HoopsHype.com Rumors

Sean Grande: Kevin Garnett (47,765) just passed John Stockton for 6th on the @NBA all-time minutes played list. He’s just 94 minutes from Wilt and 5th. Twitter @SeanGrandePBP

Boston Celtics, Kevin Garnett, John Stockton 

"I think you should never anticipate going in unless you're Michael Jordan or John Stockton or Karl Malone or someone like that," he said. "I'm happy for everyone who got in." Among those who formally will be named for induction Monday is Gary Payton, who will become the first former Heat player to be enshrined in Springfield. Payton helped the Heat win the 2006 NBA title, also spending the following season with the team. "I'm happy for Gary," Hardaway said. South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Michael Jordan, Gary Payton, Karl Malone, Hall of Fame, John Stockton, Tim Hardaway 

Chris Tomasson: Source says Gary Payton will indeed choose John Stockton and George Gervin as his presenters when inducted into the Hall of Fame on Sept. 8 Twitter @christomasson

Gary Payton, Hall of Fame, John Stockton 

Bill Oram: Four Jazz players have had babies since training camp. John Stockton always aimed for offseason births. "Stock had a system," Corbin said. Twitter @tribjazz

Utah Jazz, John Stockton 

One of the things about my game, though, was that I could do all my stuff on my own. I think I'm in the top 20 of players of all time. You take Karl [Malone] -- he needed John Stockton. That's not a knock on Karl. I didn't need a point guard. I could get mine any time I wanted to. I'll say it on the record: I was better than Karl. He was great. I was better. The only thing he could do better than me was score and that came down to John Stockton. SI.com

Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, John Stockton 

Rondo, back in the lineup after sitting out Thursday's loss in Brooklyn with a sprained right ankle, handed out 20 helpers while adding six points over 32:12 against the Raptors. Ironically, it's the first time this season he's failed to register a double-double, but he did stretch his double-digit assist streak to 33 games, with eyes on John Stockton (37) and Magic Johnson (46). Apprised of Terry's MVP chatter, Rondo didn't shy away from it. "Well, you know, JT's on my side, so he's a little biased, but the MVP is in the picture," said Rondo. "I would like to be one day. But, we've just got to keep winning." Pressed on the topic, Rondo added: "I mean, who wouldn't [want to be MVP]? That's a dream." ESPN.com

Boston Celtics, Rajon Rondo, Magic Johnson, John Stockton 

I asked Brooks if he ever had trouble maintaining a balance between chaos and order, crazy Westbrook and sane Westbrook. He laughed. “Trust me, there are times where my hair is almost out,” he said. But he defended his point guard. “Is he a natural John Stockton type? No, but he never will be. Those guys are done. Those guys are over. You’re not seeing those guys coming back. Russell is a dynamic offensive player. I would be a foolish coach if I said, ‘Russell, I don’t want you to go to the basket and draw fouls and score and put pressure on the defense.’ We need that.” He also dismissed the idea of a rift between Westbrook and Durant. “I’m with them every day. Did they have some competitive moments? Absolutely. But that’s how we work here. We challenge each other. It gets chippy. James and Kevin, Serge and Russell, me and Perk, Thabo and Russell — all of us. If it ever gets on the wrong side of being competitive, I’ll step in. But not once have I had to step in, in five years. If Russell and Kevin have problems, then I didn’t get along with any of my teammates.” New York Times

Oklahoma City Thunder, Russell Westbrook, John Stockton 

If the honors seemed overdue, nine years after John Stockton and Karl Malone last took the floor for the Jazz, the pairing was perfect. The Utah Sports Hall of Fame Foundation wanted to induct the legends together, after they went into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame a year apart. So the two of them teamed up one more time Tuesday night at EnergySolutions Arena, joining former BYU athletes Richard George, Chad Lewis and Doug Padilla in the annual ceremony. Salt Lake Tribune

Utah Jazz, Karl Malone, John Stockton 

Even when they were apart during the summers, they drove one another in conditioning efforts. Maybe there was some self-interest involved — "If I get down the floor, he’s going to get me the ball," Malone said — but the real motivation was not letting the other outdo him. Even now, Stockton pictures Malone working out, and they both look as fit as ever. Stockton was predictably brief in his acceptance speech, concluding by saying he was yielding to the floor to the "senator from Louisiana." They both were very classy in their remarks. Stockton, who lives in his hometown of Spokane, Wash., spoke of Utah as a place where he’s "totally at home" and cited his relationships with former teammates and coaches as something "you can’t find anywhere else in the world." Salt Lake Tribune

Utah Jazz, Karl Malone, John Stockton 

You mentioned you watch film of other players as well – who are the guys you are watching? There are obviously a ton of great point guards in this league right now and certainly there are lessons to be learned from all of them, but are there a handful you focus on the most? Jeremy Lin: I’ve watched everybody and some of the names might be shocking, but the thing is every point guard does something better than me, so the key is learning from whatever that is. Players that I’ve watched – the obvious ones: Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Steve Nash, John Stockton, Gary Payton. And then you can go on to the ones who have very specialized skills: Juan Carlos Navarro and then Chris Duhon and Raymond Felton. They do things that are really, really good and better than me that other people might not see. NBA.com

Houston Rockets, Chris Paul, Steve Nash, Gary Payton, Chris Duhon, Raymond Felton, Deron Williams, Jeremy Lin, John Stockton, Juan Carlos Navarro 

Charles Barkley: "You take Karl. Karl needed John Stockton. That's not a knock on Karl; it's just a fact. I could get mine any time I wanted to. So I'll say it on the record: I was better than Karl. Nothing against Karl. He was great. But I was better. The only thing he did better than me was score, and that came down to John Stockton." SI.com

Charles Barkley, John Stockton 

MCCALLUM: It’s a good question. You always have regrets after a book, and one of my regrets — and I don’t know if it could’ve been any different — was that I didn’t get a lot out of Patrick [Ewing]. I think I got a lot out of Mullin and Stockton by going to visit them and I saw what that experience meant to them. John’s always on-guard, hands up and everything. But I was kind of able to write about that. And Mullin, with his alcoholism beforehand and what it all meant to him. Patrick I wasn’t able to unlock so much. But a basketball team is a microcosm. It’s the way a team operates. NBCSports.com

USA Basketball, Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullin, John Stockton 

If the verbal sparring continues, Stockton feared it might “tarnish” what the organization accomplished during the Jazz’s decade of championship contention in the 1990s. “I’ve certainly been in disputes with people as close to me as my brother,” Stockton said from his home in Spokane, Wash. “You get after it and say a lot of things. “But I have never seen one [disagreement] that couldn’t be resolved by sitting down and talking to a person face to face. It has always worked for me.” Salt Lake Tribune

Utah Jazz, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Greg Miller 

Malone remains the No. 2 scorer in league history. Stockton is the all-time leader in assists and steals. “What we all shared is so special,” Stockton said. “I just hope this can be resolved, because it was a special time for me and for everyone. I’d hate to see anything outside the lines … ever come back and tarnish it.” Salt Lake Tribune

Utah Jazz, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Greg Miller 

After Karl Malone responded defiantly Saturday to a scathing blog post by Utah Jazz CEO Greg Miller, fellow Hall of Famer John Stockton suggested the two need to call a quick truce. If the verbal sparring continues, Stockton feared it might “tarnish” what the organization accomplished during the Jazz’s decade of championship contention in the 1990s. “I’ve certainly been in disputes with people as close to me as my brother,” Stockton said from his home in Spokane, Wash. “You get after it and say a lot of things. “But I have never seen one [disagreement] that couldn’t be resolved by sitting down and talking to a person face to face. It has always worked for me.” Salt Lake Tribune

Utah Jazz, Jerry Sloan, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Greg Miller 

With Malone and Stockton as the foundation, the Jazz reached two NBA Finals and three Western Conference finals between 1992 and 1998. Malone remains the No. 2 scorer in league history. Stockton is the all-time leader in assists and steals. “What we all shared is so special,” Stockton said. “I just hope this can be resolved, because it was a special time for me and for everyone. I’d hate to see anything outside the lines … ever come back and tarnish it.” Salt Lake Tribune

Utah Jazz, Jerry Sloan, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Greg Miller 

O’Connor referred to a statement released by the team from Sloan, who spoke of unwavering support from the Miller family at the time of his resignation. “I left on my own volition,” the statement read. “It is not true that the Millers undermined my authority as head coach. I had their complete backing to run the team as I wished and was assured that no player could ever overrule my decisions. “The Millers encouraged me to stay with the team and gave me multiple opportunities to do so. They felt strongly that I should wait at least until the end of the season to resign and did everything they could to keep me coaching.” When contacted by The Tribune, Sloan declined further comment. Salt Lake Tribune

Utah Jazz, Jerry Sloan, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Greg Miller 

Relationship with John Stockton: We had the most unbelievable function connection on the court. We didn’t even think about it. That started from the Olympic tryouts when he got cut by Bobby Knight and I got cut by Bobby Knight. Personally, Nada and Stock is the godparent to our daughter Kadee and we’re the godparent, me and my wife, to Samuel, their last son. Our friendship and family connections is from now til the end. But we have differences. I’m an outdoorsman to the core, to the heart. I carry a knife all the time. That’s just part of me. Stock is more into wildlife saving, if there’s such a word. I’m more into the wildlife management part of it, but it take both. … Stock would fish. He love fishing, by the way. People don’t know that. We had one of the most unbelievable function trips ever when we went to see him and we went fishin. Trust me, Stock know how to do it right. So we went fishin and had a great time. I have to say the rest, ’cause he’ll rub it in. [in Stock voice] “And you say you’re this big-time fisherman.” He out-fished me that day. The fishin and huntin god would punish me if I don’t tell the truth, but he did outfish me that day. Living and Dying by the Jazz

Utah Jazz, Karl Malone, John Stockton 

Meanwhile, the Jazz have been criticized by some agents who have requested anonymity before railing against what they say are the team’s tightfisted ways. But many more players say the organization represents the best of what the NBA has to offer. Then there’s Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker, a longtime Jazz supporter who hears two questions when he travels across the country: Are you Mormon, and wasn’t John Stockton great? “The legacy of Larry Miller is going to live on forever … in this community,” Becker said. Salt Lake Tribune

Utah Jazz, John Stockton, Greg Miller, Ralph Becker, Larry H. Miller 

Patrick Rishe, sports business professor at Webster University in St. Louis, said the unparalleled consistency is invaluable to a small-market franchise in a big-market league. Factor in Salt Lake’s geographic isolation and the lack of entertainment options in the region, and the Jazz have come to represent Utah as much as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does. “Much like Chicago still benefits from all those [Michael] Jordan years, Utah still benefits from all those Stockton and Malone years,” said Rishe, who is also the director of Sportsimpacts, a consulting firm. “[The Jazz are] going to have fans. Even though I’m sure they get frustrated at times — the level of success maybe isn’t as consistent as it was during those years — there are always going to be Jazz fans because they got hooked in those days.” Salt Lake Tribune

Utah Jazz, Karl Malone, John Stockton