"You Gotta Love It Baby" Official Jazz thread

[MarkGrace]

Kanter per 36 minutes in January (6 games averaging 22.3 minutes):

23.7 pts; 12.4 rbs; 1.1 blks; 1.1 asts; 1.3 stls; 2.9 fouls; 2.9 TOs

Happens to be better than Favors in every single category (except TOs) over that short stretch of games.

Things have sure snapped back into place for him the last 2-3 weeks. Seems to be building on where he left off last year at this point. Well, except for defense. He looks a lot more lost on that end this year than he did last year.

[smokymountainrain]

Pretty nifty that the Jazz two lottery picks from 2011(?) had career highs on consecutive nights.

[Maximus]

As evidenced by...?

Do you think corbin is a good coach?

I think his decision making on who plays over the years is evidence enough. Record this year is also good evidence. And the lack of any good system. Heck is there is any evidence he has been good at anything

[Blueintheface]

Things have sure snapped back into place for him the last 2-3 weeks. Seems to be building on where he left off last year at this point. Well, except for defense. He looks a lot more lost on that end this year than he did last year.

He is so mechanical I think he just can't feel his way defensively. I picture him dancing like Mark Madsen.

[MarkGrace]

Do you think corbin is a good coach?

I think his decision making on who plays over the years is evidence enough. Record this year is also good evidence. And the lack of any good system. Heck is there is any evidence he has been good at anything

I don't think he's a good coach yet, but outside of a select handful in the league, I don't think many are. Vague references to decision making and system are great and all, but without a baseline expectation of how you think the team should perform and how you think those factors precluded them from reaching that expectation, I guess I just don't see the offense that justifies a firing. Pythagorean models projected the Jazz at 41-41 based on their roster last year. They won 43 games. I'm not sure how you take a coach in his first full season as a head coach and then tell him he's fired for producing results consistent, or moderately better, than expectations. It's not like we're talking about a team expected to be near the top of the West that failed to make the playoffs or anything.

[MarkGrace]

He is so mechanical I think he just can't feel his way defensively. I picture him dancing like Mark Madsen.

This is where I think Lindsey has set him up to be canned at this point. He's come in with the whole "defense first philosophy" and all that, and it's been conveyed to Corbin that much of his evaluation will be based on how defense is established and progresses throughout the year. The Jazz have been 30th in league in defense efficiency basically since day 1 and haven't budged. Lindsey could very well sit him down at the end of the year and say, "this is what we were looking for, that was conveyed, and the expectation was not met." But last year, I just don't see where you can sit coach down after his first full year and can him for coaching the team to be more or less exactly what they were expected to be.

[Blueintheface]

This is where I think Lindsey has set him up to be canned at this point. He's come in with the whole "defense first philosophy" and all that, and it's been conveyed to Corbin that much of his evaluation will be based on how defense is established and progresses throughout the year. The Jazz have been 30th in league in defense efficiency basically since day 1 and haven't budged. Lindsey could very well sit him down at the end of the year and say, "this is what we were looking for, that was conveyed, and the expectation was not met." But last year, I just don't see where you can sit coach down after his first full year and can him for coaching the team to be more or less exactly what they were expected to be.

Of course he has set him up to be canned and I agree, after last year it wouldn't have made much sense, but this season is happening just as he thought it would, at least recond-wise and he will be able to fire him without much fallout. Probably not totally fair given the lack of overall talent and expectations but I think it was set up this way for a reason. He knows he has a nice group of young players but he know they lack the alpha male (possibly Jabari/Embiid) and defensive coach necessary to take them to the next level. Is that coach out there? IDK but whoever replaces him quite literally can't be worse.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

I don't think he's a good coach yet, but outside of a select handful in the league, I don't think many are. Vague references to decision making and system are great and all, but without a baseline expectation of how you think the team should perform and how you think those factors precluded them from reaching that expectation, I guess I just don't see the offense that justifies a firing. Pythagorean models projected the Jazz at 41-41 based on their roster last year. They won 43 games. I'm not sure how you take a coach in his first full season as a head coach and then tell him he's fired for producing results consistent, or moderately better, than expectations. It's not like we're talking about a team expected to be near the top of the West that failed to make the playoffs or anything.

MG proves again why he's the best NBA poster on the board. Great post.

[MarkGrace]

Kanter per 36 minutes in January (6 games averaging 22.3 minutes):

23.7 pts; 12.4 rbs; 1.1 blks; 1.1 asts; 1.3 stls; 2.9 fouls; 2.9 TOs

Happens to be better than Favors in every single category (except TOs) over that short stretch of games.

January numbers for the 5:

Favors - 16.2 ppg, 9.2 rpg, .2 apg, 1.0 bpg, 1 spg in 31.4 mpg

Kanter - 14.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg, .7 apg, .7 bpg, .8 spg in 22.3 mpg

Hayward - 27.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 5.0 apg, 1.3 bpg, 2.0 spg in 39 mpg

Burks - 15.8 ppg, 4.0 bpg, 2.8 apg, .2 bpg, .3 apg in 31.5 mpg

Burke - 13.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 7.3 apg, 0 bpg, .8 spg in 33 mpg

Obviously G-Time has only played 3 of 6 games in the month, but play has been strong from the kids.

[MarkGrace]

[Applejack]

This season is quickly going down the crapper. I don't care what Joakim Noah says, I want to lose.

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

Really good stuff in the month from Kanter and Burks, including nice boosts to their FTA rates. In January, Burks is at .34 and Kanter is .30. For reference, two of the elite guys in the league are Harden (.37) and Love (.32). Burks had been at about .27 coming into the month. Favors is kind of playing more like Big Al right now, trying to get space to get better shots off rather than create contact to get to the line. But fortunately he's also having low TO numbers like Al, only averaging 0.9 TO/gm in the last 7 games. Favors is still at .26 in January; Al was .15, epically bad for a low post big, last year.

I've seen some criticism of Kanter from last night's game, focusing on Drummond blocking his shots at the rim. I guess I'm not concerned. Drummond is elite in a game of elite athletes. Down low that kind of player (strong, athletic with a long reach) will always be a tough match-up for Kanter. But the UnderKanter still got great looks, took 8 FTAs, and would've done even better if the Jazz would've let him face up more often. The last few games should have Corbin dying to get Favors and Kanter in the game together to see if he can get Kanter matched up against an opposing PF in the post. He's just abusing weaker players when they try to check him. And if the opposing team decides to switch and put the PF on Favors, Kanter can be a great option with Burke in the SnR because he can hit his jumper if the center drops back into the lane like many teams are doing on defense now.

[wapiti]

Really good stuff in the month from Kanter and Burks, including nice boosts to their FTA rates. In January, Burks is at .34 and Kanter is .30. For reference, two of the elite guys in the league are Harden (.37) and Love (.32). Burks had been at about .27 coming into the month. Favors is kind of playing more like Big Al right now, trying to get space to get better shots off rather than create contact to get to the line. But fortunately he's also having low TO numbers like Al, only averaging 0.9 TO/gm in the last 7 games. Favors is still at .26 in January; Al was .15, epically bad for a low post big, last year.

I've seen some criticism of Kanter from last night's game, focusing on Drummond blocking his shots at the rim. I guess I'm not concerned. Drummond is elite in a game of elite athletes. Down low that kind of player (strong, athletic with a long reach) will always be a tough match-up for Kanter. But the UnderKanter still got great looks, took 8 FTAs, and would've done even better if the Jazz would've let him face up more often. The last few games should have Corbin dying to get Favors and Kanter in the game together to see if he can get Kanter matched up against an opposing PF in the post. He's just abusing weaker players when they try to check him. And if the opposing team decides to switch and put the PF on Favors, Kanter can be a great option with Burke in the SnR because he can hit his jumper if the center drops back into the lane like many teams are doing on defense now.

I haven't followed too closely but I wonder if Corbin read too much into the Favors/Kanter early season problems when JLuIII was playing point guard.

[smokymountainrain]

I didn't watch the game, but Burks took 2 shots in 28 minutes?

[MarkGrace]

I didn't watch the game, but Burks took 2 shots in 28 minutes?

Who does this guy think he is, Brandon Rush?!