Utah Sports Radio Change-Up

For 11 years, 1320 KFAN and 1280 The Zone have been the in-state rival radio stations, with ESPN 700 eventually sneaking in as a third option.  That's pretty much been it.  Now The Larry H. Miller Group has purchased 1280, and the Jazz games will no longer be on 1320.

I started listening to sports radio in the 1990's, when I didn't care for music as much, and the political shows were getting repetitive.  I loved listening to Mark Armstrong and Tom Nissalke in the afternoons, and I enjoyed David James and Ron Boone and Gordon Monson in the mornings.

Around 2001, 1320 got cheap and most of the talent jumped to 1280.  Craig Bolerjack, Patrick Kinahan, Ian Furness, Dave Fox, Alema Harrington, Barry King, James and Monson all joined, and I remember Eric Ray and Scott Garrard on there, Ryan Hatch...  1320 became a skeleton crew.  Jeff Rickard & Alan Handy in the morning was awful. Chris Tunis was on there somewhere, and Steve Brown wound up as a major guy there, and Keith Embray showed up sometimes.  The Ian Fitzsimmons-Jim Fuchuck experiment was one I enjoyed, but the ratings didn't follow.  1320 then got serious and brought DJ & PK over, hired Bolerjack to be the TV man for Utah Jazz games, Alema was on mid-days, David Locke came on, and so on.  The talent seemed to sap from 1280.  Furness left, Hatch left, Fox left, Garrard left, (King I think was fired, not sure on that one). So 1320 hulked up and 1280 shrank, and 700 crept up with Bill Riley and their ESPN line-up.

Last Week's Schedule:
1320
6-10 DJ & PK
10-1 Jim Rome
1-3 Ben Bagley & Tony Parks
3-6 Spence Checketts & Scott Garrard

1280 / 97.5
6-10 Hans Olsen & Sean O'Connell
10-2 Jan Jorgensen & Kyle Gunther
2-6 Gordon Monson & Jake Scott

700
5-8 Mike & Mike
8-11 Colin Cowherd
11-2 Dan Patrick
2-6 Bill Riley

I think that's what they were.  I don't really listen to the radio much beyond driving to and from places, but it takes me about 35 minutes to get to work, so I would usually listen to DJ & PK, but I'd go to Hans & OC if I liked their topic better.  I liked Colin best on Mondays after NFL Sunday.

If I went out for lunch, I'd go to Jan & Kyle first, but then I'd see if I liked what Rome or DP was talking about.  Or maybe I'd see what Rush Limbaugh was ranting about.  Depended on my mood.

Driving home, the afternoon show was best when it was David Locke.  Loved him as a radio host, and all the stat-geeky glory he brought.  Scotty G's fine, but if Locke was out, I'd see what Bill & Spence were talking about on 700 (before Spence jumped to 1320), or I'd see if Jake Scott was on.  Usually can't stand Monson, as he tends to argue for argument's sake, but Jake and a guest host was great.

Here's my understanding of the new landscape:

1320
Becoming who-knows-what on May 31.

1280
6-10 DJ & PK
10-1 Jim Rome / (97.5 Tony Parks & Jake Scott)
1-3 Jake Scott & Scotty G
3-6 Spence Checketts & Gordon Monson

700
Same, except Hans Olsen is joining Bill Riley

I like Spence, but I'm not thrilled Monson's back on a Jazz flagship station. I just don't enjoy listening to his takes, despite all his experience. I don't foresee making them my #1 listening option on the drive back home. I'm more likely to listen to Bill & Hans first (unless they're talking soccer.)  What else is on AM radio then?  Dennis Miller, Mark Levin, Rod Arquette... uh yeah.  On 1280 I'm much more likely to listen to Spence & Locke, Spence & Boler, Spence & Tony, Spence & Bags, Spence & Gordy Chiesa, Spence & Thurl Bailey, Spence & Ron Boone, Spence & An Overturned Mop with a Bucket for a Head.

I love the idea of Tony & Jake together as a local mid-day option.

I do hope we keep hearing from reporters like Brian T. Smith and Jody Gennessy and Rick Aaron on the air.  Somewhere.

And I hope one of the stations picks up the banner for Showdown Fights.  I've been to two of their events, and it's made for great MMA action, with Hans as emcee, and Jan and OC as fighters.

The NBA Final Eight

Who I'm Rooting for, from least to most.

8.  L.A. LAKERS - They're the Lakers.  Kobe Bryant is not allowed to tie Michael Jordan's ring-count.  Nothing against true fans like Jack Nicholson or Penny Marshall, but I can't foresee me ever wanting the Lakers to win a playoff game again.

7.  BOSTON CELTICS - I like Rajon Rondo, I like Ray Allen, I like Paul Pierce, I like Doc Rivers, I like Danny Ainge, but Kevin Garnett has become such a dirty player that I like watching him lose more.  He got his ring, but time for that sun to set.

6.  L.A. CLIPPERS - They're fun to watch in spurts, but if you watch too long, you notice all the flopping that Chris Paul and Blake Griffin do.

5.  PHILADELPHIA 76ERS - They're a nice underdog story, but no one really wants an 8th seed to win the whole thing. I mean, I would have taken it if the Jazz had done it, but if they can't do it, no one can!  But I am happy for Andre Iguodala and company for tasting playoff success.

4.  MIAMI HEAT - Losing Chris Bosh has humbled this team a bit, and I don't dislike LeBron James or Dwyane Wade, but it really is a Two-Man show with guest stars in the other three spots on the floor.  I'd be happy with them in the Finals again.  And to lose the Finals again.  Unless they're in the Finals with an LA team.

3.  SAN ANTONIO SPURS - I can't help but respect this team, respect the roster moves they've made, respect the way Tim Duncan is playing within his abilities, the way Tony Parker's had an MVP season, the way Poppovich coaches.  Still hate Ginobili's flopping, but they have a good culture down there.

2.  INDIANA PACERS - I feel like the Jazz are one piece away from being the Pacers.  They don't have an MVP candidate on the team but they do have some All-Star reserves, they play as a team, and they compliemnt each other.  Haven't watched them much, but I like them more as I see them play.  Plus it'd be hilarious to have Reggie Miller not win a ring as a Pacer, but Kyrylo Fesenko does.

1.  OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER - Feels like it's their year.  It kills me they're not in Seattle any more, but Kevin Durant is to the 2010's what Tim Duncan was to the 2000's.  The franchise had some crappy drafts (Saer Sene?  Johan Petro?) but when they got KD and Russell Westbrook and James Harden, and then got coach Scott Brooks, they were finally able to build something up.

Requiem for a Jazz Season

First, Game 4:

- The Jazz lost 87-81. Their shooting woes continued. Gordon Hayward, Alec Burks and Josh Howard were a combined 0-17 from the floor. The Jazz as a team were 0-13 from 3. The Spurs defense is really good, but not that good. The Jazz also missed 9 free throws. 9 missed free throws, lost by 6. Woulda, coulda, shoulda.

- Paul Millsap was a man fighting and fighting, but it was a stark reminder that he's only 6'7". He shot 4-17, but managed to grab 19 rebounds, and he was +11 in his 41 minutes. And when the Jazz were only down four with 20 seconds to go, he bobbled the pass from Harris, allowing Ginobili to steal it and run back for a layup to put them up six.

- Al Jefferson outplayed Tim Duncan. Unfortunately with Derrick Favors in the starting lineup, the Jazz had no bench. The Spurs bench outscored them 57-10.

Player Evaluations:

DERRICK FAVORS (soph) - The future. Their best defender, and he's good at going to the line. He needs to average 35 minutes a game next year and start all 82. He needs to improve his free-throw shooting.

GORDON HAYWARD (soph) - He got the playing time, but the playoffs showed he still has a lot of work to do. He needs to be more consistent and refine his outside shooting.

ALEC BURKS (rook) - He had a lot of DNP-CD's in favor of Raja Bell and CJ Miles. That won't happen next year. Not a bad rookie year; sky's the limit for him. I look forward to seeing what a full off-season will do for him.

ENES KANTER (rook) - Very, very raw. He's good at holding his space and rebounding. But he hasn't played that many games in his life. A worthy project, but still a project.

PAUL MILLSAP (1 year remaining) - He's the heart of this team and now one of the longest-tenured members. Gone are D-Will, Boozer, AK and Memo. Paul's about hit his ceiling. He had career highs in steals and rebounds. He will win you some games, but you're not getting out of the first round if he's the best player on your team. But if he's your third, look out.

AL JEFFERSON (1 year remaining) - Offensively he was the Jazz's best player. His problem is that he never got to the free throw line and was inefficient in his possessions. Sure, he'd score 20, but it'd take 21 shots to get there. My guess is either he or Paul will be moved for a shooter, but the Jazz may try to keep all of them and starting Paul at the small forward. Jefferson said he'd like to finish his career in Utah.

DEVIN HARRIS (1 year remaining) - Took him half the season to figure it out, but he played well down the stretch. He's not the prototypical Jazz point guard, but it's up to Corbin and company to make Harris's strengths work for them.

EARL WATSON (1 year remaining) - They could have used his tenacity in the playoffs but injury ended his season. Good guy to have on the team, even though his skills are obviously diminishing.

RAJA BELL (1 year remaining) - Clearly has a problem with coach Corbin and he wants to get moved. I'm sure the Jazz will oblige if they can find someone willing. If they can't, they'll probably amnesty him. Last thing a young locker-room needs is a veteran cancer. And it's not all his fault. He thought he was signing with a Deron Williams-led playoff team. He doesn't want to be on a young, rebuilding team.

JAMAAL TINSLEY (team option) - All indications are that he's a great locker room guy. He got destroyed in Game 4, and the only way I see them bringing him back is if they wind up throwing in Watson in a multi-player trade.

CJ MILES (free agent) - Based on his exit interview, seems pretty clear he won't be back. He's been with the Jazz since 2005, but he has issues with Corbin, his 3-pt shooting was his worst in five years, and he went from 12.8 ppg to 9.1.

DEMARRE CARROLL (free agent) - The 27th pick in the 2009 draft has finally found a home. He was a key ingredient in the Jazz winning down the stretch just to make the playoffs. He's a hustle player.

JOSH HOWARD (free agent) - The experiment was great before his injury mid-season. He wasn't quite the same in the playoffs. He won't be back.

JEREMY EVANS (free agent) - The Slam-Dunk champion just can't get on the floor. Carroll was cut by the Nuggets, came in, and worked his way into the starting line-up. I don't see the Jazz keeping him. They could, because his alley-oops are fun, but there are better options out there.

BLAKE AHEARN (free agent) - He did what they needed him to do. They'll probably invite him to summer league, but my guess is they go a different direction for their third point-guard.

As to coach Tyrone Corbin, he still hasn't had a full off-season to plan and prepare.  Apparently his communication isn't as good as Jerry Sloan's, but many were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.  He helped this team overachieve, let's what he can do with a full season.

Play Derrick Favors!

The Jazz lost Game 2 in complete, devastating fashion 114-83.  The coaching staff didn't seem to learn anything from Game 1.  Josh Howard started again, and while he was great offensively in the first quarter, he was just trading buckets with Kawhi Leonard.  You can't trade buckets with Kawhi Leonard!

The Jazz lost by 31 points.  In Derrick Favors' 21 minutes, he was a +6.  Think about that.  In 21 minutes of that game, the Jazz outscored the Spurs by 6, and when he wasn't on the floor for the other 27, the Spurs outscored the Jazz by 37 points.  Al Jefferson was a -38 in his 30 minutes.

Now the argument has been made that playoff experience matters.  Okay, but so does talent, and Favors is the best defensive player on the Jazz.  Second best is Gordon Hayward, your two lottery sophomores.

Some other points:

- Big Al was never a factor.  He ended up with 10 points on 5-15 shooting and 4 rebounds.

- Josh Howard ended with 10 points as well, but Leonard ended with 17.  In fact, Al and Josh were the only Jazz players to finish in double digits.

- The Jazz were around 27% in field-goal shooting until the garbage time fourth-quarter boosted them to end at 34%.  Their lone 3-point shot was made by Blake Ahearn in the 4th.

Jazz lose Game 1 to Spurs 106-91

- The San Antonio Spurs have the best record in the West for a reason.

- Armchair-quarterbacking, I don't think it was smart to move Josh Howard into the starting line-up. Sure, he's a better player than DeMarre Carroll, but Carroll in the starting lineup is what helped the Jazz end the regular season on a five-game win streak. Howard missed all four of his shots and had two turnovers in 16 minutes. He has playoff experience up the yin-yang, but he's been injured and they need to reintegrate him more slowly. I'd bring him off the bench for Game 2.

- Al Jefferson did a decent job on Tim Duncan, who at times played like the Timmy of old. Al finished with 16 and 9 while Duncan had 17 and 11. The default criticism of Big Al tends to be his defense, and it is a weakness, but no one outside of Derrick Favors played decent defense last night.

- As a Jazz fan, I miss the days when Deron Williams would neutralize Tony Parker. Devin Harris is not as capable. Tony Parker seemed to get whatever he wanted.

- This is the first playoff game of Tyrone Corbin's career. I'm sure he'll learn from this. I just wonder why the big front court line-up of Millsap/Favors/Jefferson didn't make an appearance until the third quarter. Maybe he was saving it, surprise the Spurs with it.

- Gordon Hayward was 12-12 from the free-throw line. I love that. And upon further reflection, hayward had a nice defensive game too. Ginobili wound up shooting 3-10 from the field.

- The Jazz had 16 turnovers.  The Spurs only had 10.

- In Game 2, I'd love to see DeMarre Carroll start, and about seven minutes in, sub him out for Derrick Favors.  Play Harris, Hayward, Millsap, Favors, Jefferson.  Beginning of the second, go to Tinsley, Burks, Howard, Favors, Kanter, see how that goes.

Jazz Are Playoff-Bound!

They're in, they're in, they're in!

So happy for Al Jefferson.  Happy for the other guys too, but it seems something special for him.

Jazz beat Magic in OT 117-107

Some thoughts on the Jazz win:

- For the first time in his career, Al Jefferson may go to the playoffs.  Yes, I could say the same thing about Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, etc., but Al's been in the league a while and his stints with the pre-KG Celtics and post-KG TimberWolves were exericses in futility.  He thought he'd get when he was traded to the Jazz last year, but a Sloan retirement and D-Will trade killed that possibility.  Now the Jazz are 34-30 and in the 8th spot with only two more games to play.

- Al continues to be great on offense and weak on defense.  Yeah, Big Al gets his blocked shots, but his guy can often get those points back.  He had 21 points tonight; Glen Davis had 17.  The good thing about Al is he usually does outscore his guy, but it means other teammates had better be shutting their man down.

- The starting five dropped the ball in the first quarter, and Orlando also had a 15-0 run in the third.  But coach Ty Corbin went to his big three lineup early (Millsap, Favors, Jefferson all on floor at same time) and it paid off.  I love seeing that Derrick Favors had 36 minutes of playing time tonight (hence his 16 points and 11 rebounds). I am a believer that Favors would regularly be a 16-10 guy if he had the minutes.

- Orlando's one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the league and with no Dwight Howard they greatly relied on it.  And since the Jazz are one of the worst at defending the 3, it was a perfect storm.  The Magic were 15-38 from 3.  My counter stat for that is that the Jazz scored 62 points in the paint.

- Paul Millsap had 18 and 9.  If he'd had one more rebound, it would have meant he, Favors and Jefferson all would've had double-doubles.

- Jamaal Tinsley was crucial in getting the Jazz back in the game in the first half.  He wound up with 9 assists in 18 minutes.  Devin Harris had 7 assists.

- A win washes away many sins, and Harris & Gordon Hayward had their problems.  Hayward had 6 turnovers but he had a clutch 3 late in the game that kept the Jazz in it and allowed them to get it to overtime.  Harris was aggressive with the ball and ended up with 21 points.  He also had the game-saving block on Jameer Nelson as time ran out in regulation.

- Enes Kanter looked good in his 12 minutes.  He had 9 points and 2 rebounds.

- Jazz bench outscored Magic bench 39-10.

Jazz beats Mavericks in triple-overtime

My eight-year-old Evan loves watching Jazz games with me, probably more than any other child right now. I've taken my oldest two to Jazz games, but when I was able to get tickets for last night's Dallas Mavericks game, I figured it was a good time for him to have his first live game experience. And my record's on the line. The Jazz are 22-1 when I attend, dating back to 1990. That loss came to the Thunder when Russell Westbrook outplayed Deron Williams.

So the Jazz have been the walking wounded lately, with Josh Howard, Raja Bell, CJ Miles and Earl Watson all out. Jeremy Evans was available to play but he never made it into the game. DeMarre Carroll went from a 10-day contract to the starting lineup, and Blake Ahearn has this John Crotty thing going for him that will probably results in him sticking around the rest of the season.

The Jazz's playoff hopes are in the balance. Duh-duh-DUHMMMMM!

We had nosebleed seats, but I took us down a few rows and no one ever showed up to say those were their seats.

Some game observations:

- Devin Harris has played much more freely now that he feels he has the greenlight to shoot three's. Or maybe it's just the comfort of being on a team again that has playoff hopes. Those dark Nets days couldn't have been good for the psyche.

- The Mavs kept Jason Kidd glued to Gordon Hayward. I know GH ended up with 24 points, but it took him 54 minutes to get there. Kidd did a good job of crowding GH and not letting his teammates pass to him. Kidd only had 4 steals, 3 of which were errant Jazz passes.

- Paul Millsap had the defensive assignment on Dirk Nowitzki most of the night, and all the effort was there, but Dirk's five inches taller, and Sap couldn't do anything to stop him. All he could do was make it difficult.

- Dirk got a couple big boos when he barrelled right through DeMarre Carroll, and the refs called Carroll for the foul.

- Delonte West is a knucklehead. After a foul was called, he walked over to Hayward and gave him a wet willie, and like pro-wrestling refs, none of them saw it. The crowd reaction was so strong, the refs said, "Huh, we should go to the monitors and review something." The crowd started chanting "Throw him out!" but he only got a technical. West got booed every time he touched the ball for the rest of the night.

- Jazz fans love their rookies, but Alec Burks was 0-6 tonight.

- Al Jefferson was an offensive beast. 28 points, 26 rebounds. He ate Brendan Haywood and Ian Mahinmi alive. The Mavs seemed to have a game-plan of triple-teaming Big Al early, but Al's learned to pass back out, and Harris and Hayward were hitting their 3's.

- I was cheering for the Mavericks to win last year.  I have a Mavs championship hat my son bought me.  Mavs put up a good fight, but they also reminded me of why I like cheering against Dirk, the way he flails his arms like a wounded stork, the way he storms like a giraffe in a china shop to draw contact.  He and Manu Ginobili have that in common, cept Dirk's a lot taller.  If the Finals were a Mavs-Heat rematch, I think I'd have to cheer for the Heat.

- Very proud of all five guys in the starting line-up.

- There are still times I wish coach Corbin would put Favors in more for defensive posessions, as he is the best big-man defender on the team, but Corbin's still feeling his way as a head coach. This coming off-season is going to be the first real off-season where he can plan all year, and we can get an idea of what he can really do.

- After the game, Evan was able to get a high-five from Big Al.



Other stuff:

- I can't imagine head-coach Mark Jackson is happy with what his owner and GM are doing to his team.  If the Warriors don't end in the bottom seven, as in the top seven of the lottery, they lose their first-round pick (to the Jazz, hence my focus).  So from the trade deadline on, they've been doing everything they can to tank the season.  Blatantly, openly, shamelessly.  They shut down David Lee with a "groin strain."  Richard Jefferson now has right-knee tankinitis (I read that on Twitter, sorry I don't remember who coined it).  The starting five for the Golden State Warriors last night were Charles Jenkins, Klay Thompson, Dorell Wright, Jeremy Tyler and Mickell Gladness.  How can you charge fans money to watch that game?  The owner deserved to get booed.  This year.  Maybe Andrew Bogut and Steph Curry will be restored to full health next year and they'll be brilliant.  But Grantland's historical takedown of the Warriors is the best write-up I've seen on that poor fanbase.

- I have to figure if the Clippers make it out of the first round of the playoffs that Vinny Del Negro's job is safe.  Pat Riley's not the GM there, so yeah, he ought to be good.  I just see how the Clips destroyed the Thunder defensively in the second half.

- The Jazz are now only a half-game behind the Suns and Rockets for the eighth spot, and the Jazz have the easiest row to hoe ahead of them of the three.  The Jazz play the Dwight-less Magic and the Suns at home, and they have a home-and-away with the Blazers, who have as many wounded players as the Jazz, but one of them's LaMarcus Aldridge.

- Whoever gets the eighth spot will likely be swept by the Spurs, but hey, the #1 Western seed has lost before, and playoff experience is playoff experience.

At the Jazz-Nuggets Game

I went to the Jazz-Nuggets game. It was tremendous. Since the Nuggets traded away Nene and lost Danilo Gallinari, they're a different team. The Jazz handled them with ease. The defense was porrous but the offense flowed smoothly and everyone got a highlight.

I feel bad for Earl Watson to have lost his spot in the rotation. He does a good job of running the team but he's not a good shooter. Jamaal Tinsley can do just about everything Earl does, but he's a little better at shooting. Watson and Jeremy Evans got into the game with about two minutes to go and were able to get in a couple Early-Oops.

My wife decided Kenneth Faried is a good-looking man.

Now going into Atlanta, with the Hawks on their third game in three days, this was a game for the taking. The Jazz played the first half selfishly and lethargically, with little effort on defense. Al Jefferson in particular was getting his offensive numbers but showed no effort on D. Jazz were down 55-40 at halftime. Ten minutes into the third quarter they had the lead back. They played like a different team.

The fourth quarter went well. The Jazz had control. Then coach Ty Corbin put his starters back in with about five minutes to go. The Hawks instantly went on a 7-0 run. They had a chance to win at the end, but it went to overtime. The five starters stayed in. Then a second overtime. Then a third, each overtime ending with the Jazz missing a shot that would've sealed the victory. The whole time I'm dying for Corbin to put Favors and/or Burks back in there. The Jazz looked gassed. In the fourth overtime, Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap and CJ Miles all foul out, and they wind up losing 139-133.

I'd pin that loss on the coaching staff, not recognizing how they could slip some energy guys in and out, not seeing how they were trading layups. But even with that loss, the Jazz are 7th in the West. 4th seed is very attainable.

Other notes:

- Last night's jumpshot contest in the overtimes was one of those times the Jazz could've used Josh Howard's confidant mid-range game.

- The Jazz didn't take enough advantage of Kirk Hinrich's defensive disadvantage on Gordon Hayward.

- Whatever disagreement Raja Bell had with coach Corbin a couple weeks ago, the Jazz are showing they can get by just fine without him.

- If I was coach, I'd yank my starting five after about six minutes against the Nets tonight and let Tinsley, Burks & Favors get at least 24 minutes apiece. Give Kanter at least 15. Hopefully Devin Harris and Favors play with a little extra energy going aginst their old team.