"You Gotta Love It Baby" Official Jazz thread

[MarkGrace]

Hayward said he only played in one exhibition game because nobody cared about winning. Kid reminds me of Stockton sometimes.

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

Jazz have made an offer to Josh Howard. Not sure how I feel about that one.

I read a tweet today that said no official offer had been made, but I'm not sure what time I read it. Any details on what was offered?

I've wondered about the overtures being made by Utah here. The roster currently has Hayward, Burks, Bell, and Miles on it, and a trim Millsap who apparently thinks he can get more minutes at SF (and the coaches seemed to agree with him to end the year last year). So where does Howard fit in?

He's long been a favorite of KOC since the Jazz worked him out multiple times coming out of college, and Sloan made plenty of mentions of liking Howard's ability to get shots off. But he certainly doesn't seem to fit the "mold" of what Mrs. Miller would choose and he's been hurt. But if they are indeed interested, does it signal Bell or Miles being cut? Or one of them being moved with Millsap in a trade?

On a separate topic, Harpring sure seems high on Memo and how a healthy Memo would fit with the other front court players.

[UtahJazzFan88]

I wouldn't mind Josh Howard if it was a one year contract.

[MarkGrace]

I read a tweet today that said no official offer had been made, but I'm not sure what time I read it. Any details on what was offered?

I've wondered about the overtures being made by Utah here. The roster currently has Hayward, Burks, Bell, and Miles on it, and a trim Millsap who apparently thinks he can get more minutes at SF (and the coaches seemed to agree with him to end the year last year). So where does Howard fit in?

He's long been a favorite of KOC since the Jazz worked him out multiple times coming out of college, and Sloan made plenty of mentions of liking Howard's ability to get shots off. But he certainly doesn't seem to fit the "mold" of what Mrs. Miller would choose and he's been hurt. But if they are indeed interested, does it signal Bell or Miles being cut? Or one of them being moved with Millsap in a trade?

On a separate topic, Harpring sure seems high on Memo and how a healthy Memo would fit with the other front court players.

@hoopshype HoopsHype

Free agent forward Josh Howard has received a firm offer from the Utah Jazz, we're told.

That's what I saw but the paper later reported that it wasn't accurate.

[Jacob]

Anyone interested in OJ mayo? Maybe a three is more important, in which case Id bring back Andrei over Howard.

Mayo for McRoberts being taked about again. I would consider throwing Milsap into a trade for Mayo. Consider this:
In a big man rotation, the 3rd guy gets about 20 minutes and the 4th gets 8 to 12. The fifth doesn't play. Kanter and pogo stick are 5th and 6th. Who is fourth? Who is third?

[smokymountainrain]

Anyone interested in OJ mayo? Maybe a three is more important, in which case Id bring back Andrei over Howard.

Mayo for McRoberts being taked about again. I would consider throwing Milsap into a trade for Mayo. Consider this:
In a big man rotation, the 3rd guy gets about 20 minutes and the 4th gets 8 to 12. The fifth doesn't play. Kanter and pogo stick are 5th and 6th. Who is fourth? Who is third?

I think it's important to develop Burks, so any deal for Mayo would have to include Roger Bell. As long as they can still find minutes for Burks, i'd be fine with Mayo.

[MarkGrace]

Just read through Hollinger's player profiles.

The best-kept secret in the NBA right now is Fesenko's monstrous defensive stats. It's not that one or two metrics point out his defensive value; it's that all of them do, without any pointing to the contrary.

Last season the Jazz were an eye-popping 11.91 points per 100 possessions better on defense with Fesenko on the floor, and this is not a new trend. The season before it was 8.67; in limited minutes his first two seasons he also had a strong differential.

Synergy Stats, meanwhile, rated Fesenko as the second-best defender in the entire league among players who faced at least 150 opponent plays; the season before he was first. And according to 82games.com, opposing centers had a PER of just 10.4 against him; the season before it was 12.9.

Despite his size, Fesenko doesn't block a ton of shots or dominate the boards. He just uglies up the game for opponents with his sheer hugeness, especially since he moves his feet fairly well for his size. And he can still get better -- he wasn't always fully engaged in Utah and needs to step up his commitment

.

Fesenko's defensive impact was always very apparent to me. Too bad he's such a bone-head because he has the potential to be a valuable defensive player for a long time.

An athlete in search of a game, Price's brutal offensive display last season may have been a career-ending performance. His -2.48 pure point rating was unspeakably awful; it is virtually impossible to play the point for any length of time and post a mark this bad. He very nearly had both the worst assist rate AND the worst turnover rate among point guards, eventually settling for second- and fourth-worst, respectively.

Price also had the worst shooting percentage among point guards at a ghastly 35.2 percent, and the worst true shooting percentage too.

haha. Man, Price is so bad.

Anyway, all of them are here: http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story...layer-profiles

If you don't have insider and want me to post somebody's profile, just let me know.

[UtahJazzFan88]

Knicks should go after Fesenko, lol. They need all the defensive help they can get. Chandler helps though.

I'd love to see all the Jazz players profiles posted.

[MarkGrace]

• Lightning-quick guard. Gets to basket at will and constantly draws fouls.
• Mediocre outside shooter. Doesn't see floor well and tends to dominate ball.
• Takes charges but overall defensive effort has tailed off. Injury-prone.

While Harris may not be everybody's first choice as a teammate because of how much he dominates the ball, there's no question he's effective. His devastating first step allows him to get to the line at a rate few guards can match -- his 0.49 FTA/FGA was third among point guards -- and it wasn't all about him either: He quietly upped his assist rate last season to a very respectable 8.9 per 40 minutes.

Defensively, Harris gave a bit more effort last season than the previous one, but that's damning with faint praise -- he was still a negative on that end, and with his quickness he shouldn't be. While Harris is very good at taking charges, too often he seems focused on his offense and checked out at the other end; it's so frustrating because early in his career he was one of the best defensive guards in basketball. Last season he was solidly below average in nearly every metric, continuing the trend ever since he was traded from Dallas.

Harris misses games every season with little hamstring tweaks and assorted bruises; last season he played 71, and he's averaged just 67 over the past four campaigns.

Harris

[MarkGrace]

• Smooth, long, left-handed wing who can score from outside or attack basket.
• Decent athlete but an inconsistent defender. Needs to improve effort, foul less.
• Takes too many long 2s off dribble. Shot selection, court vision need work.

Miles took a strong step forward as the go-to guy for Utah's second unit, averaging better than a point every two minutes -- the eighth-best scoring rate among small forwards. However, his percentages could stand to improve. Miles has a nice-looking stroke but his 3-point shooting continues to perplex; last season's 32.2 percent mark leaves him at 33.3 percent for his career. He also made only 36.8 percent of his long 2s, although many of these came under duress.

Miles is a good finisher who shot 66.7 percent in the basket area, but only a third of his shots came from here. With his quickness and handle, he should be able to get to the rim more. That would also help him draw more fouls.

Defensively, Miles needs to step up his game. His foul rate was the seventh highest among small forwards and Synergy Stats rated him the third-worst small forward. According to 82games.com, he struggled particularly defending against 2s, who lit him for an 18.0 PER in 2010-11 and 19.1 in 2009-10. Thus, part of the problem for Miles may be how he's used -- we need to think of him less as a combo wing and more as a pure 3.

At 24, Miles can still improve, and he may be able to take another step forward as a full-time small forward this season. He's an average player right now, but it's not hard to envision him making a few more 3s, getting a bit more consistent defensively, and turning into a valuable asset.

CJ Miles (the basketball playing version)

[MarkGrace]

Long-armed wing who excels at blocking shots from behind.
• Good ball handler and passer but lacks aggression and strength.
• Mediocre outside shooter but a very good finisher around the basket.

Largely viewed negatively because of a millstone contract that just expired and a mellow demeanor that at times made you wonder how much he cared, it's time now to see Kirilenko in a different light. He's still a very valuable secondary player because of his ability to contribute in multiple ways and play both forward spots. At 30 years old we can expect him to decline, but he can drop a fair way and still have value.

Kirilenko ranked ninth among small forwards in PER, and he was good in nearly every sub-category save turnovers. While he forces some ill-advised passes, he also was 14th at his position in pure point rating, so the assists more than offset the negatives. He still blocks a ton of shots for a wing (fourth among small forwards), he's a strong rebounder, and he draws lots of fouls (third among small forwards with 0.50 FTA/FGA).

While his shooting is an issue -- he'll have trouble repeating last season's 3-point percentage -- Kirilenko can also help as a small-ball 4 with the right team, which is something he hasn't done in Utah for a few years because of its frontcourt depth. Additionally, his defense remains a plus due to his length -- opposing small forwards mustered only a 12.2 PER against him. All told, he's a very solid get for a contending team on a short-term contract, and he appears to be well under the radar.

Klinks

[MarkGrace]

• Undersized, high-energy 4 who can score around basket or hit midrange jumpers.
• Excellent rebounder with good hands and wide frame. Good hands for steals.
• Size a problem defensively. Good passer. Moves well without ball into openings.

While the Jazz imploded around him, Millsap quietly had a career season that dispelled the notion that he can be effective only in limited minutes. Averaging 34.3 minutes a night, Millsap averaged better than a point every two minutes and flashed a devastating midrange game. Believe it or not, he led all players in shooting accuracy from 10 to 15 feet by making 51.6 percent. The season before he made 46.9 percent of his long 2s, so I would not treat this development as a fluke.

Millsap isn't a pure scorer -- most of his attempts are assisted -- but between pick-and-pops, dives to the rim and opportunistic plays around the basket he manages to put up consistently strong scoring and shooting numbers. His offensive boards have dropped off as he's become more of a scorer, but his overall rebound rate isn't bad.

Defensively, Millsap has quick hands and can stay in front of most players, but he struggles against length and isn't a factor challenging shots at the rim; as a result, opposing power forwards lit him for a 19.5 PER. However, his other data wasn't bad, and his lack of length is far more problematic because he's paired with Al Jefferson in the frontcourt. Additionally, he cut his foul rate enough to be a full-time starter last season.

Sap

[MarkGrace]

• Left-block post scorer with huge hands. Needs to improve versus double-team.
• Arsenal includes jump hook to 12 feet, great shot fake, and lethal drop step.
• Poor defender with slow reactions. Too slow for 4, but short for a 5.

Jefferson's isolating low-post game meshed terribly with Jerry Sloan's system, but after the coaching change at midseason he found his groove and played very well offensively down the stretch. Jefferson's post-All-Star splits dwarfed his pre-break numbers: 21.5 points compared with 17.6, 51.8 percent shooting compared with 48.4 percent, and 11.0 rebounds compared with 9.1. He even passed the ball once in a while, netting 2.5 assists after the break against 1.5 before.

Jefferson's value comes not from the accuracy of his left-block shots (always the left block -- though the right one is only 10 feet away, it might as well be in Tibet as far he's concerned) -- but rather that he can create so many without ever turning the ball over. Jefferson had the lowest turnover rate of any center at a scant 6.2, and while this is partly because he forced so many shots against double-teams, it's also a tribute to his great hands and footwork in the post. He virtually never picks up charging fouls or fumbles the ball making his move.

Jefferson's Synergy Stats numbers weren't bad, just as they weren't in Minnesota a season earlier, but his plus-minus numbers were again awful. Utah was an eye-popping 8.81 points per 100 possessions worse defensively with him on the court last season; a year earlier in Minnesota the carnage read -2.86. This reflects one fact: The problem with Jefferson isn't the plays he guards, but the ones where he never comes into the picture to provide help. Although he blocks shots, Jefferson is lackadaisical weakside defender and rim protector.

The obvious solution would be to move him to the 4, except that exposes Jefferson in other ways -- he's not terribly mobile and is reluctant to chase players on the perimeter. As an undersized 5, however, he requires a very strong defensive frontcourt mate. If Derrick Favors becomes that type of player it will help Jefferson considerably.

Jefferson

[MarkGrace]

• Mobile big man who likely will become elite defender in P.J. Brown mold.
• Fouls too much. Can finish and draw fouls, but offensive instincts are raw.
• Needs to improve ballhandling and low-post game to be long-term starting center.

It remains to be seen whether Favors' best long-term position is center or power forward, but he has the size and length to be a very good defender at either position and was already beginning to display those skills by the end of his rookie season -- particularly in his on-ball post defense.

Favors also ranked ninth among power forwards in blocks per minute and had a very good rebound rate as well, strong indicators going forward given that he was only 19 years old. However, he has to stop fouling so much. Favors was the third most frequent offender among power forwards at one every 6.2 minutes, making it virtually impossible to give him extended minutes; one hopes that with experience he can slash that number to something more reasonable.

Offensively, Favors doesn't seem to have a go-to move but is big enough to score some points anyway. The biggest issue right now is his free throw shooting. Favors drew a lot of fouls but made only 59.5 percent from the stripe, crushing his true shooting percentage.

Additionally, he's a pretty brutal ball handler. Favors had a bad turnover rate, which is normal for rookies and often indicative of future growth, but his assist rate was even worse. His lack of comfort with the rock inhibits his post game as well, and may be his biggest limitation going forward. He'll score some buckets just from his size and athleticism, but it's not clear if he'll ever be an instinctive offensive player.

Favors

[Jacob]

Interesting that you rarely hear really good things about Favors from anyone outside the Jazz. PJ Brown? Not what we are hoping for.
Thanks for posting those.