I *literally* just got my copy of "Dream Team" by Jack McCallum (which can be purchased
here) in my hands a few hours ago. Like any good
Jazz fan, I flipped straight to the index to find all of the Karl Malone and John Stockton references.
I think many of us were beyond surprised when it was announced that John had chosen Isiah Thomas to present him (John) when he went into the Hall of Fame. I said at the time that Isiah owed John big time for providing him with the only positive press he had received in probably a decade. Here's a little bit of back story:
There is no doubt that Isiah considered himself the superior player, but he never denigrated the Jazz point guard, and after the Dream Team business had finished, Isiah placed a phone call to Jack and Dan's Bar and Grill in Spokane and asked to speak to the owner.
"I just want to let you know, Mr. Stockton," Isiah said to John's father, Jack, "that anything I had to say about the Dream Team had nothing to do with your son. He's a great player."
Neither Stockton nor his father ever forgot that call.
There's also a little anecdote about how David Robinson was surprised to become friends with John and Karl because of the "bitter" Jazz-
Spurs rivalry (ah...remember the good ol' days when these two teams were rivals, and the two words "
Matt Bonner" didn't strike fear in the hearts of Jazz coaches, players, and fans?).
"John's photo was on the Spurs' refrigerator as one of the most hated guys in the league," said Robinson.
Reached for comment, my Spurs fan sister labeled this as a sign of respect.
Question for all y'all that like the idea of
Paul Millsap starting at the 3:
Do you advocate this because you honestly feel like Millsap can viably, long-term, night-in-and-night-out, play the 3, or is this simply a way for
Derrick Favors to start without putting Millsap on the bench?
Similar question to those that want to start Alando Burkman at the 1:
Do you advocate this because you feel like
Alec Burks possesses the (potential) skills to be a full-time point guard
in this league*, or do you really just want to see him start/play more?
*Drink.
The hot topic of the day seems to be
Jimmer Fredette to the Jazz. As noted by our man,
@DJJazzyJody, there's probably not a lot of weight to the rumors, which were started by one Ben Maller (Twitter bio: "Fox Sports Radio Host XM 169, NBC Sports Network contributor").
There are so many layers and subplots to this if it were actually to happen, though. Gate and fan gear revenue. That rivalry I keep hearing about. One section of the ESA (Jimmer fans but not Jazz fans) cheering for Jimmer. Another section (Jimmer fans and Jazz fans) cheering for Jimmer. Another section booing those two sections for cheering Jimmer. Another section ambivalent to Jimmer wishing everyone else would just shut up so they can watch the game in peace.
And then, as the season rolls on, a fan mutiny arising because young Jimmer is spending more time on the bench (next to other guys in his age group) than on the floor.
I wonder what percentage of the fan base actually feels strongly, one way or the other, about this rumor though?
First of all, a UDQM Gold Star goes out to Alec Lam for his
post on banging bangers, sweet spots, and being patient while trusting that "KOC knows what he's doing."
I agree with Alec on needing to give our young guys--particularly
Enes Kanter, who has only been playing basketball for five years...FIVE YEARS!!--time to develop and not being too quick to judge. From the Summer League, we saw that he has a ton of potential and certain things he's already very good at, but at the same time is also still really raw in many ways.
Part of Enes' development is his own engine, whether he has the drive and desire to work hard and improve. Here's a(nother) million dollar question, though. Do you believe that our coaching staff, as presently constituted, has the tools and ability to help and develop him into a dominant force?
We've now seen Amar'e Stoudemire,
Blake Griffin, and
Tyson Chandler posing for ESPN Magazine's Body Issue. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, you can Google it. Maybe not at work though.)
