As the first quarter of the NBA season slips into our rear view mirror, it is time for a bathroom break and a refill of stale popcorn washed down with a 6 dollar Coke. Here is what I have seen so far, the journal of a basketball junkie:

Oct 1st – While trolling Andrei Kirilenko’s [...]

So Utah Jazz fans booed the Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena? Really?

Their franchise player has played 5 games and returned prematurely from a severe ankle sprain in a desperate attempt to help his team. He is giving over 100% when his ankle is only able to give about 80%. Their leading scorer and All-Star is wearing [...]

 
‘Getting it Back’ (Melissa Majchrzak – NBAE/Getty Images)

What to make of the incredible shrinking of Carlos Boozer? The leading scorer, double-double king and two-time All-star, who spent most of the year among the league leaders in field-goal percentage is in one grade-A serious funk. One stinky-stank funkadelic funk at such an unfunkadelic [...]

‘Pistol Pete: Circa 1970′ (Dick Raphael – NBAE/Getty Images)
It’s early September 1979, my best friend Nathan and I climbed into our brown ’72 Pontiac Le Mans, chauffeured by my Dad, and proceeded to take the 20-minute drive to Ogden’s Dee Event Center. Most likely the windows were rolled down because my Dad didn’t believe [...]

‘Kobe vs. Karma’ (Rocky Widner – NBAE/Getty Images)
“If Kobe would have been smart, he would have mended those fences with Shaquille, let Shaquille be ‘The Man’ and we wouldn’t be in this position. Now, after four years later, he understands that he can’t do it by himself. Now he’s blaming the organization, and some [...]

‘Intimidators’ (Ronald Martinez – NBAE/Getty Images)
Well, Jazz fans, we’ve done it now. While Utah has not won an NBA title yet, there is a title which the fans have claimed. We have been voted Most Intimidating! In a recent Sports Illustrated survey of 242 NBA players, they were asked which team’s arena [...]

‘Closing Time’ (Melissa Majchrzak – NBAE/Getty Images)
In the late innings of any close baseball game, most managers will decide to bring in the bazooka, the big-gun, the flame-throwing relief pitcher who can make opponents quake in their cleats. He is the hired-gun, the specialist and it’s his job to come in and close out the [...]

‘Statement’ (Melissa Majchrzak – NBAE/Getty Images)

“And it’s been a long December and there’s reason to believe
Maybe this year will be better than the last” —- Counting Crows
At 9:40 remaining in the third quarter of the Jazz blowout win over the Hornets, Deron Williams had a quick decision [...]

‘Rearranging Milsap’ (Lisa Blumenfeld – NBAE/Getty Images)
As 2007 fades to black and the lingering strains of “don’t tase me bro!” drifts from our consciousness it is time to start anew. As the Jazz’ ‘trail of tears’ December debacle coincided with my annual end-of-the-year ‘trail of hacking mucus’ debacle of my own, I had to come [...]