Ersan Ilyasova to sign with Jazz per Jordan Schultz

Probably not going to get much run, but might provide a few minutes when need be.

homeytennis said:

He is listed as being 33 years old which I guess is in Albert Pujols years.

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Might be 36. Lol I don’t know?

infection said:

That's the thing. I think it's hard to crack Quin's set rotation, unless Quin was involved in the decision of bringing Ilyasova in. But also keep in mind that he's been on the market for quite a while, and we haven't made a move for him, so this could just be the roster rule necessity with the added advantage of being a good vet. We thought Shaq would surely come in and get a lot of Niang's minutes, but he got none, and Oni was before him in the rotation.

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Bud loves Ersan... Quin and Bud are muy simpatico. Niang just put down his Crumbl cookie and looked over his shoulder. I'm going to say we see an non-garbage time Ersan sighting within his first 5 games.

Not much to complain about - an established vet for 30-something games and the playoffs.

Considering they needed a contract, I'm just glad it wasn't Nigel Williams-Goss, 4.0 or some D-league guy who Locke will do a 40 minute podcast on to convince everyone he's a diamond in the rough and not the old ownership's "scrub of the month" guy to sign on the cheap.

infection said:

If something obvious comes up, I think we're still in pursuit of that, like an OPJ. We still have the ability. DL asked out his neighbor, but DL lives in a polygamist community and both he and the neighbor are used to going to prom with multiple people.

But signing someone like Ilyasova isn't stopping us from signing someone like RHJ, because it's clear they didn't want RHJ. It's just good that they're showing some signs of life, though this move was also necessitated by league rule (though we could have used a bunch of 10-days as loopholes).

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Oh man... our success has made you forget how we operate. Once this signing happens DL can put on the out of office reply on his email and go on an extended spring break. DL has often said his motto is "do your work early" but he says the second part of the saying under his breath "... so you can clock out and go home".

The 10 day dance is actually kinda smart. If Ersan gets hurt tomorrow then you stuck with him... now maybe he wasn't willing to sign a 10 day and maybe he had other offers.

I'm fine with the signing but please don't kid yourselves here... this move absolutely makes it less likely we do something later. There may not be anything better but this definitely takes our aggression down a few notches.

Another theory... Ersan is a solid shooter, good rebounder... but what he is elite at is taking charges.

The second unit is a bit helpless at times... we can't defend the bully types like Zion, Joel, and Jokic sometimes. Ersan was brought in as a sacrificial lamb to take charges from Lebron, Zion, Jokic, and others... he will die to get the ball back for us... #prayforersan

I would still like to see Korver added. We have another roster spot.

From Wikipedia

Citizenship and age​

Since the 2003 Turkish Junior Basketball Championship held in Konya, there has been some controversy about İlyasova's age and national origin.[36] The controversy is fueled by the claim that a man named Arsen Ilyasov, born in 1984 in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, entered Turkey as an 18-year-old on August 7, 2002, and was never heard from again, while on September 19, 2002, a man named Semsettin Bulut claimed to have forgotten to register the birth of his now 15-year-old son, and did so as Ersan İlyasova, a Turkish citizen.[37] This claim, that İlyasova is actually Ilyasov and should be an Uzbek player, was officially put forth by the Uzbekistan Basketball Federation in a grievance, but FIBA ruled in the Turkish Basketball Federation's favor.[35] While this controversy was brewing, some media outlets, such as ESPN's Chad Ford, openly referred to Ilyasova as "The 17-year-old forward from Uzbekistan is widely considered the best prospect to ever come out of Turkey."[38] Other biographies, while not claiming an Uzbek birth, still maintain a 1984 birth year.[39][40]

sojodave said:

From Wikipedia

Citizenship and age​

Since the 2003 Turkish Junior Basketball Championship held in Konya, there has been some controversy about İlyasova's age and national origin.[36] The controversy is fueled by the claim that a man named Arsen Ilyasov, born in 1984 in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, entered Turkey as an 18-year-old on August 7, 2002, and was never heard from again, while on September 19, 2002, a man named Semsettin Bulut claimed to have forgotten to register the birth of his now 15-year-old son, and did so as Ersan İlyasova, a Turkish citizen.[37] This claim, that İlyasova is actually Ilyasov and should be an Uzbek player, was officially put forth by the Uzbekistan Basketball Federation in a grievance, but FIBA ruled in the Turkish Basketball Federation's favor.[35] While this controversy was brewing, some media outlets, such as ESPN's Chad Ford, openly referred to Ilyasova as "The 17-year-old forward from Uzbekistan is widely considered the best prospect to ever come out of Turkey."[38] Other biographies, while not claiming an Uzbek birth, still maintain a 1984 birth year.[39][40]

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Yeah this was posted already, kinda late to the party there.

Handlogten's Heros said:

Oh man... our success has made you forget how we operate. Once this signing happens DL can put on the out of office reply on his email and go on an extended spring break. DL has often said his motto is "do your work early" but he says the second part of the saying under his breath "... so you can clock out and go home".

The 10 day dance is actually kinda smart. If Ersan gets hurt tomorrow then you stuck with him... now maybe he wasn't willing to sign a 10 day and maybe he had other offers.

I'm fine with the signing but please don't kid yourselves here... this move absolutely makes it less likely we do something later. There may not be anything better but this definitely takes our aggression down a few notches.

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Just can't let go of your narrative, I see.

Oh well ... we like you this way. Never change.

infection said:

That's the thing. I think it's hard to crack Quin's set rotation, unless Quin was involved in the decision of bringing Ilyasova in. But also keep in mind that he's been on the market for quite a while, and we haven't made a move for him, so this could just be the roster rule necessity with the added advantage of being a good vet. We thought Shaq would surely come in and get a lot of Niang's minutes, but he got none, and Oni was before him in the rotation.

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Shaq kinda sucked though and deserved to play behind Niang and Oni at the very least. Forrest probably should have been ahead of him also.

Handlogten's Heros said:

Oh man... our success has made you forget how we operate. Once this signing happens DL can put on the out of office reply on his email and go on an extended spring break. DL has often said his motto is "do your work early" but he says the second part of the saying under his breath "... so you can clock out and go home".

The 10 day dance is actually kinda smart. If Ersan gets hurt tomorrow then you stuck with him... now maybe he wasn't willing to sign a 10 day and maybe he had other offers.

I'm fine with the signing but please don't kid yourselves here... this move absolutely makes it less likely we do something later. There may not be anything better but this definitely takes our aggression down a few notches.

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What deals do you think Ilyasova would prevent? I feel like he's becoming a bit of a red herring here. I used the idea of RHJ as an example, but it could be anyone. We didn't sign RHJ because we didn't want to. I think if we're missing out on other guys, it's because we don't want them. If an OPJ shakes loose, don't conflate the idea of DL doing nothing with being the same in this situation. DL is Mr. Tunnel-Vision. Someone like OPJ shakes loose, DL is going to focus on that. If we're not pursuing guys, it's because they're outside the purview of DL's tunnel vision, and I don't believe Ilyasova alters that at all, but superficially it may appear that way. If DL has no interest in a Sterling Brown, just like he has no interest in RHJ, it's not because of Ilyasova. And DL would prove that lack of interest whether it were Ilyasova or 10-days.

framer said:

Shaq kinda sucked though and deserved to play behind Niang and Oni at the very least. Forrest probably should have been ahead of him also.

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I mean a handful of garbage time minutes is not much to really judge a guy but sure.

Niang has played well enough defensively to hold his spot... if his shooting keeps trending up then he’s a solid rotation piece. The issue is we need something different to help us matchup in the playoffs. Guys like Shaq or RHJ were guys you use against Jamal Murray, Lebron, Kawhi... for 10-12 minutes and hope it makes a difference in the playoffs. We never really saw what Shaq could do.

I do think that last rotation spot should be experimented with to find some roster variance. Oni, Brantley, Morgan should be given some run to see what they can do even if Niang gives us the best chance to win that night.

Don't see him playing over Niang. I seriously doubt he gets any rotation minutes unless we have an injury.

Justin Zanik's Milwaukee connection pays off again.

infection said:

What deals do you think Ilyasova would prevent? I feel like he's becoming a bit of a red herring here. I used the idea of RHJ as an example, but it could be anyone. We didn't sign RHJ because we didn't want to. I think if we're missing out on other guys, it's because we don't want them. If an OPJ shakes loose, don't conflate the idea of DL doing nothing with being the same in this situation. DL is Mr. Tunnel-Vision. Someone like OPJ shakes loose, DL is going to focus on that. If we're not pursuing guys, it's because they're outside the purview of DL's tunnel vision, and I don't believe Ilyasova alters that at all, but superficially it may appear that way. If DL has no interest in a Sterling Brown, just like he has no interest in RHJ, it's not because of Ilyasova. And DL would prove that lack of interest whether it were Ilyasova or 10-days.

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He doesn't prevent a deal... but he confirms that we are looking for safety blankets and not higher upside options. He is opportunity cost and will jump the line in front of other options like Morgan, Brantley, Oni should we have an injury to Niang/Bojan. All the Jazz reporters are basically saying hes a four not a five and won't play ahead of Niang.

The signing kinda confirms the thinking you outlined above... DL isn't really looking for the thing most of us think we need. Signing a 10-day means we are churning and still looking. A rest of the year deal means if something clearly better comes along then sure we will bite... but if something kinda better or that could be better comes along then no thanks. Not having him would mean we might have a chance to fall into something that could be great... kinda like how we fell into Jordan Clarkson.

Ersan just signals to me that they are still thinking regular season. The guy could step into Niang's role and be as good or a slightly better version of Georges... but what we need in the playoffs is likely something different than either guy brings.

whatthe said:

Justin Zanik's Milwaukee connection pays off again.

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Forgot that connection... The guy has some fans in the front office. Quin loves him some vets... I guess we will see but I doubt we brought him in to collect dust.

The Utah Jazz are reportedly signing free agent forward Ersan Ilyasova to a veterans minimum deal, per ESPN's Jordan Schultz. The 12-year veteran has already gone through COVID-19 testing protocols, and will be able to join Utah for the second half of the season.

Ilyasova last played for the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2019-20 season, where he averaged 6.6 points and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 46.6 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from deep on two attempts per game. The Bucks waived him back in November before the season started, and the 6-foot-9 forward hasn't played since. He'll give the Jazz some additional depth in the frontcourt, not that they really need it with Rudy Gobert, Derrick Favors and Georges Niang all splitting a brunt of the power forward and center minutes.

Adding Ilyasova will also give the Jazz yet another weapon that can knock down 3s at a high clip as he's a career 36.5 percent shooter from beyond the arc. Utah has been the third-best 3-point shooting team in the league this season, and adding Ilyasova will only bolster its shooting depth. At 27-9, the Jazz enter the second half of the season with the best record in the league and currently sit atop the Western Conference. They've looked nearly unstoppable in the first half, and they'll need to keep their foot on the gas in order to secure the top spot in the West for the playoffs.

Man when you look at his production rate last season in just under 16 minutes a game, that's impressive. Maybe he hasn't lost a step after all. He's always been money come playoff time. Kinda surprised that Budenholzer gave him his walking papers in November considering what he's given them.

I'm guessing it's going to be similar to the Jonas Jerebko experience so I will probably hate it.

I smell a precursor to a trade.