One of the best parts about writing for FanHouse is getting to talk shop with those guys all day. They live and breathe it. And sometimes those discussions lead to posts.
Now, I wasn’t tricked into inclusion, I was well aware Brett, or “Brett” as I like to call him, was going to post, and I could have called it off. And I stand by what I wrote, I’ve written it a ton here. The Jazz have been the same level of talent and ability as plenty of other Semifinal teams who didn’t get to play the Warriors, no better. This often gets confused for me thinking they’re a bad team. But the Jazz are a great team. Deron Williams is Chris Paul’s equal, it’s just that his brilliance doesn’t capture our imagination the same way. AK is an amazing giraffopotamustron. I think. And Paul Millsap has the kind of ability to make you jump back in your chair. He literally scares the bejeesus out of me. Boozer’s weak sauce, but who cares. Brewer is a cold blooded killer in the making.
Now, Ziller’s going to make another one of his odes to the Jazz tomorrow (expect the calls about Andrew Bynum being the next great center shortly after, dude’s like clockwork. And by clockwork, I mean “a much better writer than me.” ), and you should definitely check it out over at FanHouse. But I read the comments on our round table today, which featured an amazing combination of actually lucid, intelligent commenters, and I realized that I just didn’t fully give the story.
You can’t look at this Jazz team, this season, and ignore the injuries. It was poor commentary, and a team with this much potential deserves better.
So, to give you a full sense of how much better this team can and will play, here’s a list of all the injuries I found on this page. And Jesus, have these guys been unlucky. I apologize, Jazz fans. You deserved better.
Deron Williams: Left Ankle Inversion Sprain
Matt Harpring: Right Ankle Sprain
Kyle Korver: Right Wrist Inflammation
Jerry Sloan: Flu
Jarron Collins: Right Triceps Tendinitis
Mehmet Okur: Personal Leave
Kyrlo Fesenko: Personal Leave
Brevin Knight: Strained Left Abductor
Carlos Boozer: Strained Left Quad Tendon
Matt Harpring: Strained Lower Back
Andrei Kirilenko: Strained Upper Back Muscle
Paul Millsap: Sprained Left PCL
CJ Miles: Moderate Ankle Sprain
Andrei Kirilenko: Ankle Surgery
Deron Williams: Strained Calf
Deron Williams: Quad Contusion
Brevin Knight: Left Quad Contusion
Mehmet Okur: Flu
Carlos Boozer: Knee surgery
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no worries, MM. we secretly enjoy the opposition. persecution complexes come standard with Jazz fanhood.
Wow, MM. I’ve never seen you open up like that before. It means a lot.
But you don’t have to go around saying that DWill is as good as CP3.
Thanks for the respect.
Worry Matt. Worry a lot.
The only thing your Jazz hatred has done is awaken a sleeping giant. This team is deep. With Booze back giving his 17% effort, Millsap is able to come off the bench and devour the rest of the leagues benches.
I’m calling this here and now.
Jazz get the 4 seed and see the Lakers in the Semis. Game goes 6 to the Jazz. Mark it.
Now, if only I can talk you into placing D-Will a hair above CP3….I guess winning a ring will push you over the edge.
Bravo. I’ve long waited for my fav. independent blog (not controlled by some big, evil company like yahoo! or aol) to give my jazz some props. in return, you recieve an infinite quanta of props back. It takes a big man to look behind the W/L record and try to figure out “why?”
Your criticism of the Jazz is spot on too, but sadly, the Jazz aren’t likely to shake things up and try a risky roster move. 6-9 wins in the playoffs seems like a lock for most seaons, no more, perhaps no less.