High Notes #5 Game On!

From Elias Sport Bureau

Spurs Shot Well, But Leonard Was Perfect

From Elias: The Spurs posted a 56.8 field-goal percentage while beating Utah, 110-100. Kawhi Leonard had a perfect shooting night, going 5-for-5 from the floor, including one three-pointer, and 2-for-2 from the line. Leonard joined Danny Green (6-for-6, 4-for-4, 2-for-2 on April 23, 2012) as the only players in franchise history to have a "perfect" shooting from the floor (minimum: five attempts), from three-point range (minimum: one attempt) and from the foul line (minimum: two attempts).

It was that kind of night.... No Comment. Let's get to the good stuff.

http://saltcityhoops.com/2012/10/fan-interview-with-randy-rigby/

AZ: I’m really excited about Dennis Lindsey.

RR: Dennis Lindsey is gonna do a great job for us. To have the strength of Kevin [O'Connor] already in our basketball operations and then to add Dennis Lindsey, they each have great strengths and skill sets that complement one another.

I am so jealous of this interview. Alan totally killed it. I had a chance to talk to him after the interview dropped, he is was getting mad burn. Alan has known Randy for quite a long time, and setup the interview on his own.

Dennis Lindsey is detached from the current Utah Jazz situation, I think this makes it very easy to make moves and decisions from a business stand point. In short, he is not emotionally attached to these players or their contracts. While I think that he is getting to know them and is friendly with many of them, I personally think he was hired to do a specific job.

As far as Randy Rigby goes, this interview is a look into what he does, how much he actually has a hand in the Jazz organization, and where the Utah Jazz are going. He understands the business, and has been a very important part of our success over the past 30 years.

Alan had some very good questions. I don't think he was prying to much, but also didn't ask fluff stuff. Kodos to you Alan.

http://www.sheridanhoops.com/2012/10/29/sh-staff-predictions-most-improved-player/

I don't understand the complete breakdown with ESPN and Sheridan, but it seems as though he got the raw deal. Both Kanter and Favors are getting some love on this piece. Chris picked Enes Kanter as his most improved player of the year award. I don't have a problem with the pick, I have a problem with how Enes possibly wins the award. Through three games, Kanter is averaging 15 mpg. Minutes are a huge factor in the MIPA, let's look at the last five winners.

Ryan Anderson 2011 32.2

Kevin Love 2010 35.8

Aaron Brooks 2009 35.6

Danny Granger 2008 36.2

Hedo Turkoglu 2007 35.9

The only way Kanter gets 30 minutes plus a game is if we make a trade, or have a seasoning ending injury to Sap, Favors, or Jefferson. For most of us, these awards are not important. I am sure as fans we would trade every award for one championship. It is fun to see Jazz guys getting national attention.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/jazz/55194095-87/jazz-burks-game-hornets.html.csp

"Alec has worked his butt off to deserve minutes on the floor," Corbin said. "All the guys are in a bind for minutes. It’s going to be a tough thing to get guys quality minutes night in and night out."

Ty Corbin is still trying to figure out what to do with all of these players. Ty (and Jerry before him) has never been in a situation where they could run ten/eleven guys on any given night. This is a learning process. Think about when you first learned to read: baby steps. Each game Ty has made small adjustments (new words to your vocabulary). Last night he ran some different rotations and in my opinion left the right players in the game for the comeback. Has Ty made mistakes, yes, (mispronouncing words and so forth). He is learning from his mistakes and I fine with that. The hope is that he learns how to use all of the players that he has in the best possible situation (reading).

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865565987/Utah-Jazz-Mo-Williams-catches-players-sleeping-on-the-jaunt.html

He likes to catch them snoozing on the team plane.

I love what Mo Williams brings to the team: attitude, flair, passion, grit, and a sense of humor. You have to imagine that Mo was the kid putting other kid's hands in warm water during sleepovers, leading the toilet paper crew in junior high, and the one writing on faces at College parties. As a fan, this is the part of the game that we rarely get to see, especially in the Jazz organization. I love it.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865565978/Utah-Jazz-notebook-Mo-Williams-Big-Al-host-military-members.html

"It was about them more so than anything. They did a great thing for us and gave us all (something) we can keep forever. It was all about that," Williams said. "What they do is much greater than us playing a basketball game. What we do is entertainment and what they do is, they protect us as human beings."

Sometimes we forget that our favorite athletes are human beings. It is moments like the one described above that bring perspective. I know at times that professional sports glorify "causes" and that, at times, they are publicity stunts. However, it would have been special to have been in the locker room to hear both what our players said, and what the National Guard members said. This was a great gesture by Mo and Al.