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  • #31
    Originally posted by TheBYUGuy View Post
    What exactly was it about last season that made you somewhat optimistic going in? I feel about the same about this season as I did last year. Another offseason where the Jazz needed some roster changes, basically did nothing except participate in the draft because David Stern tells them they're supposed to, and here we are again.

    I guess the biggest difference for me is that now that Jazz has a HOF coach. DDD, how many Lakers (players or coaches) were inducted into the HOF this year? Ha!
    Team Cohesion. I felt like the Spurs were getting older, the Nuggets were still the Thuggets with AI, Phoenix was getting older and worse, same thing with Dallas. Portland seemed to lack the veteran experience to make a big push. Despite the Jazz defensive shortcomings, the west seemed to be LA and everybody else. I felt like Utah, with another year of Deron Boozer and Okur with help from Korver Brewer and Sap were deep enough to make a run to be the number two seed. I don't feel the same now as a lot of other teams improved and now the Jazz seem the same only with potential chemistry issues with boozer.

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    • #32
      Originally posted by HuskyFreeNorthwest View Post
      There was an article in Saturday's DNews where DW said it would never be the same (I know I am not Gracey but I thought I would answer anyway). I didn't take it as being hurt still, rather that it isn't the same as it was when he was 20.
      That is he one. Thanks.

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      • #33
        Originally posted by Donuthole View Post
        I'd say that's a pretty fair evaluation and prediction.

        I have been harping on the back-to-backs for years. One of the reasons the Jazz struggle so much is because Sloan refuses to adapt his rotations for b2b games. As a result, Utah's depth goes to waste, where it would often be an advantage. Utah's schedule is especially difficult in this regard, as they don't play home games on Sundays, which results in a lot of back to back where they are traveling to the second game.
        This is the one thing I like about Popovich is that if his team is getting blown out he pulls the starters and sits them, no reason to kill yourself for a meaningless game in November.
        *Banned*

        Comment


        • #34
          Originally posted by cougjunkie View Post
          This is the one thing I like about Popovich is that if his team is getting blown out he pulls the starters and sits them, no reason to kill yourself for a meaningless game in November.
          I wonder how many times Pop's teams have mounted a comeback when down by 25 or more.

          Having said that, I realize that any missed comeback opportunities might be surpassed by the number of games his team is able to win by being "fresh" after not playing in the blowouts.
          Ain't it like most people, I'm no different. We love to talk on things we don't know about.

          "The only one of us who is so significant that Jeff owes us something simply because he decided to grace us with his presence is falafel." -- All-American

          GIVE 'EM HELL, BRIGHAM!

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          • #35
            Originally posted by HuskyFreeNorthwest View Post
            I am excited for this year. Boozer will have a big year playing for a contract/trade, probably Sloan's final year, DWill says his ankle is good to go, nobody expects anything from the Jazz. Everything is lining up to make this a banner year!
            I don't get the claim that Boozer will have a big year now that he is playing for a contract/trade. He was essentially playing for a contract last year too.
            As I lead this army, make room for mistakes and depression
            --Kendrick Lamar

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            • #36
              Originally posted by mpfunk View Post
              I don't get the claim that Boozer will have a big year now that he is playing for a contract/trade. He was essentially playing for a contract last year too.
              He did miss half the season.
              "Nobody listens to Turtle."
              -Turtle
              sigpic

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              • #37
                Originally posted by falafel View Post
                I wonder how many times Pop's teams have mounted a comeback when down by 25 or more.

                Having said that, I realize that any missed comeback opportunities might be surpassed by the number of games his team is able to win by being "fresh" after not playing in the blowouts.
                One thing I love about the jazz is they usually play every game like it is a one game season. It also usually is a bad thing.

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                • #38
                  How many b2b games do the Jazz have this year? Anyone less lazy than I willing to look it up?
                  Get confident, stupid
                  -landpoke

                  Comment


                  • #39
                    Originally posted by HuskyFreeNorthwest View Post
                    There was an article in Saturday's DNews where DW said it would never be the same (I know I am not Gracey but I thought I would answer anyway). I didn't take it as being hurt still, rather that it isn't the same as it was when he was 20.
                    I thought he was saying that it will never feel the way it did pre-injury. Not exciting news.
                    So Russell...what do you love about music? To begin with, everything.

                    Comment


                    • #40
                      Lakers thread averages 6.8 posts per day. Jazz thread 40 and counting per day. Speaks volumes.
                      Get confident, stupid
                      -landpoke

                      Comment


                      • #41
                        Originally posted by HuskyFreeNorthwest View Post
                        Lakers thread averages 6.8 posts per day. Jazz thread 40 and counting per day. Speaks volumes.
                        Dang straight!

                        Comment


                        • #42
                          Originally posted by MarkGrace View Post
                          I thought he was saying that it will never feel the way it did pre-injury. Not exciting news.
                          That is how I interpreted it too.

                          Comment


                          • #43
                            Orrin Hatch weighs in on Stock, Sloan and Malone.
                            http://www.deseretnews.com/blogs/1,5...0090924&sc=dmn
                            Get confident, stupid
                            -landpoke

                            Comment


                            • #44
                              Ronnie Brewer playing for a new contract? Or will the Jazz work to get an extension done before the year?

                              http://www.sltrib.com/jazz/ci_13439162

                              Contract year for Brewer?

                              No matter how much Ronnie Brewer has tried to block out the sound, no matter how much he's vowed to play the same way with or without a contract extension, the clock has been ticking since July 1 for the Jazz's starting guard.

                              As he opens the preseason, Brewer could be headed into a contract year. Or maybe not. The Jazz have until Oct. 31 to reach an agreement on an extension with Brewer, the last remaining member of their young core of players unsigned long term.

                              "You don't know, but at the same time, you should approach the season the same way if it's a contract year or not," Brewer said. "You want to go in there and be able to contribute to the team night in and night out.

                              "That's what I think I did last year, and that's what I try to plan on doing this year. If I get a contract, I mean, that's great. It's some stability for the future. But if not, I'm still going to go out there and play the same way, try to play as hard as I can every night."

                              Only two players from the 2006 draft class -- Toronto's Andrea Bargnani and Portland's Brandon Roy -- have signed extensions so far. For his part, Brewer expressed no frustration at having entered the season with the issue unresolved.

                              "No, not at all," Brewer said. "Realistically, I knew there was a lot going on, a lot was on the table, and I still think there is. So it doesn't bother me at all.

                              "As a player, all I can do is get myself ready for the upcoming season. I think I've done that and I think the rest of it will take care of itself."

                              If the Jazz and Brewer can't come to an agreement, Brewer would head into next summer as a restricted free agent. As of Monday, the Jazz had yet to start talks, according to Henry Thomas, Brewer's agent.

                              "The ball's in their court," Thomas said. "The way the rules are, they can offer an extension."

                              "That's something that we'll talk to his agent about, but I won't comment on negotiation," Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor said.

                              Brewer could be forgiven for feeling as if it's his turn. The past two summers, he's watched as the Jazz have signed Deron Williams ($62.6 million), C.J. Miles ($14.8 million) and Paul Millsap ($32 million) to more than $109 million in long-term contracts.

                              "It's definitely a good sign because those are all young players," Brewer said. "I think they're trying to build for the future. I consider myself one of those young players and one of those pieces to the puzzle to try to build around as a team.

                              "Hopefully, the Jazz organization feels the same way. I enjoy being here, I enjoy playing here. Hopefully, it'll take care of itself. I really can't worry about that in training camp or the start of the season or throughout the season."

                              At the same time, the Jazz already have $50 million committed to just four players -- Andrei Kirilenko, Williams, Mehmet Okur and Millsap -- for the 2010-11 season.

                              Brewer also must weigh the negatives of restricted free agency. Although teams are expected to spend, restricted free agents such as David Lee and Raymond Felton went unsigned this summer and returned to their teams on one-year contracts.

                              "Unfortunately for those guys, they weren't on the same page with their team," Brewer said, "and that's something you want to avoid, because going into training camp, going into the season, you want to have that behind you."

                              In the meantime, Brewer will look to build on a season in which he averaged 13.7 points in 32.2 minutes. That included a stretch in which he averaged 17.5 points during the Jazz's 12-game winning streak, including three consecutive games of 20 or more.

                              Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, however, didn't hesitate in answering Monday about where he wanted to see improvement from Brewer. "Better defense," Sloan said. "Get up and play people. Use his body, use his quickness. Being able to help people defensively."

                              "He's got great range," Sloan added. "He's got to learn to get up and be more physical with people. He's got a terrific body. Learn how to get your body on people and use it."

                              Brewer ranked sixth in the NBA in steals last season (1.7 a game), but Sloan sounded as if training camp invitee Wes Matthews had made a better impression than Brewer with his physical defense so far.

                              "You see what a difference that makes, instead of just playing off and just trying to play passing lanes all the time," Sloan said. "Get your body on people. Don't let them do what they want to do."

                              Brewer also continues to work on his shooting, after struggling in another playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers in which Kobe Bryant abandoned him on defense. Brewer shot just 40.8 percent as the Jazz were eliminated in the first round.

                              "I think it's all about confidence and being in rhythm," Brewer said. "Shooting the ball in this system, you get plays ran to you and you shoot it in rhythm, and hopefully I can do it better this year."

                              Much as he has every summer, Williams said he'd encouraged Brewer about his shooting.

                              "I think he always starts off the year good and then loses confidence a little bit as the year goes on," Williams said. "He's just got to try to keep that confidence up and shoot extra shots after practice so you keep that consistency, keep that confidence going."

                              Comment


                              • #45
                                Opportunities available for playing time at the 5.

                                http://www.deseretnews.com/article/7...r-centers.html
                                Considering Jarron Collins' departure left just one center on Utah's roster and seeing how interior defense has been a Jazz liability, now seems like a fine time to be one of the two 7-footers on the team.

                                Coach Jerry Sloan won't spell it out for the tallest guys on the squad — Kyrylo Fesenko and Kosta Koufos — but if he did, the writing on the locker room wall might look like this:

                                P-L-A-Y-I-N-G T-I-M-E A-V-A-I-L-A-B-L-E.

                                O-P-P-O-R-T-U-N-I-T-I-E-S.

                                C-A-R-P-E D-I-E-M.

                                *-%-$-@-!

                                "If they don't understand that and can't see that there's an opportunity there for them maybe to get some minutes, then I'm not going to tell them," Sloan said at practice this weekend. "I think they should know enough on their own maybe there's opportunities if they're willing to work at it, be ready when they're called on, keep a good, positive attitude."

                                Sloan needn't pull out the eye chart.

                                Fesenko and Koufos — who've shown flashes of exciting potential in their short careers along with some forgettable moments — both clearly see an opening in the door.

                                They both say they're ready to bust through it, too.

                                "I'm here to compete for a bigger role," said the second-year Koufos.

                                Different accent, same message from the Jazz's Ukrainian center, who says he's come a long, long way over the course of his first two seasons in Utah.

                                "I really feel great about this year, and I think I can prove to all my haters that Utah Jazz keep me for a reason," Fesenko said. "You'll see a whole new Fes."

                                Sloan sure hopes so but admits that's easier said than done.

                                "I tell him talk is cheap," he said. "All he has to do is go out here and perform, run the floor, use his big body. He's got a great body for basketball. He's thick, got good hands."

                                However, what the 22-year-old has seemed to lack — such as a drive to compete, to get into tip-top shape and to take things seriously — has counterbalanced God-given gifts and hoops skills.

                                Fesenko appeared in just 30 NBA games in his first two seasons, and spent time in the D-League with the Utah Flash.

                                But, having been given one more year thanks to the Jazz opting to pick up their team option on his rookie contract this offseason, Fesenko claims he's ready to prove he belongs in the league and on the court.

                                A sign of that, the big man said, was how he came to camp in his best shape ever. Fesenko didn't join the Jazz's summer-league team — something Utah management wasn't thrilled about — but he says he spent time improving himself, both physically and personally. On the free-throw line, too.

                                "My rookie year compared to where I am right now, it's not even comparable," he said. "It's like two different players, totally."

                                Remains to be seen whether that translates into more playing time behind Mehmet Okur after logging a mere 226 minutes so far — with averages of 2.1 points and 2.1 rebounds.

                                Fesenko does have a 7-foot-1, 300-pound body that can do damage inside if focused properly. He insists that is now the case, especially after he left his national team this summer in the middle of a tournament.

                                Fesenko didn't want to talk about his early exit from Ukraine's team but said the experience provided "a really valuable lesson for me."

                                As for Koufos, the 20-year-old focused this offseason on his strength and conditioning and tried "to improve every facet of the game."

                                There's no disputing Koufos busts his tail, and the Jazz appreciate that. But Sloan believes the Ohio State product needs to improve his grasp of "knowing what we're doing" in the Jazz system and reacting better to opponents. Koufos seemed lost at times last season, when he played in 48 games, starting seven, and averaged 4.7 points and 2.9 rebounds.

                                "You got to learn how to play basketball and he's still young," Sloan said. "That's always the exciting thing to see guys if they're going to make progress."

                                And if they do, Sloan will be willing to put them on the court more. He might be more open to that than ever, even admitting that he's reflected back on his career and conceded that he's made mistakes by not playing some guys sooner than he did (Bryon Russell, for instance).

                                "I wouldn't count anything out," Sloan said, "because you never know once you get started playing and guys get an opportunity to play a little more."

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