Leveling the playing field?

[Coach Ellis]

I personally think that the Jazz are missing out on an opportunity with how they run their D-League team. Instead of thinking as if it's a feeder team for the Jazz, they should be running it as a feeder team for the whole league.

If players know that Utah/Idaho is investing in their success, and trying to get them that elusive NBA opportunity, then better players will want to come play for the Stampede. They should work out agreements with teams that don't have 1-to-1 affiliations and let them send their prospects to Idaho instead of making them all go to Ft. Wayne. The Jazz would then be in a position to evaluate young, potential NBA prospects up close and their own guys would have significantly better competition. I would make it an organizational goal to get as many NBA call ups each season - both within and without the Jazz.

 

[Coach Ellis]

After careful consideration, I have one other idea that I'll throw out there. The Jazz have clearly put a lot of time and money to beef up their international scouting department.

The problem, as I see it, is that drafting international prospects is an even bigger crapshoot than drafting U. S. college players. A.) You have to hope your scouting is dead-on and they're worth the pick, then B.) they have to continue playing on an upward trajectory and then C.) you have to navigate the international player's contract and buyout situation.

So. . . what's the solution? My very simplistic answer is to essentially "buy" an international team. Since I doubt that's legal in the NBA bylaws, my plan would be to partner with a mid-level European parent and affiliate team (in a Varsity/Junior Varsity format). Some of those teams struggle financially, so I'd help prop them up financially if I'm able to. Then I put my NBA resources to good use. I have my scouting department start steering the team towards kids who have NBA potential and get them signed to fair contracts with favorable NBA buyouts. I advise the teams on hiring the GM, coaches and training staff of my choosing to train these kids with an eye toward putting them into the NBA as soon as possible. Essentially, this team would become the Kentucky of international basketball. I'd also make sure that my Junior Varsity contracts don't violate NCAA rules so that kids can go to college if they choose to. After players are drafted by the Jazz, I have the international team try to acquire their contract and re-work the buyout to more favorable terms.

I would essentially try to make it so that my team functions like a high level college team with a lot of turnover. For kids who want to play in the NBA, this team becomes an attractive option for them because they'll play a lot and the mission for the team is different from other European clubs. I have a feeling that they would be successful enough that it would attract some young stars and allow them to be competitive as well. The kids in that program would be years ahead of other international prospects whose clubs aren't interested in developing them for the NBA to swoop in and the contract situations would be significantly more simple. Maybe a standard buyout number that allows the kids the opportunity to leave as soon as their teams want them to regardless of where they are drafted.

Teams would draft those kids with confidence that they'll get good training, coaching and be able to come over as needed without contract drama. Imagine if the Jazz had an affiliated European team that they could steer Tomic, Neto and Pleiss towards. And then young players like Antetokounmpo, Schroder, Vezenkov, De Paula and any number of kids came up through the pipeline before they were drafted. I think that there's great appeal in being an international club that focuses on player development.

So far, it's more of a half-formed idea with no details. . . but I've never heard of anything like it and I think it could be very successful if done correctly.

 

[Stifle Tower]

I personally think that the Jazz are missing out on an opportunity with how they run their D-League team. Instead of thinking as if it's a feeder team for the Jazz, they should be running it as a feeder team for the whole league.

I think that's how the DLeague is essentially set up. Outside of the players a team can assign and retain the rights for, all the rest have contracts with the league, not the teams. So no one can step in and prevent players like Cotton or Johnson from signing with a NBA team that has a need for a particular position.

We'll likely see some changes to the DLeague once every team has a 1-to-1 affiliation. I know Stern had talked about trying to keep the better players who don't make NBA teams playing in the U.S. instead of signing with Euro teams. That's going to require some major dollars invested by each team in their DLeague affiliates.

 

[stitches]

Sounds a bit like the bit I proposed in this one:

https://jazzfanz.com/showthread.php...What-is-the-better-place-for-stashing-players

... with additional emphasis on using the team not only as a farm team for the Jazz but for the whole NBA.

My idea was more like - draft players(second rounder stashes)->get them to the team and develop them in accordance with your system and with your coaching before you get them to the Jazz.
Your idea seems like - develop young players, even the ones that are not drafted yet and don't care if other teams draft them and use what you've build. I guess the idea is that you build good reputation and good relationships with the players from young age and thus they'd be more likely to sign with you in free agency for example when the time comes. The problem is that the team that holds their bird rights usually holds their future for 8-9 years after they are drafted. Still, maybe it's worth exploring.

 

[Coach Ellis]

I think that's how the DLeague is essentially set up. Outside of the players a team can assign and retain the rights for, all the rest have contracts with the league, not the teams. So no one can step in and prevent players like Cotton or Johnson from signing with a NBA team that has a need for a particular position.

We'll likely see some changes to the DLeague once every team has a 1-to-1 affiliation. I know Stern had talked about trying to keep the better players who don't make NBA teams playing in the U.S. instead of signing with Euro teams. That's going to require some major dollars invested by each team in their DLeague affiliates.

I think that's eventually the idea, but that's not how it functions yet. The Jazz would be well served to use theirs that way before everyone else comes around. I'd like to see them be the pioneers on something like this. If they can keep finding players from the D-League who can contribute like Elijah Millsap, Bryce Cotton and Hassan Whiteside. . . well. . . I think it's worth their investment.

 

[Coach Ellis]

Sounds a bit like the bit I proposed in this one:

https://jazzfanz.com/showthread.php...What-is-the-better-place-for-stashing-players

... with additional emphasis on using the team not only as a farm team for the Jazz but for the whole NBA.

My idea was more like - draft players(second rounder stashes)->get them to the team and develop them in accordance with your system and with your coaching before you get them to the Jazz.
Your idea seems like - develop young players, even the ones that are not drafted yet and don't care if other teams draft them and use what you've build. I guess the idea is that you build good reputation and good relationships with the players from young age and thus they'd be more likely to sign with you in free agency for example when the time comes. The problem is that the team that holds their bird rights usually holds their future for 8-9 years after they are drafted. Still, maybe it's worth exploring.

The problem with waiting until they're drafted is that many of these international kids have already been playing with a pro team for a couple of years by the time they are 19 and they're locked into crappy contracts.

The first tier of players are identified while they're young and brought into the fold before they're drafted. Aside from that, Jazz picks are brought to the team as soon as it's reasonable to do so. Tomic in 2012 had no contract and changed teams. Neto did the same here in 2014. The trick is to develop a good relationship with the players and their agents so that more of the best ones with NBA dreams will sign up early.

Doesn't mean the Jazz will draft them, but hopefully it means that the ones the Jazzz do draft will have better training, coaching and contracts should they decide to bring them over. That way, DL and company have a better idea of their ability to play and how they might fit into the system.