Untitled from MLMarchitect on Vimeo.

For National media, this may be a doozy or a "bombshell" announcement, but for locals and Jazz fans this was expected. 

Courtsey of ESPN Insider. 

Sources say, that Deron said he wanted to leave after last season and follow Amare to NYC.  CBS Sports, Hoops Hype, NBA.COM

Rather than deny the allegations for the next year and half and say, "Oh no I didn't say that" I wish he would just sack up and say, "yup I want out of Utah." I want a bigger media stage to play for. I want to play in the Eastern Conference, where even with a losing record I can still make the playoffs. And yes, I want to make more money off my Nike deal with more exposure in a bigger market.

courtesu of Hoopsworld.com

I/we have been prediciting this day for about a year an half, and as much as people didn't want to believe it, they knew that some sort of announcement like this would happen. Most people just thought it would come later than a year and half before Deron could leave. 
 
Deron talking about him and coach Sloan KSL  

Sloan's lessons perfect for church  The Spectrum  

Corbin hopes "bad" perception of Utah has changed. Examiner 

Jazz should make the truth clear about Jerry Sloan- Monson 

We have questions, will the Utah Jazz answer? Des News

How Much will Deron play in the All-star game? Zundel- Really who cares he want out of Utah anyway.  

If you made to Harry O's last night you probably saw C.J. Miles. 


Parity gets locked out of Party. Just for the record, I am in favor of a Hard Cap and Franchise Tag ala NFL. The NBA is slowly becoming like the MLB and will become more and more irrelavant if they can't figure something out. 

Will Ak be ready out of the break. MSNBC

A breakdown of the CBA poopfest that will soon begin. Orlando Sentinel

Trouble moving on- Jazz Fanatical 


 

Personification can be defined as a figure of speech in which inanimate objects or abstractions are endowed with human qualities or are represented as possessing human form, as in Hunger sat shivering on the road or Flowers danced about the lawn.

In major sports cities across the country, teams take on a form of personification that is almost directly connected to that team’s city, fan base, state, or personality. In Los Angeles, for example, the Lakers take on the glitzy glamorous allure of the city that gives it its name--Los Angeles.  The city and the fan base have brought out the real life flare of the team and the organization. The “Showtime Lakers” or the stage lighting in the Toyota Center would be great examples of this. The owner, coach and players have continued this “act”, by acting like they are the only team/city that exist in its individual category. Well, the only city and team that is important or relevant, I should say.

In Pittsburg, the Steelers are defined by a generation of steel workers that spent 12-16 hours a day in the steel mills working their asses off for every dollar they earned.  Every night when these workers came home, their bodies would be covered with bruises and burns. These men were justified in relaxing with a cold one in front of the T.V. The Steel Curtain was formed from the sparks and scars of these workers in the 1970’s when Terry Bradshaw went down with an injury. The defense, led by the front four, took over and earned the Nickname the “Steel Curtain” for their relentless defensive ability and hard work in the trenches.

The New York Yankees have been personifying their city and state of mind for a very long time. They Yankees, like the Lakers, have lots of money. However, New Yorkers are in your face about it. I am generalizing for point of argument, but New York City as a whole, is in your face. The Yankees and their 210 million dollar payroll are in your face and don’t apologize for the fact that they are going to buy all of the best players in the process, buying championships. They say, “It’s not against the rules to have more money than everybody else, we just spend it on World Series pennants.” They don’t care. They like it that way.

Utah- On any given night, in any given school or church, you can find kids playing basketball, not just any kind of basketball, but Junior Jazz Basketball. Our Jazz fan hood runs deep and starts early. Utah is not the Mecca of basketball, like New York’s playground’s and blacktop courts but this is our place.

Much like the pioneers that turned Utah into a thriving state with cities, schools, business, and higher educations institutions scattered up and down the Wasatch front— Larry Miller went out on a limb and put up millions of his own money to purchase, grow, and establish a struggling NBA team and bring that team to the APEX of the National Basketball Association.

Larry Miller kept long time broadcaster Hot Rod Hundley, promoted Jerry Sloan to head coach and brought in two players in John Stockton and Karl Malone that had similar attributes to many of the people in this state—including himself, Jerry and Hot Rod. Some of these attributes are—dedication, hard work, honesty, and consistency. These attributes are some of the many that Utahans emulate on a daily basis in their work, education, worship, and play. These attributes started to grow outside of our state boundaries and eventually outs side of our national borders, in turn creating Jazz fans all over the world.

Like many other Utah Jazz fans, I have struggling to understand the chain of events over the past couple weeks.  I can only come up with the following.

The Utah Jazz are a personification of us. When I say us, I mean the fans. I mean my two-year-old son who says, “Go Jazz” when they are not even on T.V., I mean the 100 club members, I mean the upper bowl season ticket holder that works an extra job to go get season tickets, I mean the 12 year-old-kid from Texas that worships Deron Williams, I mean the custodian at my school who makes it a point to come up every day and talk Jazz basketball, I mean the old timers that love the Jazz for Jerry Sloan and his no nonsense approach, I mean the student that the late Larry Miller’s scholarship fund paid for his or her tuition, I mean the Russian kid that thinks he is going to be the next Andrei Kirilenko, I mean the 14 year-old-kid that took his dad’s church keys to go practice his free throws, I mean the girl in dance class that wants to be a Jazz dancer, I mean the kid in my fourth period English class that analyzes the Jazz shot charts after every game, I mean the communication major who wants to be the next Hot Rod Hundley, I mean the hard working kid from Illinois that wants to be the next Jerry Sloan, I mean the parts seller in your local car dealership that wants to be the next Larry Miller, I mean the white kid that thinks he can break the assist record, I mean you.

To many of us, the Utah Jazz are like a child that we have watched grow from infancy to adulthood. We have cheered our child during the good times and cried with them during the bad times. We were there when they were learning how to walk, and ride a bike. We were there when they went to the state championship and we were there when they lost. We were there when they graduated from high school and when they went to college. We were there when they bought their first house and when they fell in love for the first time. We were there when they got into their first car wreck or had their first break-up. We were there when one of their grandparents moved away and when one of their parents died. We were here when their dad left and moved back to Illinois. We were here when the big brother tried to help.

We will be here if things get bad.

The Utah Jazz are a personification of us.

We are the Utah Jazz.

Nba enjoying Golden Age at point guard. 

Jerry Sloan's summer of 66'

In NBA toughness, Sloan roanks as king. Chicago Sun Times. 

What's the real story of Jerry Sloan's retiring?

Bettor.com Jazz lose three straight

Karl Malone demonstrates the gift of gratitude. Brad Rock

Corbin to play doctor, or at least get a prognosis. TRIB

Five Way to improve during the All-star break- Examiner 

Forgotten Legend Series "Jerry Sloan" edition. Jon Teitel from CHN

Trade Deadline Jazz Needs? Real GM

City Weekly is even jumping on board- Hard Foul 

The Andrei Kirilenko Albatross Salt City Hoops 

Jazz are done SLC TRIB

Jazz Fans Find your Inner Braveheart. 

Two inspirational Articles- one by Jake Jeppsen @cowhidglobe and one by @Allthatamar.
 
 

Not a good week for the Utah Jazz all the way around, especially in the Dunk Category. Here are last week's stats. 

Some of you reading this, hadn't even been born yet. The NBA only had 23 teams, and the Jazz were one of the worst that year. 

Here is a snapshot of the 1982 Utah Jazz Roster. Yeah, I noticed their birthdays as well. If you saw Darrell Griffith at the Jazz Fan Fest 2010 last year, there is no way in hell this birthday is correct. 



Leading scorers and such. 



Here is your home losing streak.


Ok folks a few things about the above games. Yes, Seattle used to have a basketball team before David Stern and the owners of OKC ripped the team away from the fans of Seattle. The Sacramento Kings use to be in K.C., San Diego used to have a proffesional basketball team, and Knicks is short for Knickerbockers. 

Here are a list of other things that were going on the last time the Utah Jazz lost five home games in a row. 

"Tron" the original was released. 

Michael Jackson's "Thriller" sells 20 million albums, making it the largest selling record ever.


"867-5309" was the most popular phone number in the world. 

America had real tennis players, The San Fransico 49ers were superbowl champs, and the Lakers had just won another Championship.

Porky's was allowing 13 year-old boys everywhere to see their first set of "Titanics".


1982 a finacial and political glance. 

Elias Says

CHANNING FRYE, WELCOME TO THE 30/10 CLUB

From Elias: Channing Frye collected 31 points and 11 rebounds to propel the Suns to a 102-101 victory over the Jazz. It was the first 30/10 game of Frye's 412-game NBA career. The only active players who enjoyed their first 30/10 game deeper into their NBA careers are Stephen Jackson (580 games), Marcus Camby (506 games) and Al Harrington (478 games).

Frye hit six of his 10 three-point field-goal attempts against Utah, and he has now hit 38.8 percent of his three-point attempts this season after hitting 43.9 percent last season. We mention that because over his first four seasons in the NBA, Frye connected on only 20 of 70 three-point attempts (28.6 percent) while averaging one three-point attempt for every 79.4 minutes played. Then Frye joined the Suns, where he has shot 41.7 percent from beyond the arc while averaging one such shot for every 5.7 minutes played.

Jazz feeling urgency to for a playoff spot TRIB

Following Sloan, Corbin Seeks his own path New York Times  

AK feels snakebitten. Des News 

Just a Jump Shot away- KSL Jazz Blog

Jazz Suns Post Game Recap- AP-espn

Death by Fry Sauce- Jazz Fanatical 

SLCDunk Game Thread-

Dwill and CJ taking in the Jimmer. Photo by Scott G. Winterton. 



Utah Jazz get fried in Phoenix 

ed.

My “Twelve Step Process” As A Grieving Jazz Fan

I hardly know where to begin.  Trying to distance myself from the noise, I’ve come to terms with this past week’s transactions.  It wasn’t easy.  But I was somewhat prepared for this shakeup, thanks in large part to another team I support, Liverpool FC.

Yep.  Football (as I choose to call it).

Now, before you click the “X” on your browser, hear me out.  What transpired across the pond in England enabled me to see a bigger picture.  For those still coping with last Thursday’s atomic bomb on Salt Lake City:  Take comfort.

A club in total turmoil, Liverpool FC was a once proud, elite entity in world football.  For those not familiar with the world’s game, we’re talking the Boston Celtics of the English Premier League.  History, trophies, legends.  It gets no bigger (Lakers/Manchester United fans, take offense).

A recent slip from success propelled ‘Pool into a dizzying tailspin.  American owners saddled the club with debt, ran off key players as well as an idolized manager, Rafa Benitez, this past summer.  Employing a questionable replacement for Benitez in the form of Roy Hodgson made matters worse.  When Hodgson and his new ways failed to yield results, total chaos reigned.  On the pitch, off the pitch, among the supporters.

This fall, the drama came to a head.  The unpopular owners were ousted.  A new regime, Fenway Sports Group (led by Boston Red Sox owner John Henry), stepped in to start anew.  Next to go?  Roy Hodgson.  Replacing Hodgson was a Liverpool legend in Kenny Dalglish.  Things felt right again.  The club was on the mend and results were being achieved once more on and off the field.

My sanity, as an LFC supporter, was again restored.  Until 3 days prior to the transfer window (similar to our league’s yearly trade deadline).

Fernando Torres, arguably the world’s greatest striker, demanded to be sold to rival club Chelsea.  Initially, his request was rejected.  Once the club realized his stay would be untenable, reality settled in.  Torres would need to be sold.

Unbelievable.  Now transfers and player purchases/trades work a little differently over there.  Players can be sold for cash.  And while Torres’ stock was high (sold for roughly an $80m transfer fee), his choice to wait until three days prior to the deadline crippled Liverpool.  They were left with little time to find replacements for a world class striker.  Hardly the Torres we’d come to know and love over the years.

The fan base was in shock over the news.  Torres had pledged his allegiance to the club he’d spent over three years at earlier this season, even draping a Liverpool scarf on the World Cup trophy his Spanish squad had won the past summer.   More disheartening was hearing his desire to leave the historic club to run to Chelsea, a loathed rival.

My mind couldn’t compute.  Why would he want to leave?  Especially now, considering things had changed so dramatically.  Dalglish and FSG were producing wins and smart moves.  Why would you turn your back on a club that could achieve so much, simply to join an aging club of stars with a questionable future?

My “twelve step” process had begun. Shock had settled in and I now empathized with Nuggets’ fans who watched Melo pull basically the same stunt (even if he wasn’t as forthright with his desires).  I hated Fernando Torres.  I sat in shock as I watched him hold up the blue jersey he had traded in exchange for his recognizable red one.

As I went through the gamut of emotions from shock to anger, anger to disbelief, disbelief to sadness and sadness to understanding, I was soaking up fan reaction to the news on Twitter.  Seemed I wasn’t alone.  The news rocked the Liverpool fans’ collective world.  Some were livid, some were shaken.  All had something to say.

And it was one tweet in particular that came in response to the news that Torres shirt burnings were occurring which brought perspective to the madness I was feeling.  While not word for word, the tweet called out the “idiots” who were burning the Torres’ #9 jersey.

Paraphrasing:  Idiots burning their Torres shirts, do you not realize you are also disgracing the Liverpool crest with fire?  You should be ashamed.  It’s never about the name on the back.  It’s about the name on the front.  No one name is bigger than the name of Liverpool FC.

It suddenly became clear.  Liverpool is a world class organization with history and a tradition of winning.  While it hurts to watch a fan favorite and great talent turn his back on the club, it’s nothing that can’t be overcome.  And while I was a huge, HUGE fan of the player they call El Niño, my loyalty lies with the club, not a player.  I was able to find closure on the matter by realizing that simple fact.  I’d like to add that the underdog, Liverpool, proceeded to beat Chelsea and new boy Fernando Torres only 5 days later at Stamford Bridge, bringing additional closure and happiness to my life.

We all know what happened over the past few days here in Utah.  I’ve spent so much time trying to distance myself from it because it IS saddening.  The finger pointing.  The blame game.  Fans arguing and taking sides.  Disarray.  I can’t stomach it.

It’s all too similar to the confusion and shock I felt only days ago with the Torres saga.  And while Jerry Sloan’s departure is a completely different set of circumstances and carries additional built-in side stories, the general message remains the same.

No one name is bigger than the club.

My allegiance is with the Utah Jazz.  Please don’t take that statement in a “I’m fine with Jerry leaving/drink the Jazz front office kool-aid” way.  I’m bothered to see Jerry go out the way he did.  I’m not ashamed to admit to watery eyes upon hearing the news.  But while I may not always agree with moves made, players played or traded, results achieved or avenues taken, my main hope is to see the Jazz win.  They weren’t.

Change was necessary and Jerry, ever the visionary, saw this.  Whether the team had stopped responding to Sloan’s coaching or coach had lost his fire, passion and energy was irrelevant at this point.  In fact, both sides of that story probably have some truth to it.  But the fact remained that stagnation had set in.  Coach Sloan removed himself from the equation, forced or not.  No longer would he debate whether or not HE was the roadblock.  He made an ultimate sacrifice for the benefit of the team, allowing them to move on.  Always gracious in victory, Jerry this time was even more gracious in defeat.

Jerry Sloan’s legacy to not only Utah, but to the game of basketball, was his desire to compete.  His entire career was devoted to the game and his drive to win.  Over 23 years with the Jazz organization was his masterpiece.  It was never about himself.  It was never about accolades or records.  It was the love seeing a competitive product challenge itself to the fullest, not just during games, but at practice, in the offseason and off the court.  A labor of love.  A magnum opus of perseverance.  That’s what truly makes Coach Sloan one of the all time greats.

Surely, everything Coach Sloan (and Phil Johnson, too) worked so hard to establish, should not be cast aside in bitterness.  It’s a disservice to his body of work.  It’s not what he would want.  His final press conference in which he resigned as head coach was Jerry at his finest.  Gracious, thankful and calm.  As I watched, drained from the whirlwind of emotion, I wondered how I could possibly continue to back an organization that would let such a man walk away, having never achieved some of the highest accomplishments in basketball.  I was bitter.  Frustrated.  Disheartened.

Everything Jerry wasn’t.

As mentioned, Jerry’s contributions to this franchise will forever be appreciated and marveled.  As my loyalty to an organization was in question, I thought, “How could I possibly turn my back on the years of blood, sweat and tears that this man put into building this legacy?  How would he feel to know that my loyalty to him would steer me away from the work his hands had built?”  It was then I realized that resentment is not what Jerry would want to see from me.  Seeing a fan base turn on his life’s work would be counterproductive to everything he stands for.

The highest respect I can possibly pay to Coach Sloan is to continue my support for the organization he laid the foundation for.  Jerry wouldn’t want us to be bitter.  He’d want us to support this team.  And the best way to support them is to get behind them. Regardless of which story you side with, what can’t happen is the infighting and divisions that are happening right now.  National and local media have divided Jazz fans, pitting them against each other and all factions of the Jazz organization.  It’s understandable.  We’re shaken.  Death, taxes, the sun rising and setting and Jerry Sloan.  Their constants in our world.

Now, one has ceased in its role of stability (hint, it rhymes with Jerry Sloan).  A new era is upon us.  It’s easy to get down about Jerry’s exit.  But something tells me Jerry would echo the sentiments of Liverpool supporters everywhere:  It’s not about the name on the back of the jersey.  It’s about the name on the front.

If you allow yourself, it’s a wonderful time to get excited about a great new coach named Tyrone Corbin.  He, and HIS team, need your support more than ever.  Jazz fans unite.

AK out tonight. 

Horny it is, at least for now.

Ten Possible Trades for Deron Williams- bleacher report.  

Jazz Suns Preview CBS Sports

Betting Preview- This is new, just give fans the vegas perspective. 

If Deron Williams was Chris Paul then maybe Jerry would have stayed

Jerry Sloan was one to Bucks nine. 

Flip Saunders on Jerry Sloan

Five Teams at a Cross Roads- Jazz are one of them.  

Stan Van Gundy's thoughts on Jerry Leaving. 
again here 
From FanHouse.com

Final thoughts from Sloan via SLCtrib. 

Sad Sad City: SaltCityHoops

Jazz Fanatical Quotes and Final thoughts on Jerry and Phil

A Weird Week in team history- Des News 

Suns Jazz Preview -Des News 

 

We decided to make two separate podcasts this week. One podcast is the Jerry Tribute Line podcast, and the other is the extended Utah Jazz Podcast. Enjoy, Jazz Fans.