What PG do you want the jazz to go get?

[Red]

I think I might have vented a bit. Don't like to be confused with anyone else. Took something a bit too personal. All much ado about nothing, but just so I feel like I'm not confused with any other Cotton homers. I have never over hyped the guy. Not once. Stated from the start I did arrive as a homer and just wanted him to make this roster. He does that, and the rest is up to him and his coach. Never made predictions or claims. Make the roster. Never said he should start or would lead the Jazz to the promised land. I can't see the future. If he's out in Utah, sure he might play the Jazz with a chip, but I couldn't care less. Never said "you'll" regret it. I've gone out of my way to wait and see. Gave y'all what I had just to help know the guy. The video of the workout with Dunn and Shammgod likely would have been missed otherwise. So, I've pitched him, but I never over hyped him or made claims that only nail a person as nothing but a homer.

 

[Red]

Sorry for referring to Lindsey and Snyder that way. That's like the wife ticks you off enough, say something crazy about your mother-in-law. Spread the anger. Obviously, I don't see them that way at all...

 

[karl malone]

...but the Jazz would be wise to prepare for the possibility that Exum isn't the answer.

Agree completely. I personally think that Exum will still be our long-term PG, just that the injury will delay this by at least a year. That being said, ideally, you should have a (long-term) backup plan at every position & PG is the only position in which we are currently lacking one. We have 3 (current) starting caliber players (Burks, Hood, & Hayward) on the wing & 3 (potential) starting caliber players (Favors, Lyles, & Gobert) in the frontcourt. Burke was supposed to be that at PG, but it isn't looking like that's going to happen. One of Neto or Cotton could surpass expectations & become that, but I wouldn't count on it. The Exum injury was unfortunate, but it could turn out for the best as it may cause the FO to acquire a player (which it otherwise wouldn't have) capable of:

-Outperforming the production we likely would have received from Exum this year.
-Contributing beyond next year.
-Providing insurance incase Exum isn't the answer.

The attributes that I would prioritize in potential targets are:

-Defense (This would allow the team to maintain the formula that propelled them to the success that they had with Exum as the starting PG & also allow the team to transition back to Exum if/when he returns)
-Established starting caliber player (This will potentially make the team better than it would have been with Exum starting)
-Age (Someone who fits in with the timeline of our young core)
-Long-term (reasonable) contract (Someone who will be a long-term contributor)
-Plays multiple positions (This allows him to potentially contribute in more than just a backup role if Exum does turn out to be our long-term PG)

I expect the FO to enter the season with what we currently have at PG before deciding whether to make a trade, but I personally think they should put the team in a position to win right out of the gate. Obviously there aren't many players that fit the description above that are available at a reasonable price, but I would target Avery Bradley as BOS currently has an abundance of guards & could be willing to part with him for a future 1st rd pick + filler.

Bradley/(2 of Burke, Neto, & Cotton)
Hood/Burks/Millsap
Hayward/Ingles
Favors/Booker/Lyles
Gobert/Pleiss/Withey

If Exum reaches his potential, an 8 man rotation of Exum, Bradley, Burks, Hood, Hayward, Lyles, Favors, & Gobert could potentially be championship caliber. If the asking price is reasonable, I would make the trade as it would still allow us to use this year to transition into the upper echelon of the Western Conference, be playoff regulars regardless of the outcome of Exum's injury, & potentially championship caliber if Exum reaches his potential. I'd prefer this (assuming the price is reasonable) over hoping that one of Burke, Neto, or Cotton emerges & making a trade at the deadline if none do. We are at an important crossroad in our overall developmental timeline as a team, I hope we don't allow an unfortunate injury set us back a year (or more) as it could have a major impact on the long-term future of this team.

TLDR: Trade for Avery Bradley (if the asking price is reasonable)

 

[NUMBERICA]

Avery Bradley is the size of a PG, but he really isn't one... is he? Distribution/ballhandling ability is still important to me. I guess I don't know much about the guy.

 

[NUMBERICA]

Also, I'm not scared of a guy that's on the tail-end of his prime or tail-end of his career. If they give us a couple of good years, I'm not going to turn that down if I can't get more ideal production. It gives the Jazz time and options to figure out what the hell they're doing at the position and right now it looks bad.

 

[Deleted member 848]

Remember all the people who scoffed at Kanter for Avery Bradley trades here on Jazzfanz? Morons.

 

[Joe Bagadonuts]

From the same article:

"The Utah Jazz have a culture that is gaining velocity. Players staying in Salt Lake City to train together. Chatting on twitter together. Gordon Hayward inviting Jazz players to train with him in Indy. General Management making good personnel decisions and getting foreign investments to play in the United States. The coaching staff is able to have players stay on track with development in the offseason. There is tangible velocity. Adding an additional high profile player would cause disruption. Disruption is not always a bad thing, but in the current case of the Utah Jazz it is an unnecessary thing.

The Utah Jazz are trending up. They're gaining velocity. This forward momentum is not because they're young, that they have a good coach, or because they have a good general manager. Sometime during the next year, pundits will talk about how something special is happening in Utah. They'll compliment parts of the organization. But they'll be missing the mark. It'll be a result of all those elements being aligned and working for each other. The Utah Jazz will have developed a culture and that will be more valuable to the Utah Jazz and its fans than any player, coach, or general manager ever could be alone."
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This I understand. And it's the one thing that most impressed me about the Jazz when they first signed Cotton. It's the reason I wanted Cotton to stay on this team. Seeing most of the regulars at the Utah Summer League, with the stands full really told me all I needed to know that something special might happen here. As a Cotton booster, what more could I ask for was my thinking all along. Still is. Unfortunately, I'm no longer convinced Cotton is seen by Lindsey and Coach the same way I see him. As someone who will breakout and continue to surprise. But if they are looking for stop gaps I assume Burke, Neto, and Cotton might not cut it in their eyes. But I believe in the guy still. He's receded into the background of folk's thinking ever since Dante went down, but I think he can help. That's a fan's faith, though. Not an objective standard.

In questioning DL's confidence in Cotton you must be referring to info that I'm not aware of, because I've never heard him say anything bad about the guy. I'm sure DL hopes he works out. I assume he's concerned about his size and defensive ability, and maybe his shoot first mentality.

What you need to understand is that comments on this board are not objective, and those who have been around here for any length of time know that every new player attracts his share of homers to the message board. Time has proven that most of the things those fans of one player believe to be true don't turn out that way. The reason is that the NBA is a huge step up from any other league in the world. So don't be surprised when, no matter how confident you are in Cotton, others who don't know him the way you do take a wait and see approach.

Lastly, if Cotton comes out on fire like he was at the end of last season you are going to have the pleasure of driving a bandwagon that's going to load up very quickly. I hope it happens, but as a fan of the Jazz, I would be just as happy if it was Neto or Burke that blew up.

 

[karl malone]

Avery Bradley is the size of a PG, but he really isn't one... is he? Distribution/ballhandling ability is still important to me. I guess I don't know much about the guy.

Avery Bradley is definitely a SG in a PG's body. He won't provide the passing/distributing abilities of a prototypical PG (which shouldn't be a problem with Hayward facilitating the offense), but he will provide the great defense & decent shooting that will allow the team to follow the formula that made them successful with Exum as the starting PG. He's also on a 3/25(ish) contract, meaning that he either stays as our unconventional PG that allows us to maintain the league's best defense if Exum doesn't work out, or he becomes our young version of Tony Allen off of the bench if Exum regains the starting PG role. He also provides another option (along with Burks) at SG long-term (with Hood sliding to SF) if Hayward were to leave once he is able to opt-out (or PG if Exum busts), although I believe that acquiring Bradley would go a long way towards retaining Hayward as our success over the next 2 years will likely be the determining factor in whether he re-signs long-term. Of all the options, including standing pat, I believe that he makes the most sense (assuming the price is reasonable).

 

[Stifle Tower]

Avery Bradley is definitely a SG in a PG's body. He won't provide the passing/distributing abilities of a prototypical PG (which shouldn't be a problem with Hayward facilitating the offense), but he will provide the great defense & decent shooting that will allow the team to follow the formula that made them successful with Exum as the starting PG...Of all the options, including standing pat, I believe that he makes the most sense (assuming the price is reasonable).

That last bit is the key. Ainge has a reputation for trying to squeeze excess value out of every trade. Celtics have no reason to move Bradley. He's a combo guard so he can play SG for them with Thomas or Smart starting at PG. A Thomas/Smart/Bradley rotation, with RJ Hunter getting some burn looks pretty good.

 

[karl malone]

That last bit is the key. Ainge has a reputation for trying to squeeze excess value out of every trade. Celtics have no reason to move Bradley. He's a combo guard so he can play SG for them with Thomas or Smart starting at PG. A Thomas/Smart/Bradley rotation, with RJ Hunter getting some burn looks pretty good.

Agreed, Ainge is known as a tough negotiator but they also have Rozier who they just spent a 1st rd pick on (supposedly because he reminds 1 of Ainge/Stevens of Bradley) & is going to need playing time. I don't think they feel a need to move a guard currently, but I've heard that they prefer a Thomas/Smart backcourt & could see Ainge willing to trade Bradley in order to continue stockpiling 1st rd picks if at least 1 of Rozier or Hunter prove capable of handling rotational minutes.

 

[Stifle Tower]

Agreed, Ainge is known as a tough negotiator but they also have Rozier who they just spent a 1st rd pick on (supposedly because he reminds 1 of Ainge/Stevens of Bradley) & is going to need playing time. I don't think they feel a need to move a guard currently, but I've heard that they prefer a Thomas/Smart backcourt & could see Ainge willing to trade Bradley in order to continue stockpiling 1st rd picks if at least 1 of Rozier or Hunter prove capable of handling rotational minutes.

Sounds like something to explore at the deadline if Trey is having a similar season to the past two but the Jazz are in the playoff picture. We have a first we could give up - maybe the lesser of our 2017 picks or the one we'll get from OKC?

 

[karl malone]

Sounds like something to explore at the deadline if Trey is having a similar season to the past two but the Jazz are in the playoff picture. We have a first we could give up - maybe the lesser of our 2017 picks or the one we'll get from OKC?

I think this is what ultimately happens, as I believe both FO's will want to see exactly what they have, but I hope DL tries to get a deal done before the season starts. I would hate to see last year repeat itself in the sense that we struggle (although less so now that Gobert is starting) to begin the season due to our PG play & then come on strong after inserting a defensive minded PG once we're already out of contention. With Gobert at C instead of Kanter, we might be able to sneak into the playoffs regardless of our PG play, but with Bradley starting instead of Burke for the entire season, I could see this team being a 5/6 seed as Bradley should be an upgrade (especially on offense) over Exum & the team actually has some depth now. I would probably give up next year's pick (top 5 protected) if that would get it done as this upcoming draft class is supposedly weak, we will likely be picking in the late lottery to late-teens anyway, & we don't have any important players on expiring contracts that will need to be replaced.