Game Thread Oct 04, 2022 08:00PM MT: Jazz at Trail Blazers (Preseason)

[Handlogten's Heros]

A team like the Lakers picked a really good time to be shopping for contributors as there will likely be alot of selling between now and the deadline.

Their issue is just the returning salary has to be super high because of Russ… they also may have to release some draft capital to make it happen.

 

[homeytennis]

Here's my take on last night's festivities:
KO and Conley played like they know what they are doing.
Butler may have saved his hide.
Zeller is making the roster. He led both teams in rebounding in 9 minutes of PT.
The Jazz have a great bunch of GLeague talent.
The Italian Stallion looks lost.
Bolmaro and NAW looked decent.
Johnson looked good.
Lee is a goner.
If Zeller makes the roster my candidates to be cut: Lee, Gay, Dok and Bolmaro.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

Yup, that would be a good trade.

Like I said a month or two ago, Russ has a lot of value as an expiring contract. You could also replace Gay w/ KO to make the deal sweeter and make the Jazz worse.

I think Gay is the compromise for getting Mike and JC with no draft capital. KO is an overpay... but I get what you are going for... and that is why I wanted us to do a draft heavy expiring contract trade with Bogey's deal... even if it cost you Vando. I know the pick was top 25 protected... but you really think Phoenix wouldn't have gone to top 20 protected at very least... especially now when it seems the Jae Crowder trade isn't coming together like they wanted. If they have Vando and Bogey with the squad they have they are almost surely sending that pick. You'd also collect a couple seconds for Crowder from Memphis. The amount of hype we gave Vando was a little bonkers imo. He is best playing 25 minutes a night with other stars... his abilities and dirty work are marginalized here... and I doubt there is much more juice to squeeze there offensively.

No Vando or KO and you can be pretty tanktastic running with Kessler, Dok, the majority of the minutes at center. Kessler looks generally competent so far (other than thinking he can dribble at the elbow more than once and not have it be an immediate turnover). I think you could still be respectably awful.

After last night's hype fest I think tanky teams will lean in and be extra shady with they BS. If you don't lock in you won't be bottom 5.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

Here's my take on last night's festivities:
KO and Conley played like they know what they are doing.
Butler may have saved his hide.
Zeller is making the roster. He led both teams in rebounding in 9 minutes of PT.
The Jazz have a great bunch of GLeague talent.
The Italian Stallion looks lost.
Bolmaro and NAW looked decent.
Johnson looked good.
Lee is a goner.
If Zeller makes the roster my candidates to be cut: Lee, Gay, Dok and Bolmaro.

I think it looks like they are showcasing or testing NAW to me. He seems like an amazing guy... he's clearly trying hard and has a great attitude so they want it to work. Giving him pg duties and Sexton and others deferring to him just tells me they are trying to give him a chance. I think he could be on the bubble but they might keep him just because his $5M deal may help in making trades work.

If Zeller makes this roster we riot. At very least we sneak into his house and shave his head.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

The thing that sucks is... I actually love the way KO plays. We've needed that guy for a while. He threw two passes last night that were so satisfying.

 

[HeatCheck]

The thing that sucks is... I actually love the way KO plays. We've needed that guy for a while. He threw two passes last night that were so satisfying.

Agreed alot of these energy players could've helped out immensely the past few seasons.

That lineup with Nickeil and Sexton is very intriguing to me. There seems to be quite a bit of untapped potential there.

FWIW I hope Bolmaro ends up making this team.

I can kind of see why DA traded Bog for KO. Bog is the better player but Olynyk's passing is the better fit for this group.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

Agreed alot of these energy players could've helped out immensely the past few seasons.

That lineup with Nickeil and Sexton is very intriguing to me. There seems to be quite a bit of untapped potential there.

FWIW I hope Bolmaro ends up making this team.

I can kind of see why DA traded Bog for KO. Bog is the better player but Olynyk's passing is the better fit for this group.

I think KO could have some decent trade value at the deadline. He will rack up some #s if we continue using him like this. Has been a useful playoff performer for a couple teams. I could see a package of KO and Stanley being appealing to like the Suns... or some other playoff team that wants a placeholder bench wing and a shooting big.

Hopefully we lose a ton with the early hard schedule... then sell off some parts at a premium during the first 30 games or so... to aid the final half of the season's tank efforts.

 

[KqWIN]

I think KO could have some decent trade value at the deadline. He will rack up some #s if we continue using him like this. Has been a useful playoff performer for a couple teams. I could see a package of KO and Stanley being appealing to like the Suns... or some other playoff team that wants a placeholder bench wing and a shooting big.

Hopefully we lose a ton with the early hard schedule... then sell off some parts at a premium during the first 30 games or so... to aid the final half of the season's tank efforts.

There's a non-zero chance Olynyk has higher trade value than Bogey at the deadline. Better chance than THT being higher value than Beverley tbh.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

There's a non-zero chance Olynyk has higher trade value than Bogey at the deadline. Better chance than THT being higher value than Beverley tbh.

Potentially.... it will depend on what the few buyers with picks need... still think we could have squeezed a second or two out of those deals.

THT is firmly a negative value imo. Will only get more negative as he continues to suck and that extra year looks worse and worse. I need a full behind the scenes access look at what happened there. And if the answer is only "we love THT's game" I get to laugh in they faces.

 

[HeatCheck]

There's a non-zero chance Olynyk has higher trade value than Bogey at the deadline. Better chance than THT being higher value than Beverley tbh.

In some ways I think DA did all these guys a solid. He traded Don, Rudy, Royce, Bev to playoff teams. He sent Bog to a team in Detroit where he has a decent chance to not only stick but also get a nice contract extension.

 

[KqWIN]

Potentially.... it will depend on what the few buyers with picks need... still think we could have squeezed a second or two out of those deals.

THT is firmly a negative value imo. Will only get more negative as he continues to suck and that extra year looks worse and worse. I need a full behind the scenes access look at what happened there. And if the answer is only "we love THT's game" I get to laugh in they faces.

The thing in Bogey's favor is that he fits on every team. Every team needs a wing, not everyone needs a 4/5 combo like Olynyk. I expect Olynyk to have better numbers this year though. He's a good player who has always been underrated. If the Jazz don't cut Stan, I think they have 8 real NBA rotation players. The combo of Kessley/Dok could make it 9. As exciting as Scoot and Vic were last night, I just don't think that's in the cards. There's a ton of solid rotation players left on these teams and they actually fit really well together.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

The thing in Bogey's favor is that he fits on every team. Every team needs a wing, not everyone needs a 4/5 combo like Olynyk. I expect Olynyk to have better numbers this year though. He's a good player who has always been underrated. If the Jazz don't cut Stan, I think they have 8 real NBA rotation players. The combo of Kessley/Dok could make it 9. As exciting as Scoot and Vic were last night, I just don't think that's in the cards. There's a ton of solid rotation players left on these teams and they actually fit really well together.

That is what has made me laugh when folks are like... "oh man this Jazz team is just so bad". If we played it straight this is a 30-35 win team depending on health.

Its why the Bogey/Vando overpay to the Suns would have been good... offload two good players and open up the void at 5 even more. With KO we kinda closed it up.

The odds of getting Wemby or Scoot going from 28% to like 15.3% sucks... but it doesn't seem like a big deal because either way odds aren't "good". The downside of finishing 6/7 is what really sucks. Ending with the 7-9th pick still gives a shot at a good player but you are picking leftovers. What is the value if we had the 4th pick and traded back to 8-9... like at least one good first right? Maybe more.

A Lakers deal could clear enough functional players to get us to #4. Indiana/Charlotte are the darkhorses to me. Would also clear the cap next year to do some stuff. Offloading Mike/JC might drop us 5 or so wins if they aren't replaced with good players. If you dump Gay in that deal then great... if you get some 2nd rounders too then even better. We literally should trade someone just to trade someone.