What to do with AK?

[Stifle Tower]

Geez, I can't believe all the hyperbole and vitriole about AK in this thread. This guy will have a major year if he doesn't get injured and should be on this team. He does get injured a lot, but it is because he plays in the air. He's like the high-wire act at the circus vs the guy who cracks the whip and makes the ponies dance (Boozer). A lot of folks keep harping on his contract. It is over after this year and AK has said he expects a big pay cut. The only thing any of the guys mentioned as replacements have on him is that they're younger. I can't wait to see him playing in our new line-up with Bell and Al and Deron. All three of those guys are nasty. AK isn't nasty, but he can play serious d like Bell and Deron. This is going to get fun.

He plays in the air? What games have you been watching? He's not a shotblocker any more. And his signature offensive move is to drive wildly into the lane, throw his hands up like Forrest Gump at a rave, and hope a ref thinks he was fouled, not just spastic.

He gets a couple of steals and makes a couple of nice passes during a game. Big f'in deal. He's really not a good defender, at least not one-on-one. Bigger players just push him aside and shooters just take a step-back jumper. He's good on help defense and jumping the passing lanes - that's it.

What we need to do is trade AK for a bonafide starting SF or SG at the deadline. Then you'd potentially have three stars: Deron, Jefferson and the new SG/SF with a very good player in Millsap and whoever wins out at the other wing (Raja/CJ now and maybe Hayward in a couple of years). With Okur rotating in at the 4/5 and CJ/Raja and Hayward at the 2/3, that's a pretty lethal rotation. Add a decent PG who can play aorind 13/per so Deron can stay fresh. Not bad.

 

[freakazoid]

Underrated my ***. He is getting paid more than Deron and turns in half the productivity.

And more importantly the ****er takes 15 games off on an average every season like it is almost a given. No one even reacts anymore when they hear he is down with some injury or the other. And he gets a free pass on that while Boozer got bashed every time he went down.

Underrated as a player, no doubt. Overrated when you consider his contract, duh. There's a difference when rating him as a player, than rating him on his contract. I don't think anyone would argue that he's not grossly overpaid right now.

Suppose Utah keeps him, and then signs him at 21-24 million for 3 years? Still want to dump Him? Honest question.

 

[Stickler]

So you are saying it's entirely possible for a player to make a team worse than they would be without him, and yet the player is under rated?

LOL, not sure what world you live in but it is definitely not in reality.

Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying, within the framework of the way you have structured the argument. Is it possible that the Jazz, right now, would have a better team without AK? I'll concede that it's possible. Note: that's not the same thing as saying that if we removed AK from this team, as presently constituted, and added no one to replace him, that the Jazz would be better.

I have to be very careful, apparently, in the way I phrase things here, because I don't want to confuse you any further.

So, yes. That is what I'm saying. Because, again, the question of what the team might do without him, and the question of whether or not he, individually as a player regardless of his contract situation, is underrated, are entirely different things.

And now, I will end this without actually insulting you, because, real-world or not, I like to think I can live in a world where I can see things differently from somebody without it freaking me out so much that I have to start slinging a bunch of attacks.

I like AK. I'm not thrilled about his contract. I'll leave it at that. Have a nice night.

 

[write4u]

No sense arguing with Salty, he's been an AK hater for a long time. Nothing anyone says will change that.

 

[freakazoid]

if you're trying to get me to forget about his salary when we have lost a bunch of good players over the last couple years because of his salary, then you're not living in reality.

Ever heard of that one guy named Boozer? I heard he missed a few games while getting paid. Sorry, I just probably missed all that while I was trying to live in reality.

 

[vegas]

For me as an armchair gm its simple.

• Feel out a price tag for an extension.
• Shop around with teams who want a big expiring contract to see what they are willing to give up

Decide which has more value for the team, once you know what you could have instead of what you already have.

As a fan, I think AK is absolutely unique as a player. For the right price, I can handle one more season of his contract and wait til next year to add another player or two.

I am also interested to see if it helps that he is not playing in Russia this summer.

 

[billyshelby]

What we need to do is trade AK for a bonafide starting SF or SG at the deadline.

I'm just putting it out there, but AK was 7th in PER amongst small forwards last year. He was 8th amongst all shooting guards with that PER if you count Beaubois being ahead of him. So when you add every 2 and 3 in the league last year, AK was Top 15. How is he not bonafide? This is the basic problem that runs through all perceptions of players. If somebody's forte isn't scoring, then he must not be all that great. And yet only 14 guys who play 2 and 3 are statistically better than AK. I get the injury stuff. But pretending AK isn't one of the most skilled players in the game considering all his attributes is kind of silly.

 

[Stifle Tower]

Underrated as a player, no doubt. Overrated when you consider his contract, duh. There's a difference when rating him as a player, than rating him on his contract. I don't think anyone would argue that he's not grossly overpaid right now.

Suppose Utah keeps him, and then signs him at 21-24 million for 3 years? Still want to dump Him? Honest question.

At $7-8M, yes. I wouldn't tie up that kind of salary in a 30 yr. old with a history of ankle and back problems. Give me a young player who has upside, or spend more on a very good starting wing who can hit some outside shots. AK is an inconsistent shooter. He can drive into the lane and get some fouls called at home. That's less effective on the road. If we accuse others of "flopping' then I think we need to come up with another term for what AK does, perhaps "flailing?"

 

[Archie Moses]

+ and -'s are about as reliable in the NBA as they are in calculus.

 

[billyshelby]

At $7-8M, yes. I wouldn't tie up that kind of salary in a 30 yr. old with a history of ankle and back problems. Give me a young player who has upside, or spend more on a very good starting wing who can hit some outside shots. AK is an inconsistent shooter. He can drive into the lane and get some fouls called at home. That's less effective on the road. If we accuse others of "flopping' then I think we need to come up with another term for what AK does, perhaps "flailing?"

In the same year AK was flailing, he was, per 48, amongst other 3's in the league:

13th in scoring
18th in rebounds
1st in assists
1st in blocked shots
7th in PER

How can you keep ignoring all this? Or how do you account for why it doesn't matter and there are lots of guys who can do this?

 

[SaltyDawg]

Ever heard of that one guy named Boozer? I heard he missed a few games while getting paid. Sorry, I just probably missed all that while I was trying to live in reality.

Boozer is not here anymore. We lost Matthews and Korver in the last week. Al Harrington also said he wanted to play for the Jazz yet we let him go to Denver for the midlevel the other day. Orlando is trying to dump salary, and they have Gortat barely getting any minutes behing Howard- and we have the Harpring TPE that we could trade for him. We could have also used that same TPE on Beasley- who was traded for a second round pick the other day.

All of this is while Boozer is/was a member of the Bulls.

So if you're talking about Boozer, you're living in the past, not in reality. AK's contract is the current reality when you start looking for reasons the Jazz aren't getting/keeping any of these guys.

Speaking of Boozer, when we got rid of him we replaced himwith Al Jefferson. Not bad at all.

 

[Stickler]

Al Harrington didn't say he wanted to play for the Jazz. I believe he said he would give them a look.