Phil Johnson on AK, 1320KFAN---the truth comes out!

[Brown Notes]

Rep for Vslice. Nice summary and take. Even last year it was evident that when the guy touched the ball more he had much, much better all-around games. Adelman's style would have benefited AK tremendously.

 

[gomretat]

Well, I would have asked him what Sloan and Phil did to help him to reach potential? If they think reaching potential has anything to do with clearing space for Boozer and Williams pick and roll and pushing him from the paint to perimeter then I agree - AK did not reach his potential as perimeter player. But he did win MVP and gold in Eurobasket in 2007 causing havoc in the paint... just few month after his worst NBA season.

A - I am sure they considered making AK the centerpiece
B - It is obvious they decided DWill and Booz were a better combination
C - AK is not going to cause havoc in the paint in the NBA
D - Happens all the time at every level as people progress - you have to adjust to different roles based upon who the other players are
E - I like AK, wish he was still here, but he never adjusted to what the Jazz needed

 

[mellow]

Larry's dilemma, and probably his greatest failure. Build a team around a young exciting russian earning a max contract or stay loyal to Jerry and his system. He tried to stay loyal to both, but it could never work. Jerry and AK elevated each other to a level just above average, and held each other back from greatness.

What if AK had played in a fast, free flowing offense?
What if Jerry could've used AK's salary on a prototypical Jerry Player?
What if Larry could've been brave enough to pick one?

 

[billyshelby]

I would like to ask Phil if he saw Howard post up last night and B) if he's even aware that 3's are allowed to post up in the NBA.

 

[vslice02]

I would like to ask Phil if he saw Howard post up last night and B) if he's even aware that 3's are allowed to post up in the NBA.

I saw them post Howard up in the 2nd-qtr but I thought that was more due to a mismatch in transition than a designed playcall. FWIW, AK did get touches in the post under Sloan - not in a traditional 'dump it down to him on the block' but out of our UCLA sets, after setting the usual backscreen AK would flash to the middle and seal his man on his back and we'd try to hit him from the highpost. Had some success but alot of times AK would sorta fling/flail a shot toward the basket hoping more for a foul than a FG.

I know he's 6-9 w/long arms, but I always thought of AK as more of a flash, catch and seal player than a post-up option. Minor contact would throw him off balance.

 

[billyshelby]

I saw them post Howard up in the 2nd-qtr but I thought that was more due to a mismatch in transition than a designed playcall. FWIW, AK did get touches in the post under Sloan - not in a traditional 'dump it down to him on the block' but out of our UCLA sets, after setting the usual backscreen AK would flash to the middle and seal his man on his back and we'd try to hit him from the highpost. Had some success but alot of times AK would sorta fling/flail a shot toward the basket hoping more for a foul than a FG.

I know he's 6-9 w/long arms, but I always thought of AK as more of a flash, catch and seal player than a post-up option. Minor contact would throw him off balance.

AK's touches in the post primarily came when he slotted over to 4. As for his ability to post, you see him do that all the time with Russia. AK, with his height and extraordinary passing ability, is a huge mismatch for a lot of the 3's he faced. It's mind boggling that the offensive system never adjusted to take advantage of that. But you can bet he'll be used that way by whatever team signs him.

 

[SojoDave]

I loved when he said that AK didn't come into camp in the greatest shape and didn't work hard during the off-season. I think AK thought he was working hard by playing Euroball, but he never worked on his game. It was obvious that AK relied on his athletic talent instead of his work habit.

 

[freakazoid]

Loved seeing Phil Johnson in the studio next to Thurl.

I've written this before, but I feel like it was a combination of injuries and AK's role in both the offense and the franchise that played a factor. He signed the $86 million extension in the summer of 2004, and he was a defensive terror the first month of the season before severely spraining his knee. He returned in Feb/Mar, again was putting up good numbers as really our #1 offensive option, then got fouled going up for a layup and broke his wrist on the landing against the Wizards.

Each time he got hurt, someone like Memo, Boozer, Deron or Harpring gradually increased their role a little bit more - to the point in 2006-07 where AK was the 4th and 5th option. IMO the mental reaction of going from franchise player and the #1-offensive option had a large impact on AK's psyche, to the point where he stopped trying to get better and resigned himself to being the player he was in the role he had. Not making excuses for AK (because the team and offense definitely had much more success w/Deron and Boozer as the focal points, and it's hard to depend on someone constantly injured to play a large role) but I don't think this was the case of a player getting a big contract and then mailing it in. I think AK really wanted to live up to his contract - he just didn't have the durability, mental toughness, and right situation to do so.

AK certainly never lived up to the franchise player status his contract represented, but IMO he still was one of the top-10 players in Utah Jazz history and certainly one of the most unique talents the franchise ever had. We never really had a player like him before, and his performance against Golden State in the '07 Conf Semis was a wonderful showcase of his talents.

Definitely time for AK to move on, but when I think of AK I'll think of his versatility, his length, and his spetacular weakside shotblocking more than his max-contract extension.

Thank you for that. Couldn't agree more.

+8

 

[Stifle Tower]

I loved when he said that AK didn't come into camp in the greatest shape and didn't work hard during the off-season. I think AK thought he was working hard by playing Euroball, but he never worked on his game. It was obvious that AK relied on his athletic talent instead of his work habit.

That was the problem. Every year we'd hear abouit how AK had put on some muscle and worked on his game. Then we'd look at his picture day photos and try to convince ourselves that he looked bigger (kind of like snipe hunting...one person says he thinks he sees something and the rest of us agree, not wanting to sound foolish). And we'd hear about how hard he worked on his shooting, then he'd launch the same old bricks in the pre- and regular season games.

Even with just the one signature move...drive into the lane and throw his arms up in the air like one of those silly inflatables, hoping for a foul call...he was still a very good player. But what a waste. Had he worked as hard as Malone, Stockton or Millsap, or maybe even 50% as hard, he could have been one of the top-5 players in the NBA and on his way to the HOF.

 

[LogGrad98]

That was the problem. Every year we'd hear abouit how AK had put on some muscle and worked on his game. Then we'd look at his picture day photos and try to convince ourselves that he looked bigger (kind of like snipe hunting...one person says he thinks he sees something and the rest of us agree, not wanting to sound foolish). And we'd hear about how hard he worked on his shooting, then he'd launch the same old bricks in the pre- and regular season games.

Even with just the one signature move...drive into the lane and throw his arms up in the air like one of those silly inflatables, hoping for a foul call...he was still a very good player. But what a waste. Had he worked as hard as Malone, Stockton or Millsap, or maybe even 50% as hard, he could have been one of the top-5 players in the NBA and on his way to the HOF.

You speak the truth.


I like the idea of Phil as part of the broadcast team. He can definitely provide an interesting insight you won't get from just anyone. Kind of makes me wonder if he regrets bailing with Jerry instead of taking on the head coaching duties for a few years.

 

[Revolution 9]

Every Jazz game I went to when AK was with the team I never saw him once during the early shoot arounds.
Deron Williams stated that he was the first to leave practice.

Clearly AK didn't put enough the time into improving.

 

[Inn Dawn]

Even with just the one signature move...drive into the lane and throw his arms up in the air like one of those silly inflatables, hoping for a foul call...

Yeah, and more often than not, he'd end up at the stripe following that aggressive move...at least in previous years. Dunno why more plays weren't run for him in that capacity, those were automatic points. He was our Kobe in that regard. Drive to the hole, flail arms, and yelp like a dog...end up at the stripe.