The UTAH JAZZ Support Group thread: Majorly updated.

I would rather they draft one of the elite wings and go youngish veteran at point guard, assuming Burke isn't the answer. Ideally, Rondo. But probably not.

Those things, re-sign Hayward, fire Corbin, bring Neto over and add cheap free agents in the shooter-defender mold.
 
With all the youth they have, if they grabbed that wing from 2014 class and offered 2015 pick + contracts for Rondo, I wonder how close that gets them.

Celts get yet another pick, send Rondo West, they have two 1's in 2014, 15, 16, 17, and 18 I believe. I'd say that's the start of a nice rebuild. (2017 might be just a swap option come to think of it).
 
They can have Burke/Burks to go with future picks. And the Jazz should be able to absorb a lot of money.

Rondo/Neto
Hayward
Parker
Favors/Evans
Kanter/Gobert

See what is left from the Rondo deal (Burke/Burks), and fill the rest out with a few Quincy Pondexter/Danny Green types and maybe a mean veteran big.

Go for the playoffs starting next year. No pick because you traded it, and you don't need anymore core 25 and unders right then, anyway.
 
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That feel like a contender to you in 2-4 years if the Rondo/Hayward/Parker/Favors/Kanter core remains in tact?

Even if Parker (this could also be Wiggins) isn't a star and you ultimately don't really have one, that's like... top-five-at-every-position potential. Five top-50 players with the possibility of all of them being, I don't know, top 25-30? At least two or three in that range, almost certainly.
 
If the bench is right, coach etc, absolutely. Provided they get a decent amount of expected improvement from everyone.

Rondo would feast with a couple shooters as wings, and 2 solid bigs.

I'd want a shooting threat backup PG for stretches where they play back on Rondo, or when you let Parker be the primary ball handler in pick and rolls with Hayward.
 
@sluhm Jazz's Trey Burke will go 5-on-5 today in practice. Ty Corbin: slight chance he plays Wednesday vs. New Orleans. Getting closer, though.
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@DJJazzyJody Jazz F Jeremy Evans was active in a pre-practice scrimmage. He's expected to practice today as well and could play Wednesday in New Orleans.
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@DJJazzyJody Jazz SG Brandon Rush was also playing in the scrimmage before practice. Uncertain when he'll feel mentally and physically ready to go again.
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@Caplan_NBA One of my fave SportVU stats is distance traveled. Utah's Gordon Hayward has gone a league-high 32.1 mi in 12 gms.
http://t.co/GFdETG29WC
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@Lockedonsports Opponents are shooting 48.2% at the rim when defended by Derrick Favors - 47.7% when defended by Dwight Howard
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@Lockedonsports Teams are shooting 43% at the rim when defended by Rudy Gobert and 54% when defended by Enes Kanter
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Tweets galore: Burke close to returning, Rush afraid to play, Gobert better than Dwight.
 
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If Kanter could just improve his defense man...
He could be a nightly 20/10 guy easily with a full 40 minutes a game and some better point guard play like you've alluded to.
 
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And I don't know what hurts my eyes more.. Seeing the lack of point guard competency on this team or seeing Richard Jefferson still getting 32 minutes of PT.

I know it's good for losing purposes, but man he's painful to watch :x
 
Jefferson's minutes will decrease as Williams gets more comfortable after his Achilles injury (although he just broke his nose). Not much of an upgrade or really part of the youth movement, but.

Kanter has a long way to go, defensively. He is huge, but not particularly preventive in any way. Fully expect him to become one of the best offensive and rebounding centers in the world rather soon, though.

At least Gobert is a great sub for him, in terms of defense.
 
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Burke will play tonight.

Lucas is starting, so that should mean the end of Burks playing point.

Evans will make his season debut, too.
 
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Ouch at Hayward. 1-17 FG shooting tonight. 0-8 from downtown :x

At least he made up for it a little with 11 dimes.
He knows how to contribute even when he's having the worst shooting performance of his life, I give him that.
I'm sure he'll forget about it quickly and rebound next game though.

Quiet 19 and 9 from Enes, in only 31 minutes. Very efficient.
 
Six rebounds, 11 assists (to one turnover), a steal and two blocks. :smokin

Burke scored 11 in 12 minutes of 5-8 shooting. Getting to the cup against a pretty athletic Pelicans team. No turnovers.

Conversely, Burks turned the ball over four times in 15 minutes.
 
Oh, and Gobert didn't play again last night. :stoneface:

Guess he tweeted something about the losses being even harder to take when he knows he can help them win, but isn't getting minutes. Deleted it, though.

The team might not win 20 games all season, he is already an impact defender and he averages 15 rebounds per 36 minutes. What is a single viable reason not to play him?
 
Burke and Williams starting over Lucas and Kanter.

Favors and Kanter playing together hasn't been working out so well. While I generally appreciate shrewd adjustments and things based on numbers, this one feels stupid. Let them figure it out. You're 1-13. I know Corbin isn't trying to pick up a few wins and stay employed a little while longer now after all of the nonsense he's pulled through the first 14...

Also, Evans is shooting 100% since returning (11-for-11). :smokin
 
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Not that I am at all worried about a poor six-game stretch, but... (from Locke)
Gordon Hayward is in a slump. Over the past 6 games he is shooting 24 of his last 87. However, I have good news for you about the development of Gordon Hayward. When you dig deeper into Gordon’s shooting he is making substantial steps in his game.
First, being the #1 option on offense is completely new for Gordon. Last year, he played off of his teammates and had a very successful year. This year he has to make things happen. This is a huge jump. The best players in the NBA struggle with this adjustment. Take a look at Kevin Durant’s first year in the NBA when he tried to be a go to guy. (Yes, Durant was a rookie and Hayward is a 4th year player, but also no one anticipates Hayward being Durant)

View media item 668438
Being a number 1 option is making plays for yourself. Very few players in the NBA are capable of doing achieving this with any success.

This year only 48.9% of Hayward’s field goals have been assisted. The most assists have come from Burks and Jefferson, not a point guard. Last year, 69% of his field goals were assisted and most of them by Mo Williams, Earl Watson and Jamaal Tinsley. No one has been hurt more by the lack of a point guard than Gordon.

Gordon is learning how to manufacture his own shot and he is making huge progress. The toughest shot for a player is the mid range shot from 5 to 15 feet. This shot is taken in traffic, usually off a dribble and more often than not means finding a tough shooting pocket.

Last year, Gordon was 34 of 91 on 5 to 15 foot shots (37%). These shots are unassisted shots. Of all of those field goals only 35% of those were assisted last year.

This year, Hayward is 18 of 42 (43%) with a really strong performance specifically from 10 to 14 feet. Of his 10 to 14 feet shots 92% of those shots have been unassisted. Worth noting as well last year in entire season he attempted 91 shot from 5 to 15 feet and this year in 15 games he has attempted half nearly half of that.

In addition, inside 5 feet Hayward is finishing at 58.5% and 52% of those are assisted. Last year he made 53.5% and 62.3% were assisted. These are much more difficult shots when they are self created and he is making them at a higher rate.

If he has improved in these areas how come he is shooting under 40% on the season. Last year outside 20 feet he shot 149 of 360 (41.3%) and on three’s 101 of 242 (41.7%). The key here is 83% of those shot were assisted.

This year, his 20+ feet shots are falling just 28 of 102 (27%) and his three’s 20 for 65 (31%) and the big difference is he is being forced to create these himself. On these 28 field goals 19 have been assisted or 68% instead of the 83% of a year ago.

As Trey Burk gets more comfortable and others on the team start to create opportunities Hayward will start making his outside shots again and in the meantime he is learning how to make shots inside 15 feet which are far more difficult shots.

These are all puzzle pieces to a complete player. It takes a long time for the puzzle to be completed.
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Like I said two weeks ago, tough to grow when you're a wing or a big and no one is getting you the ball where you need it.

He has been taking more tough shots than I would like lately, though (particularly long two's).

Also, Gobert's defense... :smokin




Kid has a good chance at being something really special on that end. Hell, he might already be.
 
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A win?

Gobert and Evans getting extra minutes with Kanter out. :smokin

I have way too much fun watching Gobert play defense. Evans' jumper looks much better. Now 16-for-20 on the season. :lol:

Burke's pick and roll instincts and creativity in the paint don't look like that of a 21-year-old rookie. Saw a few little Chris Paul-type things tonight, and most of you should know that I don't make such allusions lightly. He needs to use those abilities to make scoring easier for his teammates, though. Seems to be more inclined to score than distribute early on. But he is probably already the second-best option.

Hayward had his third double-digit assist game of the year (career-high of 12; the Bulls had 11 as a team).

Lucas: zero (high of five)
Tinsley: zero (high of four)
Burks: zero (high of six)
Burke: zero (high of four)

Still looking for the shot right now, but again, he can't create easy looks for himself. He does seem a little reluctant to attack lately, though, which doesn't make much sense.
 
@Lockedonsports Gordon Hayward leads the NBA in 42.9 miles travelled thi sseason, Chandler Parsons next at 41.1
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@Lockedonsports New VU Stat - FT assists per game - passes to player who was fouled (within 2 secs) and makes 1 FT - Westbrook #1, Hayward #8
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@Lockedonsports Secondary Assists - passes by a player to the player who gets the assist (within 2 secs) #1 John Wall #5 Gordon Hayward #6 Nate Wolters
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@Lockedonsports Jazz Rebounding Chances - Hayward 68%; Gobert 66%; Marvin 62%, Favors 59% and Kanter 50% - Kanter 114th out of 117 player with 4.5 rebs per
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Probably not a great thing that Hayward leads the team in this one.
@snark_tank Gordon Hayward leads the Jazz with 6.6 drives per game.
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Context: @Lockedonsports Russell Westbrook takes 7.7 drives per game but only shoots 26.5% on those.

Alec Burks shoots 24.3% on pull ups and 20% from 3 – 9th worst in the NBA for EFG%
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Best rim protectors in the NBA are holding teams below 40% and the worst are allowing above 60%. Derrick Favors is at 50.7%, Kanter is 54.4%, Gobert is 44.4%, Marvin Williams is 46.2%, Evans is 64.3%
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Gobert. :smokin
 
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I would say 50/50, just like his whole career.

He has games where he looks like a great role player, but just as many where you don't even realize he played.

He's got good size/athleticism, can shoot a little bit, rebound a little bit and defend really well, but something has always kept him from being consistent. Maybe as simple as the injuries? But I think he's just one of those guys that disappears sometimes and isn't nearly aggressive enough to have a real impact.

The Jazz are using him more as a stretch four this season, which I think is pretty new. Could be a nice role that shakes something loose, but I wouldn't count on it. Still, I don't think bringing him back is completely out of the question or anything. I would say two years, $9 million tops if they like what they see and decided to. But the best case for him would probably be going to a really good team and finding a super defined role. He could very well even be traded this season.
 
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Been awhile. Bumping this out of sheer boredom today, even though few check on it.

The Jazz are 9-7 with a starting lineup of Burke, Hayward, Jefferson, Williams and Favors. 1-17, otherwise. Pretty weird. Mentioned Williams as a stretch four in that last post over a month ago, and it is really working out. And obviously, having more and more time with a professional point guard helps everyone and everything.

That point guard looks like a special one. He is going to be outclassed by plenty, in terms of athleticism, but he already knows how to counteract that with his skill and intelligence. Again, there is a real Chris Paul look to his offensive game.

Kanter is drawing criticism from all directions, but I think it's pretty overblown. He hasn't progressed, and has maybe even regressed, but he's not hopeless or anything. I'm more concerned about his defense than his offense.

Speaking of defense, Corbin still hates Gobert. 22 total minutes over the last 18 games, including a trip to the minors. Not sure how that makes a lick of sense when you're one of the worst/youngest teams in the league.

Hayward still hasn't consistently found his shot, but he continues to impact the game in all other areas. He's never going to be a takeover scorer on a regular basis, but he is better than this. Alas, his percentages are way below career rates, and he clearly needs some of the scoring pressure taken off of him (which should come over the summer), so I'm not worried. Definitely need to see a lot of those long twos turn into drives and threes. Still expecting him to be an 18+-point scorer (with better percentages) going forward.

Burks is never going to be anything more than a role player, but his value as a sixth man has really shown so far this season. He can't shoot, but is the best athlete on the team, gets to the rim at will and defends. Definitely a place for him on this team in the future.

Favors has taken to being a leader with ease. Increased minutes have done nothing to hurt his rebounding and defensive impact, and his post games looks worlds better.

Burke, Burks, Evans, Favors, Gobert, Hayward and Kanter should all return next season. Maybe Williams? Maybe Neto comes over? And then, the draft and free agency. Jefferson, Lucas, Harris, Garrett, Rush and Biedrins can all kick rocks.
 
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