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Why are the Jazz predicted to finish 3rd in the division??

One quick point

I registered just to post this, but the one mistake that I believe the experts make is assuming that OKC will be much better this year simply because the players are older. They have basically the same roster as last year, still the same weaknesses, and every team will be more familiar with their gameplan.

Sure, some of their young players will probably develop a bit more, but realistically how much more can you expect Durant to do?
 
"Experts" are just people paid to give their opinion.
I have noticed they will often practice "Groupthink". One of them says something that sounds kindof good, and they all agree and say the same thing because they have nothing better, or dont want to be different and have it pointed out.

They dont want to take a chance on the Jazz because other people are high on OKC. OKC has the same team, and they were good last year. The Jazz team has had some pretty big changes to the roster, and they really dont know what is going to happen.

I think we should call them "generalists" instead of experts because they are using basic basketball and surface level team information to draw conclusions. Most of the so-called experts have no idea what the Jazz can do, or any other team for that matter..... but they know the Durantula sells tickets so they are willing to jump on the bandwagon. He is good, and OKC is a good team, so to them it is a safe bet.

Just my 2 cents
 
A couple of things to consider Bell maybe as suggested a toss up with Thabo, but he is older (lost a step?) and has been hurt for much of the past two years. Also Thabo may start but Harden will play lots of minutes. Can anyone argue that Thabo/Harden or Roy/Mathews is not better than Bell/(Miles or Hayward)?

SG is the one position that worries me going into the season, the Jazz are thin there. When CJ went down with an ankle injury in the final pre-season game it showed the Jazz roster weakness. Hayward will have to improve quickly or the jazz will struggle at the 2 all year.
 
....here's what your NBA experts actually think of just about any Utah Jazz team: they have too many miedeocre role players, most of them unathletic and most of them white. They run a "system" as old as there coach that is so predictable that failure is assured. They lack speed, quickness and can't jump very high. PREDICTION: Will be hard pressed to play .500 ball. REALITY: Will probably win 50 plus games and upset at least 1 team in the playoffs, before bowing out in a tough 7 game series to the eventual champs!
 
I think its because we have had so many changes in our players. Basically four of our starting players have been switched out and its a complete crapshoot was to how they play together when all these ranking were being written.
 
NUMBERICA said:
Krstic is a placeholder for either Ibaka or Aldrich to take over. Their big situation isn't sexy, but it looks like it should take care of business (good defense, good shooting, good athleticism even if there's no offensive presence inside).

It's also worth noting that OKC made it into the playoff in an insanely competitive conference even though they got off to a slow start. That's notable, but we'll see.

Also, to me, Durant looks like he's doomed to have a serious injury and has been lucky. Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm amazed that such an unathletic, stretched out lank playing a perimeter position has been as healthy as he has. If he goes down, that team is completely ****ed.
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Durant is a decent athlete, if not a good one. He does not drive in a lot anyway, just plain shoot over people guarding him who are generally 2 to 3 inches shorter. That is why people were complaining he's getting a lot of FTs.
 
JoelHodgeJr said:
I think its because we have had so many changes in our players. Basically four of our starting players have been switched out and its a complete crapshoot was to how they play together when all these ranking were being written.
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...it's never a "crap shoot" with the Jazz.....you know exactly what your going to get. It's only a crap shoot when you throw 3 or 4 hoppers out there....running around like chickens with there heads cut off.....all wanting to "create" and get there own shot!
 
What most people seem to overlook: OKC was freakishly healthy last year and overlooked by just about everyone. Can't replicate that this year. Looking forward to watching them crash and burn, although Durant is an admirably humble superstar.
 
Well in interview to russian newspaper AK kind of agrees to "experts"
Link: https://basketball.sport-express.ru/reviews/8901/
Few quotes:
So you are saying two wins over reigning NBA champs in LA doesn't mean anything?

- I wouldn't put much attention to these. Lakers played with shorthanded line up. If they used all their resources outcome would be different. But don't underestimate this series as well. Utah is in good shape now but we need to translate it to beginning of the regular season. We have very tough early schedule .

- There are substantial changes in the Jazz roster. Can you say the team is stronger now?

- No, I can't. This is totally different team now. Last season team was stronger simply because players had been playing together for a long time. A lot depends now on how much time it will take us to gel together. On the bright side all replacements we got are of equal value. However, we have problems with bigs while Okur is injured. Also once Bell wasn't present at one of the practices and we immediatly felt that we are missing "small guys". In other words we are very unbalanced - one or two injuries will immediatly cause us troubles.
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OKC is ranked highly because of Durant. He's expected to have his "break out" year. I do believe that he is going to have an excellent year. But there is no way that I would put the Jazz as low as 3rd in the division. This just goes to show you how much work the Jazz have to do to get the recognition that they deserve. They arent getting yet because we keep falling to the Lakers and they are making it look like its easy for them to beat us. I hope that this year we have different results. If the Jazz can handle LA we will get the recognition that we deserve. Face it, nobody wants to see a team from Utah rise to the top. But this year could be a great year for us. We have always had to prove the critics wrong, this year is no different. Hopefully the team can rise to the occasion.
 
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