Big Picture Stuff

[Tremendous Upside]

Based on his tweets I'm going to believe they end up with either Ace or Tre...whoever falls to 5 assuming Charlotte picks VJ. Tony believes all 3 are in the same tier with similar ceilings although Ace has the lowest floor. He's been the unofficial mouthpiece so no reason to doubt him.

I just can't deal with any more chucking, bad body language, unsubstantiated egos and defense as an afterthought.

 

[NAOS_pt2]

I think we really need a center that can dribble. I'm pretty sure the next innovation in NBA defenses is going to be just sending two guys at the ball handler when the center is setting the pick and can't dribble. You need your center to be able to dribble to the paint in that situation. Kessler is not that guy so I feel weird about him long-term, but we don't have easy replacements either. But this is a player type we need to look out for in the draft.

Um, your just asking for a center that is effective in the short roll. This is already a staple of modern NBA offenses, and every single center who is trying to crack an NBA rotation is working on this.

 

[NAOS_pt2]

I just can't deal with any more chucking, bad body language, unsubstantiated egos and defense as an afterthought.

Curiously enough, your description here almost sums up your posting style. All except for the defensive part. You're always super defensive.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

You cant really choose what your team is. You just gather players and when someone steps up as being able to carry the team, you build around them.

I think if you box yourself into finding specific archetypes, you just make the job impossible.

 

[KqWIN]

Probably best to fixate on certain skills that are good/bad than trying to find the perfect copy of certain players. For example, you won’t get another Shai/Jokic/Hali. But you can shoot for the things that makes them valuable.

 

[fishonjazz]

Be prepared to be disappointed because Tony Jones already leaked they currently have no intention of trading up.

Based on his tweets I'm going to believe they end up with either Ace or Tre...whoever falls to 5 assuming Charlotte picks VJ. Tony believes all 3 are in the same tier with similar ceilings although Ace has the lowest floor. He's been the unofficial mouthpiece so no reason to doubt him.

They just mainly need to hit on a good player at this point. If they believe all 3 are on the same tier as prospects they won't give up assets just to move up to #3 or #4. Not saying I agree or disagree but that appears to be their thinking.

I agree with what the jazz are doing if this is actually what they are doing.
Good job jazz

 

[SoberasHotRod]

You cant really choose what your team is. You just gather players and when someone steps up as being able to carry the team, you build around them.

I think if you box yourself into finding specific archetypes, you just make the job impossible.

I understand the thought process, but I do think you can prioritize certain attributes.

 

[zags422]

OKC game versus Indy will be interesting to see value in approaching offense with PG play. And most lineups with a 2PG lineup, very similar to the zags college approach

 

[HermanG]

People seem to think OKC is gonna walk over Indy.. but the fact is that Indy has been shooting the hell out of the ball in these playoffs and that gives you a fighting chance against anyone. I also think that Indy has been feeding from being underestimated and this will probably be the series where they are given less of a chance than any series they had before this.

OKC will probably still win it since they can run the court with Indy and prevent those free transition buckets... and they probably win the turnover battle by a substantial margin since Indy has had some issues giving the ball away and no one takes it away better than OKC.

I hope its gonna end up being closer than majority seems to think... and thus say OKC in 6.

 

[jazznik]

If you look at how teams like Boston and Indiana are constructed, their offense is based on having all players being able to shoot the ball and move the ball. They still have their offensive leader, be it Tatum or Haliburton (or Siakam), but everyone on the floor can make an open shot or can put the ball down and pass off the dribble if they don't have an open shot. Doing this on a floor that's spaced out ultimately gets someone an advantage--an open look or an open lane to the rim. (Eventually, someone over-switches or over-commits.)

Yes, this is a very important advantage. The other one that both of those teams have is that most of their players are big for their positions. One of the downfalls of NY was that Brunson, Hart and McBride were a bit small and had to play through this disadvantage. If you look at Utah there are only three players who can dribble, shoot and are not below average: Lauri, Collins and Flip. Maybe Hendricks if his dribbling is by now adequate. Everybody else could not play the game of Indiana and Boston. This is a problem.

When you have a team full of tall players who can shoot, drive and pass there is the multiplier effect and even solid role players can have a bigger impact than borderline All Stars with a poor fit. In the upcoming draft the players that fit that mold are Bailey, Knueppel, Demin, and Kasparas.

 

[KqWIN]

It dawned on me that Indiana tried to get Ayton and Toronto tried to trade Lowry to the Knicks. Big picture, the most important thing is that it's better to be lucky than to be good!

 

[Strutter]

If the Pacers somehow pull off the win would it change the discourse around the 2004 Pistons? Seems like the prevailing thought for a long while has been that you need a superstar to win it all, and the 2004 Pistons were one weird outlier. I wonder if that thought might shift now (or maybe its the league itself that has shifted).

... Or maybe I should be considering Haliburton a superstar?

EDIT: Maybe not the right thread, but I feel like this plays into what the Jazz might want to emulate as a small market team moving forward.