What's new

Are there any past Jazz player's number would the organization retire?

Ron, I have to disagree with you about AK. While I agree that he kind of gave up with the Jazz, it was in part because they didn't use him properly. I saw the games in FIBA when he won MVP. He was used differently. He was doing lots of backdoor cuts and getting dunks. Who were they running those plays for with the Jazz -- Ronnie Brewer. DWill was freezing him out too and Jerry allowed it. I remember making these comments on the site back then and the DWill crowd that was on here went nuts, some who are still here. In the current NBA, though he couldn't shoot, he would've been a beast on the fast break, fast-paced system.

FIBA is a different game and a different level of competition. Of course he was used differently. Success in FIBA does not mean success in the NBA. AK also tried harder and put more effort in at the FIBA level. He wasnt good enough to have the system be geared towards him. You dont build your system around your 4th best player. Of course AK wasnt the first option for DWill. AK turned the ball over too much and couldnt shoot. He just wasnt very useful in half court offense. He also moved the ball less and less as his career went on. DWill had 3 better options. Keep the ball, pass to Boozer, pass to Okur. If AK ran back cuts hard like Brewer he would have got more of them. He didnt with the Jazz, he pouted.

AK would be the same now as he was then. You dont become a good player when you dont work hard and dont care. Playing today wouldnt suddenly make him more interested in working hard. He might be worse today because there are even more video games and people playing them.

Maybe if AK had played with Hayward they would have been a dynamic duo and great teammates on League of Legends or WOW.
 
I'd include Donovan but apparently he's going to pull a Deron and leave for New York.

Also for all the grief I get for my theory and all the little jabs in these threads I get over this, a lot more I probably don’t even see, there’s plenty of evidence that very much points in my theories direction, he agrees he’d look good in blue/orange...he also follows Knicks Memes on twitter?...... Maybe stop with the constant jabs my suspicions are warranted. He also follows the page that made the Met pic of him which is also just a Knick/NY fanpage as well scrolling through it. Don’t be naive people. Stick to what the threads about, but my point stands and adds more and more evidence to it everyday closer to when it’s going to happen. Now back to players numbers and retiring them.


3FF6B677-96E3-4706-B8DE-18FDB9646E40.jpeg AFB45BB5-CEB6-452A-8C27-2E4DD59E64A9.jpeg
 
Last edited:
I'm not sure I'd advocate for retiring the jerseys of any of these guys, except maybe Favors. If I had to rank them by how much I think they deserve it I'd do it thusly.

1. Favors- This one comes down to sentimentality more than anything. His tenure was long and he bridged the gap between the WCF contending Deron Williams teams to (hopefully) the current WCF and beyond team we have today. I think we have an affinity for him similar to the Thunder's for Nick Collison, although he's obviously a far superior player. I hope the stars align and there's a way he can retire as a Jazzman some day.

2. Deron Williams- Hands down the best player of the bunch in his time in Utah, and a true "star." Led the team to some really fun playoff runs, and his rise coincided with my renewed fanaticism in the Jazz. His exit and role in Jerry Sloan's retirement cast a pall on his legacy which ended up overshadowing the franchise changing effect he had.

3. Kirilenko- long tenured and just about as unique a talent as you'd find in the NBA, he made the team worth watching during the mid 00's when nearly everyone expected the Jazz to be dog **** awful. With the ascendancy of Deron and the arrival of Boozer and Memo, he just wasn't able (or willing) to contribute meaningfully enough to a powerhouse team that had more potential than it achieved.

4. Mehmet Okur/ Carlos Boozer- Prolific offensive talents, and in Memos case just ahead of his time. Both contributed mightily to truly great Utah teams which ended up coming up short in realizing their potential.

5. John Lucas III. What can be said that hasn't already been said? His time in Utah brought us tears of joviality and despair in equal measure. When things seemed their darkest he brought us a simulcram of joy with his truly stunning point guard play. May we never forget John Lucas the third.
 
Last edited:
FIBA is a different game and a different level of competition. Of course he was used differently. Success in FIBA does not mean success in the NBA. AK also tried harder and put more effort in at the FIBA level. He wasnt good enough to have the system be geared towards him. You dont build your system around your 4th best player. Of course AK wasnt the first option for DWill. AK turned the ball over too much and couldnt shoot. He just wasnt very useful in half court offense. He also moved the ball less and less as his career went on. DWill had 3 better options. Keep the ball, pass to Boozer, pass to Okur. If AK ran back cuts hard like Brewer he would have got more of them. He didnt with the Jazz, he pouted.

AK would be the same now as he was then. You dont become a good player when you dont work hard and dont care. Playing today wouldnt suddenly make him more interested in working hard. He might be worse today because there are even more video games and people playing them.

Maybe if AK had played with Hayward they would have been a dynamic duo and great teammates on League of Legends or WOW.
I disagree. DWill was ignoring him and he was standing in the corner and not making the cuts, by design. Yes, Memo and Boozer were better offensive players, but he was not getting the ball and this is what led to his "disinterested" performance. His shooting also suffered because his confidence had declined, though he never was a good jump shooter, kind of like Ricky, he could make his foul shots but couldn't shoot consistently off the dribble. Injuries also played a part but then he was soft. When he went to the Twolves, he was their best player, the first half of the season, then he was "injured" and missed much of the second half of the season. He was somewhat of a headcase, as former Jazz trainer Gary Briggs told me at a party recently that he would not play if he suffered the slightest injury. Yes, he did waste his talent because of his attitude. He could've been a perennial All-Star if he focused on his defense like Rudy, and in fact he was even more talented as a defender but he didn't have Rudy's desire or attitude, which is all the difference. Maybe a different coach would've helped, someone like Quinn who is more of a player's coach than Jerry.
 
I think there are some candidates but questionable if any are sure fire. Numbered but not meant to be a measure as who is better than in each catagory. My guess is Favors is the frontrunner of this list though I feel it should be Williams.

This is my list of who I think should -
1. Williams
2. Kirilenko
3. Favors
4. Russell
Who is possible but unlikely -
1. Harpring
2. Millsap
3. Hayward
4. Korver

Who would you add or subtract?
The only one on these lists who should be even a possibility is Kirilenko, but even he is a "no." Favors might be a distant second. Big NO to the rest.
 
. . . . he was soft. When he went to the Twolves, he was their best player, the first half of the season, then he was "injured" and missed much of the second half of the season. He was somewhat of a headcase, as former Jazz trainer Gary Briggs told me at a party recently that he would not play if he suffered the slightest injury. Yes, he did waste his talent because of his attitude. He could've been a perennial All-Star if he focused on his defense like Rudy, and in fact he was even more talented as a defender but he didn't have Rudy's desire or attitude, which is all the difference. Maybe a different coach would've helped, someone like Quinn who is more of a player's coach than Jerry.
Totally agree. I truly believe AK had the potential to be an MVP candidate if he had put in the work and had the heart and desire. Rumors were he spent all his time playing video games and reading Russian novels rather than working on his game. If he had the heart, drive, desire, and grit of Rudy or the Mailman, he would have been one of the top 3 or 4 players ever to wear a Jazz uni.
 
Boozer (6 years, 2 All-star, 1 or 2 time Olympics). I vote no, but it is closer than any other player
:eek: Good one, checkbook. I needed that laugh. Boozer's number retired. Hil-freaking-larious.

Boozer might be the first player in any sport anywhere to miss 82 games spread over two seasons with a "hamstring" injury. He and his wife wanted out of Utah and tried to force a trade to get out by feigning an injury. And he played some of the worst matador defense at the PF in NBA history. But yeah, he should be in the discussion.
 
2. Deron Williams- Hands down the best player of the bunch in his time in Utah, and a true "star." Led the team to some really fun playoff runs, and his rise coincided with my renewed fanaticism in the Jazz. His exit and role in Jerry Sloan's retirement cast a pall on his legacy which ended up overshadowing the franchise changing effect he had.
This. Plus the fact that I'll never be able to get over the fact that the Jazz passed up a player who is a first-ballot HOFer, 9-time All Star, 9-time All-Defensive Player, and 8-time All-NBA player to select Williams in the draft.
 
On a more positive note, which current players could one day have a jersey retired? I think there are only 3 possibilities.

1. Gobert (97%) - If he gets a team to the WCF, is an all-star, wins DPOY again, or another All NBA team he moves to 99.99% (.01% he does something crazy like a horrible crime).
2. Mitchell (50%) - Still has a lot to prove and a long career in which he could mess up his Jazz legacy.
3. Bogdanovic (12%) - Not likely, but if Horny did it he could too.

Maybe you could argue Ingles has a small chance, but I don't think he has been good enough (although he would get a multiplier if he plays entire career in Utah).
 
I’m not saying they should retire Favors’ number, but it does feel weird to see someone else out there with that number.
 
I’m not saying they should retire Favors’ number, but it does feel weird to see someone else out there with that number.
You mean Matt Harpring's number?
 
:eek: Good one, checkbook. I needed that laugh. Boozer's number retired. Hil-freaking-larious.

Boozer might be the first player in any sport anywhere to miss 82 games spread over two seasons with a "hamstring" injury. He and his wife wanted out of Utah and tried to force a trade to get out by feigning an injury. And he played some of the worst matador defense at the PF in NBA history. But yeah, he should be in the discussion.
BoozertheMatador.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: MVP
I'm serious about Ron Boone #24. He was a really good basketball player for both the Utah Jazz and the Utah Stars. He got Utah their first championship in 1971 playing for the Stars, and is the second all time scorer in ABA history.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Boone

Seriously, the guy was great in a Utah uniform, it's a shame people only see him as the color commentator

Sent from my SM-G965U using JazzFanz mobile app
 
I disagree about GSW series. Without AK’s defense that series could have gone other way.
I'm an AK47 homer, but imho I think he doesn't deserve a jersey retirement. On another team he could have been a multi-year all-star, but I'll stand by this:

Jerry Sloan was a good playmaking coach but a TERRIBLE coach when it came to teaching and adjusting

Sent from my SM-G965U using JazzFanz mobile app
 
Top