MattHarpring Posts -- FanHouse

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Matt Harpring Hopes to Play 1 More Year

Posted: Sep 11th 2009 7:15PM by Chris Tomasson (author feed)
Filed under: Jazz, FanHouse Exclusive

Matt Harpring, a former high school quarterback, plays basketball with a football mentality.

He hurls his body all over place. If he gets hurt, he just rubs some dirt on his injury. OK, with dirt hard to find in a basketball arena, perhaps he rubs chalk on it.

With that in mind, it's no surprise the injury-riddled Utah Jazz forward doesn't want to retire.

"I would love to play (this season),'' Harpring, 33, said in an interview Friday with FanHouse. "I would love to play until I'm 50.''

But some of that might be out of his hands. Harpring said he will have his Jazz physical on Monday, and doctors will have a say in whether he can continue to play.

Continue Reading Matt Harpring Hopes to Play 1 More Year

The Rotation: Fear the Utah Jazz

Posted: Feb 24th 2009 11:30AM by Tom Ziller (author feed)
Filed under: Jazz

5 COMMENTS

The Rotation is a weekly study on the NBA by one of our All-Star voices. In rotation this week is Tom Ziller.

Depending on your interior biases, the Utah Jazz either represent a flimsy facade waiting to be knocked over or the last gasp of insurgent power willing to make the Western Conference playoffs compelling.

As always, the truth falls somewhere in the middle. The public consensus, however, has cast Utah as more bit player than force to be reckoned with. But mis-measuring the Jazz as a Western also-ran is a huge mistake.

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So Much for the NBA's Flop Crackdown

Posted: Dec 29th 2008 2:55PM by Tom Ziller (author feed)
Filed under: Jazz, Mavericks, NBA Referees

7 COMMENTS

First, a retraction of sorts: on Sunday, I bemoaned the league's suspension of Dirk Nowitzki for his swing at Matt Harpring's face in Friday's Jazz-Mavs match-up. Rules are rules, and the league had to sit Dirk for a game. It was silly to suggest that ruling had been wrong. (I will not, however, back down from my statement that Harpring is ugly. And also, the opinion at the bottom of this Jazz Notes post regarding Dirk's potential reputation as a dirty player for having the temerity to fight back against the extremely, eternally dirty Jazz is absurd and reeks of localist triumphalism.)

But since rules are indeed rules, what happened to the rules the league created last summer to discourage flopping? In May, ESPN reported that the NBA would create a fine schedule to impose on the most egregious actors in the league. Almost nothing has come from it -- not one fine announced this season, no release of the ground rules or discussion of the review procedure.

This all comes to mind because of Andrei Kirilenko's flagrant flop, shown in the clip posted Sunday. Even Vlade Divac, Manu Ginobili and Anderson Varejao rolled their eyes when they saw that fall. Clint Eastwood is jealous. (And mad, also. He hates wimpy maneuvers. And Russians, also.)

If ever a flop deserved punishment, it was this one. I understand the need to keep fists at bay, but I plea for the league to understand how discouraging modern flopping is to the sport. I daresay that without the flop, Dirk's fist doesn't come out to play.

UPDATE: A league spokesman contacted FanHouse to say that contrary to the May ESPN report, the NBA is not fining players for flops this season. The league is monitoring the trend but has told media it will not fine players this year.

In Defense of Dirk Nowitzki's Elbow

Posted: Dec 28th 2008 12:05PM by Tom Ziller (author feed)
Filed under: Jazz, Mavericks, NBA Videos

11 COMMENTS

On Friday, Dirk Nowitzki was ejected from the Mavs-Jazz game after sending an elbow at Matt Harpring's grill. If you follow the league, you don't need to see the clip to know that Harpring deserved it: for the last five years, the dude's been one of the dirtiest players in the league. He picks fights with anyone and everyone.

When people call Harpring the quintessential Jerry Sloan player, they mean that (like John Stockton and Karl Malone) Harpring constantly punches, elbows, bumps, trips and muscles his opponent. It's something you adore if you root for the Jazz, and something you loathe if you're one of the six billion other people on the planet. With that in mind, this biased breakdown of what led to Dirk's elbow is just what the world needs to see.

It's not all Harpring -- Kyrylo Fesenko gets bumpy too and Andrei Kirilenko provides potentially the greatest flop in the history of the Western Civilization. But I don't blame Dirk. Do you?

The league hasn't told the Mavericks whether Dirk will be suspended for today's game against the Clippers. If there's any justice, instead of a suspension the league will grant him a Christmas bonus for his handiwork on Harpring's face.

UPDATE: Shortly after this posting went live, news broke that Dirk has in fact been suspended for today's game in L.A. Complete bollocks.

Five Things to Keep an Eye on: Jazz at Lakers, Game 1

Posted: May 4th 2008 3:00PM by Tom Ziller (author feed)
Filed under: Lakers, NBA Playoffs, Jazz, Los Angeles

2 COMMENTS

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for in today's premiere of the Jazz-Lakers series.

1. Hairy face, meet hairy chest. With no offense to Ronnie Price and Jordan Farmar, the clear "vital" matchup heading into this brawl will be Pau Gasol versus Carlos Boozer. Both are elite scorers on the block, able to finish off the pick-and-roll, in isolation down low, or popping off from 15 feet. Even elite defenders have trouble handling each fellow. Luckily for the impartial viewing public, neither of these guys are elite defenders. Gasol could average 30 in the series and still come out only even with Boozer unless he and/or Lamar Odom can force 'Los into some tough misses inside.

2. Speaking of hairy chests ... Ronnie Brewer's gonna grow up quick if he's left in single coverage against Kobe. Brewer's stout defense derives from his twitchy hands, which affect opponents both in the passing lanes and on perimeter dribbling. Kobe, of course, almost never turns over the ball (considering how many possessions he's responsible for). Brewer's got the height and heft to keep Kobe out of the post, but even Ronnie's great foot speed and lateral quickness won't be able to keep Bean from either starting a one-man lay-up line or getting to the line incessantly. The (possible) solution (in a perfect world)? Matt Harpring. (We'll get to him soon enough.)

Three more, after the jump.

Continue Reading Five Things to Keep an Eye on: Jazz at Lakers, Game 1

B-Ball, B-Fast: Free Lee!

Posted: Mar 4th 2008 9:50AM by Will Brinson (author feed)
Filed under: NBA Last Night, NBA Fantasy Last Night

2 COMMENTS

B-Ball, B-Fast is a weekdaily look at last night's NBA action from a fantasy perspective. Bookmark it and visit often.

Cup of Coffee
There's just something wrong to me, that even with Zach Randolph nursing a sore foot and not playing, David Lee still doesn't get to start. What does the guy have to do? Grab 16 rebounds in 30 minutes? Oh right. He did that. He did shoot two of nine, but if my coach didn't let me on the floor, I'd be hoisting shots every time I got on the hardwood too. Usually Lee, is the king of the plus/minus, but there wasn't a single Knick in the plus last night, so solace is at least found in him being their leading rebounder.

Hot Cakes
Andrei Kirilenko took a nasty little hit from Dirk Nowitzki last night and had to leave the game with only four minutes under his belt. The primary beneficiaries in terms of playing time would be a mix of Kyle Korver (who I think the Jazz actually like off the bench) and Matt Harpring. Harpring's worth an add and Korver is probably owned, although the latter would be must start material if he ended up in the starting lineup.

Tiny little tip of the cap to Deron Williams who decided to let Jason Kidd know who the elite in the L are, with a 17 point, 20 assist night that included five boards and two blocks. We'd like him to shoot a little bit better, but it's tough to be picky. Very nice.

Brevin Knight appears to be back at regular PG duties for the Clipjoint now that Sam Cassell is gone -- he's certainly always a nice add if you're looking for steals and assists. The guy that's worth keeping an eye on (because Knight tends to get hurt) is *shudder* Dan Dickau. He played 16 minutes last night and recorded four dimes in that span. A starter is a starter, folks.

Utah Dislikes Ron Artest, And Vice Versa

Posted: Jan 27th 2008 11:10AM by Tom Ziller (author feed)
Filed under: Kings, NBA Videos, Jazz

2 COMMENTS

Brett Edwards told you about Ron Artest's Friday night ejection, and showed you the exit. This is what lead up to that (via BallHype).

Not shown: Carlos Boozer pounding the back of Artest's head the entire first half, Matt Harpring molesting Kevin Martin and John Salmons repeatedly.

Matt Harpring Can't Wait For His Colonoscopy

Posted: Jan 5th 2008 12:30PM by Tom Ziller (author feed)
Filed under: NBA Injuries, Jazz

0 COMMENTS

From the 'just-for-the-hell-of-it' files:

He had hoped to get it done this week, but because of scheduling issues Jazz forward Matt Harpring will wait until Jan. 23 to undergo a colonoscopy and biopsy as doctors continue to seek a cause for his frequent gastrointestinal issues.

Earlier testing prompted the need for further examination for Harpring, who has missed four games this season after becoming ill. Harpring does not expect to miss any games because of the colonoscopy, and he suggested Thursday that he anxiously awaits the exam.

As such, Harpring became the first man in modern medical history to look forward to a colonoscopy.

In seriousness, best wishes for Harpring. It's got to be hard enough to play well with Jerry Sloan all over your ass, let alone some nasty biological thing.

Is Utah's Guard Solution Under Its Nose?

Posted: Dec 22nd 2007 12:30PM by Tom Ziller (author feed)
Filed under: Jazz

0 COMMENTS

First, a statement of facts. Utah has had some issues with guard depth since Derek Fisher moved back to L.A. Ronnie Price nor Jason Hart have been solutions. Gordan Giricek has been exiled out of Jerry Sloan's eyesight. Matt Harpring is suffering from a mystery gastrointestinal ailment. Ronnie Brewer and Deron Williams have been variable levels of brilliant as starters, but... there's nothing beyond that. Well, unless you count Morris Almond.

Almond, recently exported, dropped 51 for the D-League Utah Flash last night. It tied the NBDL single-game scoring record. He took 35 shots and 16 free throws. It's a different level of competition, sure... but there are NBA-level talents here. Ian Mahinmi and Darius Washington from the Spurs ranks lined up against Almond, along with DerMarr Johnson, Arizona product Marcus Williams and Good American Kevin Pittsnogle. It's not the Orlando Magic, but it's not the CBA either.

Almond got little chance to show his ability in real games for Sloan -- 13 total minutes over four November games. His defense is likely suspect (as is the case with most rookies) and he doesn't seem like a fellow to press for playing time. In fact, he seems to not only accept his D-League life in his most recent blog entry for NBA.com, but embrace it. But if Sloan doesn't figure things out with Giricek or Price, Almond should get a real shot. The Jazz defense stinks anyway.