The Kings won’t pick up the contract option on Jimmer Fredette. (GETTY IMAGES)

The Sacramento Kings recently declined to pick up Jimmer Fredette’s contract option for 2014-15, making him an unrestricted free agent after this season. There has been speculation the Kings may try to trade him since he doesn’t fit into their long-term plans after trading for Greivis Vasquez and drafting Ben McClemore, so the Kings’ backcourt is now very crowded.

Fredette is very similar to another player that was thought of as a bust his first few seasons in the NBA, J.J. Redick. It’s way too early to write off Fredette — also known as Jammin’ Jimmer from his days at Brigham Young University.

Redick’s first few seasons with the Orlando Magic:

14.8 minutes per game, 6 points per game, made 41% of his field goals, 38.8% of his 3-pointers, 90% of his free throws, 1.2 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.3 steals

8.1 mpg, 4.1 ppg, 44.4% fgm, 39.5% 3fg, 79.4% ftm, 0.7 rpg, 0.6 rpg, and 0.1 spg

Jimmer’s first few seasons:

18.6 mpg, 7.6 ppg, 38.6% fgm, 36.1% 3fg, 83.3% ftm, 1.8 apg, 1.2 rpg, and 0.5 spg

14 mpg, 7.2 ppg, 42.1% fgm, 41.7% 3fg, 85.9% ftm, 1.3 apg, 1 rpg 0.4 spg

Redick followed that up with six points in 17 minutes per game in this third season, which is what Fredette is averaging his third season. Redick didn’t really develop until his fourth season when he averaged 9.6 points in 22 minutes and played in all 82 games.

Before his breakout season, Redick was often called a failure or a royal bust. Oftentimes, fans mistakenly think every player has to be an All-Star or great player when they come into the NBA. Redick and Fredette are shooters who are also decent passers, but playing time is needed to evaluate them.

And if you want to go a step further and look at their per-36 minute averages, they show just that.

Redick’s first few seasons (using the per-36 minute stat):

14.6 ppg, 3 rpg, 2.1 apg, and 0.7 spg

18.3 ppg, 3 rpg, 2.1 apg and 0.5 spg

Jimmer’s numbers are very similar:

14.7 ppg, 3.4 apg, 2.3 rpg, and 1 spg

18.4 ppg, 3.4 apg, 2.6 rpg, and 1.2 spg

Jimmer is a slightly better passer, but he and Redick are pretty much the same player when it comes to scoring. They both remind me of Jeff Hornacek. If you look at Hornacek’s numbers his first tw seasons he would have been called a bust too. He averaged 5.3 and 9.5 points in his first two seasons.

It’s too soon to call Fredette a first-round bust because he hasn’t been given ample opportunity to prove himself. If he gets traded the ideal destination is a no-brainer — the Utah Jazz. He played his college ball in Provo and the Jazz are in rebuilding mode so he should get more playing time.

Gordon Hayward is a small forward masquerading as a shooting guard until Richard Jefferson’s contract comes off the books. Bring in Jimmer as a designated shooter and see what he can do. It’s not like the Jazz are going to be contending any time soon. Bring in the player who had a lot of success in the state of Utah.

Darren Jacks is a regular contributor to OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @djroxalot.

Oklahoma City All-Star guard Russell Westbrook may not be ready to go until December. (GETTY IMAGES)

Anyone who watches ESPN’s “First Take” knows Skip Bayless’ daily diatribe on Russell Westbrook. Bayless slams Westbrook every chance he gets, pointing out Westbrook’s shortcomings as a point guard and how he is curbing Kevin Durant’s greatness.

Bayless is right about one thing, and that is Westbrook is not a true point guard. What Bayless misses completely is the fact that Westbrook is a unique talent who can’t be boxed into a position. He is more of a hybrid, someone who can play point but not necessarily trapped into that role.

If Bayless was coaching Oklahoma City, he would have Westbrook bring up the ball, hand it to Durant, and get out of the way. This completely wastes Westbrook’s special talent. He’s at his best when he doesn’t have restrictions. Curtailing him would be like owning a Ferrari and letting it sit in the garage.

Westbrook plays with raw emotion and, even though his exuberance leads to mistakes, it is the very reason why he’s such a difficult cover.

Oklahoma City got a preview of what life would be like without Westbrook during the 2013 Western Conference playoffs. Westbrook tore the meniscus in his right knee in the first round against Houston and missed the second-round matchup against Memphis.

Without their All-Star guard, the Thunder were eliminated by the Grizzlies in five games despite Durant’s superhuman numbers in the series that saw him average 34 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.

“Everybody thinks he should be a traditional point guard like a [John] Stockton or a Mo Cheeks (former Thunder assistant coach),” Durant said during the 2011 NBA Finals. “There’s a lot of people that cannot be like Russ, either. We need him to play the way he plays.”

Westbrook’s impact on the court can’t be measured by mere statistics. He is the emotional leader of the Thunder, and his absence definitely altered the entire playoff picture. With him in the lineup, OKC is a championship contender. Without him, the Thunder won’t make it past the second round.

OneManFastBreak.net examines the teams in the Northwest Division and where they’ll finish:

1-OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

Durant and the Thunder will have to wait until until December to have Westbrook back on the court after he suffered a setback in his rehabilitation process. He is expected to miss 4-6 weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery to alleviate swelling in his right knee. This means the spotlight shifts to third-year guard Reggie Jackson. He showed some flashes of brilliance in the Memphis series, and even if Westbrook returns Jackson could see increased playing time and be a candidate for Sixth Man of the Year. This could be a make-or-break season for Serge Ibaka. The 6-10 forward must become more than just a defensive force and expand his game on offense. Last season Ibaka improved his scoring average by four points (13.2 points), but he did most of his damage from the outside. Ibaka must develop a back-to-the-basket attack and not settle for jumpers. So far during the preseason, Ibaka has shown an improved jump hook and has been more aggressive in the paint. If Ibaka can move up his scoring average around 17-18 points, the Thunder will be the best team in the West and a sure bet to reach the NBA Finals.

2-DENVER NUGGETS

To say that the Nuggets are undergoing a facelift would be a huge understatement. Head coach George Karl is gone. General manager Masai Ujiri is now in Toronto. And Andre Iguodala, the key piece in the Carmelo Anthony trade, left for Golden State. Tim Connelly, who worked in the front office in Washington and New Orleans, takes over for Ujiri and former Indiana Pacers assistant coach Brian Shaw tries to fill in the big shoes left by Karl. Shaw has been passed over numerous times for other coaching jobs, so he’s out to prove to everyone in the league that he’s more than qualified to be the head man. Shaw will rely heavily on a few holders from the Karl regime: Ty Lawson, Kenneth Faried, Danilo Gallinari, Andre Miller, and JaVale McGee. Gallinari was initially thought to be lost until February after ACL surgery, but now it’s possible he could return in December. Gallo’s comeback can’t come soon enough, especially with the loss of Iguodala. McGee is expected to be the starter at center, and if he ever stops contributing to Shaqtin’ A Fool segments he could actually be a top-10 center.

3-PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS

If there’s a team in need of some good luck, it’s the Trail Blazers. The team is still reeling from the Greg Oden and Brandon Roy setbacks. Oden was supposed to be the face of the franchise for the next 10-15 years after he was chosen No. 1 overall in 2007. Roy was the Rookie of the Year in 2007 and well on his way to being a fixture at All-Star games until his knees fell apart. Last season, the Blazers hit the jackpot with Damian Lillard. The sixth overall pick in the 2012 draft exploded out of the gates and went on to win Rookie of the Year without much of a challenge. So far, Lillard is as healthy as he can be. That’s the good news. The bad news is the same can’t be said about 2013 draft pick C.J. McCollum. The highly regarded rookie broke a bone in his left foot in practice — a similar injury he suffered while at Lehigh — five days into training camp, and no timetable is set for his return. Sound familiar? The Blazers have been here before, sadly, and hopefully McCollum will be able to overcome this latest injury and not take a similar path taken by Oden and Roy. For three consecutive seasons, LaMarcus Aldridge has averaged 21 points and nine rebounds. Aldridge is so consistently he’s taken for granted and doesn’t get the recognition he richly deserves.

4-MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES

Flip Saunders knows how it feels to be in the playoffs as a member of the T-Wolves because he was there the last time it happened. Saunders was hired by team owner Glen Taylor to run the basketball operations, and he’ll be ready to don his coaching suit on the first sign of trouble. Saunders’ presence in the front office and his long history with Taylor can’t be good for Rick Adelman. All the pieces are in place for Minnesota to have a good season. All the pieces have to do is stay healthy. Kevin Love missed 64 games last season because of a broken right hand, and Minnesota fell apart when he went down. When healthy, Love is regarded as one of the best power forwards in the game. In the two seasons prior to his injury Love averaged 23 points and 14 rebounds. Those numbers earned him a four-year, $60-million contract extension. Ricky Rubio enters his third NBA season and appears to be fully recovered from an ACL injury he suffered in 2012. Rubio is arguably the best passer since Magic Johnson, and those who question that statement needs to watch more T-Wolves games. Rubio is an absolute wizard with a ball in his hands. He loves to set up his teammates, and his teammates love him for it. Rubio’s jump shot, on the other hand, is still a work in progress.

5-UTAH JAZZ

Tyrone Corbin graduated from the Jerry Sloan school of coaching, naturally he takes an old-school approach when it comes to his team. The Jazz may not have the most talented roster but they are disciplined and hard-nosed. Whether it’s Al Jefferson or Paul Millsap or Enes Kanter or Derrick Favors, the Jazz select players who fit their system. Jefferson (now with Charlotte) and Millsap (Atlanta) are no longer with the team, but their replacements are more than capable of filling their big shoes. Kanter may not be as good as Jefferson offensively, but he’s a better defender and equally good on the boards. Favors is a huge upgrade over Millsap. The fifth-year pro averaged 9.4 points and 7.1 rebounds in 23 minutes. Given starter minutes, Favors should be a double-double machine. Gordon Hayward is the only returning player who averaged double digits in scoring last season. Hayward is a decent starting small forward in the NBA, but he’s not what you would consider a No. 1 scoring option. The Jazz were hoping first-round draft pick Trey Burke would be that top scoring option, but his season has been derailed by a broken right index finger that would keep him out 8-12 weeks.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook may need to carry the load on offense with James Harden now in Houston. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The Oklahoma City Thunder pulled off a shocking trade three days before the 2012-13 season opener. It was a blockbuster trade that will affect the Thunder adversely in the short term, but it was a great move long term. Also, the trade shouldn’t prevent Oklahoma City from winning the Northwest Division.

1-OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER — Kevin Martin isn’t the passer nor the defender Harden is, but he can score and score a lot – if healthy. However, he can’t create his own shot and that’s where a healthy Eric Maynor comes into play since Russell Westbrook is more of a scoring point guard. A healthy Maynor gives the Thunder a better backup point guard and more flexibility on offense, as head coach Scott Brooks can move Westbrook at shooting guard and Martin at small forward to give Kevin Durant some rest. Durant (28 points per game) and Westbrook (23.6 points and 5.5 assists) are still the big guns in OKC, and the season hinges on their success. The other big piece in the Harden trade is rookie Jeremy Lamb, who may be eased into the lineup. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Thunder fall in the second round of the playoffs because they will miss Harden. He was a great facilitator and a scorer when KD and RW weren’t on their A game.

2-DENVER NUGGETS — Signing Ty Lawson to a four-year extension is huge because Andre Miller can’t play 35 minutes per game anymore. This is a talented team that added Andre Iguodala, who should be a great improvement at shooting guard. His defense will help the Nuggets and their depth is pretty impressive when they can bring Wilson Chandler off the bench at small forward to replace Danilo Gallinari. This is a solid team that can go 10 deep. Having said that, this is a team that will probably be a sixth seed and a first-round exit in the postseason is a likely scenario.

3-UTAH JAZZ — This team will benefit from Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love starting the season on the bench with injuries. The Jazz didn’t exactly move the needle with their offseason moves. Marvin Williams and Mo Williams don’t really strike me as big improvements over Gordon Hayward and Devin Harris, especially Mo. He’s a combo guard who is probably best suited to being a sixth man on a good team. But, acquiring Williams makes them a little more athletic and a deeper with Hayward coming off the bench. I don’t see this team being better than a .500 team.

4-MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES — When Love and Rubio are healthy, this team will to be fighting for the eighth seed like they were last year before injuries hit them hard. This season, they will be without Love for about eight weeks and that hampers their chances to make the playoffs. Derrick Williams will be expected to start and contribute more than he has so far in his career. Brandon Roy was signed to provide some offense, but they may need him to do more than originally anticipated. Andrei Kirilenko should be a nice fit as the new small forward as a defender and passer. He will also be expected to pick up some of the scoring slack they lose with Love sidelined. J.J. Barea and Luke Ridnour should be fine in replacing Rubio until he returns. Nikola Pekovic is a nice young center who averaged 13 points and 7.4 rebounds last season. The Wolves may be looking at a 35-win season.

5-PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS — The Trail Blazers continue to be a jinxed franchise. And they are starting over again. LaMarcus Aldridge is their franchise player and he’s the player they are pinning their hopes on to carry the bulk of the scoring after his 2011 season in which he averaged 21.7 points. Damon Lilliard may be a good PG one day, but he is coming from Weber State where great basketball doesn’t come to mind. Wesley Matthews is a solid defender and 13-14-point scorer. Nicolas Batum is a solid role player at small forward, but he may be asked to score more, which isn’t his forte. J.J. Hickson will be playing as an undersized center, but he showed some potential to revive his career when he averaged 15 points (54% from the field) and eight rebounds in 19 games with Portland. The starting five isn’t bad, but the bench is probably going to be one of the weakest in the league with Jared Jeffries, Sasha Pavlovic, Ronnie Price, Nolan Smith, and Joel Freeland.

Darren Jacks is a regular contributor to OneManFastBreak.net. Send him an email at: djroxalot@hotmail.com

Spurs guard Tony Parker shoots over Jazz forward Paul Millsap in Game 3. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

For the Utah Jazz to beat the San Antonio Spurs in their best-of-seven series, they almost have to play a perfect game. But pitching a perfect game is probably not a realistic goal at this point goal for team who is still learning how to win on a consistent basis.

But one thing this Jazz team won’t do is quit. It’s just not in their DNA and the leaders of the team won’t just roll over and hand the Spurs a victory.

“Just come out and bang, man. Show energy, play with a lot of pride and get out there and continue to fight,” said forward Paul Millsap, who has been held to nine points in each of the last two games.

Utah is probably not looking to win four in a row at this point. It’ll settle for just one win against the top-seeded team in the West.

“Go out there and stay positive. This is the playoffs so you’ll never know what can happen. We just have to stick with it,” Utah forward Josh Howard said.

The Spurs have been scary good in the series, playing efficiently on offense and locking down on the Jazz main scorers defensively. Utah has no answer for Spurs All-Star guard Tony Parker, who is averaging 24 points in the series and dominating his matchup against an old nemesis in Devin Harris.

San Antonio’s incredible depth also appears to be wearing on the Jazz, and one of its top bench players is forward Stephen Jackson, who won a championship with the Spurs in 2003 and would like to add another jewelry to his collection.

“We don’t want to give them any life. We want to go out there and be aggressive and try to finish this thing,” Jackson said. “We’re still going to respect them like we’ve been have. We’re just going to continue to get the job done.”

Kobe Bryant faced Russell Westbrook (far right) and former Lakers teammate Derek Fisher (middle) in the Western Conference semifinals. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The L.A. Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs are likely not going to lose in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, so let’s not even waste our time discussing possible upsets in the 1-8 and 3-6 matchups. The best matchups are in the 4-5 and 2-7.

Second-seeded Oklahoma City will take on defending NBA champs Dallas in the opening round, a rematch of last season’s conference finals won by the Mavericks. The other intriguing early showdown is the Grizzlies vs. Clippers. Both franchises have very little postseason history to hang their hats on, but it’s a new era and there’s plenty of buzz surrounding both teams.

Here’s how OneManFastBreak sees the Western Conference playoffs will shake down:

(1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (8) Utah Jazz
The Jazz roll into the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the West. Unfortunately for them, they’re playing THE hottest team in the NBA in the Spurs. San Antonio has been the best team since the All-Star break, and Gregg Popovich picked up some key veteran pieces in Stephen Jackson and Boris Diaw to bolster his roster. Utah has Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap, but their backcourt is a little shaky. That’s bad news for a team that is about to face two possible Hall-of-Famers in Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. SPURS IN 4.

(4) Memphis Grizzlies vs. (5) L.A. Clippers
This is a classic matchup between Beauty and the Beast. The Grizzlies are a physical bunch with a NFL-type frontline that boasts 270-pound Marc Gasol and 265-pound Zach Randolph. The Clippers are the darlings of the league, with style of play that is very ESPN friendly, led by Lob City residents Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. The Grizzlies will try to beat you with their inside game and stout defense, while the Clippers will try to put the ball in the hands of point guard Chris Paul and push the tempo. Lob City works well during the regular season, but this is the playoffs. Lobbing will not be permitted. GRIZZLIES IN 7

(3) L.A. Lakers vs. (6) Denver Nuggets
Not having Ron Artest in the opening round will hurt the Lakers defense, but they have plenty of reserves to pick up the slack. Matt Barnes is a solid defender and a better shooter than Artest, and Devin Ebanks has shown he’s a capable player on both ends. The Nuggets like to play fast and loose, while the Lakers love to slow the pace and methodically work the ball inside to their big men or isolate Kobe Bryant on the wing. It’s going to be speed vs. size. Size wins this contest. LAKERS IN 6

(2) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (7) Dallas Mavericks
Rudy Tomjanovich famously said “never underestimate the heart of a champion.” The Mavericks have a lot of proud champions on their side, led by Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki, Hall-of-Famer Jason Kidd, and super sub Jason Terry. But let’s not carried away with this “heart of a champion” thing. This is not the same Mavs team that defeated the Heat in the Finals. No Tyson Chandler. No J.J. Barea. No Peja Stokajovic. The new-look Mavs may be able to push the Thunder to the limit, but in the end the OKC home-court advantage will be the difference. THUNDER IN 7

CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

(2) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (3) L.A. Lakers
This series will be one epic battle. On one corner you have the Lakers, a team loaded with championship experience with the best pair of big men in the league in Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. On the other corner you have the Thunder, a team loaded with young and hungry stars with arguably the best scoring duo in the league in Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. It will be interesting to see how Lakers coach Mike Brown will play with the matchups. You known he’ll stick Ron Artest on Durant and Kobe Bryant on Westbrook. But who guards the reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year James Harden? In the Lakers’ lone win against OKC during the regular season, Harden left the game after taking a vicious elbow from Artest. Harden, who attended Artest High School near Los Angeles, seems to shaken off the cobwebs of Artest’s MMA now, and you better believe he’s out for revenge against his hometown team.  THUNDER IN 7

(1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (4) L.A. Clippers
History shows that the Spurs own the Clippers. Whether it’s the L.A. Clippers, San Diego Clippers or the Buffalo Braves, the Spurs own a 115-30 record against their second-round foe. But those were the old Clippers. They never had Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Mo Williams, or even Nick Young in the lineup. These new-age Clippers have gained plenty of swag after an emotional seven-game series with Memphis. The Spurs haven’t played in a week and it may take a game or two to get back in the groove. The biggest concern for the Clippers are the injuries to Paul and Griffin, their two best players. They were able to overcome those ailments against the Grizzlies, but the Spurs are a totally different beast. Paul’s injured groin and hip will get severely tested by the speedy Tony Parker. Gregg Popovich vowed not to change the Spurs’ rotation in the playoffs, and so far he’s been true to his word. This is the deepest team Popovich has had and depth with be the deciding factor in this series. SPURS IN 6

CONFERENCE FINALS

(1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (2) Oklahoma City Thunder
The Spurs look flawless in the first two rounds, winning all eight playoff games and six of them were by double digits. That’s the good side. The bad side of things is the fact that the Spurs have yet to be tested, which leaves a small opening for OKC to take advantage of. The Thunder, on the other hand, are 7-1 in the playoffs but have been involved in five close ballgames. Even though OKC eliminated the L.A. Lakers in just five games, the Thunder were two clutch baskets by Kevin Durant from being down 3-1. The Spurs are one of the deepest teams in the league, while the Thunder rely on Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden. San Antonio won the season series 2-1, and Manu Ginobili didn’t play in any of the matchups. It will take a near superhuman effort from Durant, Westbrook and Harden to take down the streaking Spurs, and that may be too much to ask. SPURS IN SEVEN

During a game between the Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets, the nightcap of TNT’s doubleheader, Andrei Kirilenko had the ballgame in his hands but he let it slipped through his soft hands. Here’s a recap of what happened:

Devin Harris buried a 3-point shot with 1.2 seconds left to cut the Nuggets’ lead to two at 103-101. On the in-bounds play, Denver’s Kenyon Martin got cute with the ball and he flubbed it right into the fingertips of Kirilenko. All AK47 needed to do was gather Martin’s misplayed ball and score a layup to send the game into overtime. But somehow Kirilenko bobbled the ball and couldn’t even get a decent shot attempt. It looked like he never got a clean hold of the ball and – for lack of a better term – simply choked. Watch and judge for yourself:

The last time Kirilenko suffered this kind of embarrassment was in 2007 when Baron Davis, back when he can still jump, dropped a nasty dunk in AK47’s face during a playoff game in Oakland.

Karl Malone doesn’t like to sugarcoat anything. He’s a straight shooter and he’ll tell it like it is. So, when given an opportunity to talk about the sudden resignation of Jerry Sloan as coach of the Utah Jazz, the Jazz’s all-time leading scorer got some things off his chest and offered his support to his former coach.

“I just want to throw some things out there. I know Coach Sloan. We can call it resigning, quitting, whatever you want to call it. The man I know never quit anything. And Phil Johnson [Sloan’s assistant] never quit anything. So it had to be a lot worse than what anybody is saying,” Malone said on NBATV’s Game Time on Friday.

“I know this guy. This guy wouldn’t quit anything,” Malone added. “He’s challenged me in the huddle before. He said, ‘I’ll fight you as long as I could see you.’ That’s Coach Sloan, and that’s his attitude.”

Malone is a loyal guy to the core, so it is no surprise that he’s got his longtime mentor’s back. Malone and Sloan may have had their differences over the years, but it never went so far that it destroyed their friendship and trust in one another. “It don’t matter if we had Coach John Wooden; the players as a whole have to buy into the system,” Malone said. “That’s the whole issue here.”

The issue Malone is referring to is the reported rift between Sloan and All-Star guard Deron Williams. The situation boiled over earlier in the week when Sloan and Williams were involved in a heated confrontation which may (or not) have led to Sloan’s resignation.

Malone says he’d like to carry on Sloan’s tradition, but he has a young son who is playing football and he wants to spend time with him. However, if given an opportunity to become a head coach some day, Malone admitted it’s a challenge he’d love to test. “That’s definitely something I want to do. It’s something I feel strongly about and I’ll have some opportunities, I’m sure. I owe that to Coach Sloan because of what he taught me,” said Malone, who promises he won’t be bringing donuts and roses to practice.

Karl Malone announced his retirement from the NBA on Feb. 13, 2005 in Salt Lake City, a place he called home for 18 seasons. (REUTERS)

When the 1992 Dream Team took time off to visit golf courses in Barcelona, almost everyone on the team was itching to bust out their golf clubs out and take their cuts. Karl Malone saw the well-manicured greens, uninviting bunkers and deep roughs, and called it a “waste of pasture.”

Karl Malone was a different breed of athlete. For one, he’s a stand-up guy whose loyalty is admirable. He prefers Harleys over Ducatis; monster trucks over Escalades; 18-wheelers over Rolls Royces. “Growing up, I was always fascinated by equipment,” he said.

He also enjoys riding horses and, when he’s not sporting a baseball cap, he dons a cowboy hat. He wears T-shirts and jeans to work, and probably doesn’t own a tuxedo. The last time he got dressed up for an occasion was at the 1985 NBA Draft in New York. Remember that fashion debacle? After David Stern called Malone’s name with the 13th overall selection, the Louisiana Tech stud walked to the stage wearing white pants, white shirt, a blue coat and tie that looked like it was purchased at Toys R Us.

Somewhere on the red carpet, Joan and Melissa Rivers are having a heart attack after seeing Malone’s fashion faux pas. He just looked real uncomfortable and probably couldn’t wait to rip that tie off his neck, cut off his sleeves and pop a cold one in the green room. You know it crossed his mind.

Malone may have been a pro basketball player, but he’s more of a Big Country than City Slicker. He loves the great outdoors. He owns a cabin in Kenai, Alaska, where he goes fishing and hunting with family and friends. “I just like to kick back and just enjoy life,” Malone said. “We grew up hunting and fishing in Louisiana. When I come here [Alaska], it’s not just about fishing. It’s about relaxing and getting your mind right. When I come here, I forget who I am. We don’t talk about sports.”

If Malone were cast in a Hollywood western movie, he would fit in like a glove. Wait a minute! I believe we have evidence of Malone, the actor, in a western flick. He played Elijah Abel in the 1994 movie “Rockwell.” See photo below:

Can you guess the guy on the right? If you said "Karl Malone" you just earned your spurs.

Born and raised in Summerfield, La., Karl Anthony Malone knew only one way to get things – through hard work. He earned every thing he got in life, which sums up his incredible basketball career that is about to be permanently highlighted in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.

The man hardly took shortcuts, possessing a work ethic that is second to none. He is self-man professional athlete who accomplished basically everything needed to be accomplished in the game of basketball, except for winning a championship. But even though he never won an NBA title, he never allowed that void in his basketball life to define him.

But title or no title, the man known as The Mailman delivered one powerful NBA career.

At 6 feet 9 and 260 pounds, Malone was the ideal power forward; a pioneer of the position. If you look up “power forward” in the NBA dictionary, it will say SEE KARL MALONE.

Malone was a physical marvel. Built like a superhero and blessed with a motor that always pushed forward, he demoralized opponents with his brute strength and relentless nature. In 18 years with the Utah Jazz, he led the franchise to two NBA Finals appearances and won two regular-season MVP awards (1997 and 1999). In 1,476 games, he scored 36,928 points – second only to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Malone was also dependable. From 1985 to 2003, he missed only 10 games. He was a real basketball iron man.

But Malone had plenty of help in Utah.

John Stockton, the NBA’s all-time leader in assists and steals, made sure The Mailman always delivered on game days. The two formed one of the best 1-2 combos in league history.

Stockton to Malone!

Whenever legendary Jazz play-by-play announcer “Hot Rod” Hundley said those words it was like sweet music to Jazz fans and basketball fanatics in the entire state of Utah. Without Stockton and Malone, there would be no Delta Center in Salt Lake City (or Energy Solutions Arena).

Stockton and Malone played 1,412 games together and are immortalized outside of Energy Solutions Arena with bronze statues and an intersection in Salt Lake bears their names.

“We’re sorta like Siamese twins,” Malone said of his good friend John. “I look at him and I was warriors, and we go out and fight battles. There’s no doubt in my mind what he’s thinking and I don’t think there’s any doubt on his mind what I’m thinking when we go on that court, and that’s to win.

“When we’re gone from the game of basketball, when you mention one you gotta mention the other one. If we happen to go to the Hall of Fame one day they’ll probably get us both there together.”

Well, almost.

Stockton was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009, along with Jazz coach Jerry Sloan. “We’ve won and lost a lot of games together. We’ve been through a lot together,” Stockton said of his good friend Karl.

Malone left Utah in 2003 to join Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and Gary Payton in Los Angeles, hoping for a Hollywood ending to his storied basketball career. The Lakers reached the 2004 NBA Finals, but lost in five games to the Detroit Pistons. Malone hobbled off the court one final time and never looked back.

That’s not the way a heroic cowboy would ride off to the sunset.

He could have played another season with the Lakers, but decided to retire. Now, depending on who you talk to, there are varying reports on why Malone retired. Here’s one explanation: Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s Bryant’s wife, had a reported run-in with Malone. In a story published in the L.A. Times in 2004, Vanessa jokingly asked Malone “Hey, cowboy, what are you hunting?” in reference to Malone’s hat and boots. Malone reportedly responded with, “I’m hunting for little Mexican girls.” That last comment infuriated Vanessa, and she told Kobe about it. Kobe confronted Malone about the incident and it caused a major rift between the two.

Whether or not Kobe had something to do with Malone not returning to the Lakers remains unproven. The bottom line is Malone went to L.A. to give it one more shot at winning that elusive title, but fell short.

However, on Aug. 13, 2010, Malone will finally get his title. It will say “Karl Malone, basketball Hall-of-Famer.”

Magic Johnson’s Laker teams had Michael Cooper. Larry Bird’s Celtic teams had Danny Ainge. Robert Horry, who was instrumental in helping Hakeem Olajuwon’s Rockets, Shaq and Kobe’s Lakers and Tim Duncan’s Spurs win titles, is probably the NBA’s ultimate role player.

Since Horry retired, his former teammate, Derek Fisher, has now become the best role player in the NBA.

Fisher showed his value during a hotly contested Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals against his former team Saturday night when he knocked down a key 3-point shot with 28 seconds left that put the Lakers ahead, 109-108, a lead L.A. never relinquished. The Lakers won, 111-110, and now have a commanding 3-0 lead in their best-of-series against the Jazz.

“He’s done that before. He’s one of those guys who is a tough guy. He played for us and was a great competitor,” Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said of Fisher, who played for the Jazz in 2007, but asked to be released so that his ailing daughter could get better treatment and L.A. was one of the places she could receive better care.

“A big loss for our team when he left. But that’s life,” Sloan added. “He gave us toughness, and he made a lot of shots like that for us. He was a wonderful guy to coach, a real professional.”

Fisher was 3-for-7 from 3-point range in Game 3 and finished with 20 points. And even though Deron Williams had 28 points, Fisher made him earn every point and even frustrated the Jazz All-Star point guard at times. And Fisher’s knowledge of Utah’s sets on offense has been a very valuable scouting tool for the Lakers’ coaching staff.

“Fish just being Fish. What more can you say. This is something he’s done his career,” Kobe Bryant said of his 35-year-old backcourt partner, now in his 11th season with the Lakers. “Even with things that don’t show up on the stat sheet: his recognition, his ball movement, his spacing, and obviously knocking down big shot after big shot. That’s something that he does.”

Laker guard Derek Fisher (right) has done a decent job defensively on Utah's Deron Williams. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

The Lakers attempted 29 3-point shots in Game 3, and Sloan said that was by design to try to combat the Lakers’ size advantage. Unfortunately for Sloan and the Jazz, the Lakers converted 13 of them.

“To try to help out our big people to keep the ball out of the middle, we gave them a lot of 3-point shots. We felt that gave us a chance to win the ballgame, and that probably got us,” said Sloan.

Fisher, Bryant and Ron Artest were a combined 10-for-21 from behind the arc.

Phil Jackson says he never worries about Fisher because the Lakers coach is confident the 14-year veteran will always make the right decision. That trust is the main reason why Jackson makes sure the dependable Fisher is on the court during crunch time, affording the Lakers two fourth-quarter closers – a luxury most playoffs teams don’t have.

Fisher has delivered timely shots during his outstanding Laker career, a career that includes four NBA championships and six trips to The Finals. No other role player on a current NBA roster has four championship rings.

In 2001, Fisher came back from a stress fracture on his right foot to help the Lakers sweep through the playoffs and finish 15-1. Fisher established an NBA postseason record for most 3-pointers made in a four-game series with 15 in the Western Conference semifinals against San Antonio.

Then, in 2004, Fisher killed the Spurs again when he made one of the most memorable buzzer-beaters in playoff history when he sank a game-winning shot in 0.4 seconds.

The Fisher Fling was the defining moment of his career until the 2009 NBA Finals when he made two clutch 3-point shots against the Magic in Game 4. With his team down by three, Fisher drained a 3-pointer at the end of regulation to send the game into overtime. He then buried the dagger 3-pointer late in OT to seal the deal.

Defensively, Father Time has taken away Fisher’s foot speed and he’s never going to be mistaken for being a shutdown defender. However, he is still  a scrappy defender and never backs down from a challenge. He always finds ways to contribute, taking charges, helping out on close-outs, sacrificing his body by bullying his way through screens and diving for loose balls. Those are the little things that lead to big parades in June.

“He played a great game,” Jackson said of Fisher’s Game 3 performance. “He hit some shots, made some defensive plays I thought were good out there on the floor. Just his tenacity is a factor for us.”

Fisher is one of the most physically and mentally tough players in the league, and his calming influence in the locker room should never be underestimated. He’s probably the only player inside the Laker locker room who has earned Kobe’s trust. Because of Fisher’s reputation for being a stand-up guy, he can act as a buffer between Bryant and Jackson.

Since Fisher returned to L.A. in 2007, it is no coincidence the Lakers have been to the NBA Finals two years in a row and are about to reach their third consecutive Western Conference finals.

His true value can’t be measure by statistics, and he’s the glue that holds the Lakers together.

Now, Boozer is on the other side of the beatings. In two games against the big, bad L.A. Lakers, Boozer’s averages are down to 19 points and 12 rebounds; decent numbers but not good enough to get the Jazz over the hump – three tall humps to be specific.

The Lakers’ frontline of 7-foot center Andrew Bynum, 7-foot forward Pau Gasol and 6-10 forward Lamar Odom have become the story of the conference semifinals. All three are highly skilled big men with a ton of length, something Boozer and the Jazz are lacking.

Boozer, who is listed at 6-9 but is probably closer to 6-8, has struggled to find easy shots against the Lakers, and the same goes for 6-7 Paul Millsap, 6-5 Wesley Matthews and 6-6 C.J. Miles. Millsap’s numbers are actually up from the first round (21 points and 10 rebounds), but his shooting percentage is way down. After making 61% of his field goals against Denver, the Utah sixth man is shooting 51% against L.A.

Despite being down 2-0 and having been dominated 101-78 on the boards in the series, Boozer remains confident his team will bounce back and make this a series.

“We’re not going to be frustrated. We’re not going to be demoralized. We’re not going to back down. We’re not going to give up,” said a determined Boozer, who will be a free agent this summer.

“We’re going to keep fighting, we’re going to keep attacking and stay aggressive. Some of them calls could have been fouls, but weren’t. We’ll keep attacking them and hopefully we can get some more calls in Salt Lake City.”

Boozer believes the addition of Andrei Kirilenko will give the Jazz a boost in this series on both ends of the court.

“Andrei will help out a lot,” Boozer said of Kirilenko, who has been out since the playoffs began. “His length, his size, his skill set, his play-making ability. Obviously his defense and he can give Kobe a different look. It’ll be good to mix it up with him. I don’t expect for him to play a lot, but the time he’s on he can make a difference.”

Boozer said he and his teammates can’t worry about the Lakers’ shot-blockers (L.A. had 13 blocked shots in Game 2) and must continue to stay aggressive around the basket.

“We can’t worry about anything else, we just have to keep playing,” Boozer said. “If we have a lane, we’re going to drive and if we have a jump shot we’ll shoot it with confidence. They’re good. They’re big, they’re long, they play good defense. But we can’t shy away from them. We have to go right at them.”