latin jazz
Well-Known Member
Yes, I'll give him Gobert and now Mitchell.
But if you credit him for successes, you have to also acknowledge his failures: Burke, Lyles, wasted lottery pick on Hill (by not having him agree to an extension as terms of the trade), Exum (still TBD), no significant rotation players later in the draft. No "gems" for bringing in nearly 100 players every summer for workouts. Good gawd, you'd expect Idaho/SLC to be able to field a decent squad with that level of player analysis. Instead, they been the WORST D/G League team since Lindsey has been GM.
And losing Hayward for nothing. He alienated him with his culture of losing, further adding to the disrespect Hayward felt during his restricted free agency. Now the RFA was on KOC, but creating a playoff team was on Lindsey. He purposely let Utah lose by not signing free agents (Utah was around 28th in payroll for 3 yrs running, IINM). Despite his mantra of "don't skip steps," he really did. Jazz were never bad enough to have top draft picks, except for one year. If you do a rebuild, do it right! Reportedly, Hayward asked for a trade last summer. Instead of getting nothing, could Utah have gotten anywhere near what Indiana did for George?
Again, I'm hoping DL will make some significant trades. I'm just saying his track record is to hesitate because he dislikes the risks and then he covers his tracks by saying the cost was too high, or they explored all the options and liked their own guys better.
So I won't be surprised if nothing happens.
Do you have a source for Haywood's trade request? Is it Geltzeiler? No reputable sportswriter confirmed the report. On the contrary, it was refuted quickly.
Bringing Hill was a good move at the time. We were all in for a deep run in the playoffs. It's not DL fault Hill didn't resign with us. Remember, the Jazz offered a very generous extension, 20M more than what Sac ended up paying. Given Hill's poor play this season maybe fans would kill DL if he had resigned.
Last year offseason was excellent, bringing veterans to complement and up and coming team. But I do have some criticism: not making those moves a year earlier under the excuse of 'not skipping steps'. Phrases like '"Alec Burks is our biggest free agent" makes me cringe. 2015-2016 was a lost year by all accounts: no internal growth from young players, no playoffs, crappy pick. Other mistakes were extending Tibor (and later using a 2nd to get rid of his contract) and in hindsight trading for Rubio. Regarding Bricky, I understand the move since we wanted to have a pg before contract negotiations with GH began (and it was reported GH really liked Rubio)...those are the type of short-term moves to keep happy your star that will later haunt you.
Anyway, the successes out-weight the negatives. DL has moved quickly to correct some of his mistakes plus he has been able to acquire two franchise players without really tanking: remaining competitive while getting top talent is some of the hardest things to accomplish by a GM. Avoiding monstrous contracts is a positive too. The Jazz will spend as long as the player is a difference maker, which is why they have decided to move from Hood. I do expect a move (s) to happen this trade deadline. DL track record shouldn't be used to predict his future moves.
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