"You Gotta Love It Baby" Official Jazz thread

[smokymountainrain]

this team is 2-3 drafts from competitive

How many FA signings are they from being competitive?

[MartyFunkhouser]

Just when I get to thinking that seeing a drop in Burks' minutes seems to make sense...

p36 averages:
Burks - 15.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.6 spg
Jefferson - 12.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.0 spg

PER
Burks - 11.1
Jefferson - 8.8

Minutes played last 6 games:
Burks - 24.5 mpg
Jefferson - 35 mpg

Feels great to debate who should get more minutes, a guy with a PER of 11 or the other guy at 8.8. But when Kanter is being moved to the bench and the explanation given is because Corbin is tired of the slow starts, maybe we could get Zach Lowe to ask him why Jefferson is still starting and playing 35 mpg. Maybe quit screwing around with the lineups every other game, let Burke play with the same set of starters for a few weeks in a row, and sit Jefferson's sorry ass on the bench instead of Kanter.

It continues to baffle me that Jefferson plays any minutes for the Jazz.

[Jacob]

It continues to baffle me that Jefferson plays any minutes for the Jazz.

That he is playing major minutes is not surprising. The reasoning is baffling, but the result is entirely expected. We are fortunate Gobert has got to log a few minutes this year thanks to a Biedrins injury.

There were only a few games I was hoping to win this year, all of the games against GS. 0-2 so far. If they could miss the playoffs somehow, we'd be in amazing shape. But I don't see a #8 team that could beat them out even if the first 7 do.

The only lineup that makes sense right now is to start the core 4 plus Burke. Or switch out Burk with Williams. No big deal. It only makes sense to give them a few weeks together now that Burke is healthy. But Corbin is in full-on panic mode. So it won't happen.

[MarkGrace]

Jazz threatening to win a game!

[CardiacCoug]

Hayward, that was weak man.

[Sizzle]

Jazz threatening to win a game!

Riding into overtime on the back of Richard Jefferson!!!

[falafel]

Riding into overtime on the back of Richard Jefferson!!!

Dude played some great defense at the end of regulation.

[MarkGrace]

Jazz win!

[SandYFan]

Jazz win!

[MarkGrace]

2. Utah's Defense

The Jazz are in serious danger of Bobcatting — i.e., finishing last in both points scored and allowed per possession, a rare feat of suckiness the tanktastic Bobcats accomplished in their 7-59 season in 2012. The bad offense isn't surprising. Utah had almost zero talent at point guard before Trey Burke's return from injury, and Burke is a rookie. The departures of Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap left a bunch of young secondary options to take the reins, and this is generally what happens in that circumstance.

Regardless of those missing pieces, the defense should not be this horrible. The big men, especially Kanter, are a mess trying to contain pick-and-rolls up high, and this team has no clue once it gets in rotation. Multiple defenders fly at the same shooter, leaving another one wide open, and weakside help comes inconsistently. It was like this, though to a less dire degree, when the team had more veterans. The Jazz should be making teams work for it, and they aren't.

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/10038731/paul-george-commitment-improvement-pacers-thinking-nba-title

[MarkGrace]

Nick (Oakland)

If you were a gm, who would you take if you had the #1 pick at this point?
Chad Ford (1:59 PM)

Wiggins. Highest upside. Very little downside. Plays on both ends of the floor. I love Parker, Randle, Exum and Smart. Love all of them and would be happy with any of them with the No. 1 pick. But I think in 5 years, Wiggins will be the transcendent talent from this loaded draft.

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/49511

Also says in there that most scouts are comparing Wiggins to George, and that George is currently the 5th best player in the NBA. Maybe I whiffed on saying he didn't deserve a max deal.

[falafel]

Nobody has traveled more distance in the NBA this year — at least on the court — than Utah’s Gordon Hayward.

The fourth-year swingman from Butler has covered a league-high 42.9 miles in 16 games, according to the NBA’s SportsVU data.

It’s something Corbin hopes he can curb slightly.

"As we get more healthy, hopefully we can manage a little bit more how much time he’s having on the floor," he said. "But he’s playing very well for us. We need him to make plays. But we want to keep him fresh to finish games for us."

...

[MarkGrace]

It's only been four games since Burke's delayed debut, but the Jazz are clearly giving Burke a chance to run the show, and you can't blame them. He's struggled with his shot (33.3 percent, 23.1 on 3s), but in his first home start, Burke made several key plays to help Utah beat Chicago for just its second win of the season. In 34 minutes, Burke scored 14 points and had six rebounds and four assists. He did it on 5-for-17 shooting, but hit two 3s and generally looked like he belonged on the court. It's a start, and I only expect Burke will climb and make a push into the top five with such big minutes. -- Nov. 27

http://www.nba.com/rookie-ladder/

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

Chris (Salt Lake City)
Do you think the Utah fans need to realize that Tyrone Corbin is not the real issue? The real problem to me in following this team (and I watch all their games) is the "core 4" has only two good players (Hayward/Favors). Enes Kanter is, at best, a 3rd big (his defense is pathetic) and Alec Burks isn't that good - likely not even a rotation players for a decent team.

Kevin Pelton (3:40 PM)
I tend to agree with your assessment of Burks and am also lower on Kanter than conventional wisdom. As to whether that's the "real issue," I suppose that's partially a matter of perspective.

I think calling Kanter a 3rd big is crazy. He didn't play basketball at all in the off-season, couldn't really get in shape, and then is playing in a mess of a system. He's clearly playing totally out of rhythm. I still think he can be a very good piece if he can be used right and given the ball consistently. I also think defensive woes seen so far this season are due to his strength and stamina not being where it is and the Jazz being as poorly coached on that end of the court as any team in the league.

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

Mike (Salt Lake City)

Should the Jazz be looking to trade Gordon Hayward instead of being forced to overpay him, or let him walk for nothing? It seems to me there are several teams he could help, and the Jazz could continue to bank assets as part of the rebuild.

Kevin Pelton(4:15 PM
If another team is willing to offer that deal, how much of an overpay is it? Logically speaking, it's better to have both Hayward and the return, but remember you're going to be forced to overpay an equal amount to replace him in free agency and you're basically starting from scratch in terms of developing an offense.

Kevin Pelton (4:16 PM)
Interesting parallel: Nicolas Batum. There were a lot of smart people who argued that the Blazers should have grabbed Derrick Williams from Minnesota in a sign-and-trade rather than matching Batum. Well, a year-plus later the Batum contract looks perfectly reasonable and Williams has nearly zero trade value.

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