Season of the tank!-2013-14 regular season [Archive] - Page 2 - Message Board Basketball Forum

Xiao Yao You

12-08-2013, 02:17 AM

Deron Williams did a decent job, at some points better than others, but was not the pass-at-all-costs point guard we were accustomed to.

:coleman:

Deron like Stockton before him should have shot more if anything. Was one of the top assist guys in the league. To say he was decent is laughable!

Devin Harris, Jamaal Tinsley, Earl Watson and Mo Williams were brought in to fill in the gaps, and now it’s John Lucas III and Dionte Garrett’s turn. None of those interim options have yielded ideal results (unless a top pick in the 2014 draft is high on your list).

Obviously that was the plan with who they've thrown out there.

David J. Smith shared some stats last night that really jumped out to me. Here are Trey Burke’s last four games: 17.0 ppg, 41 FG%, 48% from 3, 100% FT (6-6), 4.0 APG, 4.0 RPG, 1.25 SPG, 1.5 TO. Considering the numbers we had been getting by our point-guard-by-committee, those are a welcome sight. On the year now—which, admittedly, includes all of seven games for Burke—his eFG% is 45.5% and his TS% is 47.8%, much closer to his college numbers (53.0% and 56.9%, respectively) than his summer league numbers, and for that we are grateful. Hopefully, as he gets more comfortable playing at the NBA level, those numbers will continue to increase.

He couldn't have been much worse in summer or much better as the college player of the year though. Got to get better.

What really impresses me with those stats are Burke’s rebounding numbers. For a small point guard, he rebounds well. Remember last year, how we had the worst-rebounding starting backcourt in the league? Mo Williams averaged 2.7 rebounds per 36 minutes, and so far this year Burke is averaging 4.8 rebounds per 36 minutes. Randy Foye averaged 2.0 rebounds per 36 minutes last year, while Hayward (currently starting at the 2) is averaging 5.4 rebounds per 36 minutes. That is a significant upgrade on an important backcourt stat.

(Side note: Have you noticed that Mo, like Burke, is also perfect from the line so far this season? 11-11.)

(Side side note: Burke reminds me a little bit of a rich man’s Mo Williams: undersized, score-first mentality, fearless, with a lot of swagger)

He's got a lot to prove to where he's better than prime Mo.

Another stat that has seriously impressed me was one first mentioned (I believe) in a Tweet by @NBAGuru: “Trey Burke has turned the ball over 1 time in his last 89 minutes.”

Dang. For a team that has also struggled so far this year with a high turnover rate, that’s a much-needed number to see, even if it’s a turnover rate we may not see consistently. But it’s even more impressive coming from a rookie who missed a decent chunk of time with a broken finger.

His lack of turnovers is probably the most impressive thing so far.

Random thoughts:

I’m not quite understanding Enes Kanter’s minutes lately. Are we trying to keep his stats down so we can afford to extend him in the offseason? Will he be able to develop if he’s playing about a quarter a game? Because he logged fewer minutes last night (12:45) than he averaged in his rookie season (13:14).

I'd say he could get dealt eventually if they don't think he and Favors can't play together and they have other options come the off season.

Derrick Favors has been doing what he does best, quietly turning in yet another solid performance, rendering Dwight Howard ineffective. Favors was perfect from the field and the line last night, going 6-6 from the field and 2-2 (!) from the line, for a line of 14/13/2. Solid and understated, per usual.

The Favors/Kanter combo. If this season is all about the season of discovery and the development of players, surely there can be plays created that can find ways to incorporate both Kanter and Favors on the floor at the same time, utilizing each of their strengths, right? Considering Kanter’s ability to hit the outside shot and Favors’ growing arsenal in the post, it just seems like there’s plenty of talent to work with here.

Kanter has now played almost half as many minutes as he did all of last year.

Jeremy Evans was 1-4 from the field. GASP.

Alec Burks was unbelievably efficient last night. He was 7-11 from the field (including 3-4 from 3), 4-5 from the line, 21 points, 4 assists (!), and three rebounds.

Bottom line: This Jazz team is a lot more fun to watch with a good point guard running the show. It’s amazing the difference a point guard makes.

In Utah Jazz

A healthy team makes a difference too.

Xiao Yao You

12-08-2013, 02:25 AM

[QUOTE]EMPTYING THE NOGGIN

Xiao Yao You

12-08-2013, 02:29 AM

[QUOTE]Ty the Bold: Keeping with the theme of smaller lineups, a big hats off to Ty Corbin. The oft-embattled coach has given his doubters something to chew on in recent weeks, injecting some creativity and unpredictability into his lineups that was basically unheard-of for Jazz basketball. I touched on small lineups last week in my piece about Utah

Xiao Yao You

12-08-2013, 02:33 AM

They Forgot About Trey: Of course, any praise for Corbin’s work from the sidelines comes with a big thank-you to Trey Burke for his work on the court. The rookie has been everything expected of him and more

Not sure about that. He was pegged as rookie of the year, great shooter etc. We've seen low turnovers and some clutch shots but he doesn't look like the best rookie pg let alone the best rookie and he's been a streaky shooter at best.

, his return to the team from injury coinciding almost perfectly with Utah’s improvement offensively. In 12 games without him, the Jazz scored a league-worst 92.2 points-per-100; since his return on November 20th, they’re up to 103.1, a ridiculous 10.9 point discrepancy. And this is just for the Jazz as a whole – when Burke is actually on the court, the number rises to 105.0, a number that would rank above league average. Think about that for a second. For an offense to go from league-worst to league-average largely due to a single player is remarkable enough, but if that player is a rookie? Forget about it. His main weapon comes via the pick-and-roll, where Burke is 7th in the NBA in efficiency when finishing possessions as the ball handler, per MySynergySports.

Wasn't just him. The whole team got healthy.

This is one of Burke’s favorite tactics – he simply runs the defenders out of position. He may not be Russ Westbrook, but the guy has some wheels, and he makes teams pay for ignoring that fact. A high percentage of his pick-and-roll buckets come this way, often involving great patience and a remarkable ability (for his age) to read angles and opposing defenses. But when teams load up to stop him coming around the corner, watch what happens:

You can’t go under his screens, and you can’t lag off him for even a second – something Phoenix found out the hard way as Burke all but iced the game with that triple. He’s shooting an even 50% on threes out of the pick-and-roll per Synergy…so you’ve got to close hard, right? Not so fast:

WHOOPS! GET FROZEN, AARON BROOKS!! Sorry, just couldn’t resist throwing that in there in case anyone thought the handles might have been lacking. The man is just mean. Allow me one more:

Pay particular attention to his hesitation dribble as he gets into the lane; this is Chris Paul-esque, magic stuff that a high percentage of NBA point guards simply don’t have in their arsenal. Ditto for his excellent court vision and a remarkable cross-court pass to Jefferson (who I yelled at for ruining such a gorgeous play by missing), over Roy Hibbert and Paul George just in case it wasn’t tough enough already. He has work to do defensively just like every Jazz player, but this is an NBA-ready point guard on offense.

If efficiency isn't your thing and it has been in Utah for a long time.

The things this guy could do out of the pick-and-roll with a strong shooting cast around him are mouth-watering.

Xiao Yao You

12-08-2013, 02:37 AM

Xiao Yao You

12-08-2013, 02:39 AM

• Goal for the Next 10: With so much improvement offensively, it would really be great to see Corbin start to work with his team on the other end of the court. The smaller lineups have brought some needed energy to the offense, but they’ve likewise done no favors for the defense, which continues to operate at bottom-five levels. It’ll be interesting to see if Corbin can bring things up in this area as well, and that’s what I’m looking forward to most for the next 10 games. Cheers, Jazz fans, and a happy holiday season to all.

That could eventually be Ty's downfall if anything. Lindsey said D was the foundation and with Favors instead of Al they were expected to be better at that end.

Xiao Yao You

12-08-2013, 03:06 AM

1. Indiana’s defense, designed to force mid-range shots, did so by minimizing scrambling rotations.

Perhaps the main ingredient to Indiana’s defensive success is how they discourage teams from taking high-efficiency shots. They certainly did that tonight: the Jazz made 0 corner threes in the game, and shot just 11 overall. Furthermore, Utah shot 28 shots within the restricted area, making 13 of those around the basket shots. The midrange shots that Utah had in the first half generally went in, and in the second half, they generally didn’t. The second half was especially effective, as the Jazz scored just 19 in both the 3rd and 4th quarters.

How do the Pacers do this? Vogel says the secret is “eliminating rotations”. The goal is to “try to handle all of the action you see in the half court without getting into a chain reaction of rotations”. Jazz fans are certainly familiar with this chain reaction, as the team ends up scrambling in many defensive possessions, thus giving up an easy shot at the rim or the 3 point line.

So what’s the process to becoming an elite defensive team? According to Vogel, “Step 1 is to get good defensive players. Our starting five are all exceptional at guarding their own position. From that point forward, it’s urgency and having guys who care.” Dennis Lindsey is trying to build that same defensive core in Utah, but in both personnel and scheming, there’s much work to be done.

The fact that Favors was supposedly paid on his elite defensive skills is the most worrisome thing. He hasn't been anywhere near elite.

2. The young Core Five played together on the floor for the first time.

With Trey Burke’s return, it had been a possibility for over two weeks, but until tonight, Coach Corbin had chosen to generally play either Favors or Kanter at center against teams with smaller lineups. Against the more sizable Pacers, and with power forwards Marvin Williams and Jeremy Evans out, Corbin played the promising young lineup of Burke/Burks/Hayward/Favors/Kanter in their first NBA minutes together as a group. The lineup played 7 minutes together, including roughly 4:30 to end the game, and generally played well, beating the Pacers by 7 points overall when they were in the game. 7 minutes is actually quite a bit for a non-starting lineup to play together, and in this season of discovery, Ty Corbin might be well served to see how the young group plays together by getting them in the starting lineup. Doing so would generally mean at least 12 minutes together per game as a group to gel, allowing the front office to learn the group’s strengths and weaknesses when playing together.

Might be Evans and/or Gobert as part of that core eventually.

3. Utah’s elevation tired the Pacers out.

This is always a factor when teams come to Salt Lake City, but rarely do multiple players on a team comment about it as a limitation after the same game. Pacers star Paul George, who was limited to just 19 points after a 43 point explosion on Monday, commented, “It was so hard to find my wind. My chest was burning. I tried to play through it and just find a way to get a win tonight.” Things were even worse for Roy Hibbert, who suffers from asthma. Hibbert said, “I’m going to be honest, the altitude because of my asthma kind of kicked me in the rear to begin with. It’s not an excuse, but you have to get in here a couple of days before hand and practice hard to get adjusted to it. I talked to some people and went through some methods to get through it.”

Even with a day off between games, the Jazz’s location allowed them to get an advantage on an opposing team. I wrote about this on SLCDunk last year: the top two teams, statistically, in terms of home-court advantage in the NBA are Denver and Utah. I’ll leave it to you to find the common denominator between the two franchises.

Xiao Yao You

12-08-2013, 03:09 AM

Will Stevens and the Celtics try to land Hayward? If Hayward agrees to an offer from another team, the Jazz can match and retain Hayward. "I'm a Jazz guy and love being here. You just play basketball and that stuff will take care of itself," he said. USA Today Sports

While embracing and adjusting to his new role, he is also turning into Utah's vocal leader. He was bothered that teammates forgot to set screens or didn't know what play to run and said so. "I got after some guys during the game," Hayward said. "If we don't execute our offense, we're not good enough yet individually to take guys one-on-one. When we start standing around, it makes it difficult for everybody. We have to continually move and make sure we're running our plays." The question is, will Hayward be the go-to-guy and vocal leader for the next several seasons? The Jazz and Hayward failed to reach a deal on an extension at the start of the season, and Hayward can become a restricted free agent at the end of the season. USA Today Sports

The new role has resulted in increased minutes and shots for Hayward, who has struggled with his shooting in the first five weeks of the season as he adjusts to an increased role. "It's a bigger role, and I accept the challenge for sure," Hayward told USA TODAY Sports. "It's exciting to have that opportunity in front of you. I'm doing a better job facilitating and making plays for others. I just haven't shot the ball well this season. Hopefully that picks up and I'll be doing all right.:" USA Today Sports

He's a slow starter. I expect he'll finish strong again.

Xiao Yao You

12-08-2013, 04:13 AM

[QUOTE]Rookie point guard Trey Burke continues to have a major impact on the Jazz.

Burke averages 12.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists since returning from a fractured finger that sidelined him for the first 12 games of the season.

The Jazz are 3-2 in Burke

Xiao Yao You

12-08-2013, 04:43 AM

[QUOTE]On several occasions, the forward took a pass in the paint and hit a soft jumper.

"I worked on it all summer," he said. "So I

Xiao Yao You

12-08-2013, 06:31 AM

[QUOTE]Gordon Hayward:

Hayward is Utah's MVP so far. He is averaging 16.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. He has had good games and bad games, especially in his shooting. A 1-for-17 shooting night in New Orl

Xiao Yao You

12-09-2013, 08:20 PM

Favors was at this morning's shootaround prep session, but he is a game-time decision due to soreness in his lower back. The Jazz power forward said he'll warm up before the game and consult with the team's trainers to determine whether or not he'll be available.

Regardless of his situation, the Jazz will definitely be shorthanded. Forward Marvin Williams has been ruled out for the fourth consecutive game because of inflammation in his right heel.

Xiao Yao You

12-11-2013, 02:40 AM

The biggest story of the night for me was the improved play by Trey Burke.

Seems to be the biggest story every game even when he wasn't playing.

[QUOTE] The schedule lined up for the Jazz to play a bunch of team twice early and I was curious to see how Trey play 1 night differently than the 2nd time he played them. Unfortunately, with the injury he didn

Xiao Yao You

12-11-2013, 09:58 AM

[QUOTE]This season has been quite a bumpy ride for Alec Burks. With Trey Burke injuring his finger in the third game of the preseason, Burks was thrust into playing the point guard position

Xiao Yao You

12-11-2013, 10:08 AM

[QUOTE]Jazz Twitter, even nationally, is well known for its slightly kooky opinions, and general tendency for overreaction.

That being said, typically reaction does not come from personalities so close to the team. Brandon Rush, also the recipient of a DNP-CD, responded this way when he was asked why he didn

Xiao Yao You

12-11-2013, 10:22 AM

[QUOTE]"Coach is doing a good job of putting us in position we

Xiao Yao You

12-11-2013, 10:30 AM

[QUOTE]Veteran Richard Jefferson, who's played for legendary coaches such as Lute Olsen at Arizona and the Spurs' Gregg Popovich, ardently defended Corbin when asked about the pressure and negativity put on the Jazz coach from some outsiders hoping for a change.

When asked about criticism toward Corbin, Jefferson went on for a while about his strong feelings about this particular topic before Tuesday

Xiao Yao You

12-11-2013, 10:32 AM

[QUOTE]NOT PLAYING: Shooting guard Brandon Rush didn

Xiao Yao You

12-11-2013, 10:51 AM

Corbin has been changing his strategy for defending the pick-and-roll over the past year and now seems to be set on a non-rotation defense. Basically it involves players sticking with their original player through the screen so they don't have mismatches.

It seems to be how Corbin will start playing the pick-and-roll in the future. It might change a few times with different teams and matchups. The Jazz's defense has been very poor so far this season, but this could be the first step toward an improving defense.

Interesting. Their d has sucked for a long time going back to the Sloan days. Thos is the way Indiana and Portland are playing. Rather the Jazz have the personnel to pull it off remains to be seen though.

In 25 minutes, Burks put up 20 points on 8-11 shooting. He has averaged 17.4 points per game in the month of December while shooting 51.7 percent from the field. He is also hitting from outside, shooting 62.5 percent from 3-point range.

His numbers are much higher than they were in November. He scored 10 points per game. He only shot 37 percent from the field with 27 percent from beyond the arc. With Burke solidifying the point guard spot, Burks has been able to play off the ball and become effective. Even his free-throw rebounding and assist numbers have gone up by almost one per game.

Impressive numbers. Might have to start him eventually if Rush ever gets back and can help the bench.

Xiao Yao You

12-11-2013, 10:56 AM

The Jazz began what’s essentially a two-week journey Tuesday when they flew to California’s capital for Wednesday night's game against the Sacramento Kings at Sleep Train Arena.

The frequent fliers will then head to Denver for a Friday night matchup, make a quick pit stop in Salt Lake City on Saturday and then leave town again Sunday to resume the road swing with stays in Miami, Orlando, Atlanta, Charlotte and Memphis.

“The schedule is what the schedule is,” Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said.

It is, indeed.

To get more specific, here’s what it is: Eight games in 13 days and a total of 6,512 miles in the air, according to the handy WebFlyer.com calculator.

going to be ugly!

The Jazz would get a boost if their health would improve. Both Derrick Favors (back) and Marvin Williams (heel) practiced Tuesday before the team headed for the chartered plane, but their availability remains uncertain. Favors will be a game-time decision against Sacramento, while Williams remains doubtful after missing the past four games.

Despite their struggles, the Jazz remain bonded as they head out on this trip, according to Jefferson.

“We’re getting better. I know that the wins and losses aren’t what people (like) on a consistent basis,” Jefferson said.

It's what most want. Worst record in basketball again!. Th road trip doesn't look to change that.

“But in the locker room, we (continue to) get better. We’re staying together. There’s no player-only meetings. There’s no lashing out by the coaches. There’s no doghouses out there. There’s just guys working to get better.”

There's no place like the road to keep that up.

EMAIL: jody@desnews.com

TWITTER: DJJazzyJody

I think they're definitely getting better.

Xiao Yao You

12-11-2013, 07:01 PM

At Wednesday's shootaround, Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said that both Derrick Favors (back) and Marvin Williams (heel) "looked good" during the workout. The two are listed as game-time decisions, but Corbin anticipates that both will play against the Kings.

Utah (4-19) has lost all four games since Williams left the lineup due to inflammation in his right foot last week. Favors has sat out the past two games, including Saturday's 112-102 overtime setback to Sacramento at ESA.

The Jazz will return to their starting lineup of Favors at center, Williams as the stretch-four power forward, point guard Trey Burke, shooting guard Gordon Hayward and small forward Richard Jefferson.

"I think the team is different with their presence on the defensive end, their communication skills," Corbin said. "The way the other guys respond to them on both ends of the floor. Offensively, we can (stretch) things out with those guys.

"They

Xiao Yao You

12-12-2013, 05:33 AM

Watching the Kings is what we as an organization have to be very careful to avoid. They have lost so much that the minute things got bad they packed it in and quit. Mike Malone the new head coach said at one point to them this is embarrassing and what is most embarrassing is you are not embarrassed. As we go through this developmental process we must hold the signature of this organization that we play hard and play to win, once the losing culture seeps into your organization it is a nasty abyss to get out of.
The key is having good guys. Good young kids and good veterans. Marvin Williams, Richard Jefferson, John Lucas and Andris Biedrins are very important to this team and holding the group together. Couple that with that our young players have been taught the right way to play and are very solid people you have a chance to get through tough seasons and come out the other side.
It's why vets need to be in the mix and playing to lose is a dangerous game you might not be able to get out of like so many other franchises.

Anyone who would take DeMarcus Cousins over Derrick Favors (Kevin Pelton I am talking to you my friend) is nuts because DeMarcus is nuts.
Agreed! Paying him max before the year began was nuts too.

Brandon Rush buried three three balls tonight. If he can give the Jazz 15 to 20 minutes a night and lessen the burden on Gordon Hayward that would be a great addition for the Jazz. Tonight Gordon was 7 of 15 for 17 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. He only got to the line twice but they were allowing first degree murder in the paint on drives tonight.

Rush looked good. Got to get him in the mix. Could see him starting or playing a huge role off the bench. Could also be a trade asset as well.

Alec Burks has linked 7 straight game together. Lots of credit goes to the coaching staff to keep him going when things were bad and getting him back on track. Having Trey back so that Alec could move to the point but also the coaching staff keeps putting Alec in positions to succeed and he is playing with great confidence.

The coaching staff that is supposedly so horrible?

Diante Garrett is working hard to make a career for himself in the NBA. What a great story this is becoming.
Solid outing. Tough one coming in Denver. Frankly not many easy ones until Christmas but this one will give the guys confidence in Charlotte and Orlando that might make those games on the upcoming trip the Jazz can grab.
Posted in Emptying the Noggin

Could still see Garrett getting cut next month before his contract becomes guaranteed to have more flexibility for trades.

Xiao Yao You

12-12-2013, 07:37 PM

If he doesn't experience any unforeseen complications, Nuggets guard Ty Lawson is expected to return to action on Friday against the Utah Jazz after missing the last two games due to a hamstring injury, coach Brian Shaw said. "Barring any setback from practice today, I think he should be able to go tomorrow," Shaw said. Denver Post

Can't catch a break.

Xiao Yao You

12-12-2013, 09:49 PM

[QUOTE]Brandon Rush

Xiao Yao You

12-13-2013, 07:45 AM

[QUOTE]The 22-year-old Burks, now in his third NBA season, has taken his game to a new level of consistency in recent weeks. He

Xiao Yao You

12-13-2013, 08:06 AM

[QUOTE]Rush and Corbin met Wednesday morning before the team

Xiao Yao You

12-13-2013, 08:21 AM

[QUOTE]Kings center DeMarcus Cousins sat the entire second quarter against the Jazz after picking up two fouls in the first quarter. Malone said the decision was due in part to the Jazz

Xiao Yao You

12-13-2013, 08:31 AM

[QUOTE]Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray, all of whom arrived in California from Toronto a few days ago, were unable to play against the Jazz because Vasquez had been held up dealing with visa issues and was unable to complete his physical in Canada before Wednesday

Xiao Yao You

12-13-2013, 09:17 AM

[QUOTE]Williams describes the Jazz as "Derrick

Xiao Yao You

12-14-2013, 10:58 AM

Ty Lawson was held scoreless. The defense of the Jazz bigs to stay in the paint and take away the driving lines was terrific. The coaching staff has made some nice adjustments that are matching the strengths of this team and it is showing.

Just coming back from injury had nothing to do with it?

The last 4 games the Jazz opponents are 20 of 68 from three point range. Holding teams to 29% from three is awesome and holding teams to 17 attempts a game is impressive. This is all part of the defensive adjustment the coaching staff has made and it is working.

The coaching staff doing something right? :coleman:

[QUOTE]Nice work by Favors in the middle and the other guys to stay to their tasks and get the job done.

Gordon Hayward was big time tonight. Only LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Durant and Kevin Love have had games with 30 points, 13 rebounds and 5 assists. He also had zero turnovers. He is shooting the ball above last year

Xiao Yao You

12-14-2013, 10:59 AM

BREAKDOWN

Xiao Yao You

12-14-2013, 11:01 AM

[QUOTE]BREAKDOWN

Xiao Yao You

12-14-2013, 11:07 AM

[QUOTE]It

Xiao Yao You

12-14-2013, 06:56 PM

[QUOTE]BALANCED EFFORT: The Jazz currently have seven players averaging in double figures in scoring, and Corbin loves it.

Xiao Yao You

12-14-2013, 06:59 PM

[QUOTE]Miami is looking to deal for a young wing player who can score and take some of the load off Dwyane Wade. A few GMs have identified Boston

Xiao Yao You

12-14-2013, 07:46 PM

Hayward scored a season-high 30 points to go with a career-high 13 rebounds

He and Evans stepped up on the boards!

Point guard Trey Burke had 10 points and 10 assists for his second double-double in a week.

But shot terribly and took too many shots again.

"Ty Lawson just came back off injury so you give him the benefit," Utah coach Ty Corbin said.

I'd think you would.

Denver fell to 6-3 on its home court after losing just three times at Pepsi Center all of last year.

They don't have the altitude advantage against the Jazz they have against everyone else. It makes for a good rivalry when both teams are competitive.

The Jazz, meanwhile, are happy to steal one on the road. After starting the year 1-14 Utah is 5-5 in its last 10 games.

"We have all of our guys," Corbin said. "We have different options."

Lindsey will have to make trades if they keep up that pace to get back to tanking.

Hayward has two 30-point games in his career and both have come against Denver. The Jazz have the best 3-point shooting percentage (45.4) in the league during December.

Xiao Yao You

12-14-2013, 07:59 PM

[QUOTE]Utah has won back-to-back games for the second time this year, the first time they've done it on the road. They're 5-5 over their last 10 games. Four of those losses, by the way, came with Marvin Williams out with an injury and Utah also missed Derrick Favors for two of those.

A couple of things from tonight:

Xiao Yao You

12-15-2013, 04:00 AM

[QUOTE]Everything that happens when you play the Spurs happens on purpose. They force you to take certain shots, they get the shots they want. They don

Xiao Yao You

12-15-2013, 04:13 AM

[QUOTE]SALT LAKE CITY

Xiao Yao You

12-15-2013, 04:21 AM

[QUOTE]Entering the game, the Jazz

Xiao Yao You

12-15-2013, 04:46 AM

Schroder is at Bakersfield now too.

Xiao Yao You

12-16-2013, 09:14 AM

[QUOTE]What does Favors want to take from Duncan?

Duncan has a nickname of the

Xiao Yao You

12-16-2013, 09:24 AM

Gobert with 16 on 7-10/2-4, 14 rbds/8 off, 6 blks, 1 stl, only 3 fouls and a turnover, no assists and a +/- of -7 in 32 1/2 minutes.

Clark with 14 on 5-16/2-6/2-3, 6 def. rbds, 2 ass/2 to's, 1 stl, 2 fouls, 2 blocks against, -1 +/- in 38 1/2 minutes.

Looks like their starting unit got outplayed. Gobert with a nice showing. Clark will have to shoot better if he wants to stick around.

Xiao Yao You

12-16-2013, 09:28 AM

Play again Wednesday.

Xiao Yao You

12-16-2013, 10:48 PM

[QUOTE]The Atlanta Hawks have recalled guard Dennis Schr

Xiao Yao You

12-17-2013, 06:27 AM

Rookies Ian Clark and Rudy Gobert each logged more than 30 minutes in their debuts for the NBA Development League

Xiao Yao You

12-17-2013, 09:10 AM

I'd think the Jazz could be a player in the Asik deal. Sounds like they might need a 3rd team and the Jazz have cap space, roster spots and expiring deals. They were looking for another deal to pick up assets after the GS one supposedly. I'm worried they won't trade Marvin now and sign him again. I want to keep Rush for a while anyway until he really shows what he can do.

Marvin would actually make sense for the Rockets

Xiao Yao You

12-17-2013, 09:25 AM

The fact that Evan Turner, Spencer Hawes and Thaddeus Young are being heavily shopped also means the Sixers have no intention of trying to get better this season. They're apparently trying to figure out how to get worse. ESPN.com

Big surprise. I'm sure they won't be the only one over the next few months.

I wouldn't mind any of those players. Young isn't expiring but if they liked him enough he'd be nice in Marvin's spot.

Xiao Yao You

12-17-2013, 09:27 AM

The Bucks have been steadfastly rejecting trade offers (for players such as Rudy Gay and Omer Asik) that would make them better now. ESPN.com
Like I said!

Xiao Yao You

12-17-2013, 08:10 PM

Casey and Corbin, like Wittman, are also in their final year of their respective contracts, but the fire sale clearly underway in Toronto as well as the youth movement undertaken in Utah means those two really aren't being judged on wins and losses at the moment. It's likewise too early for Brown and Drew, both just months into their jobs with new teams, to be feeling any legit heat.

ESPN.com

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2013, 05:59 AM

[QUOTE]Burke did have a dud of a game against fellow Ohio native LeBron James and the two-time defending champs, including an NBA-low three points on 1-of-8 shooting in Monday

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2013, 06:16 AM

[QUOTE]If there was a Jazz player, coach, fan or front office member that was optimistic enough before the season to believe the Jazz would compete for the playoffs, surely they have adjusted their thinking after just six wins in 27 tries.

So, under the assumption that the Jazz have no chance of making the playoffs this season, what then is the purpose of the team

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2013, 06:25 AM

[QUOTE]In the past few seasons, Utah has been one of the teams on that separate spectrum as they

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2013, 06:27 AM

[QUOTE]Ty Corbin mentioned that the center had been dealing with a minor back injury, Kanter said, "I don

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2013, 06:28 AM

Unmask him

Forward Marvin Williams has been playing with a protective mask after breaking his nose in a game earlier this season. Williams said he

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2013, 06:31 AM

[QUOTE]"It gives me a little motivation going into those games," said the point guard as he prepared to face Oladipo and the Magic on Wednesday night.

Of the eight players taken ahead of Burke, Oladipo is seen as the biggest competitor for the rookie prize. But while Burke said winning the award is a goal, it

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2013, 06:33 AM

[QUOTE]Look at the lines of some of his better games: 20 points and five assists against the Spurs, 10 points and 10 assists at Denver, 11 points and nine assists at Sacramento, 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists against the Kings, 21 points and six assists against Houston, 20 points, six rebounds, three assists against Phoenix. In his last 10 games, he

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2013, 06:51 AM

The Jazz face an interesting season in terms of trading and what exactly they are looking for. Jazz fans have been very keen on this reality, realizing that the Jazz are probably not looking to trade for players that will help their immediate future, but may even seek to trade away helpful players like Marvin Williams or Richard Jefferson, or Brandon Rush in order to accumulate future assets in the form of picks and young players with cheap contracts.

Rush I want to keep at least until he starts playing well assuming he does before the deadline.

The premise of almost any hypothetical trade for the Jazz should assume that the Jazz are holding onto Trey Burke, Alec Burks, Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter

Could definitely see Enes being traded right now. Possibly Hayward if they think they will lose him.

, although it goes without saying that if the Jazz were able to acquire something obviously "better" than any of those players, the Jazz would not hesitate in trading them as well.

On top of all this, trading season will be interesting this year, as almost every team will seek to keep their 2014 first round pick in this talented draft. Obviously some teams, like the Suns, have made their 2014 first rounders available, but it is difficult to know, and I would guess not, if the Jazz have talent worthy of high picks for this upcoming year.

Horny would love G. Maybe Kanter too with his shooting ability. Phoenix pick wouldn't be very high right now though!

As always, trade season always takes two to tango and so the Jazz also have to locate teams that are looking for what the Jazz are offering AND that have the assets that the Jazz are looking for in return. If I had to list teams I think the Jazz could partner with in a trade from most likely down, my list would look like this:

Miami Heat
Minnesota Timberwolves
Los Angeles Clippers
Denver Nuggets
Cleveland Cavaliers

The Jazz as buyers:

The Jazz aren't specifically looking to upgrade their roster for this season, so the team is not likely to make a trade to bring in current talent. After all, this year is about development and discovery of Burke, Burks, Hayward, Kanter, Favors, and Gobert. Bringing in a starter quality veteran is counter productive. The Jazz do wish to buy more 2014 draft picks, be them protected first rounders, unprotected first rounders, and second rounders. Dennis Lindsey has shown the ability and willingness to combine assets in draft day deals in order to move up for the player that he wants. The Jazz did this three times last draft; moving up to get Trey Burke (at the expense of Shabazz Muhammad and Gorgui Dieng), moving up to get Rudy Gobert (at the expense of Erick Green and cash); and moving back into the draft to get Raul Neto (for a future second round pick).

Lindsey wants picks. Period.

He wants assets. Young players, cash, Euro stash etc. qualify as well.

And he has vets on expiring deals (and cap space, so I could see the Jazz trading a vet + money for a pick) to move to teams who want to improve their bench depth. If we go beyond what we want, the Jazz do still kind of need more depth at back up point guard. Jamaal Tinsley was signed and then cut early this season. John Lucas III has been a train wreck. Diante Garrett has looked worse every week after his NB-DL call up. Maybe the Jazz org are happy with this current situation and look to bring Neto over next year and fill that spot. If the team wants to not fix this problem of PG depth that's okay, because it means more losses. And like I said earlier, the team is trying to capitalize on their failures this year for ping pong balls this summer.

The Jazz should target teams with first round picks (duh), but not necessarily lotto picks. If Utah combines their lotto pick, plus the Golden State 1st rounder they already own (which may or may not be a lotto pick in the tough Western Conference), plus any other 1st rounders they may have -- they will no doubt be capable of trading up for at the worst, the #2 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.

If Utah is targeting a type of player to sure up their PG spot they'd want a legit veteran at PG who isn't better than Trey, but has more actual playing experience than Lucas and Garrett. He should be able to make the spot up three pointer, run a team, and play a bit of defense. I don't think such a complete PG exists, or if he did, he wouldn't want to come off the bench. This guy is apparently Chauncey Billups, but there's only one of him.

The Jazz as sellers:

The only real carrot the Jazz have that they are willing to give up on are the mercenaries. Er, I mean the vets who are good enough to fill out a contender's bench rotation -- with little risk as they are all in contract years and their deals run out at the end of this season. These guys are Richard Jefferson, Marvin Williams, Brandon Rush, and Andris Biedrins. Though, I don't think many teams would want Beans. I do know that no team wants Lucas. So it's really these three wing capable players who can defend a little and hit the three.

All of them could be in trads because they are expiring! Biedrins can rebound and defend. Lucas is a capable 3rd pg. Rush needs to show he can still play!

I would keep Marvin if at all possible, but he seems to have the most utility. He's a small forward who can play as a stretch big at the four spot.

Though he can't play the 3! I'd move him before they get any idea of re-signing him!

Moving one of Marvin or Richard means more time on the court for a 1, 2, 3 lineup of Burke, Burks, and Hayward. Because of this movement of Hayward from the 2 to the 3, it means less of a wing logjam.

Depends on what comes back in the trade.

It also, in the case of moving only one of Marvin or Richard, means more playing time for the remaining vet at the 3 spot -- and thus frees up 10-15 mpg at the four spot for one of the Jazz qualifying bigs there. Right now because Tyrone Corbin is adamant on starting a 2, 3, 4 group of Hayward, Jefferson, and Williams it means less minutes for Alec Burks at the wing, and less minutes for Enes Kanter, and Rudy Gobert at the 4 and the 5.

All three of those younger players should be the focus this season, and not the three SG/SFs named Jefferson, Williams, or Rush (who's minutes are going up). The clear surplus is at veteran small forwards who can hit threes. If you want one, or more, please have a draft pick ready. I am assuming that the Jazz can also send some cash over to mitigate some of the costs as we're under the cap.

Except Jefferson all those guys are young enough to be part of the future too.

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2013, 06:51 AM

Specific Trade Ideas:

I'm going back to people smarter than I to figure these out.

Trade 1: Brandon Rush (UTA) for Joel Anthony (MIA) and Philadelphia's protected 2013 1st round pick

Why the Jazz do it: This first round pick is arguably the best pick available to the Jazz without giving up one of their best 6 players. It is protected in 2014 and 2015, so that if Philadelphia misses the playoffs the next two seasons, this pick would turn into 2 second round picks (2015 & 2016). Two second rounders would still be valuable if Brandon Rush isn't in the long term plans for the Jazz, although the Jazz would probably be stuck with Anthony's $3.8 million next season. Also, there is a chance that Philadelphia could be a playoff team next season with a high draft pick and Nerlens Noel and the weak Eastern Conference.

Why the Heat do it: If Brandon Rush gets back even near his pre injury self, he would be a perfect complement to the Miami Heat team both offensively and defensively. The Heat love to spread out the floor offensively and Rush is one of the best 3 point shooters in the NBA over the last few seasons. Defensively, Rush could give some rest to both Lebron James and Dwyane Wade. The Heat would be thrilled to pick up Rush for Anthony, if they didn't think they would miss the pick.

Williams might make more sense for the heat.

Trade 2: Brandon Rush (UTA) for Dante Cunningham (MIN), Rony Turiaf (MIN), and 2 second round picks (2014, 2015)

Why the Jazz do it: Like the previous trade, the Jazz may not be able to cash in on another first round pick for 2014, but two second round picks can be very valuable, especially with good scouting.

Why the Timberwolves do it: The Wolves would like to make the playoffs and they are going to need all the help they can get in the difficult Western Conference. If Rush proves he's healthy, he would add three point shooting to an already talented offense. But Rush would also be one of Minny's best defenders, as he is arguably a more complete two way player than either Corey Brewer or Luc Richard Mbah Moute.

Rush is better than a 2nd round pick if he gets right though. I'd probably keep him for the time being.

Trade 3: The rights to Ante Tomic (UTA) for Byron Mullens (LAC), Willie Green (LAC), and a 2014 first round pick

Why the Jazz do it: for the pick of course. And the fact that Tomic will never play for the Jazz. We already have a European center prospect who is much cheaper.

Why the Clippers do it: the Clippers are just about $2 million over the luxury tax line and if they could get under it with a trade that doesn't make them much worse, that's a good deal for them. A pick is a hefty price for doing so, though.
Yes, these three trades help the Jazz get what they most want, picks. Because I don't want to be "that guy", I'm going to suggest one trade that involves players or something.

Tomic isn't a prospect at this point. He is one of the top players not in the NBA. They can afford to bring him over next year and they should look at doing so.

Trade 4: John Lucas III (UTA) and cold hard cash for Ramon Sessons (CHA), and 2014 second round pick

Why the Jazz do it: Ramon is making more money than Lucas, but he's a much better player than either Lucas or Garrett. He's vet enough to start for Ty, which is a worry, but he's good enough to actually help this team. Will we win more? Yes. But will he also expedite the learning for some of our players? Also a yes. Getting a 2nd round pick also helps because the Jazz know how to package picks.

Why the Bobcats do it: The Bobcats have two 2014 first rounders (potentially) this year from the Portland Trail Blazers and Detroit Pistons. They could be giving their own 2014 pick to the Chicago Bulls. I think Bobcats balk at moving one of them right now. They wouldn't mind shedding some salary, and their point guard spot seems set. Ramon is playing 21.2 mpg for them right now, but I don't know if they like that he's making $5,000,000 this year. Getting Lucas also helps because he's just the type or person Michael Jordan would love to pick on. So there's that.
I know my deal sucks, and I'm okay with that. That's why I needed help on this post.

Can't see the Bobcats doing that one.

El Kabong

12-18-2013, 11:14 PM

I like Evan Turner. If Hayward gets a ridiculous contract offer in the off-season, he's one they should take a look at as a replacement.

Xiao Yao You

12-19-2013, 09:57 PM

I like Evan Turner. If Hayward gets a ridiculous contract offer in the off-season, he's one they should take a look at as a replacement.

Yeah their numbers before this season have been very similar. Right now Turner should be worth more I'd think. Everyone loves Haward and Turner has been considered a bust because of where he was drafted.

East_Stone_Ya

12-20-2013, 06:16 AM

why isn't Rush getting more minutes?

Xiao Yao You

12-21-2013, 09:58 AM

Because he has sucked except for one game.

Xiao Yao You

01-05-2014, 10:59 AM

Jefferson/Bynum trade being discussed I guess.

Happy New Year!

El Kabong

01-07-2014, 04:48 PM

Xiao Yao You

01-08-2014, 10:31 AM

Simmons reckons the Celtics will make a run at Hayward before the deadline. Will be interesting to see what they offer. Rondo would be the only interesting piece and I can't see him wanting to stay in Utah long term.

Doubt they'd want Rondo. Have to be young guys and picks and expiring contracts if they think he's going to get paid too much in the off season.

El Kabong

01-08-2014, 10:57 AM

Doubt they'd want Rondo. Have to be young guys and picks and expiring contracts if they think he's going to get paid too much in the off season.
He said the Celtics will offer this years Brooklyn 1st round pick, but Atlanta have the rights to swap theirs with Brooklyn and the Celtics get the worst pick out of the two. So the Hawks would have to start sucking (they're currently 3rd in the East) and the Nets will have to continue to suck to make that appealing.

Seems to think they'll be a chance to offload Green too, but I can't see that happening at all.

DMV2

01-09-2014, 01:51 AM

Why is Kanter sucking so badly? :(

Favors is doing alright.

Millsap is killing it in the ATL especially after Horford went down.

Xiao Yao You

01-14-2014, 05:15 PM

Jazz had just 4 turnover through 3 quarter and then the Nuggets started trapping and the Jazz started to struggle with the ball. It was the only time all night the Jazz clearly missed Gordon Hayward.

Jazz had 64 points in the paint on 32 of 46 shooting.

The Nuggets came into the game as one of the hottest three point shooting teams in the NBA. They had made 12 a game over the 5 game win streak. Tonight they were just 7 of 25.

Derrick Favors put out one of my favorite performances of his young career. He was a beast inside and physically dominated the undersized Nuggets. 14 defensive rebounds is a new career high. 19 points on 7 of 12 shooting. He got the ball in the post and acted quickly using his size to overpower the defenders and he manhandled Faried and Hickson.

He's not quite the elite rebounder you predicted when the season started based on his pre-season work.

This is a good match-up for the Jazz as has shown up both times the teams have played. Jeremy Evans can use his athletic ability rather than getting caught in a wrestling match and he was very impactful in the 2nd quarter.

Enes Kanter continues to make huge strides defensively. He had good defensive rotations again tonight and offensively made plays.

Marvin once again showed great veteran leadership gaming it through his illness to be the model for this young team

Seems to me Enes has been playing better and Marvin regressing as expected but the minutes don't reflect that.

Brandon Rush looked better tonight than he has all season and made some athletic plays.

Hopefully he can get it going. He's shown signs before this year but than sucked again.

Trey Burke struggled in the 4th quarter tonight with the Nuggets defensive pressure but when the night was over he had 18 points, 8 assists on 6 of 12 shooting. Coach Lowe singled out the picks Trey set in the first half to help ignite the offense.

Stockton taught him something?

Solid win over a hot team. Without Gordon Hayward the Jazz stepped up and played great team basketball and that opened the door for Alec to have an enormous individual night.

Posted in Emptying the Noggin

Xiao Yao You

01-14-2014, 05:27 PM

Tyrone Corbin has said it a thousand times: "We have to develop the young guys to move forward."

And yet Marvin continues to play huge minutes over Enes.

That’s happening faster than almost anyone expected.

On the nights the Jazz win, those young guys study the good things they did to achieve it and repeat it. On the nights they lose, they review what they did wrong and how to avoid it.

Diante Garrett says the losing sucks, but that his teammates look at defeats like minor explosions in a classroom lab. They live and learn — and they laugh: "Everyone’s spirits are up, the confidence is up. And we laugh a lot. Sometimes we act childish, everybody cracking jokes on each other. But we work hard, too. Everyone’s getting better every day."

Yeah, the kids are all right.

Trey Burke, who scored 18 points with eight assists Monday night, personifies that progress, despite a bad finger that kept him out during the season’s first month. Not only has he grown into his role as the Jazz’s future and present at point guard, the rookie is flourishing as the team’s leader on the floor. His shooting percentages undulate from game to game, but his overall presence is unmistakably positive.

So is his outlook.

"I’ve continued to learn each and every day," he said. "I’m trying to stay aggressive and get better at both ends of the court. And the team is responding well. Every game, win or lose, we understand it’s a long season. We get it. We’re just trying to learn from our mistakes. The toughest thing is bouncing back from losses, but we’re learning to be mentally prepared to move past that. It’s just one of the lessons.

"Our chemistry has continued to come along. We’ve had a couple injuries, guys getting sick, but as a team we’re jelling. Everybody is coming together. Everything is working out."

Halfway through, the Jazz are partway there.

Derrick Favors is grooming his game at both ends, with his offense, which mostly lagged behind his defense, coming around. He averages nearly 14 points and nine boards. For much of the season, he’s been the team’s best player.

Not sure his offense is behing his D actually. He hasn't been as good defensively as hyped. How far can they go if he's their best player?

Gordon Hayward needs more consistency — and good health. He hasn’t shot the ball efficiently — 41 percent — but his dexterous game is multifaceted, and if he can level the ride, the Jazz might see more of what he provided in their thrill-a-minute win over Oklahoma City, in which Hayward scored 37 points on 13-for-16 shooting, had 11 rebounds and seven assists.

He needs help. He's not suited for the role he's been put in.

Enes Kanter needs and deserves more minutes, averaging just 25, but he’s boosted the Jazz in recent games, hitting double figures in each of the last five. He’s averaging 11 points and six boards, and despite looking bulky and awkward, at times, the big man has skills.

But can he play with Favors? That's the only question that matters now. If he can't he will have to be dealt.

So, the Junior Jazz are all growing up and coming on and such. Since losing four straight early in December, the team has won nine of 16. Not that the Jazz hierarchy wants to pump their fledgling heads full of praise. When Dennis Lindsey was recently asked who was his team’s best player, he pretty much blew off the improving play of his young ones and answered with this bit of misdirection: Marvin Williams.

When that was brought to Williams’ attention, the vet laughed. He also assured Lindsey that he shouldn’t worry about the kids getting fatheaded.

"The thing about this team is it’s full of good guys with good attitudes who are working to get better," he said. "After a loss, they look at themselves individually and hold themselves accountable. You’re happy to be around guys like that. The losses hurt, but you show up to practice the next day ready to work. In pro sports, it’s not always like that. Here, on this team, it is."

Marvin as your best player is a brilliant tanking strategy if nothing else!

Two games from the halfway mark, the Jazz now are 13-26.

But as Garrett pointed out, the players are in the right place, even if it is last place.

"We don’t focus on losing," he said. "We focus on improving."

GORDON MONSON hosts "The Big Show" with Spence Checketts weekdays from 3-7 p.m. on 97.5 FM/1280 and 960 AM The Zone. Twitter: @GordonMonson.

Xiao Yao You

01-14-2014, 05:37 PM

[QUOTE]Burks

Xiao Yao You

01-14-2014, 05:44 PM

[QUOTE]"He had a great night," Jazz forward Marvin Williams said after the 118-103 victory. "Without him we wouldn

Xiao Yao You

01-14-2014, 05:49 PM

[QUOTE]Trey Burke came up limping after the Nuggets' first trip down the floor Monday. But the Jazz rookie toughed it out, and after getting his right ankle re-taped, put on a pretty good show.
Burke finished with 18 points and eight assists.

"I slid," he said afterward. "I think it was a little wet spot out there and it wasn't my ankle, it was kind of near my Achilles. It's fine. It's just a little sore. I don't know what I did. It doesn't seem serious at all so I'm going to get treatment on it, ice it and see how it feels tomorrow."

Xiao Yao You

01-15-2014, 05:41 PM

[QUOTE]Burks hit 13 of 19 shots from the field, many of them dazzling drives to the basket with finishes that defied the laws of physics, and he was 8 of 8 from the foul line. He also had five assists in his 37 minutes on the EnergySolutions Arena floor.

"He's just understanding who he is, what makes him good in this league," Utah coach Tyrone Corbin said of Burks, who hadn't started a game since Nov. 18 before taking the injured Hayward's spot in the starting lineup for the last two games. "He's a young guy that's still learning how to play in this league, and he's understanding what makes him good night in and night out

Xiao Yao You

01-15-2014, 05:47 PM

[QUOTE]After starting the NBA regular season with a dismal 1-14 record, the lottery-bound Utah Jazz have actually played .500 basketball

Xiao Yao You

01-15-2014, 05:50 PM

Wednesday's game at San Antonio marks Utah's first appearance on national television (ESPN) this season.

And Burke is looking forward to it.

"Absolutely. That's what you play for," he said. "I think it's our first game on national TV, if I'm correct, but I think we'll be ready. It's an ESPN game and we've all played on ESPN, so it's nothing we're not used to. But it should be fun. We're all looking forward to it."

Corbin cautioned that his young players needed to be wary about not letting the national spotlight blur their focus.

"It's always fun to be on national TV," Corbin said. "But the San Antonio Spurs is a big enough opponent in itself to think about playing against those guys. So we can't make it any bigger than what it is because the opponent is going to be tough enough for us.

"We've got to make sure we understand how we have to play to be effective against the Spurs, and everything else will take care of itself."

It will be ugly I imagine. Need G back for this one at least.

Xiao Yao You

01-15-2014, 05:52 PM

RUSH TO JUDGMENT: Shooting guard Brandon Rush was a non-factor for the first few weeks of the season. But he has gradually begun to find his rhythm in recent games, and he scored seven points in Monday's win over the Nuggets.

"He's getting better. He's getting more and more confident," Corbin said. "He's just trying and playing the game as we get going a little bit deeper in the season here, and that's going to be huge for us.

"We need everybody that we have on this roster to be ready to go and to play their best every night they're out there on the floor for us to have a chance to win. So he's a guy that we're looking forward to continuing to get better."

Rush admitted that his confidence level has begun to grow in recent games.

"I felt a little more confident and a little more comfortable than what I've been showing the last few weeks, and I think it just comes from practice," he said. "All the practices that we've been having these last two or three weeks, and it's just paying off and just trying to switch it over to the games.

"It's definitely fun and it's definitely fun getting the win with the guys."

Anxious to see what he can do when he really gets it going.

Xiao Yao You

01-15-2014, 05:53 PM

HAYWARD'S STATUS: Hayward, Utah's leading scorer at 17.1 points per game, has missed the last two games with an injured left hip. He'll travel with the team to Texas, but whether he plays Wednesday night remains to be seen.

"He's gonna go (on the trip)," Corbin said. "I don't know if he's gonna be ready to play (Wednesday) night or not. We'll see how he's doing. We want to make sure we do the right thing so when he's back he's back for a while and not take a chance on getting hurt any further."

Rush said that the Jazz offense continues to make progress and, when Hayward does return, he expects even more improvement.

"I think we're coming along great," he said. "We're still missing G (Hayward); we can't wait to get G back, but once he gets back, I think it's going to just take off because everybody's starting to find their roles on the team and everybody's been trying to make plays and we're playing within ourselves."

EMAIL: rhollis@desnews.com

Xiao Yao You

01-15-2014, 05:58 PM

Hayward, who is dealing with a hip flexor injury, is officially listed as doubtful to play tonight against the San Antonio Spurs.

"We

Xiao Yao You

01-15-2014, 06:00 PM

Forward Danny Green (finger) and center Tiago Splitter (shoulder) are both injured.

Xiao Yao You

01-15-2014, 09:29 PM

At 27.4 minutes a night, he trails only Hayward, Burke, Derrick Favors and Richard Jefferson in minutes per game.

He and Rush need to start getting more of Jefferson's minutes.

[QUOTE]"He still plays starter minutes so it doesn

Xiao Yao You

01-16-2014, 12:28 AM

[QUOTE]During his first few seasons, Alec Burks experienced the requisite ups and downs common to young players in the NBA. His rookie season showed great flashes of promise

Xiao Yao You

01-16-2014, 12:38 AM

[QUOTE]Over the past seven games, Enes Kanter has been in double figures in six of them (and five straight). More importantly, Enes has gone back to his roots as an offensive player.

Time for a brief interruption

Xiao Yao You

01-17-2014, 02:46 AM

Hayward took part in pregame activities, but was still bothered by a left hip flexor that sidelined him the previous two games. Averaging 17.1 points, Hayward also leads the team in steals at 1.3 per game and is second in assists at 4.9.

Xiao Yao You

01-17-2014, 02:51 AM

[QUOTE]"The only way we

Xiao Yao You

01-17-2014, 02:54 AM

From the comments section:

I listened to an interview with Lindsey, they are wanting to resign Marvin Williams at the end of the season.

Ugh! :coleman:

Xiao Yao You

01-17-2014, 02:58 AM

[QUOTE]

Xiao Yao You

01-17-2014, 03:00 AM

Jazz legend Frank Layden, who celebrated his 82nd birthday on Jan. 5, attended the game with his wife, Barbara. The couple lives in San Antonio for a couple of months in the winter to spend time with their son, Scott Layden, who left his assistant coaching gig in Utah to become the Spurs

Xiao Yao You

01-17-2014, 03:02 AM

Xiao Yao You

01-17-2014, 03:07 AM

[QUOTE]The 33-year-old Jefferson credited his time in San Antonio for helping him learn how to take better care of his body all year long and for improving his outside shooting.

Xiao Yao You

01-17-2014, 03:10 AM

[QUOTE]

Xiao Yao You

01-17-2014, 03:12 AM

[QUOTE]Performances like Alec Burks

Xiao Yao You

01-17-2014, 03:20 AM

[QUOTE]This team fights. The character of this team is impressive and Corbin is getting consistent night-in and night-out effort, which is a huge deal in this league and most teams don

Xiao Yao You

01-17-2014, 03:26 AM

[QUOTE]Games 31-40 showed some really significant changes in Utah

Xiao Yao You

01-17-2014, 03:27 AM

Richard Jefferson is using 15% of his possessions to go to the free-throw line. That is stunning mostly when you consider he is also using 39% of his possessions to shoot threes. Jefferson is playing very well.

Interesting for all the Alec Burks talk is that his lack of 3-point shooting is still preventing him from being a highly efficient offensive player. Going to the line 13% of his possessions is important, but not shooting the three is a detriment to his play.

Both Favors and Kanter have been high-level starters on the offensive end over the last 10 games.

Gordon Hayward was the best offensive player for the Jazz in this period of time.

The nice change here is that all but four players were using their possession above the league average. Previously it was reverse.

Trey is not an efficient offensive player yet. This is not a surprise

Xiao Yao You

01-17-2014, 07:43 AM

[QUOTE]So as they approach the halfway point what have we learned?

Xiao Yao You

01-17-2014, 11:51 AM

[QUOTE]
Burke said he took valuable lessons away from the defeat.

Xiao Yao You

01-19-2014, 03:11 AM

I really like Derrick Favors approach on the offensive end. He is making his moves with an intention. He has a plan and he is reacting correctly to what the defense is doing.

Two nights in a row Alec Burks has had to leave the game due to foul trouble. Kevin Martin is tough but that should not have happened on Caldwell-Pope. Next step in development.

Not really surprising that Burke was off tonight. Rubio’s length gave him issues.

Not sure what sequence defined the night, Burke double dribbling (uncalled) to Favors who rim checks on the dunk gets it back and misses the next dunk or Jeremy Evans missing three tip-ins from one foot in a span of 4 seconds.

The Ball didn’t move

You could say this is bringing togetherness of a unit to a new level. They all had their worst game of the year together. Not sure that is fair for Favors but he would be the only one I would take out of the collectiveness.

When Burks got two fouls and Hayward was out and the Jazz had to go to Garrett with Clark/Lucas and Rush and Evans and Kanter/Favors it was too much.

See the Wolves on Tuesday.

Had to go to Garrett? Why not Evans or Marvin or Jefferson at the 3 and Rush at the 2?

He seems to have a huge hard on for Favors.

Xiao Yao You

01-20-2014, 03:16 PM

Jody Genessy: Jazz shooting guard Gordon Hayward will practice today. He's missed five games with a left hip flexor. Still game-time decision for Tuesday.

Twitter @DJJazzyJody

Xiao Yao You

01-20-2014, 03:43 PM

By making only 28.8 percent of their shots, the Jazz set a franchise record for field-goal percentage futility. The previous low shooting mark happened in a 73-62 home loss on Nov. 14, 2005, to the New York Knicks when Utah only made good on 29.3 percent of its field-goal attempts.

Jazz fans might remember two significant moments surrounding that ugly game.

First, the late Larry H. Miller was so livid that the injury-plagued Jazz only scored eight points in the third quarter, the fuming owner, Utah's most passionate fan, walked from his old courtside seat to the Jazz huddle between quarters, barked at then-coach Jerry Sloan and players, and then stood next to the team bench during the fourth quarter.

"They (players) probably did get a little bit intimidated,” Sloan said at the time. “But they have to learn how to play at this level if they are going to be in this league.”

The next day, the Deseret News reported that former players Greg Ostertag and Matt Harpring were among the active athletes who got a tongue-lashing. Miller also “seemed to have heated words” for injured Andrei Kirilenko and Carlos Boozer, who sat behind the bench.

Former Jazz guard Devin Brown admitted the passionate Miller “was vocal.” He said the main point received was that the owner “spends money on our team, and he wants us to play hard. We need to play harder."

From the Nov. 15, 2005, article:

“When Brown was pressed on what Miller said specifically, Ostertag, who was standing nearby, sarcastically told his teammate to share the exact language, then snapped, ‘It's a family show,’ before walking to the showers in disgust.”

Sloan told reporters he didn’t hear what Miller said.

"I was aware that he was in the huddle, but I didn't hear him say anything … I had other things that I was concerned about," the Hall of Fame coach said. "Larry can say whatever he wants. He owns the team. I've never had a problem with that."

That, by the way, also led to No. 3 draft pick Deron Williams getting the first start of his NBA career the next night in Sacramento. D-Will, who remained bitter for years about not being a full-time starter his rookie campaign

Hard to blame him considering the two scrubs that played ahead of him.

, was in the first unit for the next 19 games. However, he returned to the bench for the following 25 before securing a permanent starting role in Utah’s final 28 games of that 41-41 season.

The Jazz made 27 of 75 shots in that game more than eight years ago. Sloan described his team’s interior attempts “kind of like an adventure.”

Or a misadventure.

Sloan's description also fits the current club’s clunker against the Timberwolves, a game in which Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said the team simply lacked pep and energy along with dozens and dozens of shots. Even normally strong finishers Derrick Favors (two missed dunks) and Jeremy Evans (three missed tips) had head-smacking possessions in which it seemed like the Target Center rim was playing defense against them.

Overall Saturday, the Jazz missed a whopping 52 of 73 field goals to enter a portion of the history book they’d rather avoid. Utah only scored nine points in the second quarter and 23 in the entire first half, tying a franchise record for fewest field goals in a half with eight.

“You never want to put all your weight on one game, whether it’s good or bad,” Marvin Williams said in the cramped visitors locker room. “We’ll learn from this game and hopefully bounce back and put out a better performance Tuesday.”

The Jazz host Minnesota on that night at ESA after having Sunday off and getting one day of practice Monday.

An especially puzzling part of Saturday’s offensive no-show was that the Jazz had played so well in Detroit the night before, putting up 110 points and shooting 54.4 percent in a blowout win. Corbin thought the 21-point win, Utah’s largest margin of victory this season, was one of the team’s better all-around performances.

“You’re going to have some ups and downs,” Corbin said. “You just don't want it to be this broad.”

Saturday's effort was much more reminiscent of how the Jazz played during their 1-14 start when duds were common than how Utah had performed while going 13-13 after the season's bumbling beginning.

“We didn’t attack as we have been. We lost in all areas (Saturday),” Corbin said. “We’ve got to make sure this is just a short-term thing.”

EMAIL: jody@desnews.com

TWITTER: DJJazzyJody

Xiao Yao You

01-20-2014, 03:45 PM

Xiao Yao You

01-20-2014, 04:10 PM

[QUOTE]Deseret News sports columnist Brad Rock talked with former Jazz coach Tom Nissalke about his take on where the game stands, both today and yesterday.

1. Q. Do teams ever really tank a season?

A.

Xiao Yao You

01-20-2014, 04:13 PM

[QUOTE]Jazz center Enes Kanter logged his seventh consecutive game in double figures with 18 points (and seven rebounds) off the bench.

Xiao Yao You

01-20-2014, 04:15 PM

[QUOTE]HOMECOMING: Alec Burks admitted it was

Xiao Yao You

01-20-2014, 08:46 PM

[QUOTE]Supportive Michigan fans cheered every time he scored in his 20-point night. The Jazz loved it every time he passed to a teammate for a score in his career-high 12-assist game.

Xiao Yao You

01-20-2014, 08:49 PM

[QUOTE]Once firmly at the bottom of the league in terms of points and wins, the Jazz now find themselves playing .500 ball.

The main thing is that Utah has been scoring more

Xiao Yao You

01-20-2014, 08:53 PM

The Jazz have been bouncing back and forth between wins and losses all month while going 4-4 in January. Coach Tyrone Corbin sees some positive in that, seeing as the team isn

Xiao Yao You

01-20-2014, 08:55 PM

Williams admitted the team is in somewhat of a somber mood after it set a franchise record for shooting futility while hitting for just 28.8 percent from the field in Saturday

Xiao Yao You

01-20-2014, 08:56 PM

[QUOTE]Corbin was asked what part of the season has frustrated him as a coach.

Xiao Yao You

01-20-2014, 09:05 PM

[QUOTE]Corbin said Hayward will likely start when he returns, and shooting guard Alec Burks will probably return to his sixth-man role. When asked if he

Xiao Yao You

01-20-2014, 09:22 PM

Hayward has missed five straight games because of the injury, but he likely will play for the first time since Jan. 7 on Tuesday night, when the Jazz face Minnesota at EnergySolutions Arena.

"You

Xiao Yao You

01-20-2014, 09:24 PM

This is their most leisurely stretch of the schedule. They play four home games over the next 12 nights. ... At 8-11, they own the worst home record in the Western Conference. ...

The good news is they've actually played decent on the road which is surprising.

[QUOTE]G Trey Burke has scored at least 11 points in 22 of his last 27 games. He had nine at Minnesota on Saturday night.

About the Timberwolves

Xiao Yao You

01-20-2014, 09:27 PM

[QUOTE]Jazz rookie Ian Clark has played 21 minutes in the last two games.

He

Xiao Yao You

01-20-2014, 09:47 PM

Mark Eaton was so big, and used so well by Frank Layden, that he made tall guys everywhere get NBA contracts without deserving them. Because they all were searching for the next Mark Eaton.

I'm not convinced Eaton would have had a career anywhere else. Jazz were often playing 4 on 5 at the offensive end with Mark hanging out around half court(which is now illegal because of him I believe). It took a while to adjust after he was gone but they were a better defensive team and overall of course after he was gone. Their two finals coming after him aren't just a coincidence. He was big and clueless. They taught him to keep his arms up. He's have a hard time even keeping track of the ball and would turn around and get a block just because he was big and had his arms up.

Okay, before we get too far into this I need to point out that Utah Jazz mountain / former starting center Mark Eaton is a dinosaur. I don't mean he's old and obsolete. I mean he's a huge thing that walks on land, can't really jump much, and takes up a lot of space. And it's hard to do anything around him, so you end up having to pass the ball back out to your guards and shrug your shoulders.

Well, he may also be partially obsolete now that they changed the illegal defense rules; but they also added in that Zone defense thing the NCAA's have been using. But getting back on point here, Mark Eaton was big. (Big enough that he can get away with using his height as part of his twitter handle @markeaton7ft4 -- and no one can say anything!) But there's more to it than just that. There have been a lot of big guys in the NBA. Some of them have been horrible. What made Mark so special is the relationship he had with his coach Frank Layden, and how Layden was able to use Mark so well on offense and defense. It was an admirable pairing which forced many other teams to try to find the Next Mark Eaton. Size was always prized, but Mark made it more than a gimmick for the Utah Jazz. Heck, even the Utah Jazz themselves have been searching for year for the next Mark Eaton too!

I don't know if you're read John Stockton's Autobiography, but ya really have no excuse not to because it's $14 bucks on the Kindle right now. And you should, because he reveals a lot of interesting information about the team, the relationships the players had with the coaches, and so on. It's really required reading. I'm assuming a lot of you haven't read it yet so I'm not going to spoil anything.

I will, on the other hand, upload this amazing picture.

Payne3_medium

Yes, it's true. Wearing a beard increases your defensive ratings by +20.

Anyway, Mark Eaton was discovered by a scout when he was working as an auto mechanic. He played college ball at UCLA, and was picked by the Jazz in the 4th round, pick #72. (The really sad thing is that these are all things I know by heart.) Mark played for the Jazz for 11 years, his rookie season saw the 26 year old play in 1,528 minutes of NBA action, spread out over 81 games. So there are so many awesome things about this. First, this rookie center is playing 18.9 mpg (Frank Layden >>>)

Jazz sucked at the time!

, and second, he's a 26 year old rookie. He was a 24 year old college freshman. This is already an amazing story. Derrick Favors is in his fourth year in the league and he's 22.

Very few players than went pro early and most at least 3 years.

Times have changed.

But the fundamentals of defense have not. And that's something Layden recognized when he had a 7'4 center to play with. Frank has had big guys before, the Jazz have a history of trying to use size. (But our best bigman for a long while was Truck Robinson, who is only 6'7... so that shows you that size doesn't always walk in the same direction as capability.) But all of those other bigmen didn't have what Mark had going for him.

And what was that?

Mark was ridiculously good at being big, but also knowing how to play big. He was attentive on the court, and more proprioceptive than a lot of other people playing center. Some guys luck into it by being big and just showing up. Mark on the other hand had this whole career where his size was a huge disadvantage. Seriously, think about why being 7'4 would suck if you were an auto-mechanic. He had to spend hours and hours understanding space, where everything else was at all times, and be mindful not to wreck everything. At the NBA level his keen senses were still used, but now he was tasked WITH wrecking everything.

And that was the key difference. He understood space because he was so confined by it before he started playing basketball. A guy like Greg Ostertag, who is thicker, but grew up in the wide expanse of West Texas, was always in a situation where he had enough room. He never had to learn about positioning just to get by. That probably explains why sometimes on defense O-Tag wouldn't even put his arms up when other guys shot. He didn't understand space. He just knew he was big. And all of his life being big and showing up got the job done.

Tag was a much better player as far as I'm concerned regardless if Sloan or anyone else thought so. He wa one of the best shot blockers(comparable to even Mark) and offensive rebounders in the game. Unfortunately people had unrealistic expectations of him.

Eaton was big, was smart, but still had limitations. Bigmen aren't usually made of the same stuff as pure athletes are. Some are really only big because of Acromegaly -- like our good friend Pavel P. (Remember him?) Big Mark wasn't some giant, but he wasn't an athlete either. He was slow, and couldn't jump, and didn't have the amazing conditioning of some other NBA players. And again, that's why he had to be so smart.

Being big and smart is a lot better than just being big and showing up. The awards speak for themselves:

2x Defensive Player of the year (1985, 1989)
Jersey retired
1x All-Star (1989)
3x All NBA Defense (1st team) (1985, 1986, 1989)
2x All NBA Defense (2nd team) (1987, 1988)
#5 All-time in Blocks
#1 All-time in BPG
#3 All-time in BLK%
#46 All-Time in Defensive Rating
#52 All-Time in career Defensive Win Shares
#89 All-Time in DREB%
#85 All-Time in TREB%
#69 All-Time in Defensive Rebounds

I thought the all-star berth was deserved bec ause they had to take 3 centers at the time and he was deserving under that stupid criteria that thankfully has been changed.

Xiao Yao You

01-20-2014, 09:48 PM

Why did I bring those awards and honors up there? Well, if all you had to do was be big then hundreds of 7-footers would have such a claim to immortality as Mark does. But they don't. Mark was winning DPOY awards back when sidney Moncrief, Michael Jordan, Dennis Rodman, Hakeem Olajuwon and others were playing. AND HE BEAT THEM. TWICE!

And he didn't beat them just because, he beat them because dude was one of the few people who could actually block Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 's skyhook.You may know the Skyhook as the go-to-move for the All-Time leading scorer in the history of the sport. And Mark used to block that.

He did have his challenges on the other side of the ball. I can only imagine how many assists John Stockton would have if Eaton was a better finisher. He is a 7'4 guy who has a career average of 6.0 ppg. He shot 45.8 fg% over his career, and 64.9 ft%. And the biggest headache was with his slow release and geologic gather. Stockton would penetrate and dump the ball off to Mark. On the occasions that he would be able to catch it, it was never a given that he could get the ball up past half of his hemisphere before a guard would come in and swipe it. And that sucked. It sucked for Jazz fans, and for Stockton's numbers, and for Mark's own feelings.

So what did Frank Layden do? Well, he kept moving Mark around on offense. Sometimes he would be used as a screen setter for John. Other times he would be used to cut from the weakside and be available to get an offensive rebound or a catchable pass. On occasion he was used as a post up target, Mark had a hook shot of his own after all. But the most brilliant move was to station Mark outside of the paint so Karl Malone could operate down low. Frank solved the floor spacing problem that Dick Motta's offense never had a chance to deal with. And the rules of that era allowed for so many extra free throws because of illegal defense.

Mark HAD to draw a defender out to him or the Jazz got points. If Mark did draw a defender to him, Karl could go beast mode. (And he did)

Jerry Sloan inherited Mark and the playbook when he took over. But the rules changed and the playbook was less than effective until they got Mehmet Okur -- a legit big with legit range. Now, once again, there was a reason to run a PF oriented offense while keeping a C out on the floor. But that's a tangent.

Eaton was the reason our offense worked, and people forget that.

:roll:

And he was so big, other people wanted on of their own. Because Mark was so big, and we knew how to use him, the Jazz went nuts trying to get size as Mark's career was marred by more and more injures. Luther Wright was supposed to help out, but he was medically unable to do so. (Mental problems are medical problems. There should be no stigma.) Greg Ostertag was used as the Mark Eaton; but while Mark was big and smart, Greg was just big.

Greg was much more of a basketball player.

Greg did a good job for what he could do, but he was never a threat to win DPOY.

Because he was sitting on the bench behind Collins and other stiffs!

Because of Mark the Jazz under Jerry kept trying to get the next really big, big guy. Kyrylo Fesenko and Kosta Koufos were brought in, but none of them fit the bill.

Again not sure why Koufos went into Sloan's doghouse but he is a player and has shown that.

Goofus and Gallant were nice players, but they couldn't hold down the paint like Greg or Mark could. (Fes might have been able to according to the advanced stats, but there was just too much Georgia homeboy in his system to give a damn.)

Sometimes other teams did find themselves a Mark Eaton clone, one of them is dominating right now, and his name is Roy Hibbert.

Eaton clone? He's actually a ball player!

I really wanted the Jazz to get him in the draft, but he was not available when we picked. And because of the continued success of the Eaton template in Hibbert, the Jazz competed the cycle to get Rudy Gobert.

Mark Eaton was pick #72. Gobert was pick #27.

We know Rudy is big. But we need him to ALSO be good. Or failing that, let's work on some knee surgeries for Mark.

He's already better than Mark.

Xiao Yao You

01-20-2014, 10:48 PM

Beno Udrih has requested a trade from the New York Knicks.

Udrih has been at odds with Mike Woodson for much of the season.

The Knicks will attempt to honor Udrih's request.

Udrih publicly questioned why he was the subject of criticism earlier this season.

"I kind of feel like when I do the right thing, it's not the right thing in some people's eyes. It's just tough. It's easy to point fingers when the team loses. But it comes down to, we are a team, we lose together. No matter who makes a mistake or who doesn't, it's still a team loss," Udrih said on Dec. 25. "So I think all of this stuff should be kept out of the media and not call certain people out or something. We've just got to go out there and fix it and watch video and fix it as a team."

Via Ian Begley/ESPN

http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=m4qxhx7

Jazz need another pg besides Burke but obviously that would mean more wins god forbid.

Xiao Yao You

01-21-2014, 08:32 PM

The Utah Jazz have some mixed news on the hip-injury front.

The good: Shooting guard Gordon Hayward expects to play tonight at EnergySolutions Arena after missing the past five games with a left hip flexor.

The bad: Center Derrick Favors might miss the team’s rematch with the Minnesota Timberwolves because of a right hip abductor injury.

Both players are officially game-time decisions for the 7 p.m. tipoff against the T-Wolves, who beat the Jazz 98-72 Saturday at the Target Center.

“I’m going to go out and play like I normally do,” Hayward said after going through a pain-free shootaround. “I’m excited to get back out there. It was tough to sit behind the bench. I’m ready to get out there and get going.”

Favors had to miss this morning’s strategy session because of tightness in his hip, an injury that happened while dunking on the first play of the game Friday against Detroit. He still played Friday and Saturday through discomfort.

“I kind of came down funny (on the dunk) and it’s been hurting since,” Favors said. “It’s still kind of sore. We’re going to see tonight, go out there and warm up and see how it goes tonight.”

With these developments, the most likely starting lineup for the Jazz would be Hayward, Trey Burke, Richard Jefferson, Marvin Williams and Enes Kanter.
Enes could have a big night the way hes been going. Might want to start Biedrins and not mess with Kanter off the bench just bring him in earlier and keep him in longer. I guess Gobert might play instead of Biedrins though.

Favors remains hopeful, though. If nothing else, he’d like to help the Jazz avenge Saturday’s blowout. Utah shot a franchise-low 28.8 percent and had a season-low scoring output in Minnesota.

“I’m a competitive person,” Favors said. “I’m always ready to play, but at the same time I’ve got to listen to my body and listen to my trainers and just know that it’s a long season.”

• The Jazz lost both games earlier this season when Favors sat out with a sore lower back. Utah went 2-3 the past week-and-a-half without Hayward.

“A hurt Gordon Hayward impacts the Utah Jazz play, not to mention a healthy one,” Williams said. “He’s been a playmaker for us all year. He’s been a scorer for us all year and he’s helped us on the defensive end as well. Having him back out there tonight hopefully will be huge for us.”

• Williams said the Jazz didn’t watch much film of Saturday’s offensive no-show.

“We’ve got to bring some more effort. I feel like our effort wasn’t there defensively of offensively, for that matter,” he said. “We just didn’t execute very well on either end of the floor and they took advantage of that.”

Added Favors: “It was very frustrating. We were missing a lot of shots that we normally make. We just was a step slower with everything. I think we’ve got to come out tonight and play with a chip on our shoulder.”

• T-Wolves power forward Kevin Love on his team losing seven straight in ESA:

“The fans are great here. That’s what I was mentioning in practice yesterday — they’re right on top of you. Their fanbase is always good. They’re always talking trash. They’ve always been good, too, every time we’ve played here. It’s a very tough place to play because of that. They always play well on their home floor.”

• Love on the rematch with the Jazz: “It’s going to be a dogfight. It’s going to be a battle, especially after playing Saturday night. They’ve been sitting here waiting for us.”

EMAIL: jody@desnews.com

TWITTER: DJJazzyJody

Xiao Yao You

01-21-2014, 09:01 PM

Player grades

Player Grade

Gordon Hayward B-
Derrick Favors B+
Trey Burke A
Enes Kanter C-
Alec Burks B-
Richard Jefferson B-
Marvin Williams A
Jeremy Evans A-
Rudy Gobert A
Diante Garrett Pass
Brandon Rush Fail
Ian Clark Pass
Andris Biedrins Fail
John Lucas III Fail
Team A-
Hayward was easily the best player on the Jazz over the first 20 games

Most seem to think Favors has been it seems.

, but now he is taking a slight backseat to Trey Burke and Derrick Favors. He still leads the team in scoring, third in rebounding, second in assists and leading in steals.

His greatest deficiency has been his inefficient scoring. He has scored a lot, but he's shooting 41 percent from the field and 31 percent as a 3-point shooter. Since the last grading article, he has started shooting a little better, but not by enough. His workload has gone down a little, but his production has stayed about the same.

Grade: B-

Derrick Favors

Favors has passed the eye test over the last 20 games with a lot of really good games and an expanding offensive repertoire, however his numbers are basically the same as they were after the first 20 games. He is scoring 13.5 points per game and grabbing 8.6 rebounds.

And basically what you'd have expected based on his past if not less. I thought a double double at least.

What is most important is that he is staying on the court and mostly out of foul trouble. He is still top-10 in the stat, but he is only averaging 3.8 fouls per 36 minutes played. He averages 4.7 per 36 in his career and was at 5 last season.

He still has moments where he looks lost, but for stretches of the season he could be considered the best player on the team.

Grade: B+

Trey Burke

Burke has been great at some points and very average at others. He is averaging 14.4 points and 6.5 assists over the last 21 games. He is second in points and assists among rookies and is one of the best free-throw shooters in the NBA.

He has a claim as the best player on the team right now.

He looks like he could be eventually but not yet.

His next biggest step is becoming consistent. He has the skills to be a good player in the league, but he can't go from 20 points to 9 from one night to the next, or 20 then 3, 30 then 2.

He can depending on how he's doing. Taking the most shots on the team on a low % isn't good though.

Since the start of December, he has six 20-point games and five single-digit games.

He's still in the discussion for some Rookie of the Year votes, and that means his season is still very successful so far.

Grade: A

Enes Kanter

Kanter has had a rough season but is starting to pull out of his nosedive. In January he has scored 13.8 points per game and grabbed 6.8 rebounds. He is playing 21.4 minutes in that time, which is actually down from his season average.

Kanter is still a bit of a mystery. His 25-point, 11-rebound game against the San Antonio Spurs was pretty amazing. He is shooting 57.7 percent this month. Using the grading system from before the season started, he is sitting at a C, up from a D in the last grades, but his turnaround from the start of the season will get a little better.

Grade: C-

Alec Burks

Much like Kanter's season Burks has started to look good this quarter of the season. He is scoring 14.2 points with 3.5 rebounds and 3 assists in that time. He is shooting better from outside than he has in his career.

He is a 43 percent shooter for his career and is up to 48 percent over this span. He is also shooting 37 percent from beyond the arc, up from 34 percent in his career. Since Burke has returned, Burks has become a better player.

There were high expectations to start the season, and it's starting to show. Still his greatest problem is consistency. In January, he is averaging 14.9 points, but he only has two games within two points of that, 13 and 16 points, other than that they are anywhere from 3 to 34.

Grade: B-

He's becoming a lot more consistent.

Richard Jefferson

Jefferson had a pretty rough offensive start to the season, along with most of the team, but has been hot over the last quarter of the season. He's a career 37.6 percent 3-point shooter and is shooting 52 percent in the last 21 games.

He's actually the eighth best shooter in the league, sixth best with a limit of 110 3-pointers. He is actually shooting better from beyond the arc than his normal field goal shots.

Not surprising the way the game is played today.

He's also doing this with fewer minutes than he's used to and giving a great defensive effort.

Last year he was hardly playing at all and I think his minutes need to take a hit with the play of their kids and Rush coming around.

Xiao Yao You

01-21-2014, 09:01 PM

[QUOTE]A

Xiao Yao You

01-22-2014, 04:20 PM

Chinese team Zhejiang announced that they have waived Ivan Johnson and signed Mike Harris. Johnson was averaging 25.8ppg, 10.2rpg and 2apg in CBA in 25 games. Mike Harris has played with the Jazz this season averaging 4.2ppg in 20 games. Sportando

Xiao Yao You

01-22-2014, 06:27 PM

Jody Genessy: Jazz shooting guard Gordon Hayward has received an invitation to participate in USA Basketball's player pool this summer. Twitter @DJJazzyJody

Might raise his price? He'd be a good role player to have around the superstars.

Xiao Yao You

01-22-2014, 11:36 PM

Marc Stein: Story going online now co-scribed w/our own @mcten: http://es.pn/18nkpr obtains USA Basketball's full 28-man list to be released Thursday:

LaMarcus Aldridge, Carmelo Anthony, Bradley Beal, Tyson Chandler, DeMarcus Cousins, Steph Curry, Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard, Andre Iguodala, Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, Kyle Korver, David Lee, Kawhi Leonard, Andre Drummond, Kevin Durant, Kenneth Faried, Paul George, Blake Griffin, James Harden, Gordon Hayward, Damian Lillard, Kevin Love, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, Klay Thompson, Russell Westbrook and Deron Williams.

Twitter @ESPNSteinLine -

East_Stone_Ya

01-23-2014, 07:53 AM

damn Kanter just fails when is starting :(

Xiao Yao You

01-23-2014, 10:47 AM

He wasn't failing to start the year. Whole team failed against the Wolves in back t back games.

Xiao Yao You

01-23-2014, 10:49 AM

G might want to come to a free agent decision fast so he can be part of the Olympic camp.

Xiao Yao You

01-23-2014, 06:19 PM

[QUOTE]Rudy Gobert got some run tonight. His length was a factor and his offensive game is limited to dunks. The coaches may need to find a way to get him in the rotation for the second half of the season, though it

Xiao Yao You

01-23-2014, 06:21 PM

* Marvin Williams had a good defensive night against Kevin Love, who did almost all of his damage on Jeremy Evans.

* The Wolves were going at Alec Burks and took advantage of his inability to get off a pick. The guy he was guarding took 14 shots, and the next closest is Hayward

Xiao Yao You

01-23-2014, 06:28 PM

Jazz center Derrick Favors did not practice Thursday morning because of a lingering abductor strain.

Favors

Xiao Yao You

01-23-2014, 06:30 PM

After participating in U.S. national team camps in in 2012 and 2013, Favors was not named to the player-pool USA Basketball will use to stock its roster for the upcoming World Cup and 2016 Olympics.

"I think there will be more opportunities for him down the road," said teammate Gordon Hayward, who was selected. "... He will be back with Team USA, for sure."

We'll see. With guys like Drummond and Davis around it might be tough.

[QUOTE]Managing director of USA Basketball Jerry Colangelo left the door open for players like Favors who were not invited.

"... There are some players who didn

Xiao Yao You

01-23-2014, 06:35 PM

[QUOTE]Gordon Hayward strolled into the locker room at the Jazz

Xiao Yao You

01-23-2014, 06:44 PM

[QUOTE]"When I

Xiao Yao You

01-23-2014, 06:55 PM

Asked recently why his team struggles so much when any starter is absent, Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said, "Just look at our roster."

Could have used that pretty much anytime since he's been coach except the brief time before Deron was unloaded.

[QUOTE]His response was surprisingly defensive and refreshingly realistic, while probably intended to justify the other players as much as himself. Yet that

Xiao Yao You

01-23-2014, 07:13 PM

[QUOTE]It might not have been quite as brutal as last Saturday's lopsided loss at Minneapolis, where Minnesota humbled Utah 98-72 in a game in which the

Xiao Yao You

01-23-2014, 07:19 PM

[QUOTE]Though he

Xiao Yao You

01-23-2014, 07:23 PM

Even rookie point guard Trey Burke only contributed nine points and five assists for the Jazz. Grade: C+

Even? Not like he hasn't been up and down all year.

[QUOTE]Forwards: Gordon Hayward had to represent all of the Jazz forwards in Tuesday

Xiao Yao You

01-23-2014, 07:26 PM

[QUOTE] If the NBA ever decides to do a strongman competition during All-Star weekend

Xiao Yao You

01-23-2014, 07:28 PM

[QUOTE]The Jazz bench performed much better, outscoring Utah

vinvin01

01-24-2014, 09:46 AM

Gobert is a likely member? France has many NBA caliber bigs.
highly debatable
Not that unlikely given how often our bigs don't want to play for our national team.
Last year :
- Noah was supposedly injured (he came only once and doesn't seem concerned about the team, which I can understand given he's french but also american, camerounese etc).
- Seraphin prefered to work on his game with the Wizards, and he might spend the next summer trying to find a contract.
- Traor

Xiao Yao You

01-24-2014, 09:30 PM

[QUOTE=vinvin01]Not that unlikely given how often our bigs don't want to play for our national team.
Last year :
- Noah was supposedly injured (he came only once and doesn't seem concerned about the team, which I can understand given he's french but also american, camerounese etc).
- Seraphin prefered to work on his game with the Wizards, and he might spend the next summer trying to find a contract.
- Traor

Xiao Yao You

01-24-2014, 09:33 PM

[QUOTE]Rod Hundley, the iconic former broadcaster for the Utah Jazz, is suffering from Alzheimer

Xiao Yao You

01-25-2014, 07:02 PM

Jazz center Derrick Favors continues to improve from a abductor strain injury, but his availability Saturday night against Washington remains a game-time decision.

"I feel a lot better," Favors said before practice on Friday morning. "I

Xiao Yao You

01-25-2014, 07:04 PM

Weary Wizards?

While the Jazz haven

Xiao Yao You

01-25-2014, 07:05 PM

Favors tweaked the muscle after landing awkwardly after dunking on the first play of the game in Detroit last Friday. He played that night and Saturday in Minnesota. He might

Xiao Yao You

01-25-2014, 07:13 PM

Burke will play the 32nd game of his NBA career Saturday night, when the Jazz battle the Washington Wizards at EnergySolutions Arena. He’s been working on his pull-up bank shot, however, since he first picked up a basketball.

It is an unusual weapon in today’s drive-and-kick, 3-point dominated NBA.

"I’ve been practicing it a long time," Burke says. "It’s been one of my sweet-spot shots since I was young. Every time I get to the elbow — coming off a screen or in transition — that’s kind of my guide to making that basket. Hitting the ball off the backboard is something I’ve always practiced."

Burke credits an AAU coach in Ohio, Victor Dandridge, with teaching him the importance of using the glass to make angle jumpers.

"I still keep in touch with him now," Burke said. "He says that’s his favorite shot of mine — hitting that backboard shot. He used to make me practice it a lot.

"… I think I already had it, but I developed it when he worked me out. He made me shoot it over and over again. I think that’s why I can make it when some guards can’t."

Burke can’t recall ever winning a game by banking in a jumper at the buzzer but says "that shot has come in handy a lot of times. I’ve made some big baskets using the glass. I’ve always been comfortable with it."

Years ago, most NBA players were comfortable shooting off the backboard. In fact, they were expected to make bank shots.

"When I coached," Frank Layden said, "we practiced shooting the ball that way. We called it ‘automatic.’ … It was a shot our guys used all the time."

Before Red Auerbach died, Layden remembers talking to the legendary Boston Celtics coach about the issue.

"Red said, ‘I don’t know why we don’t use it more. We used to use it so much,’" Layden recalled.

According to Burke, some of his Utah teammates have teased him about how he often line-drives the ball off the glass. He’s not planning to make any major changes, however.

"They always get on me because they say I shoot it too hard," Burke said. "They want me to get under it a little more — shoot it a little softer. But I have confidence to shoot it this way."

Check out your shooting %! I have a lot more respect for him. Stupid not to use the glass. You'd think Tim Duncan's success would have influenced more guys to start banking it.

Consider the opinions that players expressed in a Sports Illustrated story that was written in 1999:

• Grant Hill: "I don’t like the bank shot. I never really practiced it, so I’m not really comfortable with it."

“Guys don’t make any shots anymore, let alone bank shots. Guys today just want to dunk and shoot three-pointers.”

— Larry Bird, Sports Illustrated, 1999

• Tim Hardaway: "The only angle I consider is straight in."

• Derek Harper: "It’s old school. It’s not glamorous, and today, if it’s not glamorous, it won’t work."

What a bunch of dumbasses!

"It’s something I’ll continue to do," he said.

Don’t tell Burke.

"It’s something I’ll continue to do," he said.

Xiao Yao You

01-25-2014, 07:15 PM

[QUOTE]Wizards at Jazz

O At EnergySolutions Arena

Tip-off

Xiao Yao You

01-25-2014, 07:23 PM

[QUOTE]Some University of Utah students might

Xiao Yao You

01-25-2014, 07:52 PM

Adrian Wojnarowski: Utah has claimed forward Malcolm Thomas off waivers, league sources tell Yahoo. San Antonio waived Thomas on Thursday. Twitter @WojYahooNBA

Xiao Yao You

01-25-2014, 08:07 PM

Put up huge numbers for a couple games in the D-league after the Spurs cut him. Spurs guaranteed his contract for the whole year before cutting him later for some reason. Stretch 4 I believe. Maybe he'll be good enough that they'll trade Marvin. Might be able to compere with Evans for time? Another skinny guy at 6'9 215.

Xiao Yao You

01-25-2014, 08:11 PM

A good example of why I'm not sure why they kept Clark and Garrett around. Lots of fringe guys to choose from.

Xiao Yao You

01-27-2014, 03:19 AM

The Jazz, meanwhile, had been watching Thomas for some time. Utah officials had planned to bring Thomas in for a two-day workout this summer before a foot injury forced him to cancel. Salt Lake Tribune

Xiao Yao You

01-27-2014, 03:50 AM

[QUOTE]Jazz didn

Xiao Yao You

01-27-2014, 03:57 AM

Xiao Yao You

01-27-2014, 04:03 AM

Prior to his less than stellar stint with the Spurs

Was enough to get him a guaranteed contract for the rest of the year.

[QUOTE], Thomas worked his way between multiple minor NBA call-ups (Chicago and Golden State), overseas and the NBADL where he showcased his wide variety of assets that has made him into an internet darling.

Standing at 6

Xiao Yao You

01-27-2014, 06:11 AM

[QUOTE]Malcolm Thomas

Xiao Yao You

01-27-2014, 06:20 AM

When the Utah Jazz drafted Trey Burke this summer, it rounded out their roster, giving them a young player at all five positions.

Which was long overdue. No excuse for them not having a young guy developing before this year.

Fans wanted to see it happen, and Saturday night the young line closed the game together.

The lineup of Burke, Alec Burks, Gordon Hayward, Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors played a total of 19 minutes together in the first 43 games combined. Injuries, learning curves and matchup problems forced coach Tyrone Corbin to shuffle lineups early in the season. In its 104-101 victory over the Washington Wizards, the young core played 13 minutes and closed out both halves.

Against the Wizards, the Jazz had a perfect storm to finally allow the young five to play extended minutes together. The Wizards had two big men in their frontcourt, Marcin Gortat and Nene Hilario, which allowed Kanter and Favors to play side by side.

You could play them together against a smaller line-up and make the other team have to match-up at the other end too.

Burks heated up, Hayward was back, and Burke played solid as usual.

Trey can do no wrong. He's been up and down at best.

This lineup played in a total of five games before Saturday night, averaging about four minutes per appearance. Between early inconsistencies from Burks and Kanter to injuries to Burke, Hayward and Favors, this lineup has had trouble getting off the ground, but it might start to get more time going forward.

They've all had their inconsistencies. Favors has been most consistent.

[QUOTE]

Xiao Yao You

01-27-2014, 06:48 AM

[QUOTE]Some might not agree with his decisions, but Corbin believes he

Xiao Yao You

01-27-2014, 02:29 PM

[QUOTE]The Hawks power forward was largely ignored in fan voting as he did not register in the top 15 among Eastern Conference frontcourt players. However, Millsap is compiling numbers that can

Xiao Yao You

01-28-2014, 02:06 AM

January 27, 2014 | 07:50 PM ET Update

As momentum gathers for the NBA's Feb. 20 trade deadline, the Phoenix Suns hold one of the league's most valuable assets for deal partners wanting to save themselves several millions of dollars: the expiring

Xiao Yao You

01-28-2014, 02:08 AM

http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine

This works. Maybe they'd rather have Biedrins instead of Marvin or Jefferson? Jazz save some money, lose more games and get the kids more time on the floor. Suns get some veteran help.

Xiao Yao You

01-28-2014, 04:04 PM

Australian phenom Dante Exum has decided to declare for the 2014 NBA draft, his family and agent told ESPN.com on Tuesday. Exum has agreed to hire agent Rob Pelinka and Brandon Rosenthal of Landmark Sports Agency. Pelinka's clients include Kobe Bryant, James Harden, Andre Iguodala and Andre Drummond. ESPN.com

"We are excited to be working with Landmark Sports," Cecil, Desiree and Dante Exum said in a statement to ESPN. "Our family felt The Landmark Team represented our style and manner of treating people, and in doing businesses. We also all shared a common commitment to achieving excellence in all things. The fit is just great and we are really pleased to now begin the work." Exum and his family met eight different agents in Melbourne over the past month and narrowed their decision to Pelinka on Tuesday morning. ESPN.com

Jared Zwerling: I spoke with Dante Exum's father this morning. Dante will enter the NBA draft, choosing agent Rob Pelinka. @chadfordinsider also reported. Twitter @JaredZwerling

Ford currently has Exum rated as the No. 1 point on his 2014 Draft Big Board. Teams projected to be in the 2014 draft lottery that could target Exum include Boston, Orlando, Sacramento, LA Lakers and Charlotte. ESPN.com

At 6'6" I'm guessing any team that has him at the top of their board when it's their pick will take him including the Jazz who are now tied with the Lakers for the 6th worst record. Time for a trade to get back in tank mode?

Xiao Yao You

01-28-2014, 06:03 PM

http://basketball.realgm.com/article/231676/Paul-Millsaps-All-Star-Caliber-Season-Lifts-Hawks-From-Disappointment-Of-Losing-Horford

[QUOTE]Millsap had anticipated a prosperous collaboration with Horford, a cleverly run offense by Teague

Xiao Yao You

01-28-2014, 06:11 PM

The Jazz are 15-15 over their last 30 games. This is not something I thought this team would accomplish this season.

I'm guessing the front office didn't either or they might have tried to compete.

[QUOTE] It is an impressive accomplishment to all involved. The players have played hard all year and never felt sorry for themselves for being undermanned. The coaches have never let them play the game in any fashion other than the correct way. These are important things to the culture of this franchise. It is a developmental year and we are seeing all the development plus the ability to win games. The Jazz are 13-8 when playing with their regular starting lineup.

Without Cousins and with Landry really limited, the Jazz dominated the inside game. Favors, Marvin and Jeremy all had double-doubles, and Kanter dominated the second quarter with another strong outing.

Favors dropped 17-12 with nothing alarmingly spectacular. He is averaging 14 and 10 in the month of January. That is a considerable jump for Favors from last season. I can

Xiao Yao You

01-28-2014, 06:15 PM

Last year, Enes Kanter did most of his damage against second-team big men as a bench player and then struggled this year when confronted with playing in the starting lineup against first-team bigs.

He was averaging like 14 a game as a starter!

[QUOTE]Tyrone Corbin has done a nice job staggering Kanter

Xiao Yao You

01-28-2014, 08:27 PM

Evans has already toppled his career high with 607 minutes played. His previous high came as a rookie when he logged 463 minutes.

And he was hurt to start the year. I think the new guy might challenge him for his spot. He could be a bit cheaper option going forward if he can show he's comparable. Jeremy will be due a raise after next year. His current contract looks like a good signing finally.

[QUOTE]Accordingly, Evans

Xiao Yao You

01-28-2014, 08:42 PM

[QUOTE]Before the season started, members of Jazz management repeated again and again one of the primary measures of team success this year

Xiao Yao You

01-28-2014, 09:33 PM

[QUOTE]Malcolm Thomas went through his first practice with the Jazz on Sunday after being claimed off waivers, and the 25-year-old power forward says he has a long way to go in understanding his new team

Xiao Yao You

01-28-2014, 09:36 PM

Burke seems likely claim a second straight Western Conference Rookie of the Month award, an honor McLemore earned for November.

Burke is averaging 12.5 points, 6.8 assists and 3 rebounds in 33 minutes a game during January.

McLemore is putting up 6.1 points and 2.4 rebounds.

Oklahoma City's Steven Adams is averaging 3.5 points and 5 rebounds in 14 minutes a night. Lakers forward Ryan Kelly is averaging 8.7 and 3.6.
Nevertheless, Burke says he isn't focused on stats.

"Not really. You know when you can be a little bit more aggressive, or when you need to get others involved," he said. "Coach just tells me to continue to make plays for the team, continue to get the ball into the paint, and when the opportunity for me to score is there, to take it. I am just going to continue to do what

Xiao Yao You

01-28-2014, 09:45 PM

[QUOTE]Thomas will have to overcome a curse, based on his jersey number. Ever since the Jazz moved to Salt Lake City, players wearing No. 22 have experienced all kinds of problems, generally resulting in short stints with the team.

Thomas wore No. 22 in a brief stint with Golden State last season. He wore No. 4 at San Diego State and No. 24 in San Antonio. But the Jazz have retired No. 4 for Adrian Dantley, and Paul Millsap

Xiao Yao You

01-28-2014, 10:06 PM

Trey Burke was inserted into the starting lineup after 14 games, just one game after Marvin Williams replaced Enes Kanter as the starting power forward and since those changes have been made, the Jazz have been a much improved team since having won 14 of 30 games.

Kanter the Scapegoat

It was, and has been, easy to put a lot of blame on Enes for the Jazz's horrific start. Afterall, his defense was pretty bad at times and the team looked like a wreck defensively. It was obvious to almost everybody that all the Jazz needed was a little more space offensively, which Marvin Williams could give them, in order to be successful.

The problem with this theory is that there is literally no way to test it. When the Jazz were 1-14 and the laughingstock of the NBA, the team made 3 rather significant changes. One was to replace Kanter with Williams. The second change was making Trey Burke the starting point guard and relegating John Lucas III to the bench. The third change came a couple of games later when the Jazz stopped putting Derrick Favors 20 feet from the basket on pick and roll defense and let him sag in the paint and defend the rim.

Evans also got healthy. Garrett took most of Lucas' minutes(not a big difference there actually).

There is no question that all three of these changes helped the Jazz be a more competitive team. The problem is that we have no real way of knowing which one helped more, since all were made at the same time. What if Trey Burke was 90% of the reason for the improvement and the defensive change accounted for the other 10% and leaving Kanter in the starting lineup would have caused essentially the same improvement in the team? It's certainly plausible. That's the problem with adding three variables to an equation. You might ascribe significance to an insignificant change, or not appreciate another change as much as you should.

What Happened?

Looking back at the pros and cons, I think we can evaluate which of them happened and which did not. The Jazz got a chance to see how Kanter and Favors played together and it is obvious that they need to improve, probably both through personal improvement and coaching scheme. Again, there is no way to tell if Kanter and Favors could have made improvements together with a little more time, a better defensive scheme and a competent point guard.

Kanter did put up numbers despite the team's poor performance. Kanter averaged 14.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and shot 50% from the field in the first 14 games all against starter-level players. One of the theories of Kanter's poor season is that he couldn't handle the jump from playing bench players to starters. While this may be true to a degree, it can't be overlooked that offensively, Kanter's numbers have been very similar as a starter opposed to a being a bench player.

What I think unquestionably happened is that Enes Kanter lost his confidence when he was benched. I mentioned Kanter's numbers in the first 14 games: 14.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and 50% from the field in 32 minutes per game. In the next 17 games Kanter played 21 minutes per game and put up 8.2 points and 4.5 rebounds on only 42.6% shooting. Luckily Kanter has been able to find his confidence and is putting up 13.3 points, 7 rebounds in 22 minutes per night while shooting 55.8% from the field the last 12 contests. But in short, I think it's hard to argue that benching Enes Kanter is what helped him find his game again. The exact opposite may be true.

So What?

At this point, you probably haven't changed your mind on how you feel about management's handling of Kanter's role and minutes. But I haven't even addressed what the biggest problem is with the Jazz benching and limiting Kanter. The development of Enes Kanter has been all fine and dandy if the Jazz have an unlimited amount of time to figure out if he can work well with Derrick Favors. The problem is that the Jazz are running out of time to figure that out. Next offseason the Jazz will be able to negotiate a contract extension with Kanter. If they don't know what kind of player he is and how he fits with the other future pieces, they will be uninformed in how much to offer him.

As they were with Favors and to a lesser degree with Hayward. That's part of the deal the way the CBA is set up to pay young guys.

On top of that, any team will be able to make him an offer and try to steal him away in the summer of 2015. As of today, the Jazz are going to be very ill prepared for both of the next two off seasons regarding any decisions with Kanter.

Kanter is going to get a hefty offer in 2015

If you look at the players that Enes Kanter's numbers have been most comparable with, they all received large second contracts, other than Milicic.

Darko got paid pretty well too on a few contracts!

Again, even with Kanter's small downturn in production this season, the list of big men who put up equal to or better than 11 and 7 in 20 mpg at the age of 21 or younger is 17 players long including Kanter. Twelve of those players received the equivalent of a maximum contract extension after their rookie contracts. The others (Nene, Eddy Curry, Shawn Kemp, Brad Daugherty) either got large paychecks, or played in an area with strict salary caps.

It would certainly make for a healthy debate and I would love for people to show me where I might be wrong about this, but historically, I can't see Kanter making less than $10 million a year on his next contract.

I'd guess between 12-15.

In 2015, Kevin Love will be the big free agent available, most likely, and if teams that need a rebounding and scoring big man miss out on Love, you better believe they will offer Kanter money. Lots of it. Big men get paid in the NBA and skilled big men, get PAID.

To see how valuable young, big men, even big men who don't get a lot of playing time are, let's look back at the summer of 2004. There was a backup center who had just finished a season averaging 9.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 22 minutes per game on 53% true shooting percentage (Kanter's career TS% is 55). The Jazz offered this player a six year, $50 million deal, which is equivalent to a 4 year, $48 million deal today. That player's name was Mehmet Okur.

Xiao Yao You

01-28-2014, 10:07 PM

And he's a lot better player than Okur ever was already. He's started to show a sweeping hook lately that he definitely didn't learn from Big Al!

Kanter's Trade Value

If you are familiar with any of my tweets or opinions (I don't expect you to be), then you may know that I don't think Kanter's fit with Favors and the Jazz moving forward is good enough to justify the millions of dollars he will be offered in restricted free agency. In fact, I have gone as far as to say that Enes Kanter will not play out his next contract in a Jazz uniform.

Very possible. I'd guess by the trading deadline next year he could very well be gone unless they think him and Favors can start together. They also could get another big in the draft next year not to mention Gobert and possibly Tomic.

Let's just pretend that the Jazz decide in the next 18 months that Enes Kanter cannot play effectively alongside Derrick Favors. The Jazz's two options then become to either have Kanter or Favors be the 3rd big, or else to trade one of them. And let's pretend further that Kanter is in line for a 4 year, $40 million deal and that the Jazz prefer to keep Favors over Kanter.

Everything points that way. They keep talking D so unless Kanter steps up his D they will keep Favors. Favors has looked like a better fit playing Jazz pick and roll basketball with Burke as well.

The biggest problem that the Jazz have created for themselves is that they have severely damaged the product of Enes Kanter and he may be their best trade chip in the next 6 months. Kanter has gone from a player who can put up 14 and 7, to a bench player who is only getting 22 minutes and putting up 11 and 4. He hasn't really changed as a player, but he looks like a worse player to the general public. Admit it. You have wondered to yourself the last month or so, if Enes Kanter is any good.

No I haven't. I've thought since his rookie year he could be better than Favors and he continues to show me that.

You've bought into the fact that he was the reason for the Jazz being so poor to start the season. Don't get me wrong. Enes Kanter has a long way to go and a lot of work to do to improve his game, but he's better than what he has received from Coach Corbin and the Jazz this year. And they are only shooting themselves in the foot.

One of the players that Enes Kanter is often compared to production-wise was traded after his 3rd season for a 10 time all-star in 2007. Here are that players' numbers:

Are these numbers those of a much better player at the age of 21 or 22 than Enes Kanter is now? Not at all. This is Al Jefferson. Al Jefferson was the center piece in a trade for Kevin Garnett along with Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair, Gerald Green, Theo Ratliff, and a protected 2009 draft pick (Wayne Ellington).

At worst, the Jazz should be holding onto a talented, young prospect who is one of the best trade chips in a potential deal this summer. Right now, we have fans questioning if he will ever be a starter. He's 21.

He's better than Al. He's a starter. Only question is if him and Favors make sense next to each other for big minutes.

The Coup De Grace

I have no problem with Enes Kanter getting benched. It's over and what is done was done. I understand the need to teach players and let them regather their games. I do have an issue with blaming Kanter with the Jazz's early problems and attributing his comeback to his benching. They just don't add up. On top of that, he started the year injured. He's a young player who needs time and he's very productive. This last couple weeks of play should not be a surprise.

But it's time to start featuring Kanter again. Start him or not, he needs 30+ minutes and he needs to play a lot with Derrick Favors. The coaches need to take the onus of making it work. That's their job.

WIns and Losses don't matter this season. I'm not sure Ty Corbin got the memo. And really fixing the offense shouldn't be a priority either. It's not on the list of important things Dennis Lindsey has ever mentioned. And Marvin WIlliams hasn't been very good for the last 20 games or so.

Now there's a surprise!

In fact over the last 20 games the pairing of Favors and Kanter has thoroughly outperformed the duo of Favors and Marvin Williams. Favors and Williams have been outscored by more than 6 points per 48 minutes while grabbing only 74% of available defensive rebounds the last 20 games. Kanter and Favors are outscored by only 5 points per 48 minutes the last 20 games and have grabbed nearly 79% of available defensive rebounds. They are improving.

It's time, coach Corbin. No more, "We'll see if we can get them together more" or "that's something we are thinking about." It's not rocket science. Just make it happen. Let Kanter spread the floor. Let him shoot three pointers. Do what you have to do. It's the right thing for the franchise. There is no reason to keep Kanter where he is right now. Not one good reason.

He hasn't shown the 3 yet. I'm guessing he will eventually. The problem is he's so good in the post how much do you want him out there? Okur sucked in the post.

Xiao Yao You

01-28-2014, 10:19 PM

[QUOTE]Sacramento head coach Mike Malone knows it, too:

Xiao Yao You

01-28-2014, 10:29 PM

[QUOTE]Favors isn

Xiao Yao You

01-28-2014, 10:33 PM

Is Jimmer a good fit for the Jazz?
1. Yes, sign him already
2. No, and let's stop with the Jimmer rumors
3. Maybe
4. Jimmer who?

He'd be a big upgrade over what they have. Could start Burks though they might not want Hayward having to match-up defensively with the best wing on the other team if Jefferson is benched.

El Kabong

01-29-2014, 02:37 AM

I'd buy Jimmer if the price was right, which would be about 5c at the moment.

Unless you do a deal that gives Sac some cap relief and they use Jimmer to even out the deal. Either Williams or Rush.

http://i.imgur.com/D9jUqk0.jpg

Xiao Yao You

01-29-2014, 10:11 PM

Kings would do that. Doubt the Jazz would want to pick up Outlaw's contract for next year though.

http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=lxuxf46

Works without Clark too. Kings have extra roster spots though. Could throw in a 2nd instead of Clark maybe or cash or the rights to Tomic or someone else. Not Neto.

Xiao Yao You

01-29-2014, 10:26 PM

[QUOTE]I

Xiao Yao You

01-29-2014, 10:30 PM

[QUOTE]Gortat and Nene were asked the same question: Which aspect from the older generation would they like to see in the current NBA. Nene liked the old-school style of play. Gortat just couldn

Xiao Yao You

01-29-2014, 11:54 PM

Anthony Davis, Michael Carter-Williams, Trey Burke, Bradley Beal, Harrison Barnes, Pero Antic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Steven Adams, Andrew Drummond, Tim Hardaway Jr., Terrence Jones, Damian Lillard, Victor Oladipo, Kelly Olynyk, Mason Plumlee, Jared Sullinger, Jonas Valanciunas and Dion Waiters have been named to the Rising Stars Challenge.

The rosters will be finalized following a draft by TNT personalities.

congrats Trey

Xiao Yao You

01-30-2014, 12:09 AM

Burke joins Deron Williams, Paul Millsap, Ronnie Brewer, Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors as Jazz players who have been named to the team. The game hasn't been around for too much longer to include many former Jazz players beyond Williams, however in previous incarnations of the event Andrei Kirilenko and Bryon Russell played.

The other rookies who will be in the game with Burke are Steven Adams of Oklahoma City, Pero Antic of Atlanta, Giannis Antetokounmpo of Milwaukee, Michael Carter-Williams of Philadelphia, Tim Hardaway Jr. of New York, Victor Oladiopo of Orlando, Kelly Olynyk of Boston and Mason Plumlee of Brooklyn.

The sophomores are Harrison Barnes of Golden State, Bradley Beal of Washington, Anthony Davis of New Orleans, Andre Drummond of Detroit, Terrence Jones of Houston, Damian Lillard of Portland, Jared Sullinger of Boston, Jonas Valanciunas of Toronto and Dion Waiters of Cleveland.

Xiao Yao You

01-30-2014, 12:09 AM

Today's other Utah news is that Jerry Sloan will have his own day Friday as the Jazz raise his name to the rafters. Gov. Gary Herbert has declared Jan. 31 will be "Jerry Sloan Day" in Utah.

The Jazz are holding a special ceremony for Sloan on Friday as the Jazz take on the Golden State Warriors.

Xiao Yao You

01-30-2014, 12:14 AM

[QUOTE]The arc had already been on the court for six years before Ty Corbin made his NBA debut in 1985, some seven years before Burke was born. But all this time later, the Utah Jazz coach admits he

Xiao Yao You

01-30-2014, 12:15 AM

Gov. Gary Herbert has officially declared Jan. 31 as Jerry Sloan Day in Utah.

Sloan, the Jazz

Xiao Yao You

01-30-2014, 12:20 AM

Friday has been declared

Xiao Yao You

01-31-2014, 08:38 PM

[QUOTE]Five players are listed with game-time decision status, including four starters.

Point guard Trey Burke and small forward Richard Jefferson have been battling with gastric distress; center Derrick Favors continues to be bothered by right hip inflammation; power forward Marvin Williams is experiencing soreness in his surgically repaired Achilles heel; and backup point guard John Lucas III has a lower back strain.

Xiao Yao You

01-31-2014, 08:42 PM

[QUOTE]While not all of Sloan

Xiao Yao You

01-31-2014, 08:46 PM

[QUOTE]the Jazz had the lightest schedule in the NBA during the month of January with three three-day gaps between games and three two-day gaps. While the other teams in the league were playing an average of 15.5 games in the month, the Jazz will have played just 12. Seven teams played as many as 17 this month.

It was quite a contrast to early in the season when the Jazz were playing the most games in the NBA when they had 17 games in November followed by 16 in December. They

Xiao Yao You

01-31-2014, 08:48 PM

[QUOTE]Before Thursday night

Xiao Yao You

01-31-2014, 08:54 PM

[QUOTE]Avery Johnson likes what he sees when it comes to the long-term potential of the Utah Jazz, and the strides the team

Xiao Yao You

01-31-2014, 08:58 PM

[QUOTE]If Burke and Lucas are unable to play, Diante Garrett will be the Jazz

Xiao Yao You

01-31-2014, 09:00 PM

[QUOTE]After two straight appearances in the Slam Dunk contest, including one championship, Jeremy Evans hasn

Xiao Yao You

02-01-2014, 06:23 PM

[QUOTE]The Luncheon was highlighted by a hysterical talk from Jerry

Xiao Yao You

02-01-2014, 06:31 PM

[QUOTE]Sloan on the Coach of the Year award:

Xiao Yao You

02-01-2014, 06:41 PM

[QUOTE]Diante Garrett made the biggest impact of his Jazz career so far.

In a nationally televised game, D-League callup Diante Garrett had the best night of his career, finishing with 13 points on 6-8 shooting, including 2 buzzer beaters to end the 2nd and 3rd quarters. Remarkably, he ended up with a +24 plus/minus in a game the Jazz lost by 5.

It wasn

Xiao Yao You

02-03-2014, 05:30 PM

[QUOTE]The Jazz are now 3-22 when they don

Xiao Yao You

02-03-2014, 07:21 PM

[QUOTE]Enes Kanter, have some free time?

Xiao Yao You

02-03-2014, 07:25 PM

[QUOTE]Williams is one of several players who has missed games with an injury this year, but he said he

Xiao Yao You

02-03-2014, 07:27 PM

Recent Jazz signee Malcolm Thomas has been selected to this year's NBA D-League All-Star Game as a member of the All-Futures team.

The forward is the fifth player ever selected as a D-League All-Star while being a member of the Jazz, joining Lou Amundson (2007), Morris Almond (2008), Kyrylo Fesenko (2008) and Sundiata Gaines (2010).

The game will be played on Feb. 15 at 1 p.m. MT in New Orleans during the NBA's 2014 All-Star weekend. The contest will air live on NBA TV.

Thomas signed with the Jazz on Jan. 25 after he was claimed off waivers from San Antonio. He has played in Utah's two most recent games, averaging six minutes per game. He also played in 10 games while on assignment with the Austin Toros, where he averaged 15.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game.

Xiao Yao You

02-03-2014, 07:29 PM

Utah shot a franchise-record 30 3-pointers, making 10. Five Jazz players hoisted at least three attempts.

Xiao Yao You

02-03-2014, 07:32 PM

The Jazz were also without Evans, who left in the second quarter of Friday’s game after landing hard on the court. The good news is that X-rays taken Saturday morning of the forward’s tailbone were negative.

Apparently a bruised right elbow too.

Xiao Yao You

02-03-2014, 07:38 PM

[QUOTE]Clippers coach Doc Rivers thinks it

Xiao Yao You

02-03-2014, 07:40 PM

The Utah Jazz expect to be without Derrick Favors and Jeremy Evans on Monday night, when they try to snap a two-game losing streak against Toronto at EnergySolutions Arena.

Favors is doubtful because of a hip injury, according to team spokesman Jonathan Rinehart. Evans is also doubtful after suffering a bruised elbow and tailbone in a hard fall in Friday night

Xiao Yao You

02-03-2014, 07:41 PM

for the fifth time in six games, Trey Burke failed to break into double-digit scoring.

His coach is chalking it up to the "rookie wall."

"Trey being a young guy, he just has to figure it out," coach Ty Corbin said. "His body is probably hurting in places he didn

Xiao Yao You

02-06-2014, 06:27 AM

Probably with the flu bug that everyone in Austin seems to have right now

I'm sure the Jazz regret not matching it now.

Xiao Yao You

02-06-2014, 10:43 PM

"I was really excited to play Enes (Kanter). He's a good buddy of mine and we've played since I was 15 years old. We talked all the game," said Valanciunas, who had 18 points and nine rebounds to help the Toronto Raptors turn back the Utah Jazz 94-79 on Monday night for their fourth win in the last five games.

"We juiced him up a little bit this morning, teasing him about how Kanter got after him in the Euroleague. So he came out and played, really muscled," Toronto coach Dwane Casey said after the second-year center scored the Raptors' first six points.

DeRozan scored 23 points as Toronto continued to surprise away from home.

"Honestly, I think there is no pressure on the road," DeRozan said.

DeRozan looked to get his teammates involved in the first half but once Kyle Lowry left with a knee injury, the new All-Star took matters into his own hands with nine points in the fourth quarter to quell a Jazz comeback. The Raptors scored 13 of the game's final 16 points.

"I just pick and choose. I try and be aggressive. Try and rebound, try to pass to my teammates. I don't just try and go out there to score every time down," DeRozan said.

Valanciunas and Amir Johnson, who had 11 points and 11 rebounds, exposed the Jazz interior defense without Derrick Favors (hip).

"Everyone gets along together. We all just kind of click. You usually don't find that," Johnson said.

Marvin Williams scored 23 points and Alec Burks had 20 off the bench but it wasn't enough to keep the Jazz from their third straight loss, their worst span since a four-game skid from Dec. 4-9.

Greivis Vasquez, who had 12 points, opened the fourth quarter with a floater to give the Raptors a 73-62 lead.

Burks made back-to-back driving layups to power an 8-0 run to get the Jazz within four points for the first time since early in the second quarter. But the Raptors used their own 11-2 surge to clinch the victory. DeRozan had seven straight for the Raptors in the stretch.

But the Raptors used their own 11-2 surge to clinch the victory. DeRozan had seven straight for the Raptors in the stretch.

"We're playing for each other. Each of us want the best for the others on the team. We care about each other and have great chemistry," Vasquez said.

The Raptors had dropped seven of eight at Utah by an average of 14.9 points, but controlled this one almost all the way. Toronto's last win here since 2006 was a 111-106 double-overtime victory on Jan. 25, 2012.

DeRozan has been effective no matter where he plays, especially in games in the States, averaging 27 points over his last seven on the road.

Valanciunas also continued his upward trend with another strong game on the interior, with four offensive rebounds and many more plays where he kept the ball alive for Johnson.

"That's the challenge that he's got to take to be a big-time player in this league," Casey said.

The Jazz hoped to awaken Gordon Hayward and Trey Burke from their slumps but the pair, which has been shooting less than 30 percent, combined to make just 7 of 25 shots and commit seven turnovers.

"I thought we had great shots. We missed some really good looks we have been making," Utah coach Tyrone Corbin said after his team had a season-low 10 assists.

Lowry had two points on 1-of-8 shooting before leaving to the locker room for good in the third quarter with right knee pain. He will be evaluated on Tuesday to see if he can play either of the final two games of this five-game Western Conference road trip.

The Raptors (14-12) have as many road wins as any team in the Eastern Conference, tied with Miami and Indiana. They have never finished a season above .500 away from home.

Favors' injured hip prevented him from playing and without their starting center, the Jazz have lost all six contests this year.

Kanter had 10 points for Utah but was pulled after missing a defensive assignment and played just 20 minutes. The Jazz are 1-21 with the big man from Turkey in the starting lineup.

Notes: The Raptors are 18-10 after the seven-player trade with Sacramento on Dec. 7. ... Toronto used a 31-17 second quarter to take control of the game. ... DeRozan and Valanciunas were both poked in the eye during the course of the game. ... The Jazz were 3 of 17 from behind the 3-point line. . Jeremy Evans missed the game for Utah with a bruised tailbone and elbow.

Xiao Yao You

02-06-2014, 10:46 PM

Monday night Enes Kanter had 10 points and 3 rebounds in 20 minutes of play as the Utah Jazz lost to the visiting Toronto Raptors. Utah is 1-21 this season with Kanter starting, but 15-11 when coming off the bench. In Kanter's draft year, the Jazz passed on Jonas Valanciunas, Klay Thompson and Kawhi Leonard, to name a few people who are doing well in the league.

Based on the hype for Jonas at the time I thought they should have taken him but it would have been very un Jazz-like to look to the future by having to wait a year for him. Not sure Jonas would be any better of a fit with Favors now though. I like Enes. He'll be a player in this league for a long time for someone with his offensive skills and work ethic.

Xiao Yao You

02-06-2014, 10:51 PM

his personality fits Utah

A guy that decides it's finally time to come to play when he's in a contract year?

[QUOTE], and he is starting to find his groove. Williams is the workhorse of the team who shows up and gives his all, night in and night out, despite an ever-changing role, minutes and roster.

This year, Williams is the stretch-four for the starting lineup and has very little required of him. His work ethic led to coach Tyrone Corbin calling him the consummate professional.

Xiao Yao You

02-06-2014, 11:31 PM

May 8th, 1993 another Utah Jazz season ended, and a disappointing loss closed the books on a disappointing season. The 1992-1993 Jazz failed to win 50 games, despite amazing seasons by John Stockton and Karl Malone. Fresh off of the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, the dynamic duo finished with the following per game averages:

Stockton (82/82 games, 34.9 mpg): 15.1 ppg, 12.0 apg, 2.9 rpg, 2.4 spg, and a PER of 21.3

Malone (82/82 games, 37.8 mpg): 27.0 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.5 spg, 1.0 bpg, and a PER of 26.2

They were in their domination peaks. Karl played over 3,000 minutes that season, shot 55.2 fg%, went to the free throw line 10.2 times a game, and made 74.0 FT%. John finished with a 3.71 assists to 1.00 turn over ratio, shot .486 / .385 / .798, and was #1 in total assists, #1 APG, #3 in total steals, and also #3 SPG. They played great. And the team still only won 47 games.

On May 8th they lost a Game 5 (that was a "Game 7" situation as the First round of the playoffs was only 5 games back then) to the Seattle Supersonics on the road (winning 47 games in a season has you playing without home court advantage in close out games, guys). The season before the Jazz went to the Western Conference Finals, and their two best players were Olympians.

But it takes more than two great players to win, even if they were both future Hall of Famers.

And this point was proven quite obviously by this 1992-1993 season, a disappointment, that ended in the fifth First Round Exit of the Stockton and Malone era. (As an aside, today head coaches and star players alike don't get five "do overs" like our guys got to enjoy.)

Coaches didn't get do overs in those days either except in Utah.

Against the Sonics those 5 games were the microcosm of the previous 82 games. John and Karl were both double double machines, The Mailman averaged 24 and 10, Stock had 13 and 11. But it wasn't enough to beat a team with just two players. The third best player on any given night was either Jeff Malone, Tyrone Corbin, or Mark Eaton.

Jeff was a scorer, he made shots. He got to the line. He was somewhat reliable, but also predictable. He was so very dominant handed that he was easy to scout and gameplan for in the playoffs. He was a shooting guard who also could not, it would be revealed, shoot the three.

Not that Jerry wanted anyone shooting the 3. When they got Jeff he was supposed to spead the floor so Karl could work down low. But Jeff's whole game was 12-15 feet! :facepalm

Against the Sonics this scorer ended up scoring 67 total points on 65 total shots. On the opposite side of the ball Rickey Pierce wasn't have a great scoring playoff series either, but at least his 14 / 3 / 3 / 1 helped his team more than Jeff's 13 / 3 / 1 / 1 did.

It's just sad trying to theorize a situation where one of the possible "Big Three" for the Jazz included Ty. The '92-93 season had the 30 year old Corbin playing over 30 mpg, and finished with him scoring 11 ppg and 6 rpg. (No wonder he thinks Richard Jefferson is having a great season?) He maintained those numbers (even rebounded better, actually) in the playoffs, and played the third most minutes in the playoffs that year for our team. But in reality a 11 and 6 guy is a nice starter who isn't a focal point. Under the brightest lights Corbin was steady, but not superb.

Ty was a player I don't care what your stats say. Jefferson is having a great year by many people's standards today. He's in the top 10 in 3 point shooting.

And well, this brings us to Mark Eaton. For about a decade he was in the Big Three for every Jazz team, even before Stockton and Malone were in the NBA.

highly debatable! They never had a big 3. But who else had a big 2 like the Jazz ever? Drafted in back to back drafts. Always came to play.

Eaton's health became a bigger and bigger concern and he played in only 64 regular season games for the Jazz in '92-93. In the playoffs his now chronic injuries limited him in ability, range of motion, and opportunity. Eaton would play in only 23.4 MPG in the 5 game series, his lowest MPG value for the playoffs since his first trip there, a decade ago. During the regular season Jerry Sloan was forced to go to more of Mike Brown and Larry Krystkowiak -- but both were not options when the game, and season, was on the line.

Krysto was a nice role guy. Mike Brown was Karl's friend more than anything else. He had some offensive ability.

Mark did his best, but was completely taken advantage of by George Karl on the other side of the floor. Karl started Sam Perkins for Game 5, and the stretch big hit big three after big three and our proverbial Bismarck was sunk.

(Or something to that effect)

Yes, if you do an autopsy on the 1992-1993 Jazz team you end up finding a lot of similarities between this team that just got dumped out of the playoffs to a number of other previous Utah Jazz teams that, sadly, also got dumped in the first round. As great as John and Karl were, they needed more help.

Or a new coach?

Take a look at the next four best guys on each of the Jazz teams from this '93 Sonics loss and the four seasons before that one. (For the non-collegiate crowd: The five years between the 1988-1989 and the 1992-1993 seasons)

Sorted by season, and then MPG for that season:

Per Game Averages BARPS
Player Season PER G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG / G / MPG
1 Mark Eaton 1988 1989 10.5 82 35.5 6.2 10.3 1.0 0.5 3.8 21.8 0.61
2 Thurl Bailey 1988 1989 15.6 82 33.9 19.5 5.5 1.7 0.6 1.1 28.4 0.84
3 Darrell Griffith 1988 1989 12.3 82 29.0 13.8 4.0 1.6 1.0 0.3 20.7 0.71
4 Bob Hansen 1988 1989 9.7 46 21.0 7.4 2.8 1.1 0.8 0.1 12.2 0.58
5 Thurl Bailey 1989 1990 13.4 82 31.5 14.2 5.0 1.7 0.4 1.2 22.5 0.71
6 Mark Eaton 1989 1990 10.6 82 27.8 4.8 7.3 0.5 0.4 2.5 15.5 0.56
7 Bob Hansen 1989 1990 8.5 81 26.8 7.6 2.8 1.8 0.6 0.1 12.9 0.48
8 Blue Edwards 1989 1990 10.7 82 23.0 8.9 3.1 1.8 0.9 0.4 15.1 0.66
9 Jeff Malone 1990 1991 14.4 69 35.7 18.6 3.0 2.1 0.7 0.1 24.5 0.69
10 Mark Eaton 1990 1991 9.5 80 32.3 5.1 8.3 0.6 0.5 2.4 16.9 0.52
11 Thurl Bailey 1990 1991 12.5 82 30.3 12.4 5.0 1.5 0.6 1.1 20.6 0.68
12 Blue Edwards 1990 1991 10.4 62 26.0 9.3 3.2 1.7 0.9 0.5 15.6 0.60
13 Jeff Malone 1991 1992 15.1 81 36.1 20.2 2.9 2.2 0.7 0.1 26.1 0.72
14 Blue Edwards 1991 1992 13.7 81 28.2 12.6 3.7 1.7 1.0 0.6 19.6 0.70
15 Tyrone Corbin 1991 1992 13.6 69 27.0 9.0 5.8 1.6 1.0 0.2 17.6 0.65
16 Mark Eaton 1991 1992 9.1 81 25.0 3.3 6.1 0.5 0.4 2.5 12.8 0.51
17 Jeff Malone 1992 1993 13.7 79 32.4 18.1 2.2 1.6 0.5 0.1 22.5 0.69
18 Tyrone Corbin 1992 1993 14.4 82 31.2 11.6 6.3 2.1 1.3 0.4 21.7 0.70
19 Jay Humphries 1992 1993 10.5 78 26.1 8.8 1.8 4.1 1.3 0.1 16.1 0.62
20 Mark Eaton 1992 1993 8.7 64 17.3 2.8 4.1 0.3 0.3 1.2 8.7 0.50

Why was Griffith on the bench only playing 29 minutes? He was on the verge of stardom before he held out and the Jazz never got over it and left him on the bench the rest of his career behind scrub Hansen Blue had a lot more to offer too as he showed after leaving the Jazz but Jerry didn't like him. Not sure why they brought him back?

Yes, Mark Eaton used to be quite okay.

Actually he wasn't!

And yes, the season in question ('92-93) the next best player after John and Karl had a PER of 14.4. In fact these older days of basketball shine well in our memories because we didn't have advanced stats. If we did, more national people would adore John and Karl, but the Jazz fans would hate the rest of the team that much more.

Some of us watched them and can see who were players and who were not.

Xiao Yao You

02-06-2014, 11:32 PM

If you look at that same selection, no longer group them by season, or minutes per game, and just look at how "good" they were (by PER) you get an good indication about how good the talent was around John and Karl:

Per Game Averages BARPS
Player Season PER G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG / G / MPG
1 Thurl Bailey 1988 1989 15.6 82 33.9 19.5 5.5 1.7 0.6 1.1 28.4 0.84
2 Jeff Malone 1991 1992 15.1 81 36.1 20.2 2.9 2.2 0.7 0.1 26.1 0.72
3 Jeff Malone 1990 1991 14.4 69 35.7 18.6 3.0 2.1 0.7 0.1 24.5 0.69
4 Tyrone Corbin 1992 1993 14.4 82 31.2 11.6 6.3 2.1 1.3 0.4 21.7 0.70
5 Blue Edwards 1991 1992 13.7 81 28.2 12.6 3.7 1.7 1.0 0.6 19.6 0.70
6 Jeff Malone 1992 1993 13.7 79 32.4 18.1 2.2 1.6 0.5 0.1 22.5 0.69
7 Tyrone Corbin 1991 1992 13.6 69 27.0 9.0 5.8 1.6 1.0 0.2 17.6 0.65
8 Thurl Bailey 1989 1990 13.4 82 31.5 14.2 5.0 1.7 0.4 1.2 22.5 0.71
9 Thurl Bailey 1990 1991 12.5 82 30.3 12.4 5.0 1.5 0.6 1.1 20.6 0.68
10 Darrell Griffith 1988 1989 12.3 82 29.0 13.8 4.0 1.6 1.0 0.3 20.7 0.71
11 Blue Edwards 1989 1990 10.7 82 23.0 8.9 3.1 1.8 0.9 0.4 15.1 0.66
12 Mark Eaton 1989 1990 10.6 82 27.8 4.8 7.3 0.5 0.4 2.5 15.5 0.56
13 Mark Eaton 1988 1989 10.5 82 35.5 6.2 10.3 1.0 0.5 3.8 21.8 0.61
14 Jay Humphries 1992 1993 10.5 78 26.1 8.8 1.8 4.1 1.3 0.1 16.1 0.62
15 Blue Edwards 1990 1991 10.4 62 26.0 9.3 3.2 1.7 0.9 0.5 15.6 0.60
16 Bob Hansen 1988 1989 9.7 46 21.0 7.4 2.8 1.1 0.8 0.1 12.2 0.58
17 Mark Eaton 1990 1991 9.5 80 32.3 5.1 8.3 0.6 0.5 2.4 16.9 0.52
18 Mark Eaton 1991 1992 9.1 81 25.0 3.3 6.1 0.5 0.4 2.5 12.8 0.51
19 Mark Eaton 1992 1993 8.7 64 17.3 2.8 4.1 0.3 0.3 1.2 8.7 0.50
20 Bob Hansen 1989 1990 8.5 81 26.8 7.6 2.8 1.8 0.6 0.1 12.9 0.48
Yikes. Only twice did a player even surpass the default average threshold of 15.0. Jeff and Thurl did score a lot, and were good secondary options. But they didn't do much that wasn't already created for them by John and Karl. And compared to the actual value of their contributions, they were found lacking (most of the time a sub 15.0 PER value).

The sad footnote here is Mark Eaton. His brilliance was best seen on defense, and was increasingly becoming a problem as the changes to the game, the evolution of stretch bigs, and his own injuries, made playing 4 on 5 on offense less of a gamble, and more of a death sentence. The 1992-1993 season would be his last, and his PER score was trending closer and closer to the Bobby Hansen level with each passing season. I would have hung it up too.

But Hansen started for years! Good job coach here's another 5 million to get us 50 wins and another playoff berth!

l for them either.

More important than the obvious lack of talent on the team, or more important than the over-all issue of the '93 Sonics series being the fifth first round exit for John and Karl -- in my mind -- was the fact that these five years were very critical to me, as a Jazz fan.

I had only recently switched over to being a Jazz fan from a Lakers fan in that '87-88 year and amazing '88 playoffs. (As an aside, okay, c'mon, I was introduced to the NBA by living in Los Angeles in 1984, I think I had a legit reason to be a Lakers fan) Stockton and Malone were great. They were young and reaching their primes. The Jazz took The Showtime Lakers to a Game 7 in the second round

But had them beat in game 6 before giving it away.

, and then in the next five seasons they would go one round father once, while going one out one round earlier three times.

HOF coach!

I absolve the first two first round exits of Stockton and Malone. They were young, and the team over matched. Then they led the team to within a few baskets of knocking out the Lakers in seven games. The front office clearly knew they had someone great here, and how did they build around that core of Stockton and Malone?

That's the big question.

Because after that seven game series, when the iron was at its' hottest and needed to be struck then and there, the team went back and started losing in the first round again. In my first season as a Jazz fan the team won 6 playoff games. In the next 5 seasons they would win 17 more. (For the non-math people out there that's averaging 3.4 wins every year in the playoffs, which is effectively of what they got in the first year)

Instead of taking a step forward it seems like the Jazz, while not exactly taking a step back (They did get to the WCF in '92), did put the gear in neutral. Instead of building around Stockton and Malone they coasted to see how far these two guys would take them. It's no surprise that Karl Malone was vocal with how other teams were getting better, and he suggestion that the front office only gave him lip service to his requests to upgrade the roster.

And he shut up once they gave him more money. For a while anyway.

The third best player to complete that big three just didn't exist for a long time. Some organizations are happy to keep floating out there a job opening, and interview people, but never really intend to fill that position. It seems like that's how the Jazz felt about that vacant third best player since Eaton's body started to fall apart, and the team was capable of making the playoffs every year with John and Karl and 10 other scrubs.

Here is a list of all of the major transactions made by the Jazz since losing to the Lakers in '88:

June '88: Mike Brown (Trade with Charlotte Hornets for Kelly Tripucka)

I didn't like Tripuka when they got him. But he was actually more than just the gunner I thought. He could have helped them a lot more than they ever let him.

June '88: Eric Leckner (Draft pick Rd 1, #17, 1988)
June '89: Blue Edwards (Draft pick Rd 1, #21, 1989)

Liked them too. Leckner had a nice post game and hit the boards. You need role players.

June '90: Jeff Malone (Three Team trade, giving up Bob Hansen, Eric Leckner, and three future picks)
Getting rid of Hansen was great but Leckner and 3 picks?

June '91: Eric Murdock (Draft pick Rd 1, #21 1991)

He was a player before getting poked in the eye. Should't have traded him.

August '91: David Benoit (Free Agent)

Good role player. Too bad about the alcohol problem.

October '91: -- (Waived Darrell Griffith)

I thought he retired?

November '92: Tyrone Corbin (Trade with Minnesota Timberwolves for Thurl Bailey)

Good trade. Thurl's best was behind him.

June '92: Jay Humphries, Larry Krystkowiak (Trade with Milwaukee Bucks for Blue Edwards, Eric Murdock, and a future pick)

Ouch! Humphries was good before he came to the Jazz.

September '92: John Crotty (Free Agent)

He sucked like most of John's back-ups!

The Utah Jazz went entire seasons without making any moves at all beyond adding a new rookie every June. I mean it. Sure, I didn't include every single time the Jazz signed and then waived guys like Jim Les and Andy Toolson --

Maybe you should have. Toolson was a good player too. Les sucked!

but the team made 10 moves since taking the Lakers to the limit and the few months after losing to the Sonics in '93.

This was a team that wasn't improving the roster, and I can understand and respect the frustration expressed by Karl Malone. After the Barcelona Olympics he had to look forward to playing against the Phoenix Suns squad of Kevin Johnson, Tom Chambers, Danny Ainge, Danny Manning and crew -- and they just added Charles Barkley in the off-season. Other teams did get better, but the Jazz did not.

They didn't strike when the iron was hot. And the best guys we had in those 5 years after that LAL season to help John and Karl (when Bismarck Eaton was sinking) were Blue, Jeff, and Ty. The front office coasted long enough, and in the June after the playoffs were over made a few really solid moves:

June '93: Luther Wright (Draft pick Rd 1, #18, 1993)

One of the worst picks ever was solid?

Xiao Yao You

02-06-2014, 11:32 PM

June '93: Byron Russell (Draft pick Rd 2, #45, 1993)

Russell, Corbin, Blue, Benoit, Shandon were all athletes who brought similar things to the team. Russell was just lucky enough to be there when they finally made some noise.

June '93: Felton Spencer (Trade with Minnesota Timberwolves for Mike Brown)

That was a great pick-up for a season before he blew out his knee.

August '93: Tom Chambers (Free Agent)

Actually liked him at the end of his career.

Yeah, Luther was a miss, Chambers was a good pick up but his performance was limited, and Spencer could have been solid if not for injuries. The Jazz really did try to do something, which is more than the years of the Jazz not trying to do anything. The throw-away guy here is the 2nd round pick. I didn't list second round picks in the previous bullet list, but I think we all know and appreciate what Russell did for this franchise.

The key point to do things is that it sets a chain reaction towards doing more things. And finally the Jazz made a move that wasn't just trading a ham and cheese sandwich for an egg salad. The team upgraded the roster with this move:

February '94: Jeff Hornacek (Trade with Philadelphia 76ers for Jeff Malone)
HOORAY! 2,106 days since being eliminated by the Showtime Lakers in the playoffs the Jazz made a proactive move to improve the roster in an attempt to help their two Stars win more playoff games! (Sorry, random trades for bench players with the Wolves and Bucks don't count in my books. And they didn't count in the W/L record either.)

They thought they were doing this with other moves like Jeff Malone!

Hornacek was a former All-Star, and the principal guy the Suns traded away in order to get Barkley, a Hall of Famer. In six seasons with the Suns (468 regular season games) he was a 14 / 4 / 5 / 1 guy in 31 mpg, who shot .510 / .390 / .854. In two seasons with the 76ers (132 regular season games) he was a 18 / 4 / 7 / 2 guy in 37 mpg, who was shooting .464 / .359 / .868. This was a guy who could help our team and be that guy to fill that vacant "third good player" spot that the team's front office was incapable of filling for half a decade (wasting a quarter of John and Karl's career at their peak, but no one is keeping score).

If you add Jeff's 7 seasons in Utah to that list of the "best" talent the front office put around John and Karl from '88-'93 it's pretty obvious how much better he was compared to the off-brand talent we used to play 30+ mpg with.

Per Game Averages BARPS
Player Season PER G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG / G / MPG
1 Jeff Hornacek 1997 1998 19.3 80 30.8 14.2 3.4 4.4 1.4 0.2 23.6 0.77
2 Jeff Hornacek 1995 1996 19.1 82 31.6 15.2 2.5 4.1 1.3 0.2 23.3 0.74
3 Jeff Hornacek 1996 1997 18.8 82 31.6 14.5 2.9 4.4 1.5 0.3 23.6 0.75
4 Jeff Hornacek 1994 1995 18.6 81 33.3 16.5 2.6 4.3 1.6 0.2 25.2 0.76
5 Jeff Hornacek 1998 1999 17.8 48 29.9 12.2 3.3 4.0 1.1 0.3 20.9 0.70
6 Jeff Hornacek 1993 1994 17.6 27 30.6 14.6 2.5 3.9 1.2 0.1 22.3 0.73
7 Jeff Hornacek 1999 2000 16.3 77 27.7 12.4 2.4 2.6 0.9 0.2 18.5 0.67
8 Thurl Bailey 1988 1989 15.6 82 33.9 19.5 5.5 1.7 0.6 1.1 28.4 0.84
9 Jeff Malone 1991 1992 15.1 81 36.1 20.2 2.9 2.2 0.7 0.1 26.1 0.72
10 Jeff Malone 1990 1991 14.4 69 35.7 18.6 3.0 2.1 0.7 0.1 24.5 0.69
11 Tyrone Corbin 1992 1993 14.4 82 31.2 11.6 6.3 2.1 1.3 0.4 21.7 0.70
12 Jeff Malone 1992 1993 13.7 79 32.4 18.1 2.2 1.6 0.5 0.1 22.5 0.69
13 Blue Edwards 1991 1992 13.7 81 28.2 12.6 3.7 1.7 1.0 0.6 19.6 0.70
14 Tyrone Corbin 1991 1992 13.6 69 27.0 9.0 5.8 1.6 1.0 0.2 17.6 0.65
15 Thurl Bailey 1989 1990 13.4 82 31.5 14.2 5.0 1.7 0.4 1.2 22.5 0.71
16 Thurl Bailey 1990 1991 12.5 82 30.3 12.4 5.0 1.5 0.6 1.1 20.6 0.68
17 Darrell Griffith 1988 1989 12.3 82 29.0 13.8 4.0 1.6 1.0 0.3 20.7 0.71
18 Blue Edwards 1989 1990 10.7 82 23.0 8.9 3.1 1.8 0.9 0.4 15.1 0.66
19 Mark Eaton 1989 1990 10.6 82 27.8 4.8 7.3 0.5 0.4 2.5 15.5 0.56
20 Jay Humphries 1992 1993 10.5 78 26.1 8.8 1.8 4.1 1.3 0.1 16.1 0.62
21 Mark Eaton 1988 1989 10.5 82 35.5 6.2 10.3 1.0 0.5 3.8 21.8 0.61
22 Blue Edwards 1990 1991 10.4 62 26.0 9.3 3.2 1.7 0.9 0.5 15.6 0.60
23 Bob Hansen 1988 1989 9.7 46 21.0 7.4 2.8 1.1 0.8 0.1 12.2 0.58
24 Mark Eaton 1990 1991 9.5 80 32.3 5.1 8.3 0.6 0.5 2.4 16.9 0.52
25 Mark Eaton 1991 1992 9.1 81 25.0 3.3 6.1 0.5 0.4 2.5 12.8 0.51
26 Mark Eaton 1992 1993 8.7 64 17.3 2.8 4.1 0.3 0.3 1.2 8.7 0.50
27 Bob Hansen 1989 1990 8.5 81 26.8 7.6 2.8 1.8 0.6 0.1 12.9 0.48
Wow. Jeff's worst season when his body had failed him, and forced him into retirement, was still a better season than the best season of Thurl Bailey (the best individual season during that time when the Jazz front office shifted into neutral).

No it wasn't! He should have been benched at the end of his career. Couldn't guard anyone. Thought he could have been a good 6th man still but instead they played him big minutes and gave him big money instead of starting Shandon and giving him the money. Why was Shandon not mentioned?

Sure, he didn't score as much as Jeff Malone, but no one passed the ball better, stole the ball better, and while it's not listed here, shot the deep ball better. (Griff in '89 wasn't the shooter Horney was in the mid '90s. But Griff was a great shooter in his peak.)

Hornacek worked really well for the Jazz, and was a great component fit with John, Karl, Jerry Sloan, and Larry H. Miller. I want to say that getting a little horney had an affect on the Jazz front office. While they did make a bunch of small moves, like signing Howard Eisley, Chris Morris, and Antoine Carr as free agents;

Eisley sucked too. Morris I thought could have helped them if Jerry could have gotten over what the guy didn't do and what he did do. He had some big games when they let him play. Carr was great the first year. Like most guys they kept him around way too long.

and drafting Greg Ostertag (key parts of their NBA FInals teams) -- none of these moves were homeruns.

Tag could have been similar to Morris. The guy was great at a couple things. One more than Eaton ever was and 2 more than Hansen!

None of them had the same impact as the Hornacek one. None of these moves put the Jazz over the top, and sadly the moves we talk about most are the ones that didn't get made. (Derek Harper, Rony Seikaly...)

Never liked their games anyway.

You can argue that when the urgency to "win now" is most, when you should go all out to get better, SHOULD be during the years you are a finals contender. The Jazz front office did not feel urgency back when John and Karl were young and almost beating the Lakers in the playoffs by themselves. I hope they felt urgency when they went to the WCF five times in seven years. The results of the moves the team made during those late 90's seasons speak either of a) the urgency the front office felt to keep improving the roster, or b) the inability of that same front office to get the job done.

Only difference was Horny. Otherwise it was the same as always. They tried to get other guys to do what Horny finally did. Malone, Morris etc.

John and Karl and Jeff left it all out on the floor. The worry is if the people in the front office were working as hard as the people on the hardwood.

This has nothing to do with anything, but how the heck did the Jazz let Dikembe Mutombo slip out of their hands. Deke played college at Georgetown (In Washington D.C.), and was a rookie for the Denver Nuggets, where he played in the snow for five seasons. In the summer of 1996 he was a free agent, and signed with the Atlanta Hawks. I don't know if the Jazz offered him a contract or not, but that would have been an example of "going all out". (For the record, the Hawks paid him a billion dollars, and he did want to move closer to Africa and Atlanta is a big Delta hub...)

Personally I wondered why they didn't sign Manute after Eaton. He could hold his arms up in the air too.

Mutombo-fantasies aside the Jazz front office did a great job by getting Jeff Hornacek. He was a true talent and legit upgrade for our roster. Without him the team would have floundered for years, like they did when the front office put the team in neutral and wasted years of John and Karl's careers.
POLL
Did the Jazz front office put it "in neutral" for parts of John and Karl's career?

5% 1 / 5 - Absolutely disagree
(8 votes)
6% 2 / 5 - Somewhat disagree
(10 votes)
6% 3 / 5 - Neither agree nor disagree
(9 votes)
31% 4 / 5 - Somewhat agree
(47 votes)
52% 5 / 5 - Absolutely agree
(80 votes)
154 votes total

Except for the 2 years after LHM dies when they paid luxury tax it's always been the same. Paying the luxury tax didn't go wel

Xiao Yao You

02-06-2014, 11:43 PM

Alec Burks made a case for breaking into the starting lineup

He's made a case for a while. I'm not sure they want G guarding the other team's best wing though.

[QUOTE] with 20 points and three rebounds in 29 minutes of action. He almost single-handedly brought the Jazz back in the fourth quarter, scoring five straight to cut the Raptors

Xiao Yao You

02-07-2014, 12:16 AM

[QUOTE]Burke might get a little bit of a pass since he

Xiao Yao You

02-07-2014, 12:19 AM

Every Jazz player practiced Wednesday, the first time that

Xiao Yao You

02-07-2014, 12:24 AM

For those concerned about stocking up on lottery balls, things appear to be looking up.

January was a softball. The Jazz played 12 games, eight at home and six against teams with losing records. They caught Oklahoma City missing two starters (Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka) on the same night Gordon Hayward had one of his best performances as a pro to steal a win from the Thunder.

February is a screwball. The Jazz again play eight of 12 at home, and five games against losing teams. But those five games against sub-.500 squads are somewhat deceptive.

The Jazz have to travel to Los Angeles, where the Lakers have already beaten them once this year.

Lakers were playing better than.

[QUOTE]Then it

Xiao Yao You

02-07-2014, 02:42 AM

[QUOTE]For some, it

Xiao Yao You

02-07-2014, 02:50 AM

[QUOTE]Two separate D-League stints there with the Jam, the Jazz

Xiao Yao You

02-07-2014, 02:54 AM

[QUOTE]During the Utah Jazz

Xiao Yao You

02-07-2014, 02:57 AM

Former NBA star and TNT analyst Chris Webber couldn't pass on the opportunity to pick fellow Michigan alums Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. during Thursday night's "Rising Star Challenge" draft.

"Well I guess #wolverineNation will get to see @Trey_Burke3 and myself one last time," Hardaway tweeted.

Maybe next year too.

Burke, who will also participate in the Skills Challenge in New Orleans, was picked in the fourth round, after Webber had already taken Philadelphia rookie point guard Michael Carter-Williams.

"He will be Rookie of the Year," TNT's Kenny Smith said of Carter-Williams.
Later in the broadcast, however, Charles Barkley came to Burke's defense.
"Don't sleep on Trey Burke for Rookie of the Year either," he said. "He's coming on strong."

Can't se him winning it if MCW is healthy.

[QUOTE]Here's how the two Rising Star teams were split up

Xiao Yao You

02-07-2014, 02:58 AM

Karl Malone will team up with the Thunder's Kevin Durant and the WNBA's Skylar Diggins for the ShootingStars competition.

When he was in Salt Lake for Jerry Sloan's ceremony, Malone recalled how his old coach used to hate it when he would shoot 3s

Xiao Yao You

02-07-2014, 03:02 AM

Alec Burks has an elite skill. He is a driver and a scorer. You can build an entire game around that elite skill. It will take time and focus, but it is the cornerstone building block for a nice career. His ability at the rim and his ability to beat his man on the dribble are elite. There are many steps still left, but the basis for a game is there.

It's been there since he first stepped on the court with the Jazz.

Gobert played a season high 30 minutes. He is an impact defensively and a zero offensively right now. This is more than the Jazz expected when the year started.

Is it? He looked good in the summer.

[QUOTE]Everything Gobert gives this team right now is a huge positive. Gobert is learning and is a huge rim protector. He has played this game for a while and always intended to be in the NBA. He understands the game

Xiao Yao You

02-07-2014, 06:59 AM

[QUOTE]PG Trey Burke:

Comparables: Ramon Sessions, Michael Carter-Williams

Reaches: Jrue Holiday, Jose Calderon, George Hill

Ceiling: Mike Conley, Damian Lillard with better defense

Up first is the guy who, perhaps along with Favors, seems the surest bet to hit at least his

Xiao Yao You

02-07-2014, 07:00 AM

[QUOTE]It

Xiao Yao You

02-07-2014, 07:12 AM

This past summer Gordon Hayward decided to not sign an extension with the Utah Jazz and instead become a restricted free agent. Some feel that Hayward should have signed the deal, that it is a huge risk to go into the season without a contract, others feel Hayward made the right decision, why not keep his options open for the possibility of more money?

Because he could get hurt or shoot poorly or turnover the ball too much.

Since Hayward is not currently under contract for next season there is a lot of talk about whether the Jazz should trade him, or are the Jazz really willing to match any offer like Dennis Lindsey said this summer.

Did he say that? I sure hope not! I want him back but not at any price.

[QUOTE]On June 24, 2010 Gordon Hayward became a member of the Utah Jazz. As one of the most anticipated picks in Utah history fans were a bit surprised at the pick. The Jazz received the Knicks pick which allowed them to pick Hayward in the 2010 NBA draft by a trade they made with the Phoenix Suns in 2004. For six years all Jazz fans heard about was the Knick's pick. Nearly every trade proposal by fans and the media included that Knick's pick. The pick was so highly talked of that Amar gave him the nickname of the Precious.

Kevin O'Connor said to Jazz fans after their less that optimistic reaction when Hayward was drafted.

"The only thing I hope is in two years you're not booing."
Kevin O'Connor also told Hayward

Everyone will think you're the greatest thing since canned soup.
From the Tribune on Jerry Sloan's reaction

Coach Jerry Sloan said the boos comprised a "natural reaction" for fans who "aren't familiar with what we're trying to accomplish. We're trying to get the best player, and sometimes that's not who everybody wanted."
Jerry further went on to say

Maybe we would have liked to have had bigger bodies. ... It just didn't materialize