"You Gotta Love It Baby" Official Jazz thread

[San Juan Sun]

I didn't write that very well, but it was Gobert who made the goaltending comment. He was interesting to listen to an in interview. He convinced me that he really does like to play. I'm excited to see where he is 4 years from now.

The French League?

[smokymountainrain]

I didn't write that very well, but it was Gobert who made the goaltending comment. He was interesting to listen to an in interview. He convinced me that he really does like to play. I'm excited to see where he is 4 years from now.

I read it wrong. Your writing was just fine. At times, I think i'm so anxious to point out what a moran Locke is, I read things how I want to see them.

[Blueintheface]

Those Kings highlights and the French League highlights were night and day different, and not just because it's practice versus game IMO. He seems to have found some foot work in the past few months that wasn't there in many of those previous highlights. I hope he makes it to the summer league.

[smokymountainrain]

Those Kings highlights and the French League highlights were night and day different, and not just because it's practice versus game IMO. He seems to have found some foot work in the past few months that wasn't there in many of those previous highlights. I hope he makes it to the summer league.

To that point, didn't Corbin or Lindsay mention that he'd improved significantly just from the time they'd seen him a few months ago, after having gone through the NBA workout circuit, to the time they had him in for a workout just prior to the draft?

[MarkGrace]

To that point, didn't Corbin or Lindsay mention that he'd improved significantly just from the time they'd seen him a few months ago, after having gone through the NBA workout circuit, to the time they had him in for a workout just prior to the draft?

Yeah, they made some comment like that.

[The_Douger]

Dwight Howard? Yikes. You're telling me that today, if you ran an NBA team with non-unlimited funds, you'd sign Dwight to a $20 million/yr deal?

And re: Rose, I just don't see him being the best guy on a championship team, ever. It's something about me hating shoot-first point guards. Too easy to stop if you're an elite defense.

I would sign him to that. I'm surprised you think either of the Gasol brothers is worth a max deal.

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

I've read a lot of speculation around different Jazz boards about what system works best for Burke, and which teammates should be put around him to make him most successful. I hope the lad is incredibly successful and an all-star PG for Utah.

But this is Gordon Hayward's team. If Corbin will just get out of the way and turn the offense over to him he is going to be a star. His shooting numbers are outrageous any time he is a consistent focus in the offense, not just in terms of getting him shots but also just involving him in initiating the offense for others. The league is built right now to highlight perimeter players that can both shoot the 3 and get to the line and Hayward provides that combo as well as any perimeter player not named LeBron, Durant, or Harden. And he's got that nasty Midwest Lane Change, the behind the back dribble in traffic in slow motion.

This Hayward hype train brought to you as part of my continued penance for shouting "Anyone but Hayward! on draft night before his pick was announced. But seriously, this kid is ready to be an offensive star if the team lets him.

[The_Douger]

That's why the Jazz need to get away from their past, and the only way is to cut ties with anything Jerry Sloan related. As long as there's influence from him or Corbin, then you won't see an offense built around a wing player. It will always be around a PG and big man.

[smokymountainrain]

I've read a lot of speculation around different Jazz boards about what system works best for Burke, and which teammates should be put around him to make him most successful. I hope the lad is incredibly successful and an all-star PG for Utah.

But this is Gordon Hayward's team. If Corbin will just get out of the way and turn the offense over to him he is going to be a star. His shooting numbers are outrageous any time he is a consistent focus in the offense, not just in terms of getting him shots but also just involving him in initiating the offense for others. The league is built right now to highlight perimeter players that can both shoot the 3 and get to the line and Hayward provides that combo as well as any perimeter player not named LeBron, Durant, or Harden. And he's got that nasty Midwest Lane Change, the behind the back dribble in traffic in slow motion.

This Hayward hype train brought to you as part of my continued penance for shouting "Anyone but Hayward! on draft night before his pick was announced. But seriously, this kid is ready to be an offensive star if the team lets him.

Me too.

[Blueintheface]

I've read a lot of speculation around different Jazz boards about what system works best for Burke, and which teammates should be put around him to make him most successful. I hope the lad is incredibly successful and an all-star PG for Utah.

But this is Gordon Hayward's team. If Corbin will just get out of the way and turn the offense over to him he is going to be a star. His shooting numbers are outrageous any time he is a consistent focus in the offense, not just in terms of getting him shots but also just involving him in initiating the offense for others. The league is built right now to highlight perimeter players that can both shoot the 3 and get to the line and Hayward provides that combo as well as any perimeter player not named LeBron, Durant, or Harden. And he's got that nasty Midwest Lane Change, the behind the back dribble in traffic in slow motion.

This Hayward hype train brought to you as part of my continued penance for shouting "Anyone but Hayward! on draft night before his pick was announced. But seriously, this kid is ready to be an offensive star if the team lets him.

I agree but I would really like to see him improve his handles even more. As you mentioned, he is doing everything else at an incredible rate but despite some deft lane agility he tends to lose the ball a bit too much.

[MarkGrace]

Me too.

Same. Which is why I'm worried that all the excitement over Burke and praise for the FO means he's going to flop on his face.

[Applejack]

I guess the question depends some on whose money you're spending. If it's the Russian billionaire, maybe you justify paying multiple guys max deals because the tax hit means nothing to you. But to me, in the real world of most teams, it's a short list:

Bron
KD
Howard
CP3
Rose
Love (based on last season)

I could also see the justification for guys like Westbrook, Harden, Irving, and two years ago I probably would have said Griffin, but I'm less sure about him now.

I think you guys are all being stingy. Max deals aren't that big anymore. We're talking about 25-30% of your cap space. I mean, if Derrick Rose were a free agent this year, he would be eligible for about a $14 million dollar contract. 100% of the teams in the league would pay him that. That is an outrageous bargain.

In fact, because of the mandated cap on salaries, there is really no way to win a championship unless you get a "bargain" through max deals. Max deals--if given to the right guys--ensure that you get a great return on your investment. Now you don't want to give guys like Kirilenko or Gilbert Arenas max deals, but all of the guys listed above are clearly max deal types. There are a bunch of others who should be included as well (Carmelo, etc). Most all the young hotshots are worth 13 mill a year as well (Griffin, Anthony Davis, Irving).

It gets trickier with the old guys. Duncan, Parker, Kobe are all worth 13 mill a year. But are they worth 20 million? I'd say yes, tentatively, but I wouldn't want to be on the hook for a lot of years with those guys either.

Long story short: there are a lot of guys worth max deals. They aren't all best-player-on-championship quality, but they are still worth the money.

[smokymountainrain]

Same. Which is why I'm worried that all the excitement over Burke and praise for the FO means he's going to flop on his face.

I'm liking Burke more and more everyday, but I have to admit that same thing is cause for concern for me as well. When I hear a moran like Hans Olsen say he expects Burke to be a multiple time all-star (not saying he said exactly that, but that's what I remember hearing), I get worried.

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

I'm liking Burke more and more everyday, but I have to admit that same thing is cause for concern for me as well. When I hear a moran like Hans Olsen say he expects Burke to be a multiple time all-star (not saying he said exactly that, but that's what I remember hearing), I get worried.

Some of the best non-intentional comedy available right now is Hans Olsen talking about basketball. Bill Riley gets some incredible guests on his show, and then they have to be subject to Olsen's questions.

[MarkGrace]

I think you guys are all being stingy. Max deals aren't that big anymore. We're talking about 25-30% of your cap space. I mean, if Derrick Rose were a free agent this year, he would be eligible for about a $14 million dollar contract. 100% of the teams in the league would pay him that. That is an outrageous bargain.

In fact, because of the mandated cap on salaries, there is really no way to win a championship unless you get a "bargain" through max deals. Max deals--if given to the right guys--ensure that you get a great return on your investment. Now you don't want to give guys like Kirilenko or Gilbert Arenas max deals, but all of the guys listed above are clearly max deal types. There are a bunch of others who should be included as well (Carmelo, etc). Most all the young hotshots are worth 13 mill a year as well (Griffin, Anthony Davis, Irving).

It gets trickier with the old guys. Duncan, Parker, Kobe are all worth 13 mill a year. But are they worth 20 million? I'd say yes, tentatively, but I wouldn't want to be on the hook for a lot of years with those guys either.

Long story short: there are a lot of guys worth max deals. They aren't all best-player-on-championship quality, but they are still worth the money.

Wasn't the question a max deal in the $17-20mm range? I assumed the question was in light of what Paul had just signed for and we were considering players we'd sign for that kind of money. I'd add several more if we're talking under that.

Also, I eliminated the older guys. There are definitely some I would have paid 13mm a year last year, but I took the question more as "who would you sign right now to that type of deal?" Thus, you're talking about the next five years or so. There's no way I'm signing Duncan/Parker/Kobe to that money for a five year period.