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[QUOTE]Did the Jazz just learn they could play with the best?[/QUOTE]
Cleveland will be one of the best eventually. Certainly aren't now. One week into the season. Defense has to pick up. Point guard is continuing to look like it could be a huge weakness yet again.
[QUOTE]For Hayward, it
[QUOTE]When asked if the Jazz look any different under new coach Quin Snyder, James said no.
[QUOTE]the Utah Jazz have made the most passes in the NBA by far, averaging a league-leading 384.5 passes through their first four games, according to NBA.com
[QUOTE]FASTER BREAK: Through the first week of the season, Utah averages 4.1 MPH in all on-court movements, according to player tracking data from the league
[QUOTE]Kanter is actually shooting more from 0-3 feet (44.7 percent of his total shots) and he’s making those (64.7 percent). He’s a mere 1-6 on 3-pointers thus far, though. Snyder’s offense has limited his mid-range game. Should he start to stick his attempts beyond the arc (five of his attempts have been from the corners), Kanter will be a load on offense.[/QUOTE]
He's so good in the post it's hard to take him away from there no matter his potential from 3.
[QUOTE]Defensively, it’s been a rough go. While he has faced a litany of potent scorers in the young season, Kanter has struggled with rotating to help, missed defensive assignments and on occasion, his effort. A 117 Defensive Rating is alarming. This has been the primary reason for his limited playing time. He made a few solid stops Monday, but the consistent effort is missing. Trevor Booker’s addition and Rudy Gobert’s rapid emergence are also factors to be considered.[/QUOTE]
I read a couple different reports of Griffin doing most of his damage on Booker. Griffin couldn't move Kanter around that's for sure.
[QUOTE]Gordon Hayward: Stating the obvious, part two: Gordon Hayward is playing very, very well. The eventful offseason (signing the lucrative deal; playing with the USA team; adding noticeable muscle, getting married) has him playing with a renewed passion and increased confidence. Hayward is making the right decisions with the ball and it is really fun to watch the transformation. He knows he’s the leader of the team and he’s playing like it. Snyder is helping change his offensive game. His 2-point attempts past 16-feet are way down. Hayward is hitting his inside shots (80 percent), thanks in part to some great forays to the hoop. He is simply driving the ball more. Half of his shots have been from downtown2 and he’s connecting at a much more Hayward-esque 37.0 percent. This has resulting in a very nice .628 TS%.[/QUOTE]
Hayward esque? He's streaky. Let's see if he can keep it up.
[QUOTE]His all-around game is right there – 7.3 RPG and 5.3 APG. His 12.2 Total Rebound Percentage is a significant jump (8.0 in 2013-14). He’s maintaining his elite passing game (23.9 AST%) while cutting down the turnovers (10.5 TOV%). Hayward is clearly the best facilitator for Utah right now. His anticipation and length on defense is proving to be a positive at the small forward position, where he has played 87 percent of his minutes. Hayward is looking to earn his $15.75M salary and he’s definitely off to an excellent start.
Trey Burke: It’s been an up-and-down start for the second-year point guard, with a little more of the down. [/QUOTE]
Mostly down. He and Burks led a run in the one game. Other than that I don't remember him doing much other than missing a lot of shots and giving up a lot of points. He's a back-up at best in the league until he proves otherwise. It's a joke that he has been handed the job two years in a row especially with Neto's rights in their hands.
[QUOTE]After a stellar preseason, Burke’s game just seems off. His shooting is way off, as he’s hit just 16-48 from the floor and 2 of 17 3-pointers – 33.3 and 11.8 percent, respectively (.410 TS%). For the most part, he’s getting solid looks–they’re just not falling. On occasion, poor shot selection has also contributed. Burke has shown the ability and willingness to take the ball to the basket, where he’s finishing 70 percent of the time. He has also increased his Free Throw Rate to .271–which would be over twice as high as his low rookie mark.
Burke is also experiencing struggles facilitating the offense. His assists are down (4.8 APG and 20.7 AST%, down from 5.7 and 29.4%) and his turnovers are uncharacteristically up – 3.0 TO/G and 18.3 TOV%. His assist-to-turnover ratio has fallen from 3.0 to 1.6. To be fair, the ball is in his hands less as Snyder wants to move up court quickly. [/QUOTE]
and that is not Burke's game
[QUOTE]Burke is helping with that by helping advance the ball to his wing teammates. While he’s not a guy who struggles with his confidence, there has to be some pressure having Dante Exum in the fold. My guess is that it will take a little getting used to. The good thing about Burke is that he is capable of a big game and chances are, that could happen anytime. Once that does, expect to see a good jump back to more normal Trey Burke standards.[/QUOTE]
Normal standards aren't anything to get that excited about.
[QUOTE]Alec Burks: First off, I am part of the crowd who was excited to see the Alec Burks extension get done last week. The talent and skills are apparent and having another solid piece to this young core in place long-term is exciting. While the start of his season has been so-so–as seen by his 13.9 PER – there is optimism around his game. Burks’ numbers are solid: 14.8 PPG , 3.5 RPG, 2.5 APG. He’s yet to have that big game (like he had regularly the second half of last season), but that just feels like a matter of time.
Like most of his teammates, there has been some slight changes to his offensive game. He is still getting inside (.698 of his shots are between 0-3 feet) and free throw line (a stellar .488 FTr), but is taking more 3-pointers–5-13 thus far (38.5 percent). Burks, though, is shooting just 40 percent on those close shots–down from 64.4 percent last year. There are no doubts this will jump back up. A very positive development is his 95.2 percent free throw shooting. For a guy who lives at the line like Burks does, being able to hit those at a high level can enhance his game in big ways. He has shown flashes defensively, but too needs to demonstrate more consistency – 116 Defensive Rating.[/QUOTE]
Not worried about him. Missing time in the pre-season may explain his slow start.
[QUOTE]All in all, it’s been an encouraging start. Seeing all five get good playing time together will benefit the team. They will hopefully grow together, but if not, the coaching staff and front office will have a better idea of what they truly have.
Next up, a look at the bench players’ starts.
David J Smith
Besides writing for Salt City Hoops, David contributes to the Utah Jazz coverage for the Deseret News (instant analysis articles), WeAreUtahJazz.com, UtahJazz360.com and previously for Hoopsworld.com. He graduated from BYU and works for LDS Philanthropies. His wife, Elizabeth, is the most patient person in the world and they have four amazing children; Kadence, Tayah, Stockton (yes, really), and Cambria.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE]"He works on that shot all the time. He and coach [Antonio] Lang. The big guys work on them all the time. I prefer them from the corner but, with two seconds on the shot, clock I’m not go to argue."[/QUOTE]
Most of his 3's are up top.
[QUOTE]After his big shot, Booker stayed in the middle of the action.
On Cleveland’s next possession, he was called for flagrantly fouling Kevin Love.
"He pump-faked me, and I went up," Booker said. "I was coming down, and I tried to keep him from going up. Unfortunately, they called a flagrant foul."
Said Snyder: "I didn’t see the flagrant. [But] we want him to keep playing hard and keep playing smart."[/QUOTE]
Looked flagrant to me. Not the first shot but the next couple! :D
[QUOTE]Love made one of his two free throws to make it 93-90 with 2:57 left. The Cavs retained possession, but the Jazz escaped more damage when Kyrie Irving, who finished with 34 points, missed a short jumper.
According to Booker, the flagrant foul was an extension of his style of play, which won’t be changing.
"I think it gets everybody going," he said. "... I’ve always been that kind of player. I’ve always played the game with a lot of passion. That’s just me. I think it rubs off on my teammates and the crowd."
Along with his nine points, Booker contributed four points and two assists in almost 21 minutes. Among Utah’s backups, only Exum played more (25).
"It’s not what Trevor gave us," Snyder said, referring to the all-around contribution. "It’s what didn’t he give us?"
The sell-out crowd probably agrees. It exploded on Booker’s three-pointer.
"Before I came here, I would hear about it -- how great the fans were," Booker said. "I got to experience it a couple of games before this but tonight, it was different. They were crazy. Hopefully we can get this every game."
[/QUOTE]
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[QUOTE]The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has waived forward/guard Jordan Hamilton. Following the move, the Jazz roster now stands at 14 players (updated roster attached). NBA.com
Jody Genessy: Jazz roster is back down to 14 after the team waived small forward Jordan Hamilton. He never suited up after being claimed off of waivers. Twitter @DJJazzyJody[/QUOTE]
Wonder what's up with this? He was in the rotation last year on two teams, one very good. They got their eyes on someone else? Just being cheap like usual?
[QUOTE]Now retired, Raja Bell accompanied the struggling Cavaliers to Utah, having been hired as Cleveland
[QUOTE]On Thursday morning, Jazz coach Quin Snyder celebrated the team
[QUOTE]
[QUOTE]Beyond Hayward and Derrick Favors, Utah received strong performances from all its role players. Enes Kanter was strong offensively and rookie Dante Exum stepped in to smoothly run the team after Trey Burke encountered foul trouble. [/QUOTE]
Enes has arguably been better than Favors the past two games certainly one of them.
[QUOTE]Bench players Trevor Booker and Rudy Gobert also brought great energy to the table. It also helped that LeBron James is less than 100 percent.[/QUOTE]
Hood was right there too.
[QUOTE]Turning point: Would it be too easy to say that Hayward
[url]http://saltcityhoops.com/the-three-emerging-utah-jazz-stars/[/url]
[QUOTE]Hayward
[QUOTE]To prepare, Snyder said Thursday was seen as a recovery day. The team did more film watching and breakdowns than anything. The Jazz ran through a few sets, took shots and then finished up for the day.
"We learned just how good they are," Snyder said. "They are an elite team offensively, and they have multiple weapons. They can really get on a roll and they can put pressure on the rim. It