2014-2015 regular season!

[QUOTE]The Jazz have already changed the way starting small forward Gordon Hayward is used, alternating between leaving him in for the entire first quarter and bringing him out at about the midway point of the opening period.[/QUOTE]
They alternated it between him and Burks at the first of the year but it's been all G for many games now I do believe.

[QUOTE]Utah has experimented with how it uses starting guards Alec Burks and Trey Burke with the second unit as well.

The Jazz subs have been struggling to score this season. Coming into Monday

[QUOTE]Two players that Jazz fans figured would see more time on the floor have barely played at all so far this season.[/QUOTE]

Where at the 3? The addition of Booker pretty much assured this unless they can play the 3 which apparently they can't or hit a 3 which apparently Jeremy can't. Novak is an end of the bench guy. Evans might be too though I thought he was solid last year and could help someone.

[QUOTE]Fifth-year player Jeremy Evans averaged 6.1 points and 4.4 rebounds last year in a career-high 18.3 minutes per game. However, this year, he

[QUOTE]After Friday night

[QUOTE]Victor Claver is very close to leaving Portland. Superdeporte

The Spanish forward can't take it anymore and has given orders to his agents to work a way out of Portland. Superdeporte

His priority is to get traded to another NBA team, but if it's not possible he could return to Europe to play with a Euroleague team. Superdeporte[/QUOTE]

Jazz could use help on the wing. Didn't shoot that well last year when he played though.

In the first 9 games of the season the Jazz defense with Gobert on the floor allowed 108.2 pts per 100 possessions. In the last 9 games it has allowed just 96.7 pts per 100 possessions.

The answer may be rebounding. In the first 9 games of the season with Gobert on the floor the Jazz garnered just 69.8% of defensive rebounds. Over the last 9 games the Jazz have grabbed 79.9% of defensive rebounds with Gobert on the floor.

In the first 9 games of the season teams shot 67.9% in the restricted area with Gobert on the floor and took 34% of their shots in the restricted area. Since then they have shot 61.8% in the restricted area while taking 39% of their shots in the restricted area.

Moreover, in the first 9 games of the season the Jazz were -8.8 per 100 possessions Gobert was on the floor. In the last 9 games the Jazz are +2.5 with Gobert on the floor and -11.3 when he is off.

Over the last 5 games the Jazz defense with Gobert on the floor has allowed 98.5 pts per 100 possessions and with him on the bench has allowed 117.1. Some of this is because Gobert has not been playing against the other teams starters, but nonetheless it is obvious he is having a huge impact.

Posted in Insider

[QUOTE]Every good defensive team has a 7 foot holding down the middle of the floor. The five best defensive teams in the NBA this year are the Warriors (Bogut), Rockets (Howard), Spurs (Splitter/Duncan), Memphis (Gasol) and Wizards (Gortat).

Most of the best rim protectors in the NBA are 7 footers, Hibbert (38.5%), Dalembert (38.9%) Howard(39.5%) and Bogut (39.7%)

The Jazz have a remarkable 7 footer in Rudy Gobert. Not only is Gobert listed at 7

[QUOTE]A shoulder injury will keep Alec Burks out of the Jazz

[QUOTE]Snyder recently said he wouldn

[QUOTE]"It starts at the defensive end," Trey Burke said. "Defense is what wins you games. We have to be willing to, first and foremost, guard our own man when he's attacking and when he doesn't have the ball, we have to know where we are, know where we're supposed to be. Concentration and communication are the biggest areas where we have to grow to take the next step. Just talking to each other. When a guy's going iso, you've got to have the other four guys talking, letting him know he's all right, he's got their help. The more you talk in pick-and-roll situations and in transition, the better you're going to be as a team. Communication is everything."[/QUOTE]

might keep you from staying in the league too

[QUOTE]Late in Monday night's game, after the Jazz fought back from a large deficit to tie the game at 83, the Nuggets tore off seven quick points to surge back ahead. It was one of those significant stretches Burke said they must eliminate. If they are good enough to fire back from 22 points down, can't they be good enough to not fall behind like that, or sustain a high level of play once they do catch up?

"Coach shows us film, shows us what we can be, what we can do," Burke said. "We just have to be more consistent at both ends of the floor. A lot of that starts with the leaders

[QUOTE]Hood's shot is waiting to come back, too. He's only hit 1 of 9 shots

[QUOTE]David Locke: The NBA has rescinded the technical foul on Jazz trainer Gary Briggs. The one point had huge impact on final plays of Jazz v. Nugs Twitter @Lockedonsports[/QUOTE]

Cost them the game. A lot a good that does them now.

[QUOTE]Gobert came into Utah

[QUOTE]22 out of 32 uncontested shots doesn

[QUOTE]The Jazz are not ready defensively for the top level offensive teams.[/QUOTE]

They're ready for low level offensive teams?

[QUOTE] The Raptors, the #2 offensive team in the NBA, surpassed all of the opponents highs set by the Mavericks, the #1 offensive team in the NBA. Second, the Jazz depth is not able to keep the Jazz in games. [/QUOTE]

And anyone should have seen that coming. That's what tanking is.

[QUOTE]The script each night is very similar, the Jazz play fairly well early in the game and then when the substitutions start the game begins to slip away and gets away entirely in the 2nd quarter.

This team needs to learn how to put its will on a game. However, that is much easier said than done. Golf seems to be the most common analogy but it could be anything. If you have failed at something in the past and you are uncertain of yourself it is hard to dive right in with all your gusto. Take a big fall on a ski hill and then next time you come down that same run you are tentative. Pull back to back drives into the trees and how are you feeling on the next tee box? That is where the Jazz are at this point. They lack a confidence to play with the type of vigor they need to play with.

The Raptors are really good. They are 15-4 and the best in the East and with the energy in Toronto that exists after last season they are going to be a tough out in playoffs. What they did tonight is what really good teams do. They were playing a team that is not as good and they came out and put the hammer down. They had not been playing defense well recently and they tightened that area up while dominating the game. Kyle Lowry was terrific.
I admire Coach Casey when he finds a play that works he never leaves it. High pick and roll here we go again.

The Jazz started fine, but the Raptors went on a 9-2 run to close the 1st quarter and a 19-8 run to open the 2nd quarter. Game over. That is the 18 point difference that ruled the night. Everything else was window dressing as they said.

Realize the Jazz opened the night with a kid who has played 8 NBA games trying to guard Kyle Lowry who is an 8 year veteran and heading to an all-star game. The rest of the roster was a point guard who has played 1 year and 19 games, two 4 year “veterans” and a guy starting for his first year.[/QUOTE]

Again a big part of their problem is Burke being anointed as the man without any competition. No veteran mentor this year.

[QUOTE]Players doing things for the first time in the NBA are not usually very good at what they are doing. If a player is inserted in the starting line-up for the first time as a regular it takes a while, if a player is a lead dog for the first time it takes a while. Who are the two players on the Jazz that are handling themselves well. Guys who are doing the same thing for the second straight year, Derrick Favors and Gordon Hayward.[/QUOTE]

Burke started last year too. Not sure he's improved at all and he wasn't that impressive last year as it was despite the hype to the contrary.

[QUOTE]It is not pleasant to be down by 15 or more every night but make sure that we are being realistic to what this team as constructed with its youth is capable of doing.

Lots of good things are happening. Rudy Gobert who has played 63 games in his career is showing signs of being a defensive force in the NBA. He still has a long way to go. [/QUOTE]

But not as far as Favors the so called defensive stopper.

[QUOTE]Trey Burke who has played 88 games in his NBA career got out of a huge shooting slump for one of the first times in his life and will grow from that.[/QUOTE]

And the other teams pg's are just licking their chops at the other end.

[QUOTE] Dante Exum who is 19 and has played 19 games is showing all the signs of why he was drafted 5th and people believe he could be terrific. Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors who have played enough to know what to anticipate in this league have been good, in fact very good.[/QUOTE]

But not the stars that they've been made out to be. If they were the Jazz would actually be competitive.

[QUOTE]Take a second and imagine Gordon or Derrick surrounded by veteran experienced players and they would be fabulous.[/QUOTE]

OK. I'll imagine last year when that was the case and they weren't that fabulous. Why not have some vets around if those two are so fabulous than?

[QUOTE]It is a process. We knew it was a process. And it is not an easy process. There is no magic pill. It doesn’t get fixed right away. There will be many more nights like this and more losing streaks but there is a lot good going on in the midst of this.

Posted in Emptying the Noggin[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE]For the first time in 4 years Gordon Hayward hits December with momentum In the three previous year, Gordon Hayward shot 33%, 41% and 39% in November. This year Gordon has been on fire. He is shooting 49% from the field and has hit on 39.7% from 3.

Prior to this season, Gordon was 35 of 130 from 3. This year he is 27 of 68 in November.

gordon november

Posted in Insider[/QUOTE]

still inconsistent