Jiri Time

We heard the rumblings. Ricky is working out like Rocky. Ricky has a great attitude. Ricky is going to take the starting job from Jiri. However, if you look carefully, you’ll see Jiri standing there, defiantly, not giving anything away. The things I hear about Jiri make me think of Ice Man from Top Gun. He just waits for his opportunity, and when you make a mistake, he capitalizes with efficiency. The stories coming out of camp involve Tony Allen gambling on him in practice and Jiri picking him apart.

The more I see and hear about this guy, the more respect I have for him. I can’t help but feel that Ricky would react much worse to losing out on the starting competition than Jiri would. But Jiri is making it harder and harder to make that decision. I still hold to my analogy that Ricky can win you a game while Jiri simply won’t lose it for you. However, considering all the little things that Jiri brings to the table, and the rant I just finished about team play and "gelling together," I wonder if I am underestimating his value.

This will certainly take more time to evaluate, and I enjoy the thought of Ricky and Jiri both making serious contributions to this team. Of course the wild card is Tony Allen. He will push for minutes like an overaggressive little brother. Will a trade need to take place at some point? Maybe. But we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

For now, enjoy Jiri. Cause he’s not going anywhere anytime soon.