2014-2015 regular season!

[QUOTE]This night was different. Favors, although still bothered by his sprained right ankle, returned from his two-game absence.[/QUOTE]

Yeah and they won despite him being back.

[QUOTE]Small forward Gordon Hayward had one of his best games of a season of best games.

Power forward Enes Kanter continued his surge of strong performances.

Most important, the Jazz jumped all over a struggling Heat team, which is missing big men Chris Bosh (calf) and Josh McRoberts (impending knee surgery), and continued to play well for a full four quarters.

Sure, there were spurts when Dwyane Wade almost single-handedly pushed the Heat back into this one during his season-high 42-point night.

But the Jazz remained composed, got key buckets from Hayward (29 points) and Kanter (18 points), among others, and played one of their better defensive games from tip to buzzer.

They did some things in previous losses to satisfy their process-oriented coach, but this time they got a result that lightened the postgame mood in the locker room, too.

[QUOTE]According to Basketball-Reference.com, Burke was on track to become just the eighth player in NBA history to shoot under 37 percent overall and worse than 31 percent from three while attempting at least 11 shots per game. [/QUOTE]

But he's a shooter! :wtf:

[QUOTE]Hayward had another marvelous, all-around performance. He was the model of efficiency, scoring a team-high 29 points on just 13 field goal attempts. He connected on 4-of-5 3-pointers and all seven of his free throws. Add in seven assists and six rebounds and you

[QUOTE]The incident

[QUOTE]Suddenly, an 83-72 lead swelled to 91-74. When Burks

[QUOTE]a guy who does appear to be evolving before our eyes is Enes Kanter.[/QUOTE]

He's been evolving since he came into the league. He got off to a slow start last season because of his injury to end the previous season but other than that he's always shown improvement unlike the much hyped Favors who until this year hadn't shown much and I'm still not sure how much he's improved. They're certainly using him better.

[QUOTE]Some of his well-chronicled defensive shortcoming are still there[/QUOTE]

And considering how bad almost everyone else on the team is we're tired of hearing about. He's certainly shown improvement there as well this year.

[QUOTE], but the last nine games or so might be the best stretch of his pro career to date.

Starting with the Denver game, Kanter is averaging 18 & 9 on 53% shooting, and even knocking down 43% from three. [/QUOTE]

That makes 3 all-stars than? Why aren't they winning?

[QUOTE]His intensity and effort have been noticeably better. There were even moments while Favors was out that it was clear Kanter was the emotional leader, trying to capitalize on the momentum of a big play by riling up teammates, or pulling guys together on a dead ball.[/QUOTE]

There's been times since his rookie year that he should have been playing over Favors but it's yet to happen just because I guess.

[QUOTE]I

[QUOTE]recognition helps make you a star player. The Jazz have been without one for a while now, and need one. Gordon Hayward could be one, but coming into the draft the Jazz felt like they had to get a player who had that potential.[/QUOTE]
Tank!

[QUOTE]Andrew Wiggins and Nerlens Noel look to be the front runner for the ROY award this season after Jabari Parker was recently shelved with a season ending injury. That sucks, but it was running away with the award. Beyond the ROY race there are the 10 spots for All-Rookie 1st and 2nd team to worry about. [/QUOTE]

Who cares? I'd rather he was the MVP of the Dleague than getting limited minutes and inconsistent play in the NBA.

[QUOTE]Exum has a chance to crack it, but he's going to have to be a more effective player on the court in terms of his box score production.

Of course, there are other players looking to crack to Rookie Top 10, like the not listed players: James Ennis, Kyle Anderson, Doug McDermott, and Joe Harris. They are getting some time, and playing well for a playoff team can help make you look better than you actually are.

I don't remember if last season's Rookie teams were just players on lotto teams, but that's not a knock on a player for the ROY award. Michael Carter-Williams won last season, fending off Victor Oladipo and Trey Burke. All three players have a younger teammate in the running this season as well.[/QUOTE]

There's no doubt Trey wasn't that great last year. He got to play and it was a weak class.

[QUOTE]But back to Dante . . . I like to think he's one of the best PGs in this class, however, in terms of getting on the floor he's behind Zach LaVine, Elfrid Payton, and Shabazz Napier. If Rajon Rondo is traded I would expect Marcus Smart to get more playing time too. It's important for me that guys like Dante are one of the best players at their position. The draft is something the Jazz can't mess up with. But right now we're playing the long game, while some of these other teams are playing for today.

I have faith in the Utah Jazz scouting process, and their drafting process. And I have faith in Dante Exum. And watching him play more and more minutes makes me comfortable with the idea that he's going to end this season as a Top 10 rookie.[/QUOTE]

:rolleyes:

[QUOTE]Mark Eaton, a two time defensive player of the year was picked in the fourth round of the draft in 1982, and since that time late round talent has been a Jazz hallmark: Isaac Austin, Bryon Russell, Shandon Anderson, Jarron Collins, Mo Williams, C.J. Miles, Paul Millsap, and Jeremy Evans have followed. [/QUOTE]

Bobby Hansen?

[QUOTE]Utah started looking outside the USA with Jose Ortiz, and over time added more and more staff to help them find good players, like former All-Star Andrei Kirilenko. The criticism here could be that they did get good players, but things did not always work out. The poster child for that is Raul Lopez; however, today the Jazz feel like international players will see the value of this organization and help build Utah into a winner again. At least, that's what Dante Exum, Enes Kanter, Rudy Gobert, and Joe Ingles are attempting to do.

Two players are both second round picks who are international players -- and both aren't with the team yet. Ante Tomic is a Croatian playing in Spain this year, and the bigman is versatile on offense and defense, and one of the best in his league.[/QUOTE]

One of the best in the world outside the NBA. One of the best passing big man anywhere.

[QUOTE]The other is Raul Neto, a Brazlilian kid grew up wanting to play the game like John Stockton, is also playing in Spain. He's not dominating the ACB, but he's doing enough to make you see his value.

How do these two players compare with the current point guards and bigmen on the team? While there is no apples to apples way to figure out European per game averages against NBA per game averages . . . we can try to take a look.

Point Guards:

G MPG PPG FGA FG% 3PT% FT% PPS RPG APG A:TO SPG BPG PER USG% AST% REB% BARPS /min
Trey Burke 26 32.1 11.3 11.7 36.8% 32.0% 80.0% 0.97 2.3 5.3 2.63 0.9 0.3 11.6 20.7% 26.6% 4.3% 20.12 0.626
Dante Exum 26 17.8 4.9 4.3 41.4% 35.0% 60.9% 1.14 1.4 2.0 1.89 0.4 0.2 8.8 14.9% 17.6% 4.7% 8.92 0.501
Toure' Murry 0 0.0 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Raul Neto 11 21.8 9.1 7.5 45.1% 31.8% 67.9% 1.22 1.5 4.1 1.41 1.0 0.3 14.6 25.5% 36.1% 4.8% 16.00 0.733

Neto could be coming to the Jazz as early as next season, and I think we would welcome that. [/QUOTE]

It's a joke he hasn't been with them the past two years as their staring pg.

[QUOTE]He's shooting better from the floor, a product of his shot selection, but isn't nearly as effective from deep -- and in Europe their three point line isn't as far, IIRC. He's also the most risky with his passes, but that could be a simple product of his teammates missing the easy shots and denying him of system assists. Down in Murcia, Spain he is a bigger part of their team than any of our point guards, finishing over a quarter of the plays when he is on the court with a shot, and over 1/3rd with an assist.

The 22 year old Brazilian seems to be responsible for a little more when he's in the game than either Burke or Exum, and is in more of a "John Stocktons gotta shoot it this time" mode right now. I wish his FT% was better, but I think he compares in performance with our current point guards.[/QUOTE]

And he showed D in the World Cup!

[QUOTE]Trey Burke is correcting his poor shooting during the early part of the season, but he's still not shooting as well as he would like. [/QUOTE]

But he's just in a slump! :roll:

[QUOTE]His assist to turn over ratio (over 3 for most of the season) still hasn't recovered from the John Wall / Wizards game. Dante Exum is playing much better now and playing more minutes. I will enjoy watching the rest of his season and how he progresses. Toure' Murry has yet to play in an NBA game this season.[/QUOTE]

But remains on the roster instead of in Idaho. :wtf:

[QUOTE]Speaking for myself, it looks like Neto would be a healthy addition to this group and is more likely to be a part of this group moving forward.[/QUOTE]

Ya think? :rolleyes:

Try watching a game instead of compiling stats. He was better than Trey in Summer League and he certainly looked better than Exum and Trey in the World Cup.

[QUOTE]Bigmen:

G MPG PPG FGA FG% 3PT% FT% PPS RPG APG A:TO SPG BPG PER USG% AST% REB% BARPS /min
Derrick Favors 23 30.4 15.4 11.7 55.6% -- 67.1% 1.32 8.1 1.4 1.03 0.6 1.5 22.3 22.3% 8.8% 16.1% 27.09 0.891
Enes Kanter 26 27.2 14.7 11.7 52.8% 33.3% 79.4% 1.25 7.2 0.7 0.37 0.4 0.5 19.0 25.1% 5.1% 15.9% 23.42 0.863
Trevor Booker 26 20.0 7.2 5.7 50.3% 29.2% 57.4% 1.26 4.4 0.9 0.61 0.6 0.3 13.5 18.5% 7.3% 13.3% 13.50 0.676
Rudy Gobert 26 17.8 5.6 3.4 61.4% 0.0% 67.9% 1.66 5.8 0.7 0.79 0.7 1.7 21.1 13.6% 6.5% 19.4% 14.58 0.817
Ante Tomic 20 20.6 11.4 7.2 60.8% -- 68.8% 1.59 6.7 1.4 1.23 0.7 0.5 26.5 23.7% 12.0% 20.4% 20.45 0.993
Yeah, this is interesting. Why do I say this? Well, first of all, Tomic was drafted in 2008, and still hasn't come to the team. Back in 2008 it was a no-brainer that Tomic was a better player than the then teen-aged Favors and Kanter. (And possibly sub 6'4 Gobert as a child) Today? Today it could be argued that Tomic is worse than Favors or Kanter. We're never going to find out, though.[/QUOTE]
He's a better passer than any of them. He's at least comparable to Kanter in the low post.

[QUOTE]Tomic, it appears, is never going to come to the NBA. But I think it's clear he has NBA talent. He doesn't take bad shots, and he has a good court vision for a bigman. Right now as a big fish in a small pond he is dominating the paint. He doesn't block a lot of shots, and he doesn't have three point range. So he exists in some quasi- Rik Smits world, but even that guy blocked a few shots here or there.

Favors, Kanter, and Booker can all get bully shots up in the paint because of their strength. Gobert uses his length and athleticism to just transcend defenses. Tomic plays like a below-the-rim guy most of the time, but does still do damage on tip-ins and used to throw down alley-oops. But I don't think that he has the hustle left at 28 to compete with these guys who are all (save for Booker) on the younger side.

I can live without Tomic as this point, but he would have really looked good off the bench with a Deron Williams Jazz team that didn't have the length to go far in the Western Conference playoffs.[/QUOTE]

Was too skinny 4 years ago. He should have been over here the past 2 or 3 years anyway. Who knows what the roster would look like now? Tomic and Millsap starting up front?

[QUOTE]It's not Apples to Apples:

It's not. The guys in Europe, even the starters, rarely play huge minutes -- so their apparent value is nerfed. We're also apt to nerf their production anyway because of the strength of the opponents and the style of play. The Euroleague is better than the NBA-DL, but behind the NBA in terms of the athletic ability of the general player on a roster. Raul Neto tested as one of the quickest players in Jazz history (at the combine), but I don't think he's Ty Lawson fast, or would have faced John Wall / Rajon Rondo types that frequently.

Tomic is still better than some NBA bigs right now, but he's not likely to be a Top 3 Jazz big in a year or two.[/QUOTE]

Hard to say. As an elite passing big man he could be the ultimate Jazz big from an offensive POV. And he can score in the post with both hands and a variety of moves. Also a vet.

[QUOTE]This was a fun little post to do (the Holidays means more family time, and less internet time for me -- so don't expect a lot), but I think the Jazz brass are more interested in how our current youth progress.[/QUOTE]

More to do with tanking and not making Trey look so bad I'd say.

[QUOTE]I'd love to see both guys in a Jazz jersey. We may only see one. And it's not going to be for many moons until we do.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE] I asked him about what was probably his most iconic moment of the tournament, a crunch-time block of Spain

[QUOTE]last January, and Gobert, then a rookie first-round draft pick, was going on what he considered a rather undignified assignment in the D-League, a few games in Reno, a few nights in a bed that reeked of cigarettes.

"I was pissed," he says.[/QUOTE]

He played like it down there!. Maybe they ought to piss off a few more of their young players?

[QUOTE]Gobert can look back now and find some positives in that situation. He got a chance to play when he wasn

[QUOTE]Much has been made about Hayward

[QUOTE]Before the game Quin Snyder talked about in Sacramento when he say something that told him the team was turning the corner. He talked about the club making 3 or 4 plays in row correctly rather than 1 every now and again. Since then the Jazz have been much better. Tonight they did it defensively. Sequences of the game tonight the Jazz was exactly what they talked about doing in shootaround.[/QUOTE]

We'll see how they do once they're back home. Certainly playing better on the road for some reason. Until Rudy is getting major minutes it's hard to get too excited. He's numbers weren't great in this one but he was a major factor when he was in there as always.

[QUOTE]Some of the best defensive execution plays were Kanter digging in on Vucevic and then getting back out on Frye. [/QUOTE]

So when is Favors going to show he can do this?

[QUOTE] Hayward had a play where he got into the legs of the cutting Vucevic and then got back out on Harris forcing him to give up the look and the Jazz made the next rotation to the next shooter. This happened on numerous occasions tonight where the Jazz were sharp defensively.

I didn

[QUOTE]For the first time since February 24 and 26, and consequently this season, the Jazz managed to put together back-to-back wins after outlasting Orlando 101-94. This statistic is both a relief and a reminder of just how rough this team has been in this calendar year. [/QUOTE]

But they're better than last season! :rolleyes:

[QUOTE]For all the numerical and analytic wizardry that our resident guru Ben Dowsett can do in any given post, one thing that

[QUOTE]The two biggest names, the two biggest contracts, the biggest scorers

[QUOTE]"We're taking some steps to improve and it's resulting in wins," Utah Coach Quinn Snyder said. "We've got to understand why that is happening so we can keep doing it. When we share the ball. That is when we're at our best."[/QUOTE]
No you're at your best when you can make some stops. They've been sharing the ball all year but they don't have the shooters or finishers to make it work. He generally talks about the offense. I thought it was all about D with this guy?

[QUOTE]The Jazz shot 53.4 percent for the game, their third straight game of hitting 50 percent or more from the field. Most of the scoring came in the paint where Utah was 24 of 34 for the game against a timid Magic defense. The Jazz also went to the free throw line 24 times to just 12 for Orlando.

"We owed this team (Magic) one," Hayward said. "They kind of roughed us up in Utah (earlier this season), but we played with a lot more force tonight. We were a lot sharper and were able to get a lot of good shots."

Tobias Harris led Orlando with 24 points and Evan Fournier 21. Harris and Fournier combined for 7 of 11 shooting from 3-point territory and Nik Vucevic added 16 points and nine rebounds, but it was not enough to prevent their fifth loss in six games.

Rookie Elfrid Payton came off the bench to score 11 points and get 11 assists. It was his first double-double of the season. He also helped hold Burke to 5-of-15 shooting for the night.

"I give him a lot of credit," said Orland coach Jacque Vaughn. "He comes in the game trying to change the pace and he's going to make mistakes, but his ability to listen and respond and keep playing is a good sign. He's putting himself in positions where he is finding success."

Utah shot 70 percent in the first period and didn't drop below 55 percent shooting until the nine minute mark of the fourth quarter. The Jazz led 85-74 at that point, but the Magic went on a 10-4 run punctuated by a 3-point play from Harris to cut the deficit to 89-83 with 5:28 left in the game.

Orlando had several chances to draw closer to Utah in the final five minutes, but couldn't take advantage of the few defensive stops they got. Hayward and Favors kept Utah out of trouble, scoring seven of the Jazz's last nine points to preserve the win.

The Jazz were up 49-43 at halftime and used a 15-5 run in the middle of the third quarter to push the lead up to 77-60. Hayward scored 12 of Utah's last 16 points in the period, seven from the free throw line as the Jazz drove relentlessly to the basket.

Utah had 24 free throw attempts in the game to just 12 for the Magic and outscored Orlando 19-8 at the line.

TIP-INS

Utah: The Jazz had lost 12 of 14 games coming to Orlando. . Rookie Dante Exum followed his two best games of the season, 12 points against New Orleans, 10 against Miami, with just two points and three turnovers against Orlando. .[/QUOTE]

Idaho!

[QUOTE]Orlando: C Kyle O'Quinn was assessed a flagrant one foul for a shot to the head on Jazz F Gordon Hayward. O'Quinn has two Flagrant 1 fouls and one Flagrant 2 this season. . F Tobias Harris, who was 1-for-13 on 3-pointers in his last four games, hit three of five against the Jazz. [/QUOTE]

now there's a surprise! :rolleyes:

[QUOTE]. Magic Coach Jacque Vaughn was a first-round pick by the Jazz in 1997 and played there four seasons. . Orlando is 0-8 THIS SEASON when opponents shoot better than 50 percent.

UP NEXT

The Jazz are in Charlotte tonight.

The Magic host Philadelphia Sunday.

Copyright

[QUOTE]guarding the basketball is something the Jazz did not do a few weeks ago when Orlando defeated Utah at EnergySolutions Arena. [/QUOTE]

nor most of the year

[QUOTE]The lack of defense allowed the Magic to live in the lane almost at will, and kick out for wide open 3-pointers in one of the more disappointing losses of the season for the Jazz.

On Friday night, Utah held Orlando to 44.6 percent shooting. When Orlando won earlier this month, it shot over 50 percent.

"Sometimes, it can

[QUOTE] the two best Utah Jazz players pushed their team ever closer to a winning streak.[/QUOTE]

The two highest paid anyway. Rudy's the best and Kanter certainly has an argument over Favors. despite the hype to the contrary.

[QUOTE] Three minutes away from finishing off a 101-94 conquest at the Amway Center, Favors splashed home a 15-footer. He smirked slightly when Magic coach Jacque Vaughn disgustedly called another timeout.

This was fun. Fun for Favors. Fun for the Jazz.

"A year ago, I probably wouldn

[QUOTE]if you ask Enes Kanter, he may tell you he wants to stay out here indefinitely.[/QUOTE]

He may get that wish. He will be getting paid a lot of money by someone this summer.

[QUOTE]The young Jazz big man has been a revelation this week, twisting and turning, scoring on whomever he wants and playing better defense.

He set his career-high on Tuesday night with 29 against the New Orleans Pelicans. He scored 18 important points against the Miami Heat a night later. He hit a corner 3-pointer in the fourth quarter of that game, a shot that proved gargantuan. He

[QUOTE]Rudy Gobert stole an inbounds pass in the first half against Miami, took a few dribbles toward midcourt, and saw nothing but open space and one defender.

What happened next, as the cool kids say, about broke the Internet on Wednesday night and has been a topic of conversation around Jazzland ever since.[/QUOTE]

Hard to believe his dominating play wouldn't be the topic of conversation but oh well. :confusedshrug:

[QUOTE]Gobert, acting like a 7-foot-1 version of point guard Tony Parker, pushed the ball down the court, deftly maneuvered around Heat center Udonis Haslem into the lane with a huge step to the left, and then gently flipped the ball into the hoop with a George Gervin-like finger roll.

[QUOTE]the talented Utah roster is really coming along. [/QUOTE]

:rolleyes:

[QUOTE]It has put together a nice string of solid performances, even in some recent losses. There is a building confidence as the squad is starting to gradually realize the immense potential it possesses. [/QUOTE]

Remains to be seen how much potential they have.

[QUOTE]There is evident buy-in to Snyder

[QUOTE]David Locke: According to Quin Snyder, Enes Kanter has been a big part of the defensive improvement Twitter @Lockedonsports [/QUOTE]

:eek:

[QUOTE]Only Derrick Favors and Gordon Hayward have ever played significant roles on teams that were playing 4 games in 5 nights. Last year, we never played 4 games in 5 nights. So even Hayward and Favors have never carried this big a burden in a 4 games of 5 nights.[/QUOTE]

Really that's hard to believe? Don't they always have those? Kanters been in the rotation his whole career and Burks for much of his so it depends on what you consider significant. As we've seen this year with their weak bench being part of a rotation is significant.

[QUOTE]This team was searching all night. They couldn’t find a rhythm or a momentum in the game. At some point in one these nights you have to get a momentum as a group to find a way to fight through the fatigue.[/QUOTE]

And at some point the coach has to try something else. Gobert was fighting through it. Go with Evans and Clark? They're fresh.

[QUOTE]Enes Kanter,Alec Burks and Trey Burke both had poor games. [/QUOTE]

Typical game from Burke so hard to call it poor.

[QUOTE]From a shooting standpoint as they do this a few more times they will figure out how to turn a 2 for 9 into a 3 for 7. That becomes a really big difference. You can feel you legs are dead and you have no explosion. So you end up settling for the first open jumper you get but because your legs are dead you end up front riming all of those shots.

Al Jefferson caught the ball with a foot in the paint on every touch early and Favors was dead from the start. Jefferson got him on pump fakes, weezies and everything that big Al does[/QUOTE]

So that's why Favors didn't come back in the game in the 4th? :confusedshrug:

[QUOTE]Rudy Gobert was the highlight of the night. [/QUOTE]

as he is pretty much every night. Time to build around him. It should be obvious to anyone watching that he is the man. They finally have a direction to take this team.

[QUOTE]He had his first double double of his career. In the 2nd quarter he was dominant. He impacted shots, grabbed rebound and even began to make some plays on the offensive end. A GM once told me when evaluating players look for dominant plays then they can play in the league. Then look for dominant sequences, then they can impact the game. Then look for dominant quarters, then they can start to determine who wins game. Then look for dominant games, weeks and months and then you have a player you can use as a core piece of your franchise. Rudy is dominating sequences and getting close to quarters. He will dominate games and weeks. He is going to be a core piece of a great defensive team.[/QUOTE]

He already is Locks. Wake up! You're the stat man. They tell the story if you can't see what's going on in front of you. Rudy was dragging at times in this game too but he kept working and grinding and making plays despite that. He's a lot of fun to watch. Gives me some hope for the future whenever they decide that is.

[QUOTE]Alec Burks played his 23rd game of 30 or more minutes tonight – he had only played 36 games of 30 minutes in his career prior to this season.

Joe Ingles got it going and had 13[/QUOTE]

Yeah he was the other guy that did something.

[QUOTE]Jazz battled back to within 10 but never were able to get past that.

New experience and the Jazz didn’t deal with it very well. Let’s see if they deal with the next 4 games in 5 nights better than this one.

Posted in Emptying the Noggin[/QUOTE]

Memphis will be ugly unless Rudy gets significant minutes just like every other game.

[QUOTE]The team looked lethargic all night long, leading to them settling for a multitude of outside jump shots offensively and a dearth of bona fide stops on the defensive end. [/QUOTE]

They haven't made stops regardless.

[QUOTE]With a few exceptions, the only thing that stopped the Hornets from getting to the rim and/or scoring was a missed shot, not an outstanding defensive play by a member of the Utah roster. Enes Kanter particularly seemed to have no legs, as nearly every one of his 6 misses on the night caught front iron.[/QUOTE]

Rudy?

[QUOTE]Trey Burke

[QUOTE]"Our start hurt us," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "We let Al Jefferson catch the ball way too deep. They had a couple of easy buckets early and it made us even more tired."[/QUOTE]

and if Rudy starts this doesn't happen.

[QUOTE]It was Utah's fourth game in five nights

[QUOTE]If you want a reason for the Jazz falling to Charlotte on Saturday night - a technical reason - look no further than the way the Hornets played pick-and-roll defense.[/QUOTE]

I'll continue to blame it on Rudy not starting and playing as much as necessary.

[QUOTE]Charlotte went under almost every screen, a tactic that kept Utah out of the lane, but also gave the Jazz plenty of open jumpers from 18-20 feet.

Not only is that a bit unconventional, it surprised the Jazz, especially their guards. It was an adjustment that Utah was never able to deal with.

"We missed a lot of open jumpers," Jazz point guard Trey Burke said. "On paper, those are good shots, and they are open shots. But it kind of lulls you to sleep and keeps you from being aggressive. It hurt us tonight."[/QUOTE]

They're good shots if you can shoot. If I'm the other team I'm making you beat me from the perimeter no doubt.

[QUOTE]That, combined with the Jazz being a tired team, kept those jumpers clanging off the rim. The Jazz weren

[QUOTE]Around NBA circles, they call this a scheduling loss.[/QUOTE]

I call it tanking. If you had a roster of NBA ready players who knows? The teams from 2 or 3 years ago had the depth to compete nightly no matter what. This team just doesn't have enough players that should be playing at this level.

[QUOTE]Utah

[QUOTE]

[QUOTE]

[QUOTE]Tony Jones: Jazz forward Trevor Booker underwent a minor procedure today. Won't play tomorrow night, but is not expected to miss any more time Twitter @Tjonessltrib [/QUOTE]

Rudy!

[QUOTE] If someone got it up and over Rudy, it was a blood feud. This is something that has carried over since that pre-draft evaluation where he played on one foot, it’s really something that he is as a basketball player. A competitor. An athlete. A stand out talent that only the best teams were lucky to have.

A few weeks later, on draft night, he was picked by the Denver Nuggets – a team that knows a thing or two about defensive stalwarts (think: Dikembe Mutombo, Marcus Camby) – but somehow parted with him for a beggar’s ransom of cash and a second round pick (Erick Green). It wasn’t their best move of the season. But in the long run it could be one of the best moves in Utah Jazz history.[/QUOTE]

These deals are generally already made. They drafted him for the Jazz. It was already known before the draft that Denver wanted to sell the pick. As I've said it's probably the biggest steal since Stockton and Malone. Hopefully they don't take as long to realize he's the man as it did with John.

[QUOTE]Now, I don’t mean to say bad things about Erick Green, but I will say great things about Rudy Gobert. The first is that, clearly, he is head and shoulders above any peers he may have. At first I was trying to see how he was as a player compared to the likes of Mark Eaton, Greg Ostertag, Thurl Bailey, Truck Robinson, Rich Kelley, Olden Polynice, Felton Spencer, and so forth. [/QUOTE]

:roll:

[QUOTE]But for what Gobert has shown he is capable of at this age I had to look beyond our Jazzy borders, into the land of the giants. (For what it is worth, Gobert is 4 blocks off of tying Jarron Collins’ production at the 5 spot in a Jazz jersey, in 407 more games.)[/QUOTE]

It's not worth anything. Tag and Eaton are the only guys you can really compare him with there.

[QUOTE]Right now, for Gobert’s career he has played fewer than 1,000 minutes in 73 games. His average if 12.9 mpg, his first season he was sacrificed to the God Vetzzzalcoatl. Well, not really, but it’s not like his former coach knew how to get him on the floor. (That type of coaching creativity doesn’t make me feel like he’s much of a Jazz conductor.) His last coach got Rudy into only 54% of the games his team played last season in a 25 win year; and only at 9.6 mpg.[/QUOTE]

He wasn't ready offensively. He may have been by the end of the year if they'd had him down in the D-league most of the year like they should have.

[QUOTE]Rudy is seeing more and more floor time this season, a little over 18 mpg. But for a guy like Rudy, it’s what he does when he’s on the floor that matters. (Aside: which is funny why there was a narrative to suggest that he improved over the off-season; rather, it was more like he was always good, and people needed to construct a way to defend a coach who was always defended by the media.) In some ways, Gobert was even more of an animal on defense last season than he is this season.

Last season Rudy grabbed 28.5% of all the available defensive rebounds when he was on the floor, this season it’s only 23.9%. His block percentage did rise from 7.4% to 7.6% from his rookie year to this year. But plainly the point here is that he was THIS good last year too. So let’s look at the numbers of other good bigmen.[/QUOTE]

Again you need to watch the games and get your head away from your computer screen. He wasn't good enough at the other end last year. He still has some issues this year as well at the other end.

[QUOTE]Over his entire NBA career Gobert has a REB% of 20.0 and BLK% of 7.5. Where does this stand against other bigs? Here we have a chart showing bigs who have at LEAST had seasons of 15% in REB and 6% in BLK – and then going higher each step of the way until you see how rare it is to have a player like Rudy. (The number is the number of seasons where the player had the advanced stat minimums)

Player REB 15%, BLK 6%, 400 min REB 16%, BLK 6%, 400 min REB 17%, BLK 6%, 400 min REB 17%, BLK 7%, 400 min REB 18%, BLK 7%, 400 min REB 19%, BLK 7%, 400 min REB 20%, BLK 7%, 400 min REB 20%, BLK 7.5%
1 Marcus Camby 6 5 5 3 3 2 2 0
2 Rudy Gobert 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1
3 Greg Oden 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0
4 Greg Ostertag 8 7 5 5 3 1 0 0
5 Dikembe Mutombo 7 7 6 3 3 1 0 0
6 Hakeem Olajuwon 4 4 4 1 1 1 0 0
7 Amir Johnson 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0
8 Larry Sanders 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0
9 Chris Andersen 6 6 4 2 0 0 0 0
10 David Robinson 4 4 4 1 0 0 0 0
11 Alonzo Mourning 5 4 1 1 0 0 0 0
12 Shawn Bradley 6 3 1 1 0 0 0 0
13 Mark Eaton 3 2 1 1 0 0 0 0
14 Eddie Griffin 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
15 Tree Rollins 6 4 2 0 0 0 0 0
16 Samuel Dalembert 3 3 2 0 0 0 0 0
17 Andrew Bogut 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0
18 Ben Wallace 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0
19 DeAndre Jordan 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0
20 Joel Przybilla 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 0
21 JaVale McGee 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0
22 Wayne Cooper 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0
23 Andre Drummond 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
24 Andris Biedrins 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
25 Bismack Biyombo 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
26 Jawann Oldham 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
27 Jermaine O'Neal 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
28 Kendrick Perkins 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
29 Tim Duncan 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
30 Anthony Davis 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
31 Harvey Catchings 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
32 George Johnson 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
33 Bill Walton 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
34 Serge Ibaka 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
35 Alton Lister 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
36 Ervin Johnson 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
37 Hasheem Thabeet 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
38 Jerome James 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
39 Michael Stewart 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
40 Roy Hibbert 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
41 Tyrus Thomas 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
42 Bernard James 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
43 Calvin Booth 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
44 Charles Jones 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
45 Dan Gadzuric 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
46 Kelvin Cato 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
47 Patrick Ewing 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
48 Ronny Turiaf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
What this tells me is that if you look at what a defensive bigman can do, block shots and get rebounds, Gobert is really in good company. And that last column, for 20% REB and 7.5 BLK is Gobert's CAREER numbers. If you add this this his age, and inexperience (some of the guys on that list had big seasons 5 years removed from their rookie years), you see that Gobert has both performance and potential going for him.

Gobert is amazing. And he's young. And he was this good last season. So why is he only playing 18 mpg? Sadly, Gobert's time on the floor may not be determined by him, but by those around him. Derrick Favors is amazing when he gets the ball; but he really an inside only player.[/QUOTE]

Except for all those FT line jumpers and now baseline jumpers he's making. :coleman:

[QUOTE]Enes Kanter has more of an inside/outside game, but even he cannot get on the floor for more than 27 mpg. Even if you scuttle Jeremy Evans, Steve Novak, and Trevor Booker only then can you hope to give the three young bigs the time that SOME of us may want.[/QUOTE]

There's no excuse for it now. He is the man. You got to go with a 3 man big man rotation until you decide on Favors or Kanter next to him. That's 32 minutes a player and only Favors is getting that now so there's plenty of minutes as much as Booker deserves to be playing. If you decide on Favors before the trade deadline you can make a move though in reality you could keep all 3 at least until Rudy becomes a max player and even than with the increasing cap you might be able to keep all 3. Biggest question is keeping one of the happy coming off the be bench. Things could get even more complicated after the draft.

[QUOTE]But the good news is that beyond being a peer of some of the best ever defensive bigs, he is also someone who is more and more a two-way player who will get on the floor more.

We're just greedy because we can see what he does now, and want him to get on the floor asap.

His time will come, and a lot sooner than the time for our other 1st rounders in recent history. And I think we all can agree that is good news. There is no conclusion because there are three crying kids and someone foolishly put me in charge. I don't see how anyone with kids can blog . . . hats off to you parent-bloggers.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE]With Booker out, that likely means Jeremy Evans will take his spot in the rotation on Monday night. It also could mean more time for Rudy Gobert, if Quin Snyder wants to rotate him with Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors.[/QUOTE]

but we know that won't happen

[QUOTE]Booker has played well on the road trip, in which the Jazz have won two games. He

[QUOTE]the Jazz have one more game in the longest trip of the season. They would like to finish it off with a win.

[email]tjones@sltrib.com[/email][/QUOTE]

:lol

[QUOTE] Center Rudy Gobert has been playing well, having just totaled his first career double-double (11 points, 12 rebounds) in Charlotte, and the Jazz could pair him in the frontcourt at times with Enes Kanter, too.[/QUOTE]

We already know they can play together. Can Favors guard the perimeter and stretch the other teams D enough if paired with Rudy?

[QUOTE]

Encouraging win against the Grizz.

Yes hopefully he'll stick with the 3 big man rotation and Trey's minutes and role will continue to be reduced. Memphis has lost 3 straight and was without two of their key players on a back to back.

[QUOTE]You’ve got to believe Coach Snyder inspired these guys to give it their all before a 5-day break until after Christmas. You could see it in their faces. They didn’t want to lose this one. [/QUOTE]

After their pitiful effort against Charlotte it's nice that they stepped up.

[QUOTE]The Jazz let Memphis go on an early run that could have opened the flood gates, but they tightened up the defense and battled back, even setting the pace for much of the second half. We definitely caught Memphis on the right night, without Zach Randolph or Tony Allen, and on the second night of a back-to-back, but a win is a win. The slower pace of this Grizzlies team might have also played to the Jazz’s favor as well, so that their legs didn’t wear down by the end.[/QUOTE]

Maybe the Jazz need to rethink their style of play? Might be good reason why Corbin didn't have these guys running.

[QUOTE]2. Flashes of the future

There have undoubtedly been some rough patches so far this season, but this victory has to make Jazz fans excited for the future.[/QUOTE]

Rudy has me very excited. If they continue to give him big minutes I will be happy but I certainly wouldn't count on it when Booker returns and Favors is 100%. I assume he's not based on them sitting him the past couple of games. Also Enes has slumped a bit to.

[QUOTE]Several players flashed glimpses of progress and potential tonight, giving us all hope that one day we can compete with the loaded Western Conference night in and night out. Let’s start with Rudy Gobert. The man is a beast on the glass, finishing with a new career-high 16 rebounds, and his defensive presence was undeniable throughout his 29 (!) minutes on the floor. If this road trip has proven anything, it’s that Coach Snyder is having a hard time keeping this guy off the floor. [/QUOTE]

He's a beast period. It's apparent they need to build around Rudy. The sooner that process begins the better.

[QUOTE]Another bright spot was Rodney Hood. His shot wasn’t necessarily falling tonight[/QUOTE]

Hasn't fell all year. He needs to keep attacking the rim. They had him and Maxi G at the forwards at least briefly. I'm guessing we might see that more and more in the future.

[QUOTE], but what I liked most was how he found a way to contribute regardless. Tonight he showcased more dribble penetration than I’ve ever seen from him and seemed to be attacking the rim more. He even dished out four assists, showcasing his PG skills from his high school days. Since returning from injury at the end of November, he has steadily been earning his stripes as a solid role player on this team. [/QUOTE]

He certainly looks like a player. Hopefully he can become the great shooter they now lack though.

[QUOTE]Dante Exum also did a lot of good things tonight on the defensive end, as well as hitting a couple three pointers, before heading back to the locker room with a slight ankle injury. Enes Kanter is showing new life off the dribble. He’s playing aggressive with more confidence on the offensive end than ever before.[/QUOTE]

He was driving in the pre-season and finally started to do it again recently. He's gaining confidence from 3. That's the biggest thing.

[QUOTE]And Gordon Hayward did Gordon Hayward things for this team yet again. He has proven himself as the leader of this team with games like tonight, carrying the team with sheer will from time to time. His body language throughout the game said it all tonight, there was no way he was going to lose this one. The only visible difference was the lack of hair product tonight. I don’t know if he needs another trim or if he simply forgot, but I like the new, stylish Hayward more than the old, floppy hair version.[/QUOTE]

Yes his hair did look a lot better than it has.

[QUOTE]3. Learn from the best

When you play one of the best, you should try and learn something from them. One of the glaring differences tonight was PG play. [/QUOTE]

Same old story. Every pg in the league is watering at the mouth to play against Trey

[QUOTE]Mike Conley is having an all-star caliber season for Memphis this year, and he’s not even the primary or secondary option on the team. He kept Memphis in this game on a shorthanded night by penetrating the lane, facilitating and knocking down outside shots. He finished with 28 points, four rebounds and four assists. Trey and Dante could learn a lot from his style of play, especially the floater. It’s a dangerous move that, when used right a la CP3 or Steph Curry, is nearly unstoppable.[/QUOTE]

difference is Trey isn't the athlete that Conley or most stating pig's are.

[QUOTE]Trey was also the only starter to not finish in double figures tonight, which wouldn’t worry me as much if he had more than four assists to counteract it. All that being said, not a terrible game from either Jazz PG, but always something to learn from.

Scott Stevens[/QUOTE]

Yes it was a terrible game for Trey. but typical other than he didn't take as many shots as usual! :applause:

[QUOTE]Kanter’s situation is a tough one, and one unlikely to reveal any end-all solution before the Jazz have to make a decision or series of decisions regarding his future. So with that in mind, let’s briefly look at Utah’s general options going forward:

Move Him Before the Trade Deadline:

A pretty unlikely scenario, for a variety of reasons. It’s rare to see any team give up real assets for a guy slated to hit RFA in just six months given the lack of full control they then maintain over his situation, and it’s unclear whether the Jazz would be able to bring back anything of real value.[/QUOTE]

Sure there is. If a team sees him as a max player they could trade for him planning on matching any offer. He's going to get paid a lot of money. The only question is how much. Jazz need to decide if him or Favors is the best match with Rudy or if they think a 3 man big rotation will work and they can afford to pay 4 guys big money for one year before the cap goes up. Might be another team in a similar situation with a guy that fits the Jazz moving forward better. I think his potential as a stretch big and continued improvement and age makes Favors the one to go if either though.

[QUOTE] Teams like Memphis, Atlanta, and Washington are all at least pseudo-contenders or better in what’s currently as wide open a title race as we’ve seen in many years, and all might have both a desire for an upgrade at a third big position and a later first round pick plus the sort of mixture of cap fodder and veteran presence the Jazz would likely ask in return. But it’s so tough to evaluate how any of these front offices would view Kanter, and whether they’d even want to part with those sort of assets for what could end up being a six month rental.

Complicating the process to some degree could be Kanter’s agent, Max Ergul, who retains zero other NBA clients and could end up being something of a wild card. Teams can have issues dealing with solo agents they aren’t accustomed to working with, and there have been whispers that Ergul will attempt to squeeze every dime possible out of his most lucrative talent2. Don’t expect to see Kanter moved before the deadline unless the Jazz brass is more down on him than most of us had realized, or unless a godfather offer comes along.[/QUOTE]

again hard to predict

[QUOTE]Sign-and-Trade Him in the Offseason:

Perhaps even more unlikely, if for no other reason than the simple rarity of this happening outside deals for megastars changing teams (a la the S&T Cleveland and Miami struck when LeBron took his talents to South Beach in 2010). The value returning would likely be even less than a midseason trade, and would essentially amount to a last-ditch effort to salvage some value for Kanter that could actually end up making Utah’s front office look a tad silly. It’s a vague possibility for technical reasons, but quite improbable.[/QUOTE]

that's why you might be better off getting what you can this year if you don't see him as part of the future.

[QUOTE]Push Him to Sign the Qualifying Offer:

If interest is light around the league in July, the Jazz could lean on Kanter to sign the one-year, $7.8 million qualifying offer they’ll offer him as standard practice. This is a very unconventional route to restricted free agency, and one that would see Enes become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2016. Pistons big Greg Monroe took this door in September, and he and Kanter share several on-court characteristics.

It’s tough to imagine Ergul (or Kanter, for that matter) accepting such a low figure, though the promise of UFA as the new TV money kicks in could tip the scales a bit. The Jazz would then get one more year to evaluate Kanter in this system and alongside his teammates3, though they would relinquish matching rights and risk losing him for nothing. This route also seems fairly unlikely given a number of factors, and the Jazz should probably plan on making a final decision on Kanter’s future in Utah by this offseason.[/QUOTE]

yeah I don't see this. He's going to get a lot of money. Only reason to do this would be because of the increasing cap. But he's already had a couple of injuries. Better get the money while you can. If anything I'd be looking for a deal with an opt out after the first year to hit the market again when the cap goes up.

[QUOTE]Let Him Enter RFA and Proceed Accordingly:

Far and away the most realistic scenario for the Jazz is simply to let the process that they in part chose to initiate this offseason play out. Utah still has a good bit of flexibility on their cap[/QUOTE]

not really

[QUOTE]and a fully loaded stockpile of picks and cheap, movable contracts, and they can afford to gauge the market for Kanter with Rudy Gobert waiting in the wings. Monroe proved just how thin the market can be for Kanter’s sort of player, a power forward incapable of guarding centers who isn’t a true floor-stretcher in the vein of a Channing Frye, and Dennis Lindsey and the Jazz brass may count on a similar trend placing much of the leverage firmly in their hands.[/QUOTE]

he's going to be a true floor stretcher though. And unlike most of those guys he's got a lot more offensive game than just that along with his rebounding, age and continued improvement. Got tons of upside.

[QUOTE]But it only takes one (expletive), as they say, and Kanter’s offensive skill set has to be desirable to a team with a coach confident he can coax league average defense out of him. A brief canvas of some smart folks I talked to revealed a ridiculously wide array of offers some might be willing to tender him given the right team construct; from three years, $20 million to the same sort of four-year, high-$40 million figure Derrick Favors signed for last offseason. The new TV money set to kick in in 2016 may throw things like RFA into an absolute frenzy as teams race to be the first to exploit potential imbalances, and letting Kanter receive offers that might even top out higher than Favors’ number is a major crapshoot. How Enes compares to guys like Nikola Vucevic (signed for four years, $53 million starting next year), Kenneth Faried (four years, $50-plus million), or Tristan Thompson (also entering RFA this offseason) is also a topic that garners a wide array of viewpoints, with some opining he belongs in that class – or will receive an offer that says as much, at least – and others placing him firmly a tier below.[/QUOTE]

I can see him getting max. Who else has a better game with 3 point range? Love off the top of my head. He's a rare commodity. Put him with your other rare commodities like Gobert and 6'6" pg and you might have something special going forward.

[QUOTE]The Jazz relinquish some control with this approach4, but very little they weren’t already aware of after letting this previous offseason pass with no extension. They get the benefit of making their draft pick(s) beforehand, a process that could play a huge role in Kanter’s future. Names like Towns and Okafor, or Porzingis and Kaminsky a bit further down, have a great deal of potential appeal and would come at a fraction of Kanter’s immediate cost.[/QUOTE]
Yes the draft complicates things even more.

[QUOTE]There are so many moving parts here, regardless of how the Jazz choose to proceed. Where the team feels it falls on the rebuilding timeline is a big factor5, as is how well Kanter continues to adapt to Snyder’s system over the course of the year. The TV money is a massive confounding factor that looms over any and all major salary moves for every team, and how it plays into Utah’s specific salary construct will be of paramount importance. Lindsey and his staff are in the rough stuff now – these sorts of decisions will become more regular and more important over the next few years as the Jazz attempt to claw their way back to relevance. It’s a fascinating game of give-and-take in this ever-changing NBA world, and it should be an intriguing several months ahead.

Ben Dowsett[/QUOTE]

I say 3 man big rotation at least until it's time to pay Rudy if they can afford it depending on how the draft goes. If they draft another big I'd look to move Favors. He could bring them back a lot in a trade I imagine. They need a pg(Neto? Exum?), shooters, stretch bigs, defenders, etc. Maybe they can do a sign and trade with Atlanta for Millsap?

[QUOTE]Ton of progress made on this trip highlighted by the play of Rudy Gobert. Rudy has played 4 games over 29 minutes this year and all 4 of them were on this trip. He has an enormous impact on the game. This is an enormous jump for him over last year and his years in Europe. It is stunning to me that Rudy Gobert went 27th in one of the worst drafts ever.[/QUOTE]

Yes he could be the most valuable player out of that draft.

[QUOTE] I was in the gym the day of his workout and he dominating that day with his length and energy. There was no way you could pass on him if you saw him that day. [/QUOTE]

Sure you could. People saw the flaws. The game has changed. They want bigs that can shoot.

[QUOTE]16 rebounds tonight. His lenght is his greatest attribute but he also plays with great energy and super tenacity. He is fearless. He blocked Marc Gasol in the 2nd quarter and Gasol was never the same the rest of the night. Jazz only used 3 bigs tonight with Trevor Booker out and each of them played a very strong 30 minutes.[/QUOTE]

The length is nice but the guy is a player. He plays hard. He's smart. He wants to win. He wants to improve. He's an athlete.

[QUOTE]Huge amount of big plays in this game. Trey Burke hustling back defensively to alter Mike Conley

[QUOTE]For Alec Burks, his place with the Utah Jazz is all about filling in the blanks.

The shooting guard knows the offense runs through Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors[/QUOTE]

Enes? Trey? :rolleyes:

[QUOTE]- so he scores as needed. Burks knows that the Jazz crave firepower off the bench - so he leads the second unit on many nights.

But most of all, Burks has defended this season. He’s made it a passion. He’s made it a priority for the first time in his career. And as the Jazz wrap up a six game road trip and head to Christmas break, Burks has carved out a niche as arguably Utah’s best perimeter stopper.[/QUOTE]

not saying much really. I think Rudy might be their best perimeter defender actualy.

[QUOTE]"You can talk about team defense all you want," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "But if guys are blowing past our people on the perimeter, you aren’t going to be a great defensive team. Alec’s been staying in front of people and that’s been important."[/QUOTE]

At least not with Rudy on the bench. :confusedshrug:

[QUOTE]Burks realized the nature of the NBA early in his career. To him, he either defends well, or he gets eaten up nightly by some of the best shooting guards in the league. When he wasn’t playing as much, it may not have been as much of a focus. But now, he’s a starter, and one of the main pieces of the future for the Jazz. He knows that he has to produce.

On both ends.

"I really want to be known as a two-way player," Burks said. "Feel like I’ve been working towards being a better defender all summer. There are some good days, there are some bad days. But I want to be consistent, and be a good player."

Coming home

Jazz guard Ian Clark hails from Memphis and played in front of friends and family on Monday night against the Grizzlies.

"It feels good to be home and play in the same city as where I’m from," Clark said.

It will be an extended break for Clark, who is in his second season with the team. He will stay behind and spend Christmas with the family. The Jazz will practice again on Friday.[/QUOTE]

Good for him. I think he deserves a shot or send him to the D-league.

[QUOTE]Missing the matchup

Memphis forward Tony Allen is one of the very best defenders in the NBA, especially on the perimeter. He would’ve matched up with Gordon Hayward, but missed the game on Monday night with a scratched cornea in his eye.

[email]tjones@sltrib.com[/email]

Twitter: @tjonessltrib[/QUOTE]