Impressions

[Brown Notes]

Don't have a lot of time but I didn't see a rational thread breaking down the game. If there is one buried under all the trolls and head explosions please merge.

Portland out-hustled our team all year last year and this game was no different. Nate McMillan gets a ton of effort out of those guys and GW fits perfectly with that mindset. Unfortunately our starters came out with less intensity and were caught flat-footed by a team that, by comparison, looked like they thought it was game 7. Utah lost this game mostly by being out-competed. (if that's a word.)

I did like Corbin's substitutions. The vets were in long enough to have a chance to redeem themselves in the 1st, they just didn't. Once they hit the bench they stayed there which they deserved. I thought those guys did put out a better effort in the 2nd half. This team misses Millsap. That guy plays hard.

Really liked the hustle from Howard in the short time he was in the game. I wasn't sure he would even play. Shot was very rusty but that will come.

I have to say Kanter was probably the most impressive player on the floor to me. Surprising maybe should be the word. He knows how to use his body and consistently boxes out, which this team needs like Jesus needs a haircut. If this kind of effort is the norm Kanter is going to play himself into a prominent role in a hurry. I am a big fan of Jefferson but he better take a good look at that film and see the difference.

Don't have time for any more, gotta hit the salt mine. It was great to see the team on the court again! Harp's hair was terrible!

 

[LunaticWolf]

They stifled our offense with their defense. Matthews was all over the guards. We couldn't even get the ball inside the three point line for a good 5 possessions in the first.

We got outplayed. That's all there is to it.

 

[Fishsticks]

Don't have time for any more, gotta hit the salt mine. It was great to see the team on the court again! Harp's hair was terrible!

I disagree completely with this. He looked so hollywood.

 

[sgjazzfan]

I thought Harprings hair was terrible too. Is he trying to be Tom Brady. Now the game, I thought that Portland made a few lucky shots, and they attacked the rim really well. They got open 3's and took advantage of that. Okur has no business guarding Wallace. I loved Kanter's hustle, but he looked a little lost at times. Favors was awesome. Miles and Burks each had some moments. Bell had a 40 second stretch he wasn't useless. The rest of our team was pretty forgettable performances. We had no movement, bad passes, too many TO's, didn't box out on D (AJ) and didn't rotate well enough on 3's (part of that is Okur trying to guard Wallace). Hayward actually played some good defense, but every time they threw it up against him (his hand was always in their face) it went in.

 

[Jerry Lundegaard]

Don't have a lot of time but I didn't see a rational thread breaking down the game. If there is one buried under all the trolls and head explosions please merge.

Portland out-hustled our team all year last year and this game was no different. Nate McMillan gets a ton of effort out of those guys and GW fits perfectly with that mindset. Unfortunately our starters came out with less intensity and were caught flat-footed by a team that, by comparison, looked like they thought it was game 7. Utah lost this game mostly by being out-competed. (if that's a word.)

I did like Corbin's substitutions. The vets were in long enough to have a chance to redeem themselves in the 1st, they just didn't. Once they hit the bench they stayed there which they deserved. I thought those guys did put out a better effort in the 2nd half. This team misses Millsap. That guy plays hard.

Really liked the hustle from Howard in the short time he was in the game. I wasn't sure he would even play. Shot was very rusty but that will come.

I have to say Kanter was probably the most impressive player on the floor to me. Surprising maybe should be the word. He knows how to use his body and consistently boxes out, which this team needs like Jesus needs a haircut. If this kind of effort is the norm Kanter is going to play himself into a prominent role in a hurry. I am a big fan of Jefferson but he better take a good look at that film and see the difference.

Don't have time for any more, gotta hit the salt mine. It was great to see the team on the court again! Harp's hair was terrible!

It's hilarious you say you haven't seen a rational thread breaking the game down, when you're post was as irrational as any regarding the game I've seen.

Two things were obvious last night - Corbin's retardation (starting that pathetic excuse for a staring lineup then going back to the exact same lineup to start the second half. They were absolutely dismantled in the first quarter. Maybe starting Okur and Jefferson together was something the staff wanted to experiment with, but the first quarter alone was enough to debunk any notion it would work.) and that Favors was the most impressive player on the floor.

How the HECK did you come up with Kanter? I love Kanter's potential and some of the things he did last night. But there were many instances where he was completely lost on both ends of the floor. The kid is young to begin with, but hasn't played competitively in like 2 years. He's going to be be behind the 8 ball for a while as far as his consistency. All the tools are there for him to be a great starter alongside Favors for us down the line, but we can't expect him to log heavy minutes for us quite yet.

Favors showed plenty of flashes at the end of last season when Ty the Turd finally decided to give the centerpiece of the deal in which we shipped off Deron Williams some consistent playing time. Of course preseason results are meaningless, but what Favors displayed physically last night is undeniable. How could he not have been the most impressive player on the court for us?

It will be an absolute travesty to the fan base is Corbin doesn't make Favors are starter as soon as tomorrow (opening day of the regular season at the absolute latest).

Let's be real - we aren't winning a championship this year. So playing the veteran guys who might have a better feel for what Ty wants to get done offensively and defensively is counterproductive to our future success. These young guys need to go through all the ups and downs of playing consistently in the NBA so when there is no choice but to rely on them heavily, they'll be seasoned and ready.

Hopefully career ending injuries to Okur and Bell (to clear minutes for Hayward/Burks) force Ty's hand. I'd also like to see Al Jefferson traded for a point guard.

I'm as excited about our roster as I've ever been and think we have the makings of an awesome team. We're just a point guard and a professional coach away from being back as a title contender.

Go Jazz!

 

[freakazoid]

playing the veteran guys who might have a better feel for what Ty wants to get done offensively and defensively is counterproductive to our future success.

Except for one thing. It makes absolutely no sense to not try to get trade value out of some of these guys. You won't do that by planting them on the bench. Memo for sure should be used in a way to try and sucker somebody into giving us a late first, or even a future protected first. Playing Big Al and letting him put up big numbers would also be in our best interest if we decide to trade him.

It makes absolutely no sense to suggest our future would be better served by wasting assets.

 

[green]

It was a fantastic game. Favors looked good, Hayward had his moments, Burks had a great steal and Utah lost. We took the first step to being a title contender in a few years.

 

[LogGrad98]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAMIlPudalQ

These are pretty good.

 

[NAOS]

I rushed to type something here...to give my take on things... but I see chitown has already replied. What else could anybody offer that isn't either wrong or a pathetic repetition of his insight?

 

[billyshelby]

The only real impression is that there was no cohesiveness on offense or defense. I think Miles said 'guys were thinking out there,' and that's a huge problem if it continues.

As to specifics:

1) I can't believe how little we ran P&R with the wings. Trying to do too much new stuff off the ball this early doesn't make sense. Simplify the offense by with more 2 on 2 utilizing Hayward, Burks, and Miles to work with Al, Sap, Favors. Basically, the Dallas Playbook.

2) I still can't figure out what Ty was thinking having Memo guard Batum. Just put Memo on Wallace and tell him he can basically concede the 3. That's the shot you want Wallace taking. Instead, we had CJ and Hayward defending Wallace the entire first half. That's a worse matchup than Memo. And it definitely contributed to the horrific rotations.

3) Favors was very impressive. Still not much of an offensive game other than a couple of moves, but he's so unbelievably athletic.

4) I get the compliments to Kanter for the rebounding, but he was just as lost as he was in the scrimmage. Hopefully his learning curve is quick.

5) I really liked what I saw of Burks. The shot is a little ugly, but the ballhandling and athleticism are there. He's going to need time, though. Learning to play off the ball is going to be an uphill challenge for a while.

Basically, I'm really looking forward to seeing how we bounce back tomorrow. Last night looked like last year. Hopefully they just frazzled under the lights for the first time.