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[QUOTE]The Jazz embark of their first major road trip of the season next week, a five-game tour of the Eastern Conference. As of now, the Toronto Raptors are the only team with a winning record, at 4-1.
[email]tjones@sltrib.com[/email][/QUOTE]
It looks like a road trip they could do very well on if they are really any good. NY is the only other team with more than 1 win
J[QUOTE]azz coach Quin Snyder had considered calling for a foul, which would have prevented the Cavs from tying the game. But he didn
[QUOTE]the Mavs are also ranked 29th defensively. That means the Jazz could have a chance to score some points tonight. And with a veteran lineup, it remains to be seen what effect a game with Portland last night has on Dallas.
"We
[QUOTE]
[QUOTE]The Utah Jazz entered Friday night
IMITATING NOWITZKI: Snyder was quick to compliment Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki ahead of Friday
[QUOTE] If Trey doesn
[QUOTE]the Jazz were killed tonight in the turnover and rebounding battles.[/QUOTE]
They're going to have a hard time if they get killed on the boards. They play bigger than most teams and it should be one of their strong suits.
[QUOTE]The biggest issue was the turnovers: the Jazz gave up 21 turnovers, and only accumulated 8 of their own from the Mavs. Then, they allowed the Mavs to get 13 offensive rebounds to continue possessions, which were a real backbreaker to the Jazz
[QUOTE]He
[QUOTE]the basketball almost stubbornly refused to drop through the net Friday night.
And nobody felt it worse than Trey Burke.
The second-year point guard watched shot after shot draw iron and bounce away, even feigning like it would fall on occasion before popping out of the rim. By the end of the 105-82 blowout loss to the Dallas Mavericks, Burke had connected on just four of his 12 attempts.
But the young guard believes the only remedy for a slump is the next open look.
"You just got to take those shots.
[QUOTE]his team has been almost too unselfish at times, passing up great looks for simply good ones.
Still, the coach would rather have that than a stagnant offense.
"We call it advantage basketball," Snyder said. "Try to get an advantage and then keep it, and the way you keep it is with a pass."[/QUOTE]
They've had way too many rushed shots at the end of the 24 second clock. That was supposed to be Ty's fault too I thought?
[QUOTE]While the Jazz lead the league in passes, assists have not followed at quite the same clip, something Snyder believes is a result of missing some open 3-point looks. Utah
[QUOTE]Hayward signed a lucrative new four-year contract with the Jazz this summer, a deal that will pay him a max-money salary which averages out to around $15.75 million a year through the 2017-18 season.
Some skeptics, including myself, scoffed at the deal and felt like the franchise was paying too much for a player of Hayward's caliber when it matched the Charlotte Bobcats' offer for the free agent forward.
Then, when Hayward opened the 2014-15 regular season with a couple of subpar performances
[QUOTE]The Utah Jazz begin a five-game Eastern road trip Sunday night against the Detroit Pistons, and there likely won’t be a shortage of blue and gold Trey Burke jerseys.
If last year repeats itself, returning to his college’s territory might be just what the former Michigan star needs to snap out of his early-season funk.
Heading into the seventh game of his sophomore season in the pros, the 6-foot-1 point guard is averaging 10.2 points, 33.3 percent shooting, 4.0 assists and 2.7 turnovers.
All of those figures are worse than during his All-Rookie season of a year ago when the ninth pick of the 2013 draft put up averages of 12.8 points, 38 percent shooting, 5.7 assists and 1.9 turnovers.
They’re also well down from the preseason, when the 21-year-old looked like he’d made a big leap from his first-year level of play.[/QUOTE]
Pre-season comparison again! :facepalm Turnovers are up. That's one thing he was good at last year.
[QUOTE]“Trey was probably our best player in the preseason,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder admitted. “He’s working. He’s got to keep at it and get him going.”
This visit to Michigan could be just what the coach ordered.
In his first trip back to the Land of Blue and Maize, Burke was welcomed by throngs of fans who’d grown quite fond of him as he helped the Wolverines make the 2013 NCAA championship game.
Burke responded to the strong show of support, which included being swarmed by local media and autograph-seeking fans at The Palace of Auburn Hills, by playing one of his best games as a rookie.
In a 110-89 win, Burke scored 20 points with 12 assists. He did have seven turnovers, but that rare outbreak of miscues didn’t hurt the Jazz on that particular night.[/QUOTE]
New coach. Different team.
[QUOTE]Burke expects to get a similar, big reception this time around, seeing as this is just the second time he’s played so close to his college home of Ann Arbor, Michigan.
“It was only about 24 months ago I was in college. I definitely think my fan base will be back out there,” Burke said. “So I’ll try to just be more calm than I was last year to start the game, just go out there like it’s another game. Try to get another win like we did last year.”
This road trip is a different type of challenge for the Jazz, who are off to a 2-4 start to the 2014-15 season. So far, Utah has only played playoff contenders, losing twice to Dallas (including Friday’s 105-82 shellacking) and to Houston and the Clippers. The team has put together impressive home wins over Phoenix and Cleveland, though.
On one hand, the Jazz are probably relieved to get away from the brutal Western Conference for a while.
Then again, this will be the first extended road trip of the season for the Jazz, although it is against multiple beatable opponents — first Detroit, then Indiana on Monday followed by Atlanta, New York and Toronto.
“We definitely need to compete, that’s for sure, and make sure we’re in every single game. These games are definitely winnable for us as a squad,” Jazz small forward Gordon Hayward said. “As long as we play our basketball and we continue to play with the pass and keep turnovers down. Too many turnovers on the road and you’ll find yourself out of the gym real quick.” Coach Quin Snyder was none too pleased with the 23 turnovers the Jazz committed, leading to 35 Maverick points and putting Utah into a funk on both ends of the court against Dallas.[/QUOTE]
defense?
[QUOTE]That has to change this week for Utah to get some momentum back.
“It’s a different type of challenge, playing well on the road is a whole ‘nother animal. We’ll have to prepare ourselves,” Snyder said. “The last time we were on the road … well, we need to be ready.”
The Jazz gave the Clippers a good battle in their last road game, but they fell in the end 107-101 last Monday.
“It’s a different mindset than playing at home. Our fans are great. They give us energy,” Snyder said. “There wasn’t a lot to get excited about (Friday night). It just was (sigh sounds). There was a lot of that.”
On Wednesday, however, the Jazz and their fans reciprocated a good vibe and energy back and forth in the exciting 102-100 victory over Cleveland.
“Now that’s not going to be there on the road,” Snyder said. “We’ve got to generate that on the road.”
INJURY UPDATE: Jazz rookie Rodney Hood will be questionable for this 4 p.m. MST game against the Pistons. The guard/forward left in the first half of Friday’s 105-82 loss to Dallas with right plantar fasciitis and didn’t return. “He’s one of the guys that’s making shots. He's got length, he competes,” Snyder said. “He’s had an impact in a lot on ways for our team. We need to get him back.”
EMAIL: [email]jody@desnews.com[/email]
TWITTER: DJJazzyJody[/QUOTE]
Gives Ian Clark a shot He may give them a shot in the arm.
[QUOTE]There's no need to go into Plantar Fasciitis, as we're all experts by now because Derrick Favors has a case of it flare up now and then. So what's the deal with Hood?
Well, last summer he hurt his right Achilles tendon, and had to leave Team USA camp. Nicole Auerbach of USA Today wrote:
Duke's Rodney Hood has injured his right Achilles tendon and has withdrawn from Team USA camp, USA Basketball announced Friday morning.
Hood was one of the 16 finalists for a spot on the USA team that will compete at the World University Games, which will take place in Russia in July. Now, 15 players will compete for the 12 roster spots, which will be determined by July 1.
"I feel so sorry for Rodney," USA head coach and Davidson coach Bob McKillop said in a statement. "He committed himself fully to be a part of this team, and we will miss him. He would have been a valuable team member for USA Basketball."
Matt Plizga, a Duke basketball spokesman, said Hood is returned to Duke Friday and was evaluated by the Blue Devils' medical/training staff. Early indications are that the injury is not severe, Plizga said.
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski also said Hood's injury is minor.
- Nicole Auerbach, USA Today, June 2013
No biggie. As he did rest, and it did deal.Terrence Payne of NBA Sports broke it down:
On Tuesday, the team announced that Hood is back from an injury he suffered back in late June.
While trying out for the World University Games with USA Basketball, Hood was sidelined with what Cameron Crazies feared could be a torn right Achilles tendon, though, it was diagnosed as a sprain. Six weeks later and ESPN senior writer Andy Katz reported - as part of ESPN's 3-point shot - that Hood was fully back.
He is completely recovered," said Duke associate coach Steve Wojciechowski. "He has participated in summer workouts.
- Terrence Payne, NBC Sports, August 2013
Rodney Hood then played 35 games for the Duke Blue Devils in 2013-14, and logged 1150 total minutes (32.9 mpg). So were there any long-standing effects? I think he completely healed from his acute injury then. And right now he has another one, the only issue is that it's of the same foot. And, well, the Achilles tendon and the plantar fascia do deal with the whole dorsiflexion / plnatar flexion mechanism. The worst case scenario is that plantar fasciitis can lead to Achilles tendon tightness. So, if you want to worry you worry about that injury loop.
I'm not going to worry. Rodney will be fine, and he's the third wing on our team, not the first two -- Gordon Hayward and Alec Burks still have a lot of developing to do as well. The Jazz play five games in seven nights. Holding Rodney out of one or two of them isn't going to be the end of the world. Nor will this minor rookie season setback be the end of his career.
Go Jazz.
Also, this means don't add Rodney Hood to your fantasy bball team.[/QUOTE]
Still no word on why Evans replaced Booker in the 2nd half after Booker was their best player in the 1st.
[QUOTE]Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder has used only 50 different lineups so far in the 288 minutes his team has suited up for, so far. Seriously, fifty different lineups.
The top five most used (in terms of most minutes together so far this season) feature the usual suspects: Trey Burke, Alec Burks, Gordon Hayward, Enes Kanter, Derrick Favors, Dante Exum, Trevor Booker, Rudy Gobert, Rodney Hood, and Joe Ingles. For the most part Snyder has been going 10 deep most nights -- and these are the guys who get a chance to play. If you build the team around the framework of Derrick Favors, Gordon Hayward, and Alec Burks -- that's a pretty good start. [/QUOTE]
Just a week ago G, Favors and Burke were their big 3! :rolleyes:
[QUOTE]Within the Top 5 most used lineups (so far), you see those three guys quite a bit. The two main variables being tested for right now are Trey Burke / Dante Exum, and Enes Kanter / Trevor Booker. You could add Rudy Gobert to that experimental mix, but I don't think that's quite right. Out of all the non-starters right now I think we are closest to understanding where he fits into the mix -- at back-up center. The other two variables still haven't revealed to us who should be the starter yet.
What does the experimental data show? Well ....
Utah Jazz 2014 2015 Five Man Rosters - 6 of 82
Click on that for the phool-size
Yeah. The saving grace of the starters right now is their large sample size which translates to the third best +/- over 100 possessions . . . which is still a negative value. The obvious "LOOKSEE!" points here are with Trevor Booker over Enes Kanter. This will be something we all track as the season goes on; but let's not forget that that lineup does finish some games -- but a huge part of their 31 minutes together are against the other team's "not 100% starting lineup". The Starters face the 100% other team starters to start each game -- and that usually means taking a hit in the +/- right off the bat. That suck, and is just something any of our starting lineups will have to deal with. Seriously, Trevor Booker isn't going to be the difference to stopping Dirk Nowitzki in the 1st quarter of two of the six games we've played so far.
You know it. And I know it. And Trevor knows it too.
That said, we just ADORE what Booker does when he's on the court, his energy is sorely missed, and he creates offense for himself when we need it most. It's fun to watch. Smarter men than I have suggested that he's the power forward version of Alec Burks. Which is hilarious and apt.
The less obvious experiment is the Trey Burke / Dante Exum thing. This argument will persist for at least every season they are on the same roster up to and including the first year they are no longer on the same roster. I'm just going to firmly point out that they can exist on the same roster, and that they are pretty good together so far. Let's not run one out of town 6 games into the season.[/QUOTE]
They can exist if Burke proves he can play. Jury is still out there.
[QUOTE]As for the experimental data, well, the largest take-away is that these data sets are so very small. But it's better that we start looking at things as the returns come in than to be ignorant to what's actually happening on the floor, and make stuff up on the top of our heads . . . right?
Also Rudy Gobert blocks a lot of shots. That's probably the really only known so far.
What do you ladies and gentlemen think?[/QUOTE]