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If there was a Jazz Basketball God

David Locke does not have that soothing voice or awesome rhythm that Hot Rod had.
But Hot Rod was not a great play-by-play man the last 10 years of his career.

First of all, Hot Rod was either drunk or hung over all the time. David Locke seems sober when he calls the games.

Second of all, Hot Rod relied too heavily on his standby phrases (you all know them, Hippity Hop, Leap-n-Leaner, Frozen Rope, on and on) none of them were ever truly descriptive of what was actually happening on the floor. For Hot Rod, any shot taken from 1 foot or closer was a Hammer Dunk and anything outside of 10 feet was a 20-Footer. Bolerjack is already worse than Hot Rod at using the same phrases over and over again that don't actually describe what is happening on the floor (Hangs On a pivot, Spins It In, etc.). David Locke, while sometimes saying stupid things (most notably Ga Ga Ooh La La), is incredibly descriptive of the action as it unfolds, and then explains situations further during breaks in play all while noting larger trends as they are happening in the game.

Lastly, Hot Rod had lost a lot of the fire. I chalk it up to the man called 37,000 games or something like that. David Locke is obviously enjoying his job.

Since I don't have cable/dish service I listened to nearly all the Jazz games on the radio. At first I thought Locke's delivery was shrill and hyper. Then I realized that he was actually calling the game and doing a fine job at it. The production value of the radio broadcast is high as well. They often splice in relevant soundbites from interviews which adds nice insight. Then I watched a game on TV with Homerjack, Booner, and Harpring. It was almost unbearable.

I think that most people, listening objectively will gain the same opinion that I have of the Utah Jazz broadcasting team: That David Locke is the only one worth keeping (this includes the pre- and post-game show with David James, Big T, and Pace.
 
DNews: "Matt Harpring's Love Story is All About Basketball"

https://www.deseretnews.com/article...ry-is-all-about-basketball.html?s_cid=Email-5

MURRAY — Matt Harpring, as you might have heard, used to play football. The pigskin fan also likes to dabble in the stock market, gets a kick out of teaching kids at camps in Utah and Atlanta, and occasionally enjoys sharing his conservative outlook — something he humorously did with his former Utah Jazz teammates from time to time.

But the biggest space in his heart is reserved for another passion. And, though he seemed addicted to it during his NBA playing days, going under the knife to repair his banged-up body is not what we're talking about here.

"There's people that love fishing and hunting. Everyone has their love," Harpring said. "My love is basketball. That's what I know. ... I like being part of the game."

Earning a living through hoops, something he loved doing for the past 12 years, is what he plans on continuing to do, too.

Being a basketball broadcaster is about to become a full-time gig for the ex-Jazz small forward, who is currently hosting his ninth-annual camp at The Park Place rec center.

"That's what I want to do," Harpring said.

He admitted that part. He even admitted to having a job lined up.

But he wouldn't admit which team (one of his old clubs, like the Jazz, Oklahoma City or Georgia Tech?) or which network (he lives near TNT's studio in Atlanta) will soon become his new employer.

"I can't tell you," he said.

Well, he could, but he'd have to set a killer Matt Harpring pick on you if he divulged the secret.

Jazz fans and NBA-TV viewers got a taste of what the future holds in store for Harpring last season when the sidelined player did some on-camera color commentary and analysis work in his spare time.

After a season of experimenting, Harpring discovered that he prefers doing in-game color commentary over sitting in the studio analyzing the entire league.

"I love doing the color. ... You're involved in the game," he said. "You feel like you're a part of it. You get the emotions, you get the ups and the downs, the adrenaline. It's the next best thing to playing without playing."

Best part?

No icing of joints is required after the final buzzer.

Harpring's interest in becoming a broadcaster piqued after he did a guest spot with Hot Rod Hundley on a Jazz game about five years ago. The former Jazz play-by-play commentator told Harpring, "You've got to do this. You're a natural at this."

Hundley continued to encourage Harpring over the ensuing seasons, and he took the compliment and advice to heart as he pondered a post-NBA future. Since then, Harpring has tuned in to the broadcast team to learn from the pros while watching any sporting event — football, basketball or baseball.

Harpring has also considered going into coaching, and that could be a career move in the future. But he and wife, Amanda, have three children all 4 years old and younger, so he doesn't feel the timing is right yet.

Broadcasting will allow him to keep a somewhat normal home life — at least when compared to playing or coaching — while sticking close to his favorite pastime.

Though Harpring won't announce his new job, Jazz fans might not want to get their hopes up that he'll join Utah's commentator crew.

Harpring's wife is a doctor and has a sweet one-day-a-week job in Atlanta. That allows her to practice medicine on Thursdays and be a full-time mom the rest of the week.

"It's good for her because it gets her back in the professional world. She's not Matt's wife or the NBA wife. Over there, she's regarded as Dr. Harpring," said Dr. Harpring's husband between conducting drills at his camp.

"It's a great situation for her."

The Harprings also recently built a three-story home in Georgia. One of the house's features is an elevator, which Harpring installed "just in case" his hammered body couldn't handle climbing the stairs in 10 years.

Fortunately, the elevator isn't necessary now. Harpring, who hasn't played since the spring of 2009, is feeling in tip-top shape — most of the time.

"This year off without playing, my body has come back," Harpring said. "It feels better than I ever thought it would."

He exercises, walks without a limp after waking up and even briefly entertains "What if?" thoughts of playing again. His 34-year-old body, which has suffered a slew of injuries and endured more than a dozen surgeries for name-the-part, reminds him after a tough workout why enduring a grueling NBA season is no longer possible.

"When the body goes, the body goes — and my body went," Harpring said. "I would love to play until I'm 50, but it doesn't happen."

More than ever, Harpring simply appreciates the blessings of good health and a busy family life.

The gritty and gutsy former NBA player also has fond memories of doing things the right way during his career. He didn't try to "cheat the system" while coming back from injuries or when stepping on the court.

"I always went about it through just hard work and through pain and through just determination to get back onto the court, kind of the old-fashioned way," Harping said. "I kind of pride myself to know that I never took a shortcut that I'm disappointed in. Every morning, I could hold my head up high."
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Gotta love the first line. :) Where do you think he will be broadcasting? Please, please let him replace Booner - yeah, I know it doesn't sound likely.
 
I'm not a big fan of Locke, but Harpring is not the answer. I loved his color commentary, and would be thrilled if he did that on a regular/permanent basis, but not the play-by-play.
 
Archie, your title wasn't enough to let me know that you were going to quote the Harpring article. I started a new thread about it. Guess everyone will get to read it twice. :)
 
If there was a basketball god, Boone would be an usher at ESA, Kobe would be behind bars, the Jazz would have at least one title, and Lebron would have blown out his knee showing off his Heat uniform.
 
Lived in 6 NBA cities and I think Locke is one of the better local announcers. And like his opinion or not, his analysis is better than any local sports guy I have ever heard. Not a fan of Boone at all. Booler is fine. I will always miss Hots
 
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