The Downbeat - 5 July 2010 - #264 - The DB Observed Edition

Finally, some basketball. Summer league starts off today and the Jazz and Bobcats kick things off at 11 a.m. MDT. We'll have a game thread open up then. You can watch it if you have NBA tv at home or if you pay $15 to watch it at NBA.com. I believe that covers all of the summer league games, including Vegas. It's an all you can eat smörgåsbord.

We'll have a game thread up today starting at 10:45 MDT.

Which has a greater chance of happening? LeBron signing for the MLE with the Jazz or Derek Fisher returning to the Jazz? I'd put my money on LeBron in a heartbeat. But Scoot Howard-Cooper on NBA.com ponders the question,

Imagine if the Jazz bid for Fisher to shore up point guard behind Deron Williams. They don't consider that the offseason priority, and still have Ronnie Price, so maybe it doesn't happen. But the team is open to the possibility.

I would like to know how he knows the Jazz are open to the possibility. He also gives the chances of it happening very slim not because the Jazz wouldn't want Fisher back, but because Fisher wouldn't want to come back.

First, with the money Fisher is asking for, about $5M, there's no way it happens. Second, I don't think Fisher would have any desire to come here. In fact, if he were to get turned down by the other 29 teams in the league, he would probably retire rather than come back to Utah.

You have to wonder though, just how would Jazz fans react were he to come back? Would he return to his 30% shooting from the arc? Would he shoot 45% with his toe on the line? If you though the message boards, blogs, and radio shows were full of angry Jazz fans when Hayward was picked, I can only imagine what we would get with Fisher re-signing.

It looks like the Jazz might be using most of their MLE on Matthews if they keep him. Tom Kirkland from KSL interviewed OMSW,

KIRKLAND: Last thought. Is there a home team discount coming or does the offer trump everything else?

MATTHEWS: I got to go with the business decision. The best thing for the Jazz is they have the last take, the last hand to play.

I'm not sure why the Jazz are waiting on Boozer to get a deal done with Matthews. They're going to have to get it done regardless.