Meet
Get the Rebound!
Posted by: Ben White on November 29th, 2010
The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of the Utah Jazz.I had a great coach in Junior Jazz. To this day, I can still hear him whenever I am playing and a shot goes up.
“Re-bound it!”
He taught us through the years that you cannot win games if you don’t rebound. You have to get the ball.
The two best rebounders that I have ever seen were short. Dennis Rodman stood at 6’7” while Charles Barkley was listed at 6’6”. (Barkley, by most accounts, was actually 6’4” or 6’5”).
How did they do it, when they were going up against guys half a foot taller? Well, they both had “quick ups”; they could get off their feet quickly. But what really set them apart is that they WANTED the ball more than the other guy. They wanted it; and they went out and got it.
The Jazz are starting to take a lesson from these guys.
Against the Lakers on Friday night, the Jazz found a way to win the rebounding battle. Despite going up against Pau Gasol (listed at 7 feet tall, I have stood next to him and would say that 7’2 is probably more accurate.) and Lamar Odom 6’11”, Utah’s Paul Millsap, Al Jefferson, and Andrei Kirilenko were able to hold their own. Not allowing second chance points was huge and will continue to be huge as this Jazz team continues on this year.
But then they regressed on Sunday against the Clippers in LA. Deron was all alone at the top of the rebounding list with…………5. Yep. The Jazz leading rebounder was the point guard whose rebound total fits comfortably on one hand.
That works against the Clippers, it won’t cut it against real teams.
It’s about desire; you have to want it. As soon as the Jazz learn to do that, they will be very hard to beat.
IN THE LOCKER ROOM:
Each player has their preferences on how they like to be interviewed. Some don’t mind talking anytime. Some like to be dressed before they are approached.
One of the latter is Memo.
During a game where Memo had shot the lights out and had been a big factor; we swarmed around him as he finished buttoning up his shirt. He stood up and stared at us for a moment with a smile.
The first person began
“Memo, what was the key to…”
The question never finished. Memo had put up his hand to stop the question.
“Hold on a minute.” he said, pausing, frozen with his hand in the air.
“5…….4………3…………2………..1, ok you may continue now.” with a smile on his face.
The question finished and the interview continued. It was a strange “Okur”ance, but as always, its nice to know that these guys have a pretty good sense of humor.
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Replies: 6
Views: 327
6 Responses
LOL! Memo is awesome!!! I can’t wait to see him on the floor again, even if he’s only about 70% as effective as he used to be.
When Memo comes back he will add another, no only viable but in my opinion EXCELLENT, scoring option. Especially against the leagues second teams. Seriously, I can think of maybe one or two second string centers that could duel with Memo (Marcin Gortat and Brendan Haywood). Another scorer off the bench with Price, Watson, CJ and who’d have thought Fransico would have such a sweet 15-17 foot jumper!
Thanks guys!
@ A.G. I agree whole heartedly! Even at 70%, just having the 7 footer that can drop some treys. Huge.
@Boondock
Yeah, I remember watching Francisco several years ago when he played for the spurs. I was impressed with his length, his quick ups, and his 15-17 jumper from right around the free throw line. I forgot about him until we signed him. he has been awesome for us.
Once Memo comes back, its going to give the bench a BIG boost offensively.
I’m actually a little worried about memo coming back because, as I recall, he wasn’t the best at rebounding. Please correct me if I’m wrong.
Memo is actually an underrated rebounder in my opinion. He has/had (don’t know which to say anymore) the ability to average a double-double it just used to be that Boozer would dominate the rebounding game. With Boozer snatching up 12-15 rebounds a game (when he played) there were fewer opportunities for Memo. Now that Carlos is out of the way, and Memo will presumably be a part of the second unit, he’ll have more opportunities and should improve his numbers; at least that’s what I think.
P.S. I also think he’s an underrated defender. He basically had to defend 2 guys on the low block with Boozer in the line-up meaning he would get burned by leaving his man to help. Memo will definitely fortify the bench when he gets back. I can’t wait! GO JAZZ!!
@A.G.
Id say that memo is an adequate rebounder. He is certainly better than Bargnani or some of the other jump shooting centers. It will be nice to have another big body.
I also agree with you that memo is an underrated defender. When the guy he is guarding is slower and rely on their power, (Duncan, Yao etc.) or if they have no moves in the low post (Dwight Howard), Memo can hold his own. He is not a great help defender, and when his man can face-and-go, he is awful, but overall, he is not as bad as people make him out to be.
His real value is against the LAkers where he draws the bigs away from teh basket.