Game Thread Mar 05, 2023 05:00PM MT: Jazz at Thunder

[Thee Jazz Fan]

No, he is our tank commander.

I mean at years end unless we are tanking next year which I’m all for. I just hate watching him most of the time.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

Lol… the tank is becoming too easy at this point.

Btw I have done this… you can play through but it sucks.

 

[Elizah Huge]

Btw I have done this… you can play through but it sucks.

I had a teammate in high school do it as well. I think as a precautionary measure Clarkson should sit out the rest of the season. Doesn’t need to injure it even more with a new contract on the horizon.

 

[Agent#00]

I had a teammate in high school do it as well. I think as a precautionary measure Clarkson should sit out the rest of the season. Doesn’t need to injure it even more with a new contract on the horizon.

unleash THT

 

[Agent#00]

tony jones reported jc dislocated his finger then popped right back in. he will sit next game i bet

 

[SoUjazzfan]

They are going to be special if Chet comes even somewhat close to reaching his potential.

I'm interested to see if Chet can hold up to the grind of the NBA. He's going to have to put on some muscle. I see the same problem with Wemby, but we shall see. Gobert has done well but definitely strengthened himself those first couple of years.

 

[NUMBERICA]

Yes and we can offer him a renegotiate and extend deal that pays him max money a year earlier than he can get anywhere else… literally can cut him a check for 25M more than his contract pays him that year on top of it. I’m sure he will turn that down in the spot he became an all star cuz he’s mad about 20 games at the end of a season…. I mean if he did it means he’s a moron and we’d trade him for a bunch of stuff… he’s in control and unlike most the whiners on this board he’s not a moron… so since we are in a position to make him an offer no sane person should refuse… please tell me how we aren’t in the drivers seat?

Some of y’all can’t see past your noses

The theory I would’ve put out right after the trade deadline is that one of the PRIMARY reasons the Jazz snagged all that cap space was specifically to renegotiate and extend Lauri.

The thing that sets up the Jazz for a great build is committing to being absolute dog **** for the rest of the season. They already have three players on long contracts that are keepers. Nail two picks this year and the window is open for maybe an inordinately long period.

 

[HermanG]

Yes and we can offer him a renegotiate and extend deal that pays him max money a year earlier than he can get anywhere else… literally can cut him a check for 25M more than his contract pays him that year on top of it. I’m sure he will turn that down in the spot he became an all star cuz he’s mad about 20 games at the end of a season…. I mean if he did it means he’s a moron and we’d trade him for a bunch of stuff… he’s in control and unlike most the whiners on this board he’s not a moron… so since we are in a position to make him an offer no sane person should refuse… please tell me how we aren’t in the drivers seat?

Some of y’all can’t see past your noses

Anyone arguing Lauri is not happy here doesnt pay attention to his interviews. He is not smiling, he is glowing. The dude is on top the world right now. He also knows we are headed in the right direction even if we are not gonna cause any ripples this year.

I'm also pretty sure he has more confidence in our FO and coach than he has ever had anywhere in his career. Thats not something that just disappears all of a sudden. Plus he was probably less fazed than anyone about the LA trade in the inverviews immediately after the fact.

 

[Laramie]

I'm interested to see if Chet can hold up to the grind of the NBA. He's going to have to put on some muscle. I see the same problem with Wemby, but we shall see. Gobert has done well but definitely strengthened himself those first couple of years.

Chet slighting in Thunder practice facility
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGW--IUyrGU

 

[Tremendous Upside]

Anyone arguing Lauri is not happy here doesnt pay attention to his interviews. He is not smiling, he is glowing.

The reality of the tank hasn't had time to really sink in yet. But it will. Lauri didn't look at all happy in the last game he played in. To me he looked like a guy thinking "I can't believe this ****, it's me and a bunch of G-League scrubs".

People are straight up deceiving themselves if they think he's gonna accept a full tanking season next year after this **** show. I get that he's apparently the ultimate team guy or something, but for the first time in his career he's now in a position where he can really control his own destiny. No All Star is gonna waste his absolute prime toiling away on a tanking team.

 

[HermanG]

The reality of the tank hasn't had time to really sink in yet. But it will. Lauri didn't look at all happy in the last game he played in. To me he looked like a guy thinking "I can't believe this ****, it's me and a bunch of G-League scrubs".

People are straight up deceiving themselves if they think he's gonna accept a full tanking season next year after this **** show. I get that he's apparently the ultimate team guy or something, but for the first time in his career he's now in a position where he can really control his own destiny. No All Star is gonna waste his absolute prime toiling away in a tanking team.

Also anyone arguing we are gonna tank next season is equally delusional.

 

[Tremendous Upside]

The theory I would’ve put out right after the trade deadline is that one of the PRIMARY reasons the Jazz snagged all that cap space was specifically to renegotiate and extend Lauri.

The thing that sets up the Jazz for a great build is committing to being absolute dog **** for the rest of the season. They already have three players on long contracts that are keepers. Nail two picks this year and the window is open for maybe an inordinately long period.

This is not just a Lauri problem, it's a team building problem. I thought you armchair GM's were experts at this ****.

Renegotiate & extend won't help with a guy like Markkanen if you have no tangible hope to offer. Lauri knows his next contract will be huge anyway, no matter where he gets it. He'll be 26 in a few months, never been to the playoffs. The bottom line is, he'll want to win ASAP. As I pointed out earlier, the decision to start a late tank separated Lauri's timeline from the team's. That's the big story here. This is why teams who have a prime All Star on the roster never voluntarily start to tank. It's basically unheard of. You're wasting extremely valuable years.

Some people are saying we'll be gunning for the playoffs as early as next season. I think that's a load of BS. It's overwhelmingly likely the guy(s) we draft won't make any difference in the wins column for a while, even if we end up picking near the top. Either Ainge makes some big win-now moves in the offseason or we'll be tanking again.

IMO, the latter option means that Markkanen gets traded next season for a king's ransom, turning him into a bunch of younger assets, and the Jazz settle in for a real multiyear tank, Houston and OKC style. Scorched earth, mothe****er. I can absolutely see Ainge doing that. There's no loyalty, no history. Both guys just got to Utah.