Quick Hits #5

The Details Behind "The Decision"
Almost a year has passed since LeBron James made his free agency decision to take his talents to South Beach and team up with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami as part of a made-for-TV event in primetime on ESPN entitled "The Decision".  I always wondered why LeBron did it the way he did and how it all came together.  Zach Lowe of SI.com addresses all of my curiosities as he provides the behind-the-scenes details of  "The Decision" here.  Very interesting read.

Little did LeBron know how much impact his few
minutes in Greenwich, CT would change his
image forever.

It actually portrays LeBron as almost an innocent bystander who was only in it for the kids.  It's incredible to think about how many careers and reputations (right, LeBron?) were altered by the decision to produce "The Decision".  I'm sure Dallas is glad it played out the way it did.

Interleague Play Has The Brewers Bummin'
Every year since 1997, baseball teams from the American League and National League have squared off in approximately 15-18 regular season games.  Major League Baseball introduced interleague play as another way to generate fan interest still trying to recover from the 1994-95 strike that eliminated the 1994 World Series.  Several interleague matchups are highly anticipated because of the geographic proximity of the "rival" teams (Mets-Yankees, Cubs-White Sox, Giants-A's).  The American League has dominated the win-loss record over the years with the National League only winning more games than the American League in 4 years ('97, '99, '02, '03).  Sure, it may only be 15-18 games, but  what happens when scheduling of interleague play significantly affects the divisional races in each league?

Prince Fielder and the Brewers will not be sending
a "thank you" card to Major League Baseball for
giving them one of the toughest interleague schedules.

For example, the Milwaukee Brewers are contending for the NL Central divisional title this year; however, their interleague schedule has the Red Sox and the Yankees on the road, while taking on the Rays at home.  Milwaukee went a combined 2-7 against these perennial AL East powers while completing a three-game sweep by the Yankees today with a combined score of 22-4.  Although the Brewers get the injured and struggling Twins twice this year, the Brewers' competitive rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals, play six games against the Royals and six more games against the AL East bottom-dwellers Baltimore and Toronto.  Even though you still have to beat the team you are scheduled to face, it will be difficult for the Brewers to understand the fairness of the schedule if they happen to lose to the Cardinals in the division by a close margin.

Kings On The Move
With the NBA closing in on a potentially long and painful lockout which will begin tonight at midnight, many teams are scrambling to pull off some last minute deals.  My new second-favorite team (thanks to Jimmer), the Sacramento Kings, have traded small forward Omri Casspi and a future first-round pick to the Cavaliers for versatile forward JJ Hickson.  This is yet another move that indicates the Kings' eagerness to start the Jimmer era in Sacramento.  By unloading a player in Casspi that thinks "shoot-first" and picking up a much-needed "big man" presence in Hickson down low to accompany Demarcus Cousins, the Kings create more space at the small forward position with John Salmons, Francisco Garcia, and Donte Green already on the roster.  So far, so good, Kings.

A Night at the NBA Draft

7:03 (EST) - Sitting down to watch the NBA Draft Preview Show now, which after all the pre-draft hype and analysis during the past couple of weeks will sure to be more of "Jimmer can't play defense...this is the weakest draft in a long time...Cleveland is trying to make a comeback after losing LeBron James then 26 straight games this year, yada, yada, yada."  Lame musical montage to begin the Draft.  Let's hope the Draft is better than that song...I think it was Rihanna.  I'm sure she wants us to think that it wasn't her.

7:08 - Because this is such a "weak" draft and the pending labor situation with the NBA, it should be an exciting one with controversial picks and trades...And we already have a trade involving the Kings, Bucks, and Bobcats.  Interesting.  The Kings move down to #10 while unloading Beno Udrih.  It's Jimmer Time in Sacto.  He won't get down to Utah at #12.  If Jazz fans want him, then they better hope the Jazz management draft Jimmer at #3.  Not going to happen.

7:11 - Does anyone else have their Utah Jazz shirt and BYU hat on, or is that just me?

7:14 - Who put Jimmer on the drums?!  Seriously?!  Doesn't he have agents to prevent him from doing stupid stunts like that on ESPN.  Everything from the bad sweater to the terrible hat...fulfilling every "white-boy" stereotype he had coming into the Draft.

7:20  - Shhh! Jimmer is speaking...This is exactly why I wanted to watch the Draft on TV instead of crossing the river to New Jersey to watch the Draft from the nose-bleeds.  Although once I realized Jay Bilas was at the main commentary table, I had to second-guess that decision.  Rachel Nichols says that the Knicks will not trade up for Jimmer.  That sounds way to sane to actually come from the Knicks' management team.  We'll see if that actually holds.  Knicks fans are rearing up for who their pick will be at #17.

7:22 - Now Enes Kanter is on the drums?!  Who came up with this marketing idea?  If this Draft wasn't so full of intrigue due to Jimmer and the Jazz, I would have turned over to watch the re-runs of the US/Panama soccer match from last night.  Let's go ESPN!  Get with it.

7:30 - Another musical montage to kickoff the official NBA Draft show.  Here comes the commissioner and he receives a cascade of boos from the fans. "Let's hear it for New Jersey" he says in his classic Long Island accent.  But of course, the NBA is moving the team from New Jersey to Brooklyn next year.  Do you think he'll say the same thing then?   Nah, "See ya, New Jersey!"  Side note:  I once walked by David Stern in Midtown Manhattan about 5 years ago and he is only about 5'9" tall.  Small guy.  Smart guy, though.

7:38 - Stuart Scott reminds poor Clipper fans everywhere that Cleveland's #1 pick is actually the Los Angeles Clippers' pick.  Enjoy Blake Griffin...while you still have him.  Analysts are now talking about if the #1 pick has to replace LeBron - come on, is that really necessary?  The 2 picks at #1 and #4 will not replace the impact that LeBron had on that team.  LeBron gave everyone in Cleveland fair warning about needing to give him other pieces after they got to the Finals in 2007.  I don't feel bad for Cleveland.  It's time for them and their crybaby owner to step up and build a franchise instead of having relied on LeBron for 7 years before he left them and went to South Beach.

7:42 - The pick is in - Kyrie Irving from Duke University!  Look at all the strobe lights!  Nice.  Derrick Williams gives him a high-five and shows him some love as Irving makes his way to the stage.  Nice gesture.  How do these guys not know they are going to be picked?  At the NFL Draft, the podium announcement is a foregone conclusion because the player is already on the phone or crying before the pick is in.  I wonder if the NBA has a say in that to keep it somewhat dramatic.  Here come the interviews with the families...apparently Kyrie Irving's dad was the best player he has ever played against?  His Dad was a star at Boston University?  Was the ACC really that bad this year?

7:47 - The Irving pick was easy to call.  'Wolves should be picking Williams unless there is already a trade done.  Minnesota is so bad they even lost the Draft Lottery....Derrick Williams it is.  He is a ridiculous player. Unless he and his Arizona Wildcats beat Duke in the NCAA Tournament, I don't think he would have gotten so much hype leading up to the draft.  Jay Bilas is talking now...it's time to hit the "mute" button unless you want to hear an average college player criticize the talent of players that are sooo much better than he ever was.  Andy Katz says that the Timberwolves are keeping Williams.  Somewhat surprised.  We'll see how that will work.  But yet again, they're the Timberwolves so it's normal to do things the wrong way.

7:52 - It's Jazz time.  This should be good...Enes Kanter!  He will join his Turkish countryman, Mehmet Okur, in Utah.  He is a monster!  The Jazz worked him out well...so long Fesenko.  Jazz have a strong frontline - Kanter joins Millsap, Jefferson, Okur, and Favors.  I like it.  That's a front line that should compete with the Lakers down low.  Jazz could have gone to Knight or Kanter and I would have been happy either way.  Stuart Scott says that Kanter wants to be a WWE wrestler after his NBA career?  If Marc Jones doesn't ask about that, then he is not doing his job.  Talk automatically goes to Jimmer now that the Jazz have taken a big guy.  Jazz are probably hoping that Jimmer or Kemba drops to them at 12.  Cavs are up again.

7:57 -  I still don't understand why a European player would enter the draft if he is under contract for the next year?  Rubio totally messed up the Timberwolves in 2009 and 2011.  The Cavaliers select Tristan Thompson out of Texas.  The Raptors could have done well with the local kid from Toronto.  I guess they'll just have to wait for the next talented basketball player to come out of Canada...in 15 years (Nash - 1996, Thompson - 2011).  Thompson is an athlete.  ESPN just showed a list of Canadians drafted in the first round.  Where's Nash?!  How do you miss that?  I just Wiki'd Steve Nash...born in South Africa?!  Moved to Canada at 18 months.  Also, who knew that Rick Fox was Canadian?!  And the mic goes out on the interview with Thompson!  Oh it's back...I hope we didn't miss a Canada joke.

8:05  - The Raptors get an extra 3 minutes of selection time and they select...Jonas Valanciunas, solidifying their position in the lottery for the next 8-10 years.  Way to use those 3 minutes, Raptors!  Now we'll see if he speaks English...kind of.  He's asked if he plays like Chris Bosh?!  Just what Toronto Raptor fans want to hear after Bosh killed their season and their franchise by going to Miami.  That was a tough interview.  Jonas doesn't speak English very well.  At least he knows "I dunno".  Someone needs to tell ESPN that the post-pick interviews are not working tonight.  The mic cuts out and 2 of the 5 haven't spoken English very well.

8:08 - Wizards are picking...Jan Vesely!  His girlfriend is as tall as he is!  Sign her up!  Good, he's off the board and takes away the potential for the Jazz to take him...Dang! (sarcastic)  Maybe they'll draft his girlfriend?

8:14 - Because of the three-team trade, it is time for the Kings to pick for the Charlotte Bobcats. Let's see who will be Michael Jordan's 2011 version of Kwame Brown.  Pick #7 is...Bismack Biyombo?!  What a name and what a pick by Jordan's Bobcats?  Did Jordan not learn anything after Brown's failed stint in Washington?  My favorite part about all these international players is that Jay Bilas (who is the College hoops expert) is off the mic.  The Kings hat looks good on him...and the English?  Not bad...I give it a 6 (Kanter was a 5 and Valanciunas was a terrible 2).  Best quote is that he is "allegedly 18 years old".  How come nobody was saying that 8 years ago with LeBron or a few years later with Dwight Howard?  Give me a break.

8:20 - The Jazz, by the way, will be on the clock for potential Jimmertime in about 25 minutes.  I can't wait!  Detroit is at #8...Stern is still getting booed...Brandon Knight from Kentucky.  Supposedly Knight didn't want to move to and play in Utah...I wonder how he feels about the oasis of Detroit?  Bilas is back...dang! Bilas says that he has "defensive potential" and he isn't "disruptive" defensively.  In other words, he doesn't play good defense.  No wonder Knight didn't want to play against anyone else in his pre-draft workouts...looks like that worked.  No one that actually worked him out drafted him.  In hindsight, I'm really glad the Jazz didn't draft him.  I feel good about where the Jazz are right now.  I can only imagine the Jimmer chants going on at the Draft Party at EnergySolutions Arena in UT.  Don't get your hopes up, people.  Sacramento!

8:27 - Kemba Walker goes off the board!  The Bobcats are up again.  Kemba is a stud.  I think he will do well, but don't they already have a point guard like him in DJ Augustine in Charlotte.  I wonder what it must feel like when your team drafts a guy like Kemba in the first round of the draft!  The Bucks are up...picking for the Kings.  I can't see why they wouldn't pick anyone but The Jimmer.  If they happen to pass him up, then it will be a crazy scene leading up to the Jazz (Golden State won't take him).  Kemba Walker and Jimmer Fredette are the exact kind of guys you want on your team.  ESPN showing nice dance footage of a little Kembita.

8:32 - Kings take....Jimmer Fredette from Brigham Young University!  A huge sigh of relief in the Utah Jazz draft room.  No Jimmer = no pressure.  Let's hear what Bilas has to say..."scorer...can hit jump shots...solid passer...not a true point guard...willing to pass it...good upper body strength...much better athlete than people give him credit for...but question is defensively."  Here comes the contract story with TJ....I wonder when the gauntlet and the prison will be mentioned?  Why doesn't somebody take off the Milwaukee Bucks hat if they're talking about the Kings so much.  There's the gauntlet...and there's the prison.  Well done, ESPN.  Jon Barry is my new favorite announcer.  He actually sounds intelligent...unlike Bilas.  Barry loves the Jimmer.  Does anyone else realize that everyone is saying what a great athlete Jimmer is yet they criticize his defense.  Why the discrepancy?

8:39 - Warriors select Klay Thompson - Washington State.  Jazz could go a bunch of different ways here.  Sacramento is a great spot for Jimmer.  Now I will be planning my visits to my in-laws in NorCal based upon when the Kings have home games.  Long gone is my hatred for the Kings (Thanks to Vlade Divac and Doug Christie).  Hilarious SportsCenter commercial about making fun of soccer players faking injuries as John Anderson gently bumped into another anchor and writhed on the ground screaming, "Ow, my ankle!"  Love those.  Perfect for why I hated the Kings and Vlade Divac so much.  Comedic relief before anticipating what the Jazz will do here.

8:44 - Jazz select Alec Burks from the University of Colorado.  Not a three-point shooter.  He is a right-handed CJ Miles but without the three-point shot.  Seems like the second coming of Kirk Snyder to me, and that didn't last too long or go too well.  I'm a little stunned.  Based on that pick, my guess is that although they may not admit this, the Jazz were primed to pick Jimmer.  I think Jimmer is in a better place for him.  Better draft for Jimmer than the Jazz.  Love the Kanter pick, but I honestly don't know enough about him to form a definitive opinion.

8:51 - The first Morris is off the board!  Suns select Markieff - he is gone.  I think both of these guys are overrated, but, man, they are big boys.  He is 7 minutes older than Marcus and he may go ahead of his brother in the draft by about 7 minutes as well.  Very cool.  It's gotta be hard to have to separate from your twin and now have to play in separate cities after 21 years.  Best interview of the night with Markieff - talking about his brother and their relationship.  "He's my boy, man."  Says Markieff of his brother.  Then Marcus jokes in a straight, monotone voice, "I'll send him some flowers or some fruit, we gonna be good."

8:57 - Rockets select Marcus Morris!  Awesome.  6 minutes after his brother.  Almost the exact time between their births.  You can't make this stuff up.  Marcus is the better player of the two.  These hats the players are wearing are kind of funky...I wouldn't get caught dead in one.  Seeing these Kansas highlights reminds me how much the Jayhawks underachieve in the NCAA Tournament every year - unless Mario Chalmers hits a last-second three in the Championship game (2008).  I think I'll blog until the Knicks pick at #17 - Bilas is driving me crazy but at least I had Jimmer and the Jazz to get me through it.  Now that I don't, I won't last much longer.

9:02 - The Indiana Pacers are on the clock.  Kawhi Leonard...out of San Diego State.  He will compliment Danny Granger well since he is a pretty good defender.  He killed BYU on the offensive boards this year.  He will be a good pro since he plays hard and he's athletic.  I don't think he's as good defensively as Bilas thinks he is.  Why does everyone care about his hands so much?  Wow...those hands are pretty big.  Dang.  Kawhi easily has the worst suit of the night.  Southern California kid has to go all the way out to Indiana.  Mom is going to move out there with him?  Okay.

9:08 - Nikola Vucevic is a 76er.  He went to USC and I actually ran on the USC track with him a couple of years ago when I was living in LA.  English was bad then and we'll see how he does in the interview...if they decide to do it.  No interview.  ESPN learned their lesson.  Knicks fans going crazy.  Spike Lee is in attendance, too.  I don't know why the Knicks were so infatuated with Jimmer because they need so many more pieces than a 6'2" point guard.  They've got to go big here to go get some boards for 'Melo and Amare.  Kenneth Faried seems to be the popular pick by the experts.  It would be cool since Faried is from Newark, where the Draft is being held this year. The Knick fans are getting loud.  This is either going to be really good or really bad.  Knick fans have the worst handwriting ever...I can't even make out what their signs are supposed to even say.  Here is the commissioner - Iman Shumpert - Guard from Georgia Tech.  No doubt the Knicks would have drafted Jimmer here, but I'm somewhat surprised they didn't pull a classic Knick move to trade up and get him.  Knick fans boo the pick simply because they have no idea who he is.  First guy to not be there and walk up on stage.  Spike Lee just corrected the reporter when she asked about getting Carl Landry in last year's draft.  Actually, Heather, they drafted Landry Fields.  Good interview by Spike.  He could have stirred the pot, but interesting that he gave credit to the GM, Donnie Walsh, even though Walsh is being shown the door by the Knicks owner.

9:17 - That was an interesting couple of hours.  The Draft had its good moments and its not-so-good moments for me, Jimmer, the Jazz, and the rest of the NBA.  Great result for Jimmer.  It's even further from Glens Falls, New York than BYU, but I look forward to many late nights watching his games from the East Coast.  The Jazz had a good (not great) draft.  Kanter should be a beast and Burks shows potential and will have to step up especially if they lose CJ Miles to free agency.  No huge trades after the three-time trade that positioned the Kings to take Jimmer from the Jazz.  Stay posted - just because the picks are in doesn't mean the trades won't happen.  Maybe the Jazz have a plan to trade Burks - or keep him - I just don't know.  A lot of activity may take place between now and a potential lockout.  Enjoy the NBA while we still have it.  Lockout is scheduled to start on July 1 (next Friday).

Are You A JimmerJazz Fan, Too?!

The NBA Finals are over and the NBA Draft is finally here!  The proceedings on Thursday night will change the direction of so many NBA teams, NBA General Managers, and - of course - the current and future NBA players themselves.  We had a lot of fun talking about the NFL Draft here and how humorous, yet exciting, the NFL Draft would be if fans could text in their favorite team's selection, with the text results determining which players the teams would select.  But given that I actually care about the NBA Draft, I would not even come close to suggesting such a proposal.  Why?  Because a lot of Jazz fans, including me, have a Jimmer problem.


Jimmer and the Jazz have been inextricably
linked for many months. But will the dream
pairing actually come true for JimmerJazz fans?

 Usually the heavy debates and analysis are reserved for the #1 pick, and this year's NBA Draft still carries a lot of drama at the top - especially because the team that holds the #1 pick, the Cleveland Cavaliers, also holds the #4 pick, and the Cavs are trying to use the 2011 NBA Draft as the launchpad for a successful post-LeBron era.  Many sources are citing that the Cavaliers have decided to select Duke point guard Kyrie Irving at #1, and of course, others are highlighting the fact that the Cavaliers conducted a last-minute pre-draft workout with Arizona forward Derrick Williams and Kentucky point guard Brandon Knight on Monday, leading many to believe that the Cavs are not quite sold on Irving.  In a perfect post-Lebron world, Cleveland would love to land both Irving and Williams, but the teams with the #2 and #3 picks - the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Utah Jazz - are highly unlikely to let that happen.  Up until the tip of the Draft on Thursday night, each of the top three teams will be continually analyzing all the "what-if" scenarios while not ruling out any last minute trade offers that may come their way.

But beyond the top 2, the pool of potential players opens up quite a bit as multiple international and college stars will vie for the coveted lottery positions.  Which brings us to the JimmerJazz problem.  I can't remember there ever being so much debate about a player that is slated to be drafted anywhere between picks #7 and #20 of the first round.  Everyone seems like they need to have an opinion about where Jimmer will go, where he should go, which NBA star he will most likely play like, which NBA "bust" he most resembles, or that Jimmermania simply won't carry over into the NBA.  For JimmerJazz fans everywhere, however, Thursday night will either be a fantastic night of celebrating Jimmer's trail to NBA success as well as the Jazz's quick reassertion as a Western Conference power, or it will be a collective combination of potential tragedy and heartbreak for many years to come...or maybe somewhere in between.  To help you understand what I'm talking about, here are some of the worst-case / best-case scenarios for all of us JimmerJazz fans - ordered worst to first.


Jan Vesely (middle, dunking) has shown promise in his
young European career, but he also could be the centerpiece
of a Draft gone wrong for the Utah Jazz.

Bad Jimmer / Bad Jazz
In order to be successful in the NBA, Jimmer Fredette needs to go to a team that recongnizes his strengths (work ethic, long-range shooting, play-making ability, scoring, winning, etc.) while not believing in the "weaknesses" that the national media and other ignorant NBA "experts" have promoted during the pre-draft process (athleticism, defensive ability, quickness, etc.).  Worst case scenario for Jimmer is that each of the teams he worked out for leading up to the draft as we discussed here will pass him up by paying more attention to what the media is saying than what they actually witnessed throughout his college career and in his individual workouts.  Jimmer's strategy of only working out for the teams he thought he would fit best with backfires as they all overthink the pick and focus on the flaws in his game, and Jimmer slides all the way to #20 to the Minnesota Timberwolves and the JimmerTimberwolf fans (if there are any out there), who are elated to have both Jimmer and the #2 pick (likely either Irving or Williams).  But in this scenario, Jimmer would be under-utilized and exposed as he unsuccessfully plays for a perennial 15-game winner and gets lost among the numerous 6-foot guards currently on Minnesota's roster (including the newcomer, Ricky Rubio).  The Jazz, meanwhile, draft Czech star Jan Vesely with their #3 pick, who decides to stay in Europe and never makes it to the US to play in the NBA.  Then with their #12 pick the Jazz again pass on Jimmer, citing the 4 missed shots he had during his 18-22 performance in a three-point shooting drill during his pre-draft workout as the deciding factor.  However, fearing a severe public backlash for not drafting Jimmer, the Jazz decide to draft the BYU all-time steals leader, Jackson Emery.


What could be the fallout if the Jazz pass on Jimmer Fredette?
Time will only tell what the JimmerJazz fans may be capable of.

 The Jazz draft party at EnergySolutions Arena turns into an absolute riot as the fans (including Emery, who is in attendance) tear apart the building piece by piece, raid the Jazz management's offices, and destroy the Stockton and Malone statues outside the arena.  The public outcry forces the Miller family to sell the team to an investor group of Utah KobeLaker fans who immediately change the Jazz color scheme to purple and gold, rename the team the Anaheim Mousketeerzz (note the double zz), and move the team to Southern California because they don't want to spend the money to re-build EnergySolutions after the Draft Day debacle (It should also be noted that this is my wife's current "Good / Good" scenario because it would result in me not paying attention whatsoever to Jimmer or the NBA on a going forward basis).

Good Jimmer / Bad Jazz
Ok, I've shown my hand by listing this scenario in the next-to-the-worst position, but I have only been a Jimmer fan for 4 years and I've been a Jazz fan for 30 years.  The Jazz will win every time...for now.  Jimmer's pre-draft workout strategy plays out perfectly as the owners of the Sacramento Kings, the Maloof brothers, become the latest fans of Jimmermania as they act upon their man-crush of The Jimmer and select Fredette with the #7 pick in the draft.  Jimmer flourishes alongside Tyreke Evans who, with Jimmer at the point guard position, can move to his more natural shooting guard role.  Jimmer becomes a public relations home run as his popularity and first-year success carries the Kings to the playoffs and encourages the people of Sacramento to pony up the tax money for a new basketball arena and the Kings decide to stay in Sacramento for good.  Jimmer plays in Sacramento's up-tempo, exciting offense for his entire 16-year NBA career as he wins the Rookie of the Year award, garners 10 all-star game appearances, and carries the Kings to the 2015 NBA Finals where they beat the Miami Heat, who lose in the NBA Finals for the fifth consecutive year.  Meanwhile, the Jazz lose to Jimmer's Kings in the 3 of the 4 head-to-head playoff series, with the lone series win coming when Jimmer overdid it at Cafe Rio during one of his pre-game meals and shot a LeBron-like 1-8 in the 4th quarter of Game 7 - even though there were more Jazz fans cheering for Jimmer and the Kings than there were cheering for the Jazz.  The Jazz continue to regret using their 2011 #3 pick on Czech star Jan Vesely, who pulls a Ricky Rubio and decides to come to the NBA in 2013, where he plays for one season and averages 4.4 points per game under new Utah Jazz head coach, Greg Ostertag.

Bad Jimmer / Good Jazz
Now this is where it starts to get interesting for us JimmerJazz fans.  Despite what draft experts may say about Jimmer's weaknesses, he has a ton of Jimmermania fans in NBA team draft war rooms across the country, which has increased the likelihood that he will jump up the board and get drafted sooner rather than later in the first round.  Jimmer's rise in popularity does not sit well with teams that really like him but were hoping that he would still be available later in the first round (i.e., New York Knicks - 17th pick), so one of the Knicks decide to make a deal.  Now Jimmer has always said that he would love to play in Madison Square Garden with his home-state team, but if the Knicks really do something crazy due to their love for The Jimmer, the honeymoon will be short-lived in the Empire State.  The Knicks offer to swap picks with the Pistons at #8 while also offering to send Chauncey Billups and his expiring contract to Detroit where he helped the Pistons win the NBA Championship in 2004. It's a good deal for Detroit because they still keep New York's first-round pick (#17) while picking up a seasoned veteran to help the new Piston coach (whoever it will be) transition into the job in year one.  The Pistons, however, play hard ball and demand the Knicks' first-round pick in 2012 as well, and the Knicks, reflecting on the highlights of Jimmer's road game against the Utes this year, agree to the deal.  Knicks fans are overly excited for the sharp-shooting Jimmer to hit Broadway, but because the Knicks gave up Billups and next year's first-round pick, expectations are set too high (even for New York standards) for Jimmer to succeed.  Chris Paul signs with the Knicks next summer and Jimmer is buried on the bench for the last 2 years of his rookie contract.  Jimmer has 3 decent years in New York, but he comes nowhere near the expectations that were set by New York's terrible draft-day negotiations.  Jimmer leaves New York in 3 years after every other NBA team fails to sign him and he has a successful 10-year career in Europe.  (If Jimmer naturally falls to #17 and the Knicks pick him up there, it still might be able to work, but it's still not an ideal fit for him.)  The Jazz, on the other hand, are targeting Jimmer with their #12 pick (before New York conducts all of its draft day shenanigans), so they take Turkish big man Enes Kanter with the #3 pick.  Kanter thrives in a great, young big man rotation that includes Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Derrick Favors, and fellow Turk, Mehmet Okur, and the Jazz are finally able to challenge the front court of the Lakers for years to come.  Okur helps Kanter's transition to the NBA by showing him all the great Turk hangouts in Salt Lake (there's gotta be 2 or 3, right?) and Kanter is a consistent 20 /10 guy.  Although the Jazz don't have a shot at Jimmer at #12, they are actually relieved that they won't have to face the pressure of whether Jimmer would fail or succeed in their system, and due to the draft chaos caused by the Knicks, the teams drafting #9-11 forget that Connecticut guard Kemba Walker is still on the board, and Kemba falls into the Jazz's lap at #12, setting off chants of "Kemba, Kemba, Kemba" from Stoors, Connecticut all the way to EnergySolutions Arena.  Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin is so excited to have Walker and relieved to have escaped the scrutiny of JimmerJazz fans everywhere, he runs around EnergySolutions Arena waving his shirt over his head yelling, "Jimmer Who?!, Jimmer Who?!"

Brandon Knight (12) could be the best thing that ever happened
to the Jazz...and to Jimmer.

Good Jimmer / Good Jazz
I'll just burst your bubble now - maybe in a surreal, fantasy, basketball land the Jazz will draft Jimmer at either pick #3 or #12 and he will become the face of the franchise and a perennial all-star for the Jazz for his entire career...but I don't see it happening.  At least not yet.  The Jazz did a pretty good job of unloading all-NBA point guard Deron Williams while still being able to pick up Devin Harris from the Nets (and Favors and draft picks), but in an NBA that significantly favors the point guard, the days of backup point guards like Ronnie Price, Earl Watson, Eric Maynor, Dee Brown and Sundiata Gaines are over.  In the name of Howard Eisley, the Jazz need a couple of high-quality point guards.  How many times did the Jazz fall behind in the late first quarter / early second quarter when the second-team came in the game last year and D-Will went to the bench?  Way too many times.  The Jazz need an NBA-ready point guard to backup Harris (and eventually start) more than anything else right now, so picking up Brandon Knight with the #3 pick makes the most basketball sense.  Knight is even better than D-Will was when the Jazz drafted him in 2005.  Knight can shoot, run the break, make big shots, and already he comes with NBA size at the point guard position (6'3" and 180 pounds), which is why the Jazz can't use this high pick on Kemba.  Sorry Jimmer, I'm a Jazz fan first and you're just not what our team needs most right now.  Moreover, the Jazz shouldn't be shy about looking for trade options who may want to package Harris or Al Jefferson with either of their picks at #3 or #12 (but that's a whole other discussion). 

From my perspective, the best case for Jimmer is if the Jazz pass on drafting him...twice!  At #12 (or if they're able to trade down) there will still be plenty of good talent available.  Because the Jazz will have drafted a guard at #3, Jimmer should not be an option here and the Jazz will look to add an athletic big guy to complement the young core of Favors and Gordon Hayward in the frontcourt.  Players such as UCLA Forward Tyler Honeycutt, Purdue Center/Forward JaJuan Johnson, and Texas Forward Tristan Thompson would all be able to step in and provide solid, athletic building blocks for the future.  With a lockout potentially shortening the 2011-12 season and 2 more potential lottery picks next year, now is the time for the Jazz to rebuild and not be swayed by the Jimmer(fake)Jazz fans who want the Jazz to gamble on Jimmer succeeding right away in the NBA.  The Jazz don't need Jimmer to sell tickets.  If they win and play hard, the seats will be full - whether Jimmer is there or not.  But back to Jimmer...I think he has the perfect situation waiting for him just behind the Jazz at #13 with the Phoenix Suns. 

Jimmer looks good in a Suns uniform. If you're
a true JimmerJazz fan, you'll want to see it, too.

The Suns provide a great landing pad for Jimmer as he would step in and backup MVP Steve Nash at point guard while providing a sharp-shooting dimension to a Suns team that would expect Jimmer to contribute without being expected to start or carry the team at the point.  Jimmer quickly gets over the fact that the Jazz passed on him twice and succeeds in his role with Phoenix for the duration of his 3-year rookie contract.  My second-favorite team becomes the Phoenix Suns and every Suns-Jazz game automatically becomes must-watch TV for JimmerJazz fans everywhere.  After 3 years with the Suns, Jimmer masters the point guard position learning behind Nash, and all the Jimmer "haters" will have stopped talking about his defensive inadequacies and other "white-boy" stereotypes that are naively being thrown out in the media leading up to the draft.  Jimmer will show that he is a valuable, NBA-proven asset at either the point guard or shooting guard position and he will demand a significant, long-term contract, which he will eventually get...from the Utah Jazz.

I told you I was a JimmerJazz fan.

That's What He Said...

Dallas Maverick owner, Mark Cuban, is notorious for being outspoken and opinionated.  He has been fined by the NBA multiple times (including $250,000 during the 2006 NBA Finals for criticizing the referees), but it has been his enthusiasm and flair that injected a dead franchise 10+ years ago and has carried them to sustained success that culminated with an NBA Finals championship earlier this week.

Once the trophy was raised, Mark Cuban's mouth was opened.

However, Cuban was eerily silent throughout the NBA playoffs - no interviews, no controversial tweets, and no over-the-top guarantees.  He claims it was all part of the plan to carry the Mavs to the championship because he didn't want to ruin the karma.  But all the silence went out the window once the Mavericks emerged victorious against the Heat in Game 6.  Since then he swore in multiple live TV interviews, walked into a postgame news conference talking on the phone, hung up and yelled, "Did anybody inform you guys, we're the world champions?!"  Then on his way out, he took the trophy with him and declared it was spending the night in his room.  Did anybody inform David Stern (the NBA Commissioner) that he now has to babysit Cuban again after a two-month break?  Karma.

Vancouver Canuck fans took to the streets after the Canucks were destroyed at home 4-0 in Game 7 of the NHL Finals.  Almost 150 people required hospital treatment and close to 100 were arrested as a result of the violence that swept through downtown Vancouver on Wednesday night.  Rioting and looting destroyed many downtown businesses, so dozens of volunteers took to the streets on Thursday morning to pick up debris and garbage.  One of the volunteers spoke with the media as he carried his broom downtown to help clean up the damage.  "I'm all choked up," he said. "I can't believe the scene.  Just talking about it brings me to tears...It's just a few idiots."  I'm still not sure whether he was talking about the results of the riots or the Canucks' effort in Game 7.

Ricky Rubio will be taking his talents to the NBA,
but is playing for Minnesota really his dream? Ouch!

20-year old Spaniard, Ricky Rubio has confirmed that he will finally be joining the Minnesota Timberwolves, the team that drafted him in the 2009 NBA Draft.  Rubio and the Timberwolves have apparently reached a deal that will guarantee his long-awaited move to the NBA.  "It is my dream and I want to fulfill it," Rubio said. "After thinking about it a lot, the time (to join the NBA) has arrived."  It won't take long for Rubio to realize that playing for the Timberwolves, who won only 17 games last year, is more akin to a nightmare.  Buena suerte, Ricky.

Jimmermania Update

Jimmermania is back in Utah - for now.  Jimmer Fredette's last basketball game in Utah took place way back in March as BYU beat Wyoming at home to clinch the Mountain West Conference regular season championship.  On Wednesday, Jimmer left his BYU teammates in Provo and worked out for the Utah Jazz in Jimmer's last pre-draft workout prior to next week's NBA Draft on June 23.

NBA teams bring in players they are interested in evaluating and potentially drafting in order to put the players through dribbling drills, speed tests, defensive workouts, shooting competitions, and in-person interviews.  The workouts help determine whether the players are worthy of the significant investment that comes with an NBA first-round pick.  In recent weeks, Jimmer also worked out for the Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks, Sacramento Kings, and the Phoenix Suns.  Based on his performance at BYU, the NBA Draft Combine, and the various individual team pre-draft workouts, Jimmer has been projected to be drafted as high as #7 to as low as #20, which is quite a large spread especially given Jimmer's prominence in the basketball world within the last year.

Jimmer Fredette was the center of attention on Wednesday as he had an
impressive workout for the Utah Jazz.

So much focus, deliberation and analysis have gone into Jimmer's unknown potential as an NBA player that he even had an entire NBA Draft Preview article in this week's Sports Illustrated issued devoted to "The Jimmer Dilemma".  Come back next week for my evaluation and prediction for how Jimmer will fare in the upcoming Draft, but in the meantime he is making a big-time impression on NBA teams in his pre-draft workouts.  "He's quicker than I thought he was," Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said of Jimmer. "His competitive nature, this cat really competes and he hates to lose.  He's a good kid.  He really likes to play and that shows in everything he does on the floor, along with his scoring ability."  Given the media and public reaction to the workout today, if the Jazz use the #3 or the #12 pick on The Jimmer, it will no doubt generate a preseason interest in the Utah Jazz not seen since the glory days of Stockton and Malone.

Jimmermania could take Utah by storm - again...or Sacramento, or Phoenix, or New York.  Stay tuned.

Dallas Mavericks - A Championship Team

Fans from Dallas to Cleveland are rejoicing tonight as the Mavericks beat the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.  The Mavs won the NBA Finals by taking their talents to South Beach and running by the Heat with a "leave-little-doubt" performance in front of Miami's home crowd with fantastic play from Jason Terry (27 points) and J.J. Barea (15 points, 5 assists).  Dirk Nowitzki clinched the first championship for the Mavericks by scoring 10 of his 21 points in the 4th Quarter despite only shooting 9-27 from the field throughout the game.  Each of these Mavericks were significant contributors throughout the season, but I felt the game (and the series) turned when players such as the seldom-used Brian "The Custodian" Cardinal entered the game.  In Game 6, Cardinal played 12 valuable minutes, exhibited tough defense, and hit a key 3-point shot.

"The Custodian" was a small but significant reason why the
Mavericks are the 2011 NBA champs.

More importantly, during Cardinal's 12 minutes the Mavericks outscored the Heat by 18 points!  That was a huge component of the win for the Mavericks because a lot of those minutes were spent with Dirk Nowitzki on the bench.  And that's exactly why the Mavericks won the NBA Championship...as I wrote about here, sure the Mavs won because no one could guard the German, sure the Mavs won because LeBron and Bosh were outplayed by the Mav players who had never won a championship before (Nowitzki, Kidd, Terry, Marion, etc.), and of course, because the 4th Quarter was dominated by the Mavericks throughout the series, but the Mavs are the champions because their "team" beat the 3-headed monster/musketeers/stooges of the Miami Heat.

There will be a lot of second-guessing, criticizing, and overall hating on the Heat this offseason, and there may be many NBA championships in their future, but at least this year Jason Terry will have to cancel that tattoo-removal appointment I (and others) scheduled for him at the beginning of these Finals. 

It was one of the best NBA Finals in recent memory and the Mavericks are truly deserving to be called the Champions.

Halftime!

Almost a week after the NBA Finals began, the Miami Heat hold a 2 games to 1 lead in the best-of-7 series against the Dallas Mavericks.  If my prediction holds true that Miami will win the series 4 games to 2, then we are literally at "halftime" of the series.  As I wrote about here, there are three keys that will determine the eventual NBA champion, so let's evaluate how each team is doing and what they need to do to make adjustments for the "second half".

Who will guard the German?
After watching this ESPN Sports Science clip, it is hard to imagine anyone being able to stop Dirk Nowitzki.  And after 3 games in the NBA Finals, the Miami Heat haven't really been able to hold down Dirk.  They kind of just have to do their best and hope he misses.  Dirk has had 27, 24, and 34 points in Games 1, 2, and 3, respectively, including 15 points in the 4th Quarter in Game 3 when he almost single-handedly carried the Mavericks to victory as he did in Game 2.  In Game 2, Nowitzki scored the game-winning layup with 3.6 seconds left as he made Chris Bosh look like a spectator more than a defender.

Nowitzki's near perfect performance in Games 1-3 has kept the
Mavericks alive in the NBA Finals.

When Nowitzki had the chance to tie Game 3 on the last play of the game, the Heat countered with Udonis Haslem to guard  Nowitzki.  Dirk back-rimmed the game-tying shot as Haslem did the best he could to "defend" Nowitzki, but Dirk still had plenty of space to get off a shot and simply missed.  Look for the Heat to continue to rotate Bosh, Haslem, and Joel Anthony on Nowitzki, but you can also expect Dirk to continue to average at least 28.3 points a game because of his ability to continue to get to the free-throw line where Dirk has made his first 24 free throws of the Finals.  He will be looking to break Reggie Miller's record of 25 straight free throws to start the Finals when he takes the court on Tuesday in Game 4.

Advantage: The German (Mavericks)


Dirk/Kidd vs. LeBron/Bosh
This comparison is overshadowed by the fact Miami also has the NBA Finals MVP thus far in Dwayne Wade, and let's be honest, the Mavericks need A LOT more production from players not named Nowitzki and Kidd to beat the star-studded Heat.  Dirk has done his part.  The 38-year old Jason Kidd has done his best to stay with Wade on the defensive end, but outside of Kidd's 7.0 assists a game (it helps your assist total when you get to pass it to Dirk a lot), his offensive production has been sparse (Game 1-9 points, Game 2-6 points, Game 3-9 points).

2008 USA Olympic Gold Medal champions, LeBron James (left, 8) and Jason
Kidd (right, 5) are battling for the right to be called NBA champion. Fortunately
for James, he still has fellow Olympic teammates, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.

LeBron has filled up the stat sheet across the board as Wade has carried the scoring load, especially down the stretch.  LeBron only scored 17 points in Game 3, but he had 9 key assists, including the dish to Bosh for the shot that put the Heat ahead for good.  The X-factor in my opinion, Chris Bosh, made the difference as he was 5-9 from the field, including the eventual game-winning shot, for 11 points in the 2nd half of Game 3.  Bosh had played off and on (mostly off) in Games 1 and 2, so when he stepped up and made his shots in the second half of Game 3, it was just enough to pull out the victory on the road.


Advantage: LeBron/Bosh (Heat)

Who will win the 4th Quarter?
This has been and will continue to be the most important factor in determining the eventual NBA champion.  In Game 1, Miami outscored Dallas 27-23 and made enough key shots down the stretch to keep the lead out of reach within the last couple of minutes for Dirk to have an impact.  In Game 2, Dirk and the Mavericks ended the game on a 17-2 run as they overcame Miami's stingy defense to pull out the victory on Nowitzki's game-winning shot in the final seconds.  In Game 3, Dirk brought his game and had 15 points in the 4th Quarter; however, the rest of the Mavericks' roster combined for just 7 points in the final 12 minutes.  In each of the 1st 2 games, Dirk scored better than 1/3 of Dallas' 4th Quarter points.  In Game 3, he scored more than 2/3 of the Mavericks' points.  Dallas will need players such as Jason Terry, Peja Stojakovic, and Jason Kidd to provide at least some scoring punch to help carry the Mavericks past the Miami defense when it matters most.

(Slight) Advantage: Heat

Jason Terry (31) must be more productive and explosive as he was against the
Lakers and the Thunder in order for the Mavericks to beat the Heat.

Although it seems as though every time Miami wins a game in these playoffs, everyone picks them to run the table, Dallas will be able to break through and win a second game in the series.  The series has been too close and Dirk has been too good for the series not to go back to Miami for Game 6.  The difference-maker has to be Jason Terry who will be able to find some space and hit some shots against the defense of LeBron James (who wanted to take his talents back to South Beach to win the NBA Championship anyway, right?).  Look for Terry to go off with the Mavericks in a must-win situation while still at home in Dallas.  Otherwise, it's tattoo-removal time...

Parting Shot:  Games 2 and 3 of the NBA Finals were each decided by 2 points.  According the Elias Sports Bureau, it's the first time since the 1998 NBA Finals that back-to-back games have been decided by 2 points or less when Michael Jordan tore my heart out (twice) and carried his Bulls past my Jazz in Games 5 and 6 after the series was tied at 2.  (Why do I remind myself of such painful memories?)