As of today, is it fair to doubt the organization's commitment to the playoffs next year?

[Stifle Tower]

So the rest is your bench. It's awfully hard to get free agents that are really good to buy into sitting on the bench. Players wanna start and play, and make money.

Could we have solidified our bench a little? Perhaps, but we weren't going to get anything that was much better than what we have already.

I think we already did. MAYBE we could have added a better 3rd/4th big. But Lyles is at LEAST as good as Cooley, Evans, Jerrett, etc. And Pleiss is likely better than all of those scrubs, too.

Burks >>>>>>> Millsap, Ingles, Johnson.

So that leaves PG. Problem is, do we need a starter or a backup? If Utah doesn't even know, how do they pitch a free agent (of which the choices are not very good). Seriously, does having Joseph or Beverley or whoever make MUCH of a difference over Cotton or Trey? Not going to be the difference between a contender and pretender.

 

[Twin Towers]

You don't overpay for veterans in free agency unless you are contending.
We aren't there yet. We will be a playoff team but we don't have playoff/clutch experience yet.
Give these guys the chance to play and develop.
We complained we never played young guys during the Sloan and Corbin times.
Now we are committed.
We are stacked with talent. This is the year to see if Trey can understand his role and if Alec fits well and his outside shot was not a fluke.
We have enough young talent as it is that needs playing time. We already have good glue guys like Ingles and Booker.
We have chemistry and the Kanter trade brought everyone together.

Exam - Trey - Cotton or Hanlan
Burks - Hood - Millsap
Hayward - Hood - Ingles
Favors - Booker
Gobert - Favors - Pleiss

The key will be the outside shot. If we have outside shooting we will be one of the best in the west.
If we aren't consistent from the outside we will be 6-9 in the west.
I say give Trey until January to come around. If he still is trying to be Iverson then trade him to the Sixers for nothing.

 

[♪alt13]

I just don't see it that way.

I think we can be very good as is. Why screw with that?

Let's break it down.

Point Guard

A supposedly weak spot, but do have talent there and are developing it. Exum in particular. Sticking him on the bench would be a bad move. You don't take a 5th overall pick and bury him on your bench. You either develop him or trade him. You can't waste assets and be a successful franchise. Just look at the Nets and Kings.

SG - we have two players we think could have a chance to be good and solidly that spot. Burks and Hood. There wasn't even any options in free agency that were sure fire better options.

Hayward, Favors, and Gobert are locks at there position.

So the rest is your bench. It's awfully hard to get free agents that are really good to buy into sitting on the bench. Players wanna start and play, and make money.

Could we have solidified our bench a little? Perhaps, but we weren't going to get anything that was much better than what we have already.

let's go over your list shall we

1 developing PG
1 Solid Shooting Guard
1 developing 2/3 swingman
1 Really nice 2/3 swingman
1 Really nice PF
1 elite rim protector

That's 6 players. 2 of which are very early in their development. That ain't enough ****in talent.

 

[Siro]

No. We won 38 games last season while missing our starting and back up SG and having a loser as a starting center for a big chunk of the season.

So obviously not.

 

[Game6Conley]

The offense isn't close to what its going to take to hang with some of these top teams in the west in a series. that's just being realistic.

So of course its fair.. If the Jazz were to make the playoffs this year, its not for much more than a moral victory. Nothing more than going thru the motions... maybe they advance a round. regardless there's an imminent beat-down waiting. They're looking for a learning experience, not a championship - how can ya blame them though.

This team is well prepped with tons of ready-made excuses if they were to fizzle out - They're one of the youngest in the NBA. They play in the west. were a 40 loss team last year. Have been in the lottery 2 years in a row. Of course a scapegoat will emerge!!! not to mention there will be higher seeded teams involved, with rosters filled with All-Stars and battle-tested resumes.

So the Jazz will prep the roster so just in case **** goes wrong. they can pull the plug and let one more tank year roll if need be...


"Internal Improvement" being repeated so often really is a key. Which teams trying to chase down goals repeat that type of **** ad nauseam??

 

[framer]

Does every team have such dumb *** fans? Seriously? Tobias Harris is the difference between greatness and mediocrity? Trading the world to get Stauskas? Why? He isn't any type of asset. He was a throw in to even out the draft picks. The secret is that every team next year will have cap space and 95% of them are going to blow it on crap. Meanwhile the Jazz will have cap space and Really good assets on spectacular contracts. Do you realize what we could get for Favors in the trade market? Burks is better than Carroll and Carroll just got 15 per. Toronto is going to live to regret that decision and I LOVE Carroll. I believe that Snyder and Quinn have a wish list of dudes at different levels that fit exactly what they are trying to do. When one of those guys comes up, the Jazz will spend assets to get him. I assume Tobias Harris in NOT on that list. The fact that they drafted a point and want to bring Neto over signals that there will likely be action with Burke. I suspect that they know who they want to give up Burke and assets for and it wont be a damn scrub on a 15 per contract.
I'd bet Matthews was on that list right before he tore his ligament. I'd also bet that the Lakers get him on a silly overpay. THEY are desperate to get SOMETHING.

 

[Game6Conley]

Tobias Harris is the difference between greatness and mediocrity?

Who even said or implied this, are you making **** up? do you usually rely on national enquirer levels of sensationalism to make your points?

Tobias Harris is 22 and some here basically have relegated him to bum status to add panache to their posts. which is hysterical. A bunch of players that got signed to big deals today, are players i can recall being relegated to bum status here too. so forgive me if i cant take this all that seriously.

What the **** do Neto and a 2nd round draft pick have to do with anything.. you can move those whenever, there's only a certain time when the Jazz can strike in Free Agency.. I guess the right move is to wait on KD next year and offer him the max.... right?

Same exact end result on this topic all day - posters crusading for journeymen and rookies.. ****s played out.

 

[Cappy_Smurf]

Who even said or implied this, are you making **** up? do you usually rely on national enquirer levels of sensationalism to make your points?

Tobias Harris is 22 and some here basically have relegated him to bum status to add panache to their posts. which is hysterical. A bunch of players that got signed to big deals today, are players i can recall being relegated to bum status here too. so forgive me if i cant take this all that seriously.

What the **** do Neto and a 2nd round draft pick have to do with anything.. you can move those whenever, there's only a certain time when the Jazz can strike in Free Agency.. I guess the right move is to wait on KD next year and offer him the max.... right?

Same exact end result on this topic all day - posters crusading for journeymen and rookies.. ****s played out.

Quit yer bitchin', Jr. Utah is going to be a damn good team this year. Go take some Xanax and re-watch the second half of the season. Don't forget to breathe.

 

[LogGrad98]

Agree. Jazz went 19-10 to end the season (that's a 53-win pace). They did so with Hayward sitting out a few games, no Burks, and terrible production from the PG's.

If Utah had an older team, then yes, make some changes. But we're young at every position. Anyone who can't see something special happening is completely blind. It's WAY to early to dump Exum for a veteran starter, or claim Burks can't fit in, or declare Hood injury-prone.

At the end of the season they obviously threw in the towel on about 5 games (Favors/Hayward sitting out). They could have won 3 of those easy. It was not a stretch for them to have been 22-7 after the break, which is crazy good (on pace for 62 wins). So I think there is great cause for optimism if we just plug a few holes. If your boat is sailing fine, but some water is leaking in through some small holes you don't get out an axe and chop it apart, you cram some chewing gum in those holes and keep sailing. That is what we are doing. Pleiss and maybe another small piece and we have the means to get far. Hood is going to be better than anyone thinks. So is Gobert actually. I think Favors will be about the same, and so will Hayward, but that means borderline all-stars that are capable of taking over games. We are going to be dangerous next year as we stand right now. No need to flip out. I guarantee you they are trolling to see what bites, but they are not rolling out the gill-nets. No reason to. I cannot wait for the season to start.

 

[seattlejazzfan]

The offense isn't close to what its going to take to hang with some of these top teams in the west in a series. that's just being realistic.

I disagree. The offense wasn't good enough last year, and they probably aren't quite there this year, but they are close. Keep in mind, the Jazz offense doesn't have to be as good as other teams, because their defense is elite. Yes, the offense has to be better than last year and it will be. Again, not quite there, but they are close. Burks absence was huge on the offensive end. Hood will be better offensively and Exum just because it would be impossible not to be better will be better. Favors will continue slight improvement. Gobert should at least be just a bit better.

Jazz have five guys who can get them 20 on any given night. Burke, Burks, Hood, G-time, Favors. Four more who can get them double figures - Exum, Ingles, Gobert, Booker. With as well as they play defense, that should be enough fire power to compete.

 

[NAOS]

I disagree. The offense wasn't good enough last year, and they probably aren't quite there this year, but they are close. Keep in mind, the Jazz offense doesn't have to be as good as other teams, because their defense is elite. Yes, the offense has to be better than last year and it will be. Again, not quite there, but they are close. Burks absence was huge on the offensive end. Hood will be better offensively and Exum just because it would be impossible not to be better will be better. Favors will continue slight improvement. Gobert should at least be just a bit better.

Jazz have five guys who can get them 20 on any given night. Burke, Burks, Hood, G-time, Favors. Four more who can get them double figures - Exum, Ingles, Gobert, Booker. With as well as they play defense, that should be enough fire power to compete.

You can disagree with PG_AB, and you make some decent points. But those points are more of a speculated variety than they are stocked with actual evidence. I think Q would be the first to say that our offense is a long way from what he hopes. A long way.

I think that AS OF TODAY the evidence suggests that a top-seeded team in the West could clamp down on the few things we do well. They could probably do that well enough to make a 7-game series fairly short.

Now, we could have tons of internal improvement between now and next April, rendering that statement obsolete. But that's a faith argument. We could also play well enough that we are one of the top-seeded teams and get to beat up a first round opponent. That'd be awesome. But, in the end, I have to agree with PG_AB right now. Our offense isn't good enough to carry us in the West. That's why I've been hoping for a splashy free agency period.

 

[fishonjazz]

No. Because we have a lot of talent already at every position and we want to develop them and go to the playoffs with them, and we believe we can, and we believe in them.

/thread

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