Overall, I agree that the Jazz are right on track with their rebuild. Part of the problem is that they were always competitive under Jerry Sloan, so it's hard to watch them struggle so much under Corbin and then realize that they have to tear the team down to the foundation to build it back up again. Many of us understand this, but it's still hard to be patient with the process. I believe in the process. A small market team needs to have a clear plan and then execute that plan to the best of their abilities.
I don't think that Dennis Lindsey had a clear plan when he got here. I think that 2012 was a learning year for him to evaluate the organization from top to bottom. He went for a 1 year reload, and set himself up nicely to either continue that path or start from scratch. I'm glad that he chose the way that he did, because I think that it represents the best possible chance at contending.
Right now, it's Moneyball for the Utah Jazz. Get as close to the salary floor as possible and focus on the young players. The Jazz are fully committed to a Draft and Develop philosophy. They're in Year 2 of a 5 year plan. Last year was the start of things. They committed to the rebuild and let all the veterans walk. There should have been more of an organizational support for tanking, but all things considered - getting Exum at #5 does have the potential to make it all worthwhile IF he develops into the player that many think he can be.
Right now, they have Favors, Kanter, Burks, Burke, Exum, Evans and Hood under guaranteed contracts. They have two decent European Assets that they could bring over without overpaying to buy them out and pay them to come. They have the Bird Rights and right of first refusal for Gordon Hayward, so that if they can swing a deal that puts them close to the Salary Cap, they can match his contract and go over it without hitting the Luxury Tax. They have a new head coach who is very smart and highly regarded for his player developmental skills. And he hired a staff that matches that outlook as well. I'm expecting this to be a year of learning the new system and evaluating the long-term potential for all of this young talent. It's going to be rough at times, but the process is important.
With extended playing time for the young guys AND a better head coach AND a better bench, I don't think there's any way that the Utah Jazz won't make significant improvements in both the quality of play and actual wins. They'll still probably be in the lottery (which should give them yet another quality young player for the bench), but I truly expect them to be more highly regarded league-wide for the progress of individual players and as a team unit. I firmly believe that hey're on their way back up. Will it be enough to contend in the West? Who knows. I like their chances 3 years from now if Exum develops as hoped and if another player breaks out or if they make a move to acquire an All-Star forward.
I think that they're more likely to try to make that move next year, once they've seen how all of the young guys respond to Snyder and who steps up to lead the team moving forward. I firmly believe that this team has a lot of talent that was mismanaged horribly. I think that the front office is being prudent by seeing who fits with their future plans before making any drastic and/or dramatic moves. It's worth struggling for another year to put guys like Kanter, Burks, Burke, Exum, Gobert and Hood out on the court to see exactly what they can and can't do before deciding if they have a place on this team or not.
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