2017-2018 Utah Jazz season discussion... back to square one again

[Xiao Yao You]

Move #4: Trade Derrick Favors to Memphis for Tyreke Evans and Brandon Wright, plus the right for the Jazz to swap its 2018 1st round draft pick with Memphis's 2018 1st round draft pick (which swap might also require the Jazz to throw in the Jazz's 2019 1st round draft pick).

Although Tyreke Evans has been the Grizzlies' best player for most of this season, he is on a low dollar one-year deal, and with the way he has been playing, the Grizzlies probably won't be able to re-sign him during the off-season--even if they had cap room. By trading for Favors, the Grizzlies get a very good post player who fits well into their system, and who can be re-signed even if they are over the salary cap (and luxury tax cap), because of his Bird rights. Brandon Wright needs to be thrown into the deal to make the dollars work, but he could also fill Favors' current role with the Jazz for the remainder of the season. Tyreke Evans--if he continues playing the way he has been playing recently--could fill most of the scoring and play making void created by the loss of Gordon Hayward in free agency, and should be able to be signed for the mid-level exception in the off-season ($8.4 mil. per season). By obtaining a swap of draft picks with Memphis (even if it means the Jazz would also have to trade next season's 1st round draft pick to Memphis) the Jazz would be able to pick high in the 2018 draft lottery in order to get a good replacement PF for Derrick Favors. Favors would get to go to a system (that fits his skill set) where he could continue to be a starter and have a big role--and the addition of Favors might be enough to allow Memphis to get back to its winning ways without having to go through a major rebuild. Finally, the Jazz would get some cap relief by replacing Favors' salary for 2018-2019 and beyond with Tyreke Evans' salary for 2018-2019 and beyond (plus a rookie scale salary).

Memphis would want the pick protected

Proposed Jazz roster following 2018 trade deadline:

PG: Hill, Exum (injured), Burks

SG: Mitchell, Ingles, Hezonja

SF: Evans, Sefolosha, O'Neale

PF: Jerebko, Leonard, Wright

C: Gobert, Udoh, Bradley

I'd start Burks and bring Hill off the bench for lots of minutes behind both positions and with Alec sometimes at the 3.

Evans is probably best off the bench or starting at the 2.

Need Ingles or Thabo starting at the 3

Thabo could start at the 4 as well.

Trade Udoh/Exum instead of Neto

Proposed Jazz roster for 2018-2019 season:

PG: Hill, Exum, Burks

SG: Mitchell, Ingles, Hezonja

SF: Evans, Sefolosha, O'Neale

PF: Williams, Jerebko, Leonard

C: Gobert, Udoh, Bradley

Goss?

So two more years of Leonard and he's not playing? Resigning Hezonja and he's not playing? Keeping Burks and he's not playing? O'Neale isn't playing? Bradley isn't playing?

Hard to predict how the guys you acquired fit.

What do you think--if the Jazz could pull it all off?

Better than what they have but I don't think they can do it exactly like that. Same guys I'd be looking to trade with Udoh and Exum as well not Neto. Don't think they necessarily have to get a lot back as far as immediate starters/rotation players. Be more about getting rid of those guys and adding some flexibilty and assets

[QUOTE]I don't like the Hill trade
Hill is one of the few point guards playing worse than Rubio. I also think the Jazz lost all interest in him once he declined the extension they offered.

Other than that, I don

[Xiao Yao You]

https://www.slcdunk.com/2018/1/2/168...ll-rudy-gobert

The Jazz have scored 102 points per 100 possessions in 551 minutes with both starting guards on the floor, and 109 in 525 minutes with Mitchell on the floor without Rubio.

[Xiao Yao You]

[QUOTE]Scotto: You have Anthony Davis entering his prime. Cousins is in his prime. Why are you resetting at that point? You

[Xiao Yao You]

https://thejnotes.com/2018/01/03/uta...-battle-dimes/

Pretty much the Jazz in a nutshell. Have to have a big night from Rubio or Hood to compete because they getting about 1/4 the minutes regardless of their play.

[Xiao Yao You]

https://fansided.com/2018/01/02/dono...ordon-hayward/

[QUOTE]So in 2018? Don

[Xiao Yao You]

https://www.slcdunk.com/2018/1/3/168...novan-mitchell

[QUOTE]maybe going small with Thabo Sefolosha is the answer. Instead of fighting fire with fire, maybe fighting fire with small-ball could work. However, with Davis

[Xiao Yao You]

https://www.ksl.com/?sid=46229462&ni...ss-to-pelicans

It's been a little bit strange for the Jazz, who I think have played with more up-and-down force than any season since the final Ty Corbin year. Usually, they're better at more consistently giving more effort, but they have a lot of players in weird contract situations. Maybe that's playing a role.

Time for the GM/coach to do something about it. Hard to believe benching Thabo or Jonas is the way to go though

Alec Burks made some horrific decisions with the ball throughout the game, except that he was the Jazz's offensive spark early in the fourth quarter.

until he was benched so Hood could clank up a few more

Ekpe Udoh made 3-4 shots, had two steals ... and was a -12 in only 13 minutes on the floor.

His best game in at least 5

The very best example of this: I had five people say that Ricky Rubio was the Jazz's worst player, and three people say that Rubio was the Jazz's best player. Rubio tried pretty hard, picked up 11 points, seven assists, and four steals. But the Jazz were outscored by 20 points when he was on the floor. Which is right? The truth is probably somewhere in between.

He's the worst player on the roster no question about it though

But I think it's also a good example of how our own biases and perspectives change how we view the game. Someone who prefers plus-minus as a player-evaluation tool might have a wildly different opinion than someone who likes to look at clutch performance, or efficiency, or even just the eye test.

In a game like tonight's, with no obvious standouts, it's easy to just apply your own preconceived notions coming into the game over what actually happened.

Yeah like how you and Snyder can think Hood is great and Burks sucks!

[Xiao Yao You]

Brian Mahoney: Boston

[Xiao Yao You]

And before anyone starts screaming into the Twittersphere, Hill says it himself: This is not George Hill.

[Xiao Yao You]

The Knicks

[Xiao Yao You]

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/jazz/20...-for-the-jazz/

But against the Pelicans, he showed a glimpse of why Snyder has continued to play him in each game while switching out Thabo Sefolosha and Jonas Jerebko around him.

But why bench two of their best players while Rubio and Hood continue to kill the team?

[Xiao Yao You]

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/jazz/20...stern-matchup/

[QUOTE]Without Rudy Gobert, and with Donovan Mitchell representing Utah

[Xiao Yao You]

http://saltcityhoops.com/pels-jazz-n...m-monster-duo/

[QUOTE]It seemed Joe Johnson was becoming frustrated with his role within Quin

[Xiao Yao You]

http://saltcityhoops.com/jazz_small_lineups_fall_short/

10 percent – Rodney Hood’s field goal percentage, including missing all six of his three point shots. He’s now taken at least 10 shots and made fewer than 30 percent in a quarter of his games this season.

go to guy!

This is turning out to be a rough season for Hood. Tonight his shot was off–and when he’s off he’s really off. Yet he clearly tried to attack the hoop but only served to put on display how shaky his handle is when trying to penetrate against a set defender, turning the ball over four times and losing his balance on almost every drive. After the expectations saddled on him entering the season, these grotesque shooting games are killing his confidence. And to be honest, they’re killing the Jazz. Utah has had 21 players take at least 10 shots in a game where they shot at or below 30 percent from the field. Here are the team’s winning percentage in those games:

What's killing the Jazz is Snyder playing Rubio and Hood no matter how much they are killing the Jazz

The Jazz have been outscored by 87 with Hood in the game this season. In Alec Burks’s minutes, they’ve outscored opponents by 27. They’ve been outscored by 111 with Rubio on the court. With Mitchell in the game they’ve managed to outscore opponents (by two), despite the hellish December schedule. The guard line needs adjustment: in shot distribution, and minutes, and roles. The team may really be missing Dante Exum.

Yeah Rubio lite would solve everything!

[Xiao Yao You]

https://www.slcdunk.com/2018/1/3/168...-game-reaction

Hood: Management needs to know how he fits on the team and how he adjusts to the role of alpha scorer at times on the court. Can he play point-forward minutes? How does he work as the initiator? This information will feed into decisions about his contract (should they max him, start with a lower offer, or not offer him at all? Would they match any offer from another team or be more guarded?).

Not much doubt they will pay him whatever it takes. It's why the Jazz will always be mediocre.

Sefalosha: He is being rested for "match-up" purposes like guarding KD and Lebron, which only makes sense as advertisement as a trade piece. His super team-friendly contract and lockdown wing defense will make him a very attractive trade piece for a contending team as his age makes him too big a risk for the Jazz to try and build around with the Mitchell-Rudy core, which is at least another year or two out from really being contenders.

I'd consider trading him for the right price because of his age but he could be a piece for years to come still. The fact that he is being platooned is ridiculous

[QUOTE]Jerebko: His value is akin to that of Thabo