"You Gotta Love It Baby" Official Jazz thread

[Commando]

Is OKC any good now?

Chris Paul is still highly unlikable, but is a beast. They can definitely win some games, but I think as he goes, so goes their W-L's.

[Sizzle]

Pretty sure I read or heard an interview with Jingles somewhere that he mentioned that offensively they expected to lag behind where they've been to start the year because they are limited in their sets as they're trying to introduce so many new pieces. But even with Conley being historically horrendous (since 1947 there have only been 29 times that a player has attempted 16 shots in a game and made 1 or fewer) the Jazz still looked solid.

Interestingly enough, Jazzmen to be on that list include:
Bryon Russell
Karl Malone
Gordon Hayward
Mike Conley

FWIW, Conley was the only Jazzman to walk away with the W.

http://bkref.com/tiny/c7jTC

[LiveCoug]

Yowza. What a brutal game so far.

Conley now 2-24 on the season

[Commando]

20+ turnovers? Ok. I'll take a mulligan on this one- we can regroup with Bogdanovic in the lineup and when Conley can find the net.

[Pelado]

20+ turnovers? Ok. I'll take a mulligan on this one- we can regroup with Bogdanovic in the lineup and when Conley can find the net.

Very sloppy with the ball. And, when they actually shot the ball, not a great shooting percentage (especially but not limited to Conley).

[Commando]

OK that's better. The Kings are so terrible, but it gave us a chance to get our feet under us a bit, get Conley back on track, and get some quality minutes for the bottom 1/3 of the roster.

[LiveCoug]

Horrendously ugly game, but it's a W!

Conley 0-7 tonight. Something is obviously very wrong with him. Mental, age or both.

[Donuthole]

Horrendously ugly game, but it's a W!

Conley 0-7 tonight. Something is obviously very wrong with him. Mental, age or both.

Rubio put up a tidy 10-8-10 on 9 shots. I’m not wishing Conley away just yet, but this is kinda getting ridiculous. We’re a couple more bad games away from this officially being a real Charles Barkley-golf-swing type regression.

[Commando]

OMG I was on row 5 for that one. The first nail biter vs. the Suns I've ever attended. I think the Suns are substantially better with a PG to take the ball out of Booker's hands and they were tough tonight.

FTR, Conley was nailing all his jumpers in warmups- he needs to get to the free-throw line and get some mojo or something. Also, it looked like Ricky wanted to take him to the hole and prove himself, which I admit he did.

Conley was the marquee aquisition, but Bogdanovic has been really worth his weight in gold. What a quiet offensive juggernaut that guy is.

[smokymountainrain]

Conley was never a great fit. He was a good get simply because he is a good player and an upgrade over what they had - on paper. if he's not efficient, he's just a guy taking the ball out of donovan's hands - which compounds the problem. In order for Conley to work, he has to be the player he was the last two years - even the player he was the previous 10 years doesn't work simply because the fit is bad.

otoh, maybe they don't get some combination of bojan, green, davis or mudiay without conley on board, so perhaps it's a net positive regardless of how he plays.

[falafel]

Conley was never a great fit. He was a good get simply because he is a good player and an upgrade over what they had - on paper. if he's not efficient, he's just a guy taking the ball out of donovan's hands - which compounds the problem. In order for Conley to work, he has to be the player he was the last two years - even the player he was the previous 10 years doesn't work simply because the fit is bad.

otoh, maybe they don't get some combination of bojan, green, davis or mudiay without conley on board, so perhaps it's a net positive regardless of how he plays.

But his early numbers are so far below his historical averages that they can't last. I mean, they can't, right??

[smokymountainrain]

But his early numbers are so far below his historical averages that they can't last. I mean, they can't, right??

they can't last. not at that level of ineptitude. he would be the worst starter (let's face it, he is entrenched as a starter) in NBA history by a wide margin if those numbers were to last.

He is sitting with a PER of -0.6 (didn't even know that was possible) and a TS% of 30% - another number i have never seen. it's a small sample, and it will get better, but damn, from a guy making $30 MM, considered one of the best never all-stars in NBA history, and playing the minutes he plays, even at the small sample, it might be unprecedented.

[creekster]

Conley was never a great fit. He was a good get simply because he is a good player and an upgrade over what they had - on paper. if he's not efficient, he's just a guy taking the ball out of donovan's hands - which compounds the problem. In order for Conley to work, he has to be the player he was the last two years - even the player he was the previous 10 years doesn't work simply because the fit is bad.

otoh, maybe they don't get some combination of bojan, green, davis or mudiay without conley on board, so perhaps it's a net positive regardless of how he plays.

What makes you say he was a bad fit? He was exactly what the jazz wanted. Handles the ball. Good T/o ratio, good shooting percentages across the spectrum, good on the PnR for years with gasol. What about that doesn’t fit perfectly? The only way you can conclude he is a bad fit is if you rely on these first four games. And all we really need for him to be a success is for his shooting percentages to rise back to his career averages, or close, which I still believe will happen. And I also think it is a good thing to take the ball out of Mitch’s hands. He should not be a the point guard very often. He is fresher and more creative without that burden imo.

[MartyFunkhouser]

What makes you say he was a bad fit? He was exactly what the jazz wanted. Handles the ball. Good T/o ratio, good shooting percentages across the spectrum, good on the PnR for years with gasol. What about that doesn’t fit perfectly? The only way you can conclude he is a bad fit is if you rely on these first four games. And all we really need for him to be a success is for his shooting percentages to rise back to his career averages, or close, which I still believe will happen. And I also think it is a good thing to take the ball out of Mitch’s hands. He should not be a the point guard very often. He is fresher and more creative without that burden imo.

To be fair to smr, he was saying that Conley was a bad fit before these four games.

[smokymountainrain]

What makes you say he was a bad fit? He was exactly what the jazz wanted. Handles the ball. Good T/o ratio, good shooting percentages across the spectrum, good on the PnR for years with gasol. What about that doesn’t fit perfectly? The only way you can conclude he is a bad fit is if you rely on these first four games. And all we really need for him to be a success is for his shooting percentages to rise back to his career averages, or close, which I still believe will happen. And I also think it is a good thing to take the ball out of Mitch’s hands. He should not be a the point guard very often. He is fresher and more creative without that burden imo.

1) Mitchell's ceiling is as a lead guard.
2) it makes for one of the smallest backcourts in the league.

But perhaps the best way to describe the reason he's a poor fit is to compare to a guy who would have been a perfect fit.

Malcolm Brogdon. He's a guy who can hit the three at a high rate on spot ups, is an efficient scorer in general, is a big guard who can play off the ball with Mitchell, but can also play the point when needed, can create his own shot as well as creating for teammates, and can defend multiple positions because of his size. In short, not only can he give you everything Conley gives you, but he's much more versatile because of his size- especially playing in the same backcourt as the smallish Mitchell.

In today's league you want to get bigger and more versatile, not shorter and one dimensional.