Sunday, October 04, 2009

   Believe it or not, this trip to London has been less rough than your garden variety back-to-back during the regular season. I've had a lot worse weekends going from New Orleans to Memphis on no sleep than going from Salt Lake City to London over two days.

    There's a host of logistical issues that would have to be resolved before they could ever bring an NBA team(s) to Europe, but sitting here across the Thames from the O2 Arena, it's not as far-fetched as it might seem.

    We got here Saturday afternoon, so we're 24 hours ahead of the Jazz in terms of jetlag. The team arrived midmorning Sunday, having been delayed an hour and a half on the ground at JFK in New York, stuck in a line of 60-plus planes waiting to take off.

    The highlights from Saturday included the world's longest/most expensive cab ride from Heathrow to our hotel (checking in at a cool 80 pounds) as well as a stop at a pub/restaurant across West India Quay from our hotel.

    It was simply impossible not to watch the second half of the Manchester United/Sunderland game when we walked by and every person in the pub was transfixed by the action. Man U. scored in stoppage time to secure a dramatic 2-2 tie.

    (That also started a streak of having sausage as part of every meal that thankfully ended at two with dinner and breakfast the following morning.)

    The Jazz followed through on their plan to hold a brief practice soon after arriving in London. They got out on the floor at The O2 arena for about a half-hour, with practice ending as Mehmet Okur and Andrei Kirilenko started juggling a basketball, soccer style.

    It should be noted that The O2, built by the same people as Staples Center, would be the most impressive NBA arena today if it housed a team.

    The O2 is home to 25 different bars and restaurants, which are open to the public even when there's no event, as well as a 12-screen movie theater and a British music museum. There's not one, but two Starbucks along its main walkway.

    It's an especially incredible arena when you consider that it doesn't house a team as an anchor tenant, like Staples Center does with the Lakers, Clippers and Kings. The O2 has been largely a concert venue since it opened in 2007.

    After wrapping up practice, Kirilenko, Okur, Kyle Korver and Deron Williams went to the Chelsea-Liverpool game, with Kirilenko and Okur making an appearance on the field during halftime along with Luol Deng.

    Unfortunately, we couldn't go. The concierge at our hotel said if - - if - - they could even find tickets to the game, they would cost 350 pounds (550 dollars) apiece. There's still the possibility of heading to Birmingham to see a game tomorrow night.

    The NBA has both the Jazz and Bulls staying at the same hotel. The English soccer club Fulham also was here Saturday night. We're only one stop on the Underground from the arena, but the hotel is not centrally located.

    We still managed to head into the city Sunday night for some dinner in the Holborn/Covent Garden area. It was amazing how many people were out after 10 p.m., more than you'd see in an equivalent neighborhood in New York.

    We even saw a couple of guys in kilts. There also was also a store that sold military medals (not sure if they were antique or fake) that would have been perfect for former Jazz guard Gordan Giricek's Croatian bomber jacket.

    There's no way to know how many of the Jazz players will break out of what we like to call the NBA bubble and get to experience a little of the city, but it's an incredible city in which to spend four days.

    It was pretty cool to see Ronnie Price walk into the arena with a video camera recording, as well as Spencer Nelson having his picture taken with Okur on the court after practice. To some guys, this trip is a pretty special deal.

    --Ross Siler