Jazz fans have been waiting a long time for a 2 guard with Alec Burks athletic ability (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

The Utah Jazz moved to 4-and-3 on the young 2011-2012 season with a victory over the Memphis Grizzlies Friday night at Energy Solutions Arena. It was the first time the Jazz had played a playoff caliber team at home, and they remained undefeated, displaying their best defensive effort of the season so far. They also improved their record above .500 for the first time since March of 2011. Continue reading this post »

A healthy Josh Howard could help make the Jazz a playoff contender

I went to great lengths last night to extol the potential virtues of undrafted rookie Paul Carter, and how he could potentially help the Jazz at Small Forward, a position at which the Jazz lacked depth. Part of my argument was that free-agent Josh Howard was not part of the solution to the Jazz needs due the multiple injuries that have plagued him the last 4 seasons, and some unusual off-court behavior. Continue reading this post »

Is Paul Carter the Next Jazz "Diamond in the Rough?"

Well this isn’t exactly breaking news for Jazz fans, but after spending the past hour checking out Paul Carter highlights on YouTube, I felt compelled to add my 2 cents on Carter, who appears to be an intriguing prospect with a legitimate shot at making the Jazz  final roster. Continue reading this post »

How New NBA Deal Affects Jazz

Posted by Broox Anderson

RICHFIELD, UT — 10:55 a.m. — …And so it begins! Some interesting news surfaced yesterday, in which NBA teams will begin opening their training facilities, talking to agents, and setting the groundwork for trades before the actual December 9 free agency opening. In other words, the “gag-order” will be lifted as of tomorrow.

In other news, ESPN recently posted an article entitled, “How New CBA Affects Your Team.” Surfing through the analyses of different teams, I came across a disappointing section on the Jazz. More specifically, it explained that:

• How it helps:If the Jazz need the money, the new amnesty clause would help them get either Mehmet Okur or Al Jefferson off the books.

• How it hurts:The Jazz may be second-guessing themselves a little for trading Deron Williams. They got very good value for him from the Nets, but with extend-and-trade and sign-and-trade options now curtailed, you have to wonder whether Williams would have left the extra money and years on the table to bolt to another team. The new CBA would have made it harder for him to do so. The Jazz were also another small-market team that was hoping the new CBA would level the playing field a little more than it did. Revenue sharing will help, but the competitive balance in the league is still out of whack.

• Immediate impact (this season): Probably very little. They have one significant free agent, Andrei Kirilenko, whom they can probably afford to re-sign without incurring the luxury tax. Otherwise, the Jazz charted their future as a rebuilding club with the preemptive Deron deal in February. It’s tricky to do, but the team has had success with it in the past.

• Long-term impact (future seasons): The future of this team is Derrick Favors, Gordon Hayward, Enes Kanter and Alec Burks. The new rules for rookie contracts should protect them from losing any of them if they play up to their potential.

(Courtesy of ESPN.com)

I feel as if this was not an accurate foretelling of the Jazz’s future within a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. So, with all due respect to the analysts at ESPN, here is an accurate prediction of how the new NBA deal with affect our Utah Jazz:

• How it helps:The new CBA will help Utah immensely. Not only will the franchise be able to stop reporting significant financial losses thanks to the revenue split, they will be able to have fairer chances of competing in the league. It also provides “stretch” and “amnesty” clauses, which will enable the Jazz to cease an existing contract and clear cap space in order to sign free agents or participate in big trades. Likely candidates for amnesty include Mehmet Okur, Al Jefferson, and Paul Millsap. With their new player additions, the Jazz have become more athletic and defensively capable. Couple that with the ensuing luxury tax, and Utah has a much better chance of reaching contention status.

• How it hurts: In hindsight, it does look like ESPN got this one right: “The Jazz may be second-guessing themselves a little for trading Deron Williams. They got very good value for him from the Nets, but with extend-and-trade and sign-and-trade options now curtailed, you have to wonder whether Williams would have left the extra money and years on the table to bolt to another team. The new CBA would have made it harder for him to do so.” I will add, though, that playing a frantic 66-game season isn’t the best way to develop a young, inexperienced team.

• Immediate impact (this season): This season, contrary to popular belief, will not be an outwardly successful one for the Jazz. They will more than likely be implementing entirely new defensive and offensive schemes, with only a week of training camp to do so. Those facts can’t possibly add up well. Moreover, the Jazz are a rebuilding franchise; and, with all the phone calls we know GM Kevin O’Connor is getting from other teams, it might be tempting to swap a few pieces for immediate success. That, of course, would not be in the Jazz’s best interest. Experience is simply what Utah needs, and this year they won’t get much.

• Long-term impact (future seasons): The future looks a lot more optimistic for the Jazz in this new CBA. With a much stiffer luxury tax kicking-in during the 2013-14 season, the Jazz’s players will more than likely be reaching a peak in team chemistry, physical condition, and overall performance around the same time. Look for 2013-14 to be a great year for the up-and-coming Jazz. May I dare say, if they make the right moves along the way, they might contend for a title after the next few years? I believe so.

Quick poll:

When will we see the Jazz in the playoffs?

• 2011-12 *(66-game season)
• 2012-13
• 2013-14 (new CBA kicks in)
• 2014-15
• Never Again!

View Results

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Broox Anderson
Lead Editor/Writer
Purple and Blues | A Utah Jazz Site

Twitter: @BrooxAnderson
Facebook: Purple and Blues
Email: brxanderson@gmail.com
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Rondo to the Jazz for Millsap, Jefferson?

Posted by Broox Anderson

RICHFIELD, UT — 7:50 a.m. — Oh, baby! The lockout hasn’t even officially ended yet, and trade rumors are blossoming all over the sports world! The latest tremor concerning the Jazz has pinned power forward Paul Millsap and center Al Jefferson on the trade block, with their trade counterparts ranging from Indiana’s Danny Granger to Boston’s Rajon Rondo.

According to multiple sources (exclusive thanks to www.IamaGM.com), the Jazz have already begun efforts to ship off their two most efficient players. A recent article by Mike Wells of the Indiana Star explained that:

“The Pacers talked to the Utah Jazz about forward Paul Milsap prior to the draft. Expect them to make a phone call to the Jazz again. The 26-year-old Milsap, a Pacer killer in the past, averaged a career-high 17 points last season.

The Pacers can make this deal happen because they’ll have salary cap space and they won’t hesitate to give up a draft pick to get a player that will help solve their power forward problems.”

If the Jazz chose a trade route via the Pacers, we would likely see a combination of players like Danny Granger, Roy Hibbert, Brandon Rush, and Tyler Hansbrough. Granger is the obvious choice for Jazz fans, but receiving a package deal of, say, Roy Hibbert, Brandon Rush, and draft picks would far exceed the long term worth of Granger alone.

From another source, there has been a development concerning the Boston Celtics’ Rajon Rondo and the Utah Jazz’s Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson. Chris Broussard of ESPN.com has stated:

League executives say the Utah Jazz’s excitement over young big men Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors has them shopping Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap … While Boston is not shopping Rajon Rondo, it would be open to trading him in the right deal, sources say. The Celtics feel they need more scoring to take the load off of Paul Pierce.

Now that’s an eyebrow raiser.

Is it even possible to picture Rondo playing in a snazzy, blue Utah uniform? Can we even justify imagining Rondo leading the break with Derrick Favors down low, Hayward and Miles on the wing, and Kanter in the middle to clean up with finesse at the rim?

It’s definitely risky, but not in the most unreasonable way.

Utah has a rich history of stellar point guards, and has a mentality to fulfill that role once again. Rajon Rondo is an unbeatable choice, and I would be utterly enthralled to witness him drive, dish, steal, score, and slam in a Jazz uniform.

As always, stay tuned to Purple and Blues for more breaking news, trade rumors, the latest on the NBA, and all things Utah Jazz!

Here’s a quick poll:

Who will the Jazz Grab when NBA Trade Opens Up?

• Danny Granger
• Roy Hibbert, Brandon Rush
• Rajon Rondo
• Brandon Roy (if amnestied)
• ...Someone Unexpected!

View Results

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Broox Anderson
Lead Editor/Writer
Purple and Blues | A Utah Jazz Site

Twitter: @BrooxAnderson
Facebook: Purple and Blues
Email: brxanderson@gmail.com
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Will D-Will Return to Utah in 2012?

Posted by Broox Anderson

RICHFIELD, UT — 7:43 a.m. — Now before we get our hopes up, I’m not implying that Deron Williams will return to Utah to play for the Jazz.

This article aims to make known the fact that we may not see Deron Williams–with his Nets team–in Utah this year.

To be even more specific, I have a better chance of dunking on LeBron James than Jazz fans have of ever seeing D-Will return to play for the Jazz.

With the new scheduling criteria having been leaked by several sources for the predetermined 66-game season, there’s roughly a 6-in-15 chance that Deron and his New Jersey Nets will not come to Utah this year.

That’s a scary thought! To Jazz fans, this game will be the equivalent of a playoff game!

For your own informational purposes, here’s the scheduling criteria for the 2011-12 season:

Teams will play 48 conference games with the following breakdown:

• Play 6 teams 4 times (2 home, 2 away)
• Play 4 teams 3 times (2 home, 1 away)
• Play 4 teams 3 times (1 home, 2 away)

They will play 18 out of conference as follows:

• Play 3 teams 2 times (1 home, 1 away)
• Play 6 teams 1 time at home
• Play 6 teams 1 time away

…which leaves us with a sticky situation. The Jazz haven’t been a notorious favorite to play the Nets in the past, and I can’t even remember watching a thrilling Jazz-Nets game; ever.

But of course, last year provided Utah and New Jersey with a scandalous storyline. Would the NBA really pass up an opportunity to schedule a game with that much weight on it? I think not, and mostly because there has to be an epic conclusion–or at least a somewhat satisfying sequel–to the Deron Williams saga.

D-Will played his last game in Turkey with Besiktas (crazily in a 50-point performance) last Friday, and has been outwardly vocal about returning to the states soon. He wrote the following tweets:

My last game for Besiktas was last Friday… I will be at the game tomorrow but just to watch and support the guys! It was a fun 3 months

and

Guess ill be going home soon #LockoutOver! My time in Istanbul w/ Besiktas was amazing thanks for everything!

On a last note: How do you think our youthful Jazz would fair against D-Will and his Nets?

Is it a sure victory? A heartbreaking loss?

Either way, it will be–or might have been–an epic game to watch.

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Broox Anderson
Lead Editor/Writer
Purple and Blues | A Utah Jazz Site

Twitter: @BrooxAnderson
Facebook: Purple and Blues
Email: brxanderson@gmail.com
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The Lockout is Over!

Posted by Broox Anderson

ANNABELLA, UTAH — 11:05 a.m. — Oh, how long I’ve waited to write these words: the lockout is over! The NBA and NBPA reached a tentative agreement early Saturday morning (about 3:00 a.m. EST) to end the lockout. Terms of the deal were not released.

The agreement now must be ratified by 15 of 29 owners and a majority vote of the league’s some-450 players. There is little doubt that the new CBA will be shot down by either party; meaning, of course, that the season will be  scheduled to start on December 25th, Christmas day.

According to several sources free agent signings and training camps will begin on the 9th of December, followed by a short preseason beginning on the 17th, and then the Christmas-day games on the 25th.

Stay tuned to Purple and Blues fore more on the NBA and all things Utah Jazz!

…the lockout is over!

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Broox Anderson
Lead Editor/Writer
Purple and Blues | A Utah Jazz Site

Twitter: @BrooxAnderson
Facebook: Purple and Blues
Email: brxanderson@gmail.com
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2012 NBA Mock Draft

Mock Draft No. 1

Posted by Broox Anderson

Please, keep in mind that the list below is showing the worst-to-best lottery teams of 2011. This list is in NO WAY a prediction of individual teams’ success, only a structure to be used to show likely draft choices. Enjoy:

1. T’wolves – Andre Drummond, UConn, C

2. Cavaliers – Harrison Barnes, N. Carolina, SF

3. Raptors – Anthony Davis, Kentucky, PF

4. Wizards – Jared Sullinger, Ohio State, PF

5. Kings – Perry Jones, Baylor, PF

6. Nets – Mason Plumlee, Duke, PF

7. Pistons – Jeremy Lamb, UConn, SG

8. Cavaliers – Austin Rivers, Duke, SG

9. Bobcats – Terrence Jones, Kentucky, SF/PF

10. Bucks – James M. McAdoo, N. Carolina, PF

11. Warriors – Quincy Miller, Baylor, PF

12. Jazz – Ryan Kelly, Duke, PF/C

13. Suns – Seth Curry, Duke, PG/SG

14. Rockets – Bradley Beal, Florida, SG

Stay tuned to Purple and Blues for more Mock Drafts, the latest on the NBA, and all things Utah Jazz!

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Broox Anderson
Lead Editor/Writer
Purple and Blues | A Utah Jazz Site

Twitter: @BrooxAnderson
Facebook: Purple and Blues
Email: brxanderson@gmail.com
______________________________________________________________________________

5 Reasons Why Jazz will be in Playoffs

Posted by Broox Anderson

RICHFIELD, UT — 7:40 a.m. — Ahhh … the Utah Jazz. The monolithic symbol of pride and glory in a pride-and-glory-less state. The single, withstanding epitome of consistency in the face of an inconsistent society. You can’t have “Utah” without “Jazz”, and, likewise, “Jazz” fits with none but “Utah.” Yes, even New Orleans.

As a longtime Jazz-fan, I’ve seen the ups-and-downs of every season, every game, year by year. But, never, in all my Jazz wisdom, have I witnessed this great franchise falter and miss the playoffs. It is simply unfathomable. The Jazz being the playoffs is as consistent as night and day.

Five reasons the Utah Jazz will be in the Playoffs in 2011-12:

1. The Rookies/Sophomores

Derrick Favors (right), Gordon Hayward, Enes Kanter, and Alec Burks make up Utah’s strong youth movement.

That is four top-12 draft lottery picks, each at a different position on the floor.

What a striking thought, to have a franchise player on the wing (Burks), both forward positions (Hayward, Favors), and a finesse-and-power center (Kanter) to tie it all together.

They simply lack that elusive, elite point guard. Although, I guess we’ll have to wait and see whether Burks develops into a slashing 2-guard or a fearsome point guard.

The Jazz’s Rookies/Sophomores will help their team reach the playoffs, because, for the first time in a long time, they have youth, length, and athleticism to boot. No more should we fear the likes of the Lakers or Mavericks.

2. The Veterans

Whether or not Kevin O’Connor decides to trade one of our big men down low, or even Devin Harris, as of right now we still have our veterans; consisting of Paul Millsap, Al Jefferson, Devin Harris, Mehmet Okur, Andrei Kirilenko, and others.

Jefferson and Millsap are a dominant pair as any on the block, but they are immensely undersized.

Devin Harris isn’t an elite point guard, but he’s a more-than-serviceable player at his position.

Still, the leadership and experience of Utah’s vets will help in the effort to return to the playoffs.

3. Ty Corbin

That picture mostly sums up Ty’s experience with the Utah Jazz last season, when longtime head coach Jerry Sloan decided to resign in mid-February.

He experienced hard losses, aggravating victories, and, nonetheless, a few flashes from the team that showed promise.

I don’t believe anyone can blame Corbin for his team’s failures at the end of last season; moreover, I highly doubt anyone could have guided the Jazz back to the playoffs after losing an all-star point guard and their beloved coach.

But, with optimism I can safely say that Tyrone Corbin will come back with tweaks to the offense, a defensive mindset, and an altogether fresh, new outlook for his team.

The Utah Jazz will be better because of it, and I can’t wait to see the new offense/defense schemes Ty Corbin puts in place.

4. Coaching Staff

  With news of Ty Corbin adding Sidney Lowe as an assistant coach over the summer, he finally completed his coaching staff.

Utah has a great group of guys behind their talented players, and winning is an irrevocable priority for Corbin, Layden, Hornacek, and Lowe.

Without the compilation of talented coaching minds behind the Jazz, they would go absolutely nowhere; and, of course that’s why their entire coaching staff, along with medical staff and other employees, are an integral part of pushing the Jazz to be better and lifting them upon their shoulders in an effort to reach contention.

5. C.J. Miles

Look confused if you want, but C.J. Miles will be a huge part of Utah’s success in the regular season and thereafter. C.J.’s been in the league for six years now, and it’s about time he had a breakout season!

The 6’6″ guard-forward averaged 12.8 points for Utah in 2010-11. Entering his seventh year in the league, he’s only 24-years-old.

Miles will be a strong leader on the floor and in the locker room in 2011-12, as well as a go-to player in clutch situations.

I look forward to seeing C.J. in action, and can’t wait for the 2011-12 season to start!

 
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Broox Anderson
Lead Editor/Writer
Purple and Blues | A Utah Jazz Site

Twitter: @BrooxAnderson
Facebook: Purple and Blues
Email: brxanderson@gmail.com
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Ex-Prez Clinton to Mediate Talks?

Posted by Broox Anderson

RICHFIELD, UT — 7:44 a.m. — As the lockout continues to hold its instigators in a frigid vice-grip miles apart, deprive basketball fans of their sport, and crush any and every hope for a season, there have been some strange whisperings in the sports world.

The most intriguing “whisper” has been the outcry from an NBA sports analyst/reporter, who pleas his case to ex-President Bill Clinton in a touching letter that has been slapped on the front page of NBA.com.

Read this excerpt from David Aldridge’s letter to Bill Clinton:

Dear President Clinton,

I hope this note finds you well. I see that the Secretary is in Myanmar and that NBC has just hired Chelsea as a correspondent. What on earth did you all do before Skype was invented?

I write both as a reporter who is out of suggestions and recommendations — not that anyone heeded them — and a frustrated NBA fan who sees the 2011-12 season in danger of never being played. Since February of 2011, when the league and the players’ union first got together formally during All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, the lockout has loomed, ominously, over this great game. We knew then that the likelihood of a delayed or canceled season was great, given the separation between the two sides. And like a formulaic television drama, the days and months of rhetorical flourishes and malaprops, feigned and real anger and endless meetings have played out, leaving us where we are now: in court, with 26 percent of the regular season gone, and more to follow.

The NBA needs you.

The NBA needs you to mediate between the players and the owners.

If there is to be a season, someone has to intervene. Someone whose credentials are above reproach,who can get everyone’s attention and to whom bothsides will listen. Trust is at a premium now. Individually, David Stern and Billy Hunter may still getalong, and, if left to their own devices, I remain convinced they could get this done in a couple ofhours. But they aren’t negotiating this deal in avacuum. Powerful forces on each side are forcing their hands — small-market owners who think theyhave to have a radical restructuring of the game’s finances to survive, and agents who see a severereduction in their clients’ paydays on the horizon (and, by extension, their own) and who genuinely believe that what the owners are asking for is inherently unfair and wrong.

The aforementioned letter was properly addressed and dictated to ex-President Clinton, although it is unknown if David Aldridge actually sent him a personal copy. What is known, however, is that there is a strong wave of people polling for Clinton’s help.

In all honesty, I hope that he responds with positivity and will lead–in-stride–a charge to hack down the malicious pride and damaged egos that so potently screen any solution to the labor problem. I hope that he puts an end to this childish “nuclear winter” of negotiations, and substitutes his own solutions and unaffected views to replace those of clouded nature.

But, then again, maybe even the infamous Bill Clinton won’t be able to end the subterfuge that is occurring between the NBA and its players.

What good are lengthy lawsuits, false ultimatums, and hollow threats anyways?

Owners and players: douse your burning pride and misguided vengeance; interweave an equanimous agreement to last throughout the oncoming decade.

Let Bill Clinton mediate your talks, because at this point –

There is nothing left to lose.
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Broox Anderson
Lead Editor/Writer
Purple and Blues | A Utah Jazz Site

Twitter: @BrooxAnderson
Facebook: Purple and Blues
Email: brxanderson@gmail.com