2020-21 Regular season- The tax team

[url]https://www.slcdunk.com/2021/3/3/22310684/utah-jazz-defense-is-slacking[/url]

[QUOTE]Utah’s problems in the last few games largely boil down to issues on one side of the ball. Offensively, they’ve maintained great play with the league’s second-best offensive rating since Feb. 18 and their shooting numbers are just as great in that span. The Jazz simply aren’t stopping teams as they did during the win streak. In that brilliant 21-game run where they won 20 times (17 by double-digits), eight of Utah’s opponents failed to score 100 points and 15 failed to reach the league average point total (112.1).


[/QUOTE]

like last year. Maybe it wasn't all Bradley's fault after all?

[QUOTE]Throwing off this slump and just winning more regular-season games won’t silence those critics, but it’ll mean that Utah is capable of adjusting. In seasons past, the Jazz found a groove, Quin Snyder stuck to what worked but eventually what worked stopped working. It’ll take creativity to stay ahead of the pack.


[/QUOTE]

COTM!

[QUOTE]As a final note, this isn’t the first time this season I’ve criticized Utah’s defense for [URL="https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2021/1/6/22217273/utah-jazz-defense-quin-snyder-rudy-gobert"]not living up to previous seasons under Snyder[/URL]. The Jazz at the time were below-average on defense and had a record of 4-3 when the article was published, 4-4 by the end of the night. Since that criticism, my assertion that Utah could no longer hang its hat on defense was thoroughly proven wrong. Except that right now the Jazz are back to being the team it was in the first eight games.



[/QUOTE]

Even with their rating their defense isn't consistently great which says a lot about the current NBA I guess

[QUOTE][h=4]Effort[/h]
Defense isn’t the only thing killing the Jazz. Rebounding has been deplorable for the last couple of weeks as well. Defense and rebounding are all about effort. I love the Jazz playing with swagger and walking onto the court every night expecting to win instead of hoping to win. But effort is required to back up that swagger. Swagger without effort yields losses.

Posted by [URL="https://www.sbnation.com/users/jmnunes5"]jmnunes5[/URL] on [URL="https://www.slcdunk.com/2021/3/3/22310684/utah-jazz-defense-is-slacking#537155729"]Mar 3, 2021 | 1:30 PM[/URL]

[/QUOTE]

the rebounding has a lot to do with their lack of size

[QUOTE][h=4]The thing is, the Jazz have all the pieces to be a phenomenal defensive team[/h]
as is obvious by the fact that we’re top-5 in most defensive metrics. But yeah, the NOP and MIA games were brutal, especially because Butler was really the first guy all year who seriously hurt us from the midrange. Most of our losses have been from teams going nuclear from three; the Heat loss was because we were willing to give up midrange shots and Dragic and Butler are the perfect duo to destroy that kind of defense.

Posted by [URL="https://www.sbnation.com/users/GregOstertagged"]GregOstertagged[/URL] on [URL="https://www.slcdunk.com/2021/3/3/22310684/utah-jazz-defense-is-slacking#537160146"]Mar 3, 2021 | 2:58 PM[/URL]

[/QUOTE]

I'm not convinced. Gobert, O'Neale, Ingles and Conley play D. Mitchell and Bojan are horrible. Favors is not Gobert as many like to say. Not sure he's even Bradley. Niang and Clarkson at least go hard at that end. Put in Morgan instead of Bojan and things would change a lot

[url]https://sircharlesincharge.com/2021/03/02/donovan-mitchell-championship-jazz-superstar/[/url]

[QUOTE][h=1]Utah Jazz: Donovan Mitchell is proving he can be a No. 1 on a championship team[/h]

[/QUOTE]

he is?

[QUOTE][URL="https://theathletic.com/2425373/2021/03/04/nba-trade-news-rumors-blake-griffin-p-j-tucker-andre-drummond-shams/"]The Spurs are receiving calls on their veteran players who are pending free agents — LaMarcus Aldridge, DeMar DeRozan, Rudy Gay, Trey Lyles and Patty Mills — and are listening to inquiries,[/URL] sources said.
– via [URL="https://theathletic.com/2425373/2021/03/04/nba-trade-news-rumors-blake-griffin-p-j-tucker-andre-drummond-shams/"]Shams Charania @ The Athletic[/URL]



[/QUOTE]

they want Bojan?

[QUOTE]The Utah Jazz were in Denver on Dec. 13, 2013. A bad team that would finish with a bad record, caught between two worlds: Figuring out how to compete with a young core of unproven talent coupled with former greats who were playing closer to their collective dusk than dawn. The Jazz coaching staff told Gobert he’d be catching a flight to Bakersfield. Gobert was a DNP-coaching decision the night Utah upset the Nuggets to improve to … 6-19. The Jazz assigned Gobert and fellow rookie guard Ian Clark to the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA Developmental League — the D-League before the G League — that night in the Mile High City. [URL="https://theathletic.com/2425030/2021/03/04/rudy-gobert-transformation-into-utah-jazz-all-star-started-in-the-d-league-you-have-to-be-able-to-show-you-dont-belong-there/?fbclid=IwAR2bdll8xiX5-LtFsC7jHqOQaH2OJRxsp5LjRrGWQf4y4zpqM5AlsdZzWc8"]“When I came to the league,” Gobert told The Athletic, “I told myself I was never going to play in the D-League.”[/URL]
– via [URL="https://theathletic.com/2425030/2021/03/04/rudy-gobert-transformation-into-utah-jazz-all-star-started-in-the-d-league-you-have-to-be-able-to-show-you-dont-belong-there/?fbclid=IwAR2bdll8xiX5-LtFsC7jHqOQaH2OJRxsp5LjRrGWQf4y4zpqM5AlsdZzWc8"]Christopher Kamrani @ The Athletic[/URL]



[URL="https://theathletic.com/2425030/2021/03/04/rudy-gobert-transformation-into-utah-jazz-all-star-started-in-the-d-league-you-have-to-be-able-to-show-you-dont-belong-there/?fbclid=IwAR2bdll8xiX5-LtFsC7jHqOQaH2OJRxsp5LjRrGWQf4y4zpqM5AlsdZzWc8"]When he got to Bakersfield for that D-League assignment, he stayed put in the hotel because the coaches asked him to. The Jam arena is in the Bakersfield neighborhood of Oildale, a central California town long known for its extreme poverty levels and permeating drug issues.[/URL] The town had its own unofficial “Heroin Alley.” So when Gobert arrived, former Jam coach Will Voigt just told him to relax, watch TV, watch film and, when possible, work out at the basketball facility. “That would be a culture shock to just about anybody, let alone a Parisian,” Voigt said. “He was not going to find a croissant and an espresso anywhere around there.”
– via [URL="https://theathletic.com/2425030/2021/03/04/rudy-gobert-transformation-into-utah-jazz-all-star-started-in-the-d-league-you-have-to-be-able-to-show-you-dont-belong-there/?fbclid=IwAR2bdll8xiX5-LtFsC7jHqOQaH2OJRxsp5LjRrGWQf4y4zpqM5AlsdZzWc8"]Christopher Kamrani @ The Athletic[/URL]



And he had expectations as high as his massive wingspan could reach for. Gobert harbors the angst from doubters he’s had along his path. He said this week that he still remembers people in France and in the media saying he was too much of a “project player” to evolve in the NBA. It’s why his aversion to the D-League was heightened. Gobert wanted to prove he could be what he knew he could develop into, while also casting a long pall on those skeptics. [URL="https://theathletic.com/2425030/2021/03/04/rudy-gobert-transformation-into-utah-jazz-all-star-started-in-the-d-league-you-have-to-be-able-to-show-you-dont-belong-there/?fbclid=IwAR2bdll8xiX5-LtFsC7jHqOQaH2OJRxsp5LjRrGWQf4y4zpqM5AlsdZzWc8"]“He was hardheaded, didn’t want to listen, and he was just trying to be a player that he wasn’t,” said John Lucas III, Utah’s third point guard Gobert’s rookie season. “We all saw something special in Rudy, and obviously the Jazz did, too.”[/URL]
– via [URL="https://theathletic.com/2425030/2021/03/04/rudy-gobert-transformation-into-utah-jazz-all-star-started-in-the-d-league-you-have-to-be-able-to-show-you-dont-belong-there/?fbclid=IwAR2bdll8xiX5-LtFsC7jHqOQaH2OJRxsp5LjRrGWQf4y4zpqM5AlsdZzWc8"]Christopher Kamrani @ The Athletic[/URL]



Gobert’s show of emotion after a practice in 2019 when he wasn’t named to the All-Star squad was mocked by some but embraced as a real moment by others. [URL="https://theathletic.com/2425030/2021/03/04/rudy-gobert-transformation-into-utah-jazz-all-star-started-in-the-d-league-you-have-to-be-able-to-show-you-dont-belong-there/?fbclid=IwAR2bdll8xiX5-LtFsC7jHqOQaH2OJRxsp5LjRrGWQf4y4zpqM5AlsdZzWc8"]“The thing for me and my story is that it’s always been that way for me,” he said when referencing his career in basketball up to this point. “It’s not like people were always telling me, ‘There you go, you made it, you’re in the league.’ No. I’ve been rejected my whole career. I’ve been disrespected my whole career. It’s kind of the story of my life.”[/URL]
– via [URL="https://theathletic.com/2425030/2021/03/04/rudy-gobert-transformation-into-utah-jazz-all-star-started-in-the-d-league-you-have-to-be-able-to-show-you-dont-belong-there/?fbclid=IwAR2bdll8xiX5-LtFsC7jHqOQaH2OJRxsp5LjRrGWQf4y4zpqM5AlsdZzWc8"]Christopher Kamrani @ The Athletic[/URL]



[/QUOTE]

Should have spent ore time in the Dleague that first year. He wasn't physically ready

[QUOTE]Kyle Neubeck: Last 2 minute report from Sixers-Jazz admits to six errors: 3 incorrect no calls on Utah (another Gobert foul on Embiid, missed travel on Bogdanovic, missed 3 sec for Gobert) 3 incorrect no calls on Philadelphia (kicked ball by Simmons, Embiid fouling Mitchell, travel by Harris) – via Twitter KyleNeubeck


[/QUOTE]

as I said they usually even out. Play D and pass the ball and you win

[QUOTE]Chris Fedor: [URL="https://open.spotify.com/show/533CSeuiEK6Yun8I45mM50"]There’s a growing belief around the league that the Cavs are going to have to get creative with an Andre Drummond trade.[/URL] That means three or four teams involved. It’s doable, especially because they have the contract of Cedi Osman and also Taurean Prince. But if they have to go the route of a three or four team, expect Cedi Osman to be part of that deal or talked about as part of that deal.
– via [URL="https://open.spotify.com/show/533CSeuiEK6Yun8I45mM50"]Spotify[/URL]



[/QUOTE]

Prince would be a good get and Bojan makes a lot of sense for the Cavs. They have no one listed at the 3 other than Cedi. Rather have Nance than Prince though it doesn't sound like they want to give up Nance. Wade and Windler filler if needed. Hughes and Niang filler if needed for Jazz. Get it done

Gobert/Favors/Udoka
Nance/Morgan/Brantley/Wade
ONeale/Oni
Mitchell/Clarkson/Windler
Conley/Ingles/Forrest

Get under tax. 2 open roster spots for buyouts. More size. More flexibility to bring back Conley

Is this Utah Jazz team legitimate? [URL="https://sports.yahoo.com/jordan-clarkson-talks-sixth-man-of-the-year-utahs-lack-of-national-coverage-and-more-212108033.html"]Jordan Clarkson: Yeah, I think we are legitimate. We’ve got a lot of talented guys that can make plays. We’ve got a defensive anchor, Rudy Gobert, Derrick Favors coming out of the bench for us. Royce O’Neale I’ve been calling him like ‘First team all-defense’ because he goes out there every night.[/URL] And he gets the best player on the floor. He’s doing all the hard work while we’re out there shooting threes and making it look pretty. But yeah, we got two big time stars in Donovan Mitchell and Rudy… My thing has always been day to day, waking up the next day, we just try to be better than that day and win the game.
– via [URL="https://sports.yahoo.com/jordan-clarkson-talks-sixth-man-of-the-year-utahs-lack-of-national-coverage-and-more-212108033.html"]Vincent Goodwill @ Yahoo! Sports[/URL]



“For some reason, a lot of f*cking moments are against the Pelicans,” New Orleans guard Josh Hart told ********* while laughing. “Either someone scoring against the Pelicans, Rudy Gobert blocking my damn layup, or some bullsh*t like that. We played the Jazz. [URL="https://*********.com/lists/nba-top-shot-money/"]I think Gobert’s getting into it (Top Shot). He had a dunk. It wasn’t on me, but I was in the general vicinity, and he knows I do Top Shot. He looked at me while we were running back and he said like, ‘There’s a Top Shot moment right there.’ I was like, ‘Ah, f*ck you.’”[/URL]
– via [URL="https://*********.com/lists/nba-top-shot-money/"]Michael Scotto @ *********[/URL]

[url]https://kslsports.com/454568/darrell-dr-dunkenstein-griffith-picked-as-greatest-dunker-in-utah-jazz-history/[/url]

[QUOTE]The other Jazz players to receive votes included Donovan Mitchell (33.3 percent), Karl Malone (16.7 percent), and Jeremy Evans (4.2 percent).


[/QUOTE]

Karl! :roll:

How about Blue? Hard to argue with Grif

[url]https://www.ksl.com/article/50119233/from-the-comments-were-the-refs-really-to-blame-for-the-jazzs-loss-at-philadelphia[/url]

[QUOTE]Officials aside, the Jazz were pretty bad in the closing minutes. The Jazz were actually 1-for-10 in the final five minutes, including going 1-for-7 from 3-point range. And Mitchell was the key culprit.


[/QUOTE]

the D was bad the 2nd half. Get tired of you saying they lose because they aren't making shots when they put up 123.

[url]https://www.deseret.com/sports/2021/3/4/22312082/last-two-minute-report-six-incorrect-calls-utah-jazz-loss-to-philadelphia-sixers-donovan-mitchell[/url]

[QUOTE]Of course, as its name implies, the report does not list any of the plays from outside the final two minutes that were missed or called incorrectly.


[/QUOTE]

which is stupid. Plays at the end aren't more important than others

[url]https://saltcityhoops.com/espns-e60-to-air-feature-on-jazzs-gobert/[/url]

[url]https://www.slcdunk.com/how-to-utah-jazz-fan/2021/3/5/22314848/its-time-for-the-utah-jazz-to-embrace-what-they-are-destined-to-be-the-villain[/url]

[QUOTE]And this doesn’t just go for Jazz fans, it’s time for the Jazz players to not be so nice any more. It’s time for Rudy Gobert to stand his ground in the paint and never back down. If the incompetent NBA officials are going to call him for ridiculous fouls then make them count here and there like Karl Malone once did. No more flopping.


[/QUOTE]

flops get the calls sadly

[QUOTE]That answer could have partly to do with Griffin’s point-per-possession marks, which aren’t quite as ugly as his other marks in 2020-21. [URL="https://*********.com/2021/03/05/blake-griffin-free-agency-rumors-how-griffin-can-help-contenders/"]Taking a look at Synergy Sports, we can see Griffin is still an ‘excellent’ point producer as a pick-and-roll ball-handler and a ‘very good’ scorer in transition and as the roll man in pick-and-roll sets.[/URL] That type of versatile scoring is hard to find, particularly players who can produce as both the creator and finisher in all-important pick-and-roll sets, so crucial in the modern NBA.
– via [URL="https://*********.com/2021/03/05/blake-griffin-free-agency-rumors-how-griffin-can-help-contenders/"]Frank Urbina @ *********[/URL]




Griffin’s most effective play type this season by far has been as the pick-and-roll ball-handler, unique for a traditional power forward. Out of those sets, Griffin has posted 38 possessions and produced 43 points, good for a 1.132 point-per-possession (PPP) mark, which places him in the 93rd percentile league-wide, per Synergy, in what’s considered the ‘excellent’ range. [URL="https://*********.com/2021/03/05/blake-griffin-free-agency-rumors-how-griffin-can-help-contenders/"]The minimal sample size needs to be taken into account, but just for fun, let’s look at what top forwards are posting in the same pick-and-roll ball-handler play type this season, according to Synergy: First-time All-Star Zion Williamson is right behind Griffin in PPP at 1.108, Kevin Durant is even further behind at 1.011 PPP while LeBron James is at 0.917 PPP on that play type this season[/URL].
– via [URL="https://*********.com/2021/03/05/blake-griffin-free-agency-rumors-how-griffin-can-help-contenders/"]Frank Urbina @ *********[/URL]



[URL="https://*********.com/2021/03/05/blake-griffin-free-agency-rumors-how-griffin-can-help-contenders/"]What’s more, in transition opportunities this season, Griffin has scored 20 points on 16 chances, good for 1.125 PPP, placing him in the 74th percentile in the NBA this year, per Synergy.[/URL] Meanwhile, as the roll man, he’s produced 12 points on just 10 opportunities, a 1.2 PPP mark, one that puts him in the NBA’s 70th percentile.
– via [URL="https://*********.com/2021/03/05/blake-griffin-free-agency-rumors-how-griffin-can-help-contenders/"]Frank Urbina @ *********
[/URL]




Additionally, [URL="https://*********.com/2021/03/05/blake-griffin-free-agency-rumors-how-griffin-can-help-contenders/"]the fact that Griffin is still finishing 61.2 percent of his shot attempts from within five feet of the basket, a higher clip than far more explosive wings in Aaron Gordon (59.0 percent) and Kelly Oubre Jr. (59.0 percent), or even than first-time All-Star power forward Julius Randle (57.6 percent),[/URL] further indicates that Griffin likely has more left in the tank than his raw and advanced statistics would let on.
– via [URL="https://*********.com/2021/03/05/blake-griffin-free-agency-rumors-how-griffin-can-help-contenders/"]Frank Urbina @ *********[/URL]



[/QUOTE]

That's why I think he could fit with the Jazz. His 3 point shooting and defense would be the concerns. But he'd be wide open so maybe he could hit the corner 3's? He certainly couldn't be worse than Mitchell and Bojan defensively

[QUOTE][URL="https://theathletic.com/2429382/?source=twitterhq"]League sources indicate Bjelica and guard Cory Joseph are two veterans the Kings could part with by the March 25 trade deadline. Bjelica is in the last year of his deal and, per our Shams Charania, is known to be drawing interest.[/URL] Joseph has just $2.4 million of his salary for 2021-22 guaranteed.
– via [URL="https://theathletic.com/2429382/?source=twitterhq"]Sam Amick, Jason Jones, Sam Amick and Jason Jones @ The Athletic[/URL]
[/QUOTE]

Bjelica could be a fit

[QUOTE][URL="https://*********.com/social/tweets/"]Larry Nance Jr: Hope everyone is having a happy Friday….. except those people that keep putting me in their mock trades[/URL]
– via [URL="https://twitter.com/Larrydn22"]Twitter Larrydn22[/URL]



[/QUOTE]

I like this guy!

Stars are done. Not much good came out of it. Hughes wasn't as good as Wright Forman like I figured. Don't get what they saw in him at all. Tucker had a big game in this last one. A few guys I'd expect to see in the mix in summer league and going into next season

Jorge Sierra: [URL="https://*********.com/social/"]Only four players made their All-Star debut at an older age than Mike Conley this season:[/URL] Kyle Korver Anthony Mason Sam Cassell Nat Clifton pic.twitter.com/0uBMAabYp0
– via [URL="https://twitter.com/*********"]Twitter *********[/URL]

[url]https://kslsports.com/454663/utah-jazz-all-star-mail-bag/[/url]

[QUOTE]Third, Quin Snyder doesn’t look to have any interest in resting his players. I thought the Jazz looked worn out by the end of the first half of the regular season, hence the three losses in four games, but the Jazz seem determined to push through that.


[/QUOTE]

never has. Only a matter of time before someone gets hurt while he refuses to go to the end of his bench with a huge lead

[QUOTE]Now it’s time for Snyder to readjust his gameplan to counter those teams ahead of the postseason and that could include a few variations to his roster.


[/QUOTE]

Nuggets are the only team they play again

[QUOTE]It’s important to note the Jazz have gotten by swimmingly without using the two-big roster very often, so I doubt we’ll see it as a mainstay, but Derrick Favors has proven to be a trustworthy postseason performer so maybe it comes back in time for the playoffs.


[/QUOTE]

and there goes the spacing

[QUOTE]Additionally, Snyder could adjust how he closes games, including using Ingles at times in place of Bojan Bogdanovic who is starting to get targetted by opposing offenses late in games.


[/QUOTE]

We saw in the playoffs last year that he doesn't change. He could have played any of his rookies that played some D and they would have won instead he had Clarkson on Murray




[CENTER][/CENTER]

[url]https://www.deseret.com/sports/2021/3/5/22307147/quin-snyder-utah-jazz-all-star-moment-duke-blue-devils-mike-krzyzewski-donovan-mitchell-rudy-gobert[/url]

[QUOTE]“When the players were really excited for me to have that opportunity, it sunk in, in a lot of ways,” he said. “What they have done, what we’ve been able to do together, over time. You reflect a little bit on the year before I got here when we won 25 games. And we lost some in a row in December and I was trying to figure out a lot of stuff, maybe when we were going to get another win. So you do have a chance to reflect on a lot of those things.”


[/QUOTE]

9 in a row before Rudy saved the franchise

[url]https://saltcityhoops.com/qa-in-search-of-a-fourteenth-man/[/url]

[QUOTE][B]What is the team’s priority? A stretch four or a 3&D? Perhaps both?[/B]

[/QUOTE]

should be both but obviously a starting 4 is their biggest need

[QUOTE]Given everything we’ve heard about the club’s perception of Oni, and most of what we’ve seen on the floor, it seems strange to me that Quin Snyder hasn’t given him that 10 minutes more regularly, but he hasn’t.


[/QUOTE]

it's strange that he hasn't played young guys the past two years after having no problem doing it before. Oni is a good end of the bench energy guy. Need to loo for a couple vets ideally

[QUOTE]Robinson was signed by Sacramento on December 22, literally the day before the Kings’ season started, then released last week. Again, he wasn’t high on teams’ lists prior to the season, and hasn’t been picked up yet. In his case, while he’s a decent three point shooter, I question the 3&D label because I don’t think he’s much of a defender.


[/QUOTE]

Jazz like him so he seems like one of the most likely guys to eventually end up with them

[QUOTE][B]Do we know anything about next year’s jerseys since the gold are due to go?[/B]
[B]@iamzusuf[/B]
I expected the current Statement Edition uniforms to disappear before the 2020-21 season, given the fact that the team seemed to bury them down the stretch last year. Four times the Jazz were scheduled to wear the yellow jerseys and switched to something else, then they didn’t even bother to take them to the bubble.
[/QUOTE]

ugly! The green might be even worse

[QUOTE]Unless something drastically changes over the next three weeks or Cleveland gets completely blown away by an offer it can’t refuse, don’t expect any of those five to go anywhere — even though [URL="https://www.cleveland.com/cavs/2021/03/cleveland-cavaliers-to-be-active-ahead-of-nba-trade-deadline-will-it-lead-to-another-deal.html"]calls keep coming and strong offers have been made for Nance, including one package with multiple late first-round picks,[/URL] sources tell cleveland.com.
– via [URL="https://www.cleveland.com/cavs/2021/03/cleveland-cavaliers-to-be-active-ahead-of-nba-trade-deadline-will-it-lead-to-another-deal.html"]Chris Fedor @ Cleveland Plain Dealer[/URL]



Nance would help a lot of teams and he’s on a multi-year bargain deal that makes it easy to come up with matching salaries. He’s the kind of versatile piece that contenders covet because of his defense, playmaking, shooting and impact on winning. According to sources, Nance is the player the Cavs have received the most calls about. Sources say the Minnesota [URL="https://www.cleveland.com/cavs/2021/03/cleveland-cavaliers-to-be-active-ahead-of-nba-trade-deadline-will-it-lead-to-another-deal.html"]Timberwolves have been aggressively pursuing him since the offseason. Nance’s old teammate and buddy D’Angelo Russell is a strong Nance advocate.[/URL] Boston, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Miami and Dallas have also shown interest.
– via [URL="https://www.cleveland.com/cavs/2021/03/cleveland-cavaliers-to-be-active-ahead-of-nba-trade-deadline-will-it-lead-to-another-deal.html"]Chris Fedor @ Cleveland Plain Dealer[/URL]



[/QUOTE]

sad not to see Utah on there but expected

[QUOTE][URL="https://theathletic.com/2425373/"]Cleveland has also been open to discussing forwards Cedi Osman and Taurean Prince and center JaVale McGee[/URL] in the right deal, sources said. Several teams have called on the Cavaliers’ wing players, those sources said. For the Cavaliers, Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Isaac Okoro have established themselves as centerpieces of the long-term core.
– via [URL="https://theathletic.com/2425373/"]Shams Charania @ The Athletic[/URL]



[/QUOTE]

Prince works but Nance is the guy

[QUOTE]The [URL="https://theathletic.com/2425373/"]Spurs are receiving calls on their veteran players who are pending free agents — LaMarcus Aldridge, DeMar DeRozan, Rudy Gay, Trey Lyles and Patty Mills — and are listening to inquiries,[/URL] sources said. San Antonio is the sixth seed in the Western Conference at 18-13, blending its veterans and talented young core of Keldon Johnson, Dejounte Murray, Derrick White and Lonnie Walker IV.
– via [URL="https://theathletic.com/2425373/"]Shams Charania @ The Athletic[/URL]



[/QUOTE]

Lamarcus or Gay

[QUOTE]Law Murray: [URL="https://*********.com/social/"]Silver says that 25 percent of NBA players come from out of United States, promotes G-League/G-League Ignite as a paid option for some talents[/URL] while league continues to discuss one-and-done rule
– via [URL="https://twitter.com/LawMurrayTheNU"]Twitter LawMurrayTheNU
[/URL]




Joe Vardon: The NCAA won’t love this one. [URL="https://*********.com/social/"]Asked about a new basketball league for high-school-aged players who are paid, Adam Silver said: ‘Generally it’s good to have optionality.’[/URL]
– via [URL="https://twitter.com/joevardon"]Twitter joevardon[/URL]



[/QUOTE]

as we've seen since one and done it doesn't really affect college as far as people watching it. The product is way watered down now but people still tune in for their team regardless. College should be for student athletes. Stupid to have kids going to college that just want to play basketball

How good was Andrei Kirilenko? [URL="https://open.spotify.com/episode/0vtWTq50DCdhkMtN1BTfvs?go=1&utm_source=embed_v3&t=0&nd=1"]Deron Williams: Very good. Very good and it could have been so much better if he could just shoot the basketball just a little bit better, just to where people had to be up on him. And he had games where he would hit three threes, four threes, but it wasn’t you weren’t worried about it. Like ‘oh, we’ll live with that.’[/URL] But I’ve never been around a player that could do everything he could do at his height. And defensively he was special. He was special.
– via [URL="https://open.spotify.com/episode/0vtWTq50DCdhkMtN1BTfvs?go=1&utm_source=embed_v3&t=0&nd=1"]Spotify[/URL]

[url]https://kslsports.com/454732/anti-lebron-referee-billboards-go-up-in-utah-after-jazz-all-star-slander/[/url]

get over it! :lol

[url]https://thejnotes.com/2021/03/06/greatest-utah-jazz-star-showing-time/[/url]

when it was in Utah and the statues shared MVP. Duh :facepalm

Eric Walden: [URL="https://*********.com/social/"]Rudy Gobert, on Jordan Clarkson’s 6MOY chances: “I think it should be unanimous. If the voting was today, I don’t see how you couldn’t vote for Jordan Clarkson.[/URL] … It’s no debate. You look at the scoring, the impact, I don’t see no one else that has that impact for their team.”
– via [URL="https://twitter.com/tribjazz"]Twitter tribjazz[/URL]

Sarah Todd: Donovan Mitchell on LeBron James’ Utah comments during All-Star draft – [URL="https://*********.com/social/"]“I don’t want to be rude but I really don’t care….people have been talking s*** about me for a while…we’re not doing this to seek the approval of him.”[/URL]
– via [URL="https://twitter.com/NBASarah"]Twitter NBASarah[/URL]

[QUOTE]14. “I [URL="https://theathletic.com/2433906/2021/03/07/was-the-nba-all-star-game-a-mistake-why-joel-embiid-ben-simmons-absence-spoke-volumes/?source=rss"]haven’t come to a decision yet,” Donovan Mitchell said. “I’m just trying to learn as much as I can about this vaccine first before I go ahead and make this decision.”[/URL]
– via [URL="https://theathletic.com/2433906/2021/03/07/was-the-nba-all-star-game-a-mistake-why-joel-embiid-ben-simmons-absence-spoke-volumes/?source=rss"]Joe Vardon @ The Athletic[/URL]



[/QUOTE]

figured you were smarter than that

[QUOTE]Eric Walden: [URL="https://*********.com/social/"]Rudy Gobert, on trash-talking with Donovan Mitchell: “I kinda let him get the first layup, and after that I told him I wasn’t gonna let him do that anymore.[/URL] He got scared in the second half. He didn’t try it any more — that was a good decision. But he did hit a 3 in my face.”
– via [URL="https://twitter.com/tribjazz"]Twitter tribjazz
[/URL]




[URL="https://theathletic.com/2433906/2021/03/07/was-the-nba-all-star-game-a-mistake-why-joel-embiid-ben-simmons-absence-spoke-volumes/?source=rss"]“You might want to call back, the league’s trying to reach you,” Conley said was the text message he received. “So I hop up real quick and say I’ll be right back, and go back in the bathroom and call the number back.[/URL] He’s like ‘Hey, Mike, I’ve got some good news, there’s a spot available in the 3-point contest and the All-Star Game. … If you’re available?’ I’m like shit, I am doing nothing, sitting here with my family.”
– via [URL="https://theathletic.com/2433906/2021/03/07/was-the-nba-all-star-game-a-mistake-why-joel-embiid-ben-simmons-absence-spoke-volumes/?source=rss"]Joe Vardon @ The Athletic[/URL]



[/QUOTE]

don't remember the layup. Mitchell definitely avoided him a couple times smartly

[url]https://saltcityhoops.com/staff-post-first-half-recap-all-star/[/url]

[QUOTE][URL="https://twitter.com/drawing_defense"]Trevor Gustaveson[/URL]: I’m not shocked, but man, the Jazz must have been among the luckiest teams in terms of health and safety protocols as well as health. I’m going to attribute this burst of success mostly to Mike Conley Jr. getting more comfortable and Derrick Favors vastly improving the bench minutes. I’m most surprised at the amount of margin for error the Jazz have, as I expected them to be a contender this season. I did not expect them to be dominating like this. But I’ll take it!


[/QUOTE]

Favors has arguably been worse than Bradley but we love him anyway!

[QUOTE][URL="https://twitter.com/zarinf"]Zarin Ficklin[/URL]: Is Mitchell a top-5 MVP candidate? Honestly, I thought Utah’s ceiling was directly tied to Donovan’s growth into superstardom — and there still may be truth to that — but the Jazz have found success this season from collective contribution. Last year I often wondered what the Jazz would look like if Mitchell, Conley, Bojan Bogdanovic and others all clicked in during the same game. This season we’ve seen the whole group take a unified step up and the sum is greater than its parts. I certainly didn’t see this coming.


[/QUOTE]

Bojan, Mitchell, Favors and Snyder usually being the weak links

[QUOTE][B]Trevor[/B]: This is a tough call between the improved play of Royce O’Neale and the absolute explosion of a year Jordan Clarkson is having. I’m going to give the most pleasant surprise award to O’Neale though. I’ve always been a huge fan of his game, but did not expect him to look so dynamic. He has greatly improved his passing, pass fakes, and he is shooting with confidence. He’s even been running a little bit of pick-and-roll, as well as attempting threes off the dribble and a stepback or two. He hasn’t always been able to shut down elite guards, but he is giving great effort in the post against bigger players that he’s matched up against.


[/QUOTE]

what O'Neal us doing against bigger players is admirable. Need a starting 4 though

[QUOTE][B]Riley[/B]: Ingles might be playing the best basketball of his career. Some people could have predicted Clarkson’s strong season, Conley’s bounce-back year, or Gobert’s re-emergence at the top of the DPOY race — but if you look through the smoke and see that Ingles is averaging a career best points-per-possession, turnover-rate, and true-shooting percentage, you can quickly see the impact he’s had on turning last year’s bench issues around.


[/QUOTE]

that one would have been hard to predict after seemingly being on the decline the past two seasons. I had hope that staying in Utah and working might pay dividends and seemingly it has

[QUOTE][B]Jake[/B]: On the one hand, I’m not surprised Conley has figured it out—it already started to click in the last half of 2019-20. I’m not surprised Gobert and Mitchell have improved. On the other hand, Clarkson has surprised me. He’s just been so solid, averaging 18 ppg. Being the second leading scorer on a team with Conley, Mitchell, and Bogdanovic is already a crazy accomplishment. But more importantly, nearly every time Utah has needed a lift this year, JC has been there. Even after his last stretch of poor shooting, he’s still 37% from three while attempting a whopping NINE threes a game. Oh, and by the way, did you know he’s shooting 96.7% from the FT line? If the season ended today, that’d be good for #2 all time for a single season.


[/QUOTE]

Clarkson was awful last year. He's certainly a lot better though still too much iso. Conley has really stepped up on D

[QUOTE][B]David[/B]: The relentless, dominating offense. Coming into the season, we knew Snyder wanted to take even more advantage of the Jazz’s corps of marksmen. But to be this consistently and ridiculously good? Like record-setting good? That was not expected. Utah’s defense has been characteristically stout. But it feels like two or three times each outing, the offense will go bonkers with a barrage of 3-pointers. Those two or three-minute spells are what has propelled them to blowout after blowout. It happened last season a few times with Mitchell and Clarkson. But this season, these explosions are a team effort (though often led by one or both of this duo).


[/QUOTE]

the offense was great last year after they fixed the bench. The defense has been the difference

[QUOTE][B]Riley[/B]: Utah’s defense has faltered. Since the first game against Philadelphia, their defensive rating has fallen below league average. That’s not to say that it’s terribly worrisome – they’re still forcing the toughest shots in the league by location over that period (via CTG) – but they’re also fouling more and not rebounding as well defensively. That said, the Jazz still have the second best defense in the league against top 10 offenses, it just feels as though the foot has slipped off of the gas a bit.


[/QUOTE]

Bojan, Mitchell and Snyder

[QUOTE][B]Jake[/B]: On offense, I’m concerned about their inability to control a game, especially when opposing defenses show ball pressure. They can often get to their counters, but not always. For the most part, Utah is not a big team, nor an athletic team. Gobert struggles to make plays when there’s a man between him and the hoop. Utah often goes cold and Donovan overcommits to isolation, which stalls Utah’s offensive system–which is the crown jewel here. The Jazz can beat the Lakers. The Jazz can beat the Clippers. But it’s going to have to be a group effort. On defense, I’m very concerned about Bogdanovic. Perhaps this is recency bias, but I can’t get the picture out of my head of Tobias Harris completely dominating him in the post to win that game. Of course, the Jazz really just need another wing defender. O’Neale is really good. But unless Snyder gets more comfortable playing two bigs again, this will continue to be a big hole in the Jazz defense.


[/QUOTE]

need a starting 4 and a coach that will put the right players in the game

[QUOTE][B]Zarin[/B]: To me, it was in the pre-season, when we saw the Jazz shoot 41, 39, and then 52 3-point shots — each resulted in a blowout win. There was abundant tempering of expectations (after all, two of those were against Phoenix!), but it turned out to be a good approximation of what this new Utah Jazz team could play like. During the 1st of quarter of the 1st regular season game the Jazz focused on midrange shots and started slow. Then they reverted to the barrage of 3s and beat the Blazers by 20 points. This Jazz team was real.


[/QUOTE]

They were great in Portland and inconsistent for a while after as usual. Wasn't until they played the Bucks and started to roll that we knew they had something

[url]https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/261767/Otto-Porter-Bulls-Could-Agree-To-Buyout;-Warriors-Would-Have-Interest[/url]

I assume the Jazz would too.

[QUOTE]Case in point: Embiid’s destroying Jazz star Rudy Gobert, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, with a 40-point, 19-rebound performance in a Sixers victory last Wednesday. “I get in trouble when I say stuff like this,” Morey says, “but he’s the most unstoppable thing I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen a lot. You know who I’ve seen,” he says, alluding to Harden. “But I’ve never seen anything like it. [URL="https://www.si.com/.amp/nba/2021/03/08/sixers-daryl-morey-title-contenders-daily-cover?__twitter_impression=true"]Like last night against Rudy Gobert, he faced him up at eight feet, and I mean it ended in a dunk. And (Gobert) is an amazing defender. And he had no answer.”[/URL]
– via [URL="https://www.si.com/.amp/nba/2021/03/08/sixers-daryl-morey-title-contenders-daily-cover?__twitter_impression=true"]Howard Beck @ Sports Illustrated[/URL]



[/QUOTE]

kept him under 50%

[url]https://saltcityhoops.com/sc7-playoff-race-clutch-woes-allstar/[/url]

[QUOTE]Jazz 123, Sixers 131 (OT): Donovan Mitchell. This is a bit complicated given the closing problems mentioned above, but the reality is that no Jazz player was anywhere near as stellar or impactful as Mitchell was for the game’s first 46 minutes. He had 33-8-6, and until that last 9-shot drought, he was doing it efficiently, too. Ingles’ 16 points on 6-for-7 shooting would probably be my backup pick, and Royce O’Neale had another nice all-around game, including on the defensive end against the likes of Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris.


[/QUOTE]

12-34. The guy can apparently do no wrong :facepalm

[QUOTE]Some players who have been rumored to be potential buyout candidates are point guard George Hill, wing Tony Snell, sharpshooter Wayne Ellington and wing [URL="https://theathletic.com/2435647/2021/03/09/blazers-and-their-tough-decisions-who-to-pick-up-who-to-play-and-who-to-rest/?source=emp_shared_article"]Otto Porter Jr., who is a player long desired by Olshey. Big man DeMarcus Cousins was waived last month by Houston, but a source said the Blazers will not consider him[/URL].
– via [URL="https://theathletic.com/2435647/2021/03/09/blazers-and-their-tough-decisions-who-to-pick-up-who-to-play-and-who-to-rest/?source=emp_shared_article"]Jason Quick @ The Athletic[/URL]



[/QUOTE]

Sounds like a line is being made for Porter. He's the best guy for the Jazz that's been mentioned so far. Could start and play a huge role but probably wouldn't. But we do know their was mutual interest before he went to Chicago. Start him and bring Bojan off the bench if you can't trade him.

[url]https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-trade-deadline-team-could-184448502.html[/url]

[QUOTE]Limited position The Jazz have a healthy lead over for the top seed in the West. It seems inconceivable that they would trade any of their top-8 players.[/QUOTE]

If they were smart Bojan and maybe Favors would be shopped but I'm sure they aren't

[QUOTE]The Jazz could alternatively make a cost-cutting move. They are going to be a taxpaying team over the next five years now that they have Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert locked into maximum contracts during that span. They are currently $1.2 million above the luxury tax. There is a path for them to get below the luxury tax without trading their Top 8 players but it would require trading away some of their young prospects. Getting under the luxury tax this year would delay the repeater tax, giving the Jazz tens of millions in luxury tax savings three years from now.[/QUOTE]

another good reason to look to move the above

[QUOTE]Adrian Wojnarowski: Free agent forward Ersan Ilyasova is signing a deal with the Utah Jazz for the rest of the season, sources tell ESPN. He’s currently completing Covid testing protocol before he’s cleared to sign his deal. – via Twitter wojespn


[/QUOTE]

I thought they should have signed him years ago. Hopefully he's got something left. Be interesting to see if he plays. SHould probably start with Bojan off th bench until they trade him. I guess they finally realized they need a PF? :facepalm

Waived by Charlotte last November, Nicolas Batum wondered what was next. He believed he was closer to the version of himself who had once helped elevate All-Stars, not the 6-foot-8 forward made dispensable after career-low productivity in his 12th NBA season. Batum believed in himself. Waiting by the phone, he just didn’t know who else agreed. “I came from being released and don’t know what to do, to choosing between five or six contenders,” Batum said. “In an hour. After 18 months of not playing.” – via Andrew Greif @ Los Angeles Times


The first call came from Rudy Gobert, his French compatriot and the Utah Jazz center, who implored his friend to “come with me; let’s do it together.” But Gobert had competition. Brooklyn, Milwaukee and Toronto also called, among other suitors. The Clippers wanted Batum badly enough to set up a de facto phone bank: Batum heard from coach Tyronn Lue, team president Lawrence Frank, and stars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. Their vision for his passing, shooting and defense aligned with his own. It wasn’t the only pull. “We had the common story from last year,” Batum said. “My story is their story. “What happened to them last year is what happened to me last year. I think it’s pretty similar: People are expecting stuff from us and things didn’t work out. So I was like, why not go with that team and make sure we both redeem ourselves?” – via Andrew Greif @ Los Angeles Times


“I knew I could join a team with talent like that and make sure to be the glue guy,” he said. “I’ve been like that since I’ve played my whole career, in different ways, but the base of my game has been doing that. “One of the reasons why I chose the offer from the Clippers to be that for that team because I feel like maybe they missed guys like me or Serge like that last year. I don’t really care about what I’m doing on the court. I don’t come on the court like focused on what I can do numbers-wise. I just want to make sure the team, especially my two best players, but the team in general, are good to win the game.” – via Andrew Greif @ Los Angeles Times

Jordan Schultz: [URL="https://*********.com/social/"]Pending final bloodwork, free agent forward Ersan Ilyasova will sign vet min deal w/the #Jazz tomorrow,[/URL] per sources. Ilyasova has already gone through Covid protocol. The 33-year-old played in 63 games last season for the Bucks, averaging 6.6 PPG (36.5 percent 3s) / 4.8 REBS.
– via [URL="https://twitter.com/Schultz_Report"]Twitter Schultz_Report[/URL]