"You Gotta Love It Baby" Official Jazz thread

[MarkGrace]

Charles was spot on with his assessment. I'll be sorry to see his offense go and really don't care that he's "getting his" for selfish reasons but I will say it has the added benefit of increasing his trade value. That is if O'Connor does the only logical thing and trades him before the deadline, playoffs be damned. The future of the Jazz and especially Williams tenure in Utah is at stake here.

I get the impression the Jazz are not going to trade Booz. This is what Hollinger said today in chat:

Jay (Tacoma, WA)


With Boozer's good play, are other teams more likely to up their trade offers? Or are the Jazz more likely to just ride it out, win as much as they can, and risk seeing him walk in July?
John Hollinger
(3:49 PM)


I see the latter scenario, because the reality is that it's tough to come up with a truly fair offer for Boozer that doesn't paint the Jazz into just as deep a luxury tax corner next season. The best option is to just let him have his contract year and then see the money fall off the books.

I agree that this is the most likely scenario. IF you could work it so that Boozer stays, then I think the wise move would be to deal the NY pick for a player that can help you compete now, since Booz and Deron are both at their peaks. However, if you are going to let Booz walk at the end of the season (and again, I get the feeling this is going to happen), then you have to hold on to that pick and use it to start to rebuild. My guess is they take a 4/5 (a guy like Favors would be great) and replace Booz on the payroll with that rookie contract. And if this is indeed what's going to happen, there's no reason to even play for the playoffs this year -- we'd be much better off finishing in a position that allows us to keep our own 1st rounder.

How this all sits with Deron is anyone's guess. If I'm him I don't want to waste ages 25-27 playing with a team that's trying to get back on its feet, and I'm guessing the Jazz don't want that either given how much $$$ they've committed to the guy. Who knows what will happen.

[MarkGrace]

Did anyone catch Charles Barkley on Iniside the NBA after the Spurs game last week when he talked about Boozer? His point was that the Jazz are dead men walking this year because nobody on the team was going to run through the wall to win with Boozer on the team, knowing he isn't back next year. Kenny agreed with that, EJ though it would matter more if it were a coach instead of a player and Weber shrugged a lot.

The comment might have made sense when the Jazz were struggling, but it came in the middle of some of the Jazz best ball this season. It was puzzling for him to say that Boozer is detracting from the team when the team's best ball was coinciding with Boozer's best play.

The guys asked Deron about it tonight on-set at TNT. This was his response:

"There has to be tension in the locker room when you are on a team everyone has to buy into we are trying to win and you think you are going to be together a long time, clearly the elephant in the room is Carlos Boozer who is going to be a free agent who you guys are probably not going to resign. Is there talk or tension about that?

Deron: I think in the off season there was, but not now, the way he has came back and played and gotten along with everyone. We don't know what's going to happen next year.

I think this is pretty much what happened at the beginning of the year. Everyone kind of assumed Booz was gone, Deron seemed to endorse Sap over Booz, Sap got a contract believing he was headed for the starting lineup, and then all of sudden Booz is back. That definitely had to make it kind of odd in the locker room, and I think several guys struggled as a result. Things seem to have straightened out a bit since then, and we'll know for certain they are back on track when they finally beat the Timberwolves.

[MarkGrace]

Just buildin' themselves a brick house tonight.

[TripletDaddy]

Just buildin' themselves a brick house tonight.

Jazz are in legit danger of scoring less than 60 points tonight.

[TripletDaddy]

Good newzz. Looks like Utah will hit the coveted 60-point plateau here in the mid 4th quarter.

[falafel]

Good newzz. This thread will surpass the Lakers thread in no time, given that even DDD can't stay away from it.

[MarkGrace]

Looks like CJ may take his starting spot back. He started the second half in place of Matthews.

[LiveCoug]

Looks like CJ may take his starting spot back. He started the second half in place of Matthews.

He is playing well. I think Miles starting with Matthews off the bench is the right move

[MarkGrace]

A win on the road!

[LiveCoug]

CJ to start over Matthews tonight. Good move.

[scottie]

CJ to start over Matthews tonight. Good move.

Article:

ORLANDO, Fla.--Wesley Matthews’ time in the Jazz’s starting lineup will come to an end tonight after 19 games, with coach Jerry Sloan opting for C.J. Miles’ experience against the Orlando Magic.

Sloan played Miles ahead of Matthews in the second half of Saturday’s victory over Charlotte and made the change to his starting lineup official at Monday’s pregame shootaround at Amway Arena.

“You see a lot of young guys having to adjust and do the different things in the game,” Sloan said. “You’ve got to be able to do that. C.J. has the ability to do that probably a little bit better because he’s been here five years. Wes has been here two months.”

Sloan cited Miles’ experience and length as two factors in the decision, with Miles possibly having an edge over Matthews in battling bigger guards in the post as well as rebounding from the wing position.

The Jazz, however, were 13-6 with Matthews’ starting. The undrafted rookie from Marquette also has consistently been the team’s top graded defender. Matthews played only seven minutes Saturday and his role off the bench is unclear.

“He’ll be fine hopefully if he’ll just continue to work and wait for another opportunity to come up,” Sloan said, adding, “We like what he’s been able to do and I think he’ll be a good player in this league for a long time.”

Miles will be playing his 10th game tonight since returning from left thumb surgery and was a full-time starter last season. Matthews, meanwhile, tried to take the change in job description in stride.

“All I can worry about is what I can control,” Matthews said. “I can’t control if I start the game, when I get put in, if I get put in, none of that. All I can do is, when I’m in there and if I’m in there, be me.”

Asked if he could understand the experience argument from Sloan’s perspective, Matthews said: “I am a rookie, but I haven’t played like it and I can’t play like it with this type of system and this type of environment. I respect his decision, and we’ll go from there.”

[JohnnyLingo]

Well, Simmons has declared John Wall will be far and away better than Deron.

If the Jazz get that #1 pick, they should trade Williams.

To his credit, Klostermann responded by asking Simmons why he hates Deron.

The good news is that the stupid Knicks are better than they've been for nine years, so the Jazz won't have to worry about it.

[MarkGrace]

Terrible finish tonight. When we finally started getting stops at the end, we just hucked up 3's on offense.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

Well, Simmons has declared John Wall will be far and away better than Deron.

If the Jazz get that #1 pick, they should trade Williams.

To his credit, Klostermann responded by asking Simmons why he hates Deron.

The good news is that the stupid Knicks are better than they've been for nine years, so the Jazz won't have to worry about it.

Maybe it was the movie Celtic Pride, but there is something that Simmons doesn't like about the Jazz. I remember reading during Amare's second year in the league Simmons in a column stating that Amare was already well beyond Karl Malone in terms of all-time PFs. Maybe he has just discovered how easy Utahans are to troll?

[LiveCoug]

Peter Fehse! Yes!

http://www.newsok.com/article/3426825