Larry H Miller, Owner of the Utah Jazz, passed away

I was sad to read last night that Larry Miller had passed away. What I know of him from afar, he was a great owner of the Utah Jazz. He was responsible for keeping the Jazz in Utah. The record of the Jazz over the last 20 years is a testamony to his dedication to the Jazz. I can only hope that Michael Heisley can duplicate the success of Larry Miller as an owner. My sympathy to the family.

Here is the press release from the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies:
SALT LAKE CITY (February 20, 2009) -Larry H. Miller, husband, father, grandfather, a well-known entrepreneur, community advocate and humanitarian, died from complications due to type 2 diabetes today, at home, surrounded by his family. He was 64.
Miller, a man who truly loved Utah, its people and its land, was born in Salt Lake City in 1944. From modest beginnings, he grew up in the Capitol Hill area and went on to become one of Utah's most successful entrepreneurs and business leaders.
Leaving behind a profound professional and personal legacy, the entities Miller created have had a significant and lasting impact on the communities in which he did business, and the more than 7,000 individuals he employed.
The Larry H. Miller Group of Companies began with the Larry H. Miller Toyota store in Murray, Utah on May 1, 1979. Through the years, Miller amassed more than 80 businesses and properties in the western United States. Most notable are the Utah Jazz, EnergySolutions Arena, the Salt Lake Bees, Miller Motorsports Park, Megaplex Theatres, and 39 automobile dealerships spanning the Rocky Mountain West. Miller also developed a vast real estate holdings including commercial and agricultural properties.
A dynamic entrepreneur and business leader, Miller also became known for his charitable efforts. Miller coined the phrase "Go about doing good until there is too much good in the world."
Miller and his wife Gail provide close to 300 college scholarships each year. Larry H. Miller Charities, a foundation funded by monthly contributions from his businesses, fundraising events in the community, and personal donations from employees, has donated millions of dollars to communities in which Miller does business.
"Larry and Gail have always stressed the importance of giving back to the communities in which we do business. Our customers have supported us and it is important that we show our appreciation by helping those in need," said Greg Miller, eldest son and CEO of the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies. "Larry felt that his legacy isn't in business as much as it was in creating opportunities for good jobs and higher education."
Larry and Gail have also donated millions of dollars to Utah-based colleges and universities for campus improvements such as the state-of-the-art softball and baseball complexes at BYU. The Larry H. Miller Campus of the Salt Lake Community College (SLCC), was completed in fall 2001 and includes the Larry H. Miller Entrepreneurship Training Center and The Larry and Gail Miller Public Safety Education & Training Center.
Despite all of his success, Miller always maintained that his greatest accomplishment is the family that survives him: his wife, Karen Gail Saxton Miller, their four sons and one daughter, 21 grandchildren, and one great grandchild. Read more!

Frustrating loss to the Kings

This week has been a frustrating week for Grizzlies fans. We start off with a loss at the Utah Jazz. They were missing Okur and Boozer but are still a good team so it was an understandable loss. Then we go to Portland and suffer a tough loss there. The technical foul called on coach Hollins really hurt us down the stretch. Then we come home to play the lowly Kings who were shorthanded dressing only 8 players for the game. The Kings have the worst record in the NBA and came into last nights game with just a 3-26 road record which is the worst road record in the NBA as well. So with that in mind, you would think that the Grizzlies would take care of business at home.

Last nights game just seemed destined for the Kings to win. Every time the ball got loose on the defensive end, it seemed to always bounce into a Kings player. One time there were 3 or 4 Grizzlies players around 1 Kings player and it still bounced into the Kings players hands. The Grizzlies couldn't shoot well last night either. They had 21 more shot attempts yet only hit 2 more shots than the Kings. The Kings out shot them from 3 point range 10-5 and also hit 8 more free throws than the Grizzlies.

Some positives for the Grizzlies was the play of Mike Conley. He didn't shoot the ball well going 3-13 but did get to the line 10 times converting 9 of them. He also tied Rudy Gay with leading the team with 10 rebounds for his second straight double double. He should have had a triple double but he ended with just 7 assists. The frustrating part was that he had 7 assists at the end of the 3'rd quarter and didn't get a single assist in the 4'th quarter. We must have our point guard setting us up for scores in the 4'th quarter if we are going to win ball games. We got outplayed in both the 2'nd and 4'th quarters last night.

Another positive was the play of Darko Milicic. He had 12 points, 8 rebounds and 2 block shots in just 21 minutes. I thought he should have been on the court more last night. The team was +10 points when he was playing. Darrel Arthur was the only other player that had a positive number while on the court. He was at +3. Marc Gasol who Darko shares time with was -14 last night.

The Grizzlies made a strong run with 2.5 minutes to go in the game and got as close as 3 before stumbling in the last minute. We must learn how to close out games. The next home game is February 28'th against the Oklahoma City Thunder. They currently have the 2'nd worst record in the league and are only 3-23 on the road. We MUST win this game at home. If we don't the fans are really going to lose hope in this team. February started so well, don't lose the momentum we had built. Read more!

This is Mike Conley's team.

ESPN has this posted on their website
POSTED: Feb. 19 -- 3:05 p.m. ET

"Marc Stein: Looks like we have a fairly significant three-way deal that was submitted to the league just before the trade deadline.
NBA front-office sources tell ESPN.com that Orlando is acquiring Rafer Alston from Houston to fill the void at point guard created by Jameer Nelson's shoulder injury.
The Rockets will receive Memphis guard Kyle Lowry, Orlando forward Brian Cook and perhaps two other minimum-salaried players to make the finances work.
The Grizzlies will receive a first-round pick from Orlando."

In my opinion, it seems like a low first round draft pick wasn't enough in return for Kyle Lowry. Currently the Magic have the 5'th best record in the league which means the Grizzlies would get a 26'th pick if this pick is in next years draft. I wonder if there is anything else to the trade.

This definitely gives the keys to the team to Mike Conley. He has been playing much better lately since Hollins has been coach. He has scored double figures in 10 straight games. Great game last night with 15 points and 10 assists. I hope he is in good shape because he is going to need to play 35 to 40 minutes every night. It is great to see him playing with confidence. Teams have been leaving him open and he is hitting his shots. Read more!

Cash considerations

The Grizzlies have acquired Chris Mihm and cash considerations for a future 2'nd round draft pick. I believe this is the 3'rd time this season that the Grizzlies have acquired a person via trade and received cash considerations along with them. Ron Tillery is reporting that "The Grizzlies are likely to consummate one or two more financial-related trades between now and the league's trade deadline Thursday at 2 p.m."

Obviously the Grizzlies are assisting some other franchises in avoiding some luxury tax penalties, but hopefully the Grizzlies are earning some positive points with other teams that they might be able to use in later trades. I am sure that they are making some money on all these transactions, because I can't imagine that Mihm is going to see the floor for the Grizzlies. Read more!

O.J. Mayo Rookie of the Year

It is great to see that the Grizzlies are putting a campaign together to get O.J. the Rookie of the Year award. Here is the story that is in the commercial appeal.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/feb/13/all-star-campaign-promotes-oj-mayo-rookie-year/

The Grizzlies have setup a website for O.J. at www.voteoj.com. It is a very nice site that gives information to show why he deserves the award. He will go against tough competition in Derrick Rose. The only time the national media will get to see him is this weekend at the all-star break. On the other hand Derrick Rose has 12 nationally televised games after the all-star break. I believe O.J. is stepping up with the team and leading us to victories as of late. If he continues the play as of late he will make a strong case for winning this award.

This would be one positive to come out of the season. We are looking had for positives right now. Read more!

Amare Stoudemire?

I have heard that the Grizzlies have rejected a trade offer from the Phoenix Suns to obtain Amare Stoudemire. The Grizzlies reportedly would have to give up Conley, Gay, and Warrick. Considering the way these guys are currently playing, I believe that would be a little to much to give up for Amare. Since the coaching change, all 3 of these players are averaging over 10 points per game. Rudy is at 21.3 ppg, Conley is at 13.5 ppg and Warrick is at 12.5 ppg. Their regular season ppg this season is 39.6 or their recent ppg is 47.3. That is too much scoring and potential to give up to obtain Amare Stoudemire. Amare is only at 21 ppg and 8 rpg.

I have heard that Warrick is not in the long term plans of this team. If that is the case, then I would like to see them make this trade with a couple changes. Lowry, Gay and Warrick would be one option. I imagine Lowry would like the opportunity to backup Nash, knowing that Nash is only going to be the guy for a few more years. I don't know how much desire Lowry has to stay here if the Grizzlies are going to make Conley the man at point.

Another option would be Gay, Warrick, Arthur, and the Lakers' first round pick next year. I wouldn't mind giving up Arthur becuase if we get Stoudemire, than Arthur isn't going to be needed. You would have Amare, Darko, and Marc to play the 4 and 5 spots. I think you could play Darko as a good backup to Amare and Marc and would have a great trio in the post.

I believe it is very important that the Grizzlies try very hard to get Amare on this team within the next week. It will show the fans that the team is very commited to winning and will make a big splash in the national media. If we could get Conley, Mayo, Stoudemire, and Gasol together, that is a nice core to build around.

Please Grizzlies, GET AMARE!!!!!!! Read more!

UGLY can be Pretty

The last 2 games haven't been the prettiest games in the NBA, but when the home team wins them both, they are very pretty. It is good to see what Coach Hollins is doing with this team. I haven't been able to attend the last 2 games due to other obligations and I have only seen the last few minutes of each game, and it is nice to see O.J. taking over to insure us the win.

Good job tonight to the Grizzlies on the boards. Setting a franchise record 64 rebounds. 3 players having double-double are very nice. Hopefully they will play well tomorrow night on the road and go into the all-star break with a nice month going. Read more!

Grizzlies got clipped!

It didn't take long for the Grizzlies fan' bubble to get popped last night. Fans were expecting the Grizzlies to extend their winning streak to 3. After just a couple minutes of the 1'st quarter, I knew the Grizzlies were in trouble. The refs were calling many fouls so that the Grizzlies were in foul trouble early. Also, the Grizzlies weren't hitting shots and the shots they did hit were clean hits. They would roll around on the rim and then fall in. At the end of the 1'st quarter, Darko was on the bench with 3 fouls and the Grizzlies were shooting 30 percent.

Last nights game was very ugly for a Grizzlies fan, but if you were a Clippers fan, you had to be excited. The Clippers made 16 3's to set a new franchise record. None of them was crazier than Zach Randolph's 3 at the buzzer of the 2'nd quarter. Being defended bringing the ball down the court, he nearly lost his dribble and then launched a shot from past half court and sunk it nothing but net. At that point, I knew it was all over but the crying for the Grizzlies.

I look at last nights game as an important learning lesson for the team. This team is still learning how to win. When a baby is learning how to walk, they take a few steps then they fall on the butt. Last night the Grizzlies fell down after 2 wins with one win that wasn't expected against the Rockets. What they must do tonight against the Raptors is go out and stand back up and take another step. O.J. must have a better night tonight than his 3-9 shooting last night. He even missed 2 free throws. For the Grizzlies to win, O.J. must not be outscored by Buckner. Read more!

Houston has a problem in Memphis

Wow, what a great game tonight in Memphis. It was great to have Darko back tonight as he made a great contribution tonight. Coach Hollins mentioned that it will allow us to have 6 additional fouls on Yao. Not only did it allow us to have an additional 7 foot defender but he also went 4-4 from the field for 9 points along with 2 rebounds, an assist and a block. Several times he didn't get the rebound but he had Yao boxed out properly so that the Grizzlies got the rebound. Welcome back Darko. We even had a nice Marko dish to Darko for the slam tonight.

What can we say about O.J. Mayo? When the Rockets started to make it close, he came out in the 4'th quarter and made sure we kept the lead and won the game. He had several clutch shots to put the game away. I don't know what it is about him, but when he goes for 30+, he follows it up with another 30+ game. I do believe that he will have a 40+ point game this season. It is good to see Rudy and O.J. starting to play well together.

We are starting to see the potential of Mike Conley lately. He had a great game tonight. 10 points with 9 rebounds and 7 assists tonight against only 1 turnover. I believe several of his rebounds were because the big men were boxing out properly. It is great seeing the team play team ball. They are having fun playing ball right now. It has been a while since we have seen them having fun on the court. When the Grizzlies are having fun on the court, the fans are having fun in the stands.

Coach Hollins, keep up the good work. We could have another 4 game winning streak after this weekend. Read more!

Congratulations Coach Hollins

Congratulations to Coach Hollins on getting his first win as a permanent head coach. The Grizzlies came out and took it to a team that they should have beaten. It was great to see O.J., Rudy, Marc, and Mike playing so well in a game together. I have been impressed with the job Coach Hollins has done in such a short time. We will see if the effort continues. Hopefully the Grizzlies will get back to playing better ball and give us some hope for improvement going into next season.

I will admit I was disappointed in the hiring of Coach Hollins. After 1 week, he is changing my opinion of the hiring. Keep up the good work, and I will become a believer in you.

Good luck tonight against the Rockets. Read more!

Lakers roll through Memphis

Wow, what an exciting evening in FedEx Forum Saturday night. You knew that the Lakers were in town because the arena was packed and there was a lot of purple and gold in the crowd. It was great to see the Forum full of fans.

The game itself was a tale of two halfs. The first half was the Grizzlies half. The Lakers I believe were distracted by the injury to Bynum, more on that later. Everybody was playing well for the Grizzlies. O.J. and Rudy both came out aggressive and was shooting the ball well. The lakers were playing well, but weren't being aggressive on defense. There was one play where the ball was on the right side of the court. Kobe was standing on the left side just inside the 3 point line and was watching the ball, not aware that O.J. has slid into the corned. O.J. received the pass and drained the 3 with Kobe about 10 feet away.

The Grizzlies stumbled at the end of the first half by allowing the Lakers to cut a double digit lead down to 6 at the half. The second half continued the way the first half ended. The Lakers came out determined on defense and shut the Grizzlies down. After giving up 61 first half points, the Grizzlies only scored 37 in the second half. Kobe played some aggresive denial defense on O.J. so that he couldn't get his hands on the ball. The Grizzlies continued to fight but came up well short.

Interesting note about the Bynum injury. On January 13, 2008 in L.A., Bynum injuried his left knee against the Grizzlies and was out for the year. On January 31, 2009 in Memphis, Bynum injured his right knee. Interesting how you transpose the 13 to 31 and the location from L.A. to Memphis and it is the same player with the other knee getting injured again. I am guessing he will hope that the Lakers don't play the Grizzlies in January 2010. If they do, I recommend he take the night off. Read more!