Deron Williams is acting like a turkey... Let him go to Turkey...

If Deron Williams wants act like a turkey and play in Turkey, does anyone care?  I sure don't. If I was an NBA owner I'd charter a bus to the airport for all the players who wish to go overseas.  I'd call the players' bluffs every day and twice on Sunday. 

Dear player: If you want to play internationally, that's your choice.  Go if you want to go.  Nothing is stopping you.

Personally, and I've written about this before on some forum (i.e. if not in this blog specifically), I think Williams is an idiot.  Unfortunately, he's not alone.  5 million guaranteed in Turkey.  Great.  I happen to think that these people are very short-sided in their thinking.

I don't believe that NBA players with viable NBA careers think international competition is the best competition.  I also don't think that playing overseas is smart from a marketing perspective since I feel it would make people lose interest in their brand.  This isn't the Yao Ming phenomenon.  Yao already had his audience.  International players who grow up in their native land have a built in audience their and then "matriculate" to the NBA.  The same metaphor can be used when amateurs matriculate to the professional level.  No offense to international competition, but FIBA and global basketball is much different compared to the NBA.  

As I've stated before, I predict that the NBA lockout will go til at least 2012.  I think the NBA All-Star festivities in Orlando won't happen.  I also think with a shortened season, that the teams that are already "stable" will sprint to the finish line.  Tough luck to the teams that are rebuilding or hoping that they could "gel" and build "chemistry".  Players will enjoy their summers and extend vacations.  Some players will work out with MLB baseball teams and/or join other summer leagues.

Of course, this is all my opinion, after experiencing the 1998 NBA lockout and having an inside perspective into how it affects players, coaches, agents, media, and fans.

In all honesty, I'm not really a fan of Deron Williams to begin with so I have to ask why anyone is really listening to him?  The guy is on the New Jersey Nets.  Who cares?!!?

Dear, Deron Williams:  Talk is cheap.  Let us know when you have a boarding pass.


THE WIRK

FREE Deron Williams T-shirt ~ I laughed at this phrase

Today I received an email message "from" Deron Williams.  I'd imagine it was one of the emails that the team sends out to people who've bought tickets to a game.  Regardless, I thought it was funny.  In the email was a video from Deron Williams and a picture of him (i.e. presumably at the press conference where he was welcomed to the New Jersey Nets), after being traded from the Utah Jazz.  I didn't watch the video, but I thought the line underneath Williams' picture was funny.

Here's the line, "...the first 10,000 fans in attendance will receive a FREE Deron Williams NETS Basketball T-Shirt!"

Whoever wrote that line is pretty clever or maybe a little sarcastic.  It's no secret that the Utah Jazz's future looked brighter than the Nets'.  So, I couldn't help but read "FREE" as "let Deron go" as opposed to "at no cost".

Just something that made me laugh, that I thought I'd share.


THE WIRK

ESPN NBA doubleheader tonight ~ Lakers v Knicks and Suns v Jazz

So Deron Williams is on the ESPN crawl and he says, "I would never force Sloan out of Utah."  Well, of course he has to say something...  I don't know about you, but I'm going to be firmly planted in front of my TV tonight.  Yes, it's going to be a "wild" one.  ESPN is offering me more drama and excitement this evening than a night out with my friends can promise.  To paraphrase the current catchphrase for the NBA, I'm ready for amazing to happen. 

Last night the Los Angeles Lakers spoiled it for the Boston Celtics by defeating the Celtics on a night when Ray Allen made history.  Ray Allen surpassed Reggie Miller to become the all-time 3 point leader.  The Lakers surged in the 2nd half to defeat the Celtics, so I'm going to guess that Kobe Bryant et al will be tired tonight.

My prediction for the first game of the doubleheader is that the Knicks play big tonight and defeat the Los Angeles Lakers.  Last night, I was catching up with a friend and he brought up the fact that tonight will be Phil Jackson's last night coaching the Lakers at Madison Square Garden.  Needless to say the game became slightly more intriguing, and I thought about hopping on a train to New York City.  

Ultimately, I decided to cool my jets and watch at home.  Phil's last game at the Garden...  I can't believe it.  I'm still hoping Phil pulls a "Brett Favre" and comes back next year.  I'm not ready to see the Zen Master go, and with the Lakers playing the way they are ~ I think it's obvious that the team still needs him.

I think after a day of rest and losing the the Los Angeles Clippers (i.e. read "Blakers", as in Blake Griffin's team) that the New York Knicks will deliver a quality performance and win for their fans.

Enough about that.

Late last night, Steve Nash tweeted about the Phoenix Suns getting to .500.  After last season, if you would've told me that the Suns were going to be a .500 team this close to the NBA All-Star break, I would've called you a liar.  Obviously, I knew that the loss of Amare Stoudemire would be significant.  Seriously, though...  .500?!?!  This is a team that made it to the Western Conference Finals last year.

Regardless tonight's 2nd game of the double headers should be a good one.  I predict that the Suns come out blazing and the the Utah Jazz under perform.  I'm also very curious to hear if the reception for Deron Williams changes from previous games.  I can't feel the pulse in Salt Lake City (i.e. on this side of the country), but I can't imagine that the "Utah Jazz" faithful are thrilled that Jerry Sloan is gone. 

The first game is at 8PM.  Order your pizza by 7:30 to make sure it's delivered before the opening tip.

To recap my predictions:

Knicks defeat the Lakers.

Suns defeat the Jazz.

THE WIRK

Jerry Sloan retiring immediately ~ This Jazz is not music to my ears...

I never questioned Jerry Sloan's passion and dedication to his team and the sport of basketball.  If you don't know who Jerry Sloan is (i.e. and you're not my mom), why are you even reading this blog? 

****  I watched Jerry Sloan lose it at the Staples Center in April of 2009.  I can't remember, but I think he got tossed out of the game.  The man was fired up, and I can respect that.

No, Jerry Sloan isn't a camel, but was the latest flare up with Deron Williams the final straw? I've been in training all week, but I couldn't help but see that Jerry Sloan was retiring from his head coaching position, with the Utah Jazz.  When I first saw it, I thought to myself that sure ~ the Utah Jazz have been looking a little, lackluster and have been playing "flat".  However, when I checked their record, I was surprised to see that they are still above .500, especially in the Western Conference.  Let's face it.  The Western Conference is a lot sexier than the Eastern Conference in terms of competition and flash.

The Utah Jazz are currently 31-23.  I'll admit right now, that I haven't watched a Jazz game since the weekend before Super Bowl XLV.  I've learned not to bet on them, when I was in Vegas, because they've become incredibly unpredictable.  Carlos Boozer's presence is sorely missed and (i.e. when I was watching the games a couple of weekends ago) Deron Williams was sitting on the bench.  When I tune in Andrei Kirilenko, AK-47, is more like a BB gun.  The Jazz just don't look good anymore.  However, that's only a reason for me to stop watching them and not for Jerry Sloan to stop coaching them.

When I saw the news about Sloan on the TV, I thought he'd finish out the season.  I was wrong.  Evidently, his resignation is effective immediately.

Wow, I'm a basketball purist and I realize the pros are different than college.  However, if this is an example of a "star" player exercising his muscle to get a coach out, then this is a very slippery slope for an NBA franchise to take.  A coach is still a coach.

Assistant coach Tyrone Corbin is taking over the team.  I have no idea what he looks like, but for now he'll be referred to as "the guy sitting next to Gary Briggs".  ****  That's right Briggs, you get a shout out.  I still remember you from my Cleveland Cavaliers days.

I still haven't visited Salt Lake City to see the Jazz play at home.  I don't really have any method to my madness of picking a venue to visit, but I'll admit I like the teams I see to have an identity.  If you ask me the future of the Jazz is hazy and now with the change in leadership, I'm moving the visit further down the list.  Maybe I'll have a long layover or Delta will bump me.  That's the only way you'll find me at a Jazz game in the foreseeable future.

Jazz, huh...  Sloan's retirement is not music to my ears...  Deron Williams, you better be putting up crazy, consistent All-Star stas now that Sloan is gone, because like it or not, the spotlight (i.e. heat lamp) is on you now.

THE WIRK