Something To Be Excited About

Posted by Keith Haney on October 31, 2008

Hey folks. It’s been an entire summer since I last posted. I’m excited to be back as a Jazz Blogger. I’ve been struggling to get back in the swing of things with the upcoming season. Maybe it’s because I’ve been distracted by this whole election thingy. Maybe it’s because of this economy. Maybe it’s the fact that the Jazz are basically the same team as last year.

I think it’s mostly the latter… So lately I’ve been thinking of ways the Jazz could shake it up to get me excited about the 08-09 campaign. It really comes down to one thing for me - this trade.

‘Tip for Tap’ (Garrett Ellwood – NBAE/Getty Images)
‘Tip for Tap’ (Garrett Ellwood – NBAE/Getty Images)

Imagine the Jazz picking up Marcus Camby for Mehmet Okur. It makes sense for both teams when you think about it. The Clippers already have a center in Chris Kaman. Okur would give them a solid scoring presence. They could really use another threat from behind the arc. The Jazz would get the shot blocking defensive presence they haven’t had since Mark Eaton. I wouldn’t worry about losing the offensive firepower of Okur either - this current roster can score in bunches from every other position on the floor. Of course, this trade only happens if the Clippers suck. So I’m really pulling for a Baron Davis injury. He’s due!

Shifting gears, I wanted to get it out their publicly - my predictions for the upcoming season:

1) Jazz win their division. Get bumped in the second round again as they finish 4th in the rankings and run up against the Lakers again.

2) Lakers defeat the Sixers in the finals. I believe in Elton Brand. If he had been on Philly’s roster last year, I think they would have upset the Celtics.

3) Gilbert Arenas never makes it back to even being a shadow of his former self. Sadly, the signed jersey I have of his never gets framed and hung in my office. His blog continues to be one of the best reads on the web. Check it out on nba.com if you haven’t before.

4) The Suns teeter on the verge of making the playoffs but slip in as the 8th seed. I think this is the year that Nash and Shaq become the 2002 version of Stockton and Malone. Maybe even worse - Stockton never had to lie down on the floor to stretch his back out between quarters like Nash does.

5) Derrick Rose is the Rookie of the Year. The Bulls will be resurgent (I say 6th seed) in the East because of him. Greg Oden doesn’t make it through half the season due to injuries. Dang - I wish I had written this post yesterday. I really think Oden’s career is doomed. Ask any of my friends, they can vouch for me saying this in the past. The fact that he got injured in his first regular season game is just a sign of things to come. I fully expect him to be the next Yao Ming - a great player that just can’t stay on the court.

6) Lebron James gets his first of many MVPs. D-Will finishes 7th in the voting. Kobe fans worldwide cry foul because he finishes third in voting after Chris Paul.

7) The Jazz make a major trade at mid-season. I’m hoping it’s the one listed above. If it’s not, then I see them packaging Korver or Miles and Almond to trim down the depth at that 2/3 position. They have 8 potential free agents this next off-season. That’s too many people to resign and they will look for value mid-season by making a trade.

8 ) Deron Williams makes his first All-Star team and takes Allen Iverson’s spot from last year as he gets traded back to the East. Carlos Boozer doesn’t make the cut as Shaq ends up getting voted as a starter in the West, bumping Booz out.

9) Kyrylo Fesenko and Morris Almond spend the majority of the season down in Orem with the Flash. Then they both move on to different teams next season. Fes in Europe and Almond with somebody like Denver or New York. Those teams never seem to get enough scorers on their roster.

10) Jerry Sloan renews his contract for one more year at the end of the season. Oh wait - that’s not a prediction, that’s a guarantee. It happens every year.

10 Comments

JT on October 31, 2008 said:

I agree with a couple things you wrote, but the major thing I completely disagree with is the trade for Camby. He’s a great defensive player, I give him that, but he wouldn’t work in Salt Lake. I mean, he would work in the line up, but I think he’s one of those guys that wants to be in a big city. Denver with fellow gangstas Anthony and Iverson, then to L.A. If it can’t be the Lakers, why not the Clippers. I guarantee if he was asked if he’d ever play in Salt Lake (a.k.a. Mormonville), he’d chuckle and say, “I love Booz and Williams dog, but I ain’t a right fit for SLC and their strict way of life. I need my night life.”

I love Okur and I think all of Utah does as well! He’s the Money Man! He’s our major 3 point threat, especially since Korver has been off. He’s been more active on the defensive of end and more aggressive on the offensive. He’s great friends with the other players and chemistry is huge to succeed! I personally would be very sad to see Okur leave if that happened. And to be honest, I don’t care for Camby. But I think that’s because he’s played his best games against the Jazz, so I have this deep dislike for him.

Other thing, Korver won’t be traded. They’ll keep him around. They’ll send Almond away, which I think they should have given him time and he’d be better then Miles. But they’ll keep Korver. Oh and Williams will make the All-Star team and so will Boozer. Boozer is on a mission this year, and I think Shaq will have his worst career year ever.

Last but not least, Gilbert Arenas sucks and always has. He is the cockiest player in the NBA when he can’t even play. He hasn’t helped his team win anything, and he definitely isn’t worth any money. He should retire. His blog is all about how he thinks he’s the best player and how he’s God’s gift to man. Pass on him. He’s pathetic.

-JT

Ruburt on October 31, 2008 said:

All I got to say is.. your post is very pessimistic. Get on some medication.

Jared Conger on October 31, 2008 said:

I think the trade will be Mo Almond. But it will involve either an expiring contract, or a draft choice that we can bundle up with another one for another first round blockbuster move!

Mallory Meyer on October 31, 2008 said:

Never trade Memo! Tha’s a horrible idea. And plus I think Sloan loves him so I don’t see that realistically going down.

Boondock Saint on October 31, 2008 said:

I on the other hand think Camby is a beast and I would love to have him in the low post but I wouldn’t give up Okur for him. I think Camby’s best years are behind him but even out of his prime he’s still good for more than 10 boards and a couple blocks not to mention that he is one of the best passing big men. However, Okur has really begun to develop his low post game and I think he will have it down by December. I’m with Jared, I think Mo Almond will be gone and can I add hopefully Jaron Collins too. I want to say the Jazz beat the Lakers and go to the finals but unless Pau or Bynum or Kobe goes down its just not realistic. Houston is also a beast of a team if they can keep Artest in semi-sane mode. Boston’s big three will probably have an injury but it becoming more and more apparent to me that you need three stars to win a championship.

jazzaddict on November 01, 2008 said:

camby for okur that is not a good move! unless you want to watch camby play 1 out of every 3 games the guy is an injury machine!

J R Stewart on November 01, 2008 said:

Midseason trade involving expiring contracts, a draft pick or a 2 for 1.
Almond, Collins and Knight have expiring contracts. Jerry loves Jaron. Knight is a cheap, 3rd point guard, who fits in. That leaves Almond. Perhaps a draft pick? That’s like a 2 for 1. Or, combine Almond with an existing player, like Matty, if he can get healthy or Jarron, if Kosta or Fes can push him to the inactive list.

Can you say Greg Oden Borchardt? At least Curtis wasn’t a #1 overall pick, even though the Jazz traded to get him instead of Carlos.

Keep the “Money.” The Camby Man is and injury waiting to happen, 34 and headed down. Who would you rather try to resign next summer? If Kost or Fes can step up, do we need the over paid Camby Man?

If Memo steps up like the last half of the year, he could be with D-Wil and C-Booz on the All-Star team. Maybe AK could have a 6th man All-Star year too, wouldn’t that be cool!

Agent Zero may be just that, a zero, with a fat contract.

Jazzaholic

JayD on November 01, 2008 said:

This is so depressing to hear all this talk of trades , espescailly when evryone knows that we have one of the deepest roosters in the league . I think that if the Jazz can all stay healthy there is no reason why we couldnt win the title this season . I beleive that we have the right chemistry on this team .
I was impressed on the win with Denver , since we were missing our fearless leader . I was impressed with the effort that was given in this win . I also thought that RP did a good job in his all around game , even if he didnt shout that well . We should be thankful for his efforts .
Lets cheer on our Jazz , Go Jazz !!!!!!!

Linda McFarland on November 01, 2008 said:

Cheering seems by far more appropriate right now then talking about who to get rid of and trade and on and on. This is the time for optimism. For gracious sakes we haven’t played that many games yet. Why not cheer them on and you never know what you will see come from each player. DWill’s ankle is enough of a downer for now!!!!

Henry on November 01, 2008 said:

The article is so impressive. I enjoy it. Thanks.

I would agree with a lot of people here about the idea of trading Okur for Camby. I don’t think that would totally solve the Jazz problem on inside defense when Jazz face a lot of western teams. The rookie Kosta is another Memo Okur a couple of years later. I guess we will see him 8 to 10 min. a game this year instead of D-league. If Jazz want to get to the top of NBA, they still need to find a inside defender. It’s good to find a valuable young center in the second half of this season from those teams without chances to make the playoffs.

I would put sixers behind three to four eastern teams for the chance to get to the NBA finals.

It’s fun to be here with you guys here.

Henry