"You Gotta Love It Baby" Official Jazz thread

[Blueintheface]

When the Sixers lose can I start my annual campaign to have the Jazz trade for Iguodala?

The Jazz will trade for him when he's past his prime. It's what we do best.

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

The Jazz will trade for him when he's past his prime. It's what we do best.

Time to go get the tentpole.

[ame="http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insider/columns/story?columnist=haberstroh_tom&id=6436240"]NBA: Five two-way players that teams can build around, and five big-name one-dimensional players they can't - ESPN[/ame]

Last week, we witnessed Zach Randolph, a perennial 20-point and 10-rebound player on a playoff team, sign a big-time, four-year extension worth an annual $17.8 million. That kind of money is only reserved for a franchise player, or what I like to call a tentpole -- a player a team can build around who is productive on both ends of the floor.

But is Randolph really a tentpole? Yes, he's a tentpole as sturdy as his frame. Considering both ends of the floor, there's substantial evidence to suggest he's a better long-term option than, say, Amare Stoudemire, who loves to score but loves to see his opponent score, too.

How can we tell? As observers of the game, our perceptions are skewed to reward offense, since that's pretty much all we can find in the box score. To curb those biases, I've created an all-in-one value metric that takes PER a step further, expanding our scope on defense. For the offensive component, we'll use offensive PER, a cousin of John Hollinger's PER, which you can find on 82games.com, that strictly looks at offensive production (no blocks or steals considered).

Defense is less straightforward, so we'll need to call in the ringers. We'll package together three of the most comprehensive defensive metrics in the public forum: opponent PER, which tells us the PER of a player's counterpart in the opposing lineup; defensive plus-minus, which tells us how the team defense improved with a player on the court; and Synergy Sports' defensive efficiency rating, which uses countless hours of scout video tracking to assess a player's defensive acumen. I combined the three ratings to come up with a rating that ranges from 1 to 100, in which 50 is average and 100 is the cream of the crop. That's the defensive component. Both are on a 100-point scale.

Andre Iguodala -- Offense 65, Defense 95
LeBron will tell you that only two players have averaged 14 points, five rebounds and six assists this season: himself and Iguodala. It's fitting the two have gone head to head in the opening round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, because in many ways Iguodala is LeBron Lite, a wing player who impacts the game in so many ways on both ends of the floor.

Iguodala's reputation has swung like a pendulum over the past few seasons, from underappreciated to overpaid to underappreciated again. Sure, he's been hobbled this season, but the 27-year-old still ranks as one of the best defenders in the league. According to 82games, his opponent PER is a league-best 8.8, which means he basically reduces his counterpart to Travis Outlaw-esque production. That's value. Iguodala's ability to guard multiple positions has also helped the Sixers play four points better per 100 possessions with the 6-foot-6 freak athlete on the floor. He may not be a go-to scorer, but he doesn't need to be to have a major positive impact on the game.

Al Jefferson -- Offense 87, Defense 31
The good thing is, at 26 years old, Jefferson is still relatively young. That said, he'll need all the time he can get to reverse the harrowing trends. Jefferson had the worst defensive on-court/off-court differential in the NBA this past season, as the Utah Jazz hemorrhaged 111.8 points per 100 possessions with him on the court and just 103 points with him sitting.

Individually, his counterpart on the opposing team has beaten up on him all season. The average player in the NBA has a 15 PER, but power forwards against Jefferson have posted a 24.4 PER. Centers against Jefferson? 16.6. All the post moves in the world won't do a thing to mitigate his matador act on the other side of the floor.

Other offense/defense numbers from the article:

LeBron: 100/97 (unreal...especially in a "down" year for him)
Randolph: 94/65
LaMarcus Aldridge: 97/79
KG: 91/95
Bynum: 92/98
Amare: 94/18
Boozer: 84/26
Monta Ellis: 76/27
Kevin Martin: 89/40

[Sizzle]

Time to go get the tentpole.

NBA: Five two-way players that teams can build around, and five big-name one-dimensional players they can't - ESPN







Other offense/defense numbers from the article:

LeBron: 100/97 (unreal...especially in a "down" year for him)
Randolph: 94/65
LaMarcus Aldridge: 97/79
KG: 91/95
Bynum: 92/98
Amare: 94/18
Boozer: 84/26
Monta Ellis: 76/27
Kevin Martin: 89/40

As bad as Big Al's defensive numbers might have been, I laugh to see Booz was worse.

[MarkGrace]

As bad as Big Al's defensive numbers might have been, I laugh to see Booz was worse.

If you're somehow able to ignore Carlos Boozer's yelling on the court, you can actually hear opposing big men giggle in delight when they get to face the Chicago Bulls' defensively maligned big man.

haha...that was great.

[MarkGrace]

When the Sixers lose can I start my annual campaign to have the Jazz trade for Iguodala?

Can they use another PF?

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

Can they use another PF?

I think they could definitely use some front court help, some cap relief, an excuse to free up playing time for Turner, and another pick in this draft.

[MarkGrace]

Get your G-Hay rookie highlight mix here!
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DHeEm3BtE4"]YouTube - Gordon Hayward Rookie Season Mix[/nomedia]

[Blueintheface]

Get your G-Hay rookie highlight mix here!
YouTube - Gordon Hayward Rookie Season Mix

I think his neard makes him look a lot older.

[MarkGrace]

I think his neard makes him look a lot older.

Is that a neck beard? The shaggy hair makes him look older as well.

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

Is that a neck beard? The shaggy hair makes him look older as well.

That block on Crawford made him look growed up too.

[Blueintheface]

Is that a neck beard? The shaggy hair makes him look older as well.

Yes. I think HFN rocks a true neard.

[Blueintheface]

I will say, watching those highlights I understand the Ginobili comparisons. (I mean that sincerely).

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

I will say, watching those highlights I understand the Ginobili comparisons. (I mean that sincerely).

I didn't ever consider the Ginobli comparison until it was mentioned here and it seems to make sense on a lot of levels. I think another lefty, James Harden, is similar to those two. I think Hayward looks more like Harden at times on defense than he does Ginobli, but on offense Harden is another player that gets where he needs to go on the court w/o looking like the quickest guy, gets some big finishes at the rim at times, and does well handling the ball and passing.

[Blueintheface]

I didn't ever consider the Ginobli comparison until it was mentioned here and it seems to make sense on a lot of levels. I think another lefty, James Harden, is similar to those two. I think Hayward looks more like Harden at times on defense than he does Ginobli, but on offense Harden is another player that gets where he needs to go on the court w/o looking like the quickest guy, gets some big finishes at the rim at times, and does well handling the ball and passing.

Another good comparison. Well coached lefties, it seems, will always have an advantage because despite scouting and coaching, a defender's natural tendency is to move to their left (offensive player's right).

I may have commented before but while we're on the subject, I thought Hayward's defensive game against the Lakers might have been his watershed moment as far as NBA development, moreso than any offensive highlight.

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

Another good comparison. Well coached lefties, it seems, will always have an advantage because despite scouting and coaching, a defender's natural tendency is to move to their left (offensive player's right).

I may have commented before but while we're on the subject, I thought Hayward's defensive game against the Lakers might have been his watershed moment as far as NBA development, moreso than any offensive highlight.

That is one of the big reasons I'd love to see a guy like Iggy join the team. I hate that I'm going to point out another area where I agree with Locke here, but...so much focus used to be on a big time help defense presence in the paint being the anchor of a good NBA defense. But as contact has been limited more and more along the perimeter and as more and more big men drift out of the paint we're seeing an increase in the value of elite perimeter defenders.

Hayward moved really well on defense as a rookie, and probably most important his effort was right on that end of the court. He just needs to get stronger. But as he does gain strength, having him on the court at the same time as Iguodala would change the way the team can defend (assuming some decent coaching help is brought aboard, too).