Rewards of the tank:2014 off-season!

[QUOTE]"He thinks I have a better understanding of what they mean by having to work every single day," Burke said, grateful for the mentoring he received from Lucas. "It's really a job. I didn't know that coming into the league. I knew it was going to be tough and a lot of hard work, but it's really like a job. You've got to wake up every single day with that mindset that I need to get better today because you won't be the player that you can be, or you won't pull the potential out, unless you do that every single day.

"It's tough, man. You definitely wake up some days not feeling like going to practice and not feeling like doing something, but that's when you've got to push through. So I think I've got a better understanding of that now."

And don't forget that Burke missed the first 12 games of the regular season after suffering a broken index finger on his right hand during an exhibition game last October.

Once he came back, his head coach, Corbin — whose contract was not renewed by Jazz management — was impressed with the rookie point guard's performance.

"I think he's had a great year," Corbin said. "From the summer league and getting drafted and getting hurt at the beginning of the season and then learning, from being a scoring point guard to trying to change and trying to get used to the speed of this game, what we're trying to get him to do to initiate the offense and make plays on the ball at times, and make plays off the ball. And defensively, dealing with the different point guards he has to deal with on a nightly basis in this league.

"The attention to detail that he paid to everything from day one gave him a chance and will give him a chance going forward to be the player that he wants to be. He wants to be one of the best point guards in this league. And I think if he continues to work and stay focused like he did this year and continues to grow, he'll have a chance to reach his goal."

Teammates like forward Richard Jefferson, a 13-year NBA veteran, were also impressed by what they saw out of Burke's baptism by fire.

"I really think he did a good job," Jefferson said. "I think he had good role models around him, and he had good people that worked hard with him.

"He's 21 years old, he's a rookie, and I think the future is bright. Just continuing to work — that's really what the five main young guys need to do — and positive things will happen.

"He doesn't waver mentally; when he's on that court, he's locked in," Jefferson said. "And the more comfortable you get, the better you'll get. But he's 100 percent focused on the game and I think that shows in some of the big shots that he shoots and hits."

Ah, yes, those big shots that Burke hit in games.

There was that night against Orlando, when Burke buried a 3-pointer with 1.6 seconds left to lift the Jazz to victory over the Magic. Or the time he hit the clinching shot with 24 seconds left in Utah's victory over two-time defending NBA champion Miami. And the night his driving layup with 19.1 seconds left helped lift the Jazz past Charlotte.

And the season finale, when he scored an NBA career-high 32 points with seven rebounds and nine assists in Utah's double-overtime victory over Minnesota.

"Hitting some big shots in the fourth quarter, it kinda reminded me of being back in college and how comfortable I was out there down the stretch," Burke recalled. "A lot of times, I was comfortable back at Michigan, and sometimes I wasn't my first year here.

"I think I'm a lot more comfortable than I was at the beginning of the year and adjusted. ... Playing on the big stage in college, playing in front of big crowds, I remember being nervous before the game but come the fourth quarter, by that time, I'm just playing."

Of course, there were other nights this season, too, when Burke was a complete non-factor — a 1-for-8 shooting night at Atlanta, where he scored just two points; a 1-for-7 night and just two points at Oklahoma City; another 1-for-8 shooting night at Miami, where he managed 3 points; forgettable four-point nights against Cleveland (2 for 9), Golden State (2 for 10), New York (2 for 12) and Dallas (2 for 8); a 2-for-13 shooting night against the L.A. Clippers, and a 3-for-15 night against the Lakers, when he was 0 for 8 from 3-point range.

On the flip side of that, though, Burke was almost always great at taking care of the ball, committing more than four turnovers in a game just three times all season.[/QUOTE]

The turnovers, clutch shooting and his increasing assist totals as the season went on make me hopeful for his future.

[QUOTE]Jonathan Rinehart: The Jazz will hold the first pre-draft workouts of the off-season on Wednesday. Six players participating: Taylor Braun (North Dakota St), Bryce Cotton (Providence), Stephen Holt (St. Mary

[QUOTE]Marc Stein: Latest on Steve Kerr front: Utah Jazz, I'm told, have also tried to wedge their way into the race for the TNT analyst alongside NYK and GSW Twitter @ESPNSteinLine

Jody Genessy: No surprise Jazz put feelers out to big names. It's also how DL approaches free agency. He'd rather be told no than assume no is the answer. Twitter @DJJazzyJody[/QUOTE]

No coaching experience. He makes more sense for NY.

The speculation of Utah possibly hiring Ettore Messina definitely has legs. Messina, currently the head coach of CSKA Moscow, is well respected in the coaching fraternity and, more important, has a great rapport with some Utah front office officials. Racine Journal-Times

The Utah Jazz will begin their annual pre-draft workouts Wednesday with six players who aren't exactly household names or penciled in as high picks.

The group includes guards Taylor Braun (North Dakota State), Bryce Cotton (Providence) and Stephen Holt (St. Mary's) along with forwards Akil Mitchell (Virginia), Mike Moser (Oregon) and Ronald Roberts Jr. (St. Joseph's).

Perhaps the most newsworthy part of this first workout is the fact it will be led by player development coaches Alex Jensen and Johnnie Bryant, who have been retained on the staff by Jazz management in the wake of the decision to not renew the contracts of Tyrone Corbin's coaching crew.

None of the players are projected to be first-round picks and are considered long shots in the second round.

Only two players from this group are on ESPN analyst Chad Ford's Top 100 player board. Cotton, a 6-1, 165-pound point guard, is ranked highest at 62, while Moser (6-8, 195) is listed at No. 65.

The Jazz held a bevy of similar workouts last year and a free agent mini-camp while trying to compile as much information on as many players as possible.

The NBA Draft will take place on June 26. The Jazz will find out on May 20 at the NBA Draft Lottery where they will pick. Utah is in the fourth position after beating Boston in a fourth-place tiebreaker.

EMAIL: [email]jody@desnews.com[/email]

TWITTER: DJJazzyJody

[QUOTE]Messina isn

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[QUOTE]Scott Skiles

He

Before a few years ago, there hasn't been much of a place for Mike Moser types in the NBA. You know, those tweener types who don't quite have a frontcourt position

But that's changed of late, and you can see the impact those guys have, even in the playoffs.

Check Atlanta, where Mike Scott came off the bench and lit Indiana up over seven games in the first round that ended on Saturday. He's 6-foot-8, athletic and most importantly can shoot it from the perimeter.

That's Mike Moser, or at least what Mike Moser wants to be at the NBA level. The former Oregon forward worked out for the Utah Jazz on Wednesday morning, showcasing his shooting and versatility. He's not big enough to be a power forward, not quite nimble enough or ball savvy enough to play small forward.

But he can shoot it, and he can handle it well enough. He's mature - having played four seasons of college ball - and he's one of those guys who could come out of nowhere and make a roster.

"I just tried to be whatever, and play wherever on the floor," Moser said. "I think that I can play both positions and I think that I can definitely contribute at the next level."

Moser began his career at UNLV, eventually establishing himself as one of the better combination forwards in the country. He transferred to Oregon and played his last season with the Ducks.

In the process, Moser began expanding his range, hitting shots from beyond the arc and rebounding the ball like he's always done. He's projected as a late second round pick at best. But he's attempting to work his way up draft boards by shining in workouts.

Tony Jones

[QUOTE]Jody Genessy: Jazz's pre-draft workout group for Thursday: Travis Bader, Justin Cobbs, Cameron Clark, Fuquan Edwin, Josh Huestis and Joe Jackson. Twitter @DJJazzyJody[/QUOTE]

Looks like likely undrafted guys again. No one else appears to be working out guys yet so kudos to the Jazz. How ab out a coach though?

[QUOTE]
Jody Genessy: I'm told Jazz CFO/Fanzz president/capologist Bob Hyde will begin to "phase out" of duties after draft, not fully retire as SLCDunk reported. Twitter @DJJazzyJody[/QUOTE]

O'Conner's right hand man. Maybe Lindsey has his own guy?

[QUOTE]Aaron Falk: Jazz VP of player personnel Walt Perrin: "Is this draft going to be similar to the year that LeBron and Carmelo and Dwyane Wade [were drafted]? I don't think so. I don't know if anything ever lives up to the hype... But is it going to be a better draft than we've had in the past? It can be."" Twitter @tribjazz

Aaron Falk: Jazz VP of player personnel Walt Perrin: "Franchise players. All-Stars. That's what we're looking to get. But we also understand that we need depth." Twitter @tribjazz[/QUOTE]

Need stars. Depth isn't hard to get.

[QUOTE]Jody Genessy: Jerry Sloan observed this first Jazz pre-draft workout. Twitter @DJJazzyJody

Tony Jones: The Utah Jazz will hold workouts tomorrow as well. Six players, which we will know later in the day Twitter @Tjonessltrib
[/QUOTE]

Who'd Jerry like? He liked Gobert last year.

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[url]http://www.deseretnews.com/top/2483/1/Taylor-Braun-North-Dakota-State-The-2014-NBA-draft-tracker-A-look-at-the-players-the-Jazz.html[/url]

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[QUOTE]Altitude has been mentioned by nearly every prospect in the first two days of workouts.
But reflecting back on past workouts, Perrin said it was a player who trained at sea level that most impressed him with his fitness over the years.
"The one guy we had who was going as hard as he was at the beginning and wasn't breathing hard was [Warriors forward] David Lee," Perrin said.[/QUOTE]

Too bad you weren't smart enough to draft him.