5 steps: Fixing the Jazz

[billyshelby]

That's fine. 34 minutes per night is clearly too much for Paul. 28 -30 is probably what he should be playing.

I just would hate for the Jazz to give up a guy like Paul to build around Al Jeff and Devin Harris. Damn, those two need to be dumped.

I like Al a lot more than you do, but I don't think Al should have anything to do with keeping Sap. There's a lot more Ty can do to take advantage of Al's post game. At the very least, Sap can still learn a ton from Al developing his own post game. But Al, Sap, and Favors give us 3 excellent pieces that should work better for us than they have.

 

[VINYLONE]

Quick question, if Paul could average 16 ppg on good percentages (.480 FG .360 3PT), defend the 3 adequately, and rebound well from the 3 spot, who can the Jazz acquire to better man the 3?

Like the other poster said, the question is defense. If he could do all of that, including defense, Id definitely be sold on Paul. I like his attitude.

Why so sour on AJ? Harris is pure garbage.

 

[GVC]

There's a lot more Ty can do to take advantage of Al's post game.

You think he's magically going to become an efficient offensive player after 7 years of roughly league average true shooting (this season he was easily below league average at .528)? He's going to learn to run the floor, make effective passes out of double teams (not just passes that lead to desperation heaves or resetting the offense with little time on the shot clock) and draw fouls?

Why do people think Big Al is going to make such a tremendous jump next season?

 

[GVC]

Why so sour on AJ?

His true shooting percentage for the year roughly matched the Charlotte Bobcats true shooting for the year. And Al's better scoring the ball than he is playing within a team concept, defending or running the floor.

 

[VINYLONE]

Yeah, he's definitely not going to win any "smart" awards.

So the Jazz are ****ed.

 

[GVC]

Or they could try a proper rebuild, and try to trade Harris and Big Al.

 

[zman1527]

You think he's magically going to become an efficient offensive player after 7 years of roughly league average true shooting (this season he was easily below league average at .528)? He's going to learn to run the floor, make effective passes out of double teams (not just passes that lead to desperation heaves or resetting the offense with little time on the shot clock) and draw fouls?

Why do people think Big Al is going to make such a tremendous jump next season?

I don't and I do not think he is a key piece. He can do some nice things and is a complement but not a key. How did the Jazz do when he was putting up his best numbers? Losing to everyone and losing badly. Now, I have not given up on him completely but he is looking like an Iverson-Carmelo-Marbury kind of guy: very talented but bring the team down rather than make them better.

 

[zman1527]

So your plan is to:

1. Hold on to the overpaid, under-performing Jazz players.

2. Jettison hard-working, underpaid team players.

3. Find better complements to the overpaid junk.

Just brilliant.

I never said any of those things. Read what I wrote and not what you have an impression that I was implying.

Sap is a very talented guy but he has been supplanted in the role he began the year in, starting PF. The coach has said it, Sap has said, it is being discussed all over the board. Else why would anyone be talking about if he can play the 3???????

So, now that we have reached that conclusion what do you do? Play him as an experiment to see if he can play a position he never has and no one ever asked him to because it was apparent that he was not a SF? Face facts and make him the 6th man or trade him for good value. Trading him for good value is not jettisoning him.

Nor did I mention any other players or what to with them. For the record, they are all expendable-tradeable except Favors and Hayward. Look to 3 years out and build around them.

 

[GVC]

But if the Jazz can move Big Al for "good value" wouldn't that be preferable? Why is that not being discussed?

 

[billyshelby]

You think he's magically going to become an efficient offensive player after 7 years of roughly league average true shooting (this season he was easily below league average at .528)? He's going to learn to run the floor, make effective passes out of double teams (not just passes that lead to desperation heaves or resetting the offense with little time on the shot clock) and draw fouls?

Why do people think Big Al is going to make such a tremendous jump next season?

For 6 years, he played in a system that was literally designed for him to go one on one. So his stats are going to reflect that. This season, he struggled a lot trying to learn our offense the first few months. He was dynamite in February and March. I weight the second half of his season much more heavily in my estimation of him. And I think he can roll that forward into next year.

But the big question is this summer. He absolutely needs to take his body to the next level, and the Jazz have to figure out ways to help him as a passer. He's not going to be Tim Duncan. But he's not a finished product. And playing with a much better cast than he's ever had going into next year should help him, not hurt him.

 

[Gyp Rosetti]

For 6 years, he played in a system that was literally designed for him to go one on one. So his stats are going to reflect that. This season, he struggled a lot trying to learn our offense the first few months. He was dynamite in February and March. I weight the second half of his season much more heavily in my estimation of him. And I think he can roll that forward into next year.

But the big question is this summer. He absolutely needs to take his body to the next level, and the Jazz have to figure out ways to help him as a passer. He's not going to be Tim Duncan. But he's not a finished product. And playing with a much better cast than he's ever had going into next year should help him, not hurt him.

I agree. However, I believe what GVC's said to ring true and if Jefferson hasn't shown noticeable improvement in his body and passing, he needs to be traded next season...especially if we net someone like Bimbo out of this draft.

 

[GVC]

For 6 years, he played in a system that was literally designed for him to go one on one. So his stats are going to reflect that. This season, he struggled a lot trying to learn our offense the first few months. He was dynamite in February and March. I weight the second half of his season much more heavily in my estimation of him. And I think he can roll that forward into next year.

And yet, even when only considering his best stretch, his true shooting came in at .546, which is poor for an offensive big (Paul Millsap shot .578 TS for the season). I'm just not seeing it.