Archives For NBA

SCH Podcast – The Sad Demise of the Utah Flash and Some Draft Talk

Spencer Hall —  June 22, 2011 — Leave a comment

After letting the story marinate for a week, we finally weigh in on the demise of the Utah Flash. I give some spectacular tips on making the D-League viable in Utah, forget Jordan Farmar’s name, talk too much, and accidentally (and incorrectly) make it sound like I thought Jerry Sloan was a candidate for the Lakers’ coaching spot.

We also get in to some draft talk and discuss Jimmer, because we know you love that kind of thing.

Some related links:

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In Blog, NBA, Podcast, Utah Jazz
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2011 Draft Odds

Spencer Hall —  June 20, 2011 — Leave a comment

Here are the Bodog draft odds for Thursday’s draft, via Props PR:

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2011 NBA Draft – Who will be the 3rd Player selected in the NBA Draft?
Brandon Knight 1/3
Enes Kanter 5/2
Jimmer Fredette 17/2
Kemba Walker 15/1

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2011 NBA Draft – Who will be the 4th Player selected in the NBA Draft?
Enes Kanter 10/11
Jonas Valanciunas 3/2
Jan Vesely 7/2
Kawhi Leonard 15/1

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2011 NBA Draft – Who will be the 5th Player selected in the NBA Draft?
Kemba Walker 1/1
Jonas Valanciunas 9/4
Jan Vesely 3/1
Brandon Knight 11/2

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2011 NBA Draft – Who will be the 6th Player selected in the NBA Draft?
Enes Kanter 1/1
Jan Vesely 2/1
Kawhi Leonard 15/4
Tristan Thompson 5/1

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2011 NBA Draft – Who will be the 7th Player selected in the NBA Draft?
Jan Vesely 3/2
Kawhi Leonard 7/4
Kemba Walker 3/1
Jimmer Fredette 4/1

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2011 NBA Draft – Who will be the 8th Player selected in the NBA Draft?
Kawhi Leonard 1/1
Kemba Walker 3/2
Tristan Thompson 7/2
Bismack Biyombo 15/2

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2011 NBA Draft – Will Jimmer Fredette (BYU) be a Lottery Pick?

Yes -180 (5//9)

No +140 (7/5)

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2011 NBA Draft – Total number of International Players selected in the 1st round (International players are players who played outside of the US last season)?

Over/Under 7

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2011 NBA Draft – Will Jeremy Tyler be selected in the First Round?

Yes -300 (1/3)

No +200 (2/1)

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2011 NBA Draft – Will the Minnesota Timberwolves trade their second overall pick in the draft?

Yes -140 (5/7)

No +100 (1/1)

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2011 NBA Draft – Will Marcus Morris and Markieff Morris both be drafted by the same team?

Yes 2/1

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2011 NBA Draft – Will Andre Iguodala be traded before the end of the 2011 draft?

Yes -250 (2/5)

No +170 (17/10)

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So what do you think?

In Blog, NBA ,
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TrueHoop Network Mock Draft 2011 – Pick 3: Jazz take Brandon Knight

Spencer Hall —  June 20, 2011 — Leave a comment

The 2011 ESPN TrueHoop Network NBA Mock Draft is here. Each selection will be made available on network sites, will cover just the first round, and will be made according to prediction, not some blogger preference. Enjoy.

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Previous Picks:
Check back hourly for picks until 5 pm today, pick 11 will start at 8 am on Tuesday.

#1 — Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers — Cavs The Blog
#2 — Derrick Williams, Minnesota Timberwolves — A Wolf Among Wolves

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#3 — Brandon Knight, Utah Jazz

You’ve all already read everything there is to know about the draft prospects. Jazz GM Kevin O’Connor never shows his hand, so sitting around making predictions is like worrying about what you’ll get for Christmas before December 25. In fact, KOC as Santa O’Claus is probably too generous. At least “Santa” pays attention to the wish list.

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Up next: Cavs with the 4th pick.

In NBA
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In Defense of LeBron James

K.Malphurs —  June 16, 2011 — 5 Comments

[Never gets old. via @bigeeej2]

Not that the world needs another article about LeBron James, but let me add my thoughts to the mix. First off, know that I don’t now, and never really have, hated the Miami Heat. I cheered for the Mavericks in the Finals, not because they were playing the Heat, but because I enjoyed watching their style of play. The Mavericks deserve massive amounts of praise for their ability throughout the entire playoff series. They deserved the title and more than a few words will and should be written about their team. However, in this space I want to write about LeBron.

I can’t get past the amount of criticism that LeBron has taken after this Finals. People have forgotten his outstanding play against Boston and Chicago. They don’t care that his advanced playoff stats show that he had more Win Shares than Wade or Bosh. He played poorly in the Finals, but how much of that should be attributed to him “choking” and how much of that is just plain poor luck? He played above his level against Chicago and below his level against Dallas. Maybe he was worn down, maybe he wasn’t clutch, but it seems clear the greatest crime committed by LeBron James was just being human.

We’ve witnessed the humanization of great stars before. Michael Jordan was an egomaniac with an incredible game and even better understanding of marketing. Those two skills helped convince the world that he was a great guy, and someone people should emulate. He was machiavellian and his single-minded desire to win at any cost bordered on sociopathic. In reality nobody really wants their child to “be like Mike.”

However, LeBron James isn’t like Michael Jordan. He isn’t now, and he probably will never be. The personality, the work ethic, the body type, the teammates – everything is different. Given similar circumstances and fame from an early age, I can’t say I wouldn’t be calling myself the Chosen One either. Or King Malphurs. If I were dominant in the NBA before I was legally able to drink, then I might also skip working out in the offseason on my jumper. If I were surrounded by a terrible collection of talent in Cleveland, then I also might have left to join my friends in Miami. If I felt that everybody who surrounded me was just using me for money, then I also might just make my closest friends my business partners.

LeBron James has done some really dumb things. The Decision and the Miami Heat introduction party were both terrible ideas. Also, he’s stuck his foot in his mouth a couple of times with quotes that didn’t come from the Bull Durham set of clichés. The real result of all the wrong moves LeBron has made? More proof that he is human. Despite the attempted deification by his Nike marketing campaign, James makes mistakes the same way the rest of us make mistakes. But most of us have the advantage of not having those mistakes replayed 100 times.

So what should he do? I hope he learns some humility, rather than fully embracing the heel role like he seems poised to do. Michael Rosenberg of cnnsi.com wrote about it in this article, and I agree with him. I don’t blame LeBron for not having much humility before this season. He was a spoiled athlete in a world full of them. However, now is the time for LeBron to show his humanity. Show some humility. Show some respect. Show some intelligence. I can only hope we’ll do the same as fans.

In Blog, NBA, Uncategorized
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Position-by-Position Analysis of the Utah Jazz

K.Malphurs —  May 25, 2011 — 10 Comments

The great question every time the NBA draft rolls around is whether to draft the best player available or the player that fulfills the biggest need? Most teams today follow the Best Player Available philosophy, a direct result of the Portland Trail Blazers famously passing over one Michael Jordan in the 1984 draft. After Akeem Olajuwan went first to the Rockets, the Blazers took center Sam Bowie because they already had two solid shooting guards in Jim Paxon and a young Clyde Drexler. No team wants to make that mistake again.

Picking the Best Player Available, however, has always been a very subjective and error-prone affair.

In 2005 the Atlanta Hawks had Josh Childress, Al Harrington, Joe Johnson and Josh Smith as four wings who were 6-8/6-9 in height. Their point guards were Tony Delk and Tyronn Lue. Going into the draft they had an obvious need at point guard, but choose 6-9 small forward Marvin Williams. The Hawks must have thought that Williams was the Best Player Available because the next two draft picks were point guards Deron Williams and Chris Paul. In this case, the Hawks not only missed out on filling a need, they also missed out on better players available.

This year’s draft class is full of unproven, inexperienced players like Enes Kanter and Brandon Knight. It’s hard enough to statistically evaluate any one-and-done player, but what to do with a player like Kanter who had a non-season at Kentucky?

Given the difficulty in finding best player in this year’s draft, let’s highlight the biggest needs for the Jazz. I took a look at the players, contracts and production per position and ranked them in order of team strength. In the rankings I include the PER difference by position as found on 82games.com. This shows us the Jazz player production by position compared to their opponents. Below is a ranking of the team’s strengths, so to find the team’s biggest needs we take the inverse ranking.

1. Power Forward: +2.1 PER difference.

  • Paul Millsap (2 years/$7M per year)
  • Derrick Favors (4 years /$5.8M per year)
  • Jeremy Evans (1 year at $788K).
  • Analysis: This position is full of young, talented, players, and all three are signed to team-friendly contracts. The Jazz are stocked with power forwards that they should build around.

2. Center: +2.4 PER difference.

  • Al Jefferson (2 years/$14.5M per year)
  • Mehmet Okur (1 year at $10.9M).
  • Analysis: It was a little bit of a surprise to see the center position ranked ahead of the power forwards with a +2.4 PER difference. Still, I can’t rank the center position as a bigger strength than the power forward position because of a few factors: age, salary and growth potential. Jefferson and Okur are older, more expensive and don’t  have as much room to grow as the Millsap/Favors/Evans group. Even though this is a position of strength it doesn’t mean the Jazz couldn’t use help there. Neither Jefferson or Okur are known for their defense, and it would be extremely valuable to have a defensive presence at the 5 position. A defensive-minded center would do wonders to improve the 24th ranked defense. Did you ever think we’d reach the day when Jazz fans are nostalgic for the Greg Ostertag Era?

3. Small Forward: +0.9 PER difference.

  • C.J. Miles (1 year at $3.7M)
  • Gordon Hayward (4 years/$3.3M a year).
  • Analysis: Both Miles and Hayward could be considered shooting guards, but I went with the position that they played the greatest percentage of minutes. This also happened to the position of Andrei Kirilenko, who is a free agent this year after his max contract finally expired. Kirilenko’s status is still up in the air, but my guess is that he won’t be with the Jazz next year. Still, this position isn’t terrible, especially considering the assumption Miles (still only 24) and Hayward (21) will improve with age. I have my doubts about both players, even considering some of the great games both had at the end of the year.

4. Point Guard: -2.2 PER difference.

  • Devin Harris (2 years/$8.9M a year).
  • Analysis: Was it really only a year and a half ago that the PG spot was most solid position on the team? The Jazz had a long-term star in Deron Williams and a capable backup with Eric Maynor. Now that the dust has settled on the implosion of last year’s team, all that’s left are two expensive years of Devin Harris (and draft picks!). Neither Ronnie Price or Earl Watson are signed with the Jazz for next season and really, does it matter if either one comes back? The Jazz desperately need a backup (or replacement) for Harris, especially considering his injury history. More likely they will use this draft to find a more capable, long-term solution.

5. Shooting Guard: -4.7 PER difference.

The biggest shortcoming of the Jazz’s shooting guard rotation (which also included Ronnie Price as part of a small second-team lineup with Earl Watson) was inaccurate shooting. Despite attempting a combined 7.3 3-pointers a night, the three players shot just 32.8 percent from beyond the arc, well below league average (35.8 percent). Since Bell — under contract through 2012-13 — isn’t getting any younger, Utah will likely exercise the team option on Miles’ deal and hope he can grow into a starting position.

It shouldn’t be much of a surprise that shooting guard is the biggest position of need. The Jazz need someone on the wing to knock down open shots and also somebody who can defend enough to keep the Kobe Bryants and D-Wades of the NBA from circling the calendar when they see Utah. Easier written about than accomplished, of course, but the Jazz absolutely must improve in all aspects at this position.

Use these numbers as your guide as you play armchair GM.

In NBA, Utah Jazz ,
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Morning After Drill: Dreaming Up – The 2011 NBA Draft Lottery

Jeff Lind —  May 18, 2011 — 29 Comments

I think we’ve all come to terms with the overall “meh” that is this 2011 NBA draft. It’s a two horse race, and the rest of the field is full of GM landmines. I mean, we have a Turkish player that hasn’t played a single competitive game in the last year being discussed as a top pick! Some of these players will certainly be good, but it’s hard to say ANY (besides maybe Irving) will be no-lose great. So, why wouldn’t the Utah Jazz use all their luck this year and get saddled with the number 3 pick? Your guess is as good as mine.

So, here we are… the Jazz have the 3 and 12 picks and need to make some magic happen. It’s a rebuild year, so they can’t afford not to have a successful draft… but it’s dicey at best. What do they do? Here’s my take on the two picks the morning after:

The 12: I don’t see a scenario where the Jazz don’t take Jimmer Fredette if he’s available. Right now, Chad Ford has Jimmer heading to the Suns at 13 (Sam Amick of SI has him going 22 to the Nuggets), but I think the Jazz grab him first. Here’s why:

  1. He’s a player and a winner. I know he played almost NO defense in college, but he was mandated to save energy for offense. The Jazz definitely need defense, but they desperately need someone that can create offense and shots off the dribble, and Jimmer can create. It’s rare, but Jimmer is the kind of player that is a threat as soon as he steps across the half court line.
  2. He is a goldmine. You thought Kyle Korver sold jerseys? All Kyle did was kinda look like a Mormon. I don’t think any of us have a barometer for what an actual Mormon kid can do in the Salt Lake market. He’s the Tim Tebow of the NBA draft, and whatever team picks him will sell a bajillion jerseys, put butts in chairs, and will whip the fan hypemachine into a lathered frenzy. All of which will be compounded if he goes to the Jazz.  Don’t underestimate the importance of any of those three items to a small market team that is in the throes of rebuilding.

Is he a long term solution? Can he play in the NBA? Is he too slow for the 1, but too small for the 2? I don’t know. All I know is that the talent disparity between Jimmer and anyone else in this draft at a relative position to his is not great. If the Jazz do end up keeping the 12, I’m willing to take a flyer on a kid that is going to keep the franchise I love alive during rebuild years.

[Saying all of that, remember that the Pacers once had a similar situation. They made the hard choice and took a pass at the 11th pick on hometown hero Steve Alford (Yes... the same Alford that was mixed up in BYU trouble last year). Fans were LIVID that the franchise didn't pick the New Castle, Indiana native. In the end they got over it... since the Pacers ultimately passed over Alford for the Knick slayer himself: Reggie Miller. Yikes.]

 

Getty Images

The 3: This pick depends on one horrifying thing… David Kahn. The Minnesota Timberwolves notorious GM (who  is STILL dealing with the sins of his past picks) may be the Jazz’ great hope, or great destroyer. Make no mistake, the Jazz want Derrick Williams. He’s a talented (near) can’t-miss type that shoots well, is NBA ready (well… as close as anyone in this draft), and can be a viable wing for the team. Williams would immediately address one of the team’s greatest needs, but unfortunately, every draft board I’ve looked at has him going at 2 to the Wolves. BUT, if there’s one GM that will either A) trade this pick, or B) screw this pick up, it’s David Kahn. Hooray! Here’s the good, bad and lucky of the 3 pick:

  • The good: Chad Ford says “I’m already hearing from sources that Minnesota has told people it’s very open to moving the second pick. Kahn really wants to add some veteran help to the team.” Well, the Jazz have veterans, and need that 2 spot. My hope would be that the Jazz package a current vet, and maybe the 12 or 3 pick and jump to the 2 (Millsap?).
  • The bad: Other, more desperate teams want that 2 pick. If the Jazz don’t end up landing it, they are the team on the outside looking in. The 3 pick will probably ultimately turn into Brandon Knight – a fine player, but not AMAZING, or Enes Kanter…  the Turkish tough guy who hasn’t played a competitive basketball game in over a year (yep… your 2011 NBA draft, folks). I doubt the Jazz take Kanter, since they already have 5 guys that can play his position, and what are they going to do with minutes in that situation, but you never know. Kanter has more upside than nearly anyone else 3-10 in this draft.
  • The lucky: If David Kahn chooses Enes Kanter at 2 and Derrick Williams falls into the Jazz’ lap… pretty sure that’s a guarantee.

As a basketball fan, you really can’t complain about moving up in the draft, but if you’re going to pick a draft to move up in, this was not the one to do it. It will be interesting to see if Kevin O’Connor can make some magic happen, and more than almost any other GM – he has incentive. The Jazz lost the AMAZING Williams and HOF Sloan on his watch. Well O’Connor, it’s your time to shine. Time to make us believers. Prove to Jazz fans that you made the right moves last year. Right now, the jury is out… and Kevin is on the clock. We’re all dreaming up.

Follow Jeff on Twitter!

In NBA
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Off-Season Decisions for the Utah Jazz – Part 2 of 4

Jeff Lind —  May 12, 2011 — 5 Comments

[Editor's Note: As the playoffs move forward, we continue to discuss the future of the Utah Jazz. Nick Smith joins Salt City Hoops to chat current players. Who stays, who goes, and how bright are their respective futures? Join us for part 2 of this 4 part series. - JL]

Devin Harris – 6’3 PG

Ksl.com

Current Contract Situation. Harris is under contract next season with the Jazz for $9,319,000. His contract will then expire after the 2012/2013 season where he will collect $8.5 million.

Future with the Jazz. Devin Harris has been a player the Jazz have hoped to land since his days in Dallas. They like his quickness, good attitude, and pesky defense. Harris was an all-star in 2009, but since that time, the injury prone point guard’s game has regressed. It’ll be interesting to see if being back in a winning atmosphere can return Harris’ game to a high level. The Jazz were 7-10 with Harris in their lineup, which doesn’t sound like much, but overall it is much better than where they were without him. He also deserves credit for doing a good job of coming in and playing his game and not trying to do the impossible in replacing Deron Williams. Watch for an improved defensive game and a nice increase to his 5 APG career average. Although I see this Ludacris look-alike returning to the lineup next year (his contract is too affordable), he could potentially be a player the Jazz end up packaging alongside a draft pick to either move up in the draft or to acquire other assets.

Fransisco Elson – 7-0 C

AP Associated Press

Current Contract Situation. Fransisco Elson signed a one-year deal with the Jazz last off-season for the veteran’s minimum $1,146,337. He is now a free agent.

Future with the Jazz. This was likely the one and only season Elson will play for the Jazz. When healthy, Elson is a big man who runs the floor very well, brings toughness to the court, and can occasionally hit the outside jumper. If the Jazz enter next season needing to add another big man, fans shouldn’t be totally opposed to Elson grabbing that 12th roster spot. Elson has championship experience, and his good attitude and veteran leadership make him an affordable mentor for some of the Jazz’ younger players. Saying that, father time has taken his toll on Elson, and the 35 year-old has struggled to stay healthy. With the addition of Derrick Favors, and the possibility of one of the Jazz’ two draft picks being a big man, I see Elson as the odd man out for next year’s roster. It may just come down to Fesenko or Elson, and with the Sisco Kid’s age, I imagine the Jazz decide in favor of the Ukrainian.

Al Jefferson – 6’10 PF/C

Courtside

Current Contract Situation. Al Jefferson has two more years left on his current deal. He will make $14,000,000 next year and $15,000,000 during the 2012/2013 season.

Future with the Jazz. Big Al’s first year with the Jazz was a tale of two halves. The first half of the season Jefferson struggled to be consistent and figure out the flex offense, while the second half of the season he was the 20 and 10 type player Jazz fans had hoped for. While the increase in productivity was great to see, there was a disconnect between the Jazz’ success and Big Al’s. At age 26, it’s fair to say that Jefferson’s best years are still ahead of him, but a major concern still exists, namely: can he be a star on a winning team? With a sample size of 7 seasons, Jefferson hasn’t been on a team with a winning record once. In fact, the only three month period in which he was on a winning team he struggled to play well. Unfortunately for Jefferson, statistics show that the amount of points he scores in games has a negative correlation with how much his team is winning. During his short time with the Jazz (and in his defense), roster changes and injuries were more to blame for the team losing than Big Al’s lack of effort, or leadership. He showed huge heart the second half of the year. He mentioned that he came to Utah for three reasons; to play for Coach Sloan, to play alongside Deron, and to finally be on a winning team. At the end of the season, Jefferson didn’t have any of those to hang his hat on. Instead, he was back on a losing team that decided to begin re-building midway through his first season. He had every right to be disappointed, but he continued to work hard to improve his game.  Look for Jefferson to continue his improvement while he gets more comfortable in the Jazz’ system. Also, Derrick Favors’ length and athleticism should make Al’s job on defense much easier than playing alongside the undersized Millsap. As for his future, I don’t see the Jazz moving Jefferson. Hopefully his game will further adjust to fit what the Jazz need from their big man, and if the team can add some shooters, his job of scoring in the paint will be easier than it has been. With multiple draft picks and other uprising young players, there should be plenty of talent to help Al Jefferson buck his reputation of being the cause for bad teams.

Watch for article number three later this week as I take a close look at the decisions awaiting the next group of Jazz men; Earl Watson, Raja Bell, Ronnie Price, and Kyrylo Fesenko.

PART 1

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In Al Jefferson, NBA, Opinion, Uncategorized, Utah Jazz
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Off-season Decisions for the Utah Jazz – Part 1 of 4

Jeff Lind —  May 6, 2011 — 10 Comments

[Editor's Note: As the playoffs move forward, we continue to discuss the future of the Utah Jazz. Nick Smith joins Salt City Hoops to chat current players. Who stays, who goes, and how bright are their respective futures? Join us for part 1 of this 4 part series. - JL]

The 2010-2011 season is officially over for the Jazz, and now it’s time to shift our attention to the many important decisions that await the Jazz front office. General Manager Kevin O’Connor did not hesitate when admitting the upcoming draft is the most important in Jazz history, but the draft still months away! Let’s talk current players. My last article discussed the bright future of the Jazz considering their young talent and multiple draft picks, but what I failed to mention is financially healthy the Jazz are going forward. With Andrei Kirilenko’s enormous contract coming off the books, the Jazz have a significant amount of cap space. Off-season signings and trades will not happen until a new Collective Bargaining Agreement can be agreed upon between the league’s owners and players, but with the NBA as popular as it was this season, the looming lockout could be shorter than we think and personnel decisions for the Jazz are (optimistically) right around the corner. This series of articles will discuss each player’s current contract situation with the Jazz and what decisions to expect the Jazz to make. We’ll feature players in order of tenure with the Jazz, newest to oldest, while tiebreakers go to tenure in the league. This article features rookie Jazz men Jeremy Evans, Gordon Hayward, and Derrick Favors.

Jeremy Evans – 6’10 F

Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

Current Contract Situation: Jeremy Evans is under contract next season for an extremely affordable $788,872. Although he’ll still be the lowest paid player on the Jazz, it’s a nice 67% increase in pay for the second year player.

Future with the Jazz: Evans is a freak athlete who jumps higher and faster than anyone else I’ve seen in the league. What’s perhaps most impressive about the young kid is he already has a sound understanding of how to use his athleticism to create scoring and rebounding opportunities. This understanding helped mask his severe weight problem (think the opposite direction of Oliver Miller) which will be instrumental in his developing into a real player. That’s’ a big if, but with the rookie pay scale for 2nd round draft picks awfully team friendly, I doubt the Jazz will pass on the opportunity to see what this kid can do with an entire off-season to prepare. For a cool $800k and for being the best friend to one of the Jazz’ future franchise players, expect to see the human pogo stick back in uniform next season.

Best case scenario: Shawn Marion, Thaddeus Young

Worst case scenario: Jared Jeffries

Likely scenario: Luc Richard Mbah A Moute

Gordon Hayward – 6’8 G/SF

Getty Images

Current Contract Situation. Hayward is under contract next season for $2,532,960, with team options of $2.7 million and $3.4 million for seasons 2012/2013 and 2013/2014, respectively.

Future with the Jazz. The Jazz’ group of untouchable players is very small. In fact, by my count it stops at two. Gordon Hayward’s strong all-around play at the end of last season made him one of them. During the last two weeks of the season, Hayward showed that he could be special in this league. He has surprising athletic tools, a great work ethic, and an unbelievable basketball IQ. As a 21 year old rookie, Gordon can shoot the three, defend dynamic perimeter players, and is an exceptional passer. Jazz fans hope to see an uptick in his consistency, and his ability to finish at the rim. The Jazz desperately need him to contribute every night as a legitimate driving threat. No question G-Time will be back with the Jazz next season, and hopefully many more to come.

Best case scenario: Brandon Roy-like (pre-knee surgeries)

Worst case scenario: Mike Dunleavy

Likely scenario: Don’t kill me for this, but… Wesley Matthews?

Derrick Favors – 6’10 PF

Yahoo Sports

Current Contract Situation. Favors is under contract next season for $4,443,360 with team options of $4.75 million and $6.01 million for seasons 2012/2013 and 2013/2014, respectively.

Future with the Jazz. Remember that two-man list of untouchables? If begins at Hayward and ends at Derrick Favors. Favors is a young talent that also started playing especially well toward the end of the season. He showed great signs of development and got better every game he played. In Favors’ 22 appearances with the Jazz, he averaged 8.2 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 1.2 BPG, all while only playing 20 MPG. If you were to adjust Favors’ stats for starters minutes, he would already be nearly averaging 16, 10 and 2! The most impressive aspect is that Derrick has yet to develop any real offensive moves. All of his production is coming from raw athletic ability and sound fundamentals. Once he couples his athleticism with some offensive prowess, the sky is the limit. Look for Favors to improve his defensive ability (without fouling), building a back-to-the-basket game, and an increase his FT%. I expect Favors to be the Jazz’ Most Improved Player for next season. As for the future, get used to seeing Derrick in a Jazz jersey.

Best case scenario: Amar’e Stoudemire

Worst case scenario: Stromile Swift

Likely scenario: Al Horford

Watch for article number two next week as we take a close look at the decisions awaiting the next group of rookie Jazz men Devin Harris, Al Jefferson, and Fransisco Elson.

Follow Nick on Twitter!

In Gordon Hayward, NBA, Uncategorized, Utah Jazz ,
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SCH Podcast – Kurt Kragthorpe

Spencer Hall —  April 27, 2011 — 3 Comments

The illustrious Kurt Kragthorpe of the Salt Lake Tribune was nice enough to join us on the Salt City Hoops podcast last night. Kurt is a man who needs no introduction among Jazz fans and has been covering Utah sports since the days of Frank Layden. He shares his thoughts on today’s Jazz and gives us a few anecdotes from back in the day.

You can read more from Kurt at sltrib.com and follow him on Twitter @tribkurt.

As usual, I was joined in the studio by Justin Davies (@jhjustin) from Jazz Hype. We cover a lot of ground, so let us know what you think in the comments.

A special thanks to the UVU Digital Media Department for providing the excellent studio space and to our producer Jonathan Knudtson.

 

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In Blog, NBA, Podcast, Utah Jazz
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What’s Next for Paul Millsap?

Jeff Lind —  April 8, 2011 — 43 Comments

Michael Brandy, Deseret News

[Editor's note: With the recent acquisition of D. Favors, the Jazz are suddenly flush with big men. Guest writer Nick Smith asks where Paul Millsap fits into the rebuilding Utah Jazz... or if he fits in at all.]

In 2006, the Jazz took a second round gamble with their 47th pick and selected an undersized PF in Paul Millsap.  Millsap had been, for the third consecutive year, the nation’s leading rebounder, but outside of his rebounding skills and high motor, Millsap came into the league with much to work on.  However, in his 5 years with the Jazz, Millsap has done everything the organization has asked him to do and has been a complete pro.  Paul made strides in his game every single year and has become one of the more offensively skilled bigs in the NBA.  He possesses great guard skills, a nose for the ball, and has a Kevin-Garnett-smooth jumper that he can hit from virtually anywhere on the floor.  But there is one thing Paul Millsap does not have and that’s size.  You can’t stop the heart of a lion, but you can stop a power forward who stands only 6 feet 7 inches tall.

Millsap waited patiently for Carlos Boozer’s departure for his chance to be a starter, and this year he got that chance.  Paul has missed only 6 games all year, and has played extremely hard. Still, evaluating the quality of this season for Paul is very difficult.  Was this actually a good year for Millsap? Looking at the stats, this season looks like a staggering success. By most measures he had the type of production that nearly all teams hope for from their starting power forward.  In 72 games, Paul averaged 34.3 MPG, 17.4 PPG, 7.7 RPG, and 2.4 APG while shooting a very effective 53.1% from the field 33.3% from three.  Still, Millsap’s lack of size was exposed on a nightly basis (see Demarcus Cousins’ performance from Sunday), and despite his significant increase in minutes, Paul still needs 5 additional offensive rebounds in Utah’s last three games to avoid his all-time career season low for that statistic. That’s a stunning fact for a man who’s mantra has always been to out-work anyone who stepped inside the paint.

Considering that Paul has been playing against the biggest and the best big men in the NBA, he has done a nice job (especially when you remember the lack of help from forever-ailing Mehmet Okur), but on February 23rd everything changed for the Jazz. Jazz General Manager Kevin O’Connor shocked the NBA by silently pulling the trigger and dealing one of the league’s premier point guards from the Jazz and changing the entire face of the roster.  O’Connor and the rest of the Jazz brass decided that they would not let their best player walk for no return. The Jazz had a generalist “big man” in Paul Millsap but with Williams departure, they suddenly had a specialist power forward in Derrick Favors. Standing at a legit 6’10 with a wingspan and vertical leap that puts even Bill Walton at a loss for words, Derrick Favors became the future of this organization.  Just a few nights ago he stood toe to toe with the length of the Lakers, and for the first time in years, the Jazz could challenge LA in the paint.  So, if Derrick is the future for this team, what do the Jazz do with Paul Millsap? That’s the (multi)million dollar question.

It’s no secret that the Jazz have already realized they have a logjam.  The team has started talking about and playing Millsap at the small forward position.  This seems to be a perfect scenario to make room for Derrick Favors while keeping Millsap’s production on the floor, but sorry Jazz fans, I just don’t see it happening.  When I think of a small forward, I think of a shooter with range, a quick release on his shot, and an ability to beat other guards off the dribble.  When I think of Paul Millsap’s game, I don’t think of any of these things.  Why spend time trying to fit a round peg into a square hole if there are other options for Paul? Here are the options that face the Jazz:

Option 1: Express to Millsap that he is a leader of the team and the intangibles he brings are greatly needed, but he needs to go back to coming off of the bench.  The Jazz need Millsap to be the third big, the Lamar Odom, the guy who comes in and dominates against other teams’ bench players inside the paint lines like he used to.  Paul Millsap is an average starting power forward in this league, but he is one of the best, if not the best third big man in the NBA.

Option 2: If Millsap is not pleased with option one, the Jazz owe it to him to move him to a place where he will get what he wants.  His trade value has never been higher and the Jazz could use this value to address other issues on their roster by building a deal centered on Millsap.  Millsap, coupled with one or two of the many draft picks and young players the Jazz have, would likely be enough to reel in a dynamic wing player that the Jazz desperately need.  Imagine a frontline of Al Jefferson and Derrick Favors that is complemented with a tantalizing wing player like Danny Granger, Andre Igoudala, or  Jamal Crawford.  Utah could then use one of their remaining future picks for a guy like Kenneth Faried or Tristan Thompson to replace (I hate that word) Millsap’s rebounding and energy in the paint to become the new third big.  And for the really optimistic Jazz fan, one could even make an argument that between Memo’s return and the Jazz’s rights to the 7’2 Croatian Ante Tomic, the Jazz could have a high supply of serviceable bigs, even without Paul.

Paul Millsap embodies everything that’s good about the NBA. Off the court he’s a class act, and on the court he’s very tough, plays through injuries, and leaves it all on the table every night. Even though Coach Sloan isn’t with the team anymore, I still love to use the following term when describing players like Millsap; he’s a Jerry Sloan type guy.  It’s no secret why the fans love him, why the organization loves him, and why the only Jazz jersey I own is #24.  Hopefully the Jazz can manage this issue with a simple rotation change, but depending on how well that goes over with Paul, I’m here to warn you Jazz fans: Millsap’s days here in Utah may be numbered.

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In NBA, Paul Millsap, Utah Flash ,
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