Back to work: Post virus break

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See how long this lasts

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Mike Conley won ESPN’s H-O-R-S-E competition in the safety and comfort of his own indoor basketball gym. Joe Ingles, meanwhile, had been itching for a chance to shoot a ball. But with the Zions Bank Basketball Campus closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the sharp-shooting lefty had no place to practice his jumper until he had a portable hoop set up in the backyard of his Salt Lake City home.
– via Aaron Falk @ NBA.com

Among Utah Jazz players, Ingles’ situation is far more common than Conley’s—just one reason Jazz officials were thrilled to allow players to enter the team’s practice facility Monday for the first time since the Coronavirus outbreak shut down the NBA on March 11. Jazz officials confirmed “a handful of Utah Jazz players participated in voluntary, individual workouts” at the facility on Monday.
– via Aaron Falk @ NBA.com

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Chris Mannix: Several Jazz players participated in voluntary, individual workouts today at the teams practice facility, per team. Workouts were in accordance with Utah Department of Health and NBA regulations.
– via Twitter SIChrisMannix

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Besides the Heat, the other teams that have opened so far are Portland, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Denver, Atlanta, Indiana, Sacramento, Toronto and Utah. More are expected in the coming days; among them, Orlando is close, and the Los Angeles Lakers are targeting Saturday.
– via TIM REYNOLDS @ Yahoo! Sports

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https://thejnotes.com/2020/05/13/wha...hayward-trade/

At the time, Ben Simmons was looking very enticing as a potential franchise player. His passing skills and dexterity for his size drew comparisons to LeBron James, although his jumper needed a lot of work.

Horrible fit with Rudy

The Jazz likely would have taken Amir Johnson to make the salries work, and missed the 2015 playoffs from suddenly losing their best player.
The unprotected pick from the Brooklyn Nets ended up landing at third overall, which the Jazz probably would have used to pick Jaylen Brown.
On draft night they tried their best to dangle the third and 12th overall picks, in addition to Dante Exum in an attempt to trade up and select either Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram.

all but Simmons might have been nice

They wanted a potential superstar to come out of this draft night, but they make due with Jaylen Brown and Taurean Prince. Utah rolls into the 2016-17 season with a depth chart looking like this:
C Rudy Gobert, Amir Johnson
PF Derrick Favors, Trey Lyles
SF Joe Ingles, Taurean Prince
SG Rodney Hood, Jaylen Brown, Alec Burks
PG Dante Exum, Raul Neto

Amir or Prince or Lyles starting at the 4.

In conclusion the Jazz probably wouldn’t be very far off from where they are today had they decided to trade Hayward for the Brooklyn Nets’ unprotected first round pick in 2016.

who knows where they'd be but with Rudy still competitive at worst

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https://thejnotes.com/2020/05/13/uta...d-better-fits/

Many questions surround the future of Rudy Gobert, so it will be interesting to see if the Jazz do indeed decide to draft a big man in this year’s draft for insurance purposes. Regardless, Reed is someone that fits if Gobert is here or not.

Be stupid not to with Gobert and Bradley free agents after next year

Paul Reed

Age: 20
Height: 6’9″
Weight: 220 lbs
Wingspan: N/A

Need someone bigger unless he has incredible wig span. Already have undersized guys in Morgan and Brantley

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Michigan State junior Xavier Tillman has entered his name into the upcoming NBA draft. But he has not hired an agent, so he could still return to school. With less than a month to decide, the Grand Rapids Christian High School graduate says he is still at the 50/50 mark, which is where he was when he put his name in the draft.
– via woodtv.com

The new reality we are all living has made the draft process considerably different than in past years. Since face-to-face meetings can’t happen right now, Tillman has been meeting with NBA teams through Zoom meetings. “I’ve had two so far with Utah and Detroit. It’s all about these Zoom interviews and how well you perform in those. Answering the questions honestly is the biggest key for those teams because they know everything about you,” Tillman said. Being born and raised in Michigan, Tillman says the Pistons are a team that is on his list.
– via woodtv.com

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https://thejnotes.com/2020/05/14/uta...derrick-white/

One of the burning questions of the future for the Utah Jazz is their presumptive point guard of the future.

It is? Mitchell

They could throw their best trade package with Tony Bradley plus future draft picks and acquire White mid-season

yeah they need to get even smaller!

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Eric Walden: Georges acknowledged that having the season shut down “was really tough for a lot of us.” The dual-whammy of no basketball and not being able to go out in society as normal meant that, “Mentally, a lot of us felt trapped.” Said he’s started to feel better over the past 3 weeks.
– via Twitter tribjazz

Eric Walden: Also, Georges estimated he’d need 2-3 weeks of working out to get back in game shape (“Other guys will need longer because my workout regimen is a lot harder”) and 2-3 weeks of team activities for the Jazz to be fully ready to cohesively return to game action.
– via Twitter tribjazz

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Sarah Todd: Georges Niang has been working out at the Jazz practice facility over the last five days. He said that it’s been a great but a real adjustment with all the restrictions.
– via Twitter NBASarah

Sarah Todd: At the Jazz practice facility, Niang called the person working out with him and following him around a “hygiene czar”. Said that they are wiping down anything that his body touches and sanitizing constantly during the workouts.
– via Twitter NBASarah

Eric Walden: Georges Niang said he’s trying not to get too far ahead of himself in terms of the possibility of the season resuming, but that he’s “thrilled” and everyone he’s talked to is excited about it, provided they can keep people safe. Said no one wants unfinished business.
– via Twitter tribjazz

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https://thejnotes.com/2020/05/15/uta...season-finish/

The decision regarding Rudy Gobert and his eligibility for the supermax extension will be much harder for Jazz brass to make given that there might be no closure for this season. The Jazz don’t know for sure if Gobert can carry the Jazz farther than the second round of the playoffs.

what they do know is they suck without him

As for the Jazz, they have six games left to hit their 70 game mark. The double-header with the Lakers will be a big challenge, but the games against the Timberwolves, Grizzlies, and Pelicans are more forgiving.

who knows what 6 games they would play if any

Even if the Jazz don’t end up catching the Nuggets in this hypothetical finish to the NBA regular season, they will still get a good look at the Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers, who figure to be very likely playoff opponents.

maybe they don't even make the playoffs? who knows if they take 8 teams. Be better off in the lottery at this point anyway.

In other words, what I’m saying is the Jazz may be the NBA’s Cinderella team of the 2020 abbreviated playoffs.

You weren't paying attention this year and Ingles isn't even playing at the moment

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https://thejnotes.com/2020/05/16/uta...sion-hiatus/2/

My hope is that Gobert realizes how much he would help the front office by taking a deal that is still a max contract, but not quite the supermax.

that would be my guess assuming the rumors of them trading him and tanking aren't true. Can still pay him more than anyone else and a lot less than super max

In other words there’s a good chance these guys are getting overpaid just at the decline of their careers and the decline of the salary cap, which will make it awfully hard for the Jazz front office to have any wiggle room with making the team any better.

they are all worth the money with the cap where it was except for Conley and he is expiring after next year. Now things have been changed obviously. Bojan has 3 more years which who knows where he will be than

Joe Ingles was intended to be the sixth man this season, but floundered in that role with his buddy Derrick Favors being gone in New Orleans. He plays much better as a starter and alongside Rudy Gobert.

Ingles plays much better around good players. He was fine once they changed up the bench. Bradley is even better in pick and roll than Gobert

Factor in Donovan Mitchell’s minutes he plays at the 1 (49 percent of his minutes this season), and also Jordan Clarkson (assuming he returns), and there’s not a regular spot in the rotation for Mudiay.

Him or Clarkson will be gone maybe both. He could be a 6th man and lots cheaper. Need a starting 4 more than anything

When the Jazz cashed in their chips to bring in Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic in the same summer, they were really setting themselves up to have their best shot at winning a championship in a two year window.

with 6 rookies and no starting 4. Typical Jazz. Lots of talk

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NBA Central: “He only had really one job. And that was to just score. And he did that at an amazing, amazing rate. But I don’t feel like his way of winning then would translate to what it is now. Guys wouldn’t want to play with him.” -Channing Frye on Michael Jordan (NBC Sports North West). Evan Fournier: @channingfrye bro you bugging for real. Lol. Channing Frye: Boris Biaw is the best French player of all time. Evan Fournier: Lol na you aint getting away from that statement with this s—.
– via Twitter EvanFourmizz

No French player has carried a team like Rudy

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Utah Jazz forward Georges Niang told reporters a few days ago that every NBA player he has spoken to since the season went on hiatus is eager for games to start up again, for the schedule to be completed and a champion to be crowned. In the same conversation, Niang gave some intriguing insight into how he is preparing to return to action should the season indeed be restarted.
– via Salt Lake Tribune

On May 8, the league granted teams the ability to reopen their practice facilities to players for individual, voluntary workouts, provided that the locale in which those facilities are situated have correspondingly eased stay-at-home restrictions amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
– via Salt Lake Tribune

“The guy that is on our training staff has to be in full [personal protective equipment] — whether that’s a mask, gloves; I know he’s carrying around a spray bottle and a towel,” Niang said. “So, basically every step that I take or wherever I go, that place is getting sprayed down.”
– via Salt Lake Tribune

Even if we’re still weeks away from an official comeback plan for resuming the season being officially announced, the simple process of hearing that practice facilities would be reopening meant a lot to Jazz players craving some semblance of routine. “Once you started hearing, ‘May 1st, the facility is going to open,’ and then it moved to May 8th, then it was May 11th and … the timeline has been the best thing. Guys just have been prepared to have a timeline for their life,” Niang said. “The season, it’s from one month to another month, the offseason is another month to another month, and I think guys are just excited that we’re kind of get some dates and some months nailed down to where we can finally feel like we can get back to somewhat of a normal [existence].”
– via Salt Lake Tribune

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Jonathan Feigen: Highlights of NBA Inside Stuff reunion so far. Clyde Drexler forced by David Robinson to admit he brought 2 left shoes to a Dream team practice. And John Stockton when asked if any current player is like him. After others all said ‘no,’ Stockton said there is one. Antetokounmpo.
– via Twitter Jonathan_Feigen