Okur will be playing in June. In Turkey.

Boozer: I am no leader. I am mentally weak. I am intimidated by big games. I shrink when defended down to nothing

Williams: I am scared to death of Derek Fisher. He knows where I'm going before I do and there is nothing I can do about it. I am not a defensive point gaurd. I am not ready for the big games. One day maybe but right now I am blinded by that glaring light. What is that light? Oh it's Chris Pual's shinning star status. My star is flickering.

Sloan: I wake up at night in cold sweats with visions of Phil Jackson in my head. I fear no man but Phil scares me to death. How is it that Phil knows what to do durring the game to combat my every move. Wait I have no moves. I substitute based on the game clock. My substitutions kill player momentum, unfortunately my own players. I I wish I could bring the best out in players but I don't know how. I have lived a lie. My teams are not tough. My teams don't know how to defend. I don't know how to teach them. I am weak.

Either the first two comments come from Lakers fans or they are from crybaby, fair weather fans. The Jazz have had a couple of rough games this week but they had so many good ones during the season that they are now in the second round of the playoffs. They are the lowest seed left in the Wild West and yet, I'll buy lunch for both of you if they don't win Friday night. You just have to fugure out how to contact me for that lunch if they lose. But then you seem to have so many other answers that should be no problem. Fair enough?

I think I like this game:

Statement Game: I am an idiot. I have watch miserably as my Lakers have failed to live up to expectations year after year. I have a man crush on Kobe, despite the fact his selfish play has killed the Lakers in the past. I will enjoy his B&M sessions when once again the Lakers fall short. Now that I think about it, this MVP is the first thing Kobe has ever done on his own. I wish we had Shaq back... we could win championships with him around.

Yeah, the guys that posted the first two comments are either Laker fans or should be, because I sure don't want you to be Jazz fans. You remind me of the Rocket fans that kept posting in the Houston paper the previous series. Living in your anonymity, you can say antyhing you want without fear of confrontation. I wonder what you'd say to Boozer and Williams and Sloan if you were riding an elevator with one of them. Yeah, thought so.

Lakers in five, max.

Re:Statement Game: I am a Jazz fan. I have watchED miserably as my Jazz have failed to win anything ever. I have a man crush on Deron Williams, he is pretty good, and I get mad at everyone who mispronounces his name or says Chris Paul is better. I probably not post anymore after the Jazz lose to the Lakers because I won't read any articles or turn on ESPN for a few months to soften the pain.

Utah Jazz Basketball: where "hopefully next year" happens every year.

I hope Deron likes it because that is what Fishers comments are....patronizing sympathy. Fish is complementing Deron so he looks ever the professional diplomat. So he can "appear" nice in public while kicking his butt on the court. Fish is all about his own PR though. We've learned though, you can't trust his words as far as you can throw him.

For Fisher to be putting up these kind of stats against D-Will--Deron really ought to be embarrassed. Defensively and offensively Deron ought to be "dining" on Fish. Instead Fish is making him look like chopped bait.

Deron needs to make a good showing at home/this series or there really will no longer be a debate of D-Will vs CP3.

What a shame to, the Hornets are going to beat the Spurs and we could flatten the Hornets if we got there but the Flake show is not going to let that happen it appears.

Playoffs are all about matchups and we got a bad one for us.

Re:Re: Statement Game - I understand your frustration with continually rooting for a team that has never one the BIG one. Does it help to know that there are other franchises in the same boat? Think of Dallas, Phoenix, Sacramento, Golden State, Denver, Memphis, Atlanta, Charlotte, Cleveland, Indianapolis - am I missing anybody? Almost all of those teams play in larger markets than the Jazz and none of them has been as consistenly successful as the Jazz. But it still hurts to see them go down in defeat each year. But I'm planning to hang with them to the end this year just like I do every year. I still believe!

D-Will and CP3 will always be compared. Deron had the limelight last year in the playoffs and now Chris Paul is getting the limelight this year. It won't last long though. The Spurs will find a way to bounce back and beat the Hornets.

Don't underestimate the LA defense. They played aggressive defense -- contesting every shot. If the Jazz pick up their defense to that level and get more physical with Kobe, I think they can hang for a couple of games.

Sadly, Lakers in six.

cp>dw w/o a doubt!

Visualize and attack!

It's not the laker defense, the jazz score 110 points.

It's the jazz defense.

No perimeter defense,

NO interoir defense.

same players and coach next year. NO change.

Right now, yes, w/o a doubt finishing 2nd in the MVP voting...

but for how long? Will he hold up?

My money is on Deron being the better player in the long term.

I'll never question the Jazz for choosing the guy with the bigger/more durable build... they just went through the Raul Lopez experience and were gun shy of the little guy. I would have been too.

Deron 6' 3" 205
Chris 5' 11" 175

But really, either way, the Jazz couldn't loose with picking either of these guys.