I've always believed in Favors. And he is playing far better than Gobert this season. But Rudy's contract and Favors being a UFA makes that decision very hard to come to.
This time next year Gobert will be here playing amazingly and Favors will be on another team hopefully playing well. I have let myself get annoyed by these kinds of posts but really they are just fantasy. Gobert is still the far superior player and is a franchise cornerstone for a reason. Hopefully both guys are ok. I didn't hear much about Favs injury other than lacerated eyeball or something. I assume it isn't that serious.
Interesting you think the Jazz have only played 10 games this year.The Jazznation has had the following transitions:
Eaton/Ostertag eras: WE NEED A CENTER WITH OFFENSE!!!1
Okur era: WE NEED A RIM PROTECTOR!!!1
Ten game era: IT’S NOT WORKING!!!1
So, one thing that I don't think people are recognizing: The Jazz roster "as currently constructed" is largely a data collecting tool right now. I remember pretty clearly one interview DL did during a SL game broadcast where he was emphasizing that the point of this season is to see what the Jazz have, and then deduce what moves to make. I don't think they are expecting to compete for a championship this season. And while playoff experience would be great, the biggest thing they want to do is gather information about how to make the best team for the future. They are learning which direction they need to go moving forward.Rudy didn't look good in the beginning of the season, before injury. Why is that? Rudio might be to blame, but is it? And Favors finally actually looks healthy with no sign of that knee problem that took forever to heal. I love Rudy, and I'm not advocating for trading him, but is it possible that the team as currently constructed is just better with Favors? Again, it's just up for discussion(because that's what we do) and I still love Rudy. He's got a great attitude and when he's on he's a beast.
Yeah exactly this. I'm more disappointed in my Jazz fan family than anything. Rudy has been so amazing for our team and people are losing perspective really quickly for the dumbest reasons. It's disheartening.if the positions had been reversed: Favors injured against the cupcakes Utah won against, I expect Rudy would have put up pretty good numbers. I expected Jazzfanz to overreact: winning streak against weak opponents, largely at home. Now Rudy comes back in a stretch when the schedule has become brutal. Quin insists on going back to the most ineffective lineup Utah can field (Gobert-Favors-Rubio). And suddenly, Rudy doesn't fit and must be traded.
<Insert rolling eyes emoji here>
So, one thing that I don't think people are recognizing: The Jazz roster "as currently constructed" is largely a data collecting tool right now. I remember pretty clearly one interview DL did during a SL game broadcast where he was emphasizing that the point of this season is to see what the Jazz have, and then deduce what moves to make. I don't think they are expecting to compete for a championship this season. And while playoff experience would be great, the biggest thing they want to do is gather information about how to make the best team for the future. They are learning which direction they need to go moving forward.
In the interest of looking to the future, let's consider a couple things that I think are pretty straightforward and probably agreed upon. An All-NBA calliber player, a la Rudy Gobert, is not an easy kind of player to come by via trade, or even free agency. On the other hand, the Ricky Rubios etc of the world are a lot easier to get your hands on. Trading Rudy Gobert isn't going to get you another Rudy Gobert, but it might get you a couple Ricky Rubios, if you get what I'm saying. Sure, getting another couple solid players that fit well with Rubio and Favors etc might make the team work more efficiently this season (although I really don't think so, personally, but for the sake of the argument I'll concede that hypothetical possibility). But, the point isn't to maximize this season's potential; the point is to learn the most we possibly can to be the best team in the future.
Another angle to consider, in the interest of future value, is the ability to attract good players to sign with the team. I really like Derrick Favors, and would love to see some way to workout keeping him around (doubtful). That said, I really don't see many free agents thinking "man, it would be really fun to play with Derrick Favors." On the other hand, Rudy Gobert is going to be really enticing for a lot of players.
In sum, I guess my point here is that the best interest of the franchise is probably not actually maximizing the potential of this season's roster, but instead to figure out what pieces we have already, and what pieces we need to be going after, to construct the next one. As mentioned above, I personally think it's kind of funny to actually think a Gobert-less Jazz is anyhow better -- even in the context of this season -- but giving that idea benefit of the doubt, I really don't see how a Rudy Gobert trade a good idea for the future.