NBA Columnist/Cavs Insider Sam Amico: "Jazz have made Burks available"

[//r00t 4 Jazz]

Surprising I know but seems we have a few groups of people on this, people that give the benefit of the doubt of all these questions to Burks, the small minority that give the benefit of the doubt to the coaching staff to those same questions (like, believing he isn't showing enough in practice to supplant anybody that is currently getting minutes), then another group that hates the coaching staff and question and doubt everything they do and so everything negative is their fault and everything positive is in spite of them.

I want Burks to get playing time and am trying to be patient and see how it plays out.

[fishonjazz]

oh, boo-hoo. then he should find a rec league team where the coach is required to play everybody two quarters and they go out for milkshakes after. he'll get treated like a rotation player when he starts playing like a rotation player.

funny thing is, burks knows all of this.

He will get treated like a rotation player when he starts playing like one?.... Oh ya like last year when the jazz were at thier best. Too late nerd, he already was playing like a rotation player.... then he landed in the doghouse.

Sorry to tell ya but how a boss treats his employees effects how they work..... for example: lets say you work in an office and you are busting your butt all day and working on organizing files or something. Then your boss comes over and knocks the files off your desk and then pees in your coffee.
Are you going to continue giving the same effort?

[theNBAnerd]

for the record... i'm not giving the "benefit of the doubt" to anybody. my opinion is what it is based on what i've seen - corbin gave him chances, burks didn't capitalize, corbin puts him back on the shelf for a bit.

i'm not pro-corbin and i'm definitely not anti-burks. but the situation we have right now is because burks was told to be ready to make an impact when his number was called. his number was called, and he was invisibile for four straight games of rotation minutes. that's not the benefit of the doubt. that's results.

[fishonjazz]

To root: I understand that there is a decent chance that im wrong about burks and that he is a total bust..... but i would like to find out for sure by seeing him on the court this year. (even though i have already seen him last year and was impressed.)

I would just like to see the burks haters/corbin is always right type of posters admit that maybe corbin is screwing this up.... Just maybe not that he is for sure but just a small chance that burks should be in the rotation.

[theNBAnerd]

He will get treated like a rotation player when he starts playing like one?.... Oh ya like last year when the jazz were at thier best. Too late nerd, he already was playing like a rotation player.... then he landed in the doghouse.

Sorry to tell ya but how a boss treats his employees effects how they work..... for example: lets say you work in an office and you are busting your butt all day and working on organizing files or something. Then your boss comes over and knocks the files off your desk and then pees in your coffee.
Are you going to continue giving the same effort?

is that the best metaphor you can come up with? because corbin didn't knock anything off of burks' desk. corbin actually invited burks to step up and show he was ready for a bigger role.

we knew coming in the jazz had 5 good wings and 4 wing rotation spots. corbin told all 5 guys the same thing - we're a deep team, and i'm going to use you at different points, so just hang tight and be ready. with a team that's 10-12 deep, that's really the most responsible thing to do. everybody worships pop for doing the same thing with the spurs' depth.

[Hartsock]

How do you know that burks hasn't been fantastic in practice?
I heard over the summer that no matter who the jazz put in to guard burks, no one could stop him from getting to the rim.... during practice (which is where you supposedly earn minutes right?)

If he was playing better than Foye, Marv, Gordon, etccccccc he would be playing. Also there is more to basketball than getting to the rim. I dont doubt he can get to the rim, but he cant shoot, guard, not a great passer, cant hit a FT, the list goes on .... but I do believe he can get to the rim.

[fishonjazz]

If he was playing better than Foye, Marv, Gordon, etccccccc he would be playing. Also there is more to basketball than getting to the rim. I dont doubt he can get to the rim, but he cant shoot, guard, not a great passer, cant hit a FT, the list goes on .... but I do believe he can get to the rim.

As far as "cant hit a FT".... 82.5 percent from the line his sophmore year at colorado.... 72.7 his rookie year for the jazz.... he was making his free throws in summer league from what i remember.

Then this year all of a sudden he sucks.... I see this as a problem. Why is he sucking? He isn't injured, he isn't getting old and slow, the rims, balls, and courts that he is using have not changed.
So the only thing that i can think of that might be affecting him is that this is the first time in his life that he has been "doghoused".

I think that sucks, agree to disagree i guess.

[Hartsock]

As far as "cant hit a FT".... 82.5 percent from the line his sophmore year at colorado.... 72.7 his rookie year for the jazz.... he was making his free throws in summer league from what i remember.

Then this year all of a sudden he sucks.... I see this as a problem. Why is he sucking? He isn't injured, he isn't getting old and slow, the rims, balls, and courts that he is using have not changed.
So the only thing that i can think of that might be affecting him is that this is the first time in his life that he has been "doghoused".

I think that sucks, agree to disagree i guess.

He wasn't doghoused in preseason and he only shot 50% .... thats better than 20% i guess

[theNBAnerd]

here's the thing, fish: alec is good. nobody's questioning that. i think he's a very good player and i hope he's part of a very bright future for the jazz. but this team has 11 or 12 rotation-ready guys. some guys are going to have to take turns, and that means the best way to ensure a role is to be ready whenever you're put in. yes, corbin could just decide burks gets 20 minute a night regardless because he's a recent lottery pick and because he's got a higher ceiling (potentially) than foye or carroll, but you don't create a culture of hard work by just handing things to guys who haven't earned it, or by denying guys an opportunity no matter how hard they work.

and preseason and summer league just don't matter. they really don't.

[bjunior]

Well, at least it's Foye and not Braille who takes minutes from Burks. That's an improvement over last year.

[NCJazz]

Well, at least it's Foye and not Braille who takes minutes from Burks. That's an improvement over last year.

Still kind of a waste though considering he is on a one year deal.

[Revolution 9]

here's the thing, fish: alec is good. nobody's questioning that. i think he's a very good player and i hope he's part of a very bright future for the jazz. but this team has 11 or 12 rotation-ready guys. some guys are going to have to take turns, and that means the best way to ensure a role is to be ready whenever you're put in. yes, corbin could just decide burks gets 20 minute a night regardless because he's a recent lottery pick and because he's got a higher ceiling (potentially) than foye or carroll, but you don't create a culture of hard work by just handing things to guys who haven't earned it, or by denying guys an opportunity no matter how hard they work.

and preseason and summer league just don't matter. they really don't.

If the preseason and summer league don't matter then why play them. Why the coaches say they matter?


"alec is good. nobody's questioning that. i think he's a very good player and i hope he's part of a very bright future for the jazz."

Then you have to see the importance of developing a player in his second year, and why not giving him any time is detrimental. Giving Foye all the time is Corbins plan, and it will have an impact on Burks. The bottom line is that what we are doing is not good for the future of Burks with the Utah Jazz. If playing Foye is that important to you ok, but that is what is happening here.

[YB85]

here's the thing, fish: alec is good. nobody's questioning that.

I'll go ahead and be the one who is questioning that. Alec has talent, but is he good? That remains to be seen. I know that Alec is the darling of the board and everyone, including myself, badly wants him to be be a star. But until Alec learns the nuances of the game, such as passing and shot selection, he's always going to be a questionable player. He should be looking at Carroll and understanding that busting his ass and taking the shot only when it is presented are what will get him floor time. Instead, he pouts when a shot doesn't go in and then forces the next shot. I hope he figures it out soon and becomes a quality player, but if he doesn't, just count him as another guard the Jazz took a gamble on that didn't pan out and move on to the next player.

[Eenie-Meenie]

here's the thing, fish: alec is good. nobody's questioning that. i think he's a very good player and i hope he's part of a very bright future for the jazz. but this team has 11 or 12 rotation-ready guys. some guys are going to have to take turns, and that means the best way to ensure a role is to be ready whenever you're put in. yes, corbin could just decide burks gets 20 minute a night regardless because he's a recent lottery pick and because he's got a higher ceiling (potentially) than foye or carroll, but you don't create a culture of hard work by just handing things to guys who haven't earned it, or by denying guys an opportunity no matter how hard they work.

and preseason and summer league just don't matter. they really don't.

Nerd, if he is good, as you say, then I don't buy your logic. He hasn't been given a chance this year. Foye absolutely sucks in my opinion. Sure he can shoot but he doesn't deserve minutes based on the rest of his play because just as he makes a three, he gives up four on the other end, or when he's not shooting commits a turnover. Burks is young, he needs playing time and based on his play last he showed to me that he's worth giving time to develop. I see a lot of other guys doing do-do for more than 7 minutes at a time. Just watch our third quarter against Houston. By your standard, the starters should not suit up next game.

[Brown Notes]

I'll go ahead and be the one who is questioning that. Alec has talent, but is he good? That remains to be seen. I know that Alec is the darling of the board and everyone, including myself, badly wants him to be be a star. But until Alec learns the nuances of the game, such as passing and shot selection, he's always going to be a questionable player. He should be looking at Carroll and understanding that busting his ass and taking the shot only when it is presented are what will get him floor time. Instead, he pouts when a shot doesn't go in and then forces the next shot. I hope he figures it out soon and becomes a quality player, but if he doesn't, just count him as another guard the Jazz took a gamble on that didn't pan out and move on to the next player.

Even if he doesn't work out for Utah you have to be happy with 2 of 4 young lottery players here, and Kanter at the very least clearly is no stranger to dedication. If the Jazz go 3/4 on the young guys we are looking really good.