Kevin O'Connor drops a bit in SB Nation's annual GM Rankings:
4. Kevin O'Connor, Utah Jazz (last year: 2)
STYLE: Networker.
THE GOOD: He may have traded Deron Williams too early, but he got one heck of a package in return for him, and now has one of the deepest frontcourts in basketball. One could argue getting one of Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter for Williams is a good deal. O'Connor ultimately got both.
THE BAD: He had a tough job, but Tyrone Corbin wasn't overly impressive in his first few games replacing Jerry Sloan. The Al Jefferson trade didn't work out as planned, and dealing a superstar like Williams is always risky.
BOTTOM LINE: O'Connor sure gave his rebuilding effort a hard kick with the assets he received in the Williams deal, proving once again he's one of the best.
O'Connor gets a lot of criticism, that's part of the job though. Time will tell if the Deron Williams trade was the right thing to do. There may be no way to know for sure because if Deron leaves NJ, that won't indicate that he necessarily was going to leave Utah. But if the Jazz knew that Deron was gone, and not just because of a gut feeling, then it was a move that had to be made.
I don't get how he was jumped by R.C. Buford, the Spurs GM (who moved up from 7 to 3) given that "he slipped a bit" and gave Richard Jefferson a bad contract.
For as corny as Matt Harpring was during Jazz broadcasts, one thing you can't deny is his enthusiasm. Brian T. Smith has a good profile on him and his broadcasting life after basketball.
He added: "I can't lose credibility as a broadcaster. So I choose to be honest. And I'll call someone out if I feel like they're not giving their best effort. ... I have to say to myself, ‘You know what? This might hurt our personal relationship, but this is what needs to be said.' "
One year into his new career, Harpring is saying the right things. He's not allowed what-ifs to enter his mind and has refused to rely on the past. Harpring went through the fire of the Jazz's 2010-11 season and came out ahead. Sharper, smoother and more assured. Funnier than most ever imagined.
His personality is affable and he certainly connects to a large part of the fan base. Here's to hoping that we get to hear him on opening night 2011.
Tom Ziller looks at all of the different revenue sharing scenarios between the players and the league and shows why this is going to be a long lockout. With a hard cap, the owners would start turning a profit according to their numbers in a couple of seasons. If they keeps it as a percentage, they can reduce their losses, but they would still be losing money as a whole.
Consider [you still don't have universal profitability] and consider how far we are from getting players to consent to a 50-50 split (miles, miles and miles) ... this is why just about every reporter and columnist predicts a long lockout. And the killing issue remains non-salary expenses, which have been rising at a pace faster than revenue over the last several years. Debt financing is a big part of the expenses, which begs the question: Does the NBA have a team ownership bubble? Is the league in so much collective debt as to be unprofitable for the foreseeable future?
Let's hope not.
One day after talking about Derrick Favors' MLIA tweets, he wants to change his twitter handle
I'm about to change my twitter name... Any ideas?less than a minute ago via Twitter for iPhone 
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Derrick Favors
dfavors14
Sexual Favors was a popular reply as was FavorsFav. I don't think that's what Mr. Kool Aid is looking for though. If you're on twitter, make sure to hit him up. If not, reply here and I'll post your suggestions to him.
It looks like the owner of @DerrickFavors though might want to give it to him. Given his MLIA tweets, @DerrickFavors might fit him best.
Speaking of name changes, my Google+ account was finally restored to the delight of tens of thousands. However, I had to change my Google profile name. So instead of Basketball John, I'm now known as John Malone in the Googleverse. It's ridiculous given that they want real names yet didn't require any form of verification for my new "name."
Moni recommended last night that today's poll should to determine what my middle name should be for Google. So let's read your best.
John Eaton Malone?
John BBJ Malone?
John Crotty Malone?
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