2016- Yet another long off-season

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[QUOTE]Adrian Wojnarowski: Sources: [URL="http://*********.com/social/"]Charlotte

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http://www.sltrib.com/sports/4037077...-speed-up-long

[QUOTE]The biggest moves the Jazz make this summer

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Tony Jones @Tjonessltrib Hill's agent said they would've looked at Utah next season in free agency regardless. He loves Snyder, has close relationship with Hayward
2:10 PM - 22 Jun 2016

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http://www.sltrib.com/sports/4036340...s-guard-george

He projects as Utah's starter next season, which moves Dante Exum to the bench, as he gets acclimated to playing again after recovering from a torn ACL.

Mack should have already moved Exum to the bench and Neto pushed him to another position possibly. I can see Hill starting at either guard spot or coming off the bench. All really comes down to Exum and where he's at. Hill is another big piece to the rotation regardless. Their oldest guy now but in his prime. Their best shooter. He defends. He handles. Championship experience. Great contract. Can they pay him, Gordon, Gobert and possibly Mack next year and leave money for those to follow though?

Trey Burke is on the trade block, Shevin Mack, whom the Jazz traded for in February, has a non-guaranteed contract until early July.

Got to think they pick up his option. It's too small not to and he was too good not to. They should be able to move him if they have to. If Dante isn't ready I'd roll with him.

Currently, the Jazz have five point guards on the roster, a situation that obviously needs to be alleviated.

Neto and Mack are the only ones I'd call pure pg's right now and they played together at times. Exum I can see at 3 positions. At least one will have to go maybe 2.

But with this acquisition, Exum gets the chance to be brought along more slowly, and without as much pressure.

It shouldn't change things reallyas far as that goes. Mack and Neto were both better than Exum was as a rookie and Johnson basically can fill the role of perimeter defender that Exum did.

The Jazz get better at the position, and they send a clear message to Hayward, who will be a free agent after next season, that they are attempting to improve in the short term.

Their rotation gets better. I could see him playing mostly the 2 especially if Exum ever starts doing what he has been hyped to do eventually.

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http://www.deseretnews.com/article/8...-addition.html

[QUOTE]Beyond that, he

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http://www.deseretnews.com/article/8...rst-round.html

[QUOTE]Hill is in the same position as Derrick Favors; they are both able to be extended during the offseason. The Jazz could use some of their cap space and restructure the last year of Hill

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http://www.deseretnews.com/article/8...de-graded.html

Other analysts like Utah's acquisition. Zach Lowe projected 50 wins for the Jazz in a tweet after the deal was announced.

50 should have been the goal even before they got him

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http://saltcityhoops.com/the-george-hill-impact/

First, he brings great size to the back court. At 6-3, 190 lbs, Hill can match up well with the more physical guards. With a 6-9 wingspan, his length allows him to hold his own against taller opponents. After struggling a bit defensively with shorter players Raul Neto and Trey Burke, the Jazz have successfully addressed this by bringing on Hill and Shelvin Mack, guys whose size help tremendously.

I'd say Neto was better on D than Mack and he's listed an inch shorter. Doubt he has the length Hill does though.

In four short months, they have brought on Mack and Hill and are welcoming back a healthy Exum.

Remains to be seen about Exum's health.

[QUOTE]Mack

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http://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat/...-zizic-db-1938

Hanlan played last season in Latvia and could one day be a solid pro, but he's still a year or two away from making a stab at the NBA.

We'll see in summer league hopefully. He could be a cheap contract in the next couple years.

Tomic is never going to leave the lovely Spanish weather, all of his wealth, and his big dawg status in his league. (Seriously, why would he ever want to come to America to get dunked on by DeAndre Jordan, Andre Drummond, Rudy Gobert, Dwight Howard, and so on?)

You never know. He's still in his prime.

It couldn't be out of the realm of possibility that Trey Burke, Raul Neto, Shelvin Mack, Alec Burks, Jeff Withey, or even Joe Ingles could be moved. (I would have included Tibor Pleiss here but you don't move Tibor! Tibor moves Tibor!)

I'm guessing they keep Alec and Neto for the time being. If Alec can stay healthy he has a great contract. So does Neto and fits well. Probably Ingles as well. Johnson?

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Because Maker -- as much as I love big black guys with crazy names -- isn't a difference maker right now for a club trying to make the playoffs.

Who is really?

Some of them, like Denzel, could even be a rotation player as a rookie because he is a college Senior. If one of them fall to an acceptable range for Lindsey I do expect him to pull the trigger. Probably not a point guard right now because the team has five, but you know, whatever.

Hood had 4 years of college but shouldn't have been in the rotation until late in the year. I could see them taking a pg still. Burke and Mack gone. Exum still a big guard who hasn't shown he's a pg. Hill a combo.

Looking at the roster it's clear that if an upgrade can be had, we'd still like one at the wing spot.

Hayward/Hood/Burks/Hill/Ingles/Johnson/Exum. Not so clear to me.

But the Jazz are a playoff team now. Like, for real.

should have been anyway. The GM is finally behind the idea of winning is the difference between last year and now.

In other news Giannis Antetokounmpo is still growing. I hope Dante Exum is doing the same.

I think they said he did grow some.

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Tibor Pleiss gets the nod here because he's actually under contract.

Right now that shouldn't be too much of a concern. I could see them cutting any of the guys at the end of the bench with the money they need to spend.

He is a challenge to get on the floor because he's just not ready for the speed of the American game right now, or the physicality. Like Ingles, if there's an upgrade here (and there could be just in the non-guaranteed section) you should try to take it.

I think they may be able to get way with him as the 4th big who plays a few minutes here and there depending on match-ups based on what he showed in those couple games where he got quality minutes after his D-league call-up.

He has gotten better every year in the league

No actually he got worse in his 2nd year.

After starting most of last season now he is going to be on the deep bench again.

Not so sure of that. You got to have role players. He hits open 3's and defends. That's what they asked of him. When they let him run the team like Mack he was able to run the pick and roll and penetrate and make plays. He's got to play somewhere.

Mack can be replaced now that Hill is on the team -- taking over both the point guard starting spot for the time being, and also being a floor general and veteran presence.

I think that might happen but not so sure it's the right move until we see what Dante is ready to contribute. No one ran the team better than Mack. Don't think that is Hill's strong suit either and Dante hasn't shown it outside one summer league game.

Chris Johnson is an NBA Player. I've been harsh to him in the past, but he was given an opportunity last season and he did his best. He fills out a roster and should be used in emergencies.

Not just emergencies. Sometimes you need a spark and guys like Booker, CJ and Demarre can bring that. Other times you need to slow people like Harden or Klay down and Johnson might be your best bet. He's a corner 3 away from being their Bruce Bowen.

I think you almost have to try to figure out a way to bring him back.

I think he has to go if you're not going to play him.

But I don't know if he showed enough of his basketball game in order to be asked to return.

Sure he did. For the right price and in the right role any team would love to have him. See Johnson. He was a big part in a lot of wins.

These are impossibly big numbers, and it's likely that the Jazz won't ever get close to the tax in the next few off-seasons. The next few seasons things continue to be crazy.

Next year for sure they could be close. This year possibly. Hill and Favors extensions and filling out the end of bench could do that.

Of course, Kevin Durant is only paying lip-service when he mentions the Jazz small market teams as a possible destination (like he did in a recent interview).

I don't think so. I think he'd go where he thought he had the best chance to win. Not sure that is Utah though.

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http://www.slcdunk.com/nba-free-agen...gordon-hayward

The first thing you notice here is that Dante Exum is starting, not Hill. It's fair to say that Hill will start at the beginning of the season, but as a Jazz fan you HOPE that Exum is good enough to start mid-way though to the finish of the season and surpass Hill.

Mack probably should be the starting pg with Hill at the 2 until Exum proves otherwise and than I'd think Hill/Exum in the long term.

Hood catches fire and gets cold. You can survive with some game to game fluctuation, but Hood gets extremely cold and extremely hot. It's hard to bank on.

Which I think makes him a bench player.

George Hill is possibly the best point guard on the team since Deron Williams, and could be the best back-up point guard on the team since John Stockton was Rickey Green's caddy.

Hill starts because of his D and all the spot ups he will get with Favors and Hayward and even at his height, with his length he will be able to start at either spot. Yeah like John he was backing up a lesser player unlike Rickey Exum was not coming off an all-star year.

One of the main reasons why I am (at least for now) putting Hill on the bench is because I did not want to start THREE guys in contract years.

Doesn't matter if he starts or not. He's getting paid because he's good.

Alec Burks is probably good enough to start, but he didn't go to Duke University like Rodney did.

That was last year. I think they'll start whoever fits best with the starting front court which is set and the guy opposite him at guard.

He is making an awful lot of money for someone who misses a lot of games

This year he did. His contract is very friendly now if he can stay on the court.

Lyles, at 20, needs a lot of development.

Not really. Offensively he plays like another one of their wings. I liked what I saw defensively. I think he can become more than passable there as well.

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http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap...Gordon-Hayward

Only reason I could see passing this up is because Bledsoe has been hurt a lot. I would have done the Knight deal too.

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http://basketball.realgm.com/analysi...erall-To-Hawks

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[QUOTE]Jody Genessy: Gordon Hayward was invited to play for Team USA in the 2016 Rio Olympics but turned down the offer, according to sources.