Jazz beat Sixers 102-99

Thoughts on the Jazz's 102-99 victory:

- Raja Bell is in the doghouse with the fans right now, and he wasn't great on offense (1-4 shooting), but he was good on defense. Sixer's starting Jodie Meeks was held to five points.

- I liked Tyrone Corbin's coaching last night. When Devin Harris was trading scores with Jrue Holiday, Corbin yanked Harris early for Earl Watson. It allowed for Harris to play the entire second quarter. Harris was much more aggressive on offense last night, and while he's not going to get D-Will numbers in assists, he can rack up the points from the free throw line with his ability to sprint to the basket and draw fouls.

- I'd said I wanted to wait to see how this team plays at home, and they did great. Philly was a playoff team last year and they haven't made any changes. Jazz did play as a team. The assist numbers might not look great, but I counted at least four more assists Hayward would have had if the Jazz players hadn't been fouled or just missed the shot.

- Lots more movement tonight. I think part of it was Al Jefferson not being on the floor, as guys tend to stand around when he gets the ball, but also the hyper-extra effort guys tend to give when one of their star players is out.

- The Sixers are an athletic team. Very impressed with Andre Iguodala and Jrue Holiday.

- After scoring 15 points against the Nuggets, Alec Burks was a CD-DNP tonight.

- Jeremy Evans was -12 in 5 minutes of play. Josh Howard was +16. I think the starting wings are going to be hayward and Howard eventually.

- One stats I always look at is blocks + steals compared to turnovers. The Jazz had 11 turnovers but 17 blocks and steals. The Sixers had 12 turnovers with 10 blocks and steals.

- Paul Millsap's shooting was off (4-16) but he made up for it elsewhere (14 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks).

- Derrick Favors had 20 points and 11 rebounds. He also had the most floor time at 39 minutes.

Jazz fall to Nuggets 117-100

- In the first two games, the three players with the worst PER are veterans: Earl Watson, Raja Bell and CJ Miles.

- Against the Lakers, the Jazz defense was fine but their offense was awful.  Against the Nuggets, their offense was fine but their defense was awful.  If the Game 1 Jazz D can merge with the Game 2 Jazz O, they'll be a decent team.  It's up to coach Tyrone Corbin to figure out how to marry the two.

- Alec Burks had a mere two minutes against the Lakers, but he took full advantage of the nine minutes of garbage time he got against the Nuggets, finishing with 15 points and 2 steals.  If the Jazz are going to lose I'd much rather see Burks start at 2 than Bell.

Jazz lose ugly to Lakers

LAKERS 96, JAZZ 71

- No one on the Jazz could hit a shot.  Paul Millsap led the Jazz with 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting, but the Jazz shot 32.2% as a team and were 1-of-13 from 3-point land.

- Al Jefferson had 10 rebounds but was only 2-of-16 shooting.  2 of 16?!

- The Lakers were playing their third game in three nights, and yet the Jazz didn't run.  They didn't look prepared.  What was the game plan?

- Rookie Enes Kanter looked like he has a vertical jump of two inches.  Several layup attempts were short.  He finished with 5 points and 11 rebounds in 20 minutes of play.  Rookie Alec Burks had 0 points, 1 rebound and 2 assists in 5 minutes of play.

- Millsap was +3 in 27 minutes.  Derrick Favors was -26 in 18 minutes.  He did have 8 points and 6 boards.

- Devin Harris is not old.  He's only 28.  He is fast.  But he didn't run much tonight.  This team looked lost, like they need a leader and no one was stepping up.  I include the coaching staff in that.  Actually Paul Millsap showed why he could be that leader.

- Jazz now need to go play the Nuggets in Denver.  I will be shocked if the Nuggets don't win by at least 20.  Meanwhile, I expect to see a completely different team when the Jazz have their first home game.

NBA Day 1 results

KNICKS 106, CELTICS 104
- Carmelo Anthony was unguardable.
- Iman Shumpert was impressively assertive for his NBA debut.  Too bad he's now out for a month.
- Celtics are still in the hunt.  They only lost by two and they were playing without Paul Pierce.

HEAT 105, MAVERICKS 94
- Mark Cuban needs to find another defensive-minded big man.  Unless he finds one, the Mavs will not repeat.  Having said that, Brian Cardinal was +16 in 14:27 of play.
- LeBron looked like a man on a mission.  37 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks.
- The Heat bench is still thin.  I don't get why they brought Juwan Howard back, but it says something about their bench that he's in their nine-man rotation.

BULLS 88, LAKERS 87
- Plenty of off-season speculation that this might be the year Kobe Bryant slows down.  Didn't look like it.  If anything it'd be those nagging injuries he should be worried about.  And the lack of help from his supporting cast.
- Bulls won on a 7-0 run.  When the offense gets spotty, their defense can keep them in the game.

THUNDER 97, MAGIC 89
- First of all, it's the Thunder.  I wouldn't start speculating Stan Van Gundy's getting fired just yet.  But with every loss, Otis Smith has to be that much more concerned he's not going to be able to talk DWight into staying.
- Might just bide their time and hope Brook Lopez is healthy before the trade deadline.

CLIPPERS 105, WARRIORS 86
- This game was close until the fourth quarter.  The Clippers might have been able to put this away sooner if Blake Griffin (4-8) and DeAndre Jordan (4-12) could make free throws.
- The Warriors had 8 blocks.  DeAndre Jordan had 8 blocks.

Utah Jazz go 1-1 in preseason

Having watched both preseason games, it's difficult to peg where the Jazz are going to be. The first few games are going to be rough, and their saving grace is many other teams are going to have a rough going too.

The Jazz don't have a superstar. They have three former All-Stars, and maybe up to four future All-Stars, but right now they're a deep roster of average players. Had they a full off-season, I could hope they could outshine the 42-40 post-Stockton-Malone team, but that team still had coach Sloan and a full summer league, training camp and preseason schedule. 1 thru 14, there's more talent on this team than that, but that team had cohesion. It'll take a while for this squad and this coaching staff ot figure out what they're going to do.

And that's okay. I would say I'd rather have this team land in the lottery than get the 8th seed in the playoffs. Jazz fans will be watching all year hoping Golden State lands exactly 8th in the lottery seating, and that the Jazz finish around 30-36 but miraculously land in the top three again. This 2012 draft is going to alter the trajectories of a handful of franchises for the next decade.

My impressions on the rookies are that Alec Burks is going to be as good as we hoped, and that Enes Kanter isn't as far away as they say. Yeah, he's rough and raw and will need a year or two, but I envisioned him having a Kosta Koufos rookie year the way they've been downplaying expectations. I do believe Derrick Favors will be a multiple-year All-Star and Gordon Hayward could be, but he still has a ways to make his April an every-month effort.

Jazz outrebounded Portland in both games. That's a vast improvement over last year.

NFL Power Rankings 12-19-11

NFC

1. PACKERS (13-1) - The injuries to Greg Jennings and James Starks have hurt their chances at a perfect season. Now they can just focussing on winning their second Super Bowl in a row.

2. 49ERS (11-3) - Their win over the Steelers was the bounce-back victory they needed. They have the best defense in the NFL.

3. SAINTS (11-3) - They've won six in a row and found their rhythym where they can score at will. Seems wrong that at least one of these top-three teams won't be in the NFC championship game.

4. COWBOYS (8-6) - They're going to limp into a division championship, but I don't see them actually winning a playoff game.

5. LIONS (9-5) - After a midseason stumble, they've regained their footing.

6. FALCONS (9-5) - Their defense has kept them in some games, and Matt Ryan's returned to form.

7. GIANTS (7-7) - Brandon Jacobs had done an admirable job but they really need Ahmad Bradshaw in full health for these last two games.

8. SEAHAWKS (7-7) - Marshawn Lynch covers many sins.

9. CARDINALS (7-7) - Their defense is just a little bit worse than Seattle's.

10. BEARS (7-7) - They need a lot to make the playoffs, including Jay Cutler's miraculously healing.

11. EAGLES (6-8) - They were underpeforming before Vick's injury.

12. REDSKINS (5-9) - Doesn't matter if it's Rex Grossman or John Beck.

13. PANTHERS (5-9) - Cam Newton will be better next year.

14. BUCCANEERS (4-10) - The second-worst defense in the NFL.

15. VIKINGS (2-12) - The worst defense in the NFL.

16. RAMS (2-12) - The worst offense in the NFL.

AFC

1. PATRIOTS (11-3) - Remember when the Patriots were 5-3 and looked very very vulnerable? It's a credit to their offense and the soft back-end of their schedule.

2. STEELERS (10-4) - Despite their loss to the 49ers, they still look like a team that can get back to the Super Bowl and avenge last year's loss.

3. RAVENS (10-4) - Joe Flacco still makes questionable decisions sometimes, but they're still one of the best defenses in the league.

4. TEXANS (10-4) - The injuries keep coming. We'll see how well Arian Foster can prop up this team without Matt Schaub.

5. BRONCOS (8-6) - Tim Tebow's now 7-2 as a starter. Yes, when they face a real team like the Patriots, they can only do so much, but at least he has them believing. Doesn't hurt to have Matt Prater and the entire defense working miracles with him.

6. BENGALS (8-6) - It's be something for rookie quarterback Andy Dalton to get his team to the playoffs. Cam who?

7. JETS (8-6) - Mark Sanchez is who we thought he was.

8. CHARGERS (7-7) - They have won three in a row.

9. RAIDERS (7-7) - They have lost three in a row, and it's not all because they don't have Darren McFadden. See the play-calling of the last five minutes of the Lions game.

10. TITANS (7-7) - They need to upgrade their receiver corps next year.

11. CHIEFS (6-8) - Terrible offense but hey, they beat the Packers.

12. DOLPHINS (5-9) - This is one bipolar team.

13. BILLS (5-9) - They've lost seven in a row.

14. JAGUARS (4-10) - They're going nowhere.

15. BROWNS (4-10) - A full-time Peyton Hillis would've made for a very different season.

16. COLTS (1-13) - If they win a second game, they risk losing the #1 pick.

Chad Ford on the Jazz's offseason moves

UTAH JAZZ

Key additions: Enes Kanter (draft), Josh Howard (FA), Alec Burks (draft)
Key subtractions: Andrei Kirilenko, Ronnie Price

Jazz GM Kevin O'Connor never gets the credit he's deserved all of these years in Utah. No one has figured out how to completely rebuild a roster as quickly and thoroughly as O'Connor has. O'Connor made the boldest move of anyone at last season's trade deadline when he abruptly traded Deron Williams to the Nets for Derrick Favors and draft picks.

O'Connor used one of those assets to draft Enes Kanter with the No. 3 pick. Then he used his own pick to bring in Alec Burks. Put those two players together with Favors and last year's lottery pick Gordon Hayward and the Jazz suddenly have one of the best young cores in the NBA. All four players have the ability to be All-Stars if they live up to their potential.

What makes O'Connor one of the best in the business is that he's doing the rebuilding while still putting a respectable team on the floor. He has solid veterans like Devin Harris, Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson still on the roster and added more depth by getting Josh Howard on a super cheap deal.
It's rare that you'll find a team that can compete for a playoff spot and be developing four excellent prospects at the same time. O'Connor has pulled that off this year.

GRADE: A

NBA Pre-Season Power Rankings

So much can change in the next few days, but here's my gut on where things are right now.  And the top two teams from the East and West are head-and-shoulders above everyone else.

EAST

1. MIAMI - They went to the Finals last year, and with Shane Battier, they'll be a better team. Seems like they'd be able to get a better point guard, but they really don't need much improvement to put them over the top.

2. CHICAGO - Rip Hamilton helps them shore up that 2-spot, considering their weak spot with revolving-door work by Keith Bogans, Kyle Korver and Ronnie Brewer. Derrick Rose and company will be ready to stand in Miami's way. Bulls fans just need to hope this squad stays healthy.

3. BOSTON - They may be old, but Brandon Bass was a nice pick-up for them, and I can see their experience helping them rack up a lot of early season wins. Losing Jeff Green for the season really hurts.

4. ATLANTA - This strikes me as a team that needs a major change before they start seriously declining. I would expect a trade before the deadline.

5. NEW YORK - Tyson Chandler will help shore up the defense of Mike D'Antoni's team, but they still have a very shallow bench and desperately need to shore up their backcourt. But let's see how Carmelo and Amare do with a full season together.

6. INDIANA - David West is a tremenedous pickup for them. Add that to the mix of Darren Collison, Danny Granger and Roy Hibbert, and they should finish with a higher seed than they did last year.

7. ORLANDO - They still have Dwight Howard, and Jameer Nelson, Jason Richardson, and company are decent supporting pieces, but for them to win, Dwight's still going to have to shoulder the majority of the load.

8. PHILADELPHIA - Coach Doug Collins made believers of this team, and there's no reason why the good times can't continue to roll, but they needed to make a bigger splash in this oh-so-brief off-season.

9. MILWAUKEE - Maybe a full season with Stephen Jackson improves this team. They'll also need improvement from Brandon Jennings. Otherwise it comes down to health. The more games Andrew Bogut can stay in, the better they'll do.

10. NEW JERSEY - The pressure's on this club to get some support for Deron Williams. Part of me still thinks they'll figure out a way to swing a Dwight Howard trade. If they can't, they're screwed.

11. WASHINGTON - John Wall should make the leap this year, and they had two good draft picks (on paper) with Jan Vesely and Chris Singleton. Still seems like they're a year or two away from the playoffs.

12. DETROIT - They got rid of Rip Hamilton, but Tayshaun Prince decided to stay. Greg Monroe was one of last year's best rookies, and Brandan Knight was the first point guard taken in the draft. They've still got the overpaid Ben Gordon and Charlie Villenueva, but coach Lawrence Frank has proven to be able to do more with less, so they could surprise some people.

13. CLEVELAND - Yes, they got Kyrie Irving, but it's going to take a lot more than him to think about the playoffs.

14. CHARLOTTE - In rebuilding mode. Let's give Kemba Walker and Bismack Biyombo some court time and see what happens.

15. TORONTO - Should be flat-out awful this year, but at least next year they'll have Jonas Valanciunas paired with what will surely be a high draft pick in a deep draft.

WEST

1. OKLAHOMA CITY - The way they've been playing I expect them to be the best in the West. Kevin Durant will be a favorite for league MVP. The Kendrick Perkins-for-Jeff Green trade looks even more genius with Green's unfortunate heart condition.

2. DALLAS - The defending champs may have gained Lamar Odom but they lost Tyson Chandler and JJ Barea. I really don't get why they gave Vince Carter a three-year deal, but hey, Dirk is Dirk, and he'll surely want to repeat.

3. SAN ANTONIO - I think the championship window has closed for them, but Pops will keep them competitive, and they have some intriguing rookies in Kawhi Leonard and Gani Lawal.

4. MEMPHIS - The gang's back together, including Rudy Gay. They have confidence, and once you have that, you can go far.

5. L.A. CLIPPERS - As long as Chris Paul stays healthy, I do expect Lob City from CP3 and Billups to Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. It'll be interesting to see how Caron Butler fits in. But they also have Eric Bledsoe and Randy Foye and Mo Williams. They should really trade a point guard or two to get a shooting guard.

6. L.A. LAKERS - They gave away Lamar Odom for nothing, but Josh McRoberts and Troy Murphy are decent long men to serve as stop-gaps. But what is this team going to look like under Mike Brown, and how distracting will Kobe's divorce be, and what will happen when Andrew Bynum gets his annual injury? I could actually see this team miss the playoffs.

7. DENVER - It hurts to have Wilson Chandler tied up in China (not so much Kenyon Martin and JR Smith), but the Nuggets had a great draft in Kenneth Faried and Jordan Hamilton, and Nene's back, and Ty Lawson can run this team as fast as he wants. Have they tied up Aaron Afflalo? That needs to be #1 priority.

8. PORTLAND - It's been bad news for the Blazers with Brandon Roy retiring and Greg Oden getting injured again, and LaMarcus Aldridge being out for the first few games of the season. But Jamal Crawford was a decent pick-up and once LaMarcus is able to join them, they should win more than they lose.

9. UTAH - Mehmet Okur's back to full health, Derrick Favors should make a big leap between his rookie and sophomore year, and all indications are that rookie Alec Burks will be able to contribute right away. Conventional wisdom would be that this is a rebuilding year, but with vets like Devin Harris, Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Josh Howard and Okur there, they'll do whatever they can to win. And oh yeah, based on the last month of the season, I expect big things for Gordon Hayward too.

10. NEW ORLEANS - They would have had a stronger team under the Laker trade, but they're better set for the future with the Clipper trade. They got a future All-Star in Eric Gordon, some youth, draft picks, and cap space for this, Chris Kaman's last year. This team could do some damage in the West.

11. HOUSTON - Having the CP3-to-Lakers trade get vetoed really screwed them over. I expect they'll make a trade mid-season. Somehow, for something.

12. PHOENIX - Any team with Steve Nash will get some wins, but there are just not enough pieces around him. Markieff Morris isn't enough, and they have Aaron Brooks stuck in China.

13. MINNESOTA - They've been bad forever, but they have Rick Adelman as their coach now, and now Ricky Rubio and Derrick Williams are there. No, they won't make the playoffs but they should be fun to watch.

14. GOLDEN STATE - It all depends on how good a coach Mark Jackson is. They have a pretty good starting five, but not much on the bench. They'll have to hope rookies Epke Udoh and Klay Thompson will be able to contribute quickly. (I don't know if you count Udoh as a rookie or not. I'm pretty sure he missed all of the 2010-2011 season.)

15. SACRAMENTO - Tyreke, DeMarcus and Jimmer will be very interesting to watch in several lost-cause games.

Jazz sign Josh Howard

I would have been over the moon for this deal two years ago.  It's still a good deal.  A lot can change the next few days, but this is how I see their rotation:

PG - Devin Harris
SG - Gordon Hayward
SF - Josh Howard
PF - Paul Millsap
C - Al Jefferson

Bench:
PG - Earl Watson, Jamaal Tinsley
SG - Raja Bell, Alec Burks
SF - CJ Miles
PF - Derrick Favors, Jeremy Evans
C - Mehmet Okur, Enes Kanter

That's 14 guys.  I've heard Paul Carter might make this team too, and they could still decide to cut Tinsley (non-guaranteed) and still with Harris & Watson, as Burks can play some point too.

I think it's just as likely Bell will start at SG and Hayward at SF with Howard coming off the bench.  I'd like to see Favors start over Millsap, but he has to earn it.  Fans are viewing this as a development season for Hayward, Favors, Kanter and Burks, but the coaching staff isn't going to approach it that way.  They want to win.

Thoughts on the Jazz schedule

Some thoughts on the Utah Jazz schedule:

- Of the 66 games, they play 11 on national TV. Not bad for a small-market lottery team whose biggest draws are Al Jefferson and its rookies and sophomores.

- Their opening game is against the Lakers, but for the Lakers, it's their third game in three nights.

- Deron Williams will come home on January 14. By the way, when you look at the flurry around Chris Paul and Dwight Howard, it's clear that the Jazz did the right thing in trading D-Will. At least they got Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter and the Warriors' 2012 first-round pick for him. And the Nets will sweat all year that they've done enough to have Deron re-sign.

- Jimmer's coming to town twice. I expect it will be the loudest ovation since Derek Fisher showed in the third quarter to help advance the Jazz to the Western Conference Finals.

- The Jazz have plenty of home games to start off. For such a young team, it'll be good for them to get that experience in front of friendly crowds.

Current Roster:
PG - Devin Harris
SG - Gordon Hayward, Raja Bell, Alec Burks
SF - CJ Miles
PF - Paul Millsap, Derrick Favors, Jeremy Evans
C - Al Jefferson, Mehmet Okur, Enes Kanter
Likely re-sign: Earl Watson

That's 12 right there. I'm intrigued if they can work out a mutually beneficial deal to bring Andrei Kirilenko back. My guess is not. So they'll see who gets amnestied, which free agents will get ridiculously overpaid on the first day of free agency, and if they get a trade offer worth making.

Tyrone Corbin wants to win, but the future of this teams is the Fresh Four (Hayward, Favors, Kanter, Burks). If they're somehow good enough that this team can get to the playoffs, I'm shocked and impressed, but for this 66-game season, it may be more beneficial in the long run to develop the youngsters, and take advantage of two lottery first-round picks in the deep 2012 draft (the Warriors pick is Top 7 protected, but I see them being about 11th in the West.)
I'm intrigued, intrigued, intrigued.

NBA Christmas

No one can put it quite like Bill Simmons.

I'm thrilled the NBA is back, and with Chris Paul already demanding trades, doesn't look like much has changed after all.  Ah well; don't care.  This is going to be one of the fastest, most furious NBA Decembers ever.