"You Gotta Love It Baby" Official Jazz thread

[MarkGrace]

Fear not, Jazz fans. GM Kevin O'Connor is exploring ways to move up in the draft. They have the Warriors' pick in 2013 (top-six-protected) and veterans like Paul Millsap, Al Jefferson and Devin Harris, and they might even be willing to add another young player (as long as you don't ask for Derrick Favors or Enes Kanter).

The question is, how high can they go? Their presumed target is Weber State's Lillard. They need a point guard and know him better than any team in the league. But if they could get higher and get an even better prospect, they would. They like Beal and Kidd-Gilchrist a lot, too.

From Ford this morning. I just really don't see anything like this happening.

[MarkGrace]

btw, Real didn't pick up Tomic's option, which gives them something else to work with. Though Real not picking up his option is not really a great sign.

[Blueintheface]

btw, Real didn't pick up Tomic's option, which gives them something else to work with. Though Real not picking up his option is not really a great sign.

Hopefully it means that Tomic indicated his desire to play in the NBA and it's not a performance issue. Wishful thinking I'm sure.

[Maximus]

From Ford this morning. I just really don't see anything like this happening.

Please move jefferson before sap. Or both.

[Blueintheface]

From Ford this morning. I just really don't see anything like this happening.

To reach to #6 would be outrageously expensive. No PG in this draft is worth moving 3 or 4 pieces IMO.

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

To reach to #6 would be outrageously expensive. No PG in this draft is worth moving 3 or 4 pieces IMO.

Unless you believe that GS was willing to give upt he 7th pick for Wilson Chandler.

[Blueintheface]

Unless you believe that GS was willing to give upt he 7th pick for Wilson Chandler.

I think at the end of the day we don't see the pre-draft movement we thought we would.

[MarkGrace]

To reach to #6 would be outrageously expensive. No PG in this draft is worth moving 3 or 4 pieces IMO.

Yeah, agree. I'd be interested in Lillard if he was sitting there and we had that pick from GS this year, but I'm not interested in giving up a bunch of pieces to get him.

[MarkGrace]

Hopefully it means that Tomic indicated his desire to play in the NBA and it's not a performance issue. Wishful thinking I'm sure.

He didn't play very well and I believe it was the team's decision not to pick up his option. He did have a solid showing in the playoffs, though.

[Blueintheface]

He didn't play very well and I believe it was the team's decision not to pick up his option. He did have a solid showing in the playoffs, though.

Not good. Fortunately I've come to accept that players who don't immediately make the jump are not difference makers anyway (at least in Jazz history).

I was at least hoping his value as a trade commodity would remain high though.

[Jacob]

Unless you believe that GS was willing to give up the 7th pick for Wilson Chandler.

Or if you believe that the Kings were considering Lowry and #14 for Tyreke and #5.

I really think GS wants to win now, and I think they can. So I'm not sure the #7 pick would be that expensive. I guess they are looking for a SF? If so, the Jazz have nothing to offer.

But if Portland at 6 or the Kings at 5 are interested in Millsap, I'd pull the trigger. Millsap is a good addition for Sacramento alongside Cousins, IMO, so that makes sense. And throw in Jimmer, of course. Makes more sense for the Kings than the Blazers.

I'm not sure what I'd give up for a 16-18 pick. Probably just next year's pick. But I'd definitely do that.

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

This quote from KOC helps portray my frustration with this organization at times.

"Our attitude is to continue to explore all opportunities to improve the team but not to make decisions based on short-term gains."

That is a typical KOC line when asked about trades or free agent additions. And I'm cool with that concept. But what gets frustrating is how inconsistent it seems with the way the team is coached. The front office is always acting like it is building towards the bigger goal, but the team is coached as if that game on Tuesday night in January is as important as any other goal the team might have. Rotations and playing time are set for short-term gains and not long term benefit. This is the team that clawed and fought to get into the playoffs to get the invaluable experience, and then shoved a rusty Josh Howard back into the starting lineup for the first 3 games of the series.

I know it takes a lot of luck to turn a team around as quickly as OKC did, but it might take even more luck to be a small market team that tries to build a true title contender while trying to remain competitive all the way through that build, especially after part of that process is trading away your best player for a rookie and draft pick.

[MarkGrace]

Ford has Barnes going at 8 in his last mock. Too bad that pick didn't work out for us, getting Barnes at 8 would have been nice.

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

Please no. Not unless there are some serious draft picks coming over as well.

The Utah Jazz have emerged as the potential third team in the Los Angeles Clippers' ongoing trade discussions to acquire Lamar Odom from the Dallas Mavericks, according to sources close to the process.

Sources told ESPN.com that the Jazz are willing to take on Mo Williams in a three-team trade scenario that would send Odom to the Clippers and enable the Mavericks to shed Odom's salary without taking back any salary.

The ball now is now in Williams' court. The trade cannot be completed unless Williams agrees to invoke his $8.5 million player option for next season by Saturday's deadline, which means that the 29-year-old is essentially deciding if he wants to return to the Jazz where he began his career in 2003-04 -- or test free agency this summer.

The Jazz can absorb Williams' salary without sending a player to the Mavericks by using a trade exception created by last season's trade of Mehmet Okur to New Jersey.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/81...-clippers-deal

[Donuthole]

Please no. Not unless there are some serious draft picks coming over as well.



http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/81...-clippers-deal

Nothing displays an attitude of exploring all opportunities to improve the team but not make decisions based on short-term gains like taking on an oft-injured, overpaid, shoot-first PG whose productivity has steadily declined over the last 4 years.