Downbeat #1084 The Big Al Edition

Al Jefferson has signed a contract with the Charlotte Bobcats (see here for the details). The Weezy, The Push Shot, The Up and Under, The Pump Fake, The Baby Hook, The Jump Shot, and The Tear Drop. These are just a few of the things that Al Jefferson brought to the Utah Jazz. Al Jefferson brought a particular set of skills to the Utah Jazz that at times, were both positive and negative. I am choosing to focus on the positive. Al Jefferson's offensive arsenal may be one of the best all-around groups of offensive skills that we have seen in a Utah Jazz uniform. I understand that this is a very bold statement considering our past players. I am not saying this for shock value either. I think Al Jefferson is a very good offensive player.

I realize that the competition was not the best, but Al demonstrates almost every single one of his offensive skills in this highlight video. Below are the highlights from his 40 point game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Enjoy.

Al Jefferson is a true professional. We have all had co-workers that we got a long with. I can also assume that we have all had co-workers that we didn't get a long with. Sometimes co-workers can make all the difference. Part of playing in the NBA is winning. Part of it is entertaining, part of it is politics, part of it is money, and part of it is the brotherhood of playing 82 games a year. I honestly believe that Al Jefferson played for all of these reasons. I also believe that he was willing to change/try to improve his own game to make the Utah Jazz better. Al Jefferson is a great person and a great teammate. I truly believe that he cares deeply about others. I am not the only one.

On a personal note, I'm going to miss working with Al Jefferson. He treated people well and was a fun guy to interview (usually).

— Jody Genessy (@DJJazzyJody) July 4, 2013

Al Jefferson was a great mentor for the two young bigs, especially Kanter. Read Bill Oram's entire Article Here.

The Prentiss, Miss., native was the mayor of the Jazz locker room, mentoring younger players, most notably Kanter. The player he affectionately called "Big Turk" began emulating his moves; some of them, Jefferson said, the young center did better than he did...

"That’s the way you looking at it," he once told a reporter. "I’m looking at it as helping another young fella out, improve his game. Hopefully when he becomes a vet, he’ll do the same with another young guy. ... Somebody did it for me. Want him to do it with somebody else."

Time will only tell with this. I can't find the exact tweet, but someone mentioned that Kanter and Favors have Al Jefferson DNA all over their offensive game.

This new Charlotte Bobcats contract will put Al Jefferson over the 100 Million dollar mark for his career.

That is a crap load of money. So much in fact, that he can get a new one of these.

A little leftover from yesterday. On July 5th 1992, The Dream Team beat Venezuela 127-80 in the final game of the"Tournament of the Americas." The end result was never in doubt, neither was the possibility of the team missing the 92' Olympics. However, this win was the first domino that pushed basketball onto the world wide stage. It was capped off by the Gold Medal in Barcelona. Granted, the NBA had international players playing previously to these games, but these two events pushed the NBA into a worldwide league. Not to mention, John and Karl played for this incredible team. Stats can be seen below.

1	June 28, 1992	136	57	Cuba	79
2	June 29, 1992	105	61	Canada	44
3	June 30, 1992	112	52	Panama	60
4	July 1, 1992	128	87	Argentina	41
5	July 3, 1992	119	81	Puerto Rico	38
6	July 5, 1992	127	80	Venezuela (Gold medal game)	47

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