Have people given up on Big Al?

[GVC]

Of course big men need other good players. And of course they have to play in a system. But a low post scoring threat is part of virtually every winning team, and often it's the most important part. The Lakers won behind Shaq. The Spurs won behind Duncan. The Rockets won behind Hakeem. Yeah, there are exceptions. When you've got Jordan, you don't need the bigs to be truly dominant. But an inside outside game, usually anchored by two stars, is like the hallmark of championship building.

Big Al is not comparable to Shaq (dominant physical force), Duncan (highly efficient, great team player) or Hakeem (probably the most versatile of the group). Those three also happen to be far superior defenders. If Big Al can become more efficient when shooting (drawing fouls and/or hitting shots at a higher clip) and/or become a better team player on O, his low post game may become good enough to be a key part of a championship team. As of right now, he's easily replaceable. As I've stated numerous times, I think the Jazz should wait and see what happens to start this coming season before doing anything drastic (unless, of course, a no-brainer deal falls into their lap...not dumping Millsap for spare parts). It's possible AJ comes back in great shape ready to kick ***. We'll see.