jazz Page 12 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

This Evening: Andrei Kirilenko Joins His Old Team In Russia, Poses With An AK-47
Your p.m. roundup for Oct. 6, the day some really hung squirrel ruined a bake off. Photo via That NBA Lottery Pick. Got any stories or photos for us? Tip your editors....

Gordon Hayward Is Just Playing StarCraft All Summer
Without organized workouts, NBA players have to be creative to stay in shape this offseason. Some guys are touring China. Others are playing rec league ball. Still others are just going to their local gym every day, shooting jumpers and practicing their crossovers until the sun goes down. Then there...

Former First Round Pick Now Growing Marijuana, Hoarding Assault Rifle Ammo
We can not, repeat NOT blame the lockout for this one. Jose Ortiz, known as Piculín and revered as a hero in Puerto Rico, was busted this week at his home. Inside ICE agents found "approximately 218 marijuana plants" and 40 rounds of AR-15 ammunition. The criminal complaint, with photos, can be foun...

LDS-Paid Columnist Wants Jazz To Draft Jimmer So He Marries A Mormon
Vai Sikahema is not a Jazz fan. But the two-time Pro Bowler (and one-time Jose Canseco opponent) is now a columnist for the LDS-owned Deseret News and has a suggestion for Utah's 12th overall pick: Jimmer Fredette. Sikahema's not alone there, but his line of reasoning might be unique:...

What The Hell Did Andrei Kirilenko Do To His Back?
Andrei Kirilenko got a back tattoo. As far as we can tell, although we don't play Earthdawn ourselves, it is an image of a warrior riding a dragon beast flying creature with strangely-textured giant wings. Let's call it the Russian God of Bad Ideas....

You May Have Missed Emeka Okafor's Absurd Buzzer-Beater Last Night
While his alma mater advanced to the Elite 8 last night, Hornets center Emeka Okafor went for some Laettner-esque heroics (too soon?) at the buzzer in Salt Lake City. This nifty shot sent the game into overtime, and even playing without David West in the extra period, New Orleans won 121-117....

Newark Is The Only City That Can Make An Athlete Happy To Move To Utah
Every morning, the fine folks at Sports Radio Interviews sift through the a.m. drive-time chatter to bring you the best interviews with coaches, players, and personalities across the sports landscape. Today: Devin Harris is glad to be out of Jersey....

Jazz Trade Deron Williams: What The Hell Is Going On In Utah?
Al Iannazzone of the Bergen Record reports that the Utah Jazz have agreed to send two-time All-Star point guard Deron Williams to the New Jersey Nets in exchange for Devin Harris, Derrick Favors and two first-round draft picks. Wow....

Karl Malone Talks About The Impact Jerry Sloan Had On Karl Malone
Karl Malone made it perfectly clear at last night's Utah/Phoenix game that Karl Malone thinks former Jazz coach Jerry Sloan is not a quitter. Karl Malone says that he would drop everything Karl Malone is doing at any given time to support Sloan in any venture he undertakes....

Jerry Sloan Goes From Re-Signing To Resigning In 3 Days
After 22+ seasons on the bench in Utah — 21 one of them helming winning teams — Jerry Sloan is reportedly calling it quits. He had signed a one-year contract extension on Monday. Gregg Popovich is now the longest-tenured coach in the NBA....

1989's Back, And It's Here To Blow Your Mind
Your eyes are not deceiving you. This recently-unearthed photo features MJ, both Kid AND Play, Will Smith, and some random fifth guy photobombing them*. It's stunning in its 1989-ness....

Mascot Fighting Fan Is Fake, Still Funny
The Utah Jazz's bear mascot, creatively named "Bear," recently got into it with a visiting Cavaliers "fan." Yeah, it's staged, but we totally believe that Cleveland fans would lose a fight with a furry....

Deron Williams Backflipping Off A Freaking Cliff
An intrepid digital camera owner shot this footage of Deron Williams cliff-diving at Sand Hollow State Park in Utah and we thought that it really needed the be dubbed with a T.I. song to fully emphasize the badassery on display. [SLC Dunk]...

Incongruous Athlete Mix-Tape Theater: Gordon Hayward
Today's Incongruous Athlete Mix-Tape is a real gem: Utah Jazz draftee Gordon Hayward showing off a barrage of put-backs and solid fundamentals to the ferocious "Straight Outta Compton" by NWA. ...

The "Andrei Kirilenko's Yearly Free Pass Watch" Reaches DEFCON-2
Because no one reads the newspaper, and SportsCenter's anchors are too perky for this early in the morning, Deadspin combs the best of the broadsheets and the blogosphere to bring you everything you need to know to start your day....

Your NBA Playoffs Open Thread
Will Bulls-Cavs be half as good as Bulls-Celtics? Will the Atlanta Hawks learn to "Fear the Deer?" Can the Celtics shake off some half-season rust and stop Los Heat? Will the Nuggets rally in the name of their ailing coach?...

The Biggest Supporters Around
To conclude one of the boobsiest days in Deadspin history, here's this picture of some strategically placed fans/cameramen at last night's Thunder-Jazz and Penguins-Capitals trackmeets. Mutton wins again. H/t Eric and Patrick....

Wayne Ellington, His Girlfriend And Grandma: An NBA Draft Tableau
OK, so you've all had your jollies with that photo of new draftee Wayne Ellington and his comely friend. For my money, though, this one right here is vastly more interesting. I mean, just look at it....

Jason Whitlock's Too Black For Kansas City Sometimes
Whitlock's latest KC Star column features D.J. Jazzy Jeff, KC's eight-block "P & L District," Kangol hats, and, of course, racism. Just another Saturday night with Whitlock in the Midwest....

Careful, Jazz Players. Jerry Sloan Is Monitoring Your Facebook Status Updates.
Grumpy old man Jerry Sloan and the Jazz brass are reportedly unhappy with little-used backup Kyrylo Fesenko, which isn't terribly surprising given that Jerry Sloan hasn't been happy since the Eisenhower Administration. What's surprising is the reason: Facebook status updates....