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[QUOTE]In a broad sense, there was perhaps no better candidate for a collision with a rookie wall than Dante Exum. Unlike the majority of his peers in the 2014 Draft class who either attended a Division I college program or played a professional season in one of Europe
[QUOTE]It was only 3 seasons ago that the Jazz took only 12 three point shots a game, good for the 2nd fewest in the league. The Jazz have never been in love with the 3 pointer, and I
[QUOTE]the Jazz are 14-27 at the halfway point of the 2014-2015 NBA schedule. They held the exact same record midway through last year as well.
But that's just the surface.
Dig a little deeper, and it's clear progress is being made. The Utah Jazz of last year were marked by frustration and little direction. They had a coaching staff in disarray. They played the season out with veterans in the rotation who had little hope or even desire of being with the team long term.[/QUOTE]
I guess. They took a step back this year with their increased tanking effort. Rudy is the only reason they are winning as much as they are. They had direction and the coaching staff wasn't in disarray and Jefferson and Marvin could have been back if the Jazz weren't tanking.
[QUOTE]In that sense, the biggest win for the Jazz this year has been a change of culture. This team enters games expecting to win, expecting to be competitive.[/QUOTE]
Do these guys work for the Jazz? In NY the sportswriters wouldn't write this crap. They were much more competitive last year. They' ve absolutely sucked this year without Rudy and that was the plan. The roster tells the whole story.
[QUOTE]"I think we're a lot farther along than people thought we'd be at this point," Utah forward Gordon Hayward said. "I think we've made steps forward, and I think we've gotten to the point where people can see progress. We're young, but we're learning."
If the future was murky following last year, it's a lot more defined now. General manager Dennis Lindsey and coach Quin Snyder wanted to see players step up and claim roles, and that's happening. Guys are starting to separate themselves.
Rudy Gobert, in his second season, is the biggest example. He's become the big man of the future, a defensive ace with improving offensive skill. He's improved at a rate unforeseen by even those within the Jazz organization, particularly over the last 15 games. His play is now screaming for a starting role, although Utah has shown commitment to Enes Kanter, and feels like it now has three young big men it can play in the rotation.[/QUOTE]
He's the man now! Tanking is the only thing holding him back.
[QUOTE]Much of it has added up to a mixed bag. A challenging early schedule led to a long losing streak at the beginning of the season. But the Jazz have played well since the beginning of December. They went 3-3 on their long pre-Christmas road trip. They've played .500 basketball over the last 16 games. They've claimed victories this season over good teams like San Antonio, Memphis, Cleveland and Chicago.
"I think we've had tangible signs of growth, individually and collectively," Lindsey said. "As a young team, we've taken some time to find ourselves. We've had defensive improvement over the last month, but we have ability. We have smart players, and we have guys who have shown that they want to get better."
Hayward and Derrick Favors have established themselves as pieces for the future. [/QUOTE]
Hayward probably though his contract could change that. They both have to prove they fit with Rudy. He is the one piece they have to keep no matter what.
[QUOTE]After signing a max contract, Hayward has been one of the better small forwards in the league, leading the team at 19 points per game. More impressively, Hayward has done this as one of the lone perimeter guys capable of creating his own shot. He's scored 30 or more points five times this season despite defenses loading up to stop him every night.
Favors has been almost as productive, especially at power forward. He's averaging 16 points and nine rebounds per night, including 17 and 10 over his last five games. As much as anyone, Gobert's emergence has helped Favors. Their play together is swiftly answering questions as to whether the two could co-exist in the same frontcourt.[/QUOTE]
Is it? Where's the stretch big? Is Favors playing D now?
[QUOTE]"I think we've taken a lot of steps forward," Jazz guard Trey Burke said. "There were times where we weren't confident that we could win games, but now we think we go into every night thinking we can win. We have to be more consistent in our efforts, but once that happens we have a chance to do some good things."[/QUOTE]
You've taken a few steps back it would seem.
[QUOTE]The beauty of this team - even with the losing - lies in how many younger players they are trying to develop. There's rookie point guard Dante Exum, who is attempting to navigate the NBA as a teenager.[/QUOTE]
When he'd be better off developing in Idaho but that wouldn't be as many losses for the Jazz.
[QUOTE]Burke is the starter, still learning, still young and improving. He's had difficult moments, an awful game against the Atlanta Hawks at the top of the list. But lately he's been better, averaging 16 points over his last five games.[/QUOTE]
Until the next slump anyway. What did he shoot? He shot horrible last game certainly.
[QUOTE]There has been disappointment, injuries at the top of the list. Alec Burks is out for the season, robbing the Jazz of a second consistent perimeter scorer and a guy who can help out with ball-handling chores. His back-up Rodney Hood has been oft-injured, his latest setback coming on Sunday against the Spurs.
Still, there has been a lot to like about the Utah Jazz this season. Will that translate to wins? Players and coaches sure hope so.
"I think we've improved," Snyder said. "I think we've been consistent in what we're trying to do. We have more understanding of how we want to play, and I think this team has done a good job in trying to overcome adversity. The big thing is I think the players have individually improved."
[email]tjones@sltrib.com[/email]
twitter: @tjonessltrib[/QUOTE]
But they just don't have the pieces. Next year better be different is all I can say!:rant
[QUOTE]I'm saying that if they reach my original forecast of 30 wins, their season should be viewed as successful.[/QUOTE]
I bet the front office doesn't think so. This team should be fighting for the last playoff spot so either you lose more than anyone or you play to win. In between is not successful.
[QUOTE]This season already is much more fun, because the Jazz are more competitive, individual players are showing signs of growth and there's far less discussion of draft positioning. The Jazz have the sixth-worst record in the league, and probably will remain in that range. The part I like is nobody's suggesting that's not bad enough
[QUOTE]the Utah Jazz have hit the halfway point of the season with a 14-27 record. It isn
[QUOTE]Hood had been pretty much injury-free his whole life until hurting his foot earlier this season and missing 10 games. Then after playing in 16 games in late November and December, Hood missed the next seven games after reaggravating his injury. Now he is out again.[/QUOTE]
A torn achilles isn't injury free. Not close. It might be related to his current problems in fact.
[QUOTE]Jazz coaches and players felt bad for Hood, who has been one of the team
Aaron Falk: Rodney Hood's left foot is back in a walking boot for about a week after his latest MRI showed "a recurrence of inflammation," the Jazz say. Twitter @tribjazz
Aaron Falk: Rodney Hood will be out through the All-Star break
Trevor Booker: I've been seeing videos of people across the country,and other NBA players attempting my shot. So let's have a trick shot contest for prizes Twitter @35_Fitz
[url]http://saltcityhoops.com/6-guards-that-could-be-utahs-next-d-league-call-up/[/url]
I'd guess we could be seeing someone new once Williams 2nd 10 day is done.
[QUOTE]Joe Ingles has been cut twice by the Golden State Warriors.
He's been let go by the Los Angeles Clippers.[/QUOTE]
Didn't know about the GS cuts.
[QUOTE]They say the ability to stick in the NBA requires time. It requires patience, being in the right situation at the right time and maybe even a little luck.
All of this applies to Joe Ingles, the "veteran" rookie of the Utah Jazz. With Alec Burks hurt for the season and Rodney Hood down for the immediate future, Joe Ingles is the man at shooting guard, the proverbial "next man up".[/QUOTE]
For now anyway. I think Millsap might make more sense with Ingles leading the 2nd unit again.
[QUOTE]He's got the opportunity to show Utah brass that he can be a long term piece for the future, and that he belongs in the league. He's played well to this point, but if the Jazz are to improve upon a 14-27 record, he's got to show consistency and the ability to produce on both ends.
Joe Ingles is a passer first, second and perhaps third, which isn't a bad thing. He's what you call the consummate "glue" guy. Still, the Jazz could use a little bit more scoring from him. Right now, the bulk of the perimeter points lies at the feet of Gordon Hayward and Trey Burke. For the Jazz to be successful going forward, Ingles has to make a dent there as well.[/QUOTE]
He has to at least be able to hit open shots consistently and he hasn't.
[QUOTE]The good news? He's been much less hesitant to take open shots than he was at the beginning of the season. He's crafty off the dribble, able to get into the lane and find open guys.
For the last month, Ingles was seen as a stopgap, a place-holder until Hood came back. Now - with his foot issues - Ingles has to be seen as more of a fixture.
Tony Jones[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE]Hood's left foot is back in all too familiar territory.
"It's unfortunate for him and for us as a team." Jazz swingman Gordon Hayward said. "He's a huge part of what we do."[/QUOTE]
It's unfortunate that he's a huge part of what you do because he's obviously not ready.
[QUOTE]p class="TEXT_w_Indent">Hood was sent back to Salt Lake City following Sunday's game and his latest MRI revealed a "recurrence of inflammation," according to the Jazz, that will keep him out of action through the all-star break in mid-February.
That means the rookie, who missed 10 games with an injured right foot and seven more because of a left foot injury, will miss at least 12 more games before he is reevaluated.
According to the Jazz, Hood will wear the boot for about one week while continuing to get treatment. Once the boot is off, Hood will be limited in his training as he tries to make a recovery.
Hood, the No. 23 pick in last year's draft, has appeared in 24 games this season for the Jazz, averaging 5.3 points and 2.5 rebounds in about 18 minutes of action.
Play with force
For most of the season, it has been a catch-phrase defensively for Quin Snyder and the Jazz. Matching the opponent's physical play has always been a priority, as well as boxing out, finishing defensive possessions and generally stopping the opposition from scoring points.
But this applies to offense as well. And this is something that Snyder doesn't mention very much. Playing with force offensively very much exists, because doing the big and little things lead to good shots. When it doesn't happen, the Jazz have nights where they score 69 points against the San Antonio Spurs.
"There are a lot of things our guys can still get better at," Snyder said Tuesday. "We see some windows where guys are trying to make plays that they aren't ready to make yet. But they'll make them eventually. We can talk about it as much as we want, but we have to play with more determination offensively."
The Jazz's offensive margin of error offensively is. This is a team dealing with multiple injuries at the shooting guard spot, relying on rookies and second year guys to generate a significant chunk of offense.[/QUOTE]
They went into the season counting on guys that weren't ready for the roles given. They actually have more experience now with Ingles and Millsap playing instead of Hood.
[QUOTE] While the defense has been better, it's clear the offense is becoming a bigger work in progress.
For the Jazz, that may not bode well for Wednesday against the Cleveland Cavaliers. While Utah defeated LeBron James and company early in November on Gordon Hayward's buzzer-beater, this is a different Cavs team. There was no J.R. Smith the first time around, no Timofey Mozgov. Both are now a part of the starting lineup, and James is healthy again after taking a two week hiatus to rest his knee and back. In the three games since his return, James is averaging 31.8 points per game.
That puts more emphasis on the Jazz to play better on the offensive end. If they don't a second defeat on this road trip could be well in reach.
"I thought we got good looks against the Spurs, but we didn't make shots," Utah point guard Trey Burke said. "We didn't put the ball in the basket, and that's got to change."[/QUOTE]
Not going to change until you get some better shooters.
[QUOTE]Extended break
The Jazz stayed in San Antonio until Tuesday afternoon before flying out to Cleveland. They took most of Monday off to enjoy the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, save a short film session. Burke spent some free time visiting his grandmother and other family members who live in the San Antonio area.
[email]tjones@sltrib.com[/email][/QUOTE]
[QUOTE]It's time for Rudy Gobert to start and finish for the Jazz.[/QUOTE]
Yes obviously.
[QUOTE]It's time for Enes Kanter to spend more time on the pine.[/QUOTE]
Not unless they've decided he won't be back next year. He also needs more minutes. Booker has to go unless they've made a decision on Enes' future. The decison comes down to Enes and Favors. Stop this Gobert/Enes bull. Gobert is the centerpiece of the team.
[QUOTE]We've all thought it. We've skirted around the edges of it. Gobert wants it. Jazz teammates see it. Now, it's time to come right out and say it, time for Quin Snyder to do it.
Enough of the fiddle-faddling around.
Make room on the floor for the big Frenchman, give him the symbolic nod as a starter, the minutes he needs to become what he can be. Play him as much as Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors. Maybe more. [/QUOTE]
Maybe?
[QUOTE]Be patient through his mistakes and look past his limitations, especially at the offensive end. And watch him continue to grow into one of the most valuable pieces in the Jazz's rebuild.[/QUOTE]
One of? He's unquestionably the most important piece right now.
[QUOTE]Snyder started Gobert in the second half against San Antonio the other night instead of Kanter
[QUOTE]Hayward knows for his team to have a chance of winning, it can
[QUOTE]Desperate for a point guard, the Utah Jazz traded for Trey Burke, the No. 9 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.
To get him, they gave the Minnesota Timberwolves the Nos. 14 and 21 selections, Shabazz Muhammad and Gorgui Dieng.
Was it the right move?[/QUOTE]
Doesn't look like it especially since both of those guys look better not to mention others drafted after Trey including Neto and also Exum this last draft.
Let
[QUOTE]What you see here is an almost linear relationship between players getting 'touches' and players deserving touches. There are a few outliers, like Trey Burke being below where he should be (but Synergy is a great tool, Trey makes up for some of it by being a great distributor [/QUOTE]
great? :rolleyes:
[QUOTE]who rarely turns the ball over . . . but it's still not as awesome as if he was as good as he should be at making buckets). Someone like Rudy Gobert obviously needs to finish more plays, he is way ahead (or above) of the curve (or line).
I know what you are thinking right now, "Hmmm, this is awesome Amar. You are so awesome, thank you. It's a shame you don't win any fake internet points award thingy for being the best Utah Jazz blogger. You do so much, you write, do stats, do photoshop, you're really the triple threat."
You're also thinking that this is what an effective, efficient offense looks like. Players (for the most part) are playing well and producing on offense where they need to.
Excellent Tier: Derrick Favors, Rudy Gobert
Favors is a best, and he is getting the third most offensive possessions on the team. He deserves it. He is in the 89th percentile of PPP in the league, and is an excellent finisher in transition; very good on put backs, and broken plays; good in the pick and roll, and off of cuts. He is merely average on post ups, isolations, and spot ups. But overall he gets the job done.[/QUOTE]
He is average on post ups? I'd say he sucks!
[QUOTE]Rudy Gobert is only a step behind in the 88th percentile, though he is a much more simple player. He is better on put backs than Favors, and shoots in a fewer number of different ways. But he is also an excellent transition finisher (#EUROOOO) but underwhelming when posting up. It's hard to get him the ball more because he is the anchor of the defense..[/QUOTE]
A step behind! :cheers:
[QUOTE]Very Good Tier: Gordon Hayward, Steve Novak
G-Time is amazing, and expect a full post on his offensive breakdown in Synergy soon. But he ranks "excellent" or "very good" in most of the categories. I am really impressed with his play and even as the #1 option he is doing better than a linear relationship would suggest.
Steve Novak is in the line between Very Good and Good here, but I will give him the benefit of the doubt with his total 25 possessions. We know he kills it on spot ups and pick and pops. He doesn't need to do much else in our offense, nor will he be asked to.[/QUOTE]
But sucks at everything else. The guy taking the rebound right over the top of him was hilarious!
[QUOTE]Good Tier: Enes Kanter, Alec Burks, Trevor Booker, Jeremy Evans
Three PFs and Alec Burks. Having these guys, three of which all attempt threes regularly, still rank this highly despite not being "natural shooters" is amazing to me and a product of a well running offense, and a group of players who are individually playing well.[/QUOTE]
Enes is a natural shooter. Supposedly that was his game when he was drafted. They made him play in the post. It was a smart move. I thought Ty didn't develop anyone?
[QUOTE]Enes Kanter may be in a shooting slump right now since coming back from injury, but has shown quite a bit this season. He is excellent in transition, very good off of cuts, good on the glass for put backs, and average on post ups. [/QUOTE]
He and Favors are not both average on post ups I can tell you that much!
[QUOTE]There are a few areas we'd like to see him improve, one is on spot ups (which he is working on), and the other is as the screen outlet man in pick and rolls. He was great at the pick and pop to start the season but has cooled off.[/QUOTE]
Don't think they run it with him much. Could be a huge weapon as he gets more confidence from deep.
[QUOTE]Trevor Booker scores in many of the same ways, but is also below average on the pick and pop, but average on spot ups.
Alec Burks is better than his stats show, and while he doesn't win a lot of fans in the advanced stat lodges, he's still good at the things that took him to the NBA. He is solidly somewhere between average and good, but great in specific situations, particularly in transition, dribble hand offs, and on the offensive glass. Is being average on spot ups and isolations good enough to start? I don't know. But I do know that our offense sorely misses him.[/QUOTE]
Once he is healthy we'll see if he's a starter or not. As good as he was off the bench I'd say he's a starter just maybe not with Maxi G at the 3.
[QUOTE]Average Tier: Ian Clark
He's not hurting the team on offense when he's in the game. He's not helping them that much, but can space the floor, hit threes, and dribble penetrate.[/QUOTE]
I keep hearing that but haven't seen much out of him besides the summer league and pre-season.
[QUOTE]Below Average Tier: Trey Burke, Dante Exum, Joe Ingles, Rodney Hood
This is where you can complain if you want to complain. Three of our rookies are below average, and one of our second year players is as well. I'm going to break these guys down in a separate post as well, so more on this later. But it's not the end of the world. Not everyone can be Gobert-like on offense.[/QUOTE]
At least 2 of those guys belong in the D-league if not 3. Not sure any are even rotations players at this stage.
[QUOTE]Poor Tier: Elijah Millsap, Elliot Williams, Patrick Christopher, Toure' Murry
Well, it's nice that they are in the NBA. Millsap is a better defender, Williams is insurance, and Christopher and Murry are both off the team now.[/QUOTE]
Wouldn't be suprised to see Christopher back when healthy.
[QUOTE]I think this is a fun team, and as you can tell from these tiers the players who are taking the most shots deserve it. (That is a departure from previous seasons where Josh Howard will be allowed to take the most shots in the beginning of a playoff game.) [/QUOTE]
I liked Josh! :rockon:
[QUOTE]This team is going to get better, but at least it's nice to know that there's some level of 'fairness' involved in how the offense is run. And man, G-Time, D-Fav, and Gobert are really good on offense even if we think of two of those guys are defensive players.[/QUOTE]
And really only one is a defensive player.