Utah Jazz Blog – Page 57 – NBA Blog

Derrick Favors replaces Tiago Splitter in 2012 Rising Stars Challenge

The NBA announced today that Utah Jazz forward Derrick Favors has been added to the 2012 NBA Rising Stars Challenge that will take place on Friday, February 24 in Orlando, during NBA All-Star 2012. Favors will join teammate Gordon Hayward, who was previously selected to the game, on TEAM CHUCK. The two will be Utah’s first participants in the event since Ronnie Brewer and Paul Millsap played for the sophomore team during the 2008 NBA All-Star Weekend in New Orleans.

A 2010 first-round draft pick (third overall) out of Georgia Tech, Favors is currently averaging 8.1 points and 5.0 rebounds in 19.6 minutes per game this season. The 6-10, 246-pound forward has scored in double figures nine times this season, grabbed 10+ rebounds four times, and registered a double-double on three occasions. On December 30, Favors notched a new career-high scoring 20 points while pulling down 11 rebounds vs. Philadelphia.

Favors and Hayward will be the sixth and seventh players in Jazz history to participate in the Rising Stars Challenge (formerly the Rookie Challenge), joining Bryon Russell (1994), Andrei Kirilenko (2002, 2003), Deron Williams (2006, 2007), Paul Millsap (2007, 2008) and Ronnie Brewer (2008).

This year, a new format is being implemented to a game that has historically featured NBA rookies facing off against sophomores. For the first time, rookies and sophomores will be mixed together on teams. TNT analysts Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal are serving as the general managers of the two opposing teams – TEAM CHUCK and TEAM SHAQ – having held a draft on Feb. 16.

Utah Jazz, Paul Millsap in a slump

It’s a chicken-or-egg question.

Is Paul Millsap struggling because the Jazz are playing poorly as a team, or are the Jazz struggling because Millsap isn’t dominating games the way he did earlier this season?

One thing is clear.

Millsap’s numbers have dipped recently and the Jazz can’t afford that trend to continue — not if they want to remain in the Western Conference playoff race during the final 38 games of the season.

Heading into Friday night’s game against Washington at EnergySolutions Arena, Utah has lost five of its last six.

In those defeats, Millsap averages 10.2 points and nine rebounds.

Not bad.

On the other hand, Millsap made only 18 of his 50 field-goal attempts. He journeyed to the free-throw line seven times in 114 minutes.

— Reported by Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune

Read NBA fan opinion and share your views in this basketball forum topic.

Karl Malone calls out Utah Jazz on Jerry Sloan’s exit

Karl Malone

Likes tractors

For four hours last Friday, Malone co-hosted my radio show and talked about many topics, the way only Malone can. His signature point: He said the Jazz botched the Williams-Sloan situation, giving the player too much power, and essentially blamed Kevin O’Connor and Greg Miller for undermining an icon who had coached the Jazz for 23 years.

“On the whole handling of that, I would have to give [them] a D or F, and I would lean more toward an F,” said Malone, who has remained close to Sloan since his own retirement in 2004.

Trouble had been stirring between Williams and Sloan for months. Sloan admitted that the two “got into it.” Malone said the Jazz had empowered the point guard to go directly to O’Connor when he disagreed with Sloan and that was, as Karl called it, “the perfect storm.”

“I know for a fact that [Sloan] was overridden on practices sometime on the road because Deron was calling our G.M. at that time,” Malone said. “ … You give a guy that much power, and he’s the kind of player you think he played hard all the time, but if he wanted to sulk he could sulk. … I never went to Larry [Miller] to talk about Coach Sloan. … It’s not one time, in my gut and heart, that I would go over his head.”

— Reported by Gordon Monson of the Salt Lake Tribune

Deron Williams open to exercising his one-year Nets option

Of all the possibilities for Deron Williams this summer, the one that has rarely been brought up is the option that would pay him the most money.

It’s been assumed Williams wouldn’t pick up his one-year, $17.8 million option because he could get a four or five-year deal if he becomes a free agent. But the point guard didn’t rule it out when asked Monday.

“Yeah (picking up the option is something I’m considering). I don’t know what I’m going to do,” he told the Daily News. “At the end of the season, I’m going to figure out what’s going on, I’m going to sit down with my agent and look at every option possible.”

— Reported by Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (Blog)

Read NBA fan opinion and share your views in this basketball forum topic.

Greg Ostertag ends NBA comeback attempt

After knee troubles limited him to less than 30 minutes in the Texas Legends’ last three games, Greg Ostertag informed the team Thursday that he is ending his comeback in the D-League.

Ostertag had his best game for the Frisco-based Legends last week at the D-League Showcase in Reno in front of scouts from numerous NBA teams, but the 38-year-old told ESPN.com on Thursday that the pain in his knees since then had become unbearable.

“They’ve been bugging me since I came back (in late December), but I could barely move (after Reno),” Ostertag said. “I felt good there and I played good. I get out there and sometimes I do get loose, but usually the ‘don’ts’ are longer than the ‘dos.’ It sucks, but I knew going into this what could happen.”

— Reported by Marc Stein of ESPN.com

Read NBA fan reaction or share your views in this basketball forum topic.

Former N.C. State player Gavin Grant found not guilty of robbery charges

Gavin Grant, a former standout N.C. State basketball player, was acquitted Thursday of first-degree burglary and robbery with a dangerous weapon charges related to a home invasion robbery.The jury’s decision in Wake County Superior Court capped a trial that started Monday with prosecutors contending the 6-foot-8 Grant was one of two men who broke into a West Raleigh apartment in September 2010, armed with a gun and demanding money from one of the residents.

The incident occurred in September 2010.

Eliza Jacobellis, a woman in the Raleigh apartment, dialed 911 on Sept. 24, 2010 to report that two men were trying to take her boyfriend’s money.

Former N.C. State baseball player Domonique Andrews Rodgers, one of the accusers, told police he knew his attackers, offering the names of Grant and another former Wolfpack basketball player —Farnold Degand, who had an alibi.

— Reported by Anne Blythe of the News Observer

Nets offense stinks, says Deron Williams

In a 101-90 loss to the Heat, the Nets offense sputtered through another slow start — with just 35 points in the first half — and ultimately another depressing evening.

“Our offense (stinks),” Deron Williams, who missed a game last week with a ribs injury, said after the Nets shot 33.7 percent with 22 turnovers Saturday. “We’re not very good right now. We’re not playing good. We’re not shooting good. I’m not shooting good. We’re turning the ball over.

“I like the offense. I like the system, I just think we’re not executing good, we’re not finishing, we’re not hitting shots, messing up plays, not in the right spots.”

The point guard’s statement is underscored by the stat sheet.

The Nets are shooting a league-worst 38.1 percent from the field. Their average of 85.44 points per game would be a league worst if not for the Detroit Pistons.

— Reported by Michael J. Fensom of the Newark Star-Ledger

Josh Howard fined for foul on James Anderson

Josh Howard of the Utah Jazz has been fined $25,000 for his Flagrant Foul Two, it was announced today by Stu Jackson, NBA Executive Vice President Basketball Operations.

Howard was initially called for a Flagrant Foul One against James Anderson of the San Antonio Spurs. The league office has upgraded the call to a Flagrant Foul Two.

The incident occurred with 03.3 seconds remaining in the third quarter of the Jazz’ 104-89 loss to the Spurs at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, TX on December 31.

Andrei Kirilenko to keep playing in Russia

CSKA Moscow announced on Saturday that injured forward Andrei Kirilenko will rejoin the team on January 3 after missing six weeks with injury and deciding to activate his option to stay with the Russian champions through the rest of the Turkish Airlines Euroleague season. Kirilenko (30 years old, 2.06 meters) was the Euroleague’s top performer until he suffered a broken nose, concussion and shoulder injury halway through the regular season. Kirilenko, who had played three seasons for CSKA until age 20, returned to the club last summer. His contract with CSKA gave him the option to leave before the start of the Top 16. Kirilenko was named the bwin MVP for October and was bwin MVP of the week twice in the first five games while averaging 13.8 points, 9 rebounds, 3.4 assists. 2.2 steals and 3.2 blocks. He was leading the Euroleague in both rebounds and blocks when he suffered a freak fall in a Russian League game in November.

— Reported by Euroleague.net

Greg Ostertag seeks NBA comeback, signs contract in D-League

Greg Ostertag, one of the best basketball players to come out of Duncanville and an 11-year NBA veteran, will begin a comeback Thursday night with the Texas Legends that he hopes will lead to the NBA.

The National Basketball Development League team based in Frisco came to an agreement with the 7-2 Ostertag this afternoon and he will make his debut Thursday against Rio Grande Valley in a home game at Dr Pepper Arena.

He’s also expected to play Friday against Tulsa.

Ostertag spent most of his NBA career with the Utah Jazz and was one of the most the best shot-blockers in the league, swatting a shot every 11.4 minutes of playing time.

“I missed playing,” Ostertag said. “I shouldn’t have quit when I did and I feel like I got to give it one last shot to see if I can make it happen.

— Via Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News Blog