#freealecburks

Brad did a fantastic job introducing our blog. Yet when we were throwing around ideas of what we were going to write about, the Utah Jazz weren't exactly on the top of my list of topics to talk about. Like Brad said, I didn't move to Utah until the summer of 8th grade and as such didn't really embrace the Jazz as my team until recently. Because of my new found embrace of the Jazz as my team, there is something that must be addressed about them. The younger players need more playing time. Now, most of the young guys have good established players ahead of them in the line up. Paul Milsap and Al Jefferson deserve to start in front of Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors. But C.J. Miles instead of Alec Burks? Please...
****
During the 2011 NBA draft, the Jazz had the 3rd and 12th picks courtesy of a trade that sent Deron Williams to New Jersey in return for Devon Harris, Derrick Favors and two first round draft picks. (we won't get into this now, but lets just agree that Utah DEFINITELY won that trade). That 3rd pick, was courtesy of that trade. Enes Kanter is who the Jazz drafted with that pick. I felt that the Jazz made the right pick with going with Kanter. He was young, and raw but we need size to compete in the west. Then with the 12th pick, the Jazz picked Alec Burks. My first impression was, who? Turns out he is the explosive shooting guard that we need.

In 42 games played this season, Burks is averaging 6.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, .08 assists and a +5.43 efficiency rating in 14.6 minutes per game. CJ Miles is averaging 9.3 points, 2.10 rebounds, 1.2 assists and a +7.04 efficiency rating in 20.4 minutes per game. So their numbers are basically the same given an adjustment for minutes played. Yet its how they play. Burks is always looking to be aggressive. He plays good defense most of the time (its the NBA, no plays good defense all the time). He is four years younger than Miles and with that youth he has greater potential to grow. He, along with Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter, in my opinion are the future of the Jazz. We know what CJ Miles is, but we want to see what Burks will become. Please Coach Corbin, #freealecburks.

Average White Kid

That's what most people consider me. I'm pretty sure when God made me he used all of his generic basic templates. Most people know someone that I look like to them. What does this have to do with sports you may ask yourself? Well, let me tell you a little about my life; I'm ok... at just about everything I do. I've never been great at about anything I do, just enough to hold my own and occasionally doing something cool.

Luckily I was blessed with a  best friend named Merrill who is just about the exact same as me at almost everything we do. We tend to offset perfectly. We trade off W's when we play basketball and football. We are are deuce at tennis and stalemate in chess (though I can't remember the last time we played).

Merrill and I grew up together. He moved into my neighborhood in the summer before the 8th grade. He was a scrawny scraggly looking kid with less fat on his bones than an antelope skeleton after being chased down by a couple hungry lions during a drought.... little much? My point is; that kid was/is skinny.

Top: Me in the red, Merrill to the left and our other best friend Drew to the right in the LP shirt.
Middle: Merrill middle and myself to the left and Drew again to the right (at Merrill's wedding)
Bottom: Your's truly in the middle and merrill on the left there and what have you, Drew still hanging on the right with Quinn between us. 

We practically based our friendship off of girls and sports. Two things we loved even if Merrill wasn't always vocal about his little crushes. I, on the other hand was more than vocal about it. Maybe that's why I didn't get my first girlfriend until I was 21... Anywho. Growing up we would go to school, talk sports, see who was looking particularly good that day, go home, play anything (mostly basketball), homework (merrill), eat and play more sports. We lived to compete and since we were both decent we pushed each other (in both senses of the word).

Now we are two college students who are finishing our degree's, some sooner than others (Merrill... of course) and both married to wonderful women, who both don't have the burning desire to switch on a game, or listen to sports talk radio, or care too much for sports in general. We are very lucky that they let us get our need for sports out every time we are together. Although we can both feel the proverbial eye roll when we start watching and/or talking about sports. Whenever we are together we get into this zone where we talk about anything and everything that is going on in the world of sports. It's kinda like when you are dating a girl and you're out with her and she see's an old friend and they run up to each other and are so excited to see each other to catch up. Your girlfriend introduces you but those six words, "I'm Bradley, nice to meet you." is all you say for the next half of an hour. This has got to be how our wives feel when we are together. Good thing they are alike in many ways and like each other or Merrill and I may never actually get to see each other.

We aren't really sure why we are doing this blog but we wanted a forum for us to get our thoughts out so we thought we would spare our wives from having to listen to endless hours of our meaningless banter about why Tebow should or shouldn't on the Jets or why Steve Nash is still the man. We thought this would be an appropriate release for the two of us. So honestly if there is anyone out there, cool. Enjoy.

Average White Kid: Bradley