[QUOTE]Utah is 4-4 on the second night of back-to-back sets this season.
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[QUOTE]Utah is 4-4 on the second night of back-to-back sets this season.
[QUOTE]"I think we performed well," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "It just was, we missed some shots at the end. There was nothing about what we did that we fell apart. We didn't turn the ball over late. I think it was more them raising their level."[/QUOTE]
Pretty much. Sad that the front office put this roster together.
[QUOTE]Waiters was 1 for 9 in his Thunder debut Wednesday at Sacramento. He entered this game with 5:37 left in the first quarter, and immediately made an impression. He made 4 of 5 shots in the period, had a nifty assist to Westbrook for a dunk and had two steals in six minutes.
With 1:02 left in the first half, Utah lost the ball out of bounds with 0.2 seconds left on the shot clock and Trevor Booker checked in. Hayward bounced the ball to Booker, and he tipped it over his head, two-handed, into the basket from just outside the paint. Booker jogged down court with arms out and palms toward the ceiling, perhaps as surprised as the crowd.
"Well, I didn't know the play," he said. "At first, I just went to the rim for the lob. It wasn't there, so I just tried to give G (Gordon Hayward) an outlet. I knew I couldn't catch the ball. He bounced it. I know you won't believe me, but I really do practice those shots. I guess you could say the hard work finally paid off."
Booker's circus shot helped Utah take a 50-44 lead at halftime.
An alley-oop dunk by Booker on a lob from Burke from the 3-point line put the Jazz up 81-76 in the fourth quarter, but the Thunder rallied. A baseline fadeaway by Durant tied the score at 90 with 3:18 to play, and he made another fadeaway from nearly the same spot the next time down to give the Thunder the lead.
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TIP-INS
Jazz: C Enes Kanter missed his fourth straight game with a sprained right ankle. He has started all 33 games he has played in and averages 13.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. ... Hayward scored 10 points in the first quarter. ... G Joe Ingles turned his right ankle in the second quarter after going up for a rebound. He left the game, but returned to start the third quarter.[/QUOTE]
Wonder if he'll play tonight though?
[QUOTE]Thunder: Oklahoma City made 11 of 18 shots in the first quarter, but just 31 for 73 the rest of the way. ... The Thunder went scoreless for the first 3:48 of the second quarter. ... Oklahoma City improved to 10-4 when Durant plays.
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT:
Durant, on Booker's trick shot: "It won't ever happen again."
DYNAMIC DUO
Westbrook and Durant broke out of slumps. Durant, who had made just 11 of 36 shots his previous two games, shot 14 for 21. Westbrook, who had made 27 of 99 his previous five games, was 9 for 17.
UP NEXT
Jazz: At Houston on Saturday.
Thunder: At Houston on Thursday.
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Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: [url]www.twitter.com/CliffBruntAP[/url] .
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RGV Vipers: NEWS: @RGVVipers have acquired Toure' Murry (@toure_murry). Murry was a member of RGV's 2012-13 Championship squad. Twitter
[QUOTE]Adrian Wojnarowski: Yahoo Sources: LAC working to find third team to help deliver Boston expiring deal to go w/ second rounder that C's want for Austin Rivers. Twitter @WojYahooNBA [/QUOTE]
Evans?
[QUOTE]Millsap could very well be sticking around a bit longer.[/QUOTE]
I'd guess he'll be sticking. Be interesting to see what happens when Hood comes back. I'd send Hood to the D-league with Exum. Let Ingles, Millsap and I guess Clark play.
[QUOTE]He
[QUOTE]"I saw him limping a little," coach Quin Snyder said. "He
[QUOTE]"He
[QUOTE]the Jazz coughed the ball up a season-high 31 times, leading to a whopping 38 points for a talented Rockets team that didn
[QUOTE]It will be interesting going forward to see how coach Quin Snyder handles Gobert and Kanter. Will it be a competition, or will Kanter add depth to the Jazz bench?[/QUOTE]
Why not Favors to the bench? Think it's funny that he's untouchable when the Jazz sucked before Gobert started getting more minutes.
[QUOTE]Jazz make 5-of-17 3-point shots
Houston held a 39-15 advantage on points scored off of 3-point shots, offsetting Utah
[QUOTE]In the fourth quarter, Utah head coach Quin Snyder went with an interesting lineup of Trey Burke, fresh-from-injury Enes Kanter, Jeremy Evans and two guys currently employed on 10-day contracts in Elijah Millsap and Elliot Williams. They scraped and scrapped their way and managed to severely decrease the Jazz
[QUOTE]Really those outings were pretty remarkable without 3 of the 8 regular rotation players and what it took for the Jazz to fight and compete for those 96 minutes was obvious with how off they were tonight.[/QUOTE]
The Jazz are deep up front. Hood should be in the D-league. Obviously Burks is missed though.
[QUOTE]Early on the turnovers looked like they were because of the active arms of the Rockets. The rockets are #2 in the NBA in steals. Seemed like they were getting a pieces of passes we thought we could make but couldn
[QUOTE]
[QUOTE]The Utah Jazz are having an overall productive season in my books. The team is playing better on the road and on defense. [/QUOTE]
They aren't playing better defense. When Rudy is playing they look better defensively. They suck at home. Last year they were competitive at home.
[QUOTE]Younger players are taking that next step from: bench player to rotation player, from rotation player to reliable player, from reliable player to starter, and from starter to star. [/QUOTE]
Who are these stars? Calling someone a star or a starter or a rotation player or and NBA player doesn't make it so. When the Jazz are putting a team out there to win games get back to me.
[QUOTE]The coaching staff has the ear of the kids and they are learning. And the front office and coaches are on the same page for once. And the team is winning more than last year.[/QUOTE]
another bad job of tanking. Way to go Gobert!
[QUOTE]That said, this isn't a perfect roster, and injuries have made that obvious.[/QUOTE]
It was obvious once they went with the roster they did if anyone was paying attention. The two D-leaguers actually make it a more respectable roster than it was. Hood isn't ready. Gobert got a chance to play more because of injuries.
[QUOTE]The inside is approaching log-jam territory with Derrick Favors, Rudy Gobert, Enes Kanter, Trevor Booker, and Jeremy Evans all needing minutes. (Of course, none of them can play small forward) While the wing rotation is more like a wing and a prayer rotation right now.[/QUOTE]
One guy there has to play. They need to figure out what they are doing with the rest of them. It's a mess.
[QUOTE]Utah Jazz upcoming free agency:
The biggest name in Utah Jazz land right now has to be Enes Kanter. The inside/outside scorer is in a contract year and clearly at the age of 22 has a lot of basketball left to play, and plenty to learn. (People keep forgetting in all the Rudy Gobert madness, that I am part of, is that they are only a few months apart in age.) (Also of note, Derrick Favors is only 23. Seriously.)[/QUOTE]
And Rudy and Enes are the two with the most upside. They get better from game to game to game.
[QUOTE]The Jazz have more people to think about as well, from legit Unrestricted Free Agents (UFAs) to people they've already cut, waived, or said "Bye Felicia" to already.
Player Pos FA 2014-2015 2015-2016
1 Enes Kanter 4 5 RFA $5.70 $7.47 QA
2 Trevor Booker 4 NG $5.00 $4.78 NG
(Only $250k on books)
3 Jeremy Evans 4 UFA $1.80
4 Ian Clark 2 1 UFA $0.82 $1.15 QA
5 Joe Ingles 2 3 UFA $0.51 $1.05 QA
6 Elliot Williams 2 10 Day $0.05
7 Elijah Millsap 2 3 10 Day $0.03
8 Carrick Felix 2 3 UFA $0.82 On Books
9 Jordan Hamilton 3 UFA $0.03 On Books
10 Toure' Murry 2 1 UFA $0.42 On Books
11 Patrick Christopher 2 3 UFA $0.09 On Books
12 Kevin Murphy 2 3 UFA $0.07 On Books
Trevor Booker has a very interesting contract where only $250k is on the books for next season (as confirmed by NBA Cap Expert and all-around handsome man Peter J Novak, Esq, CEO, CLO, LLM, JD, BS, AS). I feel as though Dennis Lindsey and crew are really going to have to factor that in for their off-season plan for sure.[/QUOTE]
Need to factor it in now. I'd guess Booker could bring them a 1st round pick today. I think he might be a nice guy to have going forward but unless they already know what they plan on doing with Favors and Kanter than dealing him probably needs to happen. But again this team wants to lose games so it's hard to guess what they will do. Playing Rudy means more wins.
[QUOTE]Cap Space:
If you renounce everything, say goodbye to all the RFAs, and send Booker packing (but pay the $250k he gets) the Jazz will be paying their players $50.08 million next year, with $16.52 million to spread out between (up to) three draft picks, and free agents.[/QUOTE]
Clark won't get the qualifying offer. Kanter might not but I think they'd be stupid not to. He's a bargain at that price. Don't forget Neto. They won't want more than 2 rookie contracts again I'd imagine though with the higher cap coming after next year maybe that will change? Mills looking like a possible keeper.
[QUOTE] Utah Jazz Projected Cap Space 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
As the seasons go on the Jazz (may) have to pay more and more draft picks than normal, but of the legion there are only five fist rounders in the next four seasons. Though, our front office has not shown any hesitation to move parts on draft night. (Keeping the people at this blog busy) But for right now the Jazz have over $16 million to play with, not including any bi-annual or whatever deals. (We're under the cap, so don't expect mid-level anything.)[/QUOTE]
I expect it! They would be competing for the last playoff spot if they'd spent money this year and tried to win games. 16 million on 5-7 guys. Kanter alone could get close to that much. Which to me makes it a Favors of Kanter issue. They could pay them both next year and have money after that with the bigger cap. Than it would be about keeping one of them happy off the bench. They don't need more young guys. They need some vets to play with the young guys they have.
[QUOTE]So who do you think we can get?
Which Free Agents are going to be available / whom everyone is talking about?
This is the "big list" of some of the larger names on the board this upcoming free agency period.
2015 2016 2015 2016
Player Tm Pos FA Sal Max Player Tm Pos FA Sal Max
1 Jeremy Lin HOU 1 2 UFA $14.9 $15.8 1 Reggie Jackson OKC 1 2 RFA $2.4 $15.8
2 Rajon Rondo DAL 1 UFA $12.9 $22.1 2 Patrick Beverly HOU 1 RFA $0.9 $15.8
3 Brandon Knight MIL 1 UFA $3.5 $15.8 3 Kawhi Leonard SAS 2 3 RFA $3.0 $15.8
4 Nate Robinson DEN 1 2 UFA $2.1 $22.1 4 Jimmy Butler CHI 2 3 RFA $2.1 $15.8
5 Cory Joseph SAS 1 2 UFA $2.0 $15.8 5 Enes Kanter UTA 4 5 RFA $6.0 $15.8
6 Tristan Thompson CLE 4 RFA $5.4 $15.8
6 Wesley Matthews POR 2 3 UFA $7.2 $18.9 7 Draymond Green GSW 4 3 RFA $0.9 $15.8
7 Gerald Green PHX 2 3 UFA $3.5 $18.9
8 Marco Belinelli SAS 2 3 UFA $2.8 $18.9 1 Goran Dragic PHX 1 2 PO $7.5 $18.9
9 Danny Green SAS 3 2 UFA $4.0 $18.9 2 Eric Gordon NOP 2 1 PO $14.8 $18.9
10 DeMarre Carroll ATL 3 UFA $2.4 $18.9 3 Monta Ellis DAL 2 1 PO $8.7 $22.1
4 Arron Afflalo DEN 2 3 PO $7.5 $18.9
11 LaMarcus Aldridge POR 4 5 UFA $15.2 $18.9 5 LeBron James CLE 3 2 PO $20.6 $22.1
12 Paul Millsap ATL 4 3 UFA $9.5 $22.1
13 Greg Monroe DET 4 5 UFA $5.3 $15.8 6 Kevin Love CLE 4 PO $15.7 $18.9
14 Brandan Wright PHX 4 3 UFA $5.0 $18.9 7 Jeff Green BOS 4 3 PO $9.2 $18.9
15 Mirza Teletovic BKN 4 3 UFA $3.3 $15.8 8 Thaddeus Young MIN 4 3 PO $9.1 $18.9
9 Brook Lopez BKN 5 PO $15.7 $18.9
16 Marc Gasol MEM 5 UFA $15.8 $18.9 10 Roy Hibbert IND 5 PO $14.9 $18.9
17 Omer Asik NOP 5 UFA $14.8 $15.8
18 Tyson Chandler DAL 5 UFA $14.5 $22.1 1 Wilson Chandler DEN 3 TO $6.7 $18.9
19 DeAndre Jordan LAC 5 UFA $11.4 $18.9 2 Jamal Crawford LAC 2 TO $5.4 $22.1
20 Robin Lopez POR 5 UFA $5.2 $18.9 3 Timofey Mozgov CLE 5 TO $4.6 $15.8
Players and salary data taken from this post by MMiranda over at Posting And Toasting.[/QUOTE]
Definitely some guys I would love to have(again in a few cases) but not sure how many they'll be able to afford even if they spend money. Need a veteran pg(still! :rant ). Probably a starter unless they think Neto is ready to start. Burke and Exum are not. Might need a veteran big man up front assuming Favors or Kanter are gone. That could be Booker and Novak though. Another young big for the D-league and they might have their front court. Need shooters and role players that fit with Rudy.
Was looking around basketball reference and was kinda surprised to see Favors in a few top 20 lists for this year.
12th in Total 2 Point FG's
15th in Total Offensive rebounds
15th in Total Rebounds
13th in Total Blocks
8th in FG%
15th in Rebounds per game
16th in Blocks per game
11th in Player Efficiency Rating
19th in Effective Field Goal%
Well he is an all-star apparently. :applause: