calling: 1st down -- Asiata direct snap. 2nd down -- Asiata direct snap. 3rd down -- Asiata direct snap. 4th down -- you guessed it, Asiata direct snap. We did the same thing 2 weeks in a row, and I have to say, it's about as predictable as Gary Crowton. We need to try somehting else, because if USU and SJSU can stop us, it's obviously not working.

Nevertheless, I don't want this post to sound negative. We have seen some good things -- actually some great things -- so far as well. I really like Cain, and he is going to be an excellent QB. I loved seeing him take off and run -- boy can move! Asiata has been a great run threat (and I was impressed with backups Wide and Shakerin as well). Reed and Brooks are huge playmakers and fun to watch. Defensively, I think our linebacking corps has been great, not really allowing much on the ground (aside from the flukey play by USU). Our new punter seems to be really solid.

Well I'm rambling. Vote here -- what are your thoughts on the Utah vs. Oregon game?

My prediction? Utah 34, Oregon 21

Just how good is BYU anyway?

Alright – I mentioned that I had more to say on the BYU – OU game, so here it comes.

First of all, I have to give credit where credit is due. I was extremely surprised and actually impressed with how well BYU play Oklahoma in the first half. I expected Oklahoma to be sitting on a 3 touchdown lead at half time. I think you can attribute it to a few things:

• Oklahoma did an absolutely TERRIBLE job of rebuilding their offensive line. They were penalized over and over and over for holding, false starts, etc. Bradford had no protection whatsoever, and that really changed the whole dynamic of OU’s offense.
  
• Play calling. Can someone tell me why OU insisted on running the ball? I understand it’s important to establish the run in order to open things up for the passing game, but really? When you’ve got Sam Bradford slinging the ball, capable receivers, and BYU’s secondary, it should be a no-brainer!
  
• BYU’s defense has improved significantly. Their pass rush was great, and they had constant pressure on the QB (which eventually led to his injury).

So, in my opinion, those are the reasons the score was so close at halftime. Now let’s talk about the second half. The obvious difference is that Oklahoma is now playing without their best player. Even then, BYU couldn’t do much. The OU defense kept them in check, while the OU offense hardly did anything. Finally Oklahoma put together a pretty good drive. They got all the way down to the 2 yard line. They didn’t get in on 1st and goal. They didn’t get in on 2nd and goal. They didn’t get in on 3rd and goal. And so, of course, they line up on 4th and goal, as anyone would. Except they had a freshman QB playing in basically his first game since high school. He let the play clock expire. Would Sam Bradford have let that happen? I guarantee you, he would not. Thus, OU was backed up 5 yards and opted to kick a field goal rather than risk coming up empty. Again, I have to disagree with the coaching decision. Listen up, Bob Stoops. You’re on BYU’s 5 yard line, you have the lead, and the game is nearing it’s end. If you go for the TD on 4th down, you have the opportunity to basically put the game out of reach. If you come up empty on 4th, BYU gets the ball – on their own 5 yard line. And your defense has been able to stifle every drive BYU has put together so far in this game. They’ve picked off Max Hall twice, and gotten pressure on him numerous times. You would be in perfect position to score a safety, which also gives you the ball back. Why not trust your defense?

But even then, OU was still not down and out. BYU put together a very impressive drive that led to a touchdown with about 2 and a half minutes left in the game. On the ensuing kickoff, Mitch Payne boots the ball out of bounds, giving OU the ball on their own 40. They’re down by one point, so all they need is a field goal. That means they have 2 and a half minutes to move the ball about 30 yards. Did they accomplish that? Oh yes, they did. Except they tried to get just a little closer. And then, that magnificent OU offensive line had yet another penalty that moved them back. With time running out, they had to try the long long field goal. 54 yards is a tall order for any college kicker. They missed it. BYU wins.

So I ask again, just how good is BYU? If not for that one penalty at the end, that field goal is probably good. Have the Cougars really fixed the problems that plagued them against TCU, Utah, and Arizona last year? I submit that they have not. If you could pin-point BYU’s two biggest weaknesses last year, what would you say? I’d say this:

• Max Hall: Sure, he’s an extremely accurate QB… when he has all day. And in most of their games last year, he did have all day. But the truth is that any team who consistently put pressure on him, beat him. He was sacked, picked off, he fumbled, made bad reads, you name it. And what I saw on Saturday against Oklahoma was the same old Max Hall. Every time OU got pressure on him, he threw it up for grabs. He got picked twice, but it could have easily been 4 or 5. I also saw him try to squeeze it into triple coverage a couple times. I really don’t think he’s any better than last year. The difference? This year he doesn’t have a veteran O-Line to protect him. Thus, the key to beating BYU this year will once again be getting pressure on Maxie.
  
• Slow secondary: This was the other major criticism made against BYU last year. Because their DB’s were considerably slower than most teams’ WR’s, they were forced (or rather, coached) to play 10 yards off the receivers at scrimmage. This left the receivers wide open on short, underneath routes which a lot of times went for big yardage after the catch. Are they any better this year? I really don’t know. But I doubt it. Since OU barely threw the ball at all, I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

I’d just like to finish up by saying that I agree with coach Whittingham’s opinion of the polls. He thinks that any poll taken before 4 or 5 games have been played is completely meaningless. BYU beat #3, Oklahoma. So does that mean that BYU deserves to be in the Top 10, or does it mean that OU never did deserve such a lofty ranking. I’m inclined to think the latter. Time will tell.

College Football Kickoff Weekend

College football is finally here! After 8 months of anticipation and speculation, the season has finally begun.

The Utah game was about what I expected it to be. It was sloppy at times, but overall I saw good things. Terrance Cain appears to be a very capable QB, and I think he will improve as the season goes on. The play calling was conservative by design. It was meant to make Cain feel comfortable. I also think it was a smart move -- Why open up the playbook in the season opener when you don't need to? With tougher games coming up down the road, the coaches knew that a conservative game plan was the way to go.

The MWC made a lot of noise during the off-season. We are trying to gain respect and work our way towards inclusion in the BCS. We have several opportunites to make our case stronger this season. Here are the games that feature MWC teams vs BCS opponents:

BYU has already shaken things up with their win over Oklahoma last night (I have more to say on this game... later). TCU has a chance to make a statement against the ACC with games against Virginia and Clemson. Utah takes on Oregon, the only team that looks to challenge USC for the PAC-10 this year. Wyoming takes on Texas, who many have projected to play in the NC game. I think that if the MWC wants to be taken seriously, we need to win at least two-thirds of these games. That means that it can't just be Utah, TCU, and BYU. Some other MWC teams will have to start pulling their weight.

College football is one of my favorite times of the year, and I look forward to another great season of Utah Utes football!

Should I really be surprised?

Wow. If you were to look up the word "poser", I'm pretty sure these photos would follow. Just take a look for yourself.

Mr. "Righteous Living" Austin Collie is starting a new trend:

wearing just the hood of your hoodie.

Max Hall poppin' the collar. (and the sleeve)
Dennis Pitta, Max Hall, and Austin Collie trying WAY too hard.

Collie sports the "just woke up look"

So this is how Bronco holds practice... that explains a lot.

"YIPEEEE!!!"

As if we needed any further proof that these guys are dorks...

Umm... YES PLEASE!!!

Chris Bosh: Raptors May Move Him

Update: The Raptors are privately acknowledging that they might need to trade Bosh, or risk losing him as a free agent in 2010, the New York Daily News reports.

Analysis: Bosh is set to join the free agent lottery in 2010, when Dwyane Wade and LeBron James are also free. According to the report in the Daily News, Toronto is interested in packaging Bosh in a deal to acquire Carlos Boozer. The Bulls are also interested in Bosh, with Luol Deng being offered.

It doesn't look like much will change... again

After the 2007-2008 NBA season, The Jazz didn't make any big moves. The only change to the roster was the trade that brough Brevin Knight to Utah (and we all know how well that worked out). I actually thought that the lack of change might be a good thing. I thought that the fact that this group of players had already spent some time together, and had playoff experience together would be an advantage. However, my reasoning was flawed. I have come to realize that the Jazz are still lacking something. (my personal opinion is that we need a strong defensive big man, but who knows...) I was hoping to see a big move during the off-season. Something to get excited about after a disappointing performance towards the end of the regular season and in the playoffs. However, it looks like we may end up with pretty much the same roster again.

Korver has decided not to opt out
Boozer probably won't either
We've made an offer to Millsap (which I pray he takes)

So it's not looking like there will be a blockbuster trade this year. I could be wrong though. I guess we'll just have to see what happens.

Derek Fisher belongs with the Lakers...

So, I have to say that I really liked Fisher last year. He was a definite leader on the team, and he made big plays at big moments. Then he used his daughter's disease to play on Larry H. Miller's sympathies. He got released from his contract in order to be closer to his daughter's physicians (located in New York... I guess someone failed geography.) Ever since, I have realized he's shady. He is a big-time actor, and he flops a lot. He's an all out punk. And for anyone who wants to say, "No, come on! Derek Fisher is a class act!", I submit the following:



You can see that Fisher knows the screen is coming. He keeps looking over his shoulder waiting for Scola. When he sees him coming, he preps himself, turns, and with all his strength he blasts Scola. It was a straight up dirty play, and 100% intentional. He was ejected from the game. Here is Fisher's explanation of what happened:



Nice try Derek, but ANYONE can see that it's a load of bull. You are lame, and if anyone needed proof you're a crooked liar, now they've got it. Case closed.

I hate this man...

I pretty much want him to fall on his face. Like thirty times. Or more.

Call me an idiot...

...but I just can't help being excited for the NBA Playoffs. The Jazz kind of crashed and burned at the end of the regular season, losing 7 of their last 10 games. If they had won just ONE more game, they would have avoided a first-round matchup against the Lakers. But as they often say in sports, "it is what it is". (Because really, what else could it be? It certainly can't be what it isn't -- am I right?) So even though the outlook is bleak, I will watch every game and cheer my team on. Anything is possible. In the history of the current NBA playoff system, the number 8 seed has won the first round series against the number 1 seed a total of three times. But I say, why not four?

Go Jazz.

Dear Utah Jazz,

You just lost. At home. To Golden-fricken'-State (who happened to be extremely short-handed tonight). I don't even know what to say right now. Why do I even watch your games?

Sincerely,
Disappointed

Let the Madness Begin!!

So, I know I'm a day late in posting this, but I thought I'd get it out there, because turns out I'm doing pretty well so far! I'm pleased that a couple of the upsets I picked ended up working out (Michigan over Clemson & W. Kentucky over Illinois). So here is my bracket. Click HERE it to enlarge.

I know I'm probably being too kind to the Utes, but what can I do? It's the fan in me. We'll see what happens!

Go UTES!!

While admittedly the Utah Jazz have been less than enjoyable to watch this season, the Utah Utes basketball team has been playing very well as of late. Last night they played @ TCU, and they overcame a 7 point halftime deficit to beat the frogs 62-54. Carlon Brown had a great game, and he definitely got me excited with his dunk at the end of the first half. I deemed it the "play of the game". Take a look below:

Well... This just sucks.

It's Official. Utah's star defensive end Paul Kruger has declared he will enter the NFL draft and forgo his two remaining years of elligibility.

It's not like I didn't see this coming. This is what happens when you have a fantastic season. You lose all your great players and half your coaches. This obviously is a big blow to the Utes. Especially since our best corner, Sean Smith (a junior) is also expected to go pro.

Before this news, I was (perhaps unrealistically) hoping for a Top 20 preseason ranking for next year. Most of our graduating players are on offense, and we have very capable players stepping into those vacancies. But now with two of our defensive play makers likely gone, I will be very surprised if we are even ranked to start next season. Which means that even if we repeat what we did this year, the best we can hope for (once again) is #2. Had we started the season ranked # 20 or better and gone undefeated, there would be a very remote chance of getting a BCS National Championship bid. (only if NO ONE from a BCS conference went undefeated of course.)

Oh well, such is college football. You gotta feel for Max Hall though. With Collie and Kruger both going pro, who is he going to throw to next year?

I'm FAMOUS!!

Check me out here.

I should say this... the quote she used was preceeded by "I really believed that the Utes would win, but..."

I just didn't want it to come across as though I didn't think the Utes could do it.

Victory.

To ESPN "experts" and all other doubters: Have you got the message yet?

Utah is the best college football team in the country. What and amazing game. Utah came out with a fury and burried Alabam early. The Tide spent the rest of the game trying to dig themselves out of the hole we put them in. No one gave the Utes any respect, so they went out there and demanded it. There is no reason why Utah shouldn't be # 1 in the final polls, though unfortunately that won't ever happen under the current system.

No matter, the Utes are the National Champions in my book. They earned it.

I must also address the fact that I am deeply disappointed in the total lack of class some BYU fans are already showing. I came home from SkyBox where we watched the game, and found that several BYU fans were commenting on the stories in the Tribune online, discounting Utah's success this season. Some said the Utes were lucky. Others quite intelligently (sarcasm) said the Utes "suck". Some were bringing up the 1984 BYU "National Championship", saying that it's something the Utes will never have. To you sore losers and poor sports, I simply say this:

Grow up and pull your heads out.

Here are some pictures from last night's game. GO UTES!!

Photos via.