Hopefully you're not reading this from your cubicle or other work dwelling. Hopefully you're just getting home from some crazy early-morning shopping or you're just waking up from your turkey hangover.
While most of you won't have much to do today, the lawyers and lawyers resume their meetings today. Depending on who you talk to (or follow), we may or may not have a resolution this weekend. So this is pretty much like every other weekend for the past two months.
Marc Stein tweeted that more insiders believe that a deal will get done by Monday. Chris Broussard gives the list of system issues that the players still have issue with including full MLEs, sign and trades for tax teams, and higher max salaries. And finally, Ric Bucher was on ESPN and stated that Stern will improve the offer to the player, but should they decline, he would cancel the season. Stern has already given two ultimatums that haven't been enforced, does this one hold any weight? The goal is to start by Christmas, but hardly a time to cancel the season.
Should the season start by Christmas and the league goes ahead with the 66-game schedule, teams would be playing between 16 and 17 games a month. Playing 17 games is normally the max a team can have in a month.
Over the past four seasons, the Jazz have gone 57-39 (.593) when playing 16 games a month and 22-12 (.647) in months with 17 games. Of course that means jack now with the team we currently have.
What it will mean is a lot of back to backs and some back to back to backs. While the Jazz are relatively young as compared to 1999's team, where they will be hurt will be in practice and cohesion. They will already have a shortened training camp which will only be about two weeks long. There will be a couple of pre-season games thrown in there. Once the season starts though, practice days will be scarce. That means less quality play from our guys and possibly less time for evaluation when it comes to trades and the direction of the team. Next season's training camp and pre-season -- provided that there is a season this year -- will seem like eons relative to this year.
Sometimes you can go home -- especially when your home gives you your own day. Alec Burks Day was declared by Grandview, MO on November 23 for his outstanding accomplishments in basketball.
No word on whether that holiday can be honored here in Utah.
The Jazz were supposed to play Portland tonight. Instead, let's look back nearly two years ago as the jazz came back from 25 down against the Blazers.
Friday poll...