Latest / The Sean O'Connell Show / Gordie Chiesa on the Utah Jazz and NBA preseason, MJ's '98 Finals jersey bought for $14m, Jazz win over the Spurs + more

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Gordie Chiesa on the Utah Jazz and NBA preseason, MJ's '98 Finals jersey bought for $14m, Jazz win over the Spurs + more · The Sean O'Connell Show

• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Peace out. Welcome back to the Sean O'Connell Show. Welcome in,
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: Gordy Chiesa. Conversations with our NBA guru brought to you
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: by Aladdin Industries, your Utah V-Lux dealer. Gordy Chiesa, welcome
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: to the show once again. How are you, sir?
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: Sean, I'm doing well. Thank you.
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: Um, Walker Kessler is gearing back up to full health
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: to where he can now make a debut in a
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: Lakers uniform. We obviously talked about our expectations and hopes
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: for him when we thought he was going to be
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: still with the Utah jazz no longer is, uh, the
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: Utah jazz are going to use those assets. I think
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: to help this team continue to get better. cap space,
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: and all those types of things. But let's take a
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: look at Walker Kessler for a moment with that Lakers roster.
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: What are they expecting from him? What do you expect
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: from him in the early returns?
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: Well, the first thing is that he hasn't played a
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: minute yet of preseason with a new team. What happened
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: during practice, and it started two weeks ago, he jammed
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: his left pinky finger, and so they held him out precautionary.
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: So he's playing tonight the Lakers play Golden State in
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: Las Vegas. So he'll be his Lakers debut. We're expecting
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: all of us in the NBA. What he does best
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: is block shots and offensive rebound. And that's what they need.
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: So a lot of times we'll look at Dodgers with
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: the ball and Austin Reeves. And let's not forget former
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: Jazz man, Kyle sections on the Lakers. He'll be a
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: screener on a high pick and roll, be a law
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: pass option to finish over the top of a help
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: defense and just give them a general presence of a
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: shot blocking and rebounding and, um, playing without the ball.
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: And the Lakers have enough scorers. They need guys that
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: are willing to sacrifice some of their initial offense for
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: later on in possession. So the Lakers are well-positioned, and
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: it's going to be a fascinating story. So here's the
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: math of it. The Jazz offered him a really good contract.
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: They wanted him in good faith. He moved on. The
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: Lakers gave him four years, $ 130 million contract. So he
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: went to the Lakers. Now comes the hard part. He
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: has to prove his worth.
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: When we look back on it, when the Lakers look
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: back on it, are we going to say that that
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: was worth it?
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: It's unlikely. Unlike, again, in the Laker land, in Hollywood,
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: it's all about winning. So there's no, like, a gray area,
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: you know, where we're developing for the future. In L.A.,
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: there's no future. It's like right now, the present tense,
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: whether it's an industry of sports, including the Dodgers right
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: now playing the Brewers, and they're two-time champion in a row.
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: They're fighting for their lives. And it's the Lakers also
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: where you judge at a different level. So even though
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: it's wonderful living there in SoCal, there's a lot of
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: different things also that aren't so good if you're an
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: athlete unless you perform. So you know about this show
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: last night, the Rams game against the Bills was a
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: classic game where as great as the quarterback of the
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: Stafford plate of the Rams, the fact of the matter
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: is they still lost.
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: When we're talking about that pressure to perform element and
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: that increases when you're in a Knicks uniform and a
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: Lakers uniform and a Sixers uniform. We've always used the
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: mid-major market or the small market status here for Utah
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: as a reason why people don't want to be here.
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: But there's also the flip side of that element where
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  Speaker 1: there's a lot more fan loyalty, I think. There's less pressure,
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: if that makes sense. And that could be, for some players,
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: a good thing to where they can thrive without that
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: same immense weight of, that they've got to carry around
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  Speaker 1: every day. Is that talked about in NBA circles? That,
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: you know, hey, if you go there, you better win now.
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  Speaker 1: If you go to Cleveland or New Orleans or Salt
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: Lake City, maybe you're going to get a little bit
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: more wiggle room?
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: Very much. The answer is yes. And also the lifestyle.
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: So just generally speaking, there's always an outlier. When you're
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: in a smaller market, you can get around easier. Especially
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: if you're a foreign-born player. So we left out purposely
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: the San Antonio Spurs. That's the mother of all great markets,
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: the small markets, where the five-time NBA champion, and they
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: have a tremendous roster right now trying to be champions
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: after losing last year to the Knickerbockers four games to one.
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: And so, yeah, it is a factor also, Sean. It's
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: based on your own individual personality. Like, you know, what
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: size are you as far as, you know, are you
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: an introvert or extrovert? You know, who's your best friends?
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: Who's your new teammates? Who's the head coach of the team?
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: Is he a father figure or is he a young fella?
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: It's all part of it. It's not one thing. It's everything.
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: But the fact of the matter is that this is
• 5:20
  Speaker 2: the pros, and if you feel comfortable in your settings,
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: the chances of playing much better in intense games increases dramatically.
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: So we'll find out Walker Kessler. Jazz fans, they wish
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: him well. As a matter of fact, speaking of jazz fans,
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: they're going to see Walker Kessler here in Salt Lake
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: City very shortly after The Jazz play the Lakers here
• 5:42
  Speaker 2: on Sunday, Sean, Sunday. Yes, I did say Sunday. Jazz basketball,
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: Lakers home at 3 o'clock on October 25th. So it's
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: real soon. We'll see them.
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: Jazz with a preseason victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
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  Speaker 1: I was chuckling along to the radio broadcast because David
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: Locke was talking about how this is not the– this
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: is the G League version of the Spurs roster-wise. They–
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: You look at who is unavailable, no De'Aaron Fox, no
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: Devin Vassell, no Stephon Castle, no Dylan Harper, no Victor Wimbinyama.
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  Speaker 1: And that's the nature of some of these preseason games,
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  Speaker 1: especially with rosters like the San Antonio Spurs. For the Jazz,
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  Speaker 1: against that roster in San Antonio, what boxes are you
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  Speaker 1: able to check in the preseason when you're facing a
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  Speaker 1: far-from-full-strength Spurs team?
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: Well, last night we saw that the Jazz were serious
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: about defense. They got after the Spurs players. And so
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: the Jazz held the Spurs to wobbly shooting of 39%
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: with their radioactive defense. And to add to that, Sean,
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: they created 18 steals. So led by Isaiah Collier, who
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: had five takeaways himself. So the previous years, we talked
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: about it very much where the Jazz defensively were lacking.
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: So far, it seems visually and also as far as
• 7:11
  Speaker 2: the box score tells us that the Jazz are committed
• 7:14
  Speaker 2: to play better defense. And it starts with on ball.
• 7:18
  Speaker 2: And it's also the mentality. So that's encouraging. Now, I
• 7:21
  Speaker 2: hope the Jazz can do that when the regular season starts.
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: My instincts tell me they're going to be definitely improved
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: as far as doing it. How do you do it?
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: By being physical as far as just by nature, but
• 7:32
  Speaker 2: having technique. Now, the one thing last night that stood out, Sean,
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: the Jazz got after the Spurs. However, they were overzealous
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: where they committed 29 team fouls. And so that's way
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: too much. Generally speaking, a rule of thumb in the
• 7:47
  Speaker 2: NBA is of winning teams that play solid defense, you
• 7:51
  Speaker 2: commit most times between 17 to 21 personal fouls. That's
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: like the benchmark you'd like to get. Now, again, fouling
• 8:04
  Speaker 2: is an arbitrary word where you totally be aggressive, yeah,
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  Speaker 2: but you need technique. Sure, in the NFL, when you're
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: a D-back or a cornerback, everything is based on what?
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  Speaker 2: Your hands. Your hands. And in basketball, it's the same thing.
• 8:16
  Speaker 2: It's what? Hands and your feet. And that's what you,
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  Speaker 2: the better players and teams. So the jazz have to
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  Speaker 2: do a better job of, of being physical without fouling.
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: Gordy Chiesa for another minute or two here on the
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: Sean O'Connell show. Gordy, somebody paid $ 14 million for a
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: game worn Jersey from Michael Jordan in the, in the
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  Speaker 1: finals game, two of the finals against your jazz. Was
• 8:41
  Speaker 1: that you that bought the Jersey?
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  Speaker 2: I didn't buy it, no, for $ 14 million, but I
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: showed up close and personal. I was trying to stop
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: that guy with our scouting report and also with the
• 8:52
  Speaker 2: in-game adjustments. For the listeners, just for a second, on
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  Speaker 2: memory lane, the game was June 5th, 1998. I remember
• 8:59
  Speaker 2: it well. The Jazz lost, unfortunately, 93-88 in a lacious game.
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: It was right down to the last play. Michael Jordan
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  Speaker 2: scored 37 points. where he took 33 shots and made 14.
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  Speaker 2: So Sean, he goes 14 to 33 against a really
• 9:16
  Speaker 2: good defense by the Jazz Permanent guys. Michael Jordan goes
• 9:20
  Speaker 2: 0 for 2 from three-point range. And so it was
• 9:24
  Speaker 2: an incredible game, and the better team won that night,
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: and we had a hard time. Michael Jordan was great
• 9:31
  Speaker 2: in the clutch. So Sean's alluding to... That investor in
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  Speaker 2: Miami bought the jersey for $ 14 million. It's the second
• 9:39
  Speaker 2: highest jersey ever, as far as bought by a person.
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: The most highest paid ever of a jersey was $ 24. 1
• 9:49
  Speaker 2: million paid in 2024. The Babe Ruth, when he called
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: a shot, remember you saw it in grainy film when
• 9:58
  Speaker 2: he called a shot home run versus the Chicago Cubs
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: in Wrigley Field in Game 3 of the 1932 World Series.
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: Let's add to this. In 1998, when the Jazz lost
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: four games to two, Jordan's game jersey won, went for $ 10. 1
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  Speaker 2: million in Game 3 of went for $ 12. 3 million. I'm
• 10:20
  Speaker 2: assuming that iconic Game 6, when Michael Jordan made the dagger,
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: did he push up with Brian Russell, Sean, or not?
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: That would be the great debate forever. Who's the referee,
• 10:30
  Speaker 2: Dick Betheta? He was the referee during that time. Did
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: he push off? He got the call. He made the shot.
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: And the question will be, Sean, how much will that
• 10:40
  Speaker 2: jersey be someday Game 6 of 1998? Someone's going to
• 10:42
  Speaker 2: buy it.
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: So we were having this conversation yesterday about if you're
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: Michael Jordan, if you're a star player and at this
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: point of his career, when you're playing him in the
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: 1998 finals, he's well established as this mega star and
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: as a collectible, you know, memorabilia piece, whatever. Does a
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  Speaker 1: guy like him get a new jersey every single night,
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: a fresh jersey every single night? Does Karl Malone get
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: a fresh jersey every single night? Do these guys on
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: a road trip wear the same jersey for game one
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: and game two if you're on the road? How does
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: that work with the equipment staff when we're talking about
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: the star players versus the rank and file?
• 11:25
  Speaker 2: Okay, so the answer is the star players have multiple
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: jerseys on their road trip. It's possible that they might
• 11:32
  Speaker 2: take the jersey off somebody in a moment of exhilaration
• 11:35
  Speaker 2: when they played great in that road game and gave
• 11:38
  Speaker 2: the jersey off to some fan that's yelling and begging,
• 11:42
  Speaker 2: you know, for an autograph. And the guy does this
• 11:45
  Speaker 2: without even thinking, takes his jersey off and gives them
• 11:48
  Speaker 2: to the kid, which is wonderful as far as, you know,
• 11:51
  Speaker 2: at that moment. So the equipment people have extra jerseys also,
• 11:55
  Speaker 2: just in case Blake gets on it or it's ripped. Like,
• 11:58
  Speaker 2: stuff happens during a game. So they do have it.
• 12:01
  Speaker 2: For everybody, but in particular, many for the star players
• 12:04
  Speaker 2: that could have some value for doing it. So they
• 12:08
  Speaker 2: have it all the time. Also with sneakers. You can't
• 12:11
  Speaker 2: believe as far as the equipment people. God bless them.
• 12:14
  Speaker 2: They have so many sneakers in every locker room as
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: far as in case something is deformed or blows out
• 12:20
  Speaker 2: the sneaker or just in general if they feel uncomfortable.
• 12:23
  Speaker 2: So there's a lot of different things moving parts as
• 12:26
  Speaker 2: far as whether the NFL or the NBA. My question, Sean,
• 12:29
  Speaker 2: is what about your famous jersey? I'm serious. We should
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: auction off your jersey, both high school and also Utah
• 12:38
  Speaker 2: and Weber State. We should.
• 12:40
  Speaker 1: You know what?
• 12:42
  Speaker 2: Bring it in someday.
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: I should bring it in. I should replace this Britton
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: Covey jersey hanging behind me with my high school football
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: jersey or something. Definitely a great idea.
• 12:55
  Speaker 2: Hey, we love Britain's Jersey, but we'd like to have
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: you up there also.
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: You know what?
• 12:59
  Speaker 2: Your Jersey, don't wash it. Make it like it looks
• 13:02
  Speaker 2: where it's all mud and stuff. It's perfect.
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: I'll have to find one. In college, I didn't get
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: to use my jersey. I wouldn't get dirty enough because
• 13:13
  Speaker 1: it wasn't playing that much. All right, Gordy, what's your
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: list today?
• 13:17
  Speaker 2: My list today, we're talking about Players and with organizations
• 13:24
  Speaker 2: and small markets. This is a really short list because
• 13:27
  Speaker 2: it's so hard to do. NBA players who have spent
• 13:31
  Speaker 2: their entire career playing for one franchise. So you play
• 13:37
  Speaker 2: for one franchise your whole career, and I cut it
• 13:40
  Speaker 2: off on 14 years. So just think about the players
• 13:45
  Speaker 2: you like over the years, and suddenly they change their
• 13:49
  Speaker 2: team and their career. either chase a ring or there
• 13:52
  Speaker 2: was a salary dispute. Here we go. With 14 years
• 13:56
  Speaker 2: with one franchise, Nick Collison, Seattle Supersonics and the Thunder,
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  Speaker 2: Jerry West of the Lakers, Elgin Baylor of the Lakers,
• 14:06
  Speaker 2: Joe Dumars of the Pistons, David Robinson of the Spurs.
• 14:12
  Speaker 2: With 15 years with the same team, there were teammates also, ironically,
• 14:17
  Speaker 2: Hal Greer, The Syracuse Nationals slash Philadelphia 76ers and Dolph Shays.
• 14:25
  Speaker 2: Syracuse Nationals slash Philadelphia 76ers. With 16 years of service
• 14:31
  Speaker 2: on the same team. Both these guys are amazing. Manu
• 14:35
  Speaker 2: Ginobili of the Spurs and John Havlicek of the Celtics.
• 14:40
  Speaker 2: With 18 years. And this guy is the only player
• 14:43
  Speaker 2: on the list that's active. Reggie Miller of the Pacers
• 14:48
  Speaker 2: and the world's greatest shooter of all time, Steph Curry
• 14:51
  Speaker 2: of the Warriors, 18 years with 19 years. Tim Duncan
• 14:58
  Speaker 2: of the Spurs and John Stockton of the Jazz with
• 15:03
  Speaker 2: 20 years with the same franchise. Udonis Haslam of the
• 15:08
  Speaker 2: Heat and the late, great Kobe Bryant of the Lakers
• 15:12
  Speaker 2: 18 and the number one player of all time for
• 15:15
  Speaker 2: the most years credited with one franchise. He's iconic. I'll
• 15:19
  Speaker 2: give you a hint, Sean. He was seven-footer with an
• 15:23
  Speaker 2: incredible step-back jump shot, and he's from a foreign country. Yes,
• 15:27
  Speaker 2: we're talking about Dirk Nowitzki of the Mavericks via Germany.
• 15:31
  Speaker 2: He played for the Mavericks for 21 seasons. What about
• 15:36
  Speaker 2: the NFL? Just two names, Sean. His name was... Lou,
• 15:41
  Speaker 2: the toe grows up. He played for the Cleveland Browns.
• 15:45
  Speaker 2: He was a place kicker and alignment. He played for
• 15:47
  Speaker 2: the Browns for 21 years. I know, you know, this guy,
• 15:51
  Speaker 2: a Dowell green was a great quarterback for the, for
• 15:54
  Speaker 2: the Washington Redskins. Now commanders, he played for 20 years.
• 15:57
  Speaker 2: So that was the two guys in the NFL. I
• 16:00
  Speaker 2: presently in the NBA, it seems to me, Sean, that
• 16:04
  Speaker 2: these guys will probably never change their team. So we
• 16:08
  Speaker 2: did it in less relatively, uh, Once, quickly, other guy
• 16:13
  Speaker 2: during his career, Nikolai Jokic of the Denver Nuggets has
• 16:17
  Speaker 2: played for them for 12 years already. He's going to
• 16:20
  Speaker 2: sign a contract probably next summer for an extension. So
• 16:23
  Speaker 2: I'm assuming either four or five years. I think he'll
• 16:26
  Speaker 2: be with them his whole career. And then, of course,
• 16:29
  Speaker 2: the number one person in the NBA as far as
• 16:31
  Speaker 2: longevity could be someday with the same team, Victor Wembeambe.
• 16:35
  Speaker 2: He's starting his fourth year. That's Sean. That's my list
• 16:39
  Speaker 2: of today.
• 16:41
  Speaker 1: Love it. I love the NFL guys sprinkled in Lou grows.
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: Of course, they've named the kicker of the year award
• 16:47
  Speaker 1: after him, Daryl green. A lot of people talk about him.
• 16:50
  Speaker 1: He came, he came from the era Gordy before they
• 16:53
  Speaker 1: were testing forties and all that kind of stuff. There
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: are a lot, there are a lot of NFL guys
• 16:57
  Speaker 1: who think he might be the fastest player ever to
• 16:59
  Speaker 1: play in the NFL.
• 17:01
  Speaker 2: You know, it's unbelievable as far as changing direction and speed.
• 17:04
  Speaker 2: And he was a great cover as far as he
• 17:07
  Speaker 2: was a nemesis as far as receivers trying to outrun him.
• 17:13
  Speaker 1: Gordy, you're the man. Always appreciate your time. Thank you, sir.
• 17:17
  Speaker 2: Thanks, Sean. Peace out.
• 17:18
  Speaker 1: Gordy Chiesa brought to you by Aladdin Industries, your Utah
• 17:22
  Speaker 1: V-Lux dealer.