"You Gotta Love It Baby" Official Jazz thread

[smokymountainrain]

Exum finally had a nice game for Australia. After being demoted to 3rd string, he got 31 minutes in a game the Aussies were trying to lose against Angola in order to avoid the U.S. in the quarterfinals. Exum finished with 12 pts, 6 assists and 4 TOs in the successful loss.

Raul Neto put up 14 pts and 10 assists on 7/7 FGs in a blowout win over Egypt.

[Maximus]

Exum finally had a nice game for Australia. After being demoted to 3rd string, he got 31 minutes in a game the Aussies were trying to lose against Angola in order to avoid the U.S. in the quarterfinals. Exum finished with 12 pts, 6 assists and 4 TOs in the successful loss.

Raul Neto put up 14 pts and 10 assists on 7/7 FGs in a blowout win over Egypt.

Exum is 3rd string for Australia? well that gives me a lot of hope

[smokymountainrain]

Exum is 3rd string for Australia? well that gives me a lot of hope

He's been terrible so far in the WC. The 12 points against Angola may surpass his point total from all his other games combined.

[MarkGrace]

David (Seattle, WA)


Kevin, Jazz fan here. Based on what we've see out of Exum during summer play and the Worlds, how concerned should I be about him?
Kevin Pelton
(3:11 PM)


I don't think you should be concerned at all. He's 19. He's nine months removed from playing Australian high school basketball. The Jazz didn't draft him to contribute immediately. I don't get the notion that he should be dominating players many years his senior.

Phil (Salt Lake City, UT)


Zach Lowe had a good article on Rudy Gobert yesterday. He's played very well this summer both in the NBA summer league and with the French national team. Any thoughts on his upside as an NBA player?
Kevin Pelton
(3:24 PM)


Zach's take was good. I'm a little more optimistic than him that Gobert will be a part of the Jazz's future, probably because I'm more skeptical about Kanter being a part of it. The tools are clearly there for Gobert, and that's what we're seeing from him this summer. The question is translating them on a consistent basis against NBA-caliber opposition.

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/51091

I submitted both of those

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/51091

I submitted both of those

You need to start using board members names and locations for submissions as shoutouts. Personally I'd be flattered.

[Donuthole]

You need to start using board members names and locations for submissions as shoutouts. Personally I'd be flattered.

I think he has done that before. Or maybe it was Sizzle.

[MarkGrace]

You need to start using board members names and locations for submissions as shoutouts. Personally I'd be flattered.

The first one was from David Blood. Just trying to keep his location a secret.

[Sizzle]

I think he has done that before. Or maybe it was Sizzle.

Guilty

[MarkGrace]

The Jazz ranked No. 14 in these rankings last year but dipped to No. 21 this season with essentially the same roster. What gives?

A couple things seem to be pressing for Utah. They had to overpay Gordon Hayward this summer, essentially stripping them of much of their cap room and cap flexibility.

The Hornets offered Hayward a crazy four-year, $62 million deal the Jazz had to match. Hayward's deal, combined with Derrick Favors' extension, means the Jazz are going to have make some tough decisions on Enes Kanter and Alec Burks. While they theoretically have cap space in the summer of 2015 and 2016, they won't have much wiggle room if they sign either or both players to a significant contract.

Second, while the Jazz's roster is intriguing, they've yet to add that go-to player who could be a star. Their roster feels like a collection of good second or third starters on a playoff team. That's why they are ranked No. 20 in roster despite so many young, promising players.

The Jazz thought they had a chance to bring home a franchise player in one of the best drafts of the past decade. But when they fell to fifth in the lottery, the three players they most coveted -- Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker and Joel Embiid -- were all out of the picture. Still, there's hope that Dante Exum could be that player. He has a very high ceiling and has unique size and skill for his position. But he was one of the youngest and least experienced players in the draft and likely it will be a couple of years before he has a positive impact on the Jazz's win-loss record.

The Jazz's other three scores in market, management and draft stayed about the same. Everyone knows Utah isn't a top-flight free-agent destination. Management, now led by GM Dennis Lindsey and new head coach Quin Synder, has been making good decisions, but they have not distinguished themselves yet. As for the draft, the Jazz should be looking at a couple of more lottery picks in the next few years plus another first-round pick from the Warriors -- which is why they rank fourth in the draft category.

While the Jazz no longer have the same sunny forecast they did several Future Power Rankings ago, if the rankings window was five years instead of three, their future would be much brighter.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/FuturePowerRankings-1-140908/nba-future-power-rankings

[Jacob]

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story...power-rankings

In other words, the Jazz haven't moved any closer to becomine a competitive basketball team and may even be further away (due to new salaries and cap space) than they were last year.

Awesome!

That stinks, but I don't really blame them. I think that overall, they've made the right moves over the past year, even though a few minor, and maybe inconsequential, moves are baffling.

[smokymountainrain]

In other words, the Jazz haven't moved any closer to becomine a competitive basketball team and may even be further away (due to new salaries and cap space) than they were last year.

Awesome!

That stinks, but I don't really blame them. I think that overall, they've made the right moves over the past year, even though a few minor, and maybe inconsequential, moves are baffling.

At least their draft pick was dominating, playing well, average, showing signs, helping his team, playing a little bit of basketball this summer.

[MarkGrace]

At least their draft pick was dominating, playing well, average, showing signs, helping his team, playing a little bit of basketball this summer.

lol

[MartyFunkhouser]

At least their draft pick was dominating, playing well, average, showing signs, helping his team, playing a little bit of basketball this summer.

Jazz really need to arrange a scrimmage with some local high schools get him some confidence.

[smokymountainrain]

I didn't see the game but apparently GoBear dominated a loaded Spain team today in the World Cup.

http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2014-09-10/rudy-gobert-utah-jazz-fiba-world-cup-france-spain-tony-parker-pau-gasol

[MarkGrace]

Wow...didn't anticipate Spain losing. They had a legit shot to beat us in the final.