Monday report
From the beginning, the Jazz regarded this trip to Europe as their version of NBA jury duty. After watching C.J. Miles go down Monday with a ruptured ligament in his thumb, I'm sure they're probably ready to head home.
It's pretty sobering to learn that a guy will miss the start of the regular season - - and almost certainly longer - - with an injury that happened on what was supposed to be a happy-go-lucky trip.
Miles had been planning to go sightseeing after practice. In fact, at practice, it seemed as if the Jazz's biggest concern was how to keep this preseason trip from turning into a five-day vacation with many players and staffers bringing along their wives.
"I told the players I hope they have some fun and see some things and that sort of thing," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said, "but they wouldn't be here if it wasn't for basketball and you've got to take care of your job first."
The Jazz were debating whether to immediately fly Miles back to Salt Lake City so he could undergo surgery as soon as possible or keep him with the team for the rest of the trip, which ends with a Thursday game against Real Madrid.
You never know, but having the surgery two or three days earlier than if the Jazz waited to get home could give Miles a chance to play in an extra game or two during the regular season.
* * *
You've got to love these descriptions of the Jazz's biggest stars in Monday's edition of The Times of London.
Andrei Kirilenko: The Russian wears No. 47 on his shirt, hence his AK 47 moniker, and is one of the most solid players to leave Europe for the NBA. Best known in the United States, perhaps, for a bizarre interview given by Masha, his pop star wife, in which she revealed that her husband is allowed one night a year to cheat on her, a confession that earned him national fame and/or notoriety.
Carlos Boozer: Born in Germany, to American military parents, and raised in Alaska, Boozer has been a key member of the US national team at the past two Olympic Games. While an excellent workhorse on the court, Boozer has a bad reputation in contract talks with clubs past and present and is at loggerheads with the Jazz.
Deron Williams: One of the sport's unsung but bona fide superstars in waiting. The Utah playmaker's understated game results in him being overlooked for honours such as the All-Star Game (voted by fans) but makes him an automatic choice on the US team, which he helped to gold in Beijing last year. Expect him to be leading the US to gold at the O2 Arena in 2012.
* * *
It was fun listening to Kyle Korver talk about the experience of attending Sunday's Chelsea-Liverpool game. He mentioned Chelsea's Russian owner as well as what the victory meant in the Premier League standings.
As subdued as he was about this trip in the States, Korver was enthused Monday.
"I wasn't super excited going into this," Korver said. "I really like London. It's a really cool spot. The building's are so old. They really are. It's a whole different culture and it's fun to see."
* * *
Not making this up: Asked how London was treating him, Sloan said that he was having a tough time staying on his regular schedule of medication.
"It's thrown me off a little bit," Sloan said. "I have to count backwards."
* * *
Wish I had more to report from the tourist side, but I spent all afternoon and evening writing. I did venture to a pub across from the hotel to watch Monday night football - - Manchester City-Aston Villa, of course - - but this trip is anything but a vacation for the beat writers.
Hopefully, we'll get to Harrods on Tuesday and enjoy some time in London before the game, which will be shown on ESPN here and NBA TV back in the U.S.
--Ross Siler
It's pretty sobering to learn that a guy will miss the start of the regular season - - and almost certainly longer - - with an injury that happened on what was supposed to be a happy-go-lucky trip.
Miles had been planning to go sightseeing after practice. In fact, at practice, it seemed as if the Jazz's biggest concern was how to keep this preseason trip from turning into a five-day vacation with many players and staffers bringing along their wives.
"I told the players I hope they have some fun and see some things and that sort of thing," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said, "but they wouldn't be here if it wasn't for basketball and you've got to take care of your job first."
The Jazz were debating whether to immediately fly Miles back to Salt Lake City so he could undergo surgery as soon as possible or keep him with the team for the rest of the trip, which ends with a Thursday game against Real Madrid.
You never know, but having the surgery two or three days earlier than if the Jazz waited to get home could give Miles a chance to play in an extra game or two during the regular season.
* * *
You've got to love these descriptions of the Jazz's biggest stars in Monday's edition of The Times of London.
Andrei Kirilenko: The Russian wears No. 47 on his shirt, hence his AK 47 moniker, and is one of the most solid players to leave Europe for the NBA. Best known in the United States, perhaps, for a bizarre interview given by Masha, his pop star wife, in which she revealed that her husband is allowed one night a year to cheat on her, a confession that earned him national fame and/or notoriety.
Carlos Boozer: Born in Germany, to American military parents, and raised in Alaska, Boozer has been a key member of the US national team at the past two Olympic Games. While an excellent workhorse on the court, Boozer has a bad reputation in contract talks with clubs past and present and is at loggerheads with the Jazz.
Deron Williams: One of the sport's unsung but bona fide superstars in waiting. The Utah playmaker's understated game results in him being overlooked for honours such as the All-Star Game (voted by fans) but makes him an automatic choice on the US team, which he helped to gold in Beijing last year. Expect him to be leading the US to gold at the O2 Arena in 2012.
* * *
It was fun listening to Kyle Korver talk about the experience of attending Sunday's Chelsea-Liverpool game. He mentioned Chelsea's Russian owner as well as what the victory meant in the Premier League standings.
As subdued as he was about this trip in the States, Korver was enthused Monday.
"I wasn't super excited going into this," Korver said. "I really like London. It's a really cool spot. The building's are so old. They really are. It's a whole different culture and it's fun to see."
* * *
Not making this up: Asked how London was treating him, Sloan said that he was having a tough time staying on his regular schedule of medication.
"It's thrown me off a little bit," Sloan said. "I have to count backwards."
* * *
Wish I had more to report from the tourist side, but I spent all afternoon and evening writing. I did venture to a pub across from the hotel to watch Monday night football - - Manchester City-Aston Villa, of course - - but this trip is anything but a vacation for the beat writers.
Hopefully, we'll get to Harrods on Tuesday and enjoy some time in London before the game, which will be shown on ESPN here and NBA TV back in the U.S.
--Ross Siler
4:11 PM
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1 Comments:
Luv the line - "Expect him to be leading the US to gold at the O2 Arena in 2012"...
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