The Official Keep Harris and Big Al thread

[Fishsticks]

I am sure somewhere in the numerous Harris threads its been said, but Harris IMO is the reason for the turnaround. If he can play just this decent consistently I think we can stop worrying about PG in the draft. The answer is not there either.

 

[DutchJazzer]

This is/was a significant argument for Al leaving - "We need a point guard." Salty Dawg argued up a storm to show that the marginal increase you get from trading Al is not worth it and now that Harris is showing well, that conclusion is even more true. Certainly this same logic applies to the other positions as well. But really, who on the list of players is available or even desirable instead of Big Al? Name the all the players that have a skill as exceptional as Big Al's 'go to scoring' who is available for Trade? (Kobe, Lebron, etc are not available) Rondo and Pau are the only ones that i recall mentioned at trade time. Next, name up and coming players that could be had for Big Al? Would you trade Hayward, Kanter, Burks, Favors for Big Al today? Only if you have some form of redundancy that one is expendable. I don't know of any situations like that. Maybe some of you do.

I think KOC simply had no legit offers to consider at trade deadline. (And if you think it was because he was over-valuing big Al, suggest some value for him.)

big al fpor some picks is also good.
big al just aint a championship contender center/pf., so he is not needed

 

[DutchJazzer]

Odd man out has to be Sap, been saying it since last year. Sucks sorta but its true. NO ONE gives us the O that Big Al does. Favors can give us what Sap does, IMO, plus some.

********
jazz offfense runs better when al was injured.

 

[gregbroncs]

I would extend Millsap. I appreciate that we're winning currently and that everyone is happy, but the fact that Jefferson will be owed 15 million next year will create a lot of issues next season that peoria won't appreciate from the vantage point of our current 6 game tear. These are some of the same psychological reasons why people will typically buy high and sell low. As tough as it may have been to swallow, and as honestly difficult as it is to say it given our current run, it may have been good to trade Jefferson for Kaman. Unless this year continues and we have a good playoff showing (which I think we have a few doom-and-gloom skids left that will cause the board to come back down to earth) I'm not sure how realistic a trade scenario this summer is wih Jefferson that involves us not receiving bad salary back while getting something valuable. Of course, we will likely be calmed in thinking we'll just deal him at the deadline when his expiring contract will be "more valuable", which is a desert mirage, unless we will be willing to take back a toxic contract, which we won't be -- and for good reason.

Bottom line: priority #1 this offseason is extending Millsap.

I seriously disagree with your priority #1. Priority #1 too me is finding a way that Favors and Burks are your starters at PF and SG. Meaning Millsap either needs to be talked into being the bench guy or he needs to go. Jefferson costs more money now but don't you think Millsap is going to be asking for a lot of money after his contract is up. We can't keep both of them. I'd prefer to keep the better player.

 

[DutchJazzer]

I'd prefer to keep the better player.

so you prefer millsap

 

[Brown Notes]

IMO Sap will command at least 10 mil per on his next contract.

 

[infection]

And how much do we anticipate paying Jefferson to ride the pine behind Favors and Kanter in three years? I think Millsap comes cheaper if you get him on an extension, but that's just me.

 

[Brown Notes]

And how much do we anticipate paying Jefferson to ride the pine behind Favors and Kanter in three years? I think Millsap comes cheaper if you get him on an extension, but that's just me.

I don't think the team can afford both of them. But it's possible we ride this situation until its conclusion. Utah is so strong with Favors and Harris playing well.

 

[infection]

I don't think the team can afford both of them. But it's possible we ride this situation until its conclusion. Utah is so strong with Favors and Harris playing well.

So I guess we'll procrastinate the situation until I becomes problematic.

 

[Brown Notes]

So I guess we'll procrastinate the situation until I becomes problematic.

A lot of people thought it was already a problem before this season started. I kind of think two playoff runs would be fun with this kind of strength in the frontcourt. Who knows, maybe we can do a sign/trade with one of them after next year. Tough to decide between the two in any case. Gun to my head I say Sap.

 

[infection]

A lot of people thought it was already a problem before this season started. I kind of think two playoff runs would be fun with this kind of strength in the frontcourt. Who knows, maybe we can do a sign/trade with one of them after next year. Tough to decide between the two in any case. Gun to my head I say Sap.

That's one of those things I say is a desert mirage. How many players have we seen that we think we'll deal them in the offseason, then we think we'll deal them at the trade deadline, then we think ee'll deal them in a sign-and-trade. The only one remotely close was getting an exception for Boozer. I don't know that we'd get what we'd ideally like toget from either a sign and trade or a trade deadline move.

 

[Brown Notes]

Yea but there are a TON of very nice players due to be free agents after next year. It might not be necessary to make a trade in order to get value for that salary.

 

[gregbroncs]

so you prefer millsap

Not even close. Jefferson is better.

 

[Beantown]

Jefferson is actually changing his game. He's passing and playing great defense. I'm super impressed.

 

[vslice02]

You don't decide to keep Al and Harris based off a few weeks of improved play, just like you don't decide to get rid of them off a few weeks of poor play - you evaluate the whole body of work.

If the Jazz suddenly fade instead of making a playoff push will everyone still be clamoring for the Jazz to hang on to Harris and/or Jefferson? And if Utah grabs the 7th or 8th seed and makes a competitive showing in the playoffs - that will play a large factor on the Al and Harris' future with the Jazz as well. Right now both are trending upward but the final 18 games and potentially more will be more telling than anything that's happened in the past week.

 

[Thee Jazz Fan]

I can agree with Harris, but I just don't see us keeping Al and Sap (mean, I think we will trade one, keep the other). They will both have so much value this season, especially with both big men playing great.

If we are keeping one and trading one getting rid of Al makes so much more sense, as I believe Favors will not become the player we want him to be with Al on the team.

 

[zman1527]

If we are keeping one and trading one getting rid of Al makes so much more sense, as I believe Favors will not become the player we want him to be with Al on the team.

I like the mix of Sap with the 2 young bigs, gives us more versatility and a change of pace. Sap and Favors looked good together there when A was gone to the funeral.

And Big A is just not good enough on D to be the center for a contender and is never gonna be. Favors and Kanter are already way better on D than Al.

 

[NUMBERICA]

Until the Jazz get a PG that they can move forward with, Harris is cool to stay so long as he doesn't revert back to the Devin Harris that's been on this team until about a month ago.

One of the bigs has to go, though. We have four that each demand 30 minutes a game on just about any other team and then a slam dunk champion. I don't think the value or known worth is there for our #3 picks, and I don't want to trade the player that the team performs best with, is one of the two most productive, and is the last player carrying the torch from the previous era.

 

[NUMBERICA]

If I have to choose between Favors and Kanter staying buried for another year, a deferred draft pick, and going to the playoffs vs. this team doing the common-sense thing and getting a lottery pick now, I choose the latter.

If I had the choice (of reasonable scenarios), the Jazz go to the playoffs and make a little noise, Al keeps doing what he's doing, then the Jazz cash in on it.

And for the record, if the Jazz didn't have this logjam in the first place, I would want to keep Al.

 

[Deleted member 848]

Jefferson is definitely improving in so many areas. I think that his years here in Utah will prove to be absolutely pivotal for the guy, whatever ends up happening a year from now. His black-hole ways have honestly completely stopped. He's 9th in the league in PER, as well as the second highest PER of all centres in the NBA (behind Howard, edging Bynum). I just sincerely hope that if/when the Jazz do trade Al, that it is to a contending team, or a team that he could excel in. Id love to trade him to an east-coast 4-8th seed team.

Its unfortunate that he doesn't really fit in with our team from a long term perspective. I don't think he would be comfortable in a bench role, which is the only way I can really see him sticking around. Either that, or Kanter just completely busts, which even at this stage of the game seems unlikely. I just hope that we can get at least one playoff run with Al before he heads off elsewhere, just for his sake. The guy completely deserves it.