Episode 23 – All-Star Accolades for several Jazz players, Cougars, Aggies playing well

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This last weekend was the NBA’s All-Star extravaganza, which helped contribute to a long, strange few days for me. Since the first tipoff of the 2006-2007 NBA season I haven’t had to endure a single weekend without at least one Jazz game, until this last one. Granted, there were a few Jazz players (and one Jazz Dancer) to check out during the All-Star weekend, but it all came at a cost.

To begin with, I watched Deron “Slick” Williams and Paul “No Nickname Yet” Millsap in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge and 5K Fun Run last Friday. Williams started the game and played very well for the short time he was in, but ultimately emerged from Las Vegas with an injury I heard described as a “mild groin pull” (as if that could ever be “mild”). This would lead to a DNP for him in the next Jazz game against the Portland Trailblazers, which the Jazz lost. Now, the Jazz still may have lost the game (they still had Memo, Kirilenko, Fisher, and Millsap, among others), but it’s hard to imagine Williams and Boozer wouldn’t have helped.

Speaking of Mehmet Okur, he certainly didn’t tear up the stat sheet at the All-Star game, but that was okay with me. In that particular game, with those particular players, and in that particular city, I think it was still more of an honor to be chosen than anything else. I continue to be impressed with Okur, and not just because he has played in every single game since signing with the Jazz. I thought it was a bit of a travesty that he wasn’t invited to the three point shooting contest, but that little snub is okay. He probably wouldn’t have won unless someone was able to convince him it was the fourth quarter of a game.

A much bigger snub of Memo came when the NBA announced it would be sending a team to Istanbul, Turkey for training and a preseason exhibition game against Efes Pilsen (Okur’s former team) next year. Naturally, rather than choosing the Utah Jazz and their Turkey-born star player, the NBA selected the Minnesota Timberwolves to conduct that exhibition. Just to be sure, I checked the roster of the T-Wolves, and found out what I suspected all along: their closest connection to Turkey came at Thanksgiving last year. (Incidentally, I think I mistakenly said the San Antonio Spurs were the team making the trip to Istanbul in the podcast. Sorry.)

Now, I don’t have a problem with Minnesota representing the NBA, but why wouldn’t they involve the Jazz, who have the first NBA All-Star from that country? (Another good choice would have been the Orlando Magic, with Hedo Turkoglu.) The Jazz organization and players were similarly burned with a nearly identical trip to Moscow, Russia last year. Rather than sending Utah with their Russian star Andrei Kirilenko, the Los Angeles Clippers were invited to go. More than anything else this seems to be a tacit admission that the NBA has no interest in allowing the Jazz organization to represent the league, particularly as they consider global expansion.

Well, there’s much more on the podcast, including a few things about the local colleges, but I wouldn’t want to spoil that for anyone. Please tune in and check it out!

However, I would like to mention our Top 3 stars of the week in Utah:

3. Jaycee Carroll

2. Tom Holmoe

1. Mehmet Okur

We had some very good reasoning for each of those choices and some thoughts on Honorable Mentions, but again, you will have to tune into the podcast to hear them.

Thanks to our sponsor, ShieldZone Corp, for their support!

As always, we welcome any comments or contributions.

comments@utahsportscast.com

zach@utahsportscast.com

nate@utahsportscast.com

posted by Nate and Zach @ 10:14 AM