Draft day, free agency, training camp, pre season... [Archive] - Page 2 - Message Board Basketball Forum

Xiao Yao You

12-03-2020, 09:07 AM

https://www.slcdunk.com/2020/12/2/21611961/does-derrick-favors-solve-utahs-defense-and-depth-problems-nba-utah-jazz

Does Derrick Favors Solve Utah’s Problems?

It looked like they had solved their problems when because of injury he was forced to the bench in Hayward's last year. But of course him and Hood were inserted back in the starting lineup along with Ricky and it was a shitshow again. So what do they do after fixing it again? Bring him back! :facepalm

That season has now come and gone, and... well, how better to describe it than as a roller coaster ride? Mike Conley struggled for much of the season, the bench showed a shocking lack of depth, and star players’ effort waxed and waned. One thing became very clear; this Utah Jazz team had some legitimate issues.

Conley didn't struggle most of the season and why did anyone think they were deep with no starting 4 and 6 rookies?

These changes made for a drastic swing. Utah went from a team who couldn’t beat Houston (https://www.sbnation.com/nba/teams/houston-rockets) because they couldn’t shoot, to a team who couldn’t beat Denver (https://www.sbnation.com/nba/teams/denver-nuggets) because they couldn’t defend. Essentially, the Jazz overcorrected.

the bigger problem as it was all year was not having the versatility to match up when Denver went big on them. The answer? Favors spotting up for 3 in the corner again!

When healthy, the Jazz will now have 8 starter level players. That is a luxury that the team desperately needed last year. The new second unit will likely include Jordan Clarkson, Derrick Favors, and Joe Ingles (https://www.sbnation.com/nba/players/297999/joe-ingles). That’s right, that means we can once again look forward to the famous Ingles to Favors pick and rolls that used to eat second units for breakfast. Quin may also continue to stagger minutes with some of the starters like he did with Mike Conley during the end of last season, giving the Jazz a truly dangerous bench.

Clarkson, O'Neale and Ingles aren't guys you want starting for you and you certainly don't want Favors starting at the 4. They have 3 or 4 guys that play both ends of the court now. Is that enough especially when they are playing out of position like Favors and O'Neale will be?

Having Favors lead the second unit will greatly benefit the other bench players. Georges Niang (https://www.sbnation.com/nba/players/276599/georges-niang), for example, was often the subject of Jazz fans displeasure last season during the struggles of the Jazz bench. Niang is a role player who shoots the three at an elite level, but if he’s depended on to do too much, the team will struggle. Now he’ll be able to fit into a role in which he can play to his strengths, and Favors can help cover his weaknesses. Adding a player of Derrick’s caliber helps everybody on the Jazz bench slide into their correct roles.

Ingles, O'Neale and Clarkson all play too much. Will that change especially with Bojan still hurt?

Now, the Jazz now have the best of both worlds. They have shooters. They were the best three point shooting team in the league last season. They also have defenders. They’ll now have 48 minutes of elite rim protection. Derrick can play center with the bench, or he can play power forward alongside Rudy Gobert, only this time, surrounded by shooters. Quin Snyder can alter the lineups to match up with big teams or small teams, slow teams or fast teams, scoring teams or defending teams. This is a versatility that the Jazz haven’t had in a long time.

they won't be the best shooting team anymore with Favors at the 4. They still lack defenders unless the gleaguers play and it doesn't appear they will. Tucker won't. They were more versatile 2 years ago!

Xiao Yao You

12-03-2020, 01:52 PM

Arash Markazi: NBA championship odds via @golfodds & @SuperBookSports: Lakers 11/4, Clippers 6/1, Nets 6/1, Bucks 13/2, Celtics 14/1, Heat 16/1, Nuggets 20/1, 76ers 25/1, Mavericks 25/1, Raptors 30/1, Blazers 30/1, Suns 30/1, Jazz 40/1 (https://*********.com/social/)
– via Twitter ArashMarkazi (https://twitter.com/ArashMarkazi)

Xiao Yao You

12-03-2020, 03:50 PM

Ben Anderson: Joe Ingles on the @UtahJazz re-signing Derrick Favors. “Really glad to have Favs back, not only for myself but for the team and to help that really at that five spot. Obviously, everyone knows offensively what he can do but I think defensively too.” (https://*********.com/social/)
– via Twitter BensHoops (https://twitter.com/BensHoops)

the 5 isn't the problem

Xiao Yao You

12-03-2020, 03:52 PM

Eric Walden: Joe says he hasn’t spoken with Quin yet about whether he’ll start or not: “Coming off the bench last year was a bit of an adjustment. … For all I know, with Quin’s crazy mind, we might start a diff lineup every game. It def gives us more options having Fav and with Bojan back.” (https://*********.com/social/)
– via Twitter tribjazz (https://twitter.com/tribjazz)

You are a role player. You need to hit open shots, Run pick and roll and get under the other teams skin. Shouldn't matter if you start of come off the bench where you will be if Bojan is back. Yeah more options. Favors in the corner!

Xiao Yao You

12-03-2020, 03:53 PM

Eric Walden: Joe Ingles said he stayed in Utah during the offseason for the first time ever. Has been making extensive use of ZBBC: “I’ve been going pretty hard for a long time now — it feels like forever. I wanted to be as fit as I could be. My shot feels great, my body feels good.” (https://*********.com/social/)
– via Twitter tribjazz (https://twitter.com/tribjazz)

what is fit for Joe though? :lol

Xiao Yao You

12-04-2020, 05:14 AM

https://kslsports.com/447534/niang-focused-on-team-safety-not-role-with-jazz/

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah Jazz are back in training camp with changes to the roster and new safety protocols in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. With regular-season games less than three weeks away, forward Georges Niang is less worried about his role on the team and more concerned about keeping his teammates healthy.

Good to hear. I think his minutes should be up for grabs and I love Niang

According to basketball-reference (https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/n/niangge01.html), Niang played more than 80 percent of his minutes at the power forward position in the Jazz lineups. With Favors assuming the roughly 15 minutes backup center minutes available behind Gobert, all indications point to the newly acquired big man earning added minutes behind Bogdanovic at the other frontcourt position.

Behind O'Neale you mean. Favors isn't the guy that should be competing for Niang's minutes.

As a result, the move may open minutes for Niang to shift to other wing position opposite smaller opponents.

He definitely shouldn't be on the wing

Xiao Yao You

12-04-2020, 05:17 AM

https://kslsports.com/447527/ingles-happy-to-have-favors-back-in-jazz-uniform/

“I think his defense doesn’t really get talked about or highlighted enough,” Ingles said. “Even when we started [Gobert] and Favs’ we were pretty tough to score on.”

thanks Rudy

Now, with Favors back in the mix, Ingles hopes to see his numbers stabilize regardless of his role.

it shouldn't matter. They are paying you a lot to play your role. Do it

Xiao Yao You

12-04-2020, 05:26 AM

https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/3/22149643/utah-jazz-national-nba-radar-opening-week-christmas-donovan-mitchell-rudy-gobert

The strange thing about this noticeable change in national perspective is that the Jazz will definitely be better this season than last. Two of their biggest weaknesses in the playoff series against the Nuggets (one that they had a double-digit lead up 3-1 and definitely should have won) was backup big man and scoring outside of Donovan Mitchell. Adding Derrick Favors and drafting Udoka Azubuike resolved the depth of the C position, and one can not underestimate how much getting Bojan Bogdanovic back will help the Jazz.

The problem was a starting 4, size, versatility, D and depth. Favors helps them with D but hurts them elsewhere and Bojan helps them score even more to make up for bad D?

Riley Gisseman

@rgiss11

(https://twitter.com/rgiss11?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed% 7Ctwterm%5E1329950454973775872%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5 Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.slcdunk.com%2Fthe-downbeat-latest-jazz-news%2F2020%2F12%2F3%2F22149643%2Futah-jazz-national-nba-radar-opening-week-christmas-donovan-mitchell-rudy-gobert)

(https://twitter.com/rgiss11/status/1329950454973775872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5 Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1329950454973775872%7Ctwgr% 5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.slcdunk.com%2Fthe-downbeat-latest-jazz-news%2F2020%2F12%2F3%2F22149643%2Futah-jazz-national-nba-radar-opening-week-christmas-donovan-mitchell-rudy-gobert)

We're basically looking at the 2017 Jazz again, swapping Hill for Conley, Hayward for Bogdanovic, and adding a kid that just averaged 40 ppg in a playoff series

5:51 PM · Nov 20, 2020 (https://twitter.com/rgiss11/status/1329950454973775872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5 Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1329950454973775872%7Ctwgr% 5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.slcdunk.com%2Fthe-downbeat-latest-jazz-news%2F2020%2F12%2F3%2F22149643%2Futah-jazz-national-nba-radar-opening-week-christmas-donovan-mitchell-rudy-gobert)

no because Hayward played D and Hill gave them more size than Conley does

(https://help.twitter.com/en/twitter-for-websites-ads-info-and-privacy)

(https://twitter.com/intent/like?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ct wterm%5E1329950454973775872%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1 _&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.slcdunk.com%2Fthe-downbeat-latest-jazz-news%2F2020%2F12%2F3%2F22149643%2Futah-jazz-national-nba-radar-opening-week-christmas-donovan-mitchell-rudy-gobert&tweet_id=1329950454973775872)

Xiao Yao You

12-04-2020, 01:38 PM

Other teams imagine this Gordon. Several — maybe as many as 10, maybe more — called Orlando to express interest in trading for Gordon during the recent transaction period, (https://tv5.espn.com/basketball/story/_/id/30449408/nba-redeem-team-six-players-ready-bounce-back-season) sources said. Minnesota was one, sources said, and Gordon would fit there in a supporting role alongside high-volume playmakers and one of the greatest shooting bigs ever in Karl-Anthony Towns. How might Gordon look in Portland, playing off two elite guards and a snazzy-passing center in Jusuf Nurkic? What about as the nominal center in small-ball Brooklyn lineups featuring Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and two other perimeter guys?
– via Zach Lowe @ ESPN.com (https://tv5.espn.com/basketball/story/_/id/30449408/nba-redeem-team-six-players-ready-bounce-back-season)

Jazz? Only worry would be his shooting but as long as Favors is spotting up in the corner might as well

Xiao Yao You

12-04-2020, 04:17 PM

Andy Larsen: 2 Jazz players did not practice today due to COVID-19 protocols (https://*********.com/social/).
– via Twitter andyblarsen (https://twitter.com/andyblarsen)

(https://*********.com/rumors/#)

https://*********.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/92/2019/10/i_32_2e_54_bojan-bogdanovic.png?w=190Sarah Todd: Also, Bojan Bogdanovic was a practice participant with the Jazz today, (https://*********.com/social/) their first day of team practice
– via Twitter NBASarah (https://twitter.com/NBASarah)

Xiao Yao You

12-04-2020, 06:52 PM

Eric Walden: Quin said that Bojan “was able to do everything” in practice. Medical staff kept a close eye on him. (https://*********.com/social/) “As much as Bojan shows excitement about anything, he was looking pretty excited today.”
– via Twitter tribjazz (https://twitter.com/tribjazz)

Xiao Yao You

12-04-2020, 06:57 PM

Andy Larsen: Jazz announced layoffs to the business side of operations today. (https://*********.com/social/) The statement from the team:

as they pay luxury tax for Clarkson and Favors in the corner for 3! :lol

Xiao Yao You

12-04-2020, 06:58 PM

Eric Walden: Derrick Favors, on his first practice back with the Jazz: “It did feel kinda weird ’cause I’ve been away for a year … It just felt regular again. I’m happy to be back. (https://*********.com/social/) It feels good to be familiar with everything again.”
– via Twitter tribjazz (https://twitter.com/tribjazz)

Eric Walden: Fav said there won’t be much adjustment to playing with Bojan and Clarkson, because his role is “pretty much the same”: (https://*********.com/social/) “Those are two guys that can put the ball in the basket. … Those are two guys I’m excited to play with. I enjoyed watching them when I was in New Orleans.”
– via Twitter tribjazz (https://twitter.com/tribjazz)

Favors in the corner from 3!

Xiao Yao You

12-04-2020, 07:02 PM

https://kslsports.com/447648/bogdanovic-goes-through-practice-favors-adjusts-to-new-roster/

“Jordan made a couple of comments today about Fav because he hasn’t played with him before,” Snyder said. “Positive comments, obviously. Fav does so many things for other people when he plays. That’s just the nature of his game.”

Too bad Clarkson only does things for himself

Xiao Yao You

12-04-2020, 07:04 PM

https://www.deseret.com/sports/2020/12/4/22154053/utah-jazz-open-2020-2021-season-on-road-against-damian-lillard-portland-trail-blazers

ESPN’s Kevin Pelton examined each team’s schedule on Friday (http://insider.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/30450243/nba-strength-schedule-every-team-plus-how-travel-different) using a mathematical projection system, and Utah’s slate graded out to be the fifth-hardest among the NBA’s 30 teams. The Oklahoma City Thunder project to have the toughest schedule and the Orlando Magic the easiest.

what's new. Easy down the stretch

Xiao Yao You

12-04-2020, 07:09 PM

https://www.slcdunk.com/nba-schedule-utah-jazz/2020/12/4/22154215/utah-jazz-schedule-released-for-2020-21-nba-season

There are only 5 breaks of longer than 1 night between games. The Jazz (https://www.sbnation.com/nba/teams/utah-jazz) will be looking at a lot of back to backs and 4 games in 5 nights. Having the depth they added this offseason is going to be a big deal.

again with the depth! They have no starting 4 other than Favors spotting up from 3

Perhaps the Jazz (https://www.sbnation.com/nba/teams/utah-jazz) thought of this when drafting Udoka Azubuike (https://www.sbnation.com/nba/players/346795/udoka-azubuike) who will be relied on to give Derrick Favors (https://www.sbnation.com/nba/players/297091/derrick-favors) and Rudy Gobert (https://www.sbnation.com/nba/players/297107/rudy-gobert) rest.

He'll be relied on to learn the system in case with the Stars

Players like Juwan Morgan (https://www.sbnation.com/nba/players/336713/juwan-morgan), Jarrell Brantley (https://www.sbnation.com/nba/players/331018/jarrell-brantley) and Nigel Williams-Goss (https://www.sbnation.com/nba/players/285729/nigel-williams-goss) will probably be relied on more than before because of the break neck schedule. Depth is a big deal this season!

I doubt they are relying on Goss and Brantley is on a two way so they don't think he's a deoth piece either

Xiao Yao You

12-04-2020, 07:28 PM

Jazz fans are right to worry about these negotiations. The last time Utah couldn’t get their player to sign an extension before the season, they left in free agency in the season thereafter. Tony Jones of the Athletic says we shouldn’t get carried away with thinking if Utah and Gobert can’t find middle ground that Utah will trade him away. (https://theathletic.com/2233386/2020/12/02/utah-jazz-rudy-gobert-long-term-contract-negotiations/)

Favors, Udoka say otherwise

But it’d be wrong to run an entire season placating to Rudy why he should stay as they did with Gordon Hayward. If Utah didn’t strike gold with Donovan Mitchell in the same offseason that Hayward left, Utah would have been a lottery team from 2017 to the present. It would have been a full rebuild. They got lucky. To assume that lightning would strike twice if they play the odds with Rudy for a full season is naive.

Rudy has been the franchise for 6 years. Not Hayward. Not Mitchell. Not Lindsey. Not Snyder. Rebuild with Rudy? He carried horrible teams. Mitchell's inefficient play certainly didn't make it easier

That’s not to say moving on from Rudy Gobert would be easy. It wouldn’t. It would be devastating. As devastating as the Hayward loss was thought to become. The Jazz would lose their identity. Their roster which is currently built around Gobert’s defense would have to be restructured from the ground up around Donovan. It would be open season on the trade market for Utah’s veterans like Mike Conley, Bojan Bogdanovic, Derrick Favors, and Joe Ingles. It would be a nightmare.

The offense is built around him. It will be like losing Stockton and Malone in their prime.

But so would losing Rudy Gobert for nothing. Utah would not gain cap space like they did when Hayward left. They’d still be over the salary cap. They would be old. They would be without an identity. They would look like the post-Shaq Miami Heat (https://www.hothothoops.com/) with Dwyane Wade doing all the heavy lifting. It would be an 8th seed clawing its way from being a 12th seed all season long.

it would be one of the worst teams in the game as it was when Rudy missed a month 3 times

Remember how Utah struggled in their second season with Ricky Rubio, Donovan, Joe Ingles, Favors, and Gobert? It wasn’t until Utah REALLY shook it up. They traded for Kyle Korver early in December. The team had problems and they weren’t solving themselves. If Utah had their way they would have traded Rubio to Memphis for Conley a few months earlier. That continuity ended in a 1st round exit and up and down play an entire season.

they didn't want to give up Exum! :roll:

If Utah was to actually play consistently all season this season would be a first for the Don-Rudy era. Hopefully continuity can break the cycle. It could also continue it. Utah will hope that Favors’ return is the right amount of familiarity mixed with novelty that will keep Utah moving forward rather than complacent.

Mitchell showing up from day 1 would be a first

Donovan mitchell

Just pledged 12 million dollars to the school he attended as a child…..
How did we find this guy…
Might become my favorite jazz player of all time

Posted by ThomasSmithjaz1 (https://www.sbnation.com/users/ThomasSmithjaz1) on Dec 4, 2020 | 2:44 PM (https://www.slcdunk.com/2020/12/4/22153585/training-camp-preview-utah-jazz-derrick-favors-rudy-gobert-donovan-mitchell-covid-19-coronavirus#534139381)

A rich guy giving away money! Would rather he played D

Xiao Yao You

12-04-2020, 07:28 PM

https://www.slcdunk.com/2020/12/4/22153585/training-camp-preview-utah-jazz-derrick-favors-rudy-gobert-donovan-mitchell-covid-19-coronavirus

Hopeful #1 - The Utah Jazz are flying under the radar

Because their answer to no PF was Favors spotting up n the corner

This offseason was a complete opposite of last season. Gone was the Rudy Gobert-Donovan Mitchell feud talk. Gone were the Gobert trades rumors. Gone were the exceedingly high expectations. Gone is the excitement of brand new faces and capabilities. Stability, continuity, and familiarity have replaced flashy, new, and promising.

Trade rumors are still here. Favors and Udoka make it so

Sometimes that can be a bad thing as many who have read this site for a number years know. Seeing the word continuity is likely to bring up some painful memories of the cap strapped final years associated with Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer, Andrei Kirilenko, and Mehmet Okur. But this time it’s different.

Pretty much the same. The only other time they paid tax and for a team going nowhere fast

Against top 10 teams, Utah’s offense sputtered to a 12th place ranking in the NBA and their defense fell to 14th. That’s a playoff team, but nothing close to the Dark Horse Championship hype that had been built up for them.

But it was Bradley's fault! They have fixed it!

When Utah came back from the break—however—things appeared to be different. While it’s hard to parse out stats as the Utah Jazz were definitely not tanking to the 6th seed to play Denver, they appeared to have a more cohesive offense. In the first half of games after the COVID break, their offensive rating stayed consistent. It may have dropped slightly to 112.1 from 112.3, but they were arguably playing playoff caliber teams. Before that offensive rating was dropping to 108.8.

they weren't tanking?

The Jazz traded one identity for another last season as they gave up Ricky Rubio, Jae Crowder, and Derrick Favors and replaced them with Mike Conley, Bojan Bogdanovic, and the ghosts of Jeff Green, Ed Davis, and Tony Bradley. There were times that the Jazz had to rely upon Georges Niang for defense (sorry, Georges). But the Jazz fixed that in a big way this offseason.

but they didn't really. Still no starting 4 other than Favors spotting up from 3. Still a tiny starting backcourt. Even less depth and less vets than last year.

Utah drafted Udoka Azubuike in what many saw was a reach. We may want to remind people that most thought—myself included—Rudy Gobert was a reach as well back in 2013. He was a one man top defensive team by himself at Kansas. The Jazz also brought the gang back together by signing Derrick Favors back. He wanted to be back, he knows the system, and is ready to spell R-U-D-Y when Rudy Gobert is on the bench.

Favors isn't Rudy. Udoka sounds like he has that potential though

Derrick Favors is key to the Utah Jazz getting the most from Rudy Gobert. He keeps Rudy healthy and rested. He also brings down the number of times Gobert has to be rushed back to the court as the bench bleeds points away. Last season with the Pelicans, Favors improved the Pellies’ defense by 6 points per 100 possessions when he was on the court. That’s as he was playing against top tier opposing teams’ starters. Now he’ll be coming off the bench for 20-25 minutes a night. Gobert will be able to return to 30-31 minutes a game and the Jazz will be better for it.

Favors wasn't spotting up from 3 last year though

Xiao Yao You

12-04-2020, 07:31 PM

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/260709/Mike-Conley-In-COVID-19-Protocol-Due-To-Close-Contact-With-Positive-Family-Member

Xiao Yao You

12-04-2020, 07:33 PM

Sarah Todd: Mike Conley said he does not have COVID but has to isolate until he has seven negative tests which should come on Monday (https://*********.com/social/).
– via Twitter NBASarah (https://twitter.com/NBASarah)

4 days before the first game!

Xiao Yao You

12-05-2020, 08:24 AM

https://www.slcdunk.com/2020/12/5/22155634/utah-jazz-news-and-notes-nba-donovan-mitchell-bojan-bogdanovic

We’ll likely find out who the other player was soon just by deduction, but it’s clear there are going to be difficult situations for teams dealing with the current pandemic. What makes it more difficult is the shortened season that will force teams to use their depth. During the season, if teams have players miss games with Covid, we’ll see a lot of fringe players getting significant minutes. Luckily, the Utah Jazz (https://www.slcdunk.com/) have done a good job improving their depth and have guys on the end of the bench that have good development time under their belt.

How exactly did they improve their depth? Mudiay is gone as is Tucker. Replaced by rookies.

Utah has solidified their bench and that will help with depth, but losing Bogdanovic makes the Jazz pretty thin, pretty quickly. Here’s to hoping that Bogdanovic picks up where he left off last season.

pretty thin anyway

Will the Jazz and Gobert find middleground soon? Hopefully they do because the current makeup of the team has a chance to make a lot of noise in the playoffs.

Noise? If they are lucky and get a favorable matchup they might make round 2.

Xiao Yao You

12-05-2020, 01:12 PM

Keith Smith: By my count, 10 NBA teams are currently over the luxury tax line. (https://*********.com/social/) A handful can get back under by waiving players: BKN – $23M over. GSW – $42M. HOU – $5.4M. IND – $578K. LAC – $5.7M. LAL – $3.4M. MIL – $5.7M. PHI – $18.8M. SAS – $1.4M. UTA – $1.9M.
– via Twitter KeithSmithNBA (https://twitter.com/KeithSmithNBA)

for a team going nowhere

Xiao Yao You

12-05-2020, 03:01 PM

JD Shaw: Several teams plan to opt out of the proposed NBA G League bubble idea in Atlanta, sources tell @HoopsRumors, (https://*********.com/social/) with as many as 6-to-8 franchises already expected to bypass the shortened season. The bubble would require a ~$500k entry fee, and some decisions remain unclear.
– via Twitter JShawNBA (https://twitter.com/JShawNBA)

I would assume the fact that the Jazz have the exhibit 10 guys that they are in? Denver invited no extras to camp

Xiao Yao You

12-05-2020, 10:08 PM

https://www.sltrib.com/sports/jazz/2020/12/05/will-miye-oni-juwan/

Yes, clearly upgrading at backup center was a real need. But what about perimeter defensive length? What about an upgrade at backup power forward, a spot that troubled the Jazz even before Bojan Bogdanovic went down with a wrist injury?

a starting 4 was what was needed

Jazz vice president of basketball operations Dennis Lindsey was clear when asked about those issues: he thinks second-year players Miye Oni and Juwan Morgan can be part of the solution.

why not their all gleaguer?

Oni, the 58th pick from Yale a year ago, earned compliments from management about his potential ability to step up into a complementary role. He has a “6-6 (height), 6-11 wingspan, a great movement profile, a major edge and toughness to him. He’s not going to come in here and be a high usage guy,” Lindsey said.

Really? After Mitchell, Clarkson and Bojan there's not a lot left to go around

If a low-usage, defensive first player seems familiar, you’re not alone: “His value to us is a little bit like, I think, what Royce [O’Neale] did in his evolution,” Jazz head coach Quin Snyder said.

Better playmaker, younger and longer

Oni’s not yet as good as O’Neale in some important areas. O’Neale’s best offensive attributes are his catch-and-shoot 3-point percentage and his quick decision making — he keeps the team’s offense moving. Oni shot 35% in G-League action from deep, near average but not as good as O’Neale’s 38% percent with harder NBA closeouts. Oni’s not a ball-stopper by any means, but he doesn’t have the feel yet of the more experienced O’Neale.

those quick decisions to pass a wide open look or the other ones? Oni started off shooting terribly.

That means a lot to the Jazz’s talent evaluators. “The thing that we’re really excited about — and the data’s small — but Juwan Morgan was +8 with Rudy at the four,” Lindsey said, referring to the Jazz’s plus-minus while Morgan played next to Gobert. He also added another potential role: “And he gives us a switch five.”

but why would we want that when Favors can spot up in the corner instead!

Xiao Yao You

12-05-2020, 10:19 PM

https://saltcityhoops.com/the-favors-factor-explains-why-utah-passed-on-adding-a-3-and-d-wing/

The Favors Factor Explains Why Utah Passed On Adding a 3-and-D Wing (https://saltcityhoops.com/the-favors-factor-explains-why-utah-passed-on-adding-a-3-and-d-wing/)

why did they pass on a modern starting 4 though?

Already, the Jazz have Royce O’Neale, Joe Ingles, Bojan Bogdanovic and Georges Niang who play minutes across the wing positions and the stretch four spot, plus Donovan Mitchell and Jordan Clarkson who both spend time between the 1 and the 2. Those two are both leveraged mostly as shot creators regardless of the spot on the court they are filling.

stretch 4's! :roll:

As for Royce, Joe and Bojan… three point shooting? Check. Defense? Check (Bojan is more like 3-and-mostly-OK-on-D, but good enough). When it comes to the D-and-no-3 players, the Jazz have mostly moved on from that prototype, though some fans do miss having Dante Exum around for his good individual defense. (Also, those of you clamoring for Dunn better also be those who never wanted Exum to leave in the first place, because Dunn essentially would have filled that same void.)

Bojan sucks at everything but shooting and scoring. Dun doesn't suck like Exum

Problems certainly arise if any of Utah’s three stronger defensive wings are out for a game. Because then you end up with lineups that ask a lot of Clarkson and Niang defensively, which can be problematic. But overall, the Jazz were net positive last season whenever Rudy Gobert shared the court with either Clarkson, Niang, or both. However what’s interesting is that there are really not very many lineups which featured both Gobert and Niang. So it may not even be fair to view him in comparison to other wings because he rarely played with Rudy.

against good teams the Jazz sucked. Niang shouldn't be on the wing

Of course, Gobert was still there scaring away ball handlers in the 2019-20 season as well, but Utah’s defensive ranking slipped all the way to 13th. There were other roster differences between those elite defensive team’s and last year’s squad, but importantly, the Jazz missed having their backup center minutes filled by another strong rim protector in Favors.

there problem was hardly anyone but Rudy and O'Neale playing any D. Favors spotting up from 3 doesn't solve that

The challenge for the Jazz’s wing defenders last season came when they developed the habit of relying on the big guy, and then suddenly instead of having Gobert behind them, it was Bradley. Bradley isn’t even a close facsimile when it comes to defense. Favors is. With the latter back on the floor, Utah will be able to run its preferred defensive system all game, with 48 minutes of elite to solid rim protection. There’s a real chance the Jazz’s elite team defense — 1st in 2017-18, 2nd in 2018-19 — returns to that level.

I doubt the D will be elite just because of Favors. The offense will certainly drop off with him spotting up from 3

Think of it this way: the Jazz went from 2nd to 13th after losing Favors. Getting him back should be enough to ensure the Jazz can be a top-5 defense again if the wings simply do their job.

most of the rotation was different

Prediction: the Jazz will get back to being an elite defense this season, but this time around will have the offensive punch from Mike Conley, Bogdanovic and Clarkson that they didn’t have a couple of seasons ago. This team should be a top 5 in defense and a top 10 in offense. As Dennis Lindsey put it earlier, we’re going to see the Jazz take the best of their identify from 2-3 seasons ago, and combine it with the best of last seasons Jazz.

5 guys guarding 4 will keep their offense from being great

Xiao Yao You

12-05-2020, 10:21 PM

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/260714/Kings-Looking-For-Draft-Compensation-In-Potential-Buddy-Hield-Trade

would they take Clarkson and throw in one of their many 4's?

Xiao Yao You

12-06-2020, 11:04 AM

https://sports.yahoo.com/tony-bradley-says-joel-embiid-001507650.html

Xiao Yao You

12-06-2020, 07:02 PM

https://sircharlesincharge.com/2020/12/05/nba-predictions-northwest-division-jazz/

There certainly will be no drop off in competition for this upcoming season as three of the teams (Denver, Utah, Portland) have serious title-run ambitions, while the other two (Oklahoma City, Minnesota) have enough firepower to reach the postseason.

none of that is true. OKC can make the playoffs? Minny too?

1. Utah Jazz

must be a homer! :roll:

Key Additions: Derrick Favors, Udoka Azubuike (R)

Udoka is key?

Key Losses: Tony Bradley, Ed Davis, Rayjon Tucker

Mudiay?

So what did the Jazz do this season? They brought back Derrick Favors. The Favors signing isn’t going to make any national headlines, but it gives Utah something that they didn’t have last year, which was more length, defense, and quality backup center minutes. Utah with Rudy Gobert on the floor outscored teams in bunches (+6 points per 100 possessions); However, in those 12 -15 minutes without Gobert on the floor opponents killed the Jazz (-5 points per 100 possessions).

bye bye spacing

Utah has a roster with two All-Stars (Mitchell and Gobert), two other borderline All-Stars (Conley and Bogdanovic), a deep 9-to-10-man rotation, and the best 3-point shooting team from last year without much change.

Conley and Bojan aren't boredrline. Mitchell is. who is the 9 and 10 deep here? Not a modern starting 4 among them though and few that play both ends of the floor!

Utah will only go as far as Mitchell and Gobert take them but keep an eye on Mike Conley. He was catching fire near the end of the season and seems to be getting more comfortable in Quin Snyder’s offense. If he can get back to his Memphis days with the offensive efficiency and shooting, the rest of the West better watch out.

back to 4th option assuming he can get the ball from Clarkson on occasion

Xiao Yao You

12-07-2020, 06:05 AM

https://www.sltrib.com/sports/jazz/2020/12/06/condensed-timeline-means/

Even as relatively mature and experienced rookies — the Kansas center played four seasons of college ball, while the Syracuse wing was a fourth-year junior — they both said there was no substitute for experience in adjusting to the speed and size and spacing of the NBA game.

Didn't realize Hughes came out early. Still older than Udoka

Xiao Yao You

12-07-2020, 06:19 AM

https://www.deseret.com/sports/2020/12/6/22156617/utah-jazz-mailbag-miye-oni-juwan-morgan-jarrell-brantley-quin-snyder-bojan-bogdanovic

Jazz Mailbag: A shortened season could mean more rest for the stars and more opportunity for others

I doubt it

It’s going to make the roles of the end of bench players, two-way players, and rookies even more important during the regular season and give them more opportunity than they might have had during a normal, non-pandemic season.

be nice to have some proven vets :facepalm

The Jazz absolutely had backup plans if they weren’t able to get a deal done with Derrick Favors. Any team heads into the offseason knowing that there’s a slight chance that Plan A could backfire, but there also was a lot of reason to believe that they would be able to get the deal done, and they did.

probably more than a slight chance as we saw with Mitotic. The fact that Favors and Clarkson were plan A is the worrisome part

As for who might get more playing time between Brantley, Morgan and Oni, it really is going to depend on how the season unfolds and who is available or resting during certain matchups. If this was in more of a vacuum I would anticipate Oni getting a good amount of opportunity with his ability to play on the wing and his defensive promise.

Brantley is even more versatile and longer and better defensively

There’s reason to believe that he might be one of the players that the Jazz are cautious with this season and allow him some rest, especially through heavy game sets. There’s really no reason to rush things with Bogey, the Jazz need him in the playoffs. But, there’s no reason to believe that he’s anything other than ready from the reports coming out of training camp.

the playoffs aren't a given

Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley will share majority of point guard minutes but the Jazz have also run plenty of sets with Joe Ingles as the initiator as well as Jordan Clarkson. They have plenty of capable ball handlers that can initiate offense without having to dig down into the third string of players, and when the games really matter in the postseason a third point guard wouldn’t even crack the rotation.

Yeah Clarkson at the point! There's a great idea. They sure could have used a 3rd pg in the bubble when Mudiay didn't play. Conley is sure to miss time

If Clarkson had been with the Jazz for the entire season last year and had been as efficient as he was for the Jazz he could have had a real case for Sixth Man of the Year consideration. It’ll depend a lot on what he’s able to do this season but I absolutely wouldn’t count him out.

hopefully he's on another team by then!

Xiao Yao You

12-07-2020, 06:21 AM

https://www.deseret.com/sports/2020/12/6/22157317/utah-jazz-rookies-udoka-azubuike-elijah-hughes-nba-life-training-camp-underway

The good news is that the Jazz are not unique in dealing with time constraints, the whole league is learning as they go.

the good news is the Stars will be waiting for them

Xiao Yao You

12-07-2020, 11:18 AM

Though a proposal for a bubble campus in Atlanta with teams playing around 12 games before a playoff tournament has gained momentum, the G-League is still in the preliminary stages of forming its plans. A major factor toward determining the format was to have teams provide their commitment to play or sit out this week, giving the league a more concrete understanding of how to proceed with finalizing a format, per league sources (https://theathletic.com/2241819/2020/12/06/celtics-maine-red-claws-g-league/).
– via Jared Weiss @ The Athletic (https://theathletic.com/2241819/2020/12/06/celtics-maine-red-claws-g-league/)

Xiao Yao You

12-07-2020, 11:12 PM

https://kslsports.com/448127/jazz-preseason-preview-and-mailbag-answers/

Jazz fans should get an early look at Elijah Hughes, Udoka Azubuike, and two-way rookie Trent Forrest during the preseason, but how much those three play may depend on the Jazz approach to the preseason.

like last year I imagine though there are fewer games. They'll get a look briefly with the 3rd or 4th unit

Unless Williams-Goss has taken a major leap forward in his second season, the Jazz don’t have a true backup point guard on the roster. They can rely on Ingles, Mitchell, and Clarkson for depth, but any real injury could be cause for concern.

Clarkson! :facepalm

I don’t think the Jazz are totally unprepared for that scenario and I think it factored into re-signing Favors and drafting Azubuike, but the Jazz won’t be better if Gobert leaves the roster.

no they'll likely suck

My guess is a deal still gets done, but I am a little surprised it’s taken this long.

first super max in team history. Not surprising

Anderson: This is a good question and it probably has a few answers. First, Hughes offers the Jazz something that they think could have more value next season if they need him with the main roster more frequently than they do Brantley.

Why would they think that though? Not great length and 34% shooter. They need D

While Ingles can play on the wing behind O’Neale, as can Bogdanovic and potentially Oni, the Jazz just really don’t have a lot of depth with 6’6 guys who can put the ball on the floor, shoot, and move their feet. Hughes might be able to do those things, and that gives him a leg up.

Brantley does it all and has proven it at the Gleague level and a bit with the Jazz.

That gives Hughes more leverage than Brantley, and it may have earned him a guaranteed deal.

I'd guess Brantley had the choice of a non guaranteed cap deal or the two way and he took the latter. Pretty sad to make all gleague and not get promoted. Hard to understand what they see in Hughes with Oni and Brantley not to mention Goss, Forman and Tucker. Pretty much the same length as Forman and not as good of a shooter. Needed a 1 which I guess they got with the Ricky wannabe

Xiao Yao You

12-07-2020, 11:17 PM

https://sircharlesincharge.com/2020/12/06/nba-offseason-grades-lakers-suns-bold/

When the buzzer sounded at the end of Game 7, the Jazz had to leave the bubble after an 80-78 defeat. Donovan Mitchell looked like a superstar in the series and Michael Conley, who had an up and down season with the Jazz looked like he finally found his game in the series. Rudy Gobert and Joe Ingles are two players the Jazz can always count on.

the superstar that isn't consistent and plays one end of the floor. Conley back to 3rd or 4th or 5th option now. Ingles couldn't be counted on the past two years

One key piece that wasn’t in the bubble that the Jazz missed was sharpshooting forward Bojan Bogdanovic. Having him back for a full season is like adding a free agent. Signing former Jazz center Derrick Favors was a solid move and re-signing instant-offense Jordan Clarkson was a no-brainier for the Jazz, who can never have enough shot makers and playmakers. As long as they are healthy, the Jazz should continue to be a playoff team.

Favors spotting up in the corner and tax for the gunner. F!

Xiao Yao You

12-08-2020, 07:11 PM

Joe Ingles is the NBA’s model of consistency. The Utah Jazz swingman has played a league-high 379 consecutive games, and he has done so while rarely changing his shoes. While other NBA players rip through sneakers — sometimes changing three or four times in the same game — Ingles once wore the same Size 13, yellow and white pair for six weeks, even though they had a ketchup stain on the toe from a pregame meal mishap (https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29716897/why-joe-ingles-keeps-wearing-discontinued-kobe-bryant-sneaker).
– via Eric Woodyard @ ESPN (https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29716897/why-joe-ingles-keeps-wearing-discontinued-kobe-bryant-sneaker)

“All of my teammates used to laugh at me like, ‘Why don’t you get new shoes?'” he said. “It just doesn’t bother me. The shoe’s comfy, my feet feel good. We’re trying to win a basketball game, I’m not worried. Obviously, looking back now, it’s probably a little grimy that I was doing that.” (https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29716897/why-joe-ingles-keeps-wearing-discontinued-kobe-bryant-sneaker)
– via Eric Woodyard @ ESPN (https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29716897/why-joe-ingles-keeps-wearing-discontinued-kobe-bryant-sneaker)

The lack of availability of Bryant-related products has forced Ingles to resort to unusual measures to get his preferred on-court kicks, (https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29716897/why-joe-ingles-keeps-wearing-discontinued-kobe-bryant-sneaker) even though he’s signed to a Nike deal that provides him with apparel and sneakers.
– via Eric Woodyard @ ESPN (https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29716897/why-joe-ingles-keeps-wearing-discontinued-kobe-bryant-sneaker)

Xiao Yao You

12-08-2020, 08:54 PM

https://kslsports.com/448186/byu-coach-pope-prepared-toolson-for-opportunity-with-jazz/

The Exhibit-10 deal also gives the Jazz added rights (https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2019/07/hoops-rumors-glossary-exhibit-10-contract-2.html) to Toolson, should they decide to waive him, but want to see him play for the G League affiliate Utah Stars.

assuming they will have a team

As an undrafted rookie, Toolson remains a long shot to make the Jazz opening night roster. But with an open spot on the 15-man depth chart, the depth chart is far from finalized.

They have several open roster spots with 4 non guaranteed deal but I'd guess the one open one and Goss' could be had by the right guys. Ideally vets. Have too many young guys already

He's good. He's got an old school game though. Not sure he's an NBA player today

Xiao Yao You

12-08-2020, 08:57 PM

https://kslsports.com/448177/bojan-bogdanovic-expects-to-play-in-jazz-opener/

“I think that both of them are ready to step in and play some minutes,” Bogdanovic said.

13th and 14 guys

“The big guy is pretty athletic, I’m surprised that he’s that good and he was drafted that late in the first round,” Bogdanovic said of the reserve center. “He really goes hard against Rudy [Gobert]. Like I said, I think really that they can help us.”

He sounds like he has Rudy potential in a bigger body. Good thing they don't need to rush him though

Conley Back At Practice

good news

Xiao Yao You

12-08-2020, 09:01 PM

https://kslsports.com/448161/deron-williams-remembers-tough-love-from-jerry-sloan/

“To start off the season I was playing second quarters and fourth quarters,” Williams remembered. “That’s it.”

I remember him being the starter at the beginning of the year and was behind Palacio and McCleod or something later on before ending strongly as the starter again

“Every training camp we would have our team meeting and coach Sloan […] would flip through this book,” Williams said. “He’d have his glasses on and he would be reading and he would take them off and he would be mad like we did something wrong. But it’s the first meeting ever when he’s going over the rules, he was already mad because he knows somebody’s going break the rule.”

:roll:

Xiao Yao You

12-08-2020, 09:05 PM

https://kslsports.com/448150/jazz-in-espn-top-100-player-rankings-51-100/

89. Joe Ingles – Previous Rank: 62

Joe Ingles dropped 27 spots in this year’s ranking, largely due to his dip in play last season as a result of moving in and out of the starting lineup.

Should have dropped last year too. He's fallin' off. Might earn him another extension though! :facepalm

73. Bojan Bogdanovic – Previous Rank: 48
Bojan Bogdanovic dropped nearly as far as Ingles in the ESPN rankings, dipping 25 spots from last year’s ranking. The experts at ESPN attribute the sharpshooter’s dip to his injured wrist and the fact that he has three years and $56 million left on his deal.

You'd think he would have moved up :facepalm

Gobert is almost sure to drop, the question is, will Mitchell leap in this year’s rankings?

No way Mitchell should even be close to Rudy

Xiao Yao You

12-08-2020, 09:13 PM

https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/8/22162760/which-joe-ingles-will-the-utah-jazz-get-this-season

So what should we expect this season? Is Joe Ingles on the decline? Or was it just an off year during a global pandemic with some additional personal life changes? Honestly, I don’t think anyone knows yet. But I do think there is reason for optimism.

There's not much doubt. Seen it the past two years. He needs to be put in the proper role and not asked to be a 6th man or to play heavy minutes. Hit open shots, run pick and roll and get under the other teams skin

“My shot feels great. My body feels fit. I feel good.”

wonder if he'll look fit? He never has!

But more importantly, his best running mate is back. I think Joe had a hard time fitting in with the bench unit last year. He played great with the starters, but understandably had a harder time with guys like Clarkson, Niang, and Bradley. The front office prioritized the bench defense this offseason by bringing in Derrick Favors. That will undoubtedly bring Joe’s game back as well.

It's not understandable. He started off as a bench player. No reason he can't be now. He's a role player. Always has been. Bradley and Gobert were good in pick and roll. Open shots were there. Opposing teams were there to get under their skin

Jazz depth was a catastrophe last year. Before Jordan Clarkson was brought in it was an absolute embarrassment. It was like clock work the way the starters would build a lead and the bench would just obliterate it. Now? Their 8-man rotation is ridiculous. Assuming everyone stays healthy, the Jazz have Clarkson, Ingles, and Favors as guys 6, 7, and 8 on the roster. Hopefully that difference brings Joe Ingles back to his natural habitat.

We'll see. Clarkson doesn't fit. Favors spotting up in the corner doesn't fit and Ingles is definitely on the decline

Xiao Yao You

12-08-2020, 09:59 PM

https://www.nba.com/jazz/news/utah-jazz-forward-bojan-bogdanovic-looking-shoot-even-more-3-pointers-season

It’s easy enough to see why.

so he doesn't put it on the floor and turn it over?

Xiao Yao You

12-09-2020, 04:56 PM

Eric Walden: Jordan Clarkson said Jazz players’ familiarity with the scheme is a big advantage early, especially with the return of Bojan and Derrick: “Adding Bojan back in, we missed him a lot in the bubble. And adding Fav … it’s easy to throw him in there with us and to let him fly.” (https://*********.com/social/)
– via Twitter tribjazz (https://twitter.com/tribjazz)

Ben Anderson: Jordan Clarkson on Miye Oni having a breakout camp. “Miye has made a lot of strides. The game is slowing down a little bit. He’s still aggressive and he’s still, getting things right, but Miye has made a lot of steps forward. And he’s really impressive this camp.” (https://*********.com/social/)
– via Twitter BensHoops (https://twitter.com/BensHoops)

too bad no matter what Oni does the minutes are limited thanks to their top 8 who obviously have big flaws that some of the 9-12 guys could help with namely D

Xiao Yao You

12-09-2020, 05:03 PM

https://www.ksl.com/article/50062651/perfecting-a-role-miye-oni-looks-to-be-the-next-of-utahs-homegrown-3-and-d-wings

There hasn't been a specific NBA moment that Snyder can point to for Oni, though he did say he was pleased with Oni's minutes in the Disney bubble — but that could be coming soon. The Jazz didn't pick up additional wing help in the offseason (to the bemoans of many in the fan base) and the organization is anticipating players missing time periodically throughout the season due to COVID-19 protocols.

ad didn't get a starting 4 other than Favors spotting up for 3 in the corner

Still, Oni said perimeter shooting was the main thing he worked on, especially corner 3-point shooting, during the short offseason. As Snyder said, it's about perfecting the role.

seemed to like the elbow most especially left side

And it's a role the Jazz could need more this season than in a normal year, especially as Utah sees itself as a contending team. Second-year players that were taken late in the second round of the draft don't often contribute, but this is no normal season. Mike Conley missed the start of training camp (https://www.ksl.com/article/50061450/jazz-guard-mike-conley-is-in-quarantine-but-he-hasnt-tested-positive-for-covid-19) simply due to close contact with someone who has tested positive for the coronavirus. The Jazz aren't naive enough to think that something like that won't happen during the season.

1st year ones get guaranteed money over those that have proven something already

That's why Snyder wasn't surprised he was being asked about Oni or fellow second-year player Juwan Morgan, because it's very likely they'll be needed at some point this season.

hard to believe the all gleaguer is all but forgotten

Xiao Yao You

12-09-2020, 05:07 PM

https://kslsports.com/448237/jazz-in-espn-top-100-player-rankings-11-50/

26. Rudy Gobert – Previous Rank: 14

there's 25 guys in the league that have carried their teams for 6 years at both ends of the floor? :roll:

18. Donovan Mitchell – Previous Rank: 20

Lottery team without Rudy. Competitive without Mitchell :facepalm

“Among the 13 players to average at least 24 points last season, Mitchell ranked dead last in free throw rate,” MacMahon wrote. “Having to rely less on deep pull-up 3s and finesse finishes will make him one of the tougher covers in the NBA.”

and that's a big part of why he is overrated. The only advanced stats he ranks in are usage. He can score ineffectively.

Xiao Yao You

12-09-2020, 05:18 PM

https://www.deseret.com/sports/2020/12/9/22166207/utah-jazz-agree-to-deal-with-free-agent-guard-shaquille-

The 27-year-old Tulsa product last played for the Chicago Bulls and was a restricted free agent. In the 2019-2020 season, he averaged 4.9 points, two rebounds and 1.1 assists in 11.3 minutes per game.

Good numbers and he shot well from 3 and defends. More than one person had him on their list of guys the Jazz should sign. Why not do it before camp though? Goss hasn't impressed? 6'7". Should be able to play 3 positions? Length? Looks like he should be in line ahead of Oni and company now? Improved his shot a lot last year on only 1 attempt a game so hopefully it's real. Could be a steal!

Xiao Yao You

12-09-2020, 05:24 PM

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/dr-fauci-says-two-states-131323570.html

Slightly below UtahPortland Trail Blazers
Dallas Mavericks
Golden State Warriors
Phoenix Suns

Don't count on it. Jazz probably got better but still have the same issues

Clearly below UtahNew Orleans Pelicans
Houston Rockets (without Harden)
Memphis Grizzlies
San Antonio Spurs (https://www.poundingtherock.com/)
Sacramento Kings (https://www.sactownroyalty.com/)
Minnesota Timberwolves (https://www.canishoopus.com/)

Not sure how clear any of it is. Look what Memphis did a year ago. Ingram and Zion could certainly make noise

Xiao Yao You

12-09-2020, 05:25 PM

https://www.yardbarker.com/nba/teams/utah_jazz/86

Utah Jazz News (https://www.yardbarker.com/nba/teams/utah_jazz/86) / Salt City Hoops (http://saltcityhoops.com/) / 16 hours ago

Shaq Harrison brings athleticism and defense to the Jazz. (via NBA.com/Bulls) So maybe the Jazz weren’t done with their roster after all. In a surprise move to address their perimeter depth a week into training camp, the Jazz reportedly agreed to a one-year deal with free agent guard Shaquille Harrison.

They still have a lot of flexibility to do more. Wouldn't count on it though

Xiao Yao You

12-09-2020, 05:27 PM

Utah Jazz News (https://www.yardbarker.com/nba/teams/utah_jazz/86) / Salt City Hoops (http://saltcityhoops.com/) / 16 hours ago

Shaq Harrison brings athleticism and defense to the Jazz. (via NBA.com/Bulls) So maybe the Jazz weren’t done with their roster after all. In a surprise move to address their perimeter depth a week into training camp, the Jazz reportedly agreed to a one-year deal with free agent guard Shaquille Harrison.

Xiao Yao You

12-09-2020, 05:28 PM

https://thejnotes.com/2020/12/08/utah-jazz-deron-williams-jedi-like-mentor-trip-see-john-stockton/

“Before my rookie season they sent me up there, they sent me up to Spokane. I spent like five days with him. It was amazing.”

I thought he went up at least a couple times

“My biggest regret was not reaching back out to him after and doing it again. It should have been something that I probably did like every summer. Because John’s not… you can tell he’s one of those guys that’s not big into the spotlight, not big into the limelight. He’s happy with his life up there, so he’s not a guy who’s just going to reach out. I think [the Jazz] reached out to him and were like, ‘hey, we’ve got this new guy, we want to send him up there.'”

blew that on one Deron

Xiao Yao You

12-09-2020, 07:09 PM

Rudy/Favors/Udoka/Gill
O'Neale/Niang/Morgan/Brantley
Bojan/Ingles/Oni/Bluiett?
Mitchell/Clarkson/Hughes/Toolson
Conley/Harrison/William Goss/Forrest

Mudiay, Wright Forman

That's 20 and might be it but they could easily cut a non guaranteed deal(likely Goss I imagine) or exhibit 10 which they probably will. I think they can have 4 exhibit 10's overall so they'll likely add another before the end of camp besides Bluiett who they've yet to officially add. So 10 guaranteed deals?, 2 two ways, 5 non guaranteed?, 3 exhibit 10's?, 2 free agents from last years team. I imagine any hope for Mudiay i now gone. Could still use at least one more vet ideally. They obviously don't think as much of Oni and Morgan as has been reported. Might as well get some vets. Have enough young guys that won't play already especially if no Stars which should be announced anytime.

Would appear despite what we are reading to the contrary that Harrison, Niang, Oni, Morgan and Brantley are waiting for scraps 9-13

Xiao Yao You

12-09-2020, 07:34 PM

https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/9/22166410/utah-jazz-sign-shaq-harrison-to-a-one-year-deal-nba-offseason-free-agency

Shams Charania

@ShamsCharania

(https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweet embed%7Ctwterm%5E1336775098225872901%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ct wcon%5Es2_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.slcdunk.com%2Flatest-utah-jazz-news-recent%2F2020%2F12%2F9%2F22166410%2Futah-jazz-sign-shaq-harrison-to-a-one-year-deal-nba-offseason-free-agency)·
Dec 9, 2020 (https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1336774715940200449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5 Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1336775098225872901%7Ctwgr% 5E%7Ctwcon%5Es2_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.slcdunk.com%2Flatest-utah-jazz-news-recent%2F2020%2F12%2F9%2F22166410%2Futah-jazz-sign-shaq-harrison-to-a-one-year-deal-nba-offseason-free-agency)

(https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1336774715940200449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5 Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1336775098225872901%7Ctwgr% 5E%7Ctwcon%5Es2_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.slcdunk.com%2Flatest-utah-jazz-news-recent%2F2020%2F12%2F9%2F22166410%2Futah-jazz-sign-shaq-harrison-to-a-one-year-deal-nba-offseason-free-agency)
Free agent guard Shaq Harrison is finalizing a deal with the Utah Jazz, sources tell me and @Tjonesonthenba (https://twitter.com/Tjonesonthenba?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etwee tembed%7Ctwterm%5E1336775098225872901%7Ctwgr%5E%7C twcon%5Es2_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.slcdunk.com%2Flatest-utah-jazz-news-recent%2F2020%2F12%2F9%2F22166410%2Futah-jazz-sign-shaq-harrison-to-a-one-year-deal-nba-offseason-free-agency).

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/3683769150/4402f4baa66031982d5b215d6dd1732f_normal.jpeg

(https://twitter.com/johnhollinger?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweet embed%7Ctwterm%5E1336775098225872901%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ct wcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.slcdunk.com%2Flatest-utah-jazz-news-recent%2F2020%2F12%2F9%2F22166410%2Futah-jazz-sign-shaq-harrison-to-a-one-year-deal-nba-offseason-free-agency)John Hollinger

@johnhollinger

(https://twitter.com/johnhollinger?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweet embed%7Ctwterm%5E1336775098225872901%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ct wcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.slcdunk.com%2Flatest-utah-jazz-news-recent%2F2020%2F12%2F9%2F22166410%2Futah-jazz-sign-shaq-harrison-to-a-one-year-deal-nba-offseason-free-agency)

Best move they've made this offseason.

sadly yes

This move will potentially help fill one of Utah’s biggest needs, wing defense. Last season Utah relied almost entirely on Royce O’Neale’s perimeter defense but it wasn’t enough in the playoffs against the Denver Nuggets (https://www.denverstiffs.com/) in the first round. Harrison doesn’t solve the problem but if his shooting from the end of last season carries over it will definitely help and could even do more for the Jazz.

their biggest need a starting 4 is still there other than Favors spotting up in the corner. This guy adds size to the backcourt but again how many minutes are there for him regardless?

However you look at this, it’s a great move by the Jazz front office. It’s low-risk and high-reward. Utah already has better depth this season from the draft and free agency and now can swing for the fences on Harrison. If it doesn’t pan out, it’s a one-year minimum deal and there’s no harm done. If Harrison can maintain his shooting and improved level of play he could be a potential rotation player on the team.

With this move they probably have more depth. Probably a better fit than Mudiay.

The one reason it may have taken this long for Harrison to get a contract may be because of a hand injury.

Oh well. Depth for later maybe

bench getting stronger
Conley/Harrison
Mitchell/Clarkson
O’Neale/Ingles
Bogdanovic/Niang/Morgan
Gobert/Favors/Azubuike

Posted by Calvin Chappell (https://www.sbnation.com/users/Calvin%20Chappell) on Dec 9, 2020 | 3:34 PM (https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/9/22166410/utah-jazz-sign-shaq-harrison-to-a-one-year-deal-nba-offseason-free-agency#534296418)

Brantley and Oni?

Now lets find someone to replace Niang
I like SUVs, not minivans

Posted by statpower (https://www.sbnation.com/users/statpower) on Dec 9, 2020 | 3:47 PM (https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/9/22166410/utah-jazz-sign-shaq-harrison-to-a-one-year-deal-nba-offseason-free-agency#534296874)

Brantley and Morgan. Still doesn't solve the hole at starting 4

Yeah, but it seems Q prefers Niang over Morgan already
Niang is a good 3 point shooter, but i wish his defense and speed is better

Posted by statpower (https://www.sbnation.com/users/statpower) on Dec 9, 2020 | 3:49 PM (https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/9/22166410/utah-jazz-sign-shaq-harrison-to-a-one-year-deal-nba-offseason-free-agency#534296959)

Probably but we'll see

Niang’s lone purpose is to snipe if we need to snipe.

Posted by Korumbian (https://www.sbnation.com/users/Korumbian) on Dec 9, 2020 | 3:51 PM (https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/9/22166410/utah-jazz-sign-shaq-harrison-to-a-one-year-deal-nba-offseason-free-agency#534297015)

he's capable of more

Mudiay wasnt a great fit
But I thought he played really well for stretches. He definitely got better having come to utah to play. Not bad for a backup pg. Favors solidifies the entire bench. He makes the whole unit better in the way Gobert makes the starters better. From screening to offensive rebounds. We get to watch him dunk over a crowd of defenders again. He can shoot from the midrange and has touch around the basket. His pick and roll with Ingles is lethal. Then most importantly of all he can defend the rim.
This team got a whole lot better. We just didn’t make huge splashy moves to be noticed or have enough roster turnover for mainstream media to notice. But with a healthy bojan. more perimeter defense, 48 min rim protection and a bench unit that can sustain and even build on leads this team can play with anyone.
When they are playing at their best and the blender is turning they can beat anyone. They look unbeatable at times when they have the offense going smoothly and the ball is moving. Which is why the game 7 loss hurt so much. I think we would have beaten the clippers and lost the Lakers same as the nuggets did last year.

Posted by JazzHands2017 (https://www.sbnation.com/users/JazzHands2017) on Dec 9, 2020 | 4:16 PM (https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/9/22166410/utah-jazz-sign-shaq-harrison-to-a-one-year-deal-nba-offseason-free-agency#534297736)

Not a perfect fit but 3rd pg he was good. Rather have him as a 6th man than Clarkson. Wright Forman too. Favors might make the bench better but he makes the starters worse. He can't shoot and isn't the rim protector he's made out to be. They're probably better but still have the same issues they had other than Favors is now spotting up in the corner for 3. Where's more perimeter D coming from? This guy is 9th in the rotation at best! We'll see if they can play with anyone. Beat up on bad teams last year. Sucked against good ones. Favors for Bradley makes that big of a difference? Won't be a blender with Favors at the 4.

Xiao Yao You

12-09-2020, 07:56 PM

Teams are allowed to dip below 14 for up to two weeks at a time, so technically Utah could trade away whomever they view as their 13th and 14th men at the March 25 trade deadline. That means keeping only one of Harrison, Oni, Morgan and NWG past the deadline. Frankly, the Harrison signing might signal Utah’s readiness to move on from Williams-Goss, but in this cost-saving scenario they still have to send two players away out of Shaq/Oni/Morgan. During a playoff run. Not ideal.

Goss seems likely. I thought he'd be gone before the off season started. Now for sure. Might replace him with someone off another team still though. Another vet would be sweet!

Then, they’d have to wait the maximum amount of time before replacing them with 10-day contracts on April 8. When those 10-days ran out on April 17, they would again wait the maximum amount of time again to ink two more 10-day deals on May 1 (with the same players or different ones). That would get them to the end of the season legally. The two players they traded would come off their books completely, and the four 10-day contracts they’d sign at strategic moments would cost them a total of $444K, keepting them barely below the tax threshold of $132.6M.

I can see them doing that but who knows Rudy could get traded. Ingles if he continues to decline. Favors if Udoka steps up. Bojan if they decide they want a starting 4. Clarkson if Snyder falls in love with Harrison. Lots can happen and usually does

But that would mean sending away two players they ostensibly like, and heading into the stretch run of the season with a compromised bench. Having to dump two of Harrison/Oni/Morgan in late March just to fudge the tax is less than idea from a competitive standpoint. Although in fairness, Utah barely used its 13th and 14th men last season, so perhaps that is palatable to them depending on how those guys’ seasons go.

I thought they liked Tucker, Bradley and Brantley as well. They like money more

It will be interesting to see how the pecking order lands among Harrison, Oni, Morgan, Georges Niang and even rookies Udoka Azubuike and Elijah Hughes. The Jazz have a pretty clear top eight, but Snyder likes to use a 9-man rotation. That means there is likely a 12-16 minute rotation role available for one of those deep bench guys, as well as spot duty for others when needs arise due to injuries, struggles, foul trouble and whatever else.

Brantley? I think last year might be the only time he went with 9. I think it's been more like 10 i the past. Ideally the young guys that aren't playing are with the Stars if there is a Stars. That's why another vet would be nice to replace Goss

It’s pretty likely that the battle for that 9th man spot is rather fluid, and that we’ll see different guys play their way into regular minutes over the course of the season. Sometimes Harrison or Oni will win those minutes, which means playing smaller and pushing someone like Royce O’Neale to the 4. Other times, Niang or Morgan might play his way past him, making the Jazz bigger and pushing O’Neale back to the win.

O'Neale is the 4

But they have more options now because of the Harrison signing, and I suspect his pesky defense will make it hard for Snyder not to play him. Jazz folks have also been raving about Oni’s and Morgan’s progress during camp. so there are definitely some interesting questions to ponder as it relates to Utah’s 9-through-14 depth. Harrison makes that process all the more interesting, and gives Snyder more options as far as how to flex those bench lineups.

He didn't play the young guys against the Nuggets when they needed D so I wouldn't try to out guess Snyder. He is smarter than us remember!

Xiao Yao You

12-09-2020, 07:56 PM

https://saltcityhoops.com/jazz-improve-perimeter-depth/

Harrison can play some point guard, which means he can be an alternative to Nigel Williams-Goss as Utah’s emergency playmaker should Mike Conley or Donovan Mitchell miss time. He can also play on the wing, where his defensive abilities and an improving jump shot give the Jazz another 3-and-D option.

Or Ingles. Hopefully less Clarkson!

His raw stats are not much to write home about — 4.9 points and 2.0 rebounds last year — but he’s a plus-minus superstar, someone who played a small role but almost always gave the Bulls winning minutes. Offensively, he’s a wrecking ball, with strength and quickness to get to the rim for 59% of his shot attempts — an elite figure for a guard. He was a shaky shooter early in his career, but last season he brought his percentage up to 39% on catch-and-shoot threes. There are sample size concerns to be sure (only 33 attempts), but if he can keep that somewhere above 36% or so, then that’s good enough to end possessions as a spot-up shooter without dragging down the team’s efficiency.

What % does Favors need to be at spotting up in the corner?

Where he’ll really add value is on the defensive end of the court. He’s a frenetic and frisky defender who plays with a consistently high energy level. His steal rate (2.9%) and block rate (2.2%) are both elite for his positional grouping, and he’s an above-average rebounding guard as well. He’s in the 79th percentile for guarding plays that end with a P&R ball handler using the play, largely because he forces them to cough up the ball a remarkable 38% of the time. He’s a deflection machine, he’s good staying in front, and he’s just generally just going to annoy opposing ball handlers.

they need the rebounding without a starting 4

The Athletic’s John Hollinger had Harrison ranked as the seventh best free agent shooting guard (https://theathletic.com/2166244/2020/11/20/nba-free-agency-shooting-guard-rankings-bogdan-bogdanovic-deanthony-melton-on-top/) before free agency began. Hollinger wrote of Harrison: “I think he’s the most underrated free agent in this class, somebody who might sign for the minimum or not much more but deliver significantly more value in a high-end bench role.” ESPN’s Zach Lowe put Shaq on his “Redeem Team,” a list of players (https://t.co/0XhbarWxOR?amp=1) he thinks are “better than they looked last season” and could be due for nice improvements in 2020-21.

let's hope Snyder falls in love like he does and Clarkson is on the trading block soon(Like anyone wants that contract!). But maybe they have more picks they can deal!

The Jazz were already going to have a hard time dodging the tax this year, and this deal doesn’t really change that. Harrison will count against the tax for exactly the same amount that Juwan Morgan would if the Jazz kept him all season, and only $102K and change more than Williams-Goss and Miye Oni will count. But since teams mostly have to keep their roster at a league-mandated minimum of 14 guys, it’s pretty unlikely the Jazz can evade the tax man without trading one of their main eight guys — something they obviously don’t want to do just weeks after brining Derrick Favors back to complement last seasons great 7-man core (https://twitter.com/Lockedonsports/status/1329960168608567296?s=20).

By the trade deadline they could get under the tax.

So unless they engage in some cap gymnastics at the trade deadline, it’s increasingly likely that the Jazz will pay the NBA’s luxury tax for the first time in club history.

I believe the 3rd time. Twice to pay over the hill torn achilles Okur because that's what the Jazz do!

If Harrison’s deal is indeed guaranteed, that brings Utah within $1.15M of the tax line with just 12 guaranteed contracts. Whichever guys they keep for the 13th and 14th roster spots — likely any two of Oni, Morgan or Williams — would trigger the tax. There is one way they could stay under without trading a major piece, but it would come with a competitive cost. (Warning: it’s about to get a little mathy.)

Goss probably won't make it through the year. Maybe not through camp

Xiao Yao You

12-09-2020, 07:59 PM

https://www.sltrib.com/sports/jazz/2020/12/09/utah-jazz-add-free-agent/

Per The Athletic report, Harrison is recovering from a hand injury, but is expected to be at 100% physically within the first weeks of the regular season.

short handed for a while

Xiao Yao You

12-09-2020, 08:02 PM

https://kslsports.com/448263/jazz-sign-guard-shaquille-harrison/

Harrison helps fill the Jazz void at back up point guard which was otherwise occupied by guards Joe Ingles and Nigel Williams-Goss. Ingles is a more than capable lead guard in spot minutes, but the Jazz would have found themselves thin at the position in case of an injury to either Conley or Ingles.

Mitchell and the Ricky wannabe as well

At 6’4, Harrison also adds much-needed size to the Jazz backcourt as both Mitchell and Conley stand 6’1, and 6’0.

wingspan?

Xiao Yao You

12-10-2020, 08:35 AM

https://www.deseret.com/sports/2020/12/9/22166207/utah-jazz-agree-to-deal-with-free-agent-guard-shaquille-harrison

After passing a physical and officially inking his deal with the Jazz, the team released a statement that also lists his height as 6-4.

who cares! What is his wingspan?

Harrison is crafty in passing lanes and moves around screens with speed. When thinking back to how much trouble the Jazz had creating any sort of containment around Jamal Murray in their playoff series against the Denver Nuggets, Harrison is the ideal plug-and-play type of person who can take on the task of guarding even the league’s most daunting perimeter players.

Oni, Brantley and Tucker were available. COTY went with Clarkson! :facepalm

The Jazz have a large number of ballhandlers and playmakers, but lockdown defense from those players has been a weakness.

bigger weakness is not having a starting 4 other than Favors spotting up for 3. He does add size to their small backcourt

Royce O’Neale, while an excellent defender, cannot play 48 minutes, and he cannot take on all of an opposing team’s weapons at once, so when players such as Donovan Mitchell or Joe Ingles pick up some of the more exhaustive defensive assignments, it takes away from the energy the can expend on the offensive side of the ball.

and Royce is playing out of position and Ingles is on the decline and Mitchell sucks at D. They have plenty of offense. If Mitchell needs to exert himself defensively he needs to!

With Harrison in the rotation, it should allow some of the Jazz’s more prolific offensive players room to operate at a higher level on that side.

Remains to be seen if he will be in the rotation and if he is there aren't many minutes available

As the Jazz’s roster stands, the starters are Mitchell, O’Neale, Mike Conley, Bojan Bogdanovic and Rudy Gobert, with a bench rotation of Joe Ingles, Derrick Favors, Jordan Clarkson, Georges Niang and Harrison, along with a host of rookies and second-year players (Udoka Azubuike, Elijah Hughes, Miye Oni, Juwan Morgan and Jarrell Brantley) who could find playing time as well.

I'd say Niang and Harrison's minutes should be up for grabs. Nice of you to mention Brantley for a change at least

Xiao Yao You

12-10-2020, 08:40 AM

https://fansided.com/2020/12/09/one-bold-prediction-every-nba-team-season-preview/6/

Part of the reason Utah chose to bring Derrick Favors back to town was to provide insurance in case their contract extension talks with Gobert didn’t go as planned. The Jazz don’t seem interested in giving the towering center the max contract he covets.

And their 1st round pick. If they aren't prepared to pay him max and more than Mitchell than I'd say see ya! If the Jazz do trade him it makes no sense to keep Favors or any of their old guys though. I'm sure they will but they shouldn't. It would be time to tank. They aren't winning without Rudy

That makes an in-season trade an intriguing possibility. Someone like Boston might view Gobert as the missing piece to their championship puzzle. It’s easy to envision a scenario where Utah decides breaking the Donovan Mitchell-Gobert pairing up is the right long-term play for the franchise.

it is easy to envision considering it's the Jazz. Trading the 3rd most important figure in Jazz history for the flash of Mitchell :facepalm

Xiao Yao You

12-10-2020, 11:41 AM

The Timberwolves and general manager Scott Layden have parted ways, (https://theathletic.com/2251145/2020/12/10/sources-timberwolves-and-scott-layden-part-ways-after-4-seasons/?source=emp_shared_article) sources told The Athletic, a move that brings an end to the last vestiges of the Tom Thibodeau era in Minnesota. The two sides reached an agreement earlier this week, just two weeks before Layden would have started his fifth season as a member of the Wolves front office. Layden had one season left on the contract he signed in 2016 and remained an involved member of the front office even after Thibodeau was replaced by Gersson Rosas as president of basketball operations. But several factors and an upcoming season complicated by COVID-19 combined to make this the right time to part, sources said.
– via Jon Krawczynski @ The Athletic (https://theathletic.com/2251145/2020/12/10/sources-timberwolves-and-scott-layden-part-ways-after-4-seasons/?source=emp_shared_article)

Xiao Yao You

12-10-2020, 02:25 PM

https://www.yahoo.com/news/nba-power-rankings-where-every-171430167.html

9. Utah Jazz2019-20 record: 44-28, 6th in West
Biggest additions: Derrick Favors (F/C)
Biggest losses: Ed Davis (F/C)
2020-21 outlook: The Jazz were one in-and-out, last-second three-pointer in a Game 7 (https://www.insider.com/video-jamal-murray-consoles-donovan-mitchell-nuggets-jazz-game-7-2020-9?utm_source=yahoo.com&utm_medium=referral) from advancing past the first round of the playoffs. They'll welcome back second-leading scorer Bojan Bogdanovic (who missed the bubble), and with a leap from Donovan Mitchell, they'll be right back in the playoff mix this year.

Ed is a bigger loss than they guy who took his job or Mudiay or Tucker who got some rotation time?

Xiao Yao You

12-10-2020, 05:20 PM

Ben Anderson: Rudy Gobert on the Olympics. “My goal is to play, but obviously if we go to the Finals and go to game seven I might miss the opening ceremonies.” (https://*********.com/social/)
– via Twitter BensHoops (https://twitter.com/BensHoops)

:lol

Xiao Yao You

12-10-2020, 05:21 PM

Eric Walden: Rudy Gobert, on the Jazz’s first preseason game being in two days: “There’s been great intensity and focus in every single practice. (https://*********.com/social/) … I really like the dynamic and the energy we have right now.” Added he has “no idea” how many minutes he’ll play.
– via Twitter tribjazz (https://twitter.com/tribjazz)

Xiao Yao You

12-10-2020, 05:26 PM

Ben Anderson: Shaq Harrison won’t be with the @UtahJazz until tomorrow due to the quarantine process regulations (https://*********.com/social/).
– via Twitter BensHoops (https://twitter.com/BensHoops)

Xiao Yao You

12-10-2020, 05:29 PM

https://kslsports.com/448337/jazz-announce-2020-21-broadcast-schedule/

Craig Bolerjack and former Jazzman Matt Harpring return as broadcasters for the team on the television side. David Locke and former Utah Stars guard Ron Boone will return for the radio broadcast.

Thurl? Mike Smith? Kristin? Let's hope it's not Matt every night! :cry:

Xiao Yao You

12-10-2020, 05:58 PM

Eric Walden: Mike Conley, talking about his second season with the Jazz, said: “You get the same core, coaching, schemes, systems, but you get another year under the belt for me, for Bogey. … We can be even better. (https://*********.com/social/) … I’m just excited for everyone to be back and be healthy.”
– via Twitter tribjazz (https://twitter.com/tribjazz)

Better than a 1st round exit!

Eric Walden: Mike Conley, addressing Donovan Mitchell’s comments about needing to go beyond the first round, said: “It’s just about staying resilient. … You gotta take the bumps and the bruises.” (https://*********.com/social/) Said losing Gm7 at the buzzer is the “kind of stuff that sticks with you, it makes you better.”
– via Twitter tribjazz (https://twitter.com/tribjazz)

https://*********.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/92/2020/11/i_92_af_cb_shaquille-harrison.png?w=190Ben Anderson: Quin Snyder on Shaq Harrison: “He jumps out at you, that he can defend and defend the ball. (https://*********.com/social/) He’s got physicality.”
– via Twitter BensHoops (https://twitter.com/BensHoops)

Sarah Todd: Quin Snyder said that Shaquille Harrison is “nursing a broken hand.” (https://*********.com/social/) But made it sound like he’ll be able to be a part of practice soon.
– via Twitter NBASarah (https://twitter.com/NBASarah)

Xiao Yao You

12-10-2020, 06:05 PM

https://fansided.com/2020/12/10/25-under-25-2020-donovan-mitchell-utah-jazz-6/

He went off for 36 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists per game for the series, including two f50-pieces, and left an indelible image of how much players can care with him laying on the court, deflated after a Game 7 loss, with chin on arms and tears in his faraway eyes. We all realized the leader Mitchell is, despite his youth in the NBA, with his “…this is just the beginning…” remarks following that literal heartbreaker. We forget that Donovan Mitchell has been performing for three seasons now, driving the Utah Jazz to the playoffs in each one, and doing it with remarkable consistency and flair.

consistent leader?

There was no sophomore slump, even though Donovan Mitchell started his second year out slowly and now with the full attention of opposing coaching staffs, as he inched up most of his season averages and was 15th in the NBA in scoring. This past campaign saw him move up as the league’s 13th-highest scorer, as well as log the tenth most minutes to go along with the All-Star nod and historic playoff duel participant. (https://fansided.com/2020/08/31/donovan-mitchell-jamal-murray-game-6-postgame-reactions-whole-mood/)

started every year slowly

Donovan Mitchell has established himself as one of the most potent two-way players in the NBA

don't you have play D to be a two way player?

Xiao Yao You

12-11-2020, 03:16 AM

https://kslsports.com/448348/jazz-assimilating-new-coaches-shaq-harrison/

The Jazz entered training camp with an extra roster spot open in case they wanted to add an additional body. On Wednesday, the Jazz signed (https://kslsports.com/448263/jazz-sign-guard-shaquille-harrison/) former Chicago Bulls guard Shaq Harrison to a one year, minimum contract.

they have several spots

Xiao Yao You

12-11-2020, 03:25 AM

https://www.deseret.com/sports/2020/12/10/22166539/utah-jazz-news-donovan-mitchell-nba

First- and second-round playoff exits just aren’t going to cut it anymore. Mitchell wants to win a championship. So do the rest of his Utah Jazz teammates. Of course they do. And they also realize that in the grand scheme of things they won’t have many opportunities at that kind of glory.

better go elsewhere

Xiao Yao You

12-11-2020, 05:54 PM

Ben Anderson: Shaq Harrison on his timetable for a debut for the @UtahJazz. “I’m very close, My timetable isn’t for sure when I’m playing, but as of right now, I’m working out without my cast (https://*********.com/social/) and it’s been like that for three days.”
– via Twitter BensHoops (https://twitter.com/BensHoops)

not weeks! See how long it takes Snyder to fall in love with him and reduce the minutes of some others

Xiao Yao You

12-11-2020, 05:55 PM

Ben Anderson: Shaq Harrison said he broke his hand guarding James Harden in the offseason (https://*********.com/social/).
– via Twitter BensHoops (https://twitter.com/BensHoops)

Eric Walden: Shaquille Harrison, on his broken hand: “I was in Los Angeles playing a pick-up game at Mamba Sports Academy. James Harden was guarding me … my hand somehow got bent back. … Right now, I’m very close. My timetable isn’t for sure. Working out without my cast for 3 days now.” (https://*********.com/social/)
– via Twitter tribjazz (https://twitter.com/tribjazz)

Tony Jones: Harrison is now working out without the cast (https://*********.com/social/)
– via Twitter Tjonesonthenba (https://twitter.com/Tjonesonthenba)

Tony Jones: Harrison said he had been talking to the Jazz for awhile. He said the interest was mutual. Said he wanted the jazz as much as they wanted him (https://*********.com/social/)
– via Twitter Tjonesonthenba (https://twitter.com/Tjonesonthenba)

Eric Walden: Shaquille Harrison, on joining the Jazz: “We’ve been talking for awhile, we had some interest, felt like they’d be a great fit with the way I play.” (https://*********.com/social/)
– via Twitter tribjazz (https://twitter.com/tribjazz)

Xiao Yao You

12-11-2020, 05:59 PM

Eric Walden: Joe Ingles, on the familiarity of the team: “Quin will always teach, but there will be a lot less teaching because we know the way we want to play. … S—, there’s more changes to the coaching staff this year than there is with the roster.” (https://*********.com/social/)
– via Twitter tribjazz (https://twitter.com/tribjazz)

unfortunately

Xiao Yao You

12-11-2020, 06:01 PM

https://kslsports.com/448392/shaq-harrison-broke-hand-being-defended-by-james-harden/

The guard averages an impressive 1.1 steals per game during his three-year career, despite playing just 16.5 minutes per night.

hopefully he doesn't get them constantly gambling like the Matador

Xiao Yao You

12-11-2020, 06:06 PM

https://kslsports.com/448375/report-stars-opt-into-rumored-g-league-bubble/

Sources close to the Jazz have told KSL Sports the organization has had exploratory conversations about building a dedicated arena for the minor league team.

cool. Hopefully it will be a real minor league sooner than later

The Stars had the best record (30-12) in the G League Western Conference before play was suspended (https://kslsports.com/435606/nba-g-league-cancels-remainder-of-2019-20-season/?fbclid=IwAR05_XU9X_I3U-ohrTV3Qrd480vaEPVO_S8FLyEMome4sFBvsxc5vmVQNVw) last March.

was too bad they didn't get to pay for a championship. Could have quite a bit of that team back including their all gleaguer, Bluiett, Oni, Morgan, Goss the two draftees and other Exhibit 10 guys. I imagine they still have Wright Forman's rights as well? Maybe Mudiay wll have to play there as well?

Xiao Yao You

12-11-2020, 06:14 PM

https://saltcityhoops.com/dm-other-elite-guards-leap/

Judging by year three numbers, you could reasonably project Mitchell to be an elite guard in the league — if you don’t believe he is one already.

by no metric is he elite by today's standards. The analytics don't paint as bright of a picture as everyone else does. High usage/low efficency

Now, there’s reason to believe Mitchell could make a bigger leap than that. While his role, minutes, and teammates will be largely the same, he did show something in the Denver series. If his off-the-bounce three and foul drawing improve, his scoring numbers could climb significantly higher. Swapping floaters for more threes and free throws would also help his efficiency.

the fact that it happened in the bubble makes it a lot less meaningful

Among these compared players, assist changes seemed to rely more on role changes than player improvement. Rebounds are a similar story. With Mike Conley returning (and perhaps healthier than he was in 2019-20 when he missed 25 games), I wouldn’t expect Mitchell to see a bump in his assist numbers yet. We’ll see what happens if Conley eventually moves on and the Jazz start to use Mitchell more as a starting point guard.

Conley is the one playing off the ball. Plenty of opportunity for him to increase his assist numbers

These numbers don’t take defense into account. Mitchell has regressed a bit. He has the tools to be better, but I’m not holding out for a big jump here—it’s very hard to be an above-average defense player while being the primary offensive option, especially as a small guard.

Excuses! He needs to step up at that end regardless. They have plenty of offense. The D has to get better and him especially if your going to continue hyping him

Xiao Yao You

12-11-2020, 06:56 PM

Your point that more Cs will be 3 point shooters moving forward is a good, solid point! IDK if there will be enough 5-out teams to make Rudy’s interior D significantly less valuable in a few years than it is now. But it’s at least a thing JZ and DL will need to think thru with any Rudy extension talk.
*(Which was also the point: Jokic is a below-average 3point shooter who operates best at the elbow/in the paint. We took away his strength to force him/Den to beat us with something that isn’t his strength. And Jokic responded by being an elite 3-point shooter in the playoffs. Props to him! But that was a smart plan…one that almost led to a playoff sweep for us.)

Posted by l3uddyh011y (https://www.sbnation.com/users/l3uddyh011y) on Dec 11, 2020 | 10:11 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/11/22169140/what-is-going-on-with-the-rudy-gobert-contract-negotiations-nba-supermax-trade#534345243)

teams appear to be getting bigger again if anything

I also wonder if the contract won’t have incentives built in. Something like 5 years at 150 but if you are an all star or DPOY then you get a bonus of say 3-5 million that year.
That makes sure he performs to get that added value

Posted by brianH85 (https://www.sbnation.com/users/brianH85) on Dec 11, 2020 | 10:27 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/11/22169140/what-is-going-on-with-the-rudy-gobert-contract-negotiations-nba-supermax-trade#534345773)

that's what they should be looking at. He should get more than Mitchell or any other team can offer. Put in bonuses to get the deal done if need be

I think Gobert is not as good in the playoffs and as the jazz are now at probable contenders stage of things, this is something to really consider.
That said, I think the Jazz will pay him what ever he wants. With Gobert and Mitchell the jazz are potential contenders, though probably flawed because of the limits to Gobert’s game, but without Gobert, they are not in any way contenders. They have been working at this since they drafted Hayward 10 something years ago, and have gradually been climbing the mountain and are now within sight of the summit. If they don’t sign Gobert they slide half way down the mountain again. Both Gobert and Mitchell tuning out to be elite was lucky. There’s no guarantee that hitting on late draft picks will happen again, and its really unlikely the jazz will get a high pick for a long time.
So I think they will give into Gobert and try to make it work. Odds are favorable they will be (flawed) contenders for 4-5 years. If they get rid of Gobert, the odds they will be contenders anytime over the next ten years go way down.
One thing to remember is Conley comes off the books next year and opens up a big salary hole. Also, probably shouldn’t have signed Ingles for so much. Also, a good team built around Mitchell (but no Gobert) might be attractive to another top 10 free agent.

Posted by BoufantPuffydoo (https://www.sbnation.com/users/BoufantPuffydoo) on Dec 11, 2020 | 12:51 PM (https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/11/22169140/what-is-going-on-with-the-rudy-gobert-contract-negotiations-nba-supermax-trade#534351377)

they aren't a contender and they are a lottery team without Rudy. They are flawed because Mitchell plays one end ineffeciently. How would they get another free agent? Sign and trade for Clarkson?

Major Luxury tax issues next season!

Posted by AdMan59 (https://www.sbnation.com/users/AdMan59) on Dec 11, 2020 | 1:16 PM (https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/11/22169140/what-is-going-on-with-the-rudy-gobert-contract-negotiations-nba-supermax-trade#534352299)

which is why it's stupid to pay it this year for this team

Am I the only one that see the limits to DM's game as more obvious than the limits to Gobert's game?

Every player has limitations. People criticize Rudy because he can’t do what Mitchell does, but nobody criticizes Mitchell for not being able to do what Rudy does.
They are both very good players, and perfectly complimentary. Mitchell needs a teammate exactly like Gobert, and Gobert needs a teammate exactly like Mitchell.
Yeah, it would be nice if Rudy could develop a 10-ft jumper and improve his passing. It would also be nice if Mitchell could improve his shot selection, efficiency, defense, and be a more willing passer.

Posted by Kira Argonova (https://www.sbnation.com/users/Kira%20Argonova) on Dec 11, 2020 | 2:39 PM (https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/11/22169140/what-is-going-on-with-the-rudy-gobert-contract-negotiations-nba-supermax-trade#534354713)

someone gets it. Without Rudy they suck. Without Mitchell they are still competitive

Rudy is at the top defensively while just average on the offensive end.
The value from the NBA would be around $30M at best for Rudy IMO.
For the Jazz though he is worth more.
Being eligible for the Supermax does not mean being worth the supermax. Rudy is a limited player, but very important to the Jazz.
To me he is just like Donovan who received a "Max" (Rookie@25%) deal. Given Rudy’s deal at the max level would be at 30%, which is 5% more than DM. Rudy at the Max would be $190M/5yrs plus any incentives.
I still think that’s too much for the center position put not sure if the Jazz can get away any cheaper.
That’s paying Rudy $43M in his 5th year. That seems obscene.

Posted by AdMan59 (https://www.sbnation.com/users/AdMan59) on Dec 11, 2020 | 12:58 PM (https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/11/22169140/what-is-going-on-with-the-rudy-gobert-contract-negotiations-nba-supermax-trade#534351640)

1 of the best offensive players in the game

Rudy might not be the most skilled offensive player on the team, but he is easily the most valuable offensive player on the team.

Posted by Kira Argonova (https://www.sbnation.com/users/Kira%20Argonova) on Dec 11, 2020 | 2:54 PM (https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/11/22169140/what-is-going-on-with-the-rudy-gobert-contract-negotiations-nba-supermax-trade#534355048)

this guy gets it!

Xiao Yao You

12-11-2020, 06:56 PM

If he isn’t interested in a much cheaper contract

Deal him away. I honestly don’t like his attitude anyways. He sulks too much.
We have Favors who can start at Center. Azubuike who is our future Center in reserve.
Plus we should be able to pull in a ton of assets in a trade. Young players and draft picks.

Posted by Matt_Grbac (https://www.sbnation.com/users/Matt_Grbac) on Dec 11, 2020 | 8:34 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/11/22169140/what-is-going-on-with-the-rudy-gobert-contract-negotiations-nba-supermax-trade#534341628)

Tanking! They aren't getting much in a trade. They aren't winning with Favors

Rudy might be miffed since Mitchell’s deal is 5/163 (maybe 5/195), and he might be insisting on at least the low end of Donovan’s contract, but even a 5/150 would still show over a quarter-billion dollar total investment by the Jazz over Rudy’s two long-term contracts, so hopefully Gobert recognizes both the enormity of that financial commitment and the competitive repercussions of insisting on more.
I’m not optimistic though. I see this being contentious past the deadline. I guess we’ll see.

Posted by Korumbian (https://www.sbnation.com/users/Korumbian) on Dec 11, 2020 | 8:45 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/11/22169140/what-is-going-on-with-the-rudy-gobert-contract-negotiations-nba-supermax-trade#534341960)

Why should he consider taking less than a guy that has yet to do what Rudy did 6 years ago? Rudy already took a discount on his last contract despite doing a lot more than Mitchell has to get his potential super max

The pick of Azubuike and Favors’ three year deal (together) only make sense to me if the Jazz are planning for Rudy’s potential departure.
The moves tell me that they do not plan to offer the full supermax, and that they believe Rudy may demand more than they want to offer.

Posted by I'mJazzed (https://www.sbnation.com/users/I'mJazzed) on Dec 11, 2020 | 8:47 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/11/22169140/what-is-going-on-with-the-rudy-gobert-contract-negotiations-nba-supermax-trade#534342054)

Udoka made sense regardless. Favors spotting up from 3 doesn't unless Rudy is gone and than they need to look to trade all their old guys anyway and start gathering assets

That is why I would only offer a 4 year max deal at just north of 30 million. That basically means he replaces Conleys contract next year and Mitchell slots into Goberts. So the Jazz still have a full cap and need a replacement at pg near the minimum. Mitchell can take that spot. But then you need Need a backup still.

Posted by brianH85 (https://www.sbnation.com/users/brianH85) on Dec 11, 2020 | 9:56 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/11/22169140/what-is-going-on-with-the-rudy-gobert-contract-negotiations-nba-supermax-trade#534344770)

Hopefully they can get takers for Bojan, Ingles, Clarkson, Favors contracts if anything

Ingle’s contract is not aging well.

Posted by Palmetto Bug (https://www.sbnation.com/users/Palmetto%20Bug) on Dec 11, 2020 | 10:09 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/11/22169140/what-is-going-on-with-the-rudy-gobert-contract-negotiations-nba-supermax-trade#534345207)

wasn't when they extended it. Typical Jazz move

We might see a solid above average year from ingles. His game doesn’t rely on quickness so I don’t see age being much of a factor.

Posted by brianH85 (https://www.sbnation.com/users/brianH85) on Dec 11, 2020 | 10:31 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/11/22169140/what-is-going-on-with-the-rudy-gobert-contract-negotiations-nba-supermax-trade#534345925)

He's declined the part two years

And a single year contract for a guy is tradeable if needed for either a longer contract from someone looking for short term flexibility or by throwing in a second rounder or two.
I am not too worried.
The west is stacked this year at pg/sg with Curry, Harden, Lillard, Booker, George, and Doncic. Unless Mitchell has a full season like the playoffs I don’t see the super max kicking in meaning his salary would be about 33 million a year in that scenario.
That is a good aim for Gobert too.

Posted by brianH85 (https://www.sbnation.com/users/brianH85) on Dec 11, 2020 | 11:26 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/11/22169140/what-is-going-on-with-the-rudy-gobert-contract-negotiations-nba-supermax-trade#534348071)

continuing to trade picks to get rid of bad deals isn't a good strategy

Last season was a down year for Ingles and the best season of Clarkson’s career, and Ingles was still more valuable.
Ingles is a better shooter, gets a lot more steals, and about 2.5x more assists. Ingles also has better advanced stats (OWS, DWS, Total WS, VORP). Clarkson has a better BPM, helped by the fact that he played with the bench.
I wonder if all of the negativity about Ingles is due to his poor playoff showing, but the bubble was weird and a very small sample size.

Posted by Kira Argonova (https://www.sbnation.com/users/Kira%20Argonova) on Dec 11, 2020 | 2:26 PM (https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/11/22169140/what-is-going-on-with-the-rudy-gobert-contract-negotiations-nba-supermax-trade#534354398)

but Clarkson sucks. Ingles has declined the past two years

Xiao Yao You

12-11-2020, 06:57 PM

https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/11/22169140/what-is-going-on-with-the-rudy-gobert-contract-negotiations-nba-supermax-trade

The Jazz and the Bucks are in inverse situations. The Bucks would love nothing more than to give Giannis the supermax any day, Utah is doing everything they can to get a contract as far away from the supermax while still keeping Rudy in Utah.

and if they're trying to pay him less than Mitchell or what other teams can pay him than he needs to say no

Gobert is an elite, all-nba force and he deserves a BIG contract but, and it’s a huge but, if Utah gives him that money they are putting a hard ceiling on what the team is now and in the near future. Utah has also designed everything they do around Gobert’s strengths. So if things fall apart with Gobert midway through the contract it’s almost certainly untradable because he won’t fit as seamlessly with other teams. On top of that the center position is one of the most undervalued in the league right now. Considering the chemistry issues last season, these are real concerns.

they've already capped out on what they can do with the current roster and their future payments to them. No contract is untradeable as we continue to see

Now, it could be that the ceiling for the Jazz is the western conference finals, or maybe even beyond. The Jazz will find that out this season.

We've already found it. Going back in time with Favors again doesn't change that

It’s looking like December 21st is a big day for the Jazz. By December 22nd we’ll know if Gobert is going to be on the Jazz for a long while or if the Jazz might be looking for some sort of move. One thing is for sure, going through another Hayward situation is out of the question. This Christmas is going to be a unique one for sure.

Not comparable. Rudy is without a doubt the 3rd most important member of the organization ever. Hayward was a 2nd fiddle as is everyone's darling Mitchell

Too much

Giving Rudy anything more than a regular max is a mistake and I’m glad the FO has taken a hard stance on this. In fact, I think the target is just below a regular max.

Posted by J-Note (https://www.sbnation.com/users/J-Note) on Dec 11, 2020 | 7:42 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/11/22169140/what-is-going-on-with-the-rudy-gobert-contract-negotiations-nba-supermax-trade#534339782)

As long as tanking is your thing. He is the franchise as we've seen before he emerged and the 3 times he missed a month

Rudy at the max is 30% of Salary cap. Donovan’s Rookie max is 25%, so Rudy’s ego shouldn’t be hurt.
My Rudy extension would look like this (Same for 3yrs then declining);
Year 1 $32.8M+Incentives
Year 2 $32.8M+Incentives
Year 3 $32.8M+Incentives
Year 4 $30.3M+Incentives
Year 5 $27.5M+Incentives (Team option, partially guaranteed)
Equaling: $ 156.2 +Incentives

Posted by AdMan59 (https://www.sbnation.com/users/AdMan59) on Dec 11, 2020 | 2:08 PM (https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/11/22169140/what-is-going-on-with-the-rudy-gobert-contract-negotiations-nba-supermax-trade#534353990)

Mitchell could get supermax. No way would I take less than what Mitchell could potentially get

Even $133 Mil is too much

Rudy Gobert is one of the most underrated players in the league, but you have to be at least top 10 to even think about a supermax. In my opinion not even all of those players are worth that much money. And Gobert is not top 10. That said, Rudy is a great player and extremely valuable to the Jazz, but I think somewhere on the order of 4 years $100 million would be best for both sides and accurately reflects Rudy’s value.

Posted by PianoGuy13 (https://www.sbnation.com/users/PianoGuy13) on Dec 11, 2020 | 8:18 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/11/22169140/what-is-going-on-with-the-rudy-gobert-contract-negotiations-nba-supermax-trade#534341017)

highly debatable. Not many guys carry their teams at both ends of the floor

I don’t either

I just think that would be ideal. And I agree about Rudy needing to feel valued. I truly think Gobert will end up with the regular max, and his agent is just waiting until the last second to make sure the Jazz really won’t offer more. No sense in rushing into things.

Posted by PianoGuy13 (https://www.sbnation.com/users/PianoGuy13) on Dec 11, 2020 | 8:32 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/11/22169140/what-is-going-on-with-the-rudy-gobert-contract-negotiations-nba-supermax-trade#534341532)

than he should leave and go to a franchise that is serious about winning

Xiao Yao You

12-11-2020, 08:03 PM

The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has signed guard Trevon Bluiett (https://www.nba.com/jazz/utah-jazz-sign-trevon-bluiett).
– via NBA.com (https://www.nba.com/jazz/utah-jazz-sign-trevon-bluiett)

I could see him on the roster and even fighting for those last rotation minutes. Not sure why you wouldn't just have him in camp to start

Xiao Yao You

12-12-2020, 08:24 AM

https://www.ksl.com/article/50065131/everybody-loves-fav-even-derrick-favors-new-jazz-teammates-are-excited-to-have-him-in-utah

"You're reminded as a coach of really why you do this: to have a chance to go through the good and the bad times with someone that you rely on and trust," Quin Snyder said. "And that's a special part of the job, and I think it's unique to team sports."

the fact that you trust Favors spotting up for 3 in the corner is reason enough as to why you shouldn't be the coach

With Favors returning to fill the backup center role — a role the Jazz didn't quite realize the importance of until he left — the debate over whether or not he and Gobert can play together shouldn't need to begin again. The same can be said about the persistent trade rumors that followed Favors during his first stint in Utah. But it didn't take long for those to be hinted at once again.

I think they realized how important it was. They spent their money last year on Ed Davis instead of a starting 4

In a season preview (https://theathletic.com/2241657/2020/12/10/hollinger-2020-21-jazz-preview-lineup-predictions-and-rudy-goberts-future/) in The Athletic, John Hollinger (who was critical of the move to bring back Favors) did write "Favors was the best available player in free agency and thus could have trade value in-season." When Snyder said things felt normal, he probably wasn't referring to that. But Favors' teammates, both the old and the new, think things will work just fine.

Hollinger seems to get it. Believe he's the one that said Shaq was their best move

"I mean, I think that he's gonna be great for us," Bogdanovic said. "His basketball IQ is pretty high, he's got playoff experience which is most important for us … and he's going to give us depth to play either with the two bigs or helping the second unit. So I'm happy that he's here with us and I think that he's gonna be a big part of what we are doing."

the two bigs part sounds good except for Favors spotting up in the corner for 3

Clarkson could be one of the biggest beneficiaries of Favors' return. He'll now have an experienced screener and pick-and-roll man to play with in the second unit. That should make life a little easier for the guard who had to do most of the heavy lifting on the second unit last season.

like Clarkson wants a screen! :roll:

"He's a great screen setter so I know he'll get me open," Clarkson said. "I know he's able to catch, finish and make plays, so he's definitely a big factor of this second unit and this team. Excited to play with him, excited to run him, just glad that he's here."

He had the best screen setter Rudy on the floor with him in the bubble yet Rudy, Mitchell and Conley stood around watching #1 option Clarkson go 1 on 5

Wish everybody had loved Millsap as much as they love Favors. Might have done something special

Xiao Yao You

12-12-2020, 09:25 PM

https://www.slcdunk.com/2020/12/12/22171339/utah-jazz-open-nba-preseason-against-the-phoenix-suns

According to the Jazz Mike Conley and Royce O’neale will be out for rest and Shaq Harrison is still nursing a broken right hand.

Figured Bojan might be out. Royce must be the other one with the Trump virus

Are we going to see players moving well within the system? Utah has made very little adjustments to the main components of the roster. And adding Derrick Favors means they have a player already familiar with Quin Snyder and his systems.

you mean besides Clarkson?

Do we get to see the rookies play?

I imagine with the 3rd unit for a bit late

For a #27 pick and a #39 pick there’s a good amount of hype. Some of that comes from typical fanaticism but some of that also comes from a 2020 NBA draft (https://www.sbnation.com/nba-draft) that was remarkably deep.

most of it comes from Udoka sounding like he could be a bigger Rudy and Hughes getting guaranteed money for two years while Tucker was traded and Brantley is back on a two way

Utah made a surprise pick at #27 picking Udoka Azubuike. Fans were surprised because they passed on other well esteemed players that were available at that spot like Desmond Bane or Xavier Tillman. It may be another example of the front office knowing better than fans with some of the reports out of camp.

center was what they needed so he seems to make perfect sense. Hughes instead of a 1 not so much. Want to see the Rubio wannabe

Azubuike has a chance to turn heads, and he needs to if he wants to see any playing time. The Jazz have said that they plan on having Derrick Favors play mostly backup center which means that Azubuike will have to leapfrog Favors to get regular minutes. That is very unlikely. More likely is that we see Azubuike get big minutes in the preseason and then in the regular season get occasional minutes when the Jazz have games where they use a Favors/Gobert front court. Against a team like the Los Angeles Lakers (https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/), for example.

doubt he gets big minutes except in the bubble with the Stars and if Rudy is traded

So for Jazz fans, tonight is a big chance to see Azubuike in action. Does he surprise with his size and athleticism? Let’s hope so because it was definitely a surprise pick and Utah had other options at that spot.

sounds like the best option

This will also be a chance to see #39 pick Elijah Hughes. Hughes comes with a polished offensive game. His defense is a bit of a question mark because he comes from playing a zone at Syracuse. So tonight should be fun to see how he plays with the Jazz. Hughes has a lot of tools to be excited about. Normally I wouldn’t expect much from a #39 pick but there are reasons to be excited about the potential with Hughes. He has nice size (he’s listed as 6”6’) and his jumpshot looks like it will translate nicely to the NBA. He also looks like he has a strong frame (listed at 215 lbs.)

wingspan isn't much and he didn't hit the 3 in college

I still think the Jazz team is weak at the PF position. The Jazz doesn’t have much money or assets available to sign a free agent PF or trade for a PF on another team’s roster. However, I think that a roster slot used for developing a stretch-4 player would be much better utilized—both for the present and the future—than a roster slot being used on Nigel Williams-Goss, who is effectively the 7th-string point guard for the Jazz (behind Conley, Mitchell, Ingles, Harrison, Clarkson and Forrest).
Skal Labissierre is still available as a free agent. He’s a player with 4 years of NBA experience, so his vet minimum salary would be the same as Harrison’s salary—$1,678,854—only $160,873 more than the current salary of Williams-Goss ($1,517,981). He has all the attributes to become a good stretch-4 PF, but still needs some development, whereas he has not played that much in his first four years in the NBA. He is tall, long, athletic, and has a nice shooting stroke. He also has nimble feet and shotblocking ability. His weaknesses are strength and motor. He would be an ideal project player to attempt to groom as a stretch-4 PF. He basically has the size and length of center, but will probably never have the strength and toughness to bang in the post. However, as a PF, he would not need to be as strong and tough, and has the skill set to become a good stretch-4 PF who can also play some defense and get rebounds.
That is the one tweak of the Jazz roster I would still like to for the upcoming season.

Posted by Fesenko for President (https://www.sbnation.com/users/Fesenko%20for%20President) on Dec 12, 2020 | 2:29 PM (https://www.slcdunk.com/2020/12/12/22171339/utah-jazz-open-nba-preseason-against-the-phoenix-suns#534387943)

No starting 4 other than Favors spotting up for 3 is pretty weak eh? They are already developing Brantley and Morgan! Goss isn't behind Forrest and shouldn't be behind a guy that won't pass. He's a good pg. Not sure if he's an NBA pg. I like Skal but again is he better than the guys they have? They need a starter not another young guy.

Xiao Yao You

12-12-2020, 09:46 PM

https://www.slcdunk.com/2020/12/12/21565933/utah-jazz-second-year-players-preview-miye-oni-jarrell-brantley-juwan-morgan

Let’s be pretty clear - with the signing of Shaquille Harrison, Nigel Williams-Goss is highly likely to be cut, given their overlapping positions and Williams-Goss’ non-guaranteed contract. Justin Wright-Foreman, despite a G-League All-Star award, was not offered another two-way contract, so he may or may not choose to stay in the Jazz organization given the glut of players ahead of him. And, Rayjon Tucker was traded to the Cavs, who waived him; he’ll see action as part of the Clippers.

They have the roster space so they can carry Goss. Be interesting to see if Forman plays with the Stars

Harrison also eats into Miye Oni’s playing time. Oni has been mentioned as a potential contributor as a perimeter defender, with a dangerous enough outside shot, which also happened to be Harrison’s role on the Bulls the last two years. While Oni hasn’t been able to really show his abilities at the NBA level, he did beat out all of the other draftees for the final roster spot last year, and has shown that he can play as a ball-handler in the Jazz system in the G-League, with excellent shooting, rebounds, and assists.

remains to be seen if Harrison will be ahead of any of these guys. Oni didn't shoot great to start the year. Horrible in fact

Juwan Morgan and Jarrell Brantley both fulfill the-end-of-bench four-spot role. Behind Bojan Bogdanovic, Georges Niang, and the occasional minutes Royce O’Neale, Joe Ingles, and Derrick Favors will play at the spot, it’s unlikely that Morgan or Brantley will have much of a direct impact. However, it is worth mentioning that the Jazz looked particularly stable in the playoffs with Morgan starting, losing Game 1 in overtime and absolutely blowing out the Nuggets in Game 2 (small sample size, I know, I know). His Game 1 plus minus was a team +17; Niang was the next highest at +3 (though single-game plus-minus statistics should always be taken with a huge grain of salt). But with no one on the team able to truly match up with the forward mismatches along the likes of Lebron, Kevin Durant, and Kawhi Leonard, we may see Morgan play crucial minutes to reduce the workload that rests upon Royce and to a lesser extent Bojan and Jingles - Coach Quin clearly trusted him enough to start him and double his role in the playoffs.

Brantley and Morgan should both be in the mix for the minutes. The open roster space ideally will remain flexible if they need to convert Brantley into a regular deal at some point

Brantley is also a candidate for a bigger role. Brantley’s G-League numbers smell a little bit like Draymond Green’s, and with similar physical profiles, it would be excellent for him to gain experience at a higher level to develop into a Draymond-like player. It’s clear he dominates at a lower level, also having been selected as a G-League All-Star this past season, but NBA level performance can only come with experience and exposure. It is notable that Brantley is still on a two-way contract, so his time with the main team is still limited only 45 days across the season. With a more compressed season, his number may be called more often.

He can be with the team more this year and again with their flexibility roster wise they shouldn't be worried about that

I'm not sure why the Jazz is so enamored with playing Georges Niang as the team's primary backup PF this season, even though he is an excellent 3-point shooter.
He’s about the same size and has almost identical physical characteristics to that of Kyle Korver, who has never been considered to be a PF by any NBA management team. I’m guessing the only reason the Jazz want to play Niang at PF is because he’s even slower than Korver, and therefore, doesn’t have the minimum level of quickness to effectively guard NBA small forwards or guards. The problem with Niang playing the PF position is that he also doesn’t have the size, athleticism or physicality to effectively guard PFs or centers (or to effectively rebound against them)—even the smaller, less-physical ones. He’s basically a "tweener" in this NBA era when the word "tweener" is a dirty word, and the phrase "position-less basketball" is all the vogue.
I’m not saying that Niang still doesn’t have considerable value for the Jazz. In the right scenario, if Niang can come into the game for a few minutes, and nail 3 or 4 3-point shots in a row (which he has done on occasion)—without being a terrible liability on the defensive end—he can be a true difference maker for the Jazz. However, I think the Jazz need to carefully pick and choose the type of situations where Niang plays. If he comes into the game, gets 3 or 4 shots on offense, but only scores 4-5 points on those 3 or 4 shots, and then gives up 6 or 8 points on the defensive end, that doesn’t help the Jazz. He’s the type of player who can help a team win by his great shooting, or can help a team lose, if his shooting is a little off and he gets skewered on the defensive end by a bad defensive matchup. Therefore, his game isn’t really suited for him to be a regular rotation player as the 2nd string PF, in my opinion. Even Juwan Morgan—who really hasn’t yet really shown a high level of NBA talent—seems much better suited for that role. Perhaps Jarrell Brantley—who has shown flashes of NBA talent—will be able to play backup PF for the Jazz, even though he’s a bit undersized for the position (though not nearly as undersized as Niang).
My only disappointment of Jazz management in the off season is that management has been content to bring back the same assortment of pieces-who-don’t-quite-fit in order to man the backup PF position.

Posted by Fesenko for President (https://www.sbnation.com/users/Fesenko%20for%20President) on Dec 12, 2020 | 3:32 PM (https://www.slcdunk.com/2020/12/12/21565933/utah-jazz-second-year-players-preview-miye-oni-jarrell-brantley-juwan-morgan#534390984)

remains to be seen if Niang plays ahead of them. Brantley has a 7'2 wingspan and a big body. He's hardly undersized! Would have been disappointing if they didn't bring back some of the 6 rookies. Made no sense to carry them unless they really saw something in them

We have two very good PF’s:
Bogey and Favors.

Posted by Kira Argonova (https://www.sbnation.com/users/Kira%20Argonova) on Dec 12, 2020 | 3:56 PM (https://www.slcdunk.com/2020/12/12/21565933/utah-jazz-second-year-players-preview-miye-oni-jarrell-brantley-juwan-morgan#534391912)

:roll:

I really don’t understand the hesitancy to have 10 minutes a game with Derrick and Rudy on the floor together.
They were positive before and now the Jazz have better shooters so I want to see it!
No O’Neale tonight

Posted by AdMan59 (https://www.sbnation.com/users/AdMan59) on Dec 12, 2020 | 5:16 PM (https://www.slcdunk.com/2020/12/12/21565933/utah-jazz-second-year-players-preview-miye-oni-jarrell-brantley-juwan-morgan#534394430)

They have better shooters because they are wide open. With Favors man leaving him they won't be!

Xiao Yao You

12-12-2020, 09:55 PM

Tony Jones: Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder said he wants to see a lot of the concepts the Jazz established in the bubble translate to tonight’s preseason opener. The Jazz want to play faster (https://*********.com/social/)
– via Twitter Tjonesonthenba (https://twitter.com/Tjonesonthenba)

Tony Jones: Quin Snyder: with how many shooters we have, it makes sense to take more shots (https://*********.com/social/)
– via Twitter Tjonesonthenba (https://twitter.com/Tjonesonthenba)

Ben Anderson: Derrick Favors won’t start tonight according to Quin Snyder (https://*********.com/social/).
– via Twitter BensHoops (https://twitter.com/BensHoops)

Tony Jones: Quin Snyder: our team is very different from a year and a half ago when we had Rudy and Fav (Derrick Favors). Spacing is important to us and with fav and rudy the space is different….and that’s ok (https://*********.com/social/)
– via Twitter Tjonesonthenba (https://twitter.com/Tjonesonthenba)

Tony Jones: Quin Snyder: Derrick has been terrific playing the five (center)…his rim protection has been terrific with our second unit (https://*********.com/social/)
– via Twitter Tjonesonthenba (https://twitter.com/Tjonesonthenba)

Nothing about D is worrisome. Scoring points wasn't a concern though with Favors spotting up for 3 it might be

Xiao Yao You

12-13-2020, 08:01 AM

Based on the that game I'd start Morgan. O'Neale off the bench at the 4 and wing. No Favors from the corner was a relief. Clarkson wasn't as bad as he can be. Niang should still be ahead of Oni for the 10th spot until Shaq enters the equation. Goss can't be cut so easily! Not sure if he can defend in the NBA still. Hughes looked good. He isn't shy but at least no Clarkson yet. Forrest looked good too. Can they teach him to shoot?

Xiao Yao You

12-13-2020, 08:09 AM

https://kslsports.com/448530/new-old-faces-flourish-in-jazz-preseason-win/

Though Favors and Gobert never shared the floor, the backup big man did see time with Bogdanovic and second-year forward Juwan Morgan.

Bojan isn't a big line up. You have to play big

While Morgan and Favors stand just 6’8, they bring much-needed length and physicality to the team’s rotation.

You mean Bojan? He's not long and physical. They kept saying Morgan was undersized. Don't know his wingspan but he looks and plays like a 4 despite his height

Guard Miye Oni brought additional length in his defense against Suns star Devin Booker. Oni played 25 minutes, and though he scored just three points on 1-6 shooting, he proved to be a valuable body on the defensive end.

got to hit shots though!

Xiao Yao You

12-13-2020, 08:23 AM

https://www.sltrib.com/sports/jazz/2020/12/12/triple-team-jazz-open/

That’s a step forward for a guy who has already made big strides in the number of threes he takes. As a rookie, Clarkson only shot one of every five looks from beyond the arc. That’s steadily improved, now it’s about 47% of his looks. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Clarkson get over 50% of his shots from behind the arc this year. And that’s a good thing: it opens up space for others, keeps Clarkson efficient, and reduces some of the folly of his other midrange attempts.

space for others to watch Clarkson go 1 on 5?

Without a summer league, there’s been precious little opportunity to evaluate some of the players at the end of the roster. In particular, it’s been a shame not to be able to give time and coaching opportunity to guys like Udoka Azuibuike, Elijah Hughes, Miye Oni, Jarrell Brantley, Juwan Morgan, Trent Forrest, and Nigel Williams-Goss a chance to show what they can do.

Tucker and Wright Forman as well as some of the Stars and guys that are now on Exhibit 10's

Oni looked poised to gain a back-of-rotation spot going into the regular season, but the signing of Shaq Harrison makes that less likely — Harrison has the longer NBA track record of NBA defensive success. But there will be plenty of nights like this one in this NBA season too, where a wing can’t play in the rotation for whatever reason. Joe Ingles, Mike Conley, and Bojan Bogdanovic are all over 30, at some point someone will get COVID-19, and so on. Oni will likely be asked to contribute, and he didn’t look out of place in that scenario.

has to be able to knock down open shots

But there were also times when the excitement put him out of position, leading to easy rebounds or layups for Phoenix. He also struggled defensively on the perimeter a little bit. He’s got a decent shot to lead the league in blocks per minute, but will take some time to be a true impact player defensively — similar to Mitchell Robinson in New York.

as long as they sign Gobert he has nothing but time

• Elijah Hughes looked smooth offensively and pretty rough defensively. You never want to say you’ve been put through the ringer by Langston Galloway, but when Galloway earned an and-one on a 3-pointer, that’s exactly what happened. But I liked Hughes offense, and in particular, his willingness to take threes immediately off the catch and a couple of feet behind the line.

Not sure how willing he should be if he can't hit them

• I continue to love Juwan Morgan, because the guy just makes good decisions all the time. He’s not a very good athlete, but plays within himself, rebounds, and passes the ball extremely well. Tonight, the 3-ball went down — he scored 11 points on 3-4 3-point shooting. If that’s a weapon, he’ll stay in the league.

It's a weapon. He defends too. Start him!

And then he turned it around, made his threes, got to the free-throw line repeatedly, and ended up with 15 points in 15 minutes. It was a quiet 15 points, but 15 points is 15 points! I still believe he’s facing an uphill battle to make the regular season roster, but we’ll see.

you could do worse. He's a good player. Not sure an NBA player though. Need another vet ideally

Xiao Yao You

12-13-2020, 08:29 AM

https://www.deseret.com/sports/2020/12/12/22170833/utah-jazz-bojan-bogdanovic-phoenix-suns-nba

Looked like they were letting Niang show off his skills more posting up and running some pick and roll as well which makes him that much more valuable

Xiao Yao You

12-13-2020, 08:34 AM

https://www.deseret.com/sports/2020/12/12/22158986/instant-analysis-utah-jazz-phoenix-suns-jordan-clarkson-derrick-favors-preseason-nba

Instant analysis: Jazz beat Suns as Jordan Clarkson steals the show and Derrick Favors returns in perfect fashion

If gunning is your thing than sure Clarkson was the man! :facepalm

I had nearly forgotten that one of my favorite parts of having Clarkson on the Jazz is that on a nightly basis we get to watch him get millimeters away from losing his handle and then somehow regain control and make a circus play of some sort. I’m going to go ahead and say that he’s the best in the NBA at that very specific thing.

not really a good thing

There were at least two instances on Saturday when Miye Oni was wide open for a 3 and seemed a little surprised or not ready when he received the ball from a teammate and then shot the ball a little flat. It was like he didn’t completely get his legs underneath him before taking the shot. This could just be first-night jitters, which would be super understandable, but Oni’s ability to knock down shots, especially the corner 3s, is tightly tied to him being able to break into the Jazz’s regular rotation.

He's been more comfortable on the elbow than the corner

It was great to see Bojan Bogdanovic back on the court, and there were certainly some flashes of what he’s capable of, but it’s going to take some time for him to get back to the old Bogey we’ve come to know and love. That’s not a bad thing. The guy hadn’t shot a live-game 3-pointer since March and is just coming off wrist surgery on his shooting hand. He went 2-of-6 from deep against the Suns. He’ll get there.

You wouldn't know it but he sucked last pre season and everyone was worried. Put that to bed in game 1

Before the game, Suns coach Monty Williams made a point to say that the preseason is no time to mess around because Phoenix is still a team that needs to earn respect around the league. Well, it’s kind of hard to really take the Suns seriously when Chris Paul, Jae Crowder and Dario Saric aren’t playing.

yep they are being overrated. Prove something first

Preseason games aren’t really the place to judge the defensive abilities of an NBA team. Rotations are all over the place, a certain percentage of players aren’t going to give it everything they have because it truly doesn’t count, and half the game is basically a G League contest, so we’ll have to wait and see where the Jazz are on that end of the floor.

where they stand could depend on Snyder. Is Morgan starting?

Xiao Yao You

12-13-2020, 08:52 AM

Wow you really hate Goss

He played all of 50 minutes last year. That isn’t enough to make a conclusion about a player. If he didn’t earn a roster spot tonight then it would’ve been impossible for him to.

Posted by Ethan Renshaw (https://www.sbnation.com/users/Ethan%20Renshaw) on Dec 13, 2020 | 1:14 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/2020/12/12/22172144/utah-jazz-defeat-phoenix-suns-in-nba-preseason-opener-donovan-mitchell-devin-booker-jordan-clarkson#534407940)

I love to read the opinions of people that haven't seen these guys with the Stars too!

The Jazz have at least 4-5 players on the team who can fill the point guard role better than Williams-Goss. Williams-Goss has a skill set that probably at least 10-15 other fringe NBA players have, as well, and he’s at an age and at a level of experience where he is probably not going to get much better, so he could easily be replaced. I watched him in summer league several years ago when he was first drafted by the Jazz and did not observe any particular skill or attribute that would make him anything other than a very marginal NBA player. After playing over in Europe for a couple of years, when he came back to the Jazz last season, he had improved from the time he was drafted by the Jazz, but I still did not observe any particular skill or attribute that made him anything other than a very marginal NBA player. Watching him play tonight, although he has improved a bit over last season, I still did not observe any particular skill or attribute that made him anything other than a very marginal NBA player. And, his overall skill set is redundant on this particular Jazz team, and could be replaced by the skill sets of several other players currently on the team.
Instead of simply signing, trading for, or drafting a bona fide NBA PF during the off-season, the Jazz appeared to be trying to somehow create a PF from off of the bargain-basement, NBA scrap heap. Niang is a good shooter, but is not a good defender or rebounder, so objectively, he is only a marginal NBA player. In fact, I don’t think he will ever be even as good as the player he replaced—Jonas Jerebko, who is now out of the NBA altogether. Morgan seems to be better than Niang, and might be able to be developed into an NBA rotation-level stretch-4 PF, but currently appears to still be at least a year to two away from achieving that status. If the Jazz wants to be a serious contender this season, I would hope that the Jazz would quit "dinkin’ around" in trying to turn either Niang or Morgan into a rotation level stretch-4 PF, or in repeating the failed strategy of playing an undersized SF at the PF position, and just find a player who can already competently play the PF position.
Therefore, although I don’t hate Williams-Goss or Niang, I would just prefer to have a better player or players than Williams-Goss or Niang on the team, who could competently play the PF position.

Posted by Fesenko for President (https://www.sbnation.com/users/Fesenko%20for%20President) on Dec 13, 2020 | 2:29 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/2020/12/12/22172144/utah-jazz-defeat-phoenix-suns-in-nba-preseason-opener-donovan-mitchell-devin-booker-jordan-clarkson#534408178)

3 guys. Clarkson isn't a point and Forrest has played one game and can't shoot. You had him 7th earlier so he's moving up! Most guys don't impress in their first summer league. They don't think they need a 4 for whatever reason. Niang is one of the most skilled offensive players on the team. I liked Jonas too though. I'd love a starting 4 but who is available now? Morgan might be their best option. Not sure how you can't be impressed by him. He was solid last year when he played. If he hits the 3 he should start

We probably could’ve gotten someone for that role with the MLE, but I think most would agree last year showed backup center was a much more urgent need.
Goss also definitely fills a need for the team. He’s the only natural point guard on the team besides Conley. If Conley or Ingles have to miss time due to injury or COVID, we need someone like him to run the second unit, much like Mudiay did last year when Conley went out. Goss can definitely fill that role at least as well as Mudiay, perhaps better. He’s halfway between when Jingles and Royce came into the nba after following a similar path. He’s got great size for a pg, can handle the ball, defend and pass well enough. He’s great finishing inside and can get to the line. If his shot is falling like it was against the suns he has a lot to offer. I just don’t see how someone can watch him play like he did and not think he deserves a shot at an nba roster. That just screams refusing to change your mind about a player with barley a full game of nba playtime.

Posted by Ethan Renshaw (https://www.sbnation.com/users/Ethan%20Renshaw) on Dec 13, 2020 | 4:14 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/2020/12/12/22172144/utah-jazz-defeat-phoenix-suns-in-nba-preseason-opener-donovan-mitchell-devin-booker-jordan-clarkson#534408573)

Already had a serviceable cheap backup center that will just get better. They thought that was more important last year and it killed them with Davis and no 4. Goss might be a better pg than Mudiay. He's not the scorer he is but fits what they do better. Can he defend?

Xiao Yao You

12-13-2020, 08:52 AM

https://www.slcdunk.com/2020/12/12/22172144/utah-jazz-defeat-phoenix-suns-in-nba-preseason-opener-donovan-mitchell-devin-booker-jordan-clarkson

In the second half, Quin rested his starters, and we got to see our bench play extended minutes. Lot’s of guys impressed, including Juwan Morgan (https://www.sbnation.com/nba/players/336713/juwan-morgan) who had 11 points, 7 rebounds, and shot 3 of 4 from the three point line. Nigel Williams-Goss (https://www.sbnation.com/nba/players/285729/nigel-williams-goss) was a pleasant surprise off the bench tonight. He finished with 15 points on only 4 shot attempts! His shot looked smooth, and he got to the line frequently with his aggressive play.

He's a good shooter and player. Only question is if he's athletic enough to defend

In a game where 15 players saw the court, and nobody played more than 25 minutes, the production was very evenly spread among the Jazz roster. That said, the game ball has to go to the Flamethrower, Jordan Clarkson. JC lit it up tonight, hitting shots from all over the court. He led the team in scoring, with 19 points, and did it efficiently, hitting 5 of 10 from three. Opposing benches will have a hard time guarding Jordan Clarkson this season.

I'd go Morgan

There were a lot of positive things to take away from this game. The Jazz ran more and rained threes all night. This team will put up a lot of points this year, and it will be a lot of fun for Jazz fans to watch.

be a lot funner if they defend

I loved Morgan's minutes.

I hope his 3 is as good as it looked tonight, but that’s still a question mark. I know what to expect from his defense and rebounding though and I think that should give him a chance to break into the rotation.

Posted by Calvin Chappell (https://www.sbnation.com/users/Calvin%20Chappell) on Dec 12, 2020 | 10:50 PM (https://www.slcdunk.com/2020/12/12/22172144/utah-jazz-defeat-phoenix-suns-in-nba-preseason-opener-donovan-mitchell-devin-booker-jordan-clarkson#534406790)

hit it with the Stars. No reason to think he can't hit open shots in the NBA as well

Niang picked right up where he left off last season—he hit a few 3-point shots, but not at a great percentage; he played poor defense; and he tried to do too way much in the way of playmaking, which led to some unnecessary turnovers. I wasn’t impressed with his play, and I was truly puzzled why he got the start for the Jazz. If the Jazz are going to insist on playing Niang for regular minutes this season (for some inexplicable reason—because he’s not good), it’s going to lead to some unnecessary losses for the Jazz, because Niang is not yet ready to be a regular NBA rotation player on a good team (and I’m not sure he ever will be).
I thought Morgan looked better at the PF position than Niang—and he was hitting 3-point shots, but I don’t think he’s a rotation level PF yet either, although he might grow into that role in a year or two.
PF was an obvious weakness of the Jazz last season, and I’m not sure that Jazz management fixed the problem simply by adding Derrick Favors to the mix.

Posted by Fesenko for President (https://www.sbnation.com/users/Fesenko%20for%20President) on Dec 13, 2020 | 12:51 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/2020/12/12/22172144/utah-jazz-defeat-phoenix-suns-in-nba-preseason-opener-donovan-mitchell-devin-booker-jordan-clarkson#534407828)

I thought Niang looked good. Morgan was great and should get a chance to start. Favors played no 4 and hopefully won't. Yes they needed a proven vet starting 4

Williams-Goss played better than last season, but I still don't think he did anything to deserve a roster spot with the Jazz, unless the Jazz just doesn't care who it has on end of its bench.

I thought Forrest looked better than Williams-Goss, in general, but Williams-Goss did hit some shots against the 2nd and 3rd string competition he faced tonight, to his credit. I would still like to see the Jazz try to switch out Williams-Goss for the best stretch-4 PF the team can afford.

Posted by Fesenko for President (https://www.sbnation.com/users/Fesenko%20for%20President) on Dec 13, 2020 | 12:55 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/2020/12/12/22172144/utah-jazz-defeat-phoenix-suns-in-nba-preseason-opener-donovan-mitchell-devin-booker-jordan-clarkson#534407851)

Forrest can't shoot. Goss fits the Jazz in every way. Only question is if he is athletic enough to defend. With Morgan and Brantley not sure what another young 4 does

Xiao Yao You

12-13-2020, 12:49 PM

The Utah Jazz are one of the few teams to have announced plans to start the season with fans in the arena, playing host to up to 1,600 attendees, socially distanced from each other and the players. Rudy Gobert: I think that if they make it happen they probably have the scientific evidence that it would be safe for us and for the fans in attendance. (https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30484856/what-nba-players-saying-coronavirus-offseason-fans-returning-arenas) Derrick Favors: I think that’s an amazing thing to do and hopefully everybody can stick to the safety protocols and we can continue to build and bring more fans in there.
– via ESPN (https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30484856/what-nba-players-saying-coronavirus-offseason-fans-returning-arenas)

don't count on it Rudy. They want the cash

Xiao Yao You

12-13-2020, 11:16 PM

Quinton Mayo: In this league all you have to do is be solid. He didn’t do anything spectacular but he did everything good. He’ll be in the league a long time because of that. – Scott Brooks on Raul Neto (https://*********.com/social/)
– via Twitter RealQuintonMayo (https://twitter.com/RealQuintonMayo)

He's a player. Too bad he was never appreciated here

Xiao Yao You

12-14-2020, 03:31 PM

Kellan Olson: Chris Paul said he’s playing tonight (https://*********.com/social/).
– via Twitter KellanOlson (https://twitter.com/KellanOlson)

Xiao Yao You

12-14-2020, 03:32 PM

Duane Rankin: “We’re going to see tonight.” Chris Paul when asked about being in shape as he’ll make his #Suns debut. “I work out, I train just about every day. I run and all that, but playing is different. It’s totally different. (https://*********.com/social/) And it’s fitting that we here in Utah. We’re going to see.”
– via Twitter DuaneRankin (https://twitter.com/DuaneRankin)

Kellan Olson: CP3 said the Suns’ attention to detail in every aspect of preparation (practice, shootaround, etc.) brings on a really good feeling for him (https://*********.com/social/) knowing all the work possible is being put in.
– via Twitter KellanOlson (https://twitter.com/KellanOlson)

Xiao Yao You

12-14-2020, 03:33 PM

Eric Walden: Asked what it’s like learning from Rudy Gobert, Azubuike said it couldn’t be understated given the similarity of their games: “I try to pick up his mindset, I try to talk to him all the time. (https://*********.com/social/) … I’m a really a good learner — I like to learn.”
– via Twitter tribjazz (https://twitter.com/tribjazz)

Eric Walden: Jazz center Udoka Azubuike, on his first game: “Of course I was nervous a little bit. … But the coaches told me ‘Just take your time and bring some energy. (https://*********.com/social/) … Obviously, I have to do better, there are things I have to work on, but it was a great experience.”
– via Twitter tribjazz (https://twitter.com/tribjazz)

Xiao Yao You

12-14-2020, 03:34 PM

Eric Walden: Utah Jazz guard Nigel Williams-Goss, who had a 15-point game on Saturday: “I’m feeling a lot more comfortable in my second year here — I think we all are.” (https://*********.com/social/) Said he feels progress has come as a result of being the first one on the court and the last to leave, + tons of film study.
– via Twitter tribjazz (https://twitter.com/tribjazz)

Xiao Yao You

12-14-2020, 04:44 PM

Crowder doesn’t solve the problem of the no-Gobert minutes, and so Utah would have to pay more money (plus luxury tax) to get some guy at the minimum or the Bi-Annual exception to hopefully not be terrible at the backup 5. Or, Utah could go with the known quantity in Favors. I would have been supportive of trying forward-center JaMychal Green (2 years, ~$15 million with Denver), which would have left a tiny bit more room with the MLE to get a true backup center to fill that need. But why have two lesser players whose salary equal one better one?

Green isn't a lesser PF :facepalm

Meanwhile, the extension for Mitchell was an own goal of sorts as well. Utah completely capitulated on the most important part — a fifth-year player option for Mitchell that starts the clock on any potential exit a year early. In a small market, you can’t surrender rights to players that easily.

especially when that player hasn't earned it

It is very fair to criticize the Jazz around the edges for the offseason, and Hollinger wasn’t the only national guy with concerns. Danny Leroux gave the Jazz a D+ in his offseason grades (he and podcast host Nate Duncan use a “C” as average). We don’t know the breaking point in negotiations for Clarkson and Favors where they lose out on those guys, but Utah paid starter-level money for two players who won’t close most games if everyone is healthy. Player options for both players are also extremely risky, and not typically given to players of their caliber. And as much as I would like to start the groundbreaking for a Mitchell statue, giving him both (a) supermax-level raises if he reaches certain performance criteria and (b) the player option in his extension deal is simply an above-market deal for an All-Star who isn’t All-NBA (yet). Add in some very mild draft pick dumps to offload salary, and you’re left with an offseason that’s… fine… but not impressive or laudatory.

Gobert is the one that is statue worthy. Only in Utah is this off season fins

I like Harrison and he’ll be best suited as a guy to throw at a hot shooter or great player to give Mitchell, Conley, and/or O’Neale a break in the regular season. But let’s not overstate what he purports to be: a 9th/10th/11th man who will also rack up his fair share of DNPs.

Exactly why he's panned their off season and called this their best pick up. Couldn't agree more

There is one scenario where Utah’s offseason makes some sense, and that’s if Favors and [Udoka] Azubuike were brought in to protect the Jazz’s flank in case Gobert departs.

Which I think is a big part of it but even than if Gobert is traded it's time for a fire sale on all of their old guys because they will suck

I’m probably just being Sensitive Jazz Fan here, but the sheer volume of unexplained snark seemed way higher here than in other previews Hollinger has done. Favors has always been a touch-and-go with knees and back pain, but he’s nowhere close to washed-up.

and he's no where near the player Jazz fans want to believe he is.

Regardless if any of the youngest Jazzmen are ready to play real minutes, the point of (over)paying for Clarkson and Favors is that the team is now very well-prepared to survive injuries to their highest-level players. It’s a very high-level 6th through 8th player group, which most teams do not have.

Favors plays 30 minutes at best and Clarkson sucks so ok :facepalm

With Utah’s positional fluidity at the 2, 3, and 4, if Elijah Hughes ends up as the “fourth wing,” that means he is taking minutes from Harrison (is he good or not?), Clarkson, and Niang. That is to say, he will have earned it (not in the Tony Bradley way) and it will be a massive success.

Hughes should be way down the totem pole but with Quin who know

[T]he offseason seemed more of a step backward than forward. By using their full midlevel on a player they didn’t really need…

Favors is definitely a step back...yet again!

After further thought, you’re right—Utah didn’t need to improve on Tony Bradley getting torched.

no because he was cheap and improving. What they needed was a modern starting 4

Again Hollinger drops a random slight with no real explanation. For Utah to draft Azubuike at No. 27, they traded back from pick 23, and then used the 38th pick from that deal to offload Bradley. It was merely a mild shuffling of draft deck chairs to draft a deep bench center with potential in the back-end of the first round, not some grand upheaval of draft assets.

they made the right pick there it seems. Hughes makes less sense

Again, who is this reasonably available wing player Utah missed out on here? It is still not clear that this was an actual problem for the Jazz (or at least that it won’t fix itself now that they’ve addressed the issue of backup center with a defensive anchor who keeps their system the same in non-Gobert minutes).

still too small unless Favors is spotting up for 3 in the corner. Didn't fix their issues except by bringing back old issues

Well it will obviously be another failed season if the Jazz don’t win the title this year, but they can go all-in-er-er by trading away a few more second round draft picks!

pretty much. They should be competing at a much higher level but they prefer bringing back guys they like than fixing what is wrong

This is one of the worst Jazz homer articles ever!!! :lol

Xiao Yao You

12-14-2020, 04:44 PM

Yeah, exercising the fourth-year option on Bradley was foolish at the time and it cost Utah a decent No. 38 pick. But making up for the bad Davis signing—again, good process in signing him with an unexpectedly bad result—is just regular NBA business to free up cash and a spot for a better player. And since Utah is going to pay the luxury tax in 2021, there’s no need to pay extra for Tucker when he was not good and the roster spot is better suited for Utah’s other youngsters. 2 (https://saltcityhoops.com/rebuttal-to-hollingers-blasting-of-the-all-in-er-jazz/#note-2)

Picking up an option of the youngest guy on the team who is getting better is foolish? Tucker wasn't good? At worst he was defensive energy at the end of the bench. He has 3 and D and 6th man potential. NBA body. Great athlete. His basketball iq might not have made him a great fit here but again if you're going to carry 6 rookies when you're supposedly contending than getting rid of them none of it makes much sense but this is the Jazz!

In a world where the Los Angeles teams sprayed a fire hose of loosely protected first round picks and/or good players at OKC and New Orleans, Milwaukee dumped out their asset trove for Jrue Holiday, and even Michael Jordan spent nearly as much to bring Gordon Hayward to Charlotte as he did to start a brand new NASCAR team, Utah being comparably “all-in”—for the Conley trade and scraping a few second-round picks off the top to make up for marginally bad decisions—is bullshit.

Just because they aren't contenders doesn't mean they aren't all in. Paying tax for their current roster is all in. Sure they could look to fill more spots with vets and pay more tax but they won't so I guess they aren't all in?

Before any specifics about how/why the Jazz re-signed Favors, Hollinger immediately and incorrectly frames the Favors signing as though (a) Favors is a run-of-the-mill, replacement-level stiff, and (b) Utah is absolutely going to play Favors and Gobert at the same time as much as they did three years ago.

He gets it. Sentimental Jazz front office and fans certainly don't

Add some Conley health, more difficult decisions forced by bench offenses versus Favors at the rim, and maybe some cooling of a noisy stat, and I don’t think Utah has any reason to be particularly concerned about this if they’re ninth in defense with this roster.

Conley was likely to miss time though. They need to be a lot better on D because the offense won't be as good if Favors plays with Gobert. That is guaranteed

What is this based on? Bogdanovic missing the entire playoffs? Bogdanovic was generally great, Joe Ingles was rock steady, Royce O’Neale matches up totally fine as a 3/4 against most starting offenses, and Georges Niang plays a fourth forward role perfectly (play hard as hell; shoot open shots and make them; play to the best of your mental ability defensively). Even Clarkson won’t kill you at a forward spot against smaller teams, if, say, Portland wants to roll out a Damian Lillard-CJ McCollum-Gary Trent Jr. lineup.

Bojan was great at shooting and scoring not much else. Ingles was hardly rock steady! WTF? O'Neale was too small. He plays a lot bigger than he is but he is a small ball 4 not a starting one. Now if they want to start Morgan and bring O'Neale off the bench and Niang goes to the 9-11 spots with Shaq and Oni things look a lot better. Still not ideal but better

If Hollinger wanted Utah to spend money on forwards who maybe could size up defensively better against the LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard types of the league, who was available that would work? Derrick Jones Jr. could be that guy, but he got a massive role in Portland that Utah can’t offer (and he has his own limitations). Ditto for Grant, who Denver couldn’t hold onto. Toronto would match any reasonable offer for restricted free agent Chris Boucher. Justin Holiday isn’t better than Utah’s current options. The theory of Moe Harkless is better than the reality. These aren’t great players here to begin with, and do we really expect Utah to throw a fourth/fifth forward-type $8-10 million?

Jamycheal Green should have been the target in FA. Trading Bojan for one would have been even better

So if you’re not signing an actual LeBron stopper, what’s missing from this group? A forward or center with some mobility to cope with the size advantage of the Lakers/Clippers/Bucks, who provides luxury backup center defense to allow Utah’s wings to play aggressively (https://saltcityhoops.com/the-favors-factor-explains-why-utah-passed-on-adding-a-3-and-d-wing/). I wonder who fits that bill?

They were too small last year. 1 center and 4 guards.wings. You ahve to be versatile and they answered that with Favors spotting up in the corner

Tony Bradley, Ed Davis, and Derrick freakin’ Favors are the same, you see.

No one is young and cheap so they could fill the starting 4

But I thought Tony Bradley “earned” those minutes? And “did hurt them” in this sentence should mean “was the most glaring and obvious problem on the team.”

Hardly. No starting 4, an undersized backcourt, lack of D, versatility, depth were bigger issues than the youngest guy on the team

Setting aside the fact that Favors-Gobert isn’t a pairing likely to play a ton during the season (or at least as much as previous years), this statement is also simply wrong. As Ben Dowsett helpfully researched so I didn’t have to (https://twitter.com/Ben_Dowsett/status/1337125471004237824), the Favors-Gobert pairing is plus-442 in 3188 minutes dating back to the 2015-16 season, including playoffs. A decent chunk of those minutes were played with the spacing-compromised Ricky Rubio. The Jazz will be better in the abstract with other players at the 4 alongside Gobert, but Hollinger reacts as if Utah signed Bismack Biyombo to play point guard. We might see Favors-Gobert a fair amount, but Utah will likely be careful about overextending the sometimes-achy Favors, and that duo will likely disappear come playoff time, unless specific matchups dictate otherwise.

Don't count on it. He'll end up starting and playing way too much guaranteed

You know what also “doesn’t work,” John? Asking O’Neale or Bogdanovic to guard Anthony Davis for 40 minutes. The Jazz aren’t going to dump us in a time machine to 2017 (although I am longing to see basketball in-person again); the Favors signing is clearly a luxury play to shoot for their personal best chance against the top teams of the league.

which is why you don't sign Davis or Favors or Bojan or Clarkson and get a starting 4

Xiao Yao You

12-14-2020, 04:44 PM

https://saltcityhoops.com/rebuttal-to-hollingers-blasting-of-the-all-in-er-jazz/

It was supposed to be an all-in year, but it ended in the same exact place as the last several Utah seasons.

All in with 6 rookies who weren't playing, no starting 4 and an undersized backcourt!

I’d like to think a “big-picture view” takes into account all reasonably plausible outcomes, and not be reduced to a specific conclusion without fair context. Saying the Jazz simply “failed” is an outlook more suited to an old ViewMaster reel.

It's the truth. They fixed the offense but the defense fell off too much. Fail

Here’s your missing context: that “rewiring” was indisputably successful when the key conduits—Mike Conley Jr. and Bojan Bogdanovic—were available. It is unfairly reductive to render the season a complete failure after Bogdanovic missed the playoffs to repair a ruptured ligament in his shooting wrist, and Conley missed 25+ regular season games, plus two more in the Denver series.

They knew Conley was likely to miss time. Depth is part of the equation and they chose to carry 6 rookies and then not play them when they needed help

I’m taking the word “expensive” as an implication that it’s a bad deal—especially since Hollinger called the contract an overpay (https://theathletic.com/1265538/2019/10/07/hollingers-nba-division-previews-looking-up-to-the-nuggets-in-the-northwest/) last offseason and wrote that Utah will “hate (the deal) in a couple years”—so let’s examine the market. Bogdanovic made $17 million last year and will make $18.275 million in 2020-21. In comparison, in this most recent offseason, free agents Danilo Gallinari ($20.5 million annually) and Jerami Grant ($20 million) signed more lucrative deals, and Marcus Morris ($16 million), Davis Bertans ($16 million), and Malik Beasley ($15 million) came in under. It’s decent money for Bogdanovic, to be sure, but he averaged a very efficient 20.2 points per game and didn’t falter as a defender, all while playing through an injury. Bogdanovic is better than any of the aforementioned players (I’ll entertain arguments about the silky offense/bullshit foul drawing ability of Gallinari, but, even after accounting for Bogdanovic’s relative limitations on defense, there remains a chasm between the two on that end of the court) and his contract is looking like a very decent piece of business for the Jazz.

He shoots and scores and brings little else to the table. They don't have a 4 and the D fell off too much so it doesn't look like a great deal

In retrospect, they could have signed another perimeter player instead of [Ed] Davis, as Tony Bradley earned the backup center spot anyway.

they needed a starting 4 and still do!

“Earned” is not exactly what I’d say about Bradley’s role as the backup center, because he was not good! “Less bad than 2019-20 Ed Davis” is not an accomplishment.

I think it's time to quit blaming Tony for everything. He led the league in offensive rebound % at least before the bubble. He was effective in pick and roll. He was getting better nightly. Maybe he wasn't Favors but he was good. They had bigger problems than their back up center

Without Derrick Favors, Utah knew it would absolutely bleed without a stabilizing force in the middle when Rudy Gobert was on the bench. Utah also knew that Bradley wasn’t likely to be that force (they inexplicably picked up his fourth year option anyway to give him one more chance, but more on that later). So they brought in the respected and highly competent Davis.

and expected to fill the hole at the 4 with guards, wings and Jeff Green! :facepalm Bradley deserved a shot. Should have brought in a vet on minimum to compete with him and use the money on a 4 just like they should have this year. Instead they still have the same huge hole at the 4

Since Davis turned out to be terribly miscast and Utah was unfortunately right about Bradley, the Jazz got trucked whenever Gobert sat, and no alternative “perimeter player” would have helped that. Sure, we all saw way more Emmanuel Mudiay than we anticipated, but Utah wasn’t expecting Conley to be out for dozens of games, and Dante Exum was still injured and bad at point guard things. Using the $4.7M Room Mid-Level Exception on an Avery Bradley-type guy (Bradley was also bad for a few years at that point, but was seemingly re-energized by playing with LeBron James) wasn’t going to fix the issue of “opponent benches will relentlessly score on Utah if Tony Bradley is required to have any responsibility.”

They should have expected Conley to miss time if they didn't. Bradley gets the blame because only 2 or 3 guys on the team play D? :lol

It’s a gross exaggeration to say “the Jazz rebuilt their entire team around offense,” especially before the trade deadline. Getting the obvious out of the way, Conley is a plus defender. And, yes, going from the stalwart Favors to Bogdanovic in the starting lineup is a downgrade on defense. But Bogdanovic is definitely not tissue paper, and is an appropriate size for defending modern offenses. Davis was intended to supply most of what Favors could do defensively as a backup center. Finally, Gobert is a walking top-ten defense on his own (Jazz were tenth in defensive efficiency before their tanktastic, Summer League-esque bubble play-in games, per Cleaning the Glass). So, yeah, the Jazz could afford to reallocate some assets away from defense, but it’s not like they turned their entire defensive ethos upside-down with that one defensive downgrade — especially since it was also a talent upgrade and a solid overall fit.

Conley didn't look like a plus defender. He's too small. Bojan was tissue paper. They certainly rebuilt around offense and is sounds like they are trying to score even more this year with only Favors there for D and if he plays the 4 so much for the O

They weren’t.

supposedly they were but with no 4 and 6 rookies obviously they weren't

The Conley trade has been litigated and relitigated over and over again, and the only consensus issue is that the Jazz might have been forced to give up Jae Crowder because they insisted on keeping Dante Exum (if Memphis even wanted Exum to begin with). Which…

Yeah who knows what they would have looked like if they'd given up Exum the year before to get Conley. Their love of Exum hurt them over and over again! :facepalm You have to no when to cut your losses and they waited many years too many

Two seconds was the price mostly to dump Exum’s contract because Utah held on to him too long, as he was mostly bad at NBA basketball and that finally caught up with his asset value in 2019-20. Nobody’s losing sleep over those second round picks after what Clarkson provided, and by trading for Clarkson, Utah could maneuver over the cap to re-sign him.

I am. How many picks have the given up to get rid of guys now? Clarkson got them a first round loss and likely the same result for years to come assuming they don't trade Rudy

Xiao Yao You

12-14-2020, 04:55 PM

https://www.slcdunk.com/2020/12/14/22173689/utah-jazz-vs-phoenix-suns-part-deux-nba-preseason

The Utah Jazz (https://www.slcdunk.com/) are coming into their Monday night game with the Phoenix Suns (https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/?_ga=2.13205042.484556779.1606999600-247621959.1589286792) after an impressive win against the same team on Saturday. The reason that it was impressive, albeit it was a preseason game, is because the Jazz were without the services of Mike Conley. That combined with the fact that they are trying to integrate new faces onto the team, it was a good sign that the Jazz were able to hold up defensively against a team as potent as the Suns. It will be a huge challenge for the Jazz to try and contain the Suns for a second straight game.

The Suns without Paul suck just like the Jazz without Gobert

With the way that Mike Conley played in the bubble, it will be exciting to see if he can pick up where he left off. Especially matching up against a future hall of famer and defensive pest like Chris Paul. I don’t expect either Paul or Conley to have a lot of minutes and/or an epic showdown but I am intrigued by how Conley will look, especially if he gets a chance to play with Derrick Favors.

He's back to 4th or 5th option. Don't expect bubble Mike

Both Jazz rookies Udoka Azubuike and Elijah Hughes showed well in the first preseason game. Can they continue to show that they may be worthy of a rotation spot when the regular season starts? If so, it will give the Jazz some incredible depth. I know these two are rookies, and they will undoubtedly go through ups and downs this season, but it will interesting to see if they can play or if the first game was just a fluke.

They are behind many guys or better be. Hughes looked good. Udoka looked like a project. Only reason they should be playing this year is if Rudy is traded

No Shaq and O'Neale tonight. Dok is questionable (left knee soreness)
Will definitely miss seeing any minutes from Dok if he can’t go. But yes, maybe another start from Niang!

Posted by SKMike (https://www.sbnation.com/users/SKMike) on Dec 14, 2020 | 11:45 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/2020/12/14/22173689/utah-jazz-vs-phoenix-suns-part-deux-nba-preseason#534448244)

see what Gill can do! Hopefully O'Neale is back to back up Morgan to start the year

Hughes is nice
Too bad his defense was pretty bad last game. Need him to get better at that, but he’s a scorer.

Posted by TheNextGM (https://www.sbnation.com/users/TheNextGM) on Dec 14, 2020 | 1:28 PM (https://www.slcdunk.com/2020/12/14/22173689/utah-jazz-vs-phoenix-suns-part-deux-nba-preseason#534452802)

without 3 and D he won't last past his guarantee of next year. May even have to dump more 2nds to get rid of him! :facepalm

Xiao Yao You

12-14-2020, 05:04 PM

https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/14/22172892/utah-jazz-next-step-for-improvement-is-valuing-possessions-jazz-nba

The Jazz’s next step for improvement is valuing possessions

it's defense

The point remains: the two strategy extremes the Jazz tested the past two seasons didn’t accomplish the mission. Why is that?

front office and coach

The 2020 NBA Champion LA Lakers (https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/) (yes, I’m disgusted with myself for bringing it up too) were a good shooting and shot defense team similar to the Jazz. A key difference? They were exceptionally positive in both possession swing and points swing, aided in no small part by their size at the hoop and scrappiness on the perimeter.

and the Jazz answered that with Favors spotting up in the corner

Last season the Jazz lacked size and perimeter defense. This season the Jazz are hoping a daily does of Derrick Favors (https://www.sbnation.com/nba/players/297091/derrick-favors) and a measure of Shaq Harrison (https://www.sbnation.com/nba/players/283086/shaquille-harrison) every so often can help on both fronts. Ultimately, personnel alone won’t push the Jazz from the lower-left quadrant to the upper-right; it will be focus and strategy.

having the right players would help and they don't

And Bradley (and to a lesser extent Gobert) were the only players who could even sniff an offensive rebound. Bradley’s ORB%: 19.1. Gobert’s: 11.2.
Next highest among rotation players? Clarkson at 3.2 and Conley (!!) at 2.8. While Royce holds his own on the defensive glass, neither he nor Bojan nor anyone else really could ever snag second chances.
Hopefully Favors helps a lot here on the glass, but we need 1) to take better care of the ball, and 2) scheme better positioning or drill better technique to get rebounds.

Posted by Korumbian (https://www.sbnation.com/users/Korumbian) on Dec 14, 2020 | 9:38 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/14/22172892/utah-jazz-next-step-for-improvement-is-valuing-possessions-jazz-nba#534442506)

But Tony sucked! Only their centers hit the offensive boards so that won't change.

ORB
good read. Sadly Q has never valued the offensive rebound much. I wish he did more. Rudy has the ability to dominate there if he was a bit stronger and was coached up on boxing out. I don’t think they will spend much time on the court together but if he and Favors were there together 1 could fight for them while the other got back on defense

Posted by Jordan pushed off (https://www.sbnation.com/users/Jordan%20pushed%20off) on Dec 14, 2020 | 11:47 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/14/22172892/utah-jazz-next-step-for-improvement-is-valuing-possessions-jazz-nba#534448299)

He used to value it more. Gave it up for transition D. That's more the league trend I believe too

My point was how much Rudy effects the Jazz positively in both TS% and ORB, and also hurts opponents in both categories. His is among the leagues elite in helping his own team’s TS% (not just his own, but his teammates shoot much better when he is on the floor), hurting the other team’s TS%, helping his own team’s ORB, and hurting the other team’s ORB.
As you highlighted, the Jazz’s main struggle is in turning the ball over and not causing their opponents to turn the ball over. The Jazz are among the worst in the league in both, and that hurts their advantage in TS% and offensive rebounds.

Posted by Kira Argonova (https://www.sbnation.com/users/Kira%20Argonova) on Dec 14, 2020 | 12:53 PM (https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/14/22172892/utah-jazz-next-step-for-improvement-is-valuing-possessions-jazz-nba#534451266)

but let's low ball him because Favors and udoka can do it anyway! :roll:

Xiao Yao You

12-14-2020, 09:31 PM

https://kslsports.com/448707/the-post-game-returns-to-the-utah-jazz/

Niang's probably their best in the post

Xiao Yao You

12-15-2020, 08:10 AM

So much for Favors not playing the 4. He is and the spacing was horrendous. Why can't they ever learn from the past? With Conley back Morgan was out of the rotation as well. Oni played well but once O'Neale is back not to mention Shaq he won't be playing either. Hughes is the 2nd coming of Clarkson and of course officially ahead of all gleaguer. Forrest looks good if they can teach him tho shoot

Xiao Yao You

12-15-2020, 08:15 AM

https://kslsports.com/448725/jazz-show-high-potential-rust-in-win-over-suns/

“I think it’s taking time to kind of work through it,” Conley said of the Jazz three guard lineup. “We end up find ourselves fighting for the outlet sometimes just trying to figure out who’s bringing the ball up.”

guess that's the good thing about Clarkson. It's his ball and he isn't giving it up

Forrest has had a quiet training camp for the Jazz, but has looked surprisingly steady in his limited time on the floor. The rookie guard finished with a modest statline of two points and three assists in eight minutes, but his impact was felt far beyond the box score.

He's looked good. Do they think they can make him a decent shooter somehow though?

Xiao Yao You

12-15-2020, 08:33 AM

https://www.sltrib.com/sports/jazz/2020/12/14/triple-team-jazz-turn/

I also want to give a shoutout to Georges Niang, who did have some really nice defensive plays despite not being known as a defensive player. That’s the one big knock on Niang, that he can’t keep up defensively, and we’ll see if he can during the regular season. But this is an excellent defensive rotation block on Ayton, and once he even defended an isolation situation against Paul well.

what will the naysayers think! Doesn't really matter he's at best 9th in the rotation with Favors playing the 4.

There are minutes to be earned at the backup power forward, between Niang, Juwan Morgan, shoehorning Derrick Favors in there, or just going small with four wings and guards. But if Niang shoots like he did last season and takes a step defensively, he’d be the favorite to win those minutes.

Pretty obvious they are Favors minutes. Niang is probably next in line though Shaq could change that and Oni is in the mix as well. Morgan isn't it would appear

Of course, the Jazz aren’t the Warriors. But there is real value in having these delightful, powerful scoring bursts which turn a game on its head. Tonight, it came right to open the second half: a 13-0 run in the course of exactly 100 seconds. The 49-48 lead expanded to 62-48, and that was that.

could call it a defensive burst which is what they really need

We’ve written about the Jazz’s desire to push the pace this year, and honestly, they say that every preseason. We’ll see if they can actually execute it when the regular season begins and becomes a slog; it’s a compressed 72-game schedule with a relatively shallow roster. But if they can turn talk into action, I’m a believer that a speedy pace can help.

But I thought they were deep?

For a rookie who has been on the team less than a month, he’s shown an unusually good knowledge of when to attack and when to defer: he just takes advantage of his good opportunities while keeping it moving rather than forcing it. Tonight, he made only one of his five 3-point shots, but he was a 35% shooter in college, and I loved his willingness to take the three.

He's not shy. Not sure what they want with a guy that doesn't have length and can't hit the 3 though

• I’m a little bit disappointed in how Jarrell Brantley is struggling to make his presence known on the floor. In his rookie season, Brantley had the opposite problem: whether it was the crazy playmaking, the effort all over the floor, or the boneheaded turnovers and play-breaking decisions, you always knew Brantley was out there. Now, he’s trying to fit in. That’s a good impulse, but he needs to find the really tricky balance of fitting in while contributing in his own, unique way. There’s a happy medium there somewhere.

That's more on the Jazz I'd say. He's obviously the most dynamic of their young guys but they want guys to just fit a role which Oni and Morgan have done. Probably can't be that happy that all gleague got him nothing but another 2 way and he'd behind Hughes as well as guys he outplayed with the Stars

• Sorry, local friends. Jake Toolson isn’t an NBA player. The defense isn’t close, and there’s not a lot of reason to believe it will ever be good enough.

don't think anyone thought it was

But in this setting where opponents haven’t read the scouting report, he’s got a lot to offer: pick-and-roll slithery-ness, on-the-money passing, and free-throw-drawing craft. And on defense, that 6-7 wingspan and physicality makes him a real potential difference-maker. He certainly was in college, with impressive block and steal rates.

average wingspan

Is it mean to point out that Forrest has an NBA job right now, but Emmanuel Mudiay doesn’t? Okay, that’s wildly unfair: Mudiay can’t sign a two-way contract like Forrest did. But if Forrest can get the 3-ball to an acceptable level, he has the size, defense, and vision to stick in the league.

having a contract doesn't mean you are better than others. Means you are cheaper, more potential, whatever

Xiao Yao You

12-15-2020, 08:40 AM

https://www.deseret.com/sports/2020/12/14/22174188/georges-niang-and-miye-oni-making-strides-on-the-defensive-end-for-the-utah-jazz-preseason

It’s a good problem to have a handful of good defenders at the end of the bench that can be trusted in high-pressure situations.

Snyder had them in the bubble but put Clarkson on Murray instead! :facepalm

Xiao Yao You

12-15-2020, 08:43 AM

https://www.deseret.com/sports/2020/12/14/22173568/instant-analysis-utah-jazz-phoenix-suns-preseason

Mike Conley returned to play on Monday and went 3-of-5 from 3-point range, two of which came off Donovan Mitchell assists. I like that dynamic when the two are in the game together. Let Mitchell have the ball in his hands so that he can create for himself or be the playmaker, and Conley is great at playing off the ball even if that’s not what he’s known for.

too small defensively

Lineups with Derrick Favors and the Jazz guys that aren’t familiar with him (Jordan Clarkson, MIke Conley, Bojan Bogdanovic) are going to take some time before they look cohesive. That’s not bad, it’s to be expected, but it could look a little wonky for a while. That’s not to say that Favors isn’t good, on the contrary in just two preseason games he’s already proven why bringing him back was a good idea. But it’s going to take a little while for everyone to get used to him.

it will always be wonky. It makes 0 sense

Joe Ingles was 1-of-5 from deep with just one assist and four fouls, two of which came just to stop a fast break. I can’t completely put my finger on what was going on with him but if nothing else he seemed a little flat. Is it age? Is it the preseason? Is it something else? We’ll see.

He's declined the past two years. Hopefully a move to the bench in the proper role will be enough. Might be time for another extension!

Xiao Yao You

12-15-2020, 08:54 AM

https://www.slcdunk.com/2020/12/14/22175704/utah-jazz-preseason-win-rudy-gobert-20-rebounds

Udoka Azubuike was questionable to go heading into tonight with knee soreness and that may have impacted his minutes (along with Gobert playing more) as he played just six on the evening and had just two points and two rebounds.

I doubt it had anything to do with it. 3 pre season games. Time to play Rudy more.

Jazz quietly looking for that next rotation piece on their bench and they have several options. Excited to see them develop and really wish we could’ve won the summer league title this year.

Posted by TheNextGM (https://www.sbnation.com/users/TheNextGM) on Dec 14, 2020 | 10:07 PM (https://www.slcdunk.com/2020/12/14/22175704/utah-jazz-preseason-win-rudy-gobert-20-rebounds#534466977)

would have preferred the Gleague title

Forrest has some interesting potential
Based on his college career, he really can’t shoot. And that limits what he can accomplish as a shooting guard. But he looks really good in many other areas, so definitely worth bringing in. If the Jazz can straighten out his shot in the G-League he could be a useful player next year.

Posted by ThatFilthyApe (https://www.sbnation.com/users/ThatFilthyApe) on Dec 14, 2020 | 11:04 PM (https://www.slcdunk.com/2020/12/14/22175704/utah-jazz-preseason-win-rudy-gobert-20-rebounds#534467402)

he's a pg

When usual Niang skeptics were even commenting how good he looked you know it was impressive. Can he maintain that? Probably not, but was fun to watch. But if he can as our 9th or 10th man, that is the makings of a pretty good team.

Posted by SKMike (https://www.sbnation.com/users/SKMike) on Dec 14, 2020 | 10:52 PM (https://www.slcdunk.com/2020/12/14/22175704/utah-jazz-preseason-win-rudy-gobert-20-rebounds#534467336)

be nice to have a great team though

I’m wondering whether Niang just hasn’t been trying hard enough on defense—or alternatively, whether something just clicked for him tonight on defense, and he had an epiphany.

Posted by Fesenko for President (https://www.sbnation.com/users/Fesenko%20for%20President) on Dec 14, 2020 | 11:32 PM (https://www.slcdunk.com/2020/12/14/22175704/utah-jazz-preseason-win-rudy-gobert-20-rebounds#534467574)

putting the work in. Ingles wasn't a great defender or shooter right off

Bogie really, really is Klay Thompson-lite. His ability to pull up in transition is deadly and his spot-up shooting is just unreal. He happens to be meh defensively, a horrible dribbler, a terrifying passer, so the lightest of Klay Thompson-lites. But his ability to shoot it and kill a team that doesn’t stay attached to him will bury teams in 20-4 runs. He’s shooting guard Kevin Love until he’s not.
-Is Devin Booker impressive? Or is he a great stats/bad team guy that everybody is convinced is a star who just needs better players around him to win? I’m curious what others think, because I find him to be wowwing with the ball and completely meh in his impact. Can he win games singlehandedly by getting hot? Sure. But that’s only impressive if you can turn it on and lead your team to winning more often than not. Even when Kevin Love was Minny Love, he got his and the T-Wolves nearly always sucked. I think DB is closer to leading a shitty team to 30-ish wins than he is to leading an ok team to 41. I’m not sold.
-Q did some interesting stuff with the Gobert/Favors pairing. Seemed like he picked spots where Phoenix had two non-shooters on the court, no matter the positions. He put Favors on Bridges and basically packed the paint. It worked on defense but it was a struggle to score in those minutes, unsurprisingly.
-Joe Ingles’ decisions in this game were awful. He played like shit all game.
-When the Jazz exploded in the third, there was this moment that showed how offensively devastating this team can be. Conley and Bogie were cooking and we were up like 12-15 or whatever. The ball was pinging around and the Suns were scrambling on seemingly every possession. They finally had an ok possession with the shot clock winding down, Donovan flattened the entire offense and then buried a one-on-one three. What do you do with a team that gets each other involved and the can also crush you isolation?
Ugly first half with great d. Fun third. Didn’t watch the fourth. Hope Ed Davis, Jeff Green, and Dante Exum played real well in those minutes. I’m rooting for all of them.

Posted by Karl Stalone 32 (https://www.sbnation.com/users/Karl%20Stalone%2032) on Dec 15, 2020 | 4:01 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/2020/12/14/22175704/utah-jazz-preseason-win-rudy-gobert-20-rebounds#534468474)

if Bogie's defense and other issues don't kill them and they are on the wrong side of those runs. Not sold on the Suns period. Paul gives them a chance but they've done nothing yet. Again offense won't be their problem except when Favors is spotting up in the corner.

Xiao Yao You

12-15-2020, 09:00 AM

https://basketball.realgm.com/analysis/260823/20-21-NBA-Season-Preview-Northwest-Division

Instead of overreacting to the playoff disappointment and making a bunch of changes, the Jazz focused on retaining their own players and they brought home an old friend.

per usual :facepalm

The Jazz are also welcoming back Derrick Favors. After going small around Rudy Gobert up front, and mixing and matching backup minutes, Utah now has both of those issues solved. If the team wants to go big up front, they can start Favors, and he’ll slide right back into his “starting power forward, backup center” role that he had for years. If the Jazz want to stay small with Bojan Bogdanovic at the four, Favors will still see plenty of time as the primary backup big.

problem solved new.old problem returns

While re-signing Clarkson and adding Favors are nice moves, the most important thing Utah did this offseason was to reach a five-year, maximum contract extension with Mitchell. He’s become one of the best guards in the NBA in his short career and after seeing previous franchise player Gordon Hayward leave town, the Jazz couldn’t afford to risk losing Mitchell.

potentially one of the best guards. Shooting a lot doesn't make you one

All the pieces are in place for the Jazz to be a very good team. They go at least eight deep in quality rotation players. They’ve got All-Stars in Mitchell and Gobert, and a healthy Bogdanovic isn’t far off. Health will be a key, as an injury to a key player is tough to overcome given the depth of the Western Conference. Look for Utah to be in the mix for homecourt advantage and to try to finally make that deep playoff run that’s avoided them for years.

A Gobert injury is the only one worth worrying about

Xiao Yao You

12-15-2020, 09:19 PM

Sarah Todd: Can confirm the Utah Jazz are waiving Nigel Williams-Goss (https://*********.com/social/)
– via Twitter NBASarah (https://twitter.com/NBASarah)

not surprising. Maybe he'll get picked up after that game he had? I'm sure there's a job overseas for him

Xiao Yao You

12-15-2020, 09:31 PM

https://kslsports.com/448745/what-weve-learned-about-each-jazz-rookie/

What we don’t know is how better defenses will choose to defend Azubuike if he sees regular-season minutes. The rookie might be the worst free-throw shooter in the NBA even if he hasn’t stepped to the line yet in two preseason appearances.

we don't know if he'll be able to guard the pick and roll

For now, Hughes looks like he’s going to have enough skill offensively to make the NBA, and that’s a big win for a player drafted in the second round.

taking shots doesn't mean you can play. He's going to have to show he can hit 3's minimum

There’s a good reason for Forrest’s low field goal attempt total as he shot just 24 percent from the three-point line in college, but if he continues to score efficiently at the rim and draw free-throws at a high rate (2.5 attempts per game) he might not be a total negative on the floor as a scorer.

definitely not like Ricky. He can make a layup!

On just a two-way contract, Forrest is a low-cost gamble for the Jazz, and early on it seems like he might have an NBA future.

not much of one if can't hit open 3's

Xiao Yao You

12-15-2020, 09:38 PM

https://www.deseret.com/sports/2020/12/15/22176237/how-donovan-mitchell-and-mike-conley-have-found-their-groove-together-utah-jazz-nba

In an era of nearly positionless basketball, it can still be difficult to shake the idea that one player, and one player only, is responsible for initiating the offense. The Jazz haven’t been that kind of team in a long time.

I know you are new but that is the way they've played since Snyder came here. Everyone but the center can do everything ideally

Xiao Yao You

12-15-2020, 09:40 PM

https://www.deseret.com/sports/2020/12/15/22177232/utah-jazz-waiving-nigel-williams-goss

When the Utah Jazz signed guard Shaq Harrison last week (https://www.deseret.com/sports/2020/12/9/22166207/utah-jazz-agree-to-deal-with-free-agent-guard-shaquille-harrison), it was widely figured that it meant fellow backcourt mate Nigel Williams-Goss would eventually be waived.

widely figured even before that

Xiao Yao You

12-15-2020, 09:55 PM

https://saltcityhoops.com/utahs-unique-superstar-gobert/

Guarding in space. But perhaps the most important development to his game has been an improved ability to guard in space. Teams have tried to use switches and small lineups to make Gobert uncomfortable in the past, especially in the protracted chess match that is a playoff series. But as he has grown more elite at guarding switches and isos, it’s no longer wise for guards to hunt Gobert.

never was

A team with cap space could offer him 4/$144M in free agency, so the Jazz have to compete with that number, at least mentally. It’s not a sure thing that someone will have that offer waiting for him next summer, and some of will depend on whether star free agents like Leonard and Chris Paul stay put instead of soaking up finite amount of team’s cash under the cap. Antetokounmpo, Paul George and others already opted out of 2021 free agency, so Gobert could be a top-3 free agent in a year with probably six or more teams projecting to have cap space. That makes 4/$144M a pretty good reference point for what Gobert may regard as the bird in the bush as he weighs whatever Utah is currently offering.

Paul isn't getting more than him

Frankly, there’s enough middle ground here that it’s hard to imagine them not getting a deal done this month. Of course, that’s moot if Gobert just wants to try a new basketball situation, but if he’s earnest about his desire to continue his title chase in Utah, the Jazz can easily offer enough money to help justify that choice and far exceed his other options. It will probably require Utah to stay in the supermax territory — somewhere between 30% and 35% — but it doesn’t feel like they’ll need to go all the way to $227M to keep their All-NBA center.

If he's smart he'll leave. If they are trying to pay him less than the 144 mill or less than Mitchell than I'd say screw you!

If a deal doesn’t get done by December 21, it doesn’t mean the relationship is inevitably ending. The Jazz can still extend him to a lower figure later or throw the same Brinks truck worth of max money at him next summer. But at that point they do have to start thinking about whether he is as committed to a joint future as he has publicly suggested. Trading a top-15 player would be a devastating blow for a team that is poised on the brink of true contention; Utah will probably only resort to that if they calculate that it’s very likely they’ll lose him next summer without getting a return package.

Looks like they are ready for life without him with Favors and Udoka. Good luck with that! :roll:

We love to decide what players’ “ceilings” are. Gobert is a perfect example of why that’s silly. He entered the NBA in 2013 as a raw, skinny late first-rounder who spent that first season shuttling back and forth between the Jazz and their (then) D-League affiliate, under a coach who hadn’t really caught the vision of what he could become. If we had collectively decided at that point what the arbitrary limit was on how good he could be, we certainly would have guessed very wrong.

not sure anyone had an idea of who he could become until December 2014 when it happened suddenly

Xiao Yao You

12-15-2020, 10:11 PM

https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/15/22175677/deron-williams-thoughts-on-the-utah-jazz

Most favorite part in this clip is Deron Williams realizing that he’s taller than Donovan Mitchell. With how high Spida can play above the rim I can certainly see how it would be easy to assume that he’s taller than he really is. I agree Deron, his bounce is stupid! DWill thinks the Jazz are probably still 1 piece away. Can Mike Conley be that piece now? Deron wants to see him be more aggressive!

need a starting 4 for starters. Mitchell needs to be the player he's is now being paid to be and hyped to be

The way Deron’s face lights up when they say AK-47 made me smile. Andrei Kirilenko would be an absolute beast in today’s NBA. Instead of being a “tweeter” his versatility would be such an asset. There are few player’s from Utah’s past that I would want to add to this current roster more than Andrei.

not a great fit spacing wise.

Alright, last one I’ll focus on. The Exit. “I kind of led them to believe I was going to leave.” Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe that’s the first time I’ve heard DWill say that outright. It’s not necessarily surprising given what happened, but that trade sure makes a lot more sense now. It was less jettisoning the guy that pushed the hall of fame coach out the door and more getting something for your star before he leaves for nothing. “You don’t appreciate stuff until it’s gone.” Like we all know, Deron likely would have handled his last year in Utah very differently in retrospect. He lost quite a few games for the Nets and played for 4 coaches in 3.5 years. After spending his entire career in a very successful Jerry Sloan system. He says he even lost confidence, something I wouldn’t have thought possible out of DWill.

too bad they took the only offer on the table instead of shopping him. Favors spotting up from 3!

I still reminisce about those DWill teams. At his UTA peak, I think there was a legitimate debate whether DWill or CP3 was a better PG (CP3 was better, but there was a debate). Amazing how DWill quickly faded after leaving UTA (1 really good season) and retired three years ago while CP3 is still making all-star games.
There was some deserved criticism of DWill after he was traded, but to his credit, he matured a lot (compared to some players who leave that continue to dog on Utah, either the city;) or the franchise). DWill seems like a pretty good guy and it’s fun to hear him talk.
And of all the former jazz players, AK is the one I want to see play in the modern league the most. Stockton and Malone are the UTA GOATs and no doubt would be amazing today, but AK’s skills are so unique and perfect for the modern game–almost like a very very good version of Draymond.

Posted by Palmetto Bug (https://www.sbnation.com/users/Palmetto%20Bug) on Dec 15, 2020 | 10:06 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/15/22175677/deron-williams-thoughts-on-the-utah-jazz#534476015)

there was no debate. Paul played both ends

I would love to see Stockton in the modern game.
If he played today, I think people would have a better understanding of how great he really was. I am confident that he would put up better numbers than Chris Paul and people have nicknamed him the ‘point god’. LOL.

Posted by cool screen name (https://www.sbnation.com/users/cool%20screen%20name) on Dec 15, 2020 | 10:51 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/15/22175677/deron-williams-thoughts-on-the-utah-jazz#534477755)

he'd still be too unselfish. Paul isn't looking at his shot as the last option

For some reason my memory of Deron is him not being able to dominate Derek Fisher in those Laker series
That was the one huge positional advantage we should have had in the series but Fisher played him tough all series. And with his history it made me more angrier every game lol

Posted by SKMike (https://www.sbnation.com/users/SKMike) on Dec 15, 2020 | 12:07 PM (https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/15/22175677/deron-williams-thoughts-on-the-utah-jazz#534480906)

More to do with their undersized defenseless front court. Let's extend Okur and pay tax though!!!

Pick that turned into Kanter
Was a part of the deal. That is where the trade went wrong. But no one knew how good Thompson, Kawhi, or Butler would be.

Posted by oregonjazzfan (https://www.sbnation.com/users/oregonjazzfan) on Dec 15, 2020 | 1:47 PM (https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/15/22175677/deron-williams-thoughts-on-the-utah-jazz#534485660)

passed on Jonas V because they'd have to wait a year :facepalm

i dont think he wanted to leave
he threatened to leave because the FO was not bringing that one extra piece to make us contenders
instead they traded Brewer for money and he said "i dont know how this makes us better" (something like that)

Posted by statpower (https://www.sbnation.com/users/statpower) on Dec 15, 2020 | 1:58 PM (https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/15/22175677/deron-williams-thoughts-on-the-utah-jazz#534486022)

hard to blame him

Prepare for Forrest to get some real time in games
Goss just got cut. So our current PG situation is Conley and Mitchell and that’s it lol.
Conley is definitely going to have a few nights this year where he doesn’t play, so the Jazz will look to Forrest, or just play a bunch of wings instead.

Posted by TheNextGM (https://www.sbnation.com/users/TheNextGM) on Dec 15, 2020 | 4:55 PM (https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/15/22175677/deron-williams-thoughts-on-the-utah-jazz#534490947)

Forrest is behind many people still

I’m glad I’m not the one who has to cut players.

Posted by Palmetto Bug (https://www.sbnation.com/users/Palmetto%20Bug) on Dec 15, 2020 | 6:58 PM (https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/15/22175677/deron-williams-thoughts-on-the-utah-jazz#534493791)

Wish I could cut the coach and the guy cutting the players

Xiao Yao You

12-15-2020, 10:14 PM

https://sircharlesincharge.com/2020/12/13/nba-predicting-breakout-players-west-wiseman/16/

Utah JazzJarrell Brantley

looks like he's barely hanging on to his roster spot

Xiao Yao You

12-16-2020, 12:36 PM

https://kslsports.com/448783/rumored-jazz-earned-uniforms-leak/
horrendous! :coleman:

Xiao Yao You

12-16-2020, 01:11 PM

https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/16/22164083/elijah-hughes-utah-jazz-rookies-nba-draft-steals

Elijah Hughes could impress as a rookie, he just needs the chance

Get in line, hit 3's and play D! Not sure why every year a supposedly deep Jazz team is supposed to have rookies playing immediately when none have been ready under Snyder. Especially 2nd round pucks who rarely are here more than a year. They obviously had a t least 3 too many rookies a year ago instead of the vet depth they so badly needed since Snyder for some reason wouldn't play rookies like usual

Hughes has great role player potential that will probably be buried in Utah’s depth chart

not as good as wright Forman until he proves otherwise

Whether Hughes plays shooting guard or small forward (his former college coach said he’s primarily a two-guard), the depth chart in Utah is filled nearly to the brim on the wing. Donovan Mitchell and Jordan Clarkson have a stranglehold on the shooting guard spot with Bojan Bogdanovic, Joe Ingles and Royce O’Neale taking up most of the small forward minutes. On top of all that, second-year guard Miye Oni appears to be in line to inherit the remaining minutes Hughes might have been able to nab.

With his length he's a 2 unless the Jazz continue with their 3 small guard lineups of course. Let's not forget the gleague player of the year as much as the Jazz seemingly want to for whatever reason

The lack of available minutes is a crying shame because of the potential Hughes has to be an immediate positive contributor on the wing.

Why is it a shame? If a rookie is playing it's likely not a good thing

To no one’s surprise (among those who at least glanced at Hughes’ college stat sheet) Hughes’ biggest potential area of impact is scoring and shooting. However, he’ll need to heavily adjust to a less ball-dominant role. Last year, Hughes ranked third in the NCAA in total isolation possessions per Synergy Sports. Those ISO’s made up 23.5 percent of his offensive diet.

34% from 3 is not shooting. Clarkson wannabe oh joy!

Luckily for all parties involved, there’s statistical evidence to show Hughes is capable of making the adjustment to being an off-ball wing thanks to his proficiency as a 3-point shooter. His 34.2 overall percent isn’t highly encouraging, but his isolation 3-point attempts really drag that percentage down (Hughes shot 22 percent on ISO threes). On spot-ups last year Hughes made 38.1 percent of his downtown attempts. In transition, that mark is all the way up at 41.2 percent and he took those transition triples in decently high volume (51 attempts all year, 1.6 per game). His shooting chops on hand-off and off screens is a little harder to extrapolate due to low sample size (7 of 21 on both combined for the season). The likelihood is that Hughes is viable as a catch-and-shoot wing, but the on-the-move shots of more adept shooters is probably out of reach in his rookie season (which is perfectly OK).

that looks better but what we've seen is he wants to shoot anytime he touches it

All of this isn’t to say Hughes is some hidden gem of a superstar that the Jazz lucked upon. He has some weaknesses, he had a poor record of finishing at the rim in college (he’s 5 of 6 so far in preseason so fingers crossed we’ll see more of that). That and his defense thus far in the preseason has been suspect. But if he improves in those areas then maybe he could push toward a fringe all-star level of play. The fact is that Hughes has some potential as a high-level off-ball scoring guard that could help the Jazz even in Year 1. It’s just a shame we probably won’t see what Hughes is really capable of until next year or beyond.

another guy that can't finish and is a fringe all star! 2nd rounders rarely last long with the Jazz. Most 1st's don't. Guess you need to write something and fill the website

Hopefully our killer offense and improved defense will give our end-of-the-bench guys time to develop
I can see us blowing out quite a few teams this year, which would allow Dok, Hughes and Forrest to all get quite a bit of playing time. If they continue to dominate the other team’s bench (as we have seen in preseason) Q will be more likely to use them in the rotation when guys need a rest game, or are out for COVID protocol. All in all, I think we will be seeing a lot more of all of them this year.

Posted by pkt423 (https://www.sbnation.com/users/pkt423) on Dec 16, 2020 | 9:32 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/16/22164083/elijah-hughes-utah-jazz-rookies-nba-draft-steals#534507954)

the killer O with no spacing thanks to Favors or the other one? Why can't they just go to the Stars and play a big role and when they earn it they get in the mix like Oni and Morgan?

Xiao Yao You

12-16-2020, 01:33 PM

Rudy/Favors/Udoka/Gill
O'Neale/Niang/Morgan/Brantley/Scott
Bojan/Ingles/Oni/Bluiett?
Mitchell/Clarkson/Hughes/Toolson
Conley/Harrison/Forrest

Mudiay, Wright Forman

That's 20 again and might be it but they could easily cut a non guaranteed deal or exhibit 10 which they probably will. So 10 guaranteed deals?, 2 two ways, 4 non guaranteed?, 4 exhibit 10's?, 2 free agents from last years team. I imagine any hope for Mudiay is now gone. Could still use at least one more vet ideally. They obviously don't think as much of Oni and Morgan as has been reported. Might as well get some vets. Have enough young guys that won't play already especially if no Stars though it sounds like they will play in the bubble for a little while anyway.

Would appear despite what we are reading to the contrary that Harrison, Niang and Oni are waiting for scraps 9-11

Xiao Yao You

12-16-2020, 02:12 PM

JD Shaw: The Jazz have signed free agent forward Tre Scott. Utah created roster space by waving Nigel Williams-Goss yesterday (https://*********.com/social/).
– via Twitter JShawNBA (https://twitter.com/JShawNBA)

I assume this is the final Exhibit 10 spot

Xiao Yao You

12-16-2020, 02:18 PM

https://www.nba.com/jazz/utah-jazz-sign-tre-scott

A 4 I'd guess

Stars coming together.

Udoka/Gill
Brantley/Scott/Morgan?
Bluiett/Oni?
Hughes/Toolson/Wright Forman?
Forrest/Goss?

Another formidable lineup potentially led by all gleaguer Brantley

Xiao Yao You

12-16-2020, 05:01 PM

Salman Ali: The Houston Rockets have waived Jerian Grant, Trevelin Queen, and Kenny Wooten (https://*********.com/social/).
– via Twitter SalmanAliNBA (https://twitter.com/SalmanAliNBA)

Grant wouldn't be a bad depth piece especially with Shaq out. I'm guessing they will only carry 14 though

Xiao Yao You

12-16-2020, 06:02 PM

Ben Anderson: Royce O’Neale didn’t elaborate on why he missed the last two games with the @UtahJazz. “Just following the NBA medical protocol, and you know easing my way back to things.” (https://*********.com/social/) Sounds like he’ll play tomorrow.
– via Twitter BensHoops (https://twitter.com/BensHoops)

so much for Oni's playing time

Xiao Yao You

12-16-2020, 06:11 PM

https://kslsports.com/448848/jazz-close-preseason-with-road-matchup-against-clippers/

Standing 6’8 and weighing in at 225 lbs, Scott has prototypical size for the modern NBA wing.

You mean 4? He averaged a double double and shot less than 30% from 3. I'd say he's a 4

Though his college numbers were modest, Scott brings an impressive resume to the Jazz. The forward was named 2019-20 AAC Defensive Player of the Year, the AAC Most Improved Player, and made All-AAC First Team.

defense

Currently, the Jazz have 14 players signed to guaranteed contracts heading into their final preseason game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Oni and Morgan are guaranteed? I'm guessing Niang is because he had a date before the original draft to do so though no official announcement was made

Xiao Yao You

12-16-2020, 06:17 PM

https://www.sbnation.com/2020/12/16/22168035/nba-season-preview-2020-21/utah-jazz

For the last four years Gobert has been the cornerstone of Jazz defense and the driving force behind each playoff appearance. Even though Donovan Mitchell has become the face of the franchise, Gobert has been the major reason they’ve consistently made the playoffs. It’s clear at this point he wants a supermax, or something close to that, and the Jazz don’t want to give him that big of a contract. At some point, if negotiations go awry, the Jazz will have to look at making some sort of move to avoid losing Gobert next year in free agency. Can the Jazz be just as good if he’s not on the team?

How is it clear what he wants. He'd be stupid to accept anything less than what other teams can pay or what Mitchell can potentially make. They will suck without him. Not much doubt. They won't be smart enough to sell the rest of their old guys off though

4th in the west

very optimistic

Can the Jazz pick up where they finished in the playoffs? Their offense was dominant in the playoffs where Donovan Mitchell was playing at an MVP level. If they can reach that level of play this season they should be very good.

MVP level and can't get past the 1st round? The offense should be fine at least when Favors isn't at the 4. The defense is what it comes down to

Utah also fixed one of their glaring weaknesses at backup center by re-signing Derrick Favors. Utah’s bench was terrible last year up until they traded for Jordan Clarkson. Even with the offensive improvement from Clarkson, their bench defense was one of the worst in the league. The combination of Tony Bradley and Ed Davis was bad enough to cost them playoff wins. Having Derrick Favors and Azubuike now backing up Gobert solidifies that position going forward and should give the Jazz a shot at a top-3 seed in the west.

their glaring weakness was a starting 4 and they didn't fix that. They had a lot bigger issues than their backup 5

Xiao Yao You

12-17-2020, 12:18 AM

Andy Larsen: Udoka Azubuike is OUT for tomorrow’s preseason game (https://*********.com/social/) against LAC due to left knee soreness.
– via Twitter andyblarsen (https://twitter.com/andyblarsen)

that's what you told us last time

Xiao Yao You

12-17-2020, 11:08 AM

Porter Larsen: So far: – Rudy Gobert asked the Jazz to fulfill the supermax contract he is eligible for(35% of cap) – Jazz responded with an offer of the normal max(28% of cap) – Gobert’s camp turned that offer down – Two sides have 5 days to agree on an extension (http://twitter.com/Larsen_ESPN/status/1339353703740895232)
– via Twitter (http://twitter.com/Larsen_ESPN/status/1339353703740895232)

good for you Rudy! Super max for a guy that hasn't earned anything and low balling the man behind everything :cheers:

Xiao Yao You

12-17-2020, 02:44 PM

Marc Berman: Knicks signing Bryce Brown for G League action. Looks like this Atlanta bubble will feature about a dozen teams and start around Jan. 10, per source (https://*********.com/social/).
– via Twitter NYPost_Berman (https://twitter.com/NYPost_Berman)

I assume this includes the Stars?

Xiao Yao You

12-17-2020, 02:45 PM

Donovan Mitchell hopes his new basketball sneaker will not only help athletes score buckets, but also make an impact in the lives of students at his beloved University of Louisville. The former Cardinals star has teamed up with Adidas to support current and future Black students at Louisville by donating up to $200,000 of the sales of his “D.O.N. Issue #2 x Louisville” sneaker (nicknamed “A Shoe for Change”) to fund several academic initiatives and scholarships (https://theundefeated.com/features/donovan-mitchell-is-using-his-new-shoe-to-change-students-lives/).
– via Marc J. Spears @ The Undefeated (https://theundefeated.com/features/donovan-mitchell-is-using-his-new-shoe-to-change-students-lives/)

“I’m sure we’ve all had moments where things changed our lives and had an everlasting impact. For me, I just want to give, especially people of color, an opportunity to have that everlasting impact and change,” Mitchell told The Undefeated in a phone interview on Wednesday. (https://theundefeated.com/features/donovan-mitchell-is-using-his-new-shoe-to-change-students-lives/) “You never know whose idea is going to create what or whose idea is going to be a catalyst for this or that.”
– via Marc J. Spears @ The Undefeated (https://theundefeated.com/features/donovan-mitchell-is-using-his-new-shoe-to-change-students-lives/)

What does it mean to you to have an impact on the lives of students? Donovan Mitchell: I am just trying to find ways to give back in any way I can. With everything we’ve been doing in the bubble fighting for social change and social justice, fighting for equal education and equal opportunities in all aspects of life for our people, this is just another avenue to do just that. (https://theundefeated.com/features/donovan-mitchell-is-using-his-new-shoe-to-change-students-lives/) I’ve partnered with Adidas and done a bunch of different things. We’ve helped Jacob Blake’s kids, putting money into their school funds. This is another thing we are doing together. And I’m really honored to be doing this. …
– via Marc J. Spears @ The Undefeated (https://theundefeated.com/features/donovan-mitchell-is-using-his-new-shoe-to-change-students-lives/)

Donovan Mitchell: I know a bunch of kids who can’t necessarily afford to go to school that get into school. It’s a real problem to get into college. There are kids, especially in Louisville, that I know that may be able to get into school but can’t necessarily afford to go. So, they don’t end up going. And that’s not just the case at Louisville, that’s everywhere. (https://theundefeated.com/features/donovan-mitchell-is-using-his-new-shoe-to-change-students-lives/) But being that I went to school there and Louisville is like a second home to me, I just wanted to give back and be able to allow kids to go to college to pursue their dreams.
– via Marc J. Spears @ The Undefeated (https://theundefeated.com/features/donovan-mitchell-is-using-his-new-shoe-to-change-students-lives/)

Xiao Yao You

12-17-2020, 06:49 PM

Adrian Wojnarowski: Sources: Among items NBA Board of Governors are expected to approve in meeting this afternoon: Ryan Smith’s purchase of Utah Jazz, expanding active rosters to 15 on game nights, (https://*********.com/social/) permanently adopting coaching challenge and amending several trade rules.
– via Twitter wojespn (https://twitter.com/wojespn)

Oh joy! Let's hope the Jazz don't carry 15 and have their guys in the gleague where they can play

Xiao Yao You

12-17-2020, 06:59 PM

https://kslsports.com/448905/report-gobert-willing-to-take-less-than-supermax/

Report: Gobert Willing To Take Less Than Supermax

Which is what I'd suspect. The Jazz not ofering more than regular max after giving Mitchell super max is par for the course and I'd tell them to go screw themselves

“I don’t have precise contract figures,” MacMahon said. “I have been told that he did not ask for the full supermax.”

He should have asked for it and demand more than Mitchell or what any other team can pay minimum. Can add in bonuses after that to make everyone happy

The Jazz drafted Gobert with the 27th pick in the 2013 NBA draft. The center has earned two Defensive Player of the Year awards and has been named to four NBA All-Defensive teams, three All-NBA teams, and one All-Star game.

and he's carried the team on his back for 6 years something Mitchell hasn't done

Xiao Yao You

12-17-2020, 09:44 PM

Ben Anderson: Royce O’Neale will play tonight for the @UtahJazz (https://*********.com/social/). Quin Snyder said the game will dictate how and if Shaq Harrison will play. #TakeNote
– via Twitter BensHoops (https://twitter.com/BensHoops)

Xiao Yao You

12-17-2020, 10:39 PM

https://hoopshabit.com/2020/12/16/utah-jazz-3-goals-joe-ingles/

Not to continue sucking so they can trade him if they need to!

Ingles put up decent numbers last season, averaging 9.8 points, 5.2 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 0.9 steals in 29.7 minutes per game. However, where he impacts the game is he can distribute the ball or shoot the three at over 40 percent which he did for two straight seasons in 2016-17 and 2017-18. With all this in mind, let’s look at three goals for Joe Ingles in the 2020-21 season.

way too many minutes! He also gets under the other teams skin

He only started one game in this period but Ingles improved from game 22 onwards. This is when he moved into the starting lineup and went back to feeling comfortable. Interestingly he was reinserted into the starting lineup to replace point guard Mike Conley.

He's a role player. He needs to show up regardless of if he's starting or not

Goal No. 2: Get to the line more.

:roll:

If he was a little more selfish on occasion, he would shoot the ball more from inside, potentially drawing more fouls. This has the impact of keeping the scoreboard ticking over but also getting opposing players into foul trouble.

This has been part of the problem the past two seasons. The team and fans expecting him to be something he's not. He can hit open 3's, run pick and roll and get under the other teams skin. Asking him to do more in heavy minutes is a huge mistake

Goal No. 3: Win the Sixth Man of the Year award

same mistake that was made last year. 6th man usually is a scorer. He's not a scorer! Why not be realistic?

Yes, Joe Ingles needs to be on the bench at the start of every game. The starting lineup for the Jazz is set thanks to the return of Derrick Favors. This gives them the defensive edge in the frontcourt with a heap of outside scoring through Bogdanovic and Mitchell.

Morgan should start and won't even play

Ingles needs to be able to come on the court, replacing anyone with the exception of Gobert, and play his game. He can set up the offense like a point guard, provide perimeter shooting as required, and at 6’7″ can play some minutes at the small-ball stretch-four position.

He's not a 4 not that they use one unfortunately

While this may count against him in the Sixth Man of the Year voting, if you truly understand Ingles’s game and what he does for the Jazz, then he will receive votes. This award is reliant on the team staying healthy all year though, which is what the Jazz want.

He won't get votes. Clarkson might

If any of the starters except Gobert go down, Ingles will get the nod, meaning he will become ineligible should he start too many games. If this team stays healthy though, Ingles will be the spare parts sixth man on a team that garners the attention of a top-four team in the West.

Favors unfortunately might or even Clarkson! :banghead:

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2020, 05:48 AM

https://www.sltrib.com/sports/jazz/2020/12/18/triple-team-jazz-shot/

The Jazz led the league in 3-point percentage last year. I think this year, they’ve realized what that means: It means they can take all manner of threes, both when it’s comfortable and when it’s not, and it’s going to be a good shot.

unless Favors is at the 4

Drive and kick catch-and-shoot threes are still the most important setting for threes for the Jazz, but there’s so much variety in the other attempts. To get 10 threes up in transition is awesome — I think there were games last year where the Jazz didn’t have 10 transition possessions, period.

might not this year either. It's pre season

nothing about D again. Wh is it that everyone is worried about the offense which should be fine when Favors isn't at the 4. The D is another question

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2020, 05:53 AM

I'd assume this is the final roster:

Rudy/Favors/Udoka
O'Neale/Niang/Morgan/Brantley
Bojan/Ingles/Oni
Mitchell/Clarkson/Hughes
Conley/Harrison/Ferrell/Forrest

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2020, 05:57 AM

https://www.deseret.com/sports/2020/12/17/22183019/utah-jazz-los-angeles-clippers-analysis-shaquille-harrison-and-royce-oneale-look-good

I watched Shaquille Harrison play about three minutes of preseason basketball for the Jazz before I decided that I’m all in on him. I’ll just say this: for a handful of possessions Harrison made Paul George work so hard for his shot that if he’d been doing it for the entirety of the game George would have been absolutely exhausted. Meanwhile, Harrison didn’t look like he broke a sweat. That’s exactly the type of defender you want. Love it.

On offense they just had him run to the corner in the first half but he looked good with the ball in his hands as well in the 4th. NBA body

Royce O’Neale played in his first preseason game too and he looks a lot leaner, like he’s been conditioning and hitting the weights a lot through the offseason. Though it was his first preseason game, it didn’t really feel like it. He was quick in transition, quick to shoot, quick to pass and kept a hand in the face of shooters. Nice way to come back to the game.

an even smaller starting 4! :cry:

Rudy Gobert should not be making a guy like Kabengele look good, even if Kabengele really is good. But on Thursday night he went against the rookie with very little strength and was hunting fouls more than he was trying to score and it just wasn’t a very good look.

pay the guy

I understand that broadcast crews are supposed to put their home teams in a good light, but the Clippers broadcast crew of Brian Sieman and Mike Fratello talked so glowingly about Ty Lue’s preseason defense and how different and how much more simple it was compared to Doc Rivers’ defense. Spoiler alert, the Clippers defense last season was really good and preseason defense is not really something to count on. It was a weird take and it did not come across as a good look.

they were so much better than the Jazz crew though!

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2020, 06:06 AM

https://www.deseret.com/sports/2020/12/17/22183438/utah-jazz-los-angeles-clippers-3-takeaways-donovan-mitchell-bojan-bogdanovic

With Bogey the Jazz don’t lose a 3-1 lead

except for game 7 they lost because of D. Not sure how Bojan helps them there

Derrick Favors is obviously an upgrade over Tony Bradley or Ed Davis, but I think it’s worth noting how much his presence is going to change things on the bench. It’s not just about Favors elevating the defense of the second unit. It’s also the fact that Joe Ingles is going to (hopefully) thrive with him as he has in the past. Favors’ presence in the paint is also going to open up things for Jordan Clarkson and give him some confidence and space to work in that he didn’t have with Bradley last season.

Bradley was fine in pick and roll. Clarkson doesn't care about space. He's shooting regardless. Is Favors and upgrade over anyone at the 4?

So those are the main guys. Then there’s Georges Niang, who continues to improve and can shoot the lights out, Shaquille Harrison, who is an absolute lockdown defender, and a bunch of other players who are better than their years or experience say they should be.

and they'll hardly play

If I were a Jazz fan, I’d be more excited about this bench than I have in a long time.

Clarkson, Favors in the corner and an ever declining Ingles don't excite me for some reason. If O'Neale was on the bench because they had a starting 4 I'd like i a lot more

Donovan Mitchell is worth every penny

inefficient high usage one way player isn't. Need a lot more

Mitchell is going to be a bonafide superstar and have a very long NBA career. He really has a chance to evolve into one of the best two-way guards in the league and I really hope to see that happen.

what makes you think that?

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2020, 06:15 AM

https://www.slcdunk.com/2020/12/18/22167036/utah-jazz-playing-their-rhythm-tune-out-los-angeles-clippers-in-preseason-finale-125-105

Shaq Harrison made his first appearance as a Jazzman in the first half, playing 3, of what would have been Niang’s, minutes. His time on the court was mostly uneventful, and it was difficult to get much of a reading on him.

Niang took the minutes in the 2nd half so Snyder was looking at both. He played D

The Jazz finished the first half shooting 13-31 from behind the 3-point-line. They finished off the half on the only run from either team in the half, 15-3 including a couple big 3’s from Conley, to create some separation. They will be difficult to beat as long as they have Rudy and Favs anchoring the D while they unload from beyond the arc.

won't have the space to unload if they play together

The Jazz continued firing from 3, going 7-12 in the third quarter, as they continued to pull away from the Clippers. With the Jazz up double digits, both teams started emptying the benches early in the 4th. Clarkson and Favors put in some run with the guys further down the bench before leaving with 7 uneventful minutes left in the game. Hughes appears to be a legit NBA scorer. Oni looks more confident.

Hughes is a gunner. He'll have a hard time scoring if he can't shoot

This was our first glimpse at what the regular season rotation minutes will look like. I didn’t see any major reasons to hate on Quin Snyder’s rotation tonight. It will be interesting if he continues to pull Gobert and Conley 3 minutes into each game. Is Niang still in the rotation? What about Morgan, will he get any play at all when the season starts? Are there any minutes left over for Shaq? How many minutes will Gobert play this year with Favors backing him up? Will it leave him feeling fresher when the playoffs come around? Jazz just signed the former future of the Dallas Mavericks (https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/), Yogi Ferrell

Looks like it's Niang or Shaq maybe depending on the game. Morgan and Oni are out. Morgan should start

There is still some anxiety and uncertainty about Rudy’s contract situation, but he’s played well on the court and I think they’ll figure it out. The Jazz and Rudy need each other and will create a path forward together.

Jazz need Rudy but don't seem to realize it somehow despite the past 6 years. He doesn't need them and would be better off if he left

I think most Jazz fans will agree with me in saying that the Jazz have been ridiculously underrated by the media. If everyone can stay healthy, it should be an exciting season in which they exceed most expectations.

The media has seen this team be mediocre year after year. Going back in time with Favors doesn't change that

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2020, 06:18 AM

https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/17/22188100/report-rudy-gobert-did-not-ask-jazz-for-supermax-utah-jazz

This report contradicts the earlier report that came from ESPN 700’s Porter Larsen, which stated that Rudy Gobert had asked for the supermax and was initially turned down. MacMahon also talked about the “gulf” that the Jazz need to cross with Gobert and securing him long term. Afterwards Brian Windhorst commented that there would be “a handful of teams lining up” to offer Rudy Gobert the supermax if the Jazz did not, and that the Jazz needed to consider that in their contract negotiations.

no one else can ofer him the supermax. Sign and trade maybe

I still think paying more than $30-35M per year over the life of the contract will prevent us from truly competing. But losing Gobert entirely will hurt us more than paying his supermax so we’re kind of boned unless Rudy’s desire to win and win in Utah gets us a discount.
Guess we’ll see.

Posted by Korumbian (https://www.sbnation.com/users/Korumbian) on Dec 17, 2020 | 7:57 PM (https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/17/22188100/report-rudy-gobert-did-not-ask-jazz-for-supermax-utah-jazz#534566105)

Why should he take less than Mitchell or what another team can pay him? He's actually earned whatever he gets unlike Mitchell

The team is in win now mode, is build around Rudy’s abilities on both sides. He has one year left which might frighten teams who don’t expect him to resign, the return wouldn’t be great, best case is something like Levert, Allen and a pick. It would be more the beginning of a rebuild than anything else, but giving up present for future one year after making the contrary move seems really unlikely and unlogical.
If no agreement is reached and he is on the free agency next summer there will be suitors, he’s probably the best player left at this point unless Kawhi leaves the Clippers.

Posted by Bigfee (https://www.sbnation.com/users/Bigfee) on Dec 18, 2020 | 2:55 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/17/22188100/report-rudy-gobert-did-not-ask-jazz-for-supermax-utah-jazz#534570631)

Win now with Favors in the corner?

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2020, 06:23 AM

https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/17/22188352/utah-jazz-sign-yogi-ferrell

This comes as a bit of a surprise for Utah who looks to have filled out their roster nicely with a mix of young and veteran talent that mixes together nicely. Most likely this is a move to provide depth and security for Utah with a shortened season coming that will surely see a mix of injuries and rests for players, especially with the return of a season that will have multiple times where the Jazz will play four games in five nights.

and they are still short on vets especially at the starting 4

It’s possible the Jazz are looking to fill out their G-League roster as well as the G-League will be starting soon.

already have their exhibit 10's. Ferrell is deep bench help. I'd guess non or partially guaranteed

The Jazz seem hellbent on eliminating the PF position from its roster.
This is an odd signing whereas the Jazz already have 6 other players on the roster who can play PG—similar to the odd signing last season of Nigel Williams-Goss.

Posted by Fesenko for President (https://www.sbnation.com/users/Fesenko%20for%20President) on Dec 18, 2020 | 12:56 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/17/22188352/utah-jazz-sign-yogi-ferrell#534570144)

They have many guys that can play every position except the 4. Goss made sense. Morgan and Tucker when they already had 4 rookies not so much. At least they've got more vets this year though still too many young guys

What happened with Mudiay?
I’d probably take Mudiay over Ferrell.

Posted by nkeith (https://www.sbnation.com/users/nkeith) on Dec 18, 2020 | 1:23 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/17/22188352/utah-jazz-sign-yogi-ferrell#534570257)

I'd take him over Clarkson. Not a great fit though

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2020, 06:28 AM

https://basketball.realgm.com/analysis/260870/Thirty-Futures-Utah-Jazz

Can you win a title with Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert? Probably not. But it’s Utah: you work with the talent you draft. Mitchell translates universally. He’s an awesome scoring guard any team in the league would be happy to have. With Gobert, it’s like his game and his personality are intertwined. He’s not for everybody. He’s a dominant defender, except when the other team has a loaded backcourt, and he’s got to either sink and leave a deadeye shooter open or shuffle along the perimeter with a fluidity that’s impressive for a 7-foot-1 fella but still not enough to stay in front of extremely twitchy guards. He also tends to get beaten up by Nikola Jokić, which is a problem because the beefy Serb is going to be direct playoff competition for the foreseeable future.

If Mitchell becomes the max player he's going to be paid to be and they put the right guys around them they could win it all. Seems unlikely though given this is the Jazz

Who's the douche that wrote this crap? :facepalm

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2020, 06:33 AM

https://www.si.com/nba/2020/12/14/top-100-nba-players-2021-daily-cover

better than ESPN

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2020, 12:54 PM

Eric Walden: Bojan Bogdanovic, on how he’s feeling in his recovery: “Physically, I’m fine. I’m in great shape. (https://*********.com/social/) … I was in Salt Lake for 2 months before the season started. My hand is still sore. It’s probably not where it’s supposed to be, probably not 100%, but it’s good enough to play.”
– via Twitter tribjazz (https://twitter.com/tribjazz)

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2020, 03:14 PM

Blake Murphy: Malcolm Miller is signing an Exhibit 10 deal with the Utah Jazz, (http://twitter.com/BlakeMurphyODC/status/1339977601872441345) per a source.
– via Twitter (http://twitter.com/BlakeMurphyODC/status/1339977601872441345)

I guess they can have 5 exhibit 10's?

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2020, 03:15 PM

https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2020/12/jazz-to-sign-malcolm-miller-to-exhibit-10-contract.html

the fact that he was with Toronto is encouraging. They produce talent

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2020, 03:16 PM

Stars coming together.

Udoka/Gill
Brantley/Scott/Morgan?
Bluiett/Miller/Oni?
Hughes/Toolson/Wright Forman?
Forrest/Goss?

Another formidable lineup potentially led by all gleaguer Brantley

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2020, 03:19 PM

https://kslsports.com/448981/report-jazz-signing-forward-malcolm-miller/

The roster sat at 14 players on guaranteed contracts after signing guard Shaquille Harrison last week excluding the Jazz recent additions of Scott, Ferrell, and Miller.

You sure about that? Oni and Morgan should be non guaranteed still as far as I know. Ferrell?

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2020, 03:21 PM

guess they can have 6 exhibit 10's. Could be one more. Fill out the rest of the Stars roster with returning players and the draft

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2020, 04:17 PM

Marc Stein: The NBA season will begin next week with seven of its 30 NBA teams allowing reduced crowds inside: Cleveland, Houston, Memphis, New Orleans, Orlando, Toronto and Utah (https://*********.com/social/) … with the Raptors, of course, temporarily located in Tampa rather home
– via Twitter TheSteinLine (https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine)

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2020, 05:52 PM

https://www.ksl.com/article/50069658/its-definitely-a-different-style-of-play-jazz-continue-to-rain-3s-finish-preseason-unbeaten

defense?

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2020, 05:53 PM

https://kslsports.com/448986/jazz-picked-to-finish-6th-in-west-in-gm-survey/

Mitch did receive a vote as the player most likely to become a successful head coach. Derrick Favors received a vote as the most underrated acquisition of the offseason, while Quin Snyder received a vote as the coach most capable of making in-game adjustments.

and why didn't he make them against Denver?

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2020, 05:57 PM

https://fansided.com/2020/12/17/utah-jazz-trade-rudy-gobert-supermax-extension/

Will the Jazz have to trade Rudy Gobert?

of course not. They may choose to but no one would be forcing them to

Gobert is what he is, a traditional center who’s a top-end defender and rebounder and shoots 64 percent from the floor of his career. But 90-plus percent of his field-goal attempts from within 10 feet of the basket every year, and most of those (80-plus percent of his field-goal attempts in four of the last five seasons) come from within three feet of the basket. Hardly a supermax player in today’s game, if we’re being honest.

one of the best players in the game period. You can argue as to how much sense it is to pay him or anyone the supermax but few have earned it or deserve it as much certainly not his teammate

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2020, 07:23 PM

JD Shaw: The Clippers have waived guard Rayjon Tucker, (https://*********.com/social/) the team announced today.
– via Twitter JShawNBA (https://twitter.com/JShawNBA)

Pretty sure the Bucks gleague team would still have his rights.

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2020, 07:25 PM

Andy Larsen: Ryan Smith, on if he’ll meddle with bball ops: “I’m not going to go in and chime in to what the basketball side of the house is really doing. I’m just here to help. (https://*********.com/social/) I truly believe that we hire the best and we let them roll, then augment them with anything they need help with.”
– via Twitter andyblarsen (https://twitter.com/andyblarsen)

they aren't the best and need serious help!

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2020, 07:25 PM

Andy Larsen: Ryan Smith on the Jazz TV deal expiring: “We have younger fans, or digital first fans, or fans who just want to sit in their lazy boy and watch. And you know what? All of those are perfect. (https://*********.com/social/) We want all the fans. I do believe that we can do better, not just one size fits all.”
– via Twitter andyblarsen (https://twitter.com/andyblarsen)

needs to get better

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2020, 07:26 PM

Eric Walden: Ryan Smith, on his willingness to pay the luxury tax: “We’re in the luxury tax, so that answers that question. … We have a special group. (https://*********.com/social/) Everyone knows where we’re at … We’re not gonna blink. We’re gonna go all-in and we’re gonna commit to this.”
– via Twitter tribjazz (https://twitter.com/tribjazz)

all in with Clarkson and Favors spotting up in the corner!

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2020, 07:27 PM

Eric Walden: New Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith, on his relationship with the team: “Quin coaches right where I sit — he always almost trips over my feet. … I love Rudy, I see everything he does and have so much respect for what he does; I’m hoping he’s here for a long time.” (https://*********.com/social/)
– via Twitter tribjazz (https://twitter.com/tribjazz)

low ball him and he won't be

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2020, 07:33 PM

https://kslsports.com/448998/jazz-owner-smith-hopes-gobert-is-going-to-be-here-for-a-really-long-time/

On the other, it could be interpreted that the ball now rests in Gobert’s court. The Jazz obviously want him back, but the two-time Defensive Player of the Year needs to reciprocate that desire, even if it means shaving a few dollars off his asking price.

If reports are true the ball is the Jazz court. He has no reason to take a mere max offer that he can get from another team. Anything less than Mitchell or what other teams can offer would be stupid

In total, Smith has committed nearly $300 million to three Jazz players over the next half-decade without coming to terms with Gobert.

have fun paying that for a losing team if Rudy goes

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2020, 08:44 PM

The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has signed guard Yogi Ferrell and forward Malcolm Miller. (https://www.nba.com/jazz/news/jazz-sign-yogi-ferrell-and-malcolm-miller?cid=jazz_natsocial_twitter_signing_20201218 ) Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released. Additionally, the team has waived guard Trevon Bluiett, center Romaro Gill, forward Tre Scott and guard Jake Toolson.
– via NBA.com (https://www.nba.com/jazz/news/jazz-sign-yogi-ferrell-and-malcolm-miller?cid=jazz_natsocial_twitter_signing_20201218 )

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2020, 08:47 PM

Ben Anderson: By the way, Mike Cannon-Brookes who is now a minority owner in the @UtahJazz would be the second wealthiest owner in the NBA if he owned the majority share according to Forbes (https://*********.com/social/). He’s valued at $15 billion. Steve Ballmer at $51 billion is by far the richest.
– via Twitter BensHoops (https://twitter.com/BensHoops)

Xiao Yao You

12-18-2020, 10:27 PM

Jay Allen: Coach Stotts says Anfernee Simons (hamstring) won’t play tonight in Denver. Stotts says he’s hoping that Simons will be available for Opening Night Dec. 23 (https://*********.com/social/) vs. Utah. #RipCity
– via Twitter PDXjay (https://twitter.com/PDXjay)

Xiao Yao You

12-19-2020, 08:30 AM

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2922894-2021-nba-trade-deadline-deals-to-dream-about

could do worse I guess

Xiao Yao You

12-19-2020, 06:15 PM

Rudy Gobert not concerned with supermax extension deadline (https://*********.com/rumor/rudy-gobert-not-concerned-with-supermax-extension-deadline/)https://*********.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/92/2019/11/i_15_0d_bb_rudy-gobert.png?w=190Ben Anderson: Rudy Gobert said he’s not concerned with the supermax deadline on the 21st. He’s worried about winning. Says he’ll be taken care of this year or next year (https://*********.com/social/).
– via Twitter BensHoops (https://twitter.com/BensHoops)

Eric Walden: Asked about Donovan’s perimeter defense comments, Rudy added: “I love to see how we’ve really put an emphasis on defense — not just the scheme, but every single one of us trying to be disruptive and physical.” Said he felt everyone giving their best effort there the past 2 games (https://*********.com/social/).
– via Twitter tribjazz (https://twitter.com/tribjazz)

Eric Walden: Rudy Gobert: “It’s stepping on the court every single night with the mindset that we’re just going to dominate defensively. … That has to be where our focus is. … If we want a chance at a championship, that’s the DNA we need to have, and we need to have it every single night.” (https://*********.com/social/)
– via Twitter tribjazz (https://twitter.com/tribjazz)

believe it when I see it!

Xiao Yao You

12-19-2020, 06:26 PM

https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/19/22190774/nba-utah-jazz-news-and-notes-rudy-gobert-contract-trade

Probably the biggest surprise this offeason was the sale of the Utah jazz to Ryan Smith. But so far it seems like smooth sailing as the Jazz have continued their trajectory from last season.

You mean they've taken a step back with Favors back at the 4?

It apparently almost didn’t happen because Smith was closing to buying the Minnesota Timberwolves (https://www.canishoopus.com/).

bidding not buying

Hopefully Smith can figure something out for Jazz fans in terms of a streaming option, as well as finding a way to improve the TV product. We’ve had multiple seasons with ATT Sports Net and they haven’t always been good. They’ve chosen to literally not show certain preseason games for multiple years and have had issues with their broadcast multiple times. It can be better. Maybe that will mean a different TV deal when the contract is up, or finding a new partner. We shall see.

I remember when there only like 20 games total on :roll:

I like that Smith is willing to let the Jazz front office do its job. Regardless of this quote from Smith about letting people do their jobs, trades have to be approved by owners. So there will be things that come across his desk he has to sign off on. Will he allow the Jazz to make a big trade if they have to? Probably, but it’s got to be hard going from fan to big time decision maker.

now if he gets the right people to make those decisions not ones that are sentimental with the past

Perhaps this Monday we will have a deal. It’s just not clear why that hasn’t happened up until now. Unless Gobert, or Utah, has some sort of change of heart on Monday we likely don’t see a deal done.

If reports are true it's pretty clear. They are trying to low ball him with a max deal. He can get that anytime so unless he's worried about injury there's little incentive in it for him to sign. He already did that with his last deal but now that he's made over 100 million it's a bit easier to risk injury even though he's had a few scares though not for a few years now

Because of the signing of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Gobert becomes one of the top, if not the top, free agent next offseason and will likely garner serious interest from multiple teams.

He's number 1 unless Kawai joins. Several teams can pay him max. Good times for Rudy! He's earned every bit of it

Xiao Yao You

12-19-2020, 06:30 PM

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30545242/nba-approves-ryan-smith-new-owner-utah-jazz

Smith said he anticipates needing to "be on a learning curve" as he takes over ownership of the team, especially on the basketball side, expressing great confidence in Jazz executive vice president of basketball operations Dennis Lindsey, general manager Justin Zanik and coach Quin Snyder.

too bad

Xiao Yao You

12-19-2020, 06:36 PM

https://sircharlesincharge.com/2020/12/19/nba-2020-21-christmas-wishlist-lakers-lebron/29/

Gobert has been a good player for the Jazz and one of the best defense of players in the NBA over the past few seasons, but I’m just not sure that Utah should invest big money in a center in today’s NBA.

Yeah tough decision. Back to sucking or continuing to compete :lol

Xiao Yao You

12-19-2020, 06:38 PM

Scott Agness: Pacers have waived Naz Mitrou-Long, along with Devin Robinson and Josh Gray (https://*********.com/social/). The roster is set at 17, 15 NBA contracts + 2 two-ways.
– via Twitter ScottAgness (https://twitter.com/ScottAgness)

wonder if the Stars still hold Long's rights? He'd be a nice addition

Xiao Yao You

12-19-2020, 06:39 PM

Eric Walden: Donovan Mitchell said he liked how the Jazz looked in the preseason, but said the opener vs. the Blazers will be a test of the defense: “It’s a big one coming up in first game of season with Dame and CJ. … But I thought our defense really picked up the last 2 preseason games.” (https://*********.com/social/)
– via Twitter tribjazz (https://twitter.com/tribjazz)

Eric Walden: Donovan, on new Jazz owner Ryan Smith: “He’s a guy who’s passionate about what he does, locked in on the ultimate goal. … He came in and spoke to us a few days ago, which was nice … he trusts that the basketball minds are good at what they do.” (https://*********.com/social/)
– via Twitter tribjazz (https://twitter.com/tribjazz)

too bad

Xiao Yao You

12-20-2020, 08:13 AM

https://kslsports.com/449116/utah-jazz-waive-yogi-ferrell-malcolm-miller-prior-to-regular-season-opener/

so I assume Yogi was the 6th Exhibit 10? They will carry only 14 or go after someone like Kaminsky?

Xiao Yao You

12-20-2020, 08:14 AM

Stars coming together.

Udoka/Gill
Brantley/Scott/Morgan?
Bluiett/Miller/Oni?
Hughes/Toolson/Wright Forman?
Forrest/Ferrell/Goss?

Another formidable lineup potentially led by all gleaguer Brantley

Xiao Yao You

12-20-2020, 08:15 AM

I'd assume this is the final roster:

Rudy/Favors/Udoka
O'Neale/Niang/Morgan/Brantley
Bojan/Ingles/Oni
Mitchell/Clarkson/Hughes
Conley/Harrison/Forrest

Still room for 1 more but I'm guessing they'll leave it open to save on tax. Pretty ridiculous that this team is in the tax! :facepalm

Xiao Yao You

12-20-2020, 08:32 AM

https://www.deseret.com/sports/2020/12/19/22190817/jazz-mailbag-rudy-gobert-supermax-who-are-the-9th-and-10th-players-in-the-rotation

At this point, there’s no reason to think that Gobert wants to leave the Jazz, and there’s no reason to think that the Jazz want Gobert to leave. I don’t have any doubts about the Jazz’s ability to work out a deal or about Gobert’s desire to stay in Utah.

If they are low balling him as reports indicate they certainly don't want him to stay

I understand that there is concern among the fans about this situation, and there’s legitimate reason to fear that one of the best players on the team could hit unrestricted free agency or that the Jazz would look to trade him. I get why those fears exist.

one of the best? Seriously? He's unquestionably the 3rd most important person in the organization ever. It's not even close. Should be thinking about where his statue will go not if you want to pay him what he's earned

But I don’t think that the Jazz will let that happen, and I don’t think that they are going to trade Gobert. So yes, I think that Gobert will still be on the team at the end of the season even if a deal isn’t reached by Dec. 21. That’s just my feeling.

Favors and Udoka and the reports of them low balling him after paying Mitchell supermax tell me otherwise

The players that’ll likely be considered the most at the end of the rotation are Shaquille Harrison, Georges Niang, Juwan Morgan and Miye Oni.

would appear to be Niang and Shaq. Morgan should start but won't

If there are there are injuries or players are unable to play because of COVID-19 protocols, that could impact the end of the bench or the main rotational players. For example, if O’Neale is hurt, that could lead to Quin Snyder putting Harrison in the startling lineup and then working with the rest of the core. If Niang is unable to play, that could mean that Oni is the first player from the end of the bench to get minutes.

yeah get even smaller!

If the Jazz are playing a particularly large team, they could go to Morgan before they go to Oni or Harrison, but they could choose Harrison first if they’re playing a smaller team. If the Jazz want space and pace, then Niang is the best choice.

they should want size and D

Bottom line is that I think Harrison, Niang, Morgan and Oni are likely to get opportunities to play this season depending on the situation.

that's everyone. Way to go out on a limb!

First, inconsistency. It’s something that multiple people have brought up. Most notably, Mitchell and Snyder have pointed to needing to be able to play on a high level more consistently in order to get over the hump. That’s more a mental game than it is anything else.

starting with Mitchell. Is he going to show up from day one or a couple of months into the year like always?

Secondly, health and injury. If the Jazz have any major injuries or health problems, that could really hurt them. We saw what happened last season when they didn’t have Bogdanovic in the playoffs. I think the Jazz are deeper and better this year so one injury might not be as detrimental, but against some of the better teams, that could be the difference between winning and losing.

We didn't really see it though. The offense hummed without Bojan and the D was arguably better. They are slightly deeper. Rudy's the one guy that can't go down as great as Favors is!!! :lol

Finally, they could just come up against a team that’s better. I think that the Golden State Warriors (despite Klay Thompson’s injury), the Los Angeles Lakers, the Clippers, the Dallas Mavericks and the Portland Trail Blazers are the most threatening teams in the West this year. I think that the Jazz have the ability to beat any one of these teams, but they could also very well fall to them in a seven-game series.

they don't have the ability to beat any of them. We saw it last year. Favors isn't the answer sorry

Still lack the size, versatility, D and depth besides Favors and the horrendous spacing we've already seen. Don't even have him spotting up for 3 anymore!

Xiao Yao You

12-20-2020, 03:31 PM

DM will want to get traded in 2 years

We wont have money to build around them
No one will want Rudy at this salary, so we will have to trade DM
Take a screenshot of this comment. It will come to pass

Posted by statpower (https://www.sbnation.com/users/statpower) on Dec 20, 2020 | 9:02 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/20/22191607/rudy-gobert-re-signs-with-the-utah-jazz-nba-max-extension-contract#534649316)

as we've seen anyone can get traded. If Mitchell wants out I say let him go. He's certainly not worth what he's being paid unlike Rudy

I understand that Rudy’s worth it. I just don’t think we can build an improving roster around these deals without hitting home runs late in the draft.

Posted by Korumbian (https://www.sbnation.com/users/Korumbian) on Dec 20, 2020 | 9:08 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/20/22191607/rudy-gobert-re-signs-with-the-utah-jazz-nba-max-extension-contract#534649479)

I think you can. Look at all the guys making big money right now that are expendable. Pretty much everyone but O'Neale IMO

bad deal. we should've let him walk so we could pick up a quality centre like andre drummond in free agency

Posted by Viktor Vaughn (https://www.sbnation.com/users/Viktor%20Vaughn) on Dec 20, 2020 | 9:16 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/20/22191607/rudy-gobert-re-signs-with-the-utah-jazz-nba-max-extension-contract#534649696)

oh wait we have favors so we don't need drummond

but now that we’ve re-signed rudy we’re missing out on quality free agents like demar derozan

Posted by Viktor Vaughn (https://www.sbnation.com/users/Viktor%20Vaughn) on Dec 20, 2020 | 9:31 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/20/22191607/rudy-gobert-re-signs-with-the-utah-jazz-nba-max-extension-contract#534650129)

:roll:

I am glad it is just $205M

Hopefully this doesn’t lead to Rudy being traded in a few years.
If he can keep up his elite play through this contract and then pick up a team-friendly retirement contract, his spot in the Jazz pantheon is guaranteed.

Posted by Stocktons (https://www.sbnation.com/users/Stocktons) on Dec 20, 2020 | 9:43 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/20/22191607/rudy-gobert-re-signs-with-the-utah-jazz-nba-max-extension-contract#534650524)

His spot was guaranteed long ago. Where to place the statue should be the only question

Gobert gets a statue first

He was here first.

Posted by socaljazzfan (https://www.sbnation.com/users/socaljazzfan) on Dec 20, 2020 | 10:38 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/20/22191607/rudy-gobert-re-signs-with-the-utah-jazz-nba-max-extension-contract#534652165)

and he's earned it

Stifle tower surrounded by elite 3 point shooting is a winning formula. We were a Bogdanovic & back up center away last year – and those holes have been filled.
I know it’s preseason, but that Clippers game was a Jazz team unlike any I’ve seen. Aggressive 3s, defensive specialists, relentless pace, poise amid setbacks, no drop off from the bench. Their stars just shut down. I saw no holes.
I’m drinking to kool-aid hard. I see us putting together a 3 year Golden State type run. We’re going to surprise a lot of people.

Posted by Bredon31 (https://www.sbnation.com/users/Bredon31) on Dec 20, 2020 | 9:56 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/20/22191607/rudy-gobert-re-signs-with-the-utah-jazz-nba-max-extension-contract#534650881)

no PF other than Favors. They have much to prove

We have the best shooting team in the league and if the 3’s go our way we’re going to be hard for any team, even LA, to beat.
We just need to learn to sustain that level of play over a season, we saw what we could be last year in a lot of games but in others our bench, an inconsistent Rudy or Donovan, or adjusting Conley were downfalls.
This year our bench is better, hopefully Donovan and Rudy are better, and Conley has adjusted.

Posted by TheNextGM (https://www.sbnation.com/users/TheNextGM) on Dec 20, 2020 | 10:10 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/20/22191607/rudy-gobert-re-signs-with-the-utah-jazz-nba-max-extension-contract#534651257)

had the best shooting team. Enter Favors

Over the next two years we have Donovan, Rudy, and Bogey, who are arguably the three best players on the Jazz, on contract. Conley’s contract comes off the books. We still have Joe next year. I think this is the best case scenario for the Jazz. Best to overpay for a franchise cornerstone and keep a slim chance of contention than to squander Mitchell’s prime trying to rebuild. Also, in reality for a small market team to contend, they have to go into the tax. We have a gung-ho owner now with apparently deep pockets who it sounds like is willing to pay the tax to filed a competitive team.

Posted by PianoGuy13 (https://www.sbnation.com/users/PianoGuy13) on Dec 20, 2020 | 10:09 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/20/22191607/rudy-gobert-re-signs-with-the-utah-jazz-nba-max-extension-contract#534651252)

Bojan isn't as good as Conley or O'Neale. Having Joe next year isn't necessarily a good thing and I love Joe. He's fallen off a lot

Way too much money for a very offensively limited player. Only dunks, can’t shoot at all, and can’t hit free throws.
In my opinion this was a terrible move by the Jazz. Terrible.

Posted by Matt_Grbac (https://www.sbnation.com/users/Matt_Grbac) on Dec 20, 2020 | 10:32 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/20/22191607/rudy-gobert-re-signs-with-the-utah-jazz-nba-max-extension-contract#534651960)

He shoots ok for a big at the line. At least he gets there

Do you really think you can win a championship with Gobert as your second best player?

Posted by MyDogsNameIsOwen (https://www.sbnation.com/users/MyDogsNameIsOwen) on Dec 20, 2020 | 10:47 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/20/22191607/rudy-gobert-re-signs-with-the-utah-jazz-nba-max-extension-contract#534652480)

he's their best player

So if the jazz were planning

On re signing rudy all along, why did we draft udoka 10-15 spots higher then he should have went?

Posted by ThomasSmithjaz1 (https://www.sbnation.com/users/ThomasSmithjaz1) on Dec 20, 2020 | 11:26 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/20/22191607/rudy-gobert-re-signs-with-the-utah-jazz-nba-max-extension-contract#534653822)

Center was what they needed most with all their centers going to be free agents and no young guy to develop. He was also insurance if Rudy left. If he emerges they can move on from Favors in the corner

Xiao Yao You

12-20-2020, 03:31 PM

https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/20/22191607/rudy-gobert-re-signs-with-the-utah-jazz-nba-max-extension-contract

Even though this is probably more than what the Jazz wanted to pay it was clear that Gobert was going to be offered something next offseason around the max. There were no big free agents left after the signing of Giannis Antetokounmpo and so Utah had to make the move to keep their cornerstone center for years to come.

He was getting the max no matter what

Different

Donovan is fair market value. Rudy is not. Regular maxes are fine. Super maxes screw over small franchises

Posted by J-Note (https://www.sbnation.com/users/J-Note) on Dec 20, 2020 | 8:51 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/20/22191607/rudy-gobert-re-signs-with-the-utah-jazz-nba-max-extension-contract#534649022)

How is a high usage/low efficiency one way player fair market value on a super max and one of the best two way players in the game is an overpay? :lol

During Donovan's career:

-2.3 points per possession without Rudy on the floor.
+8.3 with Rudy on the floor.
Sorry Rudy helped make Donovan what he his.

Posted by IAMCAKEMAN (https://www.sbnation.com/users/IAMCAKEMAN) on Dec 20, 2020 | 10:00 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/20/22191607/rudy-gobert-re-signs-with-the-utah-jazz-nba-max-extension-contract#534650978)

made the whole franchise what they are. Do Lindsey and Snyder still have jobs without him? Does Hayward get a max deal? Does Mitchell? Could go on and on. They sucked when he emerged and have sucked without him when he's been hurt

I think Donovan has a higher ceiling than Gobert.
A few more things:
1) Donovan is getting paid less than Rudy
2) the open market is significantly different for the two players. There’s a lot more willing buyers for Donovan than for Rudy. Markets are what determine value, unfortunately. Not anything else

Posted by J-Note (https://www.sbnation.com/users/J-Note) on Dec 20, 2020 | 10:06 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/20/22191607/rudy-gobert-re-signs-with-the-utah-jazz-nba-max-extension-contract#534651162)

Mitchell may have a higher ceiling but he's nowhere near it now. Rudy has earned this. Mitchell is being payed on potential. Not sure Mitchell would be more valued. Good franchises now what both players are

I’d rather remain competitive over the next five years than to sacrifice Donovan’s prime trying to rebuild the team.

Posted by uncle-ingles (https://www.sbnation.com/users/uncle-ingles) on Dec 20, 2020 | 8:59 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/20/22191607/rudy-gobert-re-signs-with-the-utah-jazz-nba-max-extension-contract#534649262)

I hope Mitchell's prime is better than this

Some fans want the jazz to win a championship in their lifetime

Seems like way more fans than I thought are content with just "competitive" first or second round exits

Posted by J-Note (https://www.sbnation.com/users/J-Note) on Dec 20, 2020 | 9:17 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/20/22191607/rudy-gobert-re-signs-with-the-utah-jazz-nba-max-extension-contract#534649733)

it's lottery or this. Jazz don't have what it takes to win it all. Hoped the new owner might change that but Clarkson and Favors says no

It’s a bummer. Rudy talks about wanting to win a championship but then is the type of guy that will mope because the Jazz value another guy on the team more than him

Posted by J-Note (https://www.sbnation.com/users/J-Note) on Dec 20, 2020 | 9:32 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/20/22191607/rudy-gobert-re-signs-with-the-utah-jazz-nba-max-extension-contract#534650189)

I wouldn't blame him. Mitchell has yet to anything! Rudy has carried them

People can ask for stuff all they want

It doesn’t mean that you have to give it to them or that they won’t take less.
Look, I don’t know everything that happened and what the situation is. I just know from my view, it seems like the Jazz’s small chances at a championship are officially dead now. I’m going through the stages of grief and need to get it all out in this comment section cause I don’t want to turn into another Kira situation on SLCDunk. I’ll move on and accept it and still cheer for the Jazz and love Rudy. I’m just bummed that we agreed to a suboptimal contract

Posted by J-Note (https://www.sbnation.com/users/J-Note) on Dec 20, 2020 | 9:46 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/20/22191607/rudy-gobert-re-signs-with-the-utah-jazz-nba-max-extension-contract#534650638)

and yet they gave super max to a guy that hasn't even earned a max

Just bummed because in my view, the Jazz messed up. See my comment above. Just working through it now. I’ll be good outside of this comment thread, just need to get it all out and express my view and disappointment here.

Posted by J-Note (https://www.sbnation.com/users/J-Note) on Dec 20, 2020 | 9:50 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/20/22191607/rudy-gobert-re-signs-with-the-utah-jazz-nba-max-extension-contract#534650733)

Jazz do a lot of messing up. Rudy is one thing they got right

We had to pay a bunch of picks though

And those picks are going to be a lot more valuable moving forward. I’m not sure it’s a sustainable model to continue year after year

Posted by J-Note (https://www.sbnation.com/users/J-Note) on Dec 20, 2020 | 11:04 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/20/22191607/rudy-gobert-re-signs-with-the-utah-jazz-nba-max-extension-contract#534653089)

agreed but that's the price you pay for Clarkson and Favors in the corner

We’d be stuck getting 15th or 16th picks without Gobert throughout Mitchell’s contract. Too good to ever have a good shot at a generational talent but not too good to ever be more than a sweep in the 1st round. Orlando Magic territory.
If you really want a championship, it all hinges on either Donovan Mitchell’s development or getting rid of the entire roster and trying to get a generational talent. I prefer building around Mitchell now, and if in 3 or 4 years it’s not enough, then we can have this conversation.

Posted by TheNextGM (https://www.sbnation.com/users/TheNextGM) on Dec 20, 2020 | 9:22 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/20/22191607/rudy-gobert-re-signs-with-the-utah-jazz-nba-max-extension-contract#534649875)

lottery without Rudy

No, you do improve your chances by signing him to a regular max

I would have liked the jazz to pursue that. It’s a higher risk, higher reward scenario to gamble on, but that’s my personal risk profile and I understand everyone else may have different risk profiles and that’s fine. It’s probably just something we disagree on

Posted by J-Note (https://www.sbnation.com/users/J-Note) on Dec 20, 2020 | 9:53 AM (https://www.slcdunk.com/latest-utah-jazz-news-recent/2020/12/20/22191607/rudy-gobert-re-signs-with-the-utah-jazz-nba-max-extension-contract#534650809)

Rudy would be stupid to stay when he could go to a better franchise. I think he should have left. But that's a lot of money to give up

Xiao Yao You

12-20-2020, 03:41 PM

https://www.slcdunk.com/2020/12/20/22189224/utah-jazz-three-point-shooting-offense-preseason

This 3-point shooting is the key to unlocking the door behind which sits the prize of true playoff contention. Being able to make such a volume of threes makes Utah a dangerous team on offense, something they’ve never truly been in the Snyder era. If they get hot at any point during the 48 minutes of a game it could significantly change the landscape of the contest; flipping a big deficit into a close game or turning a close game into a near blowout.

defense?

Even the threat of 3-point shooting will create offense thanks to the 2020 word of the year on Jazz Twitter: “spacing.” Gobert will have ample room to work down low or plenty of options to pick from in kicking out for an open triple. Favors too, will benefit from this spacing.

except when they play together and when they don't they will be too small once again

Xiao Yao You

12-20-2020, 04:53 PM

Ben Anderson: Joe Ingles was not available to practice today per the league’s health and safety protocols (https://*********.com/social/) per the @UtahJazz.
– via Twitter BensHoops (https://twitter.com/BensHoops)

Here we go! Trump virus strikes

Xiao Yao You

12-20-2020, 06:54 PM

Sarah Todd: “The day we win a championship with this organization, I want it to be with Quin.” -Rudy Gobert (https://*********.com/social/)
– via Twitter NBASarah
(https://twitter.com/NBASarah)

Eric Walden: Rudy, on why he didn’t wait until next summer and join a super-team: “That wouldn’t have fit my story. (https://*********.com/social/) … The last seven yers here, the blood and the sweat — it wouldn’t have meant the same to win it somewhere else. … For me, it will just be something that holds more weight.”
– via Twitter tribjazz (https://twitter.com/tribjazz)

Hard to imagine with Quin

Xiao Yao You

12-20-2020, 06:57 PM

Eric Walden: Donovan, on Rudy’s extension, and their relationship: “It’s big. I’m excited for him and I told him that. … We’re fine. It’s over. It’s past us. (https://*********.com/social/) It’s hard to believe it’s still the same year (that everything happened).”
– via Twitter tribjazz (https://twitter.com/tribjazz)

Eric Walden: Donovan, on his on-court relationship with Rudy: “I think we’re in a good spot on the court. (https://*********.com/social/) … What you saw in the bubble is just a small step, a small glimpse.”
– via Twitter tribjazz (https://twitter.com/tribjazz)

Eric Walden: Donovan: “I applaud Rudy — he showed up every day and you wouldn’t have been able to tell if negotiations were going great or going bad. (https://*********.com/social/) … He was just the ultimate pro.”
– via Twitter tribjazz (https://twitter.com/tribjazz)

Ben Anderson: Rudy Gobert, his mother, his agent, and the @UtahJazz brain trust Dennis Lindsey and Justin Zanik at his contract signing (https://*********.com/social/).

– via Twitter BensHoops (https://twitter.com/BensHoops)

Lindsey looks happier than anyone!

https://*********.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/92/2019/11/i_15_0d_bb_rudy-gobert.png?w=190
Eric Walden: Rudy Gobert, on his extension: “A lot of emotions, sharing so much with my family — looking back where we came from and everything we went through. (https://*********.com/social/) Just a great moment to share with my family. And a lot of gratitude — I’m very proud of what we built.”
– via Twitter tribjazz (https://twitter.com/tribjazz)

Eric Walden: Rudy: “This decision was easy to make. My heart is here. (https://*********.com/social/) Bringing a championship to this organization and to the state of Utah would be pretty powerful.”
– via Twitter tribjazz (https://twitter.com/tribjazz)

Eric Walden: Rudy: “For me, it’s unbelievable — getting drafted 27th, coming from France, barely playing my first year, being in the G League … It means a lot to kids like me (https://*********.com/social/) who feel like they’re being overlooked or are not where they should be. It’s motivating. It’s all about work.”
– via Twitter tribjazz (https://twitter.com/tribjazz)

Xiao Yao You

12-20-2020, 06:58 PM

Ben Anderson: Quin Snyder on Rudy Gobert’s extension. “I know Rudy has been committed to Utah, the Jazz, and his teammates. He’s built a house here. (https://*********.com/social/) And he’s thrilled to continue to be a part of this franchise and this community. So it’s a special day.”
– via Twitter BensHoops (https://twitter.com/BensHoops)

Eric Walden: Quin Snyder on Rudy Gobert’s growth: Getting on the court any way he can. … The thing that’s unique is his attention. … Recalls how early in Rudy’s time they had to talk to him about being more punctual. (https://*********.com/social/) “You have to care about the little things as much as the big things.”
– via Twitter tribjazz (https://twitter.com/tribjazz)

Xiao Yao You

12-20-2020, 07:03 PM

https://kslsports.com/449158/gobert-credits-mom-quin-snyder-after-signing-contract/

“The first road trip we had we had to talk to Rudy about being a little more prompt and punctual on the plane,” Snyder remembered. “So something as simple as that. All the little things are really what I’m referring to. And to be a great player and a great teammate you’ve got to care as much about the little things as you do the big things.”

Couldn't have been too much longer after that he turned the franchise around. December

Xiao Yao You

12-21-2020, 08:03 AM

“This is unbelievable,” Gobert said. “I barely played my first year. All of the struggles and the hard work. All of the people who believed in me. This is for my mother, and honestly, I think this means a lot for the kids who feel overlooked and not where they should be. (https://theathletic.com/2273889/2020/12/20/rudy-gobert-has-earned-his-205-million-extension-can-he-now-elevate-the-jazz/) I want to motivate them. This is the story I want to tell.”
– via Tony Jones @ The Athletic (https://theathletic.com/2273889/2020/12/20/rudy-gobert-has-earned-his-205-million-extension-can-he-now-elevate-the-jazz/)

In truth, the Jazz and Gobert were on the same page. The Jazz wanted Gobert to be with the franchise long term. Gobert wanted to be with the Jazz long term. He built a house in Utah. (https://theathletic.com/2273889/2020/12/20/rudy-gobert-has-earned-his-205-million-extension-can-he-now-elevate-the-jazz/) Much like his co-star Donovan Mitchell, he’s invested in the community. And he’s a loyal guy. How many Jazz fans remember his famous social media video when Gordon Hayward left the franchise for the Boston Celtics? Gobert has always spoken of being loyal to the Jazz and finding his way to a championship with this team. In that sense, it was just a matter of Gobert and the Jazz finding a number that worked for both sides.
– via Tony Jones @ The Athletic (https://theathletic.com/2273889/2020/12/20/rudy-gobert-has-earned-his-205-million-extension-can-he-now-elevate-the-jazz/)

Xiao Yao You

12-21-2020, 08:05 AM

New guards coach Johnnie Bryant, who turned Donovan Mitchell into a superstar, has made an impact on Barrett, (https://nypost.com/2020/12/20/rj-barrett-making-it-look-easy-in-promising-knicks-start/) according to people with knowledge of the situation. “I just thought his rim reads were terrific,’’ Thibodeau said. “His all-round play. His ball pressure [on defense] got a lot better as time went on. Offensively he scored a number of different ways — transition, cutting without the ball, off the dribble, catch and shoot.’’
– via Marc Berman @ New York Post (https://nypost.com/2020/12/20/rj-barrett-making-it-look-easy-in-promising-knicks-start/)

the high usage/low efficiency one way superstar

Xiao Yao You

12-21-2020, 08:18 AM

https://www.deseret.com/sports/2020/12/20/22191422/rudy-gobert-utah-jazz-quin-snyder-donovan-mitchell-contract-extension-nba-news

That’s why it was impossible not to see Gobert’s letter in direct contrast with another letter written to Utah back in 2017 by Gordon Hayward after his chaotic and unceremonious departure from the Jazz (https://www.deseret.com/2017/7/4/20615310/gordon-hayward-declares-independence-from-utah-in-strange-painful-day-for-jazz-fans#utah-jazz-forward-gordon-hayward-20-takes-to-the-court-for-game-five-of-the-first-round-nba-playoffs-series-between-the-utah-jazz-and-the-los-angeles-clippers-at-the-staples-center-in-los-angeles-on-tuesday-april-25-2017). It’s hard not to make comparisons across the board between the two players and how differently their stories have played out.

why make comparisons? Rudy has carried the team. Hayward was riding his coattails like Mitchell and the rest of the organization

So after all the hemming and hawing, all the worries from fans about getting a deal done, the wait is over. Gobert is here to stay, Mitchell is here to stay, and with Snyder leading the way they are looking to give Utah an NBA title.

Snyder and Mitchell would be the wildcards in that dream

Xiao Yao You

12-21-2020, 06:10 PM

Eric Walden: Deputy commissioner Mark Tatum on the G League: “We’ve heard from our teams that they want to have players ready to call up.” Finalizing plans on how the G League tournament will work, and on how call-ups will function. “We’ll have more to talk about in a couple of weeks.” (https://*********.com/social/)
– via Twitter tribjazz (https://twitter.com/tribjazz)

Xiao Yao You

12-21-2020, 11:47 PM

Stefan Bondy: Per source, the tentative G League schedule: Jan. 29: Training camp opens at bubble site. Feb. 8: Season starts (https://*********.com/social/) March 5: Playoffs start *the hope is that the bubble site is Atlanta but that’s not set.
– via Twitter SBondyNYDN (https://twitter.com/SBondyNYDN)

Xiao Yao You

12-22-2020, 12:06 AM

https://kslsports.com/449254/the-gobert-extension-exhibit-10-contracts-and-mailbag-answers/

The Jazz are going to be strapped financially for the foreseeable future, so finding cheap veteran depth over the coming months is going to be critical. Getting first-hand experience with players like Ferrell and Miller with the Stars would pave the way for one of those two to become a low-cost rotation player if Conley leaves in free agency next season.

They could be with the team this year. Open roster spot, virus...Who knows. I imagine they like having a vet to teach Forrest and Miller for Hughes

Mitchell averaged (https://www.nba.com/stats/players/traditional/?sort=AST&dir=-1&Season=2020-21&SeasonType=Pre%20Season&TeamID=1610612762) 5.0 assists per game in the Jazz three preseason outings while playing just 23 minutes per game. If he can see his assists numbers climb to six or seven per game, he’d probably do more for the Jazz offense than simply shooting more to score more.

agreed. Better efficiency, better playmaking, better d

By that logic, Oni will likely get the minutes in case of an emergency.

Looks like Harrison and Niang to me

Xiao Yao You

12-22-2020, 12:19 AM

https://www.deseret.com/sports/2020/12/21/22189625/utah-jazz-quin-snyder-donovan-mitchell-rudy-gobert-joe-ingles-mike-conley-jordan-clarkson-nba-lakers

1. Can Donovan Mitchell raise his game to another level?

they better hope he raises it several levels with the contract he just got

The Jazz made sure to lock up both of their main players with long-term extensions (https://www.deseret.com/sports/2020/9/11/21432282/donovan-mitchell-rudy-gobert-nba-bubble-utah-jazz) this offseason. Much like Mitchell, Gobert has been promised an incredible amount of money (https://www.deseret.com/sports/2020/12/20/22191422/rudy-gobert-utah-jazz-quin-snyder-donovan-mitchell-contract-extension-nba-news), and like Mitchell, Gobert has dominated on one side of the ball but will have to elevate things on the other side.

one of the best offensive weapons in the game

For Gobert, his defensive abilities are never in question. He anchors the Jazz and has won DPOY twice for a reason. But, there are shortcomings on the offensive side. He has trouble finishing sometimes, and can lack consistent strength when he goes to the basket. He said that during the offseason he’s been working on his finishing and his free-throw shooting. We’ll see if his work has paid off.

Can't expect the best finisher to do much more there

3. Can Mike Conley’s success from the playoffs and late last season carry over to this season?

No. He's back to being 3rd, 4th or 5th option

4. Will Joe Ingles be able to operate effectively off the bench?

he better be since they extended his contract despite declining the year before last

If Ingles is able to be as productive on offense and as effective on defense with the second unit as he was with the starters then the Jazz could have one of the best benches in the league. If he flounders in a reserve role this season, the Jazz might have to think about going in a different direction.

need to be thinking it anyway but they are too sentimental

For all of the reasons listed above (protocols, injuries, the schedule) there is likely to be a lot more opportunity for some of the end of bench players to take a big step this season and earn a larger role. Georges Niang, Shaquille Harrison, Juwan Morgan, Miye Oni, Udoka Azubuike, Elijah Hughes, Jarrell Brantley and Trent Forrest are all going to have a chance.

way to dodge it! Niang, Morgan, Harrison and Oni appear to be in the mix somewhat anyway. They let Niang do more in the pre season which he can do. Morgan looked like he should start. Oni and Harrison look like they can defend. Can they hit shots?

The question isn’t about whether the Jazz have the personnel to maintain a massive amount of 3-pointers and early shot-clock offense. They do. The question is what happens if Bojan Bogdanovic goes through a shooting slump or is out for a few games? What happens if Ingles, as he’s been known to do, passes up open shot opportunities? Can the rest of the roster pull them out of a rut in order to maintain pace and efficient shooting? And, if not, will they revert back to late-clock offense and the blender?

When has Bojan slumped? O'Neale needs to be more aggressive not Ingles.

8. Where are the Jazz defensively?

that's the biggest question. If they defend they should be one of the top teams in the league but if defending better means Favors/Gobert together than the offense takes a dive

9. Can the Jazz hang with the best in the West?

couldn't last year and Favors in the corner was their answer

Can they do more than just make it to the playoffs? Can they make a deep playoff push? It’s possible, but they’re going to have to answer all the other questions from above in order to have a chance.

those and more. You didn't even mention COTY or EOTY. Clarkson's selfish play...

Xiao Yao You

12-22-2020, 12:31 AM

https://saltcityhoops.com/reader-qa-as-jazz-secure-their-core-with-extensions-for-their-all-stars/

This is great news for the Jazz and their fans. Gobert has an elite impact on winning and is still refining his game (https://saltcityhoops.com/utahs-unique-superstar-gobert/), while Mitchell appears to be en route (https://saltcityhoops.com/dm-other-elite-guards-leap/) to join him among the league’s top 15 or so talents. The Jazz now how their All-Star core secured for at least five more seasons — this coming year, plus the four years of their extensions before each player has an option during the 2025 offseason.

Unless usage and scoring are all we look at than Mitchell is nowhere near top 15

In either scenario, they won’t be able to keep Conley and use the full MLE while staying under the apron. So that’s the third variable: does Mike want to stay, and at what price?

and do they want to keep him

The Jazz love Mike. They love the idea of what he can be and how he can complement Mitchell in the backcourt, and they saw in Orlando just how tough the Jazz are when Conley is playing well next to Mitchell and Gobert. In a vacuum, I’m sure they’d love to keep him, but he’ll be entering his 15th season at that point, and even a modest salary would cost the Jazz a bunch more in taxes. That might not bother them — it sounds like the new ownership recognizes that almost all contending teams venture into the tax sooner or later — but it certainly will factor into the decision.

which is why it's stupid to pay tax this year for this team

So yes, you should be excited about Conley-Fav. And Ingles-Fav. And Conley-Gobert. And Mitchell-Gobert. This team has mutliple solid P&R creators, and two above-average to elite finishers. Be excited about all of the various combinations that yields.

I'd say ideally you'd like to see Mitchell Gobert be the heart of everything

What SI is referring to here is the mechanism where a G League team can claim the rights to a certain number of guys that their NBA affiliate had in camp and waived. The number used to be four. A few years ago, they quietly changed it to five (without ever updating the G League website), at least temporarily. We noticed that the Jazz actually signed and waived a total of six players, and we weren’t sure if that meant the number had been bumped up again, or if the Jazz/Stars braintrust had simply decided they didn’t like what they were seeing from one or more of the guys they signed primarily to secure their G League rights.

appears to be 6 now

Xiao Yao You

12-22-2020, 12:43 AM

https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/21/22192007/5-things-to-remember-as-rudy-gobert-inks-5-yr-deal-with-utah-nba-2020-contract

Per CleaningTheGlass (https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/team/29/lineups?season=2016&on=1310#tab-four_factors), the Utah Jazz have had the 81%tile offense and 92%tile defense over the last 4 seasons with Rudy Gobert on the floor. Off the floor, they’ve had the 46%tile offense and 49%tile defense.

oh but Mitchell! :roll:

Gobert has played with slew of immensely talented players like Gordon Hayward, Donovan Mitchell, Mike Conley, Derrick Favors, etc., while also consistently sharing the floor with flawed players such as Boris Diaw, Shelvin Mack, Dante Exum, etc.

He was a lot better with the flawed Mack and Diaw than Favors in the corner

#3 - Donovan needs to step up

yep. Big time

During Donovan Mitchell's career, the Jazz are +8.3 PTS per 100 possessions when he shares the floor with Rudy Gobert and -2.3 when he plays without Gobert.

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/853409728629579777/f2w0Wbf0_normal.jpg

Andy Bailey

@AndrewDBailey

During Rudy Gobert's career, the Utah Jazz are +5.8 PTS per 100 possessions when he's on the floor and -2.7 when he's off. The swing is positive on both ends of the floor.

Thank you Rudy

Notice the blue graph take a dive around game 180? That was approximately 15 games into last season. Defense has been a rollercoaster for Donovan and last year had a profound impact as the Jazz swapped solid perimeter defender Ricky Rubio for overrated perimeter defender Mike Conley.

the Matador was the overrated one

Rudy will also pass Andrei Kirilenko and Adrian Dantley to assume 3rd place behind “The Statues” in career win shares, projecting to be around 110.0 win shares (nearly 34 win shares ahead of 4th place).

He's already 3rd in Jazz history anyway you look at it. The statue needs to be designed now

Disagree
The Miller’s, Larry in particular, were very competitive. During his ownership, the team he owned won the 2nd most games of any NBA team. Keep in mind, he was dealing with a small market, players who rejected trades to Utah (Rony Seikaly), free agency, etc.
To keep his team’s revenue up to remain competitive he got the Delta Center built in record time. They poured the foundation and built the ground floor before the blueprints were done for the upper floors.
Now, could they have spent more, perhaps. We’ll never know what deals they tried to make or which teams backed out.
What we do know, it that in an era of free agency, he kept 2 hall of fame players and a hall of fame coach together for 19 seasons. If it weren’t for Michael Jordan, the real GOAT, Utah would have a championship.
Let’s hope Ryan Smith is equally successful.

Posted by socaljazzfan (https://www.sbnation.com/users/socaljazzfan) on Dec 21, 2020 | 5:13 PM (https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2020/12/21/22192007/5-things-to-remember-as-rudy-gobert-inks-5-yr-deal-with-utah-nba-2020-contract#534689518)

a compeitive cheap skate that became a billionaire because of the Jazz and his thrifty ways