Thursday report
There are so many returns when it comes to All-Star voting that I only write about the first and the last in the paper. It's already a foregone conclusion that unless Carlos Boozer can find a way to claim Chinese citizenship, no Jazz player is going to be voted to start.
The second returns were announced Thursday. Boozer was fourth among Western Conference forwards but with not even half as many votes as Carmelo Anthony, Tim Duncan or Dirk Nowitzki.
Deron Williams wasn't in the top 10 among guards (Jason Terry and Jerry Stackhouse were) and Mehmet Okur was sixth among centers with almost exactly half the votes as No. 3 Erick Dampier. It's going to be up to the coaches for the Jazz players.
* * *
Some leftover Gordan Giricek stuff from Thursday that I couldn't squeeze in the paper. There was an implication on Giricek's part that things got blown out of proportion, but general manager Kevin O'Connor didn't see it that way at all.
"We wouldn't have had him miss three games if we felt it was blown out of proportion," O'Connor said. "Players have a job. They have a responsibility to play."
More than anything, Giricek wants to be freed from Sloan's doghouse. He believes Sloan has maligned his play on defense (he repeatedly cites that he was one of Europe's best defenders) and his camp believes he has a shorter leash than any other player.
I asked Sloan if Giricek would have a longer leash when he gets minutes.
"He's here to be coached by me," Sloan said, adding, "I've never had a leash in my life on a guy. It's what he does out there on the floor. That's what my job is. I've got to make decisions every night in putting guys in and taking guys in and out of the ball game.
"It's not that I have a leash on them. I have to make decisions based on what gives us the best chance to win. And I don't always bat 100 percent with it. We still have to go forward with who we are."
Giricek was upset by how public things with Sloan became and spent a week uncertain whether he would be returning to the Jazz or moving on, whether through a trade or buyout.
"It's never easy, right?" Giricek said. "But after we talk and after we take care of certain things, now it's getting better."
* * *
The Jazz assigned rookie center Kyrylo Fesenko to the NBA Development League's Utah Flash. The Jazz are out of options when it comes to sending down Fesenko and have to make sure he either gets minutes in Orem or with them the rest of the season.
I'm hearing that the plan is for Fesenko to spend at least January with the Flash as long as nobody gets injured. Even if that happens, the Jazz could use their open roster spot to sign an emergency big man rather than calling Fesenko up for a couple of games.
If Fesenko dominates in Orem, maybe he makes a case to spend the final 35 games or so with the Jazz. I thought the Jazz might actually leave Ronnie Price on the inactive list with Giricek reinstated. Price has played 17 minutes total in December.
* * *
The Jazz can only hope that guard C.J. Miles has made a leap as a player these last three games. Miles, who shot just 18.2 percent in the preseason, has averaged 12.7 points and made 15 of 24 shots in taking advantage of his opportunity with Giricek absent.
Miles hit one three-pointer in Wednesday's game over the arms of Dirk Nowitzki as the 7-footer rushed at him to contest the shot. He said the difference in his play can be attributed to newfound confidence and hard work in practice.
"That was the biggest thing for me," Miles said, "was not to be able to get a chance, but be able to play well too, be confident because I've been working so hard that I can do it."
* * *
Deron Williams watched the Lakers beat Phoenix on Christmas (I greatly enjoyed not covering that game, my first Dec. 25 off in four years) and came away impressed. He offered a scouting report looking ahead to Friday night's game.
"[Andrew] Bynum's playing real good for them and you know what you're going to get from Kobe every night," Williams said. "He's one of the best players, if not the best player in the league.
"I think they've added a lot. I think a lot of guys are stepping up for them, especially their bench is playing real well."
After the Jazz beat the Lakers last month without Mehmet Okur and Carlos Boozer, one of the Lakers coaches wrote "Remember EnergySolutions" on the team's whiteboard before they beat San Antonio minus Tim Duncan and Tony Parker.
-- Ross Siler
The second returns were announced Thursday. Boozer was fourth among Western Conference forwards but with not even half as many votes as Carmelo Anthony, Tim Duncan or Dirk Nowitzki.
Deron Williams wasn't in the top 10 among guards (Jason Terry and Jerry Stackhouse were) and Mehmet Okur was sixth among centers with almost exactly half the votes as No. 3 Erick Dampier. It's going to be up to the coaches for the Jazz players.
* * *
Some leftover Gordan Giricek stuff from Thursday that I couldn't squeeze in the paper. There was an implication on Giricek's part that things got blown out of proportion, but general manager Kevin O'Connor didn't see it that way at all.
"We wouldn't have had him miss three games if we felt it was blown out of proportion," O'Connor said. "Players have a job. They have a responsibility to play."
More than anything, Giricek wants to be freed from Sloan's doghouse. He believes Sloan has maligned his play on defense (he repeatedly cites that he was one of Europe's best defenders) and his camp believes he has a shorter leash than any other player.
I asked Sloan if Giricek would have a longer leash when he gets minutes.
"He's here to be coached by me," Sloan said, adding, "I've never had a leash in my life on a guy. It's what he does out there on the floor. That's what my job is. I've got to make decisions every night in putting guys in and taking guys in and out of the ball game.
"It's not that I have a leash on them. I have to make decisions based on what gives us the best chance to win. And I don't always bat 100 percent with it. We still have to go forward with who we are."
Giricek was upset by how public things with Sloan became and spent a week uncertain whether he would be returning to the Jazz or moving on, whether through a trade or buyout.
"It's never easy, right?" Giricek said. "But after we talk and after we take care of certain things, now it's getting better."
* * *
The Jazz assigned rookie center Kyrylo Fesenko to the NBA Development League's Utah Flash. The Jazz are out of options when it comes to sending down Fesenko and have to make sure he either gets minutes in Orem or with them the rest of the season.
I'm hearing that the plan is for Fesenko to spend at least January with the Flash as long as nobody gets injured. Even if that happens, the Jazz could use their open roster spot to sign an emergency big man rather than calling Fesenko up for a couple of games.
If Fesenko dominates in Orem, maybe he makes a case to spend the final 35 games or so with the Jazz. I thought the Jazz might actually leave Ronnie Price on the inactive list with Giricek reinstated. Price has played 17 minutes total in December.
* * *
The Jazz can only hope that guard C.J. Miles has made a leap as a player these last three games. Miles, who shot just 18.2 percent in the preseason, has averaged 12.7 points and made 15 of 24 shots in taking advantage of his opportunity with Giricek absent.
Miles hit one three-pointer in Wednesday's game over the arms of Dirk Nowitzki as the 7-footer rushed at him to contest the shot. He said the difference in his play can be attributed to newfound confidence and hard work in practice.
"That was the biggest thing for me," Miles said, "was not to be able to get a chance, but be able to play well too, be confident because I've been working so hard that I can do it."
* * *
Deron Williams watched the Lakers beat Phoenix on Christmas (I greatly enjoyed not covering that game, my first Dec. 25 off in four years) and came away impressed. He offered a scouting report looking ahead to Friday night's game.
"[Andrew] Bynum's playing real good for them and you know what you're going to get from Kobe every night," Williams said. "He's one of the best players, if not the best player in the league.
"I think they've added a lot. I think a lot of guys are stepping up for them, especially their bench is playing real well."
After the Jazz beat the Lakers last month without Mehmet Okur and Carlos Boozer, one of the Lakers coaches wrote "Remember EnergySolutions" on the team's whiteboard before they beat San Antonio minus Tim Duncan and Tony Parker.
-- Ross Siler
8:28 PM
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