1/9/2015: Jazz @ Thunder 6PM MT--ROOT, NBALP

[The Thriller]

Just need a shooting 2 guard, and this team is ready. Gobert is looking like he might be the future star we need to pair with Hayward. Now we just need a deadly shooter. Not sure if Hood is that man. His stroke is good looking, but we'll have to see. It will be fun watching him develop this season if he can stay healthy. Love Burks, he'll be our awesome 6th man scoring punch when he comes back next year. Burke is running the team well. Favors is stepping up. Hayward is playing at an All Star level. Everyone needs to continue to clean up their game, and improve. I dont miss Kanters slap defense. Enes looks like nothing more than a decent scoring bench player right now.

I'm concerned with Hood's health. For all the worry over Exum surviving the rigors of the league our other draft pick surely isn't helping things. The man constantly has a broken wheel.

Could Millsap be this diamond in the rough shooter? Could he be another Wes Matthews?

 

[BYE]

To be fair, I'd take teams shooting jumpers any day of the week instead of attacking the rim... Also... 7 blocks and 3 steals kind of doesn't seem like neutralizing Rudy's dominance.

The fast break points were due to turnovers and had nothing to do with Rudy.

People misunderstanding "neutralize". To be clear, Rudy dominated the paint....dominated!...like no other I have seen in recent years. The difference between him and Favors on the floor as center was absolutely astounding. Rudy dominates the paint...period! This is established. But he was -20 for the night, so why?

It was just like you said, because they scored 25 pts? on fast breaks on 20 TOs (over a quarter of their points) and because they hit a lot of jumpers both threes and pull up jumpers. In other words, Rudy was -20 despite dominating the paint because of these two things and thus his dominance was neutralized despite its brilliance.

I watched the first half and then the second half again, and two things jumped out to me. Other players were leaving people wide open on the three point line to come back and help on D in the paint, e.g. Hayward on the last play. I think you have to stay home more on these players and live with Rudy and Favors in the paint. Also, the players particularly Hayward have to start trusting Rudy more on offense, not to create his own, but you have to keep throwing oops to him until his shooting % dips below 55%. Also, let him pass the ball. He's a damn good passer for a big man. These two issues caused TO's and crap shots.

 

[NAOS]

I watched the first half and then the second half again, and two things jumped out to me. Other players were leaving people wide open on the three point line to come back and help on D in the paint, e.g. Hayward on the last play. I think you have to stay home more on these players and live with Rudy and Favors in the paint. Also, the players particularly Hayward have to start trusting Rudy more on offense, not to create his own, but you have to keep throwing oops to him until his shooting % dips below 55%. Also, let him pass the ball. He's a damn good passer for a big man. These two issues caused TO's and crap shots.

All of this. We were sagging off the perimeter waaay too far last night.

But, we also lack an elite perimeter defender.

 

[framer]

All of this. We were sagging off the perimeter waaay too far last night.

But, we also lack an elite perimeter defender.

It was interesting to see the parameter players collapse when the Thunder would drive. They just need to stay home and trust Gobert and Favors, especially when they are defending prolific 3 point shooters. I understand that that is what they are used to, but it needs to change.

 

[candrew]

Nothing to be ashamed of; Jazz fought hard. And I REALLY, REALLY enjoyed the OKC feed. Lieberman knows her stuff. Perhaps the best analyst I've heard thus far (sorry, Matt).

Lieberman was OK - turns out she was only doing the game because there was a death in Michael Cage's family.

The play-by-play guy was an annoying homer

Loving the OKC cheerleaders though - don't know what they're growing in those trailer parks out there - wow.

 

[candrew]

Favors beasting lately!

Not sure if it was mentioned in the thread - 3 straight games at least 20/10

 

[QuinSnydersHair]

Not sure if it was mentioned in the thread - 3 straight games at least 20/10

Yep. His back to back was the first time in his career. Now it's three in a row. Build that confidence FaveDawg.

 

[Ron Mexico]

Never going to happen but watching the game last night made me wonder how good we would be next year if we had Durant at SF. Hayward next to Durant would be unstoppable good on offense, especially if Favors jump shot improves and starts becoming automatic.

Favors was so good in that game and the last few. He is playing at an all-star level right now. I really wish he had made that base line jumper when we were down 1. I think hitting a game winner or a huge clutch jump shot would give Favors a much needed boost in his shooting.

Hopefully Exum feeling sick is why he has digressed the last couple games. He looked a little lost and had low effort.

This team feels like a solid SF or SG away from being a really good team. I think we should draft the BPA in the draft and then make some moves to really make this team a playoff team next year, even if we have to trade some of our picks away. I would even say trade this years draft pick if something really good came along.

We are set with three players in our starting lineup: Hayward, Favors and Gobert. We just need to fill in around them. If Exum makes a jump next year like most people are predicting then we could be set at PG. I would like us to get another big man off the bench that has some length that is a decent defender. I like Kanter but I might be okay if we let him go or do a sign and trade for a defensive center to come off the bench with Booker. Or if Kanter signs for a decent number let him play PF and pick up a center to play with him. I think Kanter is going to come back and play off the bench and do really well the rest of the season which could mean he signs an offer for way too much.

 

[Stifle Tower]

This team feels like a solid SF or SG away from being a really good team. I think we should draft the BPA in the draft and then make some moves to really make this team a playoff team next year, even if we have to trade some of our picks away. I would even say trade this years draft pick if something really good came along.

We are set with three players in our starting lineup: Hayward, Favors and Gobert. We just need to fill in around them. If Exum makes a jump next year like most people are predicting then we could be set at PG. I would like us to get another big man off the bench that has some length that is a decent defender. I like Kanter but I might be okay if we let him go or do a sign and trade for a defensive center to come off the bench with Booker. Or if Kanter signs for a decent number let him play PF and pick up a center to play with him. I think Kanter is going to come back and play off the bench and do really well the rest of the season which could mean he signs an offer for way too much.

The beauty of Hayward is that he can play either SG or SF. I don't think we'll get a max free agent, so Kanter will be extended the QO and then Utah will match any offer. Lindsey has been pretty clear in his belief that Kanter has a lot of potential, the Jazz have already invested quite a bit in him, and they don't want to have done all that work so another team can reap the benefits.

1. Re-sign Kanter
2. Draft WCS
3. Get DMC in free agency for the MLE.
4. Move Burks to the bench

AS much as I like Booker, he's expendable after next season if we have Favors and Kanter at PF.


C: Gobert, (Favors), WCS
PF: Favors, Kanter, Booker (for 1 more year)
SF: Carroll, (Hayward), Ingles
SG: Hayward, Burks, Hood, Millsap
PG: Burke, Exum, Neto

And Novak on a guaranteed contract makes 15. Second round picks are traded or used for Euro players. Maybe give someone (Philadelphia?) a 2nd to take Novak so Jazz can keep a player like Williams or Clark. Novak was worth the gamble, but Jazz then got Booker and Ingles which made him irrelevant. We got a 2nd, we can give one up to get rid of him.

 

[Ron Mexico]

The beauty of Hayward is that he can play either SG or SF. I don't think we'll get a max free agent, so Kanter will be signed to the QO and then Utah will match any offer. Lindsey has been pretty clear in his belief that Kanter has a lot of potential, the Jazz have already invested quite a bit in him, and they don't want to have done all that work so another team can reap the benefits.

1. Re-sign Kanter
2. Draft WCS
3. Get DMC in free agency for the MLE.
3a. Burks comes off the bench

Only problem is Kanter is coming off the bench next year imo, so he cant be signed for too much as a bench player. Although if we had Kanter/WCS coming off the bench with Favors/Gobert starting that would be the best big man rotation in the league.

 

[Stifle Tower]

Only problem is Kanter is coming off the bench next year imo, so he cant be signed for too much as a bench player. Although if we had Kanter/WCS coming off the bench with Favors/Gobert starting that would be the best big man rotation in the league.

We have the room under the cap for 2015 and the cap skyrockets in 2016. $12M (or whatever) for a player like Kanter will be cheap once the cap is $88M. Jazz might lose a couple of players during the next round of contract negotiations. There is no guarantee Hayward comes back after he opts out. Nor that Utah can reach an agreement with Favors. Do they want to pay $20M each for those players? But you never know; I think everyone is buying in to Quin. Maybe there's enough to go around if we can get key players to give up a couple million each like Duncan has.

I'm falling in love with WCS. And some of that is based on seeing how good the Jazz are with just substituting Gobert for Favors at the 5. Imagine a Gobert/WCS rotation at the 5. NASTY!

 

[Jazz4ever]

The beauty of Hayward is that he can play either SG or SF. I don't think we'll get a max free agent, so Kanter will be signed to the QO and then Utah will match any offer. Lindsey has been pretty clear in his belief that Kanter has a lot of potential, the Jazz have already invested quite a bit in him, and they don't want to have done all that work so another team can reap the benefits.

1. Re-sign Kanter
2. Draft WCS
3. Get DMC in free agency for the MLE.
4. Move Burks to the bench

AS much as I like Booker, he's expendable after next season if we have Favors and Kanter at PF.


C: Gobert, (Favors), WCS
PF: Favors, Kanter, Booker (for 1 more year)
SF: Carroll, (Hayward), Ingles
SG: Hayward, Burks, Hood, Millsap
PG: Burke, Exum, Neto

And Novak on a guaranteed contract makes 15. Second round picks are traded or used for Euro players. Maybe give someone (Philadelphia?) a 2nd to take Novak so Jazz can keep a player like Williams or Clark. Novak was worth the gamble, but Jazz then got Booker and Ingles which made him irrelevant. We got a 2nd, we can give one up to get rid of him.

If Kanter signs the QO there is nothing to be matched. He is done and unrestricted after next year (like Monroe)

 

[QuinSnydersHair]

Can't come up with tonight's game thread, guys. Too busy with football. Sorry. Somebody else is gonna have to bring the good vibes.

I nominate Cy.

 

[fishonjazz]

bring the good vibes.

I nominate Cy.

Oxymoron?

 

[Stifle Tower]

If Kanter signs the QO there is nothing to be matched. He is done and unrestricted after next year (like Monroe)

Sorry, a misstatement. The Jazz will extend a qualifying offer, which they have to do in order to make him a restricted free agent. Then they match another team's offer - or arrive at contract terms with him. I think the former is more likely as he and his agent will be overvaluing his worth and the Jazz will likely be offering much less than they want.