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Utah Jazz: Bench comes up big in win over Kings

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Almond | 1:00 a.m. Dec. 3, 2008
was playing awesome D. Way to shut down Kmart for us.

Solid win and major momentum for the bench.
Steve | 1:16 a.m. Dec. 3, 2008
Wait, so Morris Almond is doing something Sloan likes all of a sudden?
Eugene | 5:13 a.m. Dec. 3, 2008
Yes, we may win a few and lose a few with the current line up and yes, it is terrible to have so many of the players out with injury, but winning with back-ups will only strengthen the team when everyone comes back.

If they can win now, then we should do awesome with a full team.
Comments continue below
ken reber | 5:21 a.m. Dec. 3, 2008
Great report on the Jazz victory over the Kings. I am in Austria and love following the Jazz.
A note of Grammar: the phrase .."from whomever.." should be "whoever" since "whoever" is the subject of the relative clause. "From" is the preposition for the whole clause and not the just the subject.
Jazz fan | 6:35 a.m. Dec. 3, 2008
Sloppy win by the Jazz quit throwin' the ball away eh? We will take the win though. Where are all the Sloan critics saying he is a robot with his subs? And Steve what is your point? With Miles, Brewer and Korver there are only so many minutes to go around at the 2 guard. It is about time Almond started hitting some shots too. Good job by the reserves.
RE: ken reber | 7:25 a.m. Dec. 3, 2008
"and not the just the subject". LOL, I don't care who you are...that's just funny. A grammar and spelling troubleshooter botching the English language in his own correction.
BoOoO | 8:26 a.m. Dec. 3, 2008
I was also very impressed with Almonds play last night. He was extremely active on the defensive end and hitting his shots. If he keeps playing like that, those minutes at the two are going to get really tight. I like that because it will make CJ play harder D to make sure he gets the minutes. ;]
Ken. | 8:26 a.m. Dec. 3, 2008
Austria....Well then, G'Day mate let's put another shrimp on the Bar-B.
Sloan | 9:14 a.m. Dec. 3, 2008
This was one of Sloan's better coaching jobs. He went with who was playing the best. The team actually ran better when Price was running it for the most part. DWill did come through at the end. Memo had an off shooting night. Brewer and CJ came through at times but overall the 1st team did not play well. First half shooting and turnovers were really bad.

Millsap and Koufos fouled but they also tried to play defense. For the most part the starters were - and the subs + in the +/- column most of the night.

At least we are within a game of Denver and Portland. I hope the Jazz play a lot better against Miami. I wonder if we have anyone who can play defense against Wade? Can Knight play defense on that level? DWill is not DWill. He has the heart but his body is not there yet.
LOL | 9:36 a.m. Dec. 3, 2008
AUSTRIA!!! That's a little different then Australia!!

I doubt they are putting any shrimp on the Bar-B in AUSTRIA!!
Re: Ken. | 9:50 a.m. Dec. 3, 2008
Ken Reber said that he is from Austria - not Australia...
Miles | 9:52 a.m. Dec. 3, 2008
Ummmm BoOoO....When did CJ become a 2? Last I looked, he was starting as a 3. I think your man Brewer plays the 2 spot. CJ shares his minutes with the best player on the team.....AK
Sloan Lover | 9:52 a.m. Dec. 3, 2008
Every time the Jazz lose, you read sloan didn't do this or that on this site. Every time the Jazz win, you read Jerry isn't stuck on his usual rotations he can change...blah,blah,blah. Here is my question, are the Jazz shopping Almond? They don't pick up his option and now he is starting to contribute or get time? I don't get these Jazz, they do one thing and then another. Now they pretty much have to trade Almond to get any value from the pick. I don't see him staying after the season based on how he has been treated. Kevin O'conner what is the deal? I'm still not sold that CJ or Brewer are the answer at the two guard....is Almond another Mo Willams type player that the Jazz let go over keeping someone else?
fossil | 9:54 a.m. Dec. 3, 2008
a mistake when they didn't pick up almonds option, now he will get offers and someone will get a good deal. i remember when miller was excited when almond fell down to them as the college best shooter that year even the players agreed on that, and sloan does not like rookies much so almond really stood out at the d-league, if he has to go i would try and get the baby gasol from memphis for him. i remember when we didn't pick parker to save a few bucks and got the kid from spain and he was a injured kid who didn't last.
Moto X | 10:13 a.m. Dec. 3, 2008
I would have to agree--Deron was absolutely awful for most of the game but finally started to play in the 4th. The way Price was playing (and the way Deron wasn't) I was very nervous putting Deron back in at the end but he finally ran the offense. To start the game Deron simply had no lift and it drives me crazy when he drives the lane into 3-4 Kings players with no chance of getting his shot off. His vertical (with his ankle) is about 4 inches right now. he needs to concentrate more on setting up his teammates vs. driving the lane.

CJ and Brewer ought to be embarrassed. Almond is not 1/2 the athlete either one of them are and yet we have to go to Almond for defense? They ought to be able to jump/block shots!!

I was very impressed with some of Almonds blocks and effort in general. I have a slo-mo DVR and I think Almond may have slightly hit/interfered with Brad Millers last (badly missed) shot. It will not show as a block but Miller was at point blank range and missed badly but I think credit goes to Almond from the backside.
Anonymous | 10:15 a.m. Dec. 3, 2008
Good win Jazz - It is vital that d-will took over, he needs to be a game changer again.

Right now the Jazz need to just get healthy.

The Jazz need to go 10 and 5 in the month of December to be at 21 and 12. That only happens if the Jazz are fully healthy for their road trip. They still can recover at during the second half and make a run at the best record in the west. I project amazing record from January thru April. (last year the Jazz lost 12 games between January and April). The Jazz would be at 58 wins - which would put them in the second spots in the west

I hope we fans remember how good D-will was last season.

If you think about it - how good would the Lakers be if Kobe missed 11 games and played at half strength every other games. Gasal misses 7 games, Bynum misses 5 games and Odom misses 4 games. They would have would have 4 or 5 more losses.
SHRIMP ON THE BAR-B | 10:21 a.m. Dec. 3, 2008
dumb & Dumber reference by Ken. Loved it!!


Frustrated | 10:28 a.m. Dec. 3, 2008
I watched an 8th grade girls team play the other night. The Jazz actually had more turnovers. Pathetic!!! An nba team committing 25 turnovers.
re: Ken | 10:29 a.m. Dec. 3, 2008
Apparently non of you have seen Dumb and Dumber, so I'll fill you in. Ken's comment comes from the movie.

Lloyd (played by Jim Carrey): That's a lovely accent you have. New Jersey?

Woman: Austria.

Lloyd: Austria! Well, then. G'day mate! Let's put another shrimp on the barbie!

Woman: Lets not.

Classic, Ken!
BJ Jazzy Rasta | 10:36 a.m. Dec. 3, 2008
Good road win last night. Great to see D-Will come up big at the end. The turnovers were horrible, but it was great to see Almond come in and play some defense...maybe he IS better than I thought...and he must be working hard because Sloan said they deserved to play. That means they're working hard at practice and trying to improve. That's a good sign!

Hopefully we can play some defense against Dwayne Wade tonight because I guarantee he's licking his chops right now!

PS- I like our team better without Boozer. Boozer is awesome on offense sometimes, but Millsap is a breath of fresh air the way he plays hard on both ends of the court.

Still love Ronnie Price and the way he plays as well.

Kosta will be a good player in the league..hopefully for the Jazz! He is only 20 years old!
Re: Re: ken | 10:42 a.m. Dec. 3, 2008
Someone hasnt seen dumb and dumber

lol... nice one ken.
AlmondJOY | 10:44 a.m. Dec. 3, 2008
Do what it takes to keep M.Alomnd in Jazz Blue! Time to say "good night" to Knight.
Almond JOY! | 10:48 a.m. Dec. 3, 2008
Keep M. Almond in Jazz Blue! Time to say "good night" to Kinght.
Anonymous | 11:19 a.m. Dec. 3, 2008
Why would we dump Knight? He runs the offense better than Price when Deron's out. Price is good because he gives teams a different look so we're not one dimensional, but Knight can come in and run the offense against the teams we struggle against while Deron sits
Almond | 11:31 a.m. Dec. 3, 2008
If Almond is good enough to play then the Jazz need to do something with him. As I recall we have a high number one pick next year. That means we will need to drop one current player. Who knows if players will leave.

However, Almond seems to have the ability to be as good as Korver if he gets enough experience. He can shoot and his defense is improving.

If we have to trade Almond I really like the idea of getting Gasol from Memphis (I am not sure they are that dumb).

Never know | 11:58 a.m. Dec. 3, 2008
...what might happen. Afterall Harpring is resembling a redcross diagnosis list of late. Jarron Collins is not far behind. Those 2 roster spots might go poof at years end.

Since the 2 and 3 are basically interchangeable in this offense maybe Almond might be get signed--afterall we know we could get him pretty cheap!
What??! | 12:00 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008
Why would you want Gasol? he's horrible and even worse to watch
Re: Almond | 12:16 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008
It's not next year, unless we do horribly this year. The year after is when the NY pick becomes unprotected.
PurplePeopleEater | 12:19 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008
Pretty pathetic the Kings are to lose to a team that bone-headedly commits 25 turn-overs.

Had the Jazz players not been so befuddled so much of the game, it would have been another blowout of the Kings.

What's it gonna take to get these guys' heads on straight when on the road? Jerry? Any clue? START COACHING!!!
Dumb and Dumber | 12:24 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008

Sloan: " I liked the way you played defense last night"

Almond: "Thanks coach, Is there any chance of getting more playing time once Harpring and AK are healthly?"

Sloan: "Mabey"

Almond: "Like 1 out of 100?"

Sloan: "More like 1 out of 1,000,000"
tommyk | 12:46 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008
korver played like trash, those were trash points your were getting, what about the turnover? Almond kept us in the game
BoOoO | 12:52 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008
Miles: Not sure if you noticed, but practically all the positions on the Jazz are interchangeable. Miles, Brewer, AK, Korver and Almond all share the 2 and 3 spots. Sloan will put the two in that he feels is playing the best.
Almond Brotha | 1:33 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008
He's the best two gaurd/Small forward on the roster!
Is It Just Me Or What? | 1:41 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008
Getting away from the players for a minute, I can't hardly stand to leave the sound on anymore for the Jazz broadcasts. This Bolerjack is driving me crazy with all of this amazing, double-double, thats a highlight, commentary. I'll take HOTS anytime. A double-double is nothing for a power position, or point guard player, and is something that they should do on a regular basis. And one more thing- this kissing up to poor play is driving me nuts also. Booner is fine as is Pace and Bailey but another pain is David James. Exit both Boler abd him and get people that know whats going on to do the broadcasts and sideline work. Steve Brown is alright too. "Whew glad I got that off ny chest.
JazzFan4ever | 1:45 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008
We don't need to trade anybody. Just keep working hard and getting better. Almond played well and deserved the time he got.I think sometimes people are just trade happy. When the team gets healthy let's see how they perform for about twenty games.If they win 16 out of 20 let them make a run this year and stick with who we have. Each player on the Jazz right now brings something different and are key pieces to the puzzle.Hold your criticism until everybody's healthy.
Almond: so your | 1:45 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008
telling me there's a chance. YES. Right out of the blue Sloan sent me a John Deere letter, and some young filly broke his heart
pete | 1:47 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008
the super stars of sports make two much. the second string and third make two little. you cannot sell obstructed view tickets. minimum should be 450,000; and max 900,000
Mike B. | 2:11 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008
Jazz fans we are going to be good! Lets get through these injuries first. This is going to pay off for us come playoff time. The bench players will be more effective for us, and this will make us better. We have got to get better in the post if we expect to compete with L.A. and yes Portland will be thier this year. I hope Koufus gets better, and yes Feseko could help defensively if he gets some playing time. We need big bodies to play well for us to give us a chance. GO JAZZ! COUGARS, AND UTES!
re: BJ Jazzy Rasta | 2:16 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008
You like the team better without Boozer?? Yeah me too since Chicago and New Jersey beat us in SLC. You can't tell me that would have happened if he were playing. Let's save the comment space for less stupid remarks.
Boler | 2:21 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008
I love Hot Rod but honestly I would take Boler over him. I think he is entertaining. I agree David James is very annoying though so is Pat Kanahan on the radio for that matter.
Say Goodnight to Knight? | 2:23 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008
I hate to break it to you but Knight and Almond pay different positions.
Pete | 2:27 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008
Superstars do not make too much (not two much, TOO much) because fans keep going to the games which means they make money. If fans felt that way they qould quit going to the games and by the way how is that comment even relevant to the subject here?
Sloan | 2:31 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008
Where are all the Anti-Sloans who claim he uses a stop watch for his rotation? He played subs all night so to you all, put that in your pipe and smoke it!
Jimmy Z says | 2:32 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008
Did anyone notice all the empty seats in Sacramento?
This town used to sell the building out every game.
It tells me the recession hit Utah after everyone
renewed their season Utah Jazz tickets. Things will
be a lot tougher next year selling lower bowl Jazz
tickets with the economy in such a huge tank. So
Mr. MIller be careful with you money thats all I can
say, and sign on some big sponsors, because Jimmy Z
says there will be more empty seats next season at
the Energy Solutions Center.
Ing | 2:39 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008
I can't believe Bolercracker is doing play-by-play on Jazz games now. Almost makes me glad I don't get to see the Jazz on TV where I live. Listening to that dude do BYU football back in the day was painful enough.

On the bright side, I think it's great to see (well, technically read...I didn't actually *see* anything) that group of reserves playing so well. This bodes well for the Jazz in the future. Even if the team ends up trading Almond (I hope they don't just let him go for nothing), we'll get more in return.

The better the reserves are, the better this team is. We might be losing a few games right now that we could have won with healthy starters, and it might hurt playoff seeding down the line (especially if the race is as tight as last year's)....but it looks to me like this team, if it can play to its full potential AND get healthy eventually, could be good enough to get back to the championship series again.
Bankshot7 | 2:45 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008
I totally agree with Just me or What, I think Boler and James need to go find work they are better suited for. I always liked having Mark Eaton on the Jazz show, what happened to him and why won't they put him back on. Get rid of Pace who never was a player anyway.
Chukar | 3:30 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008
Good coaching job Sloan.... Leave the players in that were getting the job done
Still coach of the year
Knight | 3:38 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008
We would have 4 or 5 more losses without Knight. Besides he is cheap. So is Price, who seems to be playing sporadically better.
Hot Rod | 3:55 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008
I like Hot Rod. He is honest and accurate. If a player is doing poorly he is not afraid to talk about it in the appropriate way. If the other team does something well he appreciates the talent.

Frankly, I get very tired of the "homer" announcers for other teams who are always complaining and blaming the refs or other team's players. If the Jazz or a particular player is playing bad then say so and explain what to do better.
Craig | 4:14 p.m. Dec. 3, 2008
I'm not sure but I think Almond will only be a Restricted Free Agent and the Jazz could match any offer he might get from other teams.
Play Koofos more and let him develope, he will help alot if he gets experience and Sloans trust.

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Rich Pedroncelli, Associated Press

Jazz forward Paul Millsap, left, leans in for the layup against Kings center Spencer Hawes.

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