What's new
By:

Why we can contend now w/defense

Points noted. However, I think many people are all really assuming Jefferson is going to have a better mindset than Booze when the evidence historically does not point in that direction. He's been as equally as bad a defender as Booze. Again, I'm really not trying to be a Debbie Downer. I'm simply stating what I see as facts.

That said, the kid is only 25 and is about to enter his prime, with an all-world point guard, on a very solid team, all things he's never experienced before. That should excite him. The question is, will it only translate on the offensive end? Let's hope not.
 
Another point; playing defense can become contagious. Raja, being a fiery guy and a vet, is more likely to inspire teammates than Matthews, who was a raw rookie scrambling just to make the team, eventually getting into the starting lineup. We tend to forget how young the Jazz still are overall. Hopefully Raja will be in Al and CJ's ear a lot this season...
The Lakers, OTOH, are a bunch of 30+ year-old grizzled vets.
 
NotDeadYet said:
Another point; playing defense can become contagious. Raja, being a fiery guy and a vet, is more likely to inspire teammates than Matthews, who was a raw rookie scrambling just to make the team, eventually getting into the starting lineup. We tend to forget how young the Jazz still are overall. Hopefully Raja will be in Al and CJ's ear a lot this season...
The Lakers, OTOH, are a bunch of 30+ year-old grizzled vets.
Click to expand...
I think it's also easier to give 100%, balls-out effort when you're on a winning team. I know, I know, these guys are professionals. But c'mon, if you've ever been on a Rec team you know your mindset is different if your team is good vs. knowing you'll probably lose by 20 pts no matter how effort you put forth. Jefferson has been on terrible teams, teams that never emphasized defense. Now he's going to have Sloan and Raja yelling at him. And we know there was conflict between Booz and AK. How much better might AK play? And we have 2 rookies who have already shown they're going to go in and fight for rebiounds and loose balls.

KEK's concerns are noted. But everything says to me the team is going to be much, much better defensively. And I don't see that much of a drop-off offensively. Korver averaged 2 three point attempts per game. Raja will do that. Boozer was just under 20 pts with 1o rebounds. Jefferson gets those stats. Matthews averaged 10 pts/per. That's easily replaceable.
 
GlassEater said:
I'm not sure why everyone says..."if we can only get a shotblocking/defensive big it will put us over the top." It's not like you're adding that player to the court along with the rest. Put in a defensive big and you take away one of the offensive weapons (like Millsap or Jefferson).
Click to expand...


THIS!! I wish more people understood that.
 
GlassEater said:
I'm not sure why everyone says..."if we can only get a shotblocking/defensive big it will put us over the top." It's not like you're adding that player to the court along with the rest. Put in a defensive big and you take away one of the offensive weapons (like Millsap or Jefferson). How many titles did Utah win with Mark Eaton? He was one of the best defensive bigs EVER. Ostertag was also no slouch. The problem was you didn't have to guard those guys on offense, so it was always 4 on 5.
Click to expand...

If the Jazz had Eaton instead of Ostertag in the Finals years, would that have been oh so bad?

So how many titles will the Jazz win with a 6-10 C and a 6-8 PF backed up by Slowmemo and maybe goofy Fes in the era of Kobe's 7-foot Lakers and Big Three fever?

It will be good, not bad, for the Jazz's chances of contending against the biggies if the Jazz get a shot-blocking big. Even front-office lovers know that KOC, post-Jefferson trade, still recognizes this.

Sure the Jazz as it is would be OK against many teams. Just like last season and before that. But this dismissiveness of the need for a shot-blocking big will evaporate when the Jazz look so small against the Lakers again.

KOC has had a good offseason so far but his job's still incomplete.
 
jimmyjazz said:
If the Jazz had Eaton instead of Ostertag in the Finals years, would that have been oh so bad?

So how many titles will the Jazz win with a 6-10 C and a 6-8 PF backed up by Slowmemo and maybe goofy Fes in the era of Kobe's 7-foot Lakers and Big Three fever?

It will be good, not bad, for the Jazz's chances of contending against the biggies if the Jazz get a shot-blocking big. Even front-office lovers know that KOC, post-Jefferson trade, still recognizes this.

Sure the Jazz as it is would be OK against many teams. Just like last season and before that. But this dismissiveness of the need for a shot-blocking big will evaporate when the Jazz look so small against the Lakers again.

KOC has had a good offseason so far but his job's still incomplete.
Click to expand...

Here's the way I might see this dilemma. Jefferson adds a tougher low post scoring threat than Boozer. Teams will have to put their biggest best defender on Jefferson all the time. Jefferson is way more physical and nasty than Boozer. Jefferson will wear him down in short order making him easier to guard for Memo, Fes, Jefferson, Millsap, etc. A big shot blocking center may not be as urgent as it was with Boozer on the floor last year.
 
We got rid of our two worst defensive players in Boozer and Korver, so hopefully we improve just because those 2 will never be on the floor.
 
Remember that AL is not a good defender. He blocks more shots than Boozer, but that's about it.
Bell is a good defender, but a little overrated imo, + he's older now.

I'd say we are a tougher now, but it's not like we have a huge upgrade in defense.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page
Back
Top