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mixum · 08-10-2004, 11:00 AM

Damon and van exel are better than your PGS in arroyo/lopez.

DA is better than Giricek...but you have better depth at SG assuming we get wes person!

Kirlenko is better than Miles and harpring is better than Patterson.

Zach is better than Boozer and Sar is clearly a better backup.

theo vs okur is no contest considering theos defense makes him the best shot blocker in the game.

I mean all you have is a great Sf combo and can MAtt stay healthy? you are deeper at some spots than the Blazers but you arent that much deeper!

I think the hype of Okur and Boozer has jazz fans a little too pumped....you guys will be fighting for playoff spots just like the Blazers, Suns and Lakers!

Chill with this top 4 in the west crap. Just as much as you claim that you came so close with your team last year, to barley miss the playoffs, well to be honest if the Blazers had the team above from day 1....you and the nuggest wouldnt have had any shot at post season, so all the BLazer haters better relax on writing them off.

BigMike · 08-10-2004, 02:30 PM

You forgot one very important comparison....

Jerry Sloan >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Any coach you've ever had or ever will have.

Buddy, from a talent perspective, we're nothing special. Hell, last year we were god awful. But as you Blazer fans should know after the last 5 or so years, having a bunch of talent doesn't necessarily equate into a winner. In the late 90's and early 00's, you guys we're loaded year and in year out, but that didn't amount to anything, did it?

Last year, we lost our best player going into the season (Harpring) really early on in the year, further diminishing our already supposedly AWFUL talent pool, and still managed to come within a game or two of the playoffs, not sure what it was. Last season was the first time guys like Lopez, Arroyo, Kirilenko, Raja Bell, Giricek, (ie our ENTIRE corps last season) were depended upon to really carry the load and be the go-to guys on the team.

Now, last season we were missing two things; a blue-collar 4 man and a skilled big man who can handle the ball on the perimeter.

So, this offseason, we go out and get exactly what we need. Boozer was made to play in this system, and having Okur will really help on offense giving us a versatile big guy who can shoot from the outside and will probably help open up some basket cuts.

With the experience gained, all of our key players back, a healthy Matt Harpring, two rookies who are ready to contribute in Snyder and Humphries, and most importantly a very good big man in Boozer and a decent center in Okur coming in, yeah, I'd say that's enough to improve upon last season to get into the playoffs.

Nobody's writing off Portland...there are only a few teams in the West you can write off. And we'll likely be fighting for a playoff spot....maybe the 4,5,6 spot, maybe the 7 or 8, who knows, but as of right now, it sure looks like the Jazz will be somewhere in the playoffs.

**Arclite** · 08-10-2004, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mixum!
Damon and van exel are better than your PGS in arroyo/lopez.

DA is better than Giricek...but you have better depth at SG assuming we get wes person!

I stopped reading after that.

Sean Reynolds · 08-11-2004, 12:37 AM

Well for one we know the difference between YOUR and YOU'RE.

So that right there makes us better than the Blazers.

**Blazer Freak** · 08-14-2004, 08:49 PM

This guy, dont even read his posts, you should look on the Blazer board sometime.He thinks the sky is always fallings, its not even funny.

Back on track though. I'm most likley Bias BUT I think the Blazers are better than the Jazz. I dont want to get anything started but I mean, why do people think Boozer will put up better stats in the West then what he put up in the East? And what makes you guys thinks Memo will actually play some D, and will actually play in the low post? I mean I know the Blazers arent the best team in the NBA, but I mean come on the Jazz aren't close to Title contenders like some people say on this board. Jazz are a nice young team but I have to give the advantage to my Blazers. In the season series though I think it goes 2-2,3-2(POR) or 3-2(UTH). These teams have the same exact makup if you think about it.

Damon is kinda like Arroyo(I think)
DA is a worse version of Giricek/Harpring.
Miles is a inferior version of AK, but he can still do the things AK does.
ZBo and Boozer have identical games, but ZBo's is more polished.
Ratliff and Memo are the only real diff.

Should be a good matchup this season.

BFreak.

**MJG** · 08-14-2004, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BigMike!
You forgot one very important comparison....

Jerry Sloan >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Any coach you've ever had or ever will have.

That's the biggie right there in my opinion. If Sloan managed to get last year's near-talentless bunch within one game of the playoffs, is there any reason to doubt his ability to get a similar group plus several solid new players back into the playoffs?

**Arclite** · 08-14-2004, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MJG!

That's the biggie right there in my opinion. If Sloan managed to get last year's near-talentless bunch within one game of the playoffs, is there any reason to doubt his ability to get a similar group plus several solid new players back into the playoffs?

Well, I don't mean to sound morbid but I think the death of Bobbye will have an impact on his approach to this season versus the last.. 17 or so. However big or small, positive or negative that impact is remains to be seen.

Sean Reynolds · 08-16-2004, 01:02 AM

Last year Sloan had a lot on his head (his wife was dying throughout most of the season). Yet he still managed to pull Utah within 2 games of the NBA playoffs. It's obvious she meant the world to him and he was devastated by the death. But I think he also knows how much she loved the Jazz. In fact, that is why stayed coaching Utah -- she DEMANDED that he continued with the job while she was dying. It gave her joy and that in return gave Sloan joy. Now he'll be coaching not just for the wins, but for her....because he knows she'll be watching from heaven, sitting in an armchair made from clouds, cheering Utah on.

mixum · 08-31-2004, 02:15 PM

who would you rather have off the bench..>SAR.Van Exel, Patterson, Pryzbilla or Bell, Lopez, Moore and Humphries?

You guys forget that if we had the team we got after the sheed trade...there would have been no playoff race for the 8th spot.

Youre starting 5 and ours...isnt that far apart....DA is better all around then gireck.

**Arclite** · 08-31-2004, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mixum!
who would you rather have off the bench..>SAR.Van Exel, Patterson, Pryzbilla or Bell, Lopez, Moore and Humphries?

You guys forget that if we had the team we got after the sheed trade...there would have been no playoff race for the 8th spot.

Youre starting 5 and ours...isnt that far apart....DA is better all around then gireck.

Ok, a few things: a) Shareef has made it clear that he does not want to play for Portland if he's coming off the bench. Besides that, he didn't play well at all when he did come off the bench. He plays porous defense, brings ZERO energy to the floor, and now he's griping about coming off the bench and his playing time? That's not a guy I want on my team. b) Matt Harpring. Heard of him? c) We don't have Mikki Moore. d) Joel Przybilla?

e) That was last year. The addition of Ratliff was obviously huge, no one will deny that. However, now you have huge questions about your 15 million dollar bench players (will SAR even play? Will Van Exel still be a blubbery butterball when the season starts?) and your starting small forward (Is he even going to re-sign?). On top of all that, the two teams you were in the playoff race with last year RE-TOOLED BIG TIME, while Portland sat on their butts this offseason.

Only time will tell, but if you honestly think Portland is going to be better than Utah and Denver, you're one of the few. Anything can happen, but Utah and Denver both look like very solid teams and Portland has way too many questions marks.

Edit - Apparently Miles just re-upped with the Blazers, which is good news for them.

BigMike · 08-31-2004, 04:16 PM

Damn, NBA players get paid waaaaaaaay too much money. It's ridiculous.

Okur 50 mil? Miles 48 Mil? Wow.

m_darkdragon · 08-31-2004, 06:22 PM

The Jazz had to give the money to Okur an Boozer. They got burned last year, nobody wanted to come to Utah, and to a rebuilding team. So this off season, they got aggressive. Some would say that the Jazz overpaid Okur and Boozer, but if that's the way to get (good) players, that's fine with me, just as long as we can have some cash to re-sign Kirilenko.

**MJG** · 08-31-2004, 06:36 PM

I just have to ask mixum -- where exactly do you see the Blazers this year? From reading your threads in your forum, it sounds like the season is almost over before it starts. Here though, you make it seem like the Blazers are a playoff caliber team.

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