2022 Camp begins-The tank is on

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Chris Fedor: #Cavs Evan Mobley will make his preseason debut tomorrow night in Orlando. Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen will not travel make the trip.
– via Twitter ChrisFedor

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Andrew Greif: The Clippers say they have waived Xavier Moon, Malik Fitts and Nate Darling.
– via Twitter AndrewGreif

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Dan Woike: Darvin Ham said he speaks to Quin Snyder once a week – joked that he’s working for the Lakers pro bono while collecting a “Utah check.”
– via Twitter DanWoikeSports







Mike Curtis: Kevin Knox and Bojan Bogdanovic are available tonight. Killian Hayes, Hamidou Diallo, Nerlens Noel, Isaiah Livers and Alec Burks are out.
– via Twitter MikeACurtis2

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Michael Scotto: Sources: The Phoenix Suns have waived guard Saben Lee, @Jorge Sierra has learned.
– via Twitter MikeAScotto

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Eric Walden: Malik Beasley and Udoka Azubuike remain OUT for the Jazz’s preseason finale Friday vs. the Mavs
– via Twitter tribjazz

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Nobody was more happy to be practicing on Thursday than Udoka Azubuike. It was the first time in seven months that the third-year center has been able to fully participate with the Utah Jazz. Early on Thursday morning Azubuike was cleared for full participation in practice after weeks of working on his own. “I was excited about it,” Azubuike said. “We did some exercises in the morning before practice, and that felt good. Then, me going out there, getting a rep and you know, I’m just excited. It really felt good.”
– via Sarah Todd @ deseret.com

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Callie Caplan: Only Davis Bertans (right knee effusion) on Mavs’ status report for preseason finale in Utah. Expect dress rehearsal-like lineups and rotations for Luka Doncic and the gang to start tomorrow night.
– via Twitter CallieCaplan

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https://kslsports.com/494163/mike-co...on-stoudamire/

Butler benefited from the help, dishing out seven assists against the Spurs and looking more like a point guard than he ever did in college.

he's definitely looked like a pg at least since summer. He's certainly the best player to run the O other than Conley

Conley was a popular name thrown out in trade talks during the offseason with the veteran guard still holding value for teams looking to make a deep run in the playoffs. And, if the right package were to be offered to the Jazz, there’s a very real likelihood he could be on the move.

just a matter of time. Keep him healthy! He can certainly still play

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https://www.deseret.com/2022/10/13/2...-full-practice

Azubuike is in a precarious situation with the Jazz. While he’s finally progressing and making his way back from being sidelined, the Jazz need to finalize their roster by 3 p.m. MDT on Oct. 17, and he is one of the players that’s at risk of not making the final cut.

can't see him being cut unless they think he will always have problems with the ankle. He showed he's at least a back up in this league last year

The Jazz still need to shed two of the full contract players on the roster in order to round out the 15-man regular-season roster, and with Kelly Olynyk and Walker Kessler both guaranteed to play pretty significantly, it’s hard to see a path forward for Azubuike with the Jazz.

Olynyk will be traded eventually and Kessler is guaranteed time over a guy that has already shown he's an NBAer? Kessler has looked good but he's behind Udoka until he proves it in the regular season. The Stars are here for a reason. Udoka might start the year with the Stars while he ramps up maybe? Olynyk has been their PF with Vanderbilt at the 5 anyway. Gay could be the one benched or stretched?

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https://www.deseret.com/2022/10/13/2...rseys-schedule

The Twitter account Jazz Uniform Tracker was the first to give a breakdown of the schedule on Tuesday, but Utah will wear its white threads 28 times, its black ones 26 times, its purple ones (the throwback mountain jerseys) 18 times and its yellow ones 10 times.

yikes!

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The Suns have not inquired about Clarkson. I think it has to do with the money. Remember the sons are luxury taxpayer right now.

– via Spotify



I think this saved them tax. Crowder makes more.

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The Minnesota Timberwolves will name third-year wing Jaden McDaniels as the starting small forward to begin the 2022-23 season, league sources told Yahoo Sports. McDaniels, 22, has been preparing for the role during this preseason in what will be his first opportunity as a full-time starter. The 6-foot-9 wing will be tasked with defending the opposition’s best perimeter scorers and adding versatility and athleticism to a starting unit that will feature D’Angelo Russell, Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns and newly acquired Rudy Gobert.
– via Chris Haynes @ Yahoo! Sports

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http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=2jq4746c

this cuts their tax bill

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https://saltcityhoops.com/starting-5...es-the-future/

Clark Schmutz: I am a little bit surprised that Sexton looks like he may not start for the Jazz although I understand wanting to avoid a tiny backcourt with him and Mike Conley, both listed at 6’1″. The former Cav seems fine right now with a bench role, but is that because he thinks he will be put in the starting lineup when he’s healthier? I’m going to keep an eye on that situation because balancing that dynamic will be a test for Will Hardy.

I think it is clear to anyone that they are showcasing their best player Conley. Sexton's time will come

Tyler Crandall: The most notable exclusion from Hardy’s regular rotation has to be Ochai Agbaji. The rookie wing was hyped as a late lottery pick, the Cavs were reluctant to let him go, and he was the most intriguing future piece in the Donovan Mitchell deal. However, because Agbaji is under team control for so long, it’s probably less pressing to develop him and figure him out.

Stars. Doubt Kessler would have been playing over Udoka either

Zarin Ficklin: Hardy has favored veterans in his initial rotations. Intriguing rookies like Agbaji and Simone Fontecchio have seen little play. There are some plausible explanations: Hardy may be establishing a culture of earning minutes. He may be showing respect to the veterans, hoping for locker room dividends. He may be helping the front office build trade value in players that may not be on the roster later in the season. And it’s not like Agbaji or Fontecchio have blown the doors off in their debuts. It makes long-term sense for the Jazz to give their rookies reps this season, but Hardy has a lot of objectives to balance, and preseason is a good time to try things that may not hold through the full season.

there are reps with the Stars. The Italian should be past that stage but as he's learning the American game he might spend some time there too

Mark Russell Pereira: Sexton not starting is a head-scratcher for me. Other than Conley’s playmaking, Sexton has the best, most established NBA skill of any player on the roster: efficient volume scoring. Jazz fans very much understand the defensive peril of starting two 6-footers in the backcourt, but I care a little bit more about the team figuring out their offense than their defense. Kelly Olynyk needs to start as the only competent center, and Lauri Markkanen is way too good to keep on the bench. So for the two remaining starting spots alongside Conley, I was surprised to see Hardy go with Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt. I would much rather see what Sexton can do as a starting guard alongside Conley than either of Beasley or Vanderbilt, who I project as just “guys” who won’t mean as much to the Jazz rebuild when all is said and done.

they aren't figuring out much other than who's getting traded next and how they lose most of their games. Udoka was competent last year. I like Zeller more than Olynyk. Vanderbilt might be more likely to be around after their lottery picks start joining than Sexton

Clark: The logical candidates in my mind are Conley, Sexton, Jordan Clarkson, and Markkanen and I’m going to go with Markkanen. It’s the right combination of skill, role, and timing for him to break out.

Conley is their best player. It's pretty clear

Mark: Markkanen is primed for a big year as a focal point of an offense led by a good coach. I don’t think Markkanen has an All-Star-level ceiling, but I expect him to be a passing mention in writers’ All-Star selection columns and opinions. Markkanen has grown a lot as a player while operating as a tertiary option for weird and bad Cleveland and Chicago teams. I believe there is a great chance that his improvement will be way more apparent as a primary focus of the offense. I’m betting on a 20 points, 8 rebounds per game season from Markkanen.

that's a lot to expect from someone his age that has never been close to those numbers

Clark: Given contract control and age, Kessler and Agbaji are the obvious answers. If I had to choose one, I’d go with Kessler. As a bonus I’d also say that only three Jazzmen will be on the next contending team: Kessler, Agbaji, and Markkanen.

be surprised if Lauri is around past Feb.

Zarin: I’m going to throw a curveball and say Kessler. While any of the youngish vets like Markkanen, Sexton and Vanderbilt could contribute toward a contending team, they have a higher chance of being traded or leaving in free agency by the time the Jazz are contention-ready. Walker and Agbaji have the best chance of being on the team long-term due to their rookie-scale contracts. While Agbaji has all the tools of a coveted wing prototype and is a lottery talent, I’ve just seen a lot more out of Kessler in the first three preseason games. Sure, those last four words are important. We’ve seen very little, and Agbaji could easily end up the better player. But from the glimpses we have seen, Kessler already looks like he belongs in the league, positional trends aside.

Kessler is younger too

David: The Jazz have several promising players that will get ample opportunity to prove themselves worthy of being a cog or in some cases, a cornerstone, for the team’s future. Again, Sexton and Markannen have multiple years on solid contracts, so will get the chance to show their long-term value. It is hard not to be excited about rookie Walker Kessler. He is smart, moves well without the ball, has great defensive instincts, and plays within himself. I’ve been impressed with his agility on-the-ball and as a help defender. He may end up being the best player that came to Utah in the Gobert trade.

likely the best player from that trade

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https://www.slcdunk.com/2022/10/14/2...on-nba-preview

In reality, there’s some urgency here for the Jazz to get these players developed. Timelines and windows for this team are not what they used to be, and when you have a set of all-stars on your team, you have to be able to maximize your chances. If the Jazz continue to do silly things like play Mike Conley and Rudy Gay over their young players, it’s messing with valuable development time. Every minute counts!

Conley has value. He has to be showcased and hopefully kept healthy. Would be nice if Gay showed enough for them to be able to trade him too but I'm not sure that is possible?