Though it's just another NBA city, some of Magic Johnson's most significant moments came in Salt Lake City. Johnson and his Michigan State team won the NCAA title at the Special Events (Huntsman) Center in 1979; he played in the Salt Palace during the 1988 NBA Playoffs; and he was in Salt Lake for a 1991 game when he was called back to Los Angeles, only to learn he had tested HIV-positive.
Johnson, who is in town to help televise today's Jazz-Blazers game - and will be back to call the All-Star Game in February - says he has fond memories of the city."I've made a lot of friends. I've had good times here," he said. "Not just the NCAA championship, but just playing the Jazz. It was fun, it was a nice rivalry. It was a big game and I enjoyed playing in the playoffs. You know, this is one of the big places for me to play. It will be a good place for me to come for the All-Star Game."
Unlike Chicago star Michael Jordan, who said he'd like to have the All-Star Game in warm-weather cities every year, Johnson says he's happy it is in Utah. "I am happy about coming to Utah, I am happy that the All-Star game is here," he said. "It will be fun for the fans and I'm sure they're ready for it."
By virtue of playing the Jazz in the Western Conference semifinals last year, as well as the regular-season games, Seattle coach George Karl is well-qualified to comment on the state of the Jazz.
Karl, who took over the vacant Seattle job in mid-season last year, says the trade that brought Larry Krystkowiak and Jay Humphries to Utah helped the the Jazz's depth and confidence significantly.
"This (Utah) team has a much more confident feel, though I'm not sure they're playing as well as they could," said Karl.
The coach went on to say Humphries and Krystkowiak "give them a different feel off the bench than before. They seem to have a consistent confidence throughout the games they have not had."
That was, of course, just before the Sonics beat the Jazz 106-96 last Monday.
One of the nicer people in the NBA was Dallas coach Richie Adubato, who was fired last week after going 2-28 to start the year. But nice apparently isn't enough.
Reports out of Dallas say Adubato was regretting passing up an offer to coach Villanova last summer. When he asked for a long-term contract from the Mavericks, they fired him.
One who feels no sympathy for Adubato - or at least the Mavericks - is former Dallas forward Mark Aguirre. "Why should I feel sorry for them. They've made just awful decisions," he said. "They had a four-year stretch where they didn't do anything right."
Utah has Jeff Malone. San Antonio has Sean Elliott. Dallas has Derek Harper. All are players who deserve to be on the All-Star team, but probably won't.
Sacramento has such a player in Mitch Richmond. Already the lobbying has started in his behalf. Kings' General Manager Jerry Reynolds said, "If he's not in it, then it is not the All-Star Game. They can call it that, but it will not be the All-Star Game."
Reynolds continued, "I will be in Salt Lake City with a placard that says, `No Mitch, I Bitch,' if he's not on the team, and I expect some Sacramento fans will join me."
AND THEN SOME: Jazz center Mike Brown on the "biggest goon" in the NBA: "Greg Kite. Just because of the unnecessary holding and fouling to basically take you out of your game. I respect his reason for doing it, because his job is to distract the opposing centers. If he gets you to concentrate on him and not rebounding, his job is accomplished. I just don't like his technique." . . . Former BYU star Michael Smith scored 19 points in the CBA All-Star game . . . Kings' forward Wayman Tisdale on a record-setting basket over Denver's Gary Plummer: "When I caught the ball, I said to myself, `Gary Plummer, you and your mama couldn't stop this." . . . Orlando superstar Shaquille O'Neal on the Magic going from 21st in road attendance to fourth since he arrived: "If I was a fan, I'd come and watch me play, too."