Sometimes Not Getting What You Want Is Better Than Getting It
Utah Jazz point guard Carlos Arroyo did three significant things Tuesday night when the Jazz hosted the Seattle Sonics.
He did what many Jazz fans wished John Stockton would do more -- shoot.
He made a prophet out of the man who coined the phrase "the best trade is often the one you never make."
And he scored 23 points to help the Jazz beat the Sonics 99-86.
All this happened because the Jazz were rejected. They didn't get what they wanted.
You see, Arroyo wasn't supposed to be the starting point guard this year. Utah hoped Andre Miller would follow Stockton. It seemed like a perfect fit. Miller wanted to leave the L.A. Clippers and at one time even publicly stated he wanted to play for Utah.
Imagine Utah's surprise when he opted to sign with Denver instead, leaving Utah to go with Arroyo, the team's third-string point guard last year, who was signed to a one-year deal in July as an emergency plan.
Arroyo's backup would be Raul Lopez, who was coming of an ACL tear and missed an entire season. Just in case, Utah drafted Mo Williams in the second round.
What looked like a disaster for Utah turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
Arroyo is averaging 13.3 points and 5.0 assists in 28.3 minutes per game. Those are numbers comparable to Miller, who is averaging 15.5 points and 6.3 assists with Denver in 34 minutes per game.
Miller's choice to play in Denver instead of Utah has also given Lopez and Williams a chance to develop.
If you need more evidence that sometimes there can be rewards in rejection, just take a look at the line Jazz shooting guard Raja Bell had Tuesday night.
Bell scored 23 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter to help Utah come from behind.
The Jazz signed Bell to a two-year deal after Atlanta matched the offer Utah made to guard Jason Terry, a restricted free agent, and after the Clippers matched Utah's offer for Corey Maggette.
Bell is coming off the bench to average 10.7 points per game (in 24 minutes) and is shooting 40.8 percent from the 3-point line, better than Terry or Maggette.
Terry is averaging 16.0 points and 5.1 assists per game in an average of 36 minutes. He's shooting 43.2 percent from the field and 36 percent from the 3-point line.
The Jazz also benefited from not signing Maggette or Terry in another way. Utah recently pulled the trigger on a trade. The Jazz sent DeShawn Stevenson to Orlando for Gordan Giricek, in what looks to be a good move for the Jazz.
Stevenson started 54 games for Utah, but had the Jazz signed Maggette or Terry, he would have been a backup struggling for minutes and wouldn't have been near as attractive to Orlando or anyone else
There is more evidence. Remember when the Jazz lost Donyell Marshall? It looked to be a disaster until Utah signed Matt Harpring for less money than the Jazz were offering Marshall and he's been a better fit with the Jazz.
Imagine the Detroit Piston's dismay from losing free agent Grant Hill to the Orlando Magic. Orlando was clearing a spot for the NBA championship trophy, but ironically the Magic have never recovered from the signing of the injury-prone Hill, while Detroit has the second best record in the Eastern Conference.
Tuesday night the Jazz reminded us of something besides how much better this season has turned out than anyone thought.
They helped us realize whether we know it or not, sometimes there are rewards in rejection.
