Latest / The Sean O'Connell Show / Gordie Chiesa on the Utah Jazz and NBA, Injuries the Jazz's biggest issue (?), Runnin Utes and BYU's season openers + more

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Gordie Chiesa on the Utah Jazz and NBA, Injuries the Jazz's biggest issue (?), Runnin Utes and BYU's season openers + more · The Sean O'Connell Show

• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Peace out. Peace out. Peace out. Welcome back to the
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: Sean O'Connell Show. Welcome in. Gordy Chiesa, our resident NBA guru,
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  Speaker 1: brought to you by our friends at Aladdin Industries. Gordy,
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: how are things?
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: Sean, I'm doing well. Thank you.
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: It is rivalry week here in Utah, as I know
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  Speaker 1: you're acutely aware. Utah-BYU, top 10 matchup for the first
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: time in the history of this rivalry game. What is
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  Speaker 1: your favorite rivalry in basketball, Gordy? Give me one in college,
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  Speaker 1: one in the NBA, if you don't mind.
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  Speaker 2: In college basketball, North Carolina versus Duke. They're only eight
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  Speaker 2: miles apart. It's the most amazing thing. So picture right
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  Speaker 2: now living in Utah and at BYU and the University
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  Speaker 2: of Utah was eight miles apart. How crazy would it be?
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  Speaker 2: If BYU was like.
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  Speaker 1: In Sugar House instead, that would be insane.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. Exactly, like going to the same restaurants on the street,
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  Speaker 2: the same gas station, the same convenience store. That's how
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  Speaker 2: crazy it is. And they're both unbelievable, great teams as
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  Speaker 2: far as the last, since World War II. That's how
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  Speaker 2: crazy it is. All right, so that's the one. And
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  Speaker 2: the NBA, it's almost, it would be Boston versus the Lakers.
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  Speaker 2: The two teams with the most NBA championships, it's, you know,
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  Speaker 2: East Coast, West Coast mentality, et cetera. And those both
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  Speaker 2: teams are deserving.
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  Speaker 1: When we're talking about coaching in a rivalry game that
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  Speaker 1: has this much history, this much passion, we always throw
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  Speaker 1: out the cliches. The records don't matter. And in this one,
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  Speaker 1: we've kind of seen it play out like that. Even
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  Speaker 1: when one team on paper is a lot better than
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  Speaker 1: the other, it ends up being a pretty close game.
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: Take me inside the mind of a coaching staff preparing
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  Speaker 1: in a week like this and, of course, on game day.
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  Speaker 2: Don't overreact so much. The players are so anxiety. Don't
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  Speaker 2: give them so much as far as the game plan.
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  Speaker 2: Because a lot of times, you know, you overprepare because
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  Speaker 2: all coaches do. But it doesn't matter how much the
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  Speaker 2: coaches know or prepare. It's what the players can do
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  Speaker 2: during the game. where they combine their athleticism with their
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  Speaker 2: innateness as far as instincts within the team game. So
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  Speaker 2: as a coach, you're preparing. You've got to be ready
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  Speaker 2: for the unexpected, which is perfectly normal, but the players
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  Speaker 2: have to calm their nerves down. Because think about it,
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  Speaker 2: most of the players, if not all, or type A personalities,
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  Speaker 2: and they want to do so well, especially in the
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  Speaker 2: Utah-BYU football matchup. It's really historical. For the next hundred years,
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  Speaker 2: they'll be mentioned who won this game and who really
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  Speaker 2: was a standout. So you've got to give them less,
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  Speaker 2: and from a coaching standpoint, expect things to happen. Most times,
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  Speaker 2: usually speaking, Sean, the defense takes over. The defense is
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  Speaker 2: so locked in to different things than any sport. Usually
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  Speaker 2: you score out of chaos versus what? Out of rhythm.
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  Speaker 2: Because the defense is so unbelievable fierce, and you take
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  Speaker 2: away your first, second, and third options most of the time.
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  Speaker 1: Let's talk a little pro basketball, Gordy. The Utah Jazz
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  Speaker 1: are 1-6. Last year, the year before, the year before that,
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  Speaker 1: anytime you're in a slump, anytime things aren't going the
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  Speaker 1: way of the team, I didn't have to ask, hey,
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  Speaker 1: what's wrong with this team? Because we kind of knew
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  Speaker 1: what was wrong with the team. They weren't playing everybody.
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  Speaker 1: Somebody was hurt. They're not actually putting a serious effort
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  Speaker 1: into winning. That's not the case this year. And while
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  Speaker 1: they already have some injury issues that have to be addressed,
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  Speaker 1: There's more to what's going on with this Utah Jazz team.
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  Speaker 1: And I know the sample size is still very small
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  Speaker 1: and there's plenty of basketball left to play. But when
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  Speaker 1: you watch this team, what is the first thing that
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  Speaker 1: needs to be addressed?
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  Speaker 2: Their lack of ball movement. In other words, where the
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  Speaker 2: Jazz have made a slight improvement defensively, and that's commendable.
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  Speaker 2: Now they're still way behind, but they're trying much more.
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  Speaker 2: They've got improved technique. But when you don't shoot straight
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  Speaker 2: in a game to start the season, that means that
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  Speaker 2: the ball isn't popping on perimeter and that there's very
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  Speaker 2: little cutting. So, for example, the Jazz right now are
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  Speaker 2: 26th in the NBA as far as the worst shooting team.
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  Speaker 2: They're only shooting from the field 42.8 field goal percentage,
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  Speaker 2: which puts them 26th. The only teams lesser than the
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  Speaker 2: Jazz shooting as far as the ball are the Knickerbockers,
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  Speaker 2: the Nets, the Bulls, and the Hornets. And by the way,
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  Speaker 2: the number one shooting team in the NBA this year
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  Speaker 2: are the Lakers. So Luka Doncic and Austin Reeves and
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  Speaker 2: that crew, they're number one. So the thing that the
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  Speaker 2: Jets have to do is shoot the ball better. All right,
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  Speaker 2: it sounds so easy. How do you do it? By
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  Speaker 2: the ball popping on perimeter, less dribbling, better screen reading
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  Speaker 2: as far as when the screen's set to you, and
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  Speaker 2: velocity cutting. That's how you score the ball. As I
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  Speaker 2: always talk about it is that if the ball moves,
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  Speaker 2: the scoreboard moves. If the ball sticks, the scoreboard sticks.
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  Speaker 2: And that's an illustration of what's happening right now. Who
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  Speaker 2: in particular, Sean, is the culprits right now? Even though, again,
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  Speaker 2: it's unintended, but this is the reality, especially in pro sports.
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  Speaker 2: Larry Malkin is shooting from the field right now, from
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  Speaker 2: three-point from the field and from three-point range. So I'm
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  Speaker 2: going to combine both field goal percentage and three-point shooting.
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  Speaker 2: From the three-point line, Malkin is shooting 34.8. Can't be George, 34.9.
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  Speaker 2: Ace Bailey from three, 27.8. And Steve Mahaluk, 26.1. And
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  Speaker 2: so that shows you where the Jazz are. They've got
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  Speaker 2: to make open shots. How do you do it by
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  Speaker 2: player and ball movement?
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  Speaker 1: Gordy Chase is our guest here on the Sean O'Connell Show,
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  Speaker 1: talking all things basketball, even during the Football Rivalry Week.
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  Speaker 1: You were in the Delta Center last night, is that correct,
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  Speaker 1: watching BYU versus Ohio State?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, what a game, absolutely. Two heavyweights, really. They're both
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  Speaker 2: going to the NCAA tournament, so it's really a good game.
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  Speaker 2: Iowa State, it was their first opening season loss in
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  Speaker 2: 21 years, which tells you also a lot of times
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  Speaker 2: they played a lesser team in the first game of
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  Speaker 2: the year. And I give them credit. Come to Salt
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  Speaker 2: Lake City, the Delta Center, and playing. And long-term, it's
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  Speaker 2: a good benefit for them. BYU played good. Very much.
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  Speaker 2: They couldn't make a shot to start the game. Again,
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  Speaker 2: just like the Jazz do sometimes, they over-dribbled and they
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  Speaker 2: couldn't make a shot. In the second half, they corrected
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  Speaker 2: it at halftime. In the second half, they played absolutely great.
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  Speaker 2: And Rob Wright... was tremendous, 33 points. And the young
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  Speaker 2: fellow that should be Sean from BYU, his name is
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  Speaker 2: Bruce Branch. He's out of Gilbert, Arizona. He's a 6'7,
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  Speaker 2: small forward. He's ultra-talented. Not A.J. DeBonsa-type ability, but he'll
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  Speaker 2: be in the draft. I'm just guessing right now. I
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  Speaker 2: know it's only the first game, but with the players
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  Speaker 2: that I know are coming back in the draft, He'll
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  Speaker 2: probably be picked in the lottery, or located in the lottery,
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  Speaker 2: so it's good. So BYU had a night, a terrific
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  Speaker 2: win against good competition, and they'll be a contender as
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  Speaker 2: far as in the Big 12.
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  Speaker 1: You just mentioned A.J. DeBonsa, and obviously he's trying to
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  Speaker 1: do his thing in the NBA right now. We talked
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  Speaker 1: about the role that he played for BYU all of
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  Speaker 1: last year, and they had an injury problem. Richie Saunders
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  Speaker 1: wasn't healthy most of the year. When a player of
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  Speaker 1: that caliber leaves the roster, there's a massive hole to
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  Speaker 1: fill in, but it also changes things and makes it
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  Speaker 1: maybe more of a team game, at least from my
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  Speaker 1: uneducated perspective. Is there anything to that Gordy where like, yeah,
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  Speaker 1: you never want to lose a player as talented as
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  Speaker 1: AJ DePansa, but in some ways it might even be
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  Speaker 1: easier to coach everyone else around him.
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  Speaker 2: With that said, it's based on the personality of the
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  Speaker 2: guys returning. So Rob Wright, for example, he's a Baylor transfer.
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  Speaker 2: He played last year. His first year was BYU. Now
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  Speaker 2: it's his second year. He's maturing. And what he did
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  Speaker 2: last night was drive the ball. So he passed the
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  Speaker 2: ball in the paint. He got his teammates involved, and
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  Speaker 2: he scored the ball. So he'd be a classic example
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  Speaker 2: of a guy. As the years go on in your
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  Speaker 2: college career and or your NBA professional career, Usually speaking,
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  Speaker 2: the game slows down for you. So it's much more team-orientated.
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  Speaker 2: But you need talent to score the ball. And that's
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  Speaker 2: what BYU has and all the other Division I teams
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  Speaker 2: that are going to go to March Madness and just
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  Speaker 2: in the big picture, NBA playoff teams, you have to
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  Speaker 2: have talent. and defensive-minded players, and you play as a unit.
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  Speaker 2: That's what I call sharing and caring. And last night, Sean,
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  Speaker 2: that was the San Antonio Spurs. They had seven guys
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  Speaker 2: in balanced scoring as far as scoring 10 points or more,
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  Speaker 2: double digits, and they really shared the ball unbelievable, and
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  Speaker 2: there was no discrepancy as far as who's taking shots.
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  Speaker 2: And the Jets were knocked out in the second half,
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  Speaker 2: especially in the third quarter. But the Spurs are very good,
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  Speaker 2: and they're combining the best of both worlds, toughness, talent,
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  Speaker 2: and a go-to player, in fact, the one of the other.
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  Speaker 1: The running youth started their season last night as well
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  Speaker 1: against Long Beach State. They had to rally from down 17.
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  Speaker 1: And look, you never want to dig yourself that big
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  Speaker 1: of a hole. But what do you learn about your
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  Speaker 1: team when they're able to fight back from a big
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  Speaker 1: time double digit deficit like that?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, very much so. Again, in Utah basketball, meaning the Utes,
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  Speaker 2: that was a good win. You could have caved in.
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  Speaker 2: You did, and you fought back. So it gives the
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  Speaker 2: players a chance to see what they could do when
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  Speaker 2: they're all playing on the same cycle, meaning what? Offense
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  Speaker 2: to defense, defense to offense. And that was a good win. Now,
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  Speaker 2: Long Beach State is a team that has good talent level,
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  Speaker 2: and the Utes are trying to find themselves, and they
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  Speaker 2: got it done. So they're 1-0 down. which means that
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  Speaker 2: in practice today, Sean, in the film sessions, you know, well,
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  Speaker 2: you know, for the listeners right now, this is dreadful
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: thing called film sessions. It's both good, bad, and the ugly.
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  Speaker 2: And so they're able to correct mistakes in a much
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  Speaker 2: more positive way versus what we doing wrong here. And
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  Speaker 2: that's always say that, uh, that's why winning is so important.
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  Speaker 2: You can correct mistakes with a player's open-minded about it
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  Speaker 2: versus being a steel trap. As far as mine, you,
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  Speaker 2: you right now, they play, uh, Townsend State on Thursday
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  Speaker 2: night at the Hudson Center. Sean, it's a question to you, Sean.
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  Speaker 2: Where is Townsend State University? Do you know what state
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  Speaker 2: it's in?
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: Where is Townsend State? Alabama.
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  Speaker 2: Sean, you being a citizen of the world and the USA.
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  Speaker 1: I don't know that one. Where is it?
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  Speaker 2: All right, Sean. Townsend, Maryland.
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  Speaker 1: Ah, okay.
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  Speaker 2: Right into D.C., Baltimore, Beltway.
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  Speaker 1: All right. Doc the Tiger is their mascot.
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  Speaker 2: Hey, Sean, you know all about Australia. You know about
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  Speaker 2: the Baltic states. You live in France sometimes. You're always
• 12:04
  Speaker 2: in Belgium all the time doing stuff. You're always in
• 12:08
  Speaker 2: Canada doing stuff.
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  Speaker 1: And I don't even know my own country. Sad.
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  Speaker 2: That's right. Well, again, my sole purpose in life, Sean,
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  Speaker 2: is to educate you and James Peterson. That's my mission
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  Speaker 2: in life.
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  Speaker 1: I love it. I love it. All right. Towson State
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  Speaker 1: it is. Gordie, you're the man. What's the list?
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  Speaker 2: One more thing about the NBA. Shakers, Alexander. The Thunder,
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  Speaker 2: they are absolutely hurt. There's no, again, the Jazz are
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  Speaker 2: hurt also. But the better teams overcome this. And that's
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  Speaker 2: what the Jazz have to try to do. Overcome what
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  Speaker 2: we're missing right now. Yusuf Nurkic. And Jaron Jackson. All right,
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  Speaker 2: let's go forward to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Shea Joseph Alexander,
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  Speaker 2: the two-time MVP. His teammates, they're hurting as far as,
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  Speaker 2: you know, these bodies they're missing. These guys are elite players.
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  Speaker 2: But last night on the road in Cleveland, he scores
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  Speaker 2: 42 points, and it's how he got them. And it
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  Speaker 2: was a tremendous win for them. I'm sorry, got 43
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  Speaker 2: points and eight dimes. He took 35 shots in the game, Sean.
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  Speaker 2: He refused to lose. He kept on going to the
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  Speaker 2: foul line, and he had a nice win, the thunder
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  Speaker 2: over the Cavaliers on the road, and he delivered for
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  Speaker 2: his team. Because the Thunder right now, they're 5-2, and
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  Speaker 2: in their world, there's no excuse. Whoever's on the floor
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  Speaker 2: right now, we expect you to play well, and that's
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  Speaker 2: including Sean. The young rookie... from University of Michigan, the
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  Speaker 2: big guy, the Thunder playing without Chet Holmgren. So now
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  Speaker 2: this guy's playing a lot. They start Isaiah Hartenstein, who
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  Speaker 2: got 14 boards last night, including seven offensive rebounds. But
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  Speaker 2: Adai Mare, University of Michigan, he's a young Spanish guy.
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  Speaker 2: He came in the game, and he battled in the
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  Speaker 2: lane against the Cavaliers. Ten points, nine boards in one block.
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  Speaker 2: And that's how you win, where the other guys contribute,
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  Speaker 2: even though you're undermanned.
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  Speaker 1: Do you have a list today, Gordy?
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  Speaker 2: Sean, this list today, Sean, I'm thinking about you. Yes, you.
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  Speaker 1: All right, okay.
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  Speaker 2: The top ten NBA leaders in most technical fouls accumulated.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, that's something that would apply directly to me, yeah.
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  Speaker 2: Sean, just saying. Here we go. Common traits. One, physical. Two, emotional. Three, skilled. Four, competitive.
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  Speaker 2: And five, longevity. Here we go. Just top ten. Top
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  Speaker 2: ten Korea technical fouls. Number ten all time. Kevin Garnett,
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  Speaker 2: played 21 years in the Hall of Fame, 172 technical fouls.
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  Speaker 2: Number nine, all-time. Dwight Howard, 18 years in the NBA,
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  Speaker 2: Hall of Famer, 178 technical fouls. Number eight, Anthony Mason,
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  Speaker 2: 13 years in the NBA, 192. Number seven, Dirk Lewicki,
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  Speaker 2: 21 years in the NBA, Hall of Fame inductee, 199
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  Speaker 2: technical fouls. Tied for fifth. Dennis Rodman and Russell Westbrook.
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  Speaker 2: Dennis Rodman, 14 years in the NBA, Hall of Famer.
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  Speaker 2: Russell Westbrook just retired recently, 18 years, future Hall of Famer.
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  Speaker 2: They accumulated 212 technical fouls, number four all time. Nickname
• 15:44
  Speaker 2: was the glove, Gary Payton, 17 years, Hall of Famer,
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  Speaker 2: doing the 50. All right, top three. Rasheed Wallace, 16
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  Speaker 2: years in the NBA, 317 career technical fouls. What makes
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  Speaker 2: it so interesting, Sean, he set the single record of
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  Speaker 2: the most ever technical fouls in a season back in
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  Speaker 2: 2000 and 2001 campaign. We registered 41 technical fouls for
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  Speaker 2: the Portland Trailblazers, and I saw many of them. Number
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  Speaker 2: two all-time, Charles Barkley. and the NBA 16 years Hall
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  Speaker 2: of Fame, 229 technical fouls, and the number one player
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  Speaker 2: in the history of NBA basketball for the most technical fouls.
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  Speaker 2: Remember the criteria, Sean, is Karl Malone, 19 years in
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  Speaker 2: the NBA Hall of Famer, 332 technical fouls. So, Sean,
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  Speaker 2: I saw most of those technical fouls. And also a
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  Speaker 2: quick jazz side note, Jerry Sloan, also had the most
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  Speaker 2: technical fouls as a coach. So, Sean, I've seen the
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  Speaker 2: most probably, myself and Phil Johnson, the other Jazz assistant coach,
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  Speaker 2: we've seen the most ever technical fouls in the history
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  Speaker 2: of basketball. Seen it, lived it, and also tried to
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  Speaker 2: stop many of them.
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  Speaker 1: Gordy, you have witnessed more technical fouls than anyone on earth.
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  Speaker 1: I love that.
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  Speaker 2: And, Sean, here's the other extreme, though. Mike Conley, former
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  Speaker 2: Jazz point guard, has never been assessed a game technical
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  Speaker 2: infraction in his whole 20-year career, which includes 1,227 games
• 17:31
  Speaker 2: and 37,595 floor minutes, no technical foul. So, Sean, one
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  Speaker 2: people have technical fouls, and Mike Conley... had never committed
• 17:48
  Speaker 2: a technical foul.
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  Speaker 1: He did have one that was rescinded, right?
• 17:54
  Speaker 2: Correct. That's right. One was rescinded the next day. Yes,
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  Speaker 2: he did. So it just shows you. So here's the
• 18:01
  Speaker 2: question in every sport. How can I play with emotion
• 18:07
  Speaker 2: but not be emotional? That's the catch word. How can
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  Speaker 2: I perform as an athlete with emotion but not be emotional?
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  Speaker 2: And that's, you've got to try to master it. And
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  Speaker 2: these guys, even though these guys, I mentioned purposely, many
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  Speaker 2: Hall of Famers have technical fouls because there's so much
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  Speaker 2: pressure on them to help their team win. And they're
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  Speaker 2: all physical. And they respond a lot of times with what? Physicality,
• 18:32
  Speaker 2: throwing elbows, et cetera, et cetera. Wolfing up the guy,
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  Speaker 2: trying to guard them. And that makes it so interesting,
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  Speaker 2: especially in playoff games.
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  Speaker 1: That's absolutely insane. Zero technical fouls. I love it.
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  Speaker 2: Yes.
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  Speaker 1: Gordy, great list as usual. Appreciate your time today. Thank you,
• 18:48
  Speaker 1: my friend.
• 18:50
  Speaker 2: Thanks, Sean. Peace out. Stay well.
• 18:51
  Speaker 1: Gordy Chiesa, best in the business. That conversation brought to
• 18:55
  Speaker 1: you by our friends at Aladdin Industries.