Lindsanity – Utah Jazz Twitter Power Rankings

Jeff Lind —  November 29, 2012 — 3 Comments

We’re starting a new column this week that turns the tables on Power Rankings. As fans, we spend a lot of time critiquing players, coaches, fan bases, front & back offices, and even the fandom of upper vs. lower decks. Frankly, it’s ridiculous… so why not take it to the next level? It’s time to rank YOU. There’s no method to this madness, except that I own executive privileged on voting. I’m going to be doing this every week for the rest of the season, so bring it.

10: @Clintonite33 – Rarely do you find a blogger that tweets and writes harder, longer, or more gratuitously than Clint. He’s a staple in the twitter Jazz community because no piece of basketball news, stat, or quote escapes his all-seeing gaze. Always up for a discussion, Clint is a good guy to have on your radar (unless you’re the type that easily gets baited into a flame war). An all around good dude that keeps Jazzdom’s collective knee-jerk in check… whether you like it or not.

9: @Enes_Kanter - The big man with the big personality. Enes is the kind of player that Jazz fans glom onto: a hard-working gym rat with a larger than life attitude, some real basketball skill, and a desire to overshare. This particular tweet is nothing special… except for the hashtag. That’s the kind of stuff that ensures you a lifetime supply of free diet cokes in the SLC valley.

8: Speaking of work, have you met @lockedonsports? Hard to call yourself a Jazz fan if you don’t follow the man, and there’s good reason for it. He’s always locked in (BOOM!), digging through stats and basketball jargon to give the fan a smarter experience. Mr. Locke is a consummate pro, and a media guy that actually cares about the team and presenting sports the right way.

7: @saltcityhoops - I know, I know… feels like I’m just kissing the ring here, but nobody serves up the subtleties of being in and around the Jazz locker room and organization better than Spencer. Always entertaining, always a pro, and always spot on in analysis (hey… one of these days I’ll need a raise). His timely observations are always appreciated.

6: @JazzmanJoey - If I mention Deron Williams in this intro, can we consider this tweet Jazz related enough to warrant a power spot? Oh, yes.

5: @AllThatAmar - Pretty sure that Amar spends half of his life in Twitter Jail, but when he’s out roaming the digital badlands, he delivers some gems. He’s a volume tweeter to be sure and he takes a lot of shots, but when he’s on, he’s on.

4: @LostTacoVendor – Full of snark, vinegar, and generally reporting from a strip club, the Vendor knows his audience. He hates all of you, and you love him back for it. Short on patience but long on his vitriol for front office bureaucracy & players who mail it in.

3: @Neildos - Because I can’t get enough second-hand Jerry Sloan folklore. Ever.

2: @DJJazzyJody - The Deseret News Jazz Beat Writer is always a darling of Jazz tweeters, and rightfully so. Not afraid to take a stand on fan-issues (booing cheerleaders?), he just gets twitter, how fans want to consume it, and what they want to hear from their locker-room reporters. Jody always delivers the news respectfully, but doesn’t take himself too seriously. It’s a good mix.

1: @CowhideGlobe (@lauremonoto with the bump/set) – Because sometimes people tweet rad things that are right on so many levels.

So that’s it for this week’s Twitter Power Rankings! What did you think? What did I miss? Who should I be following that I’m currently missing? Tweet me, DM me, hit me up… I’ll see you next week.

Follow Jeff on Twitter!

Others receiving votes: @SurlyMae 123, @5kl 105, @jazzhype 80, @mharpring15 1

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Jeremy Evans is still the best artist in the league

Spencer Hall —  November 27, 2012 — 3 Comments

jeremy-evans-salt-lake-temple

Besides being one of the nicest humans in history and reigning NBA Dunk Champion, Jeremy Evans is an impressive artist. Earl Watson posted the picture above that Evans said he drew sometime last summer. Evans said he was working on having prints available soon. Can’t wait.

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Jazz steal a wild one from the Nuggets, remain undefeated at home

Spencer Hall —  November 27, 2012 — 1 Comment

Jazz 105 – Nuggets 103
ESPN Recap | Box Score

Where to begin on one of the strangest Jazz home games in recent memory? To paraphrase Stefon, this game had everything: World-class matador defense giving up 65 points in the first half, a home crowd booing their team (and deservedly so) until midway through the third quarter, a star player (Denver’s Iguodala) getting ejected for talking to a referee disguised as Al Jefferson. Coach Ty Corbin getting a technical and being faux-restrained by owner Greg Miller (as seen in the clip above). The Manimal running wild on both ends of the floor. Jamaal Tinsley (15 points, 3-6 on 3s, 35 minutes) playing like it’s 2003. A terrible final play by the Nuggets that had Ty Lawson getting Randy Foye in the air and then inexplicably passing the ball out and running out of time without even getting a shot off. Standing ovations and a wild playoff atmosphere in the fourth quarter. Also, is that Robert Whaley in the crowd?

In the end, Al Jefferson somehow willed the Jazz to the inexplicable win. Jefferson’s team play and unselfishness is wildly underrated. Check out the clip below showing Al Jefferson taking himself out of the final play to give Derrick Favors a chance to defend:

It’s time Jefferson gets more credit for putting the success of the team ahead of his own interests. It’s a rare thing to see a guy in a contract year who goes out of his way to mentor the two guys (Favors and Enes Kanter) who are in position to take his job. In this game specifically, if not for a stellar Jefferson performance (28 points on 10-15 shooting), the Jazz might have been behind by 30 at some point.

The game was also notable for being the second straight game that Paul Millsap didn’t see the floor in the fourth quarter. It pains me to say it, but on this night it was the right choice. Millsap got abused all night long by the Manimal and finished with just 5 points and 5 rebounds. After the Jazz gave up roughly 7,000 points in the paint in the first half (actually 46, but still a ridiculous parade of dunks and layups), something had to change.

Speaking of change, what’s happened to Gordon Hayward? I make a lot of jokes about his performance always being directly tied to school breaks at Butler, so I’ll give him a few more post-Thanksgiving games before ringing the alarm on his disappearing act. 4 points in 28 minutes isn’t getting it done.

Derrick Favors, on the other hand, was a beast. His 19 points and 7 rebounds off the bench were a beautiful thing to watch, as was his battle with the aforementioned Manimal.

Also great to see a vintage performance by Jamaal Tinsley. The best part about watching an old man like Tinsley be successful is the way he plays to his strengths. The flaws in his game are obvious to anyone paying attention, but he’s disciplined enough to stick to the things he does well (limiting turnovers, getting guys easy baskets in transition, working hard to improve his outside shot, making a strong effort on defense even if he’s overmatched).

A great result despite the emotional roller coaster. All that matters is the W and somehow the Jazz are 8-7 and still undefeated at home. Up next this week: At New Orleans on Wednesday, at OKC on Friday, and at Houston on Saturday.

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Jazz 102 – Rockets 91: Player Grades

Spencer Hall —  November 19, 2012 — 2 Comments
Houston Rockets 91 Final

Recap | Box Score

 102 Utah Jazz
Paul Millsap, PF 26 MIN | 4-9 FG | 2-2 FT | 8 REB | 1 AST | 10 PTS | -1A solid/decent game from Paul, despite the slow start. Luckily, Omer Asik provided lots of room for the Jazz bigs to move around.
Derrick Favors, PF 23 MIN | 2-7 FG | 4-4 FT | 8 REB | 0 AST | 8 PTS | +10Favors- Not a great offensive play and needs to stay out of foul trouble early, but his defense was great; He blocked shots but there were many more contested shots that forced misses. A-
Al Jefferson, C 27 MIN | 4-12 FG | 6-7 FT | 16 REB | 2 AST | 14 PTS | 0Monstar [intended Space Jam spelling] game on the boards, which made up for an unimpressive offensive game.
Randy Foye, PG 24 MIN | 4-11 FG | 2-2 FT | 1 REB | 1 AST | 14 PTS | -5Foye has impeccable timing with is 3s and always keeps the team and the fans happy. The calls for Burks are quieting with every solid performance by Foye.
Mo Williams, PG 27 MIN | 4-11 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 7 AST | 8 PTS | -3Mo Williams is really fast.
Marvin Williams, PF 25 MIN | 4-9 FG | 1-2 FT | 4 REB | 1 AST | 12 PTS | +18Marvin gets an “A” for admitting to the media that he was in the bathroom at tip-off and was caught off guard when he had to replace Favors, who picked up two quick fouls in the first minute of the game.
Jeremy Evans, SF 5 MIN | 1-1 FG | 0-1 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 2 PTS | -8“A” for getting in the game.
DeMarre Carroll, SF 13 MIN | 4-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 3 AST | 8 PTS | +11Another game where he is the highlight of the second team. His hustle D created turnovers and great fast breaks.
Enes Kanter, C 21 MIN | 3-5 FG | 0-0 FT | 8 REB | 3 AST | 6 PTS | +11Kanter deserves credit for an amazingly athletic alley-oop finish and it doesn’t matter what he did the rest of the game. Also gets points for being the best turk on the floor.
Jamaal Tinsley, PG 21 MIN | 1-4 FG | 0-0 FT | 5 REB | 11 AST | 3 PTS | +14The “Jamaal Tinsley hasn’t scored since…” meme was pretty funny, but I’m on board for the passing and stay for the playground handle. He’s not a shooter, but it’s a pleasure to watch a true pass-first point guard do his thing. It’s worth every turnover.
Alec Burks, PG 5 MIN | 0-2 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 0 PTS | -8“A” for getting in the game.
Kevin Murphy, SG 4 MIN | 1-3 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 2 PTS | -8“A” for getting in the game.
Gordon Hayward, SG 19 MIN | 5-12 FG | 4-5 FT | 2 REB | 1 AST | 15 PTS | +24Let history remember this as the night Gordon Hayward threw down a spicy behind-the-head dunk. Some nice moments from G-Time leading the second unit after the first unit again came out flat.
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JazzRank 2: Al Jefferson

Evan Hall —  November 19, 2012 — 4 Comments

Easily the most consistently powerful emotion I feel when I watch Mad Men is guilt. Obviously I feel a healthy degree of vicarious guilt for all of the horrible things the characters do to each other, but mostly I’m speaking about the guilt I feel independent of my vicarious experience. For every single character on the show whom I have vehemently despised, I have subsequently sympathized with. This means guilt. Guilt for all of the vitriolic things I mentally declared to be true about a character that I will only regret. Because about 80% of Mad Men scenes involve one or more characters doing something reprehensibly cruel to one or more other characters, I have hated and regretted hating every single character on the show (this necessarily must exclude Danny Siegel, because, come on, what’s there to hate?). I say this because, in at least this way, Al Jefferson is a Mad Men character.

This is unfair to Al Jefferson, because of course, he’s a real person and (thankfully) no one on Mad Men is. Still, everything I hear Al Jefferson say, every time I read a tweet about him, everything I know about his upbringing, makes me wholeheartedly love the man. Then, 15 minutes into a game against the Hornets and three wasted possessions later, I am yelling unspeakable things about him. Then the game is over, I watch his postgame interview, and the heavy burden of the guilt sets in. It’s horrible. It really is. Still, if someone were to tell me, “Evan, you remind me of a Mad Men character,” I might initially fall into a bout of self-loathing, but then, inexplicably, I would feel complimented. So, Al Jefferson, you remind me of all the Mad Men characters.

Offseason Accomplishments: Well, there’s the thoroughly exhausted issue of the bed. There are plenty of other things, but seriously, look at that bed.

Patronus: Ox. You know, oxen are strangely majestic animals.

Stat to watch: Minutes played. That’s right. I went there. Frankly, Al Jefferson’s stats are probably the most predictable of any Jazz player. If Big Al averages anything besides 19 points, 10 boards and roughly 50% from the field, I’ll be shocked. What would also shock me, but in a more hopeful way, is if Al were to move to the bench and mow down opposing back-up centers like Hayward mows down Germans on Call of Duty (Was that a seamless reference? Are there Germans on Call of Duty? Truthfully speaking, I know nothing about Call of Duty, except that it’s a shooter and that Gordon Hayward plays it). Then his minutes would go down, the first unit would run everyone out of the gym, and Jefferson would keep the Jazz’s offensive output from slipping when the starters hit the bench.

Three Outcomes for the Season

1. Al moves to the bench, the Jazz start Favors at center and play small-ball for 38 minutes a game. Al averages 15 and 8 in limited minutes and gets a nice contract from Houston in the offseason.

2. Last season but with three point shooting. Al still averages 16 shots a game, but because of the shooting, he has more space, and the Jazz make a deeper playoff season run (hardly difficult, considering it would only take one playoff win to constitute “deeper” than last season).

3. Al gets traded. This is growing increasingly likely as Favors gets better. Either Millsap or Al needs to go, and since Millsap fits slightly better into the system of the future, I think Jefferson is the more likely trade chip. If this were to happen mid-season, I still genuinely believe the Jazz would make the playoffs. As difficult as it would be for the Jazz to lose their second best player, they are far too deep this season to be kept out of the playoffs because of the loss of one player.

 

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On James Harden and hypothetical team building

Spencer Hall —  November 16, 2012 — 4 Comments

By Matt Pacenza, special to Salt City Hoops

Something exceedingly rare happened a few weeks ago: an NBA team voluntarily traded a young star on the cusp of greatness.

The impact of the momentous trade of shooting guard James Harden to the Houston Rockets has only grown since Oct. 28. In his first eight games, the 23-year-old Bearded One surprised everyone–everyone not named Daryl Morey, apparently–as he smoothly stepped into his new role as Houston’s number one option. He’s averaging nearly 27-5-5, putting up vintage Dwyane Wadian statistics, and is in a virtual tie with Kobe Bryant to lead the league in points per game–easily exceeding the numbers he put up as the Oklahoma City Thunder’s third banana.

Of course, all the small sample-size caveats apply – it’s only been eight games! – but the trade and subsequent five-year contract extension looks like a franchise-invigorating move for the Rockets. Even if Harden tails off, he’ll likely be an indisputable All Star and one of the 15 best players in the league.

Now, here’s the question for Jazz fans: Could the Jazz brain trust – GMs Kevin O’Connor and Dennis Lindsey and CFO/Capologist Bob Hyde – have put together an even better offer for Harden?

Yes.

The Harden trade could go down as a huge missed opportunity, a rare chance for a small market team to take advantage of the constraints of the NBA’s new economic system to land a superstar.

Continue Reading…

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JazzRank 3: Derrick Favors

Evan Hall —  November 15, 2012 — 4 Comments

 

As one of many Jazz fans who has gushed over Derrick Favors and his enormous potential, I feel obligated to write a well-reasoned justification for the reckless promotion of the Favors Hype Machine. Here is that justification: DERRICK FAVORS IS AN INCONTROVERTIBLE FORCE OF NATURE WHO HAS TRANSCENDED THE PREVIOUSLY ESTABLISHED BOUNDARIES FOR HUMAN ATHLETIC ACCOMPLISHMENT AND WHOSE MERE PRESENCE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE KEY STRIKES EARTH-TREMBLING TERROR INTO THE HEARTS OF NBA LEGENDS OF THE LIKES OF KOBE BEAN BRYANT. Now I realize that was neither well-reasoned nor a justification and that it was in fact nothing more than a worshipful declaration of my love for the Favors’ Hype Machine, but watch that YouTube clip in which he humiliates one of the top ten greatest basketball players of all time. I find no reason or logic or intellectual neatness in the way Derrick Favors defiantly sends back shots from NBA superstars. I only find powerful chaos.

Offseason Accomplishments: chosen to play on USA Select team; received a decent degree of buzz as a preseason pick for Most Improved Player in 2013; incited countless twitter blood feuds between bored NBA bloggers who felt like stirring the pot (not that I’m against this, because I did just write the previous paragraph).

Patronus: Komodo Dragon. THE LENGTH.

Stat to Watch: Field Goal Attempts. Obviously how many shots Favors takes is inextricably tied to how many minutes he spends on the floor, but I’m going to assume a gradual increase of Favors minutes over the course of this season. I should also note that I care less about the pure quantity of shots Favors takes and more about the types of shots he’s taking. Favors’ post game is limited, and I’m not totally certain that this is a bad thing. If Favors isn’t attempting 7-10 shots a game from pick and rolls and fast breaks, then the Jazz’s offense has bigger issues than Favors production. In other words, when the Jazz become a block to block, post-up and kick type of team, then Favors’ abilities have been neutralized. That’s Al Jefferson’s game, not Favors’. Favors has a passable baseline drop-step, and occasionally he surprises me with a fadeaway or a hook, but those are and should always be minor parts to his game.

Three Potential Outcomes for the Season

1. Favors for Most Improved Player! This isn’t likely without a drastic upswing in minutes. The secret about players who win Most Improved Player is that they are typically players whose situation improved far more than their game. Consider last year’s winner, Ryan Anderson. His per game averages from the season before he won (2010-11) and from the season he won (2011-12) are virtually identically: his field goal percentage went from 43% to 44% and his 3-point FG% remained exactly the same. The primary difference? Minutes. Anderson played ten more minutes a game last season than he did the season previous. He didn’t improve his game so much as he was given more opportunities to show it off. What that means for Favors’ MIP campaign is that in order to impress voters, he needs to be playing drastically more minutes. So far, this has not been the case–he is only playing an average of three minutes a game more this season than last, and it would be extremely difficult to get any kind of recognition playing under 28 minutes a game. Favors is currently at 24. For this to happen, either one of the Jazz’s bigs needs to be traded, or Ty has to rely more heavily on the Millsap-Favors-Jefferson line-up.

2. Last season again. Until the overload of post players is somehow resolved, Favors will not average more than 30 minutes a game, and until his minutes per game average goes up, his numbers will remain generally static. Still, having to use Favors as a sixth man and a crunchtime complement to Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap is a good problem to have.

3. DERRICK FAVORS HYPE MACHINE: A year from now, Derrick Favors is the best defensive post player in the league, a top 20 player, and the centerpiece of the Jazz’s 2013-2014 Finals contending roster. You think I’ve gone crazy, don’t you? Take it up with the dragon.

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Jazz drop close one in Boston, Hayward silences KG

Spencer Hall —  November 15, 2012 — Leave a comment

The Jazz missed a perfect chance to steal a win in Boston last night, but failed to take advantage after Rajon Rondo left with an injury. Also, someday I’d like to replay the final few minutes and maybe not have Mo Williams take every shot, but that’s how it went.

There were still several things to like, however. My favorite this was the play featured in the accompanying video clips. Gordon Hayward stepped up after some lame taunting from Kevin Garnett (and Jason Terry, pitching in from the bench) and hit a big shot over the top. David Locke had a great call on the radio–dropping a little Ludacris for emphasis. On the TV side, Matt Harpring was clearly offended in proxy by Garnett’s antics and emphatically approved of Hayward’s response.

Now it’s on to Philadelphia for a Friday matchup with the Sixers. The Jazz are at 4-5, so after the Sixers game we’ll look back at the first 10 games and check in with our oddsmaker Geoff Beckstrom for a prognosis for the next 10.

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JazzRank 4: Gordon Hayward

Evan Hall —  November 13, 2012 — Leave a comment

I should begin this JazzRank entry on Gordon Hayward with the following disclaimer: If you’re expecting me to do anything in this post beyond singing the praises of Gordon Hayward’s considerable basketball abilities, consider that I once wrote this about him:

“The fact is, as hard as it is to assess Gordon’s broader effect on the game, I’m often disappointed at how reluctantly he asserts himself. But even as I puzzle over his seeming fear for the spotlight, he grabs a loose ball, races down the court, draws the foul, and nails a game-winning free throw that acts as the culmination of an awe-inspiring, box score -filling performance. It’s almost as though he glories in seizing those moments when everyone has counted him out. He waits, and waits, until you’ve started to lose faith, to regret your prediction that he’ll be an all-star, and to lower your expectations to Rasual Butler levels–then he strikes. Then he wakes up, looks you in the eye and unassumingly asks “remember me?” Suddenly, he’s blitzing the passing lanes and starting fastbreaks. He’s throwing down brash dunks and flying around the court like Detlef Schrempf on speed. Most importantly, he’s winning games for the team you’ve loved all your life. He’s showing the same kind of respect for the game that drives you to wear that Jazz T-shirt for four game-days in one week because you think it’s lucky (it is lucky). He understands how you feel about this team, and he wants to win it for you. Gradually, in that dawning of comprehension, you begin to see the possibility that Momentarily Great Gordon Hayward could be Always Great Gordon Hayward. You begin to see Gordon Hayward The Future. Gordon Hayward The Hero.”

Glad we got that out of the way.

Offseason Accomplishments: chosen with Derrick Favors to play on the USA Select team, beat StarCraft 2 on hardcore mode, ostensibly took college classes over the summer, and became, with the departure of C.J. Miles, the longest-tenured Jazz wing player.

Patronus: Owl. If wizards use actual owls as their primary method of communication, and patronuses also have the ability to act as messengers, would a wizard who has both a literal, message-carrying owl and a ethereal, magically-produced owl defy the fundamental, eternal and immovable laws of magic? It’s one of the greatest questions of our time, and we may never know the answer. But we do know that this definitely defies some laws of something.

Stat to Watch: Three point percentage. This is simple: Gordon appears to be improving in every aspect of his game except his three point shooting. This isn’t to say that it’s getting worse, only that it has, like his confidence, been erratic over his first two seasons. In fact, look at his statistics from the month of April of last season. Look at them now. Look at them tomorrow. Gaze at them lovingly when you’re having a good day, and retreat to them hungrily when you’re having a bad one. Keep them in your heart and they will inspire you, for these are the numbers of beauty: 88/50/49 shooting splits, 16 points, 4 boards, 3.5 assists, and a steal a game. That’s right. 88% from the line, 50% from the field, and 49% from three. Perhaps even more shocking than those numbers is that I expected the former two. It’s the 49% from three that leaves me drooling. Now even after shooting blazing white hot in March and April, Hayward finished the season just 35% from three. Even if he could shoot at a 39% clip for this whole season, that would open up the Jazz offense in all kinds of interesting ways.

Three Outcomes for the Season

1. He is a fringe All-Star contender. It would take no small miracle to get Hayward onto an All-Star team. Not only because so much of what he does for the team is difficult to understand without watching the Jazz, but because people don’t watch the Jazz. Still, Hayward could be the darkhorse, small-market player that analytic bloggers rally behind, especially if he plays better perimeter defense.

2. Last season, again. This is the worst case scenario. Hayward spent a few too many months establishing himself last season. If Hayward takes a similar amount of time this season acclimating himself to his role in the offense, it will be hard for him to make many great strides toward reaching his potential. But because I’m me, and because Gordon Hayward is Gordon freakin’ Hayward, I’m sure that this won’t happen.

3. Hayward experiences the offensive equivalent of Derrick Favors’ defensive outburst. Just like Favors, we have seen flashes, even prolonged flashes, of offensive brilliance from Gordon, but Hayward will not become a top 50 player until he, like Favors, can come to rely on his skill set every single game. If Hayward turns what has hitherto been erratic into a consistent performance that the Jazz can count on, game in and game out, he’ll earn that max contract and he’ll become the face of the franchise.

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JazzRank 5: Marvin Williams

Jackson Rudd —  November 13, 2012 — Leave a comment

 

Having rooted for Marvin Williams for 8 games now, I have a slightly better understanding of why Atlanta’s fans always had such high expectations for him. He looks amazing doing everything. His shot looks incredibly smooth, his defense looks like it is impenetrable, and he never seems like he’s out of control. Thankfully, we don’t have any draft remorse so he should be fine with Jazz fans, but it’s still worth mentioning. After Utah traded for him in July, I moped around for two days because Devin Harris got kicked out the door after carrying the Jazz to the playoffs, and then I realized that Marvin Williams is one of the most interesting, compelling players that has ever played for Utah and I lost my head and compared his career to one of the greatest bands of our generation.

Offseason Accomplishments:  Was the nicest guy ever in his introductory press conference after he was traded to the Jazz; made a bunch of threes in the preseason.

Patronus:  Dolphin

Stat to Watch:  Defensive Rating.  While his outside shooting is really important to Utah’s success, his most important contribution will come if he turns out to be the lock-down defensive wing the Jazz have been missing.  He should really thrive on D guarding small forwards all the time after Atlanta put him at power forward where he was at a disadvantage guarding bigger guys.

Three Potential Outcomes of the Season:

1. He averages 10 or 12 points per game, 27 minutes a night, and always sits in crunch time.  He is neither a huge addition or a huge liability; he falls into a moderate role and is neither loved nor reviled by the Jazz universe.  His three-point shooting is average, his rebounding is average, his defense is average.  He picks up his player option for next season and everyone shrugs.

2. He steps up on the defensive end and starts locking down people like DeMar DeRozan.  Between his perimeter defense and an increasing role for Derrick Favors, Utah starts to build an identity around being a defensive juggernaut. Having actually found an identity, the Jazz live up to their potential and earn the fourth seed in the playoffs, making it to the second round before losing to the Spurs again…  though we’d actually win at least one game this time.

3. As Randy Foye keeps shooting well (and plentifully) from long range, Ty Corbin decides to go in the complete opposite direction and benches Marvin so that Mo, Foye, Hayward, Millsap, and Jefferson can score lots of points and give up even more points.  Marvin, Favors, Kanter and Burks consider starting their own Utopian basketball team where everyone- young and old, expiring contract or rookie contract- is free to play basketball according to their abilities.  The Jazz miss the playoffs and Marvin is sad.

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