"You Gotta Love It Baby" Official Jazz thread

[Bastage]

Pretty big stretch for the Jazz. Portland twice, Denver, Dallas, Lakers before the All Star break. (Sacramento and the Clips, too.) Majority of the games are at home.

[Donuthole]

Pretty big stretch for the Jazz. Portland twice, Denver, Dallas, Lakers before the All Star break. (Sacramento and the Clips, too.) Majority of the games are at home.

I'd be content with 4-3 through those games, happy with 5-2, and ecstatic with anything better. Ecstatic, i say!

[Indy Coug]

The Jazz continue to overachieve. Jazz Fans should get on their knees daily and thank God for Jerry Sloan.

[Donuthole]

The Jazz continue to overachieve. Jazz Fans should get on their knees daily and thank God for Jerry Sloan.

I am outraged at this statement. You've really got me upset.

[Bastage]

I've been on my knees daily thanking The Man Upstairs for Jerry as well as praying and fasting that the Knicks lose more so the Jazz can get John Wall. We can dream, right?

[MarkGrace]

Great comeback in a wild game. BTW, when exactly does potential turn into has-been in the NBA? Is it when an undrafted free agent comes in and basically shows up the guys in front of him on both ends of the court? IMO CJ has jumped the shark and Brewer would be most teams 2nd or 3rd choice. Matthews doesn't have the greatest shot in the world but he makes Brewer look like a WNBA player by comparison. He just doesn't get rattled and doesn't pass the ball when wide open with 2 on the shot clock. I like the chemistry and hustle that the team is playing with. Another aside, when did AK go into a time machine back to 2003?

CJ is certainly frustrating. One night every couple of weeks he looks like an explosive scorer, and the other nights he's shooting 1-7, 2-9, 3-11 and playing his patented brutal defense.

But I really like Wes. No, he doesn't have the greatest shot in the world, but I think at this point he's actually one of the team's better shooters. He's fifth on the team in 3pt% behind Korver, Deron, Memo and Price (which is a bit misleading since Price has only attempted 21 3pters) and his 48.4 efg% on jumpshots puts him behind only Korver and Deron.

He sure has been a find. And what's crazy is that I always find myself thinking how young CJ still is, but Wes is just 6 months older.

[Blueintheface]

He [Wes] sure has been a find. And what's crazy is that I always find myself thinking how young CJ still is, but Wes is just 6 months older.

I just hope his next contract isn't bigger than his head. Remember the old Milsap?

[MarkGrace]

I know what you're all thinking: Utah?

Utah?!

OK, Utah.

The Jazz are No. 1 in the Power Rankings, ahead of the mighty Cavs and Lakers, after rallying from 17 down to beat Phoenix on Monday night -- their latest high-profile win in a torrid 10-game stretch. The Jazz are 8-2 in their past 10 games, including six victories against teams with winning records, and several of the wins were impressive: They beat Memphis by 23 without Deron Williams, topped Miami by 29 and dumped Dallas by 18 on the road. They also, of course, had that dramatic nationally televised win over Cleveland, when little-known Sundiata Gaines hit a game-winning 3 at the buzzer.

Still, the Jazz are 26-18 overall, while the Lakers and Cavs are seven and eight games ahead of them in the standings at 33-11 and 35-11, respectively. Are we really saying that the Jazz are better than those two?

Let me offer a brief defense of the Jazz before I give the final answer:

1. The records lie
Utah is 26-18, but has the scoring margin of a team that should be 30-14. The Jazz haven't been fortunate in close games (5-8 in games decided by five points or fewer) but have been in nearly every other contest. Utah's only two blowout losses have come in the infamous 101-77 loss to the Lakers in which they scored only six points in the fourth quarter, and a 96-83 loss to Atlanta in which they pulled the starters when trailing by 27 in the middle of the third quarter.

As a result, the standings don't reflect Utah's true strength. Most notably, the Jazz trail Dallas by three games in the standings despite a much better scoring margin.

2. Their schedule has been difficult
The Jazz have played more home games than road games, something they have in common with several West rivals at this point (among the conference's upper crust, only the Mavs have played more on the road than at home). That may make it seem like the tough part of their schedule is still to come. In truth, the Jazz just finished the tough part and they slapped it around.

Utah opponents have a .521 winning percentage when not playing the Jazz; only Houston, Miami and Toronto have faced tougher slates thus far. Cleveland opponents are at .497 (19th), and the Lakers, at .512 (seventh), aren't too far behind Utah. But L.A. has had even more home cookin' than the Jazz, having played 26 home games and only 18 away from Staples Center.

Looking ahead, the Jazz should be able to make up some of the ground in the standings, as Utah faces only one elite team on the road the rest of the season (the Lakers). The next-best team the Jazz play away from home is Oklahoma City, with the rest coming against losing teams or fringe playoff contenders.

3. They have held up against the big guns
In addition to their well-chronicled 4-0 season sweep of the Spurs and the aforementioned win over Cleveland, the Jazz nearly beat the Cavs on the road without Williams on Nov. 14 (a 107-103 loss in Cleveland) and split the season series with both Orlando and the Lakers (with two more games against L.A. still to come). It's a small sample and I don't put a lot of weight on it, but since a lot of people want to compare how heavyweights did against one another, it's worth noting that the Jazz have held their own in this department.

4. Recent history
OK, this is the crux of the issue. The most recent 25 percent of games played are weighed most heavily by the Power Rankings, and that's only 11 games at this point in the season. It may not seem like it because they aren't on a huge winning streak -- they're 8-3 in their past 11 games -- but the Jazz have been far and away the best team in the league in that span.

Against the fourth-most-difficult schedule, the Jazz's average scoring margin over their past 11 games is plus-11.3 -- nobody else is better than plus-7.0. Even if you take away the scrimmage against the lowly Nets on Jan. 23 they're plus-9.1, and that's against opponents with an average winning percentage near .600; no other team has faced opposition better than .562 in the same stretch. Use any formula you wish, mutilate the calculation as badly as you want, and you'll still reach the same conclusion: The Jazz have been the league's best team over the most recent quarter of the schedule.

5. It's a compressed league
I keep getting back to this because it's true … and because it's a huge point. The Lakers and Cavs may have the two best records, but the margin between those two and the pack has never been as large as the distance last season between the top four teams and everybody else.

We perceive the Lakers and Cavs as miles ahead of the field, but in reality that hasn't been true. L.A. and Cleveland have scoring margins of 61-win teams, which is excellent but hardly dominant. Factor in the schedules, and the Playoff Odds project the Lakers and Cavs to finish with 57 and 60 wins, respectively.

Those are the two best projected records in the league, and nobody else projects to win more than 53 games. If that holds up, it would be the first time since 2002-03 that no team won more than 60 games, the first time since 2001-02 that the league didn't have multiple 60-game winners and the first time since 1987-88 (when it was a 23-team league) that there weren't at least three 55-game winners.

We're seeing that reflected in the Power Rankings. The Jazz, Cavs and Lakers all have ratings in the 106 range -- which is good, but in a normal year, it would not be leading the league. Nine teams behind them clump together with ratings between 102.3 and 104.8, and their positions shift almost daily. A second group of seven hopefuls between 100.0 and 101.5 stands in a similar herd.

Compaction is an important concept to remember when eyeing the Lakers, Cavs and Jazz as well. Remember, the number in the second column of the Rankings (overall record) is more important than the number in the first column (rating). Utah's lead over the other two is small enough in the first column (0.57 over L.A., 0.70 over Cleveland) that a bad outing in Portland on Wednesday night could easily shift the Jazz back to third.

So … on to the big question: Am I saying the Jazz are better than the Cavs and Lakers? Depends on what you mean by "better." The Jazz are playing better than anyone in basketball right now, and that's why they're No. 1 in the Power Rankings -- which, by nature, are designed to put a heavy weight on a team's current form. If the Jazz were to start a series against Cleveland or L.A. that tipped off Tuesday, I'd be seriously inclined to pick them.

But "better" in the global sense? I'm not going anywhere near there yet. The Jazz earned the top spot in the Rankings thanks to a lack of dominance from the league's elite and their own recent torrid play, and props to them for it. That said, I need to see them do it for more than a couple weeks before I anoint them as legitimate challengers to the throne.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insid...PERDiem-100126

[MarkGrace]

I just hope his next contract isn't bigger than his head. Remember the old Milsap?

I do. He looks substantially similar to the current Millsap. I'm giving Jerry credit right here because for the last month he's done what was needed earlier: reduced Memo's minutes in favor of Millsap.

Our best month this year has seen Okur hit a season low in mpg (26.5) and Sap hit a season high (27.6). I don't think that is purely coincidence.

The next step is to phase Memo out completely in favor of someone else. I'm just not quite sure how they're going to pull that one off.

[Bastage]

Time to get the championship parade route mapped out!!!

[Blueintheface]

I do. He looks substantially similar to the current Millsap. I'm giving Jerry credit right here because for the last month he's done what was needed earlier: reduced Memo's minutes in favor of Millsap.

Our best month this year has seen Okur hit a season low in mpg (26.5) and Sap hit a season high (27.6). I don't think that is purely coincidence.

The next step is to phase Memo out completely in favor of someone else. I'm just not quite sure how they're going to pull that one off.

My hope is that his role is only limited not eliminated. He is a confidence player and while not quite the "Money-man" he once was (hate that nickname incidentally) he can still hit a shot occasionally that few guys of his size can hit. My hope that Koufus or Fes would develop their game has faded and I await the next white stiff to come along. I say keep these near minimum guys, continue to NOT play them and as you suggest, keep increasing Paul's minutes.

[MarkGrace]

My hope is that his role is only limited not eliminated. He is a confidence player and while not quite the "Money-man" he once was (hate that nickname incidentally) he can still hit a shot occasionally that few guys of his size can hit. My hope that Koufus or Fes would develop their game has faded and I await the next white stiff to come along. I say keep these near minimum guys, continue to NOT play them and as you suggest, keep increasing Paul's minutes.

You can't justify 10mm a year as a limited player. I know that's what AK has become, but his K isn't justified either.

I still pretty much cry every day that Haywood gets paid 6mm to be a double-double plus two blocked shots and Memo gets 10mm when his only real skill is hitting outside shots. If we could get a guy like Haywood, I'd play him 30 mpg, give Booz about 36, and then Sap 30. You can match bigger front lines with Haywood and Boozer, and then bump Booz over to the 5 and put Sap at the 4 against smaller lineups.

But even without a guy like Haywood, I'd still love to get rid of Memo and just play a combination of Fess and Koof. Sucks to say, because Memo is everything I wish Boozer was (plays through injuries, loves Utah, extremely loyal, etc.), but I just don't think he fits the needs of this team.

[MarkGrace]

I'm a bit disappointed Wes didn't make the rookie team, but I didn't realize the roster was only 9 players.

Lawson was a major snub.

[MartyFunkhouser]

The intimidating Blazers lineup that the Jazz will be facing tonight:

C: the reanimated corpse of Juwan Howard
PF: LaMarcus Aldridge
SF: Martell Webster
SG: Steve Blake
PG: Andre Miller

In short, congrats in advance on the win tonight.

[Donuthole]

The intimidating Blazers lineup that the Jazz will be facing tonight:

C: the reanimated corpse of Juwan Howard
PF: LaMarcus Aldridge
SF: Martell Webster
SG: Steve Blake
PG: Andre Miller

In short, congrats in advance on the win tonight.

Ahh, the preemptive strike. An mpfunk staple, it seems.