National Media Perception - Utah Jazz

SI.com -

Utah Jazz

Covered at length in this Western Conference analysis, the incumbent No. 8 seed will be a team to watch on and off the court all season. The acquisitions of Mo Williams and Marvin Williams make sense. Marvin beefs up what was a weak wing rotation and spares Gordon Hayward the burden of being a full-time small forward — good things if the Hayward/Marvin Williams pair can work, and if there are enough minutes for second-year shooting guard Alec Burks. The other Williams isn’t really a point guard, but he makes sense as one in a post-heavy Utah system that requires outside shooting, entry passes and active cutting from its point man instead of high pick-and-rolls. Devin Harris struggled to fit that system, though the Jazz reached some of their highest levels of two-way play during his hottest streaks.

The frontcourt is both loaded and loaded with questions. Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap and Derrick Favors all need big minutes, and Jefferson and Favors bring almost diametrically opposed skill sets. Jefferson is a post hub who can’t guard the pick-and-roll and earns few free throws, while Favors is emerging as a mobile defensive crusher with an inconsistent and tentative offensive game (outside of some off-ball cuts). Coach Tyrone Corbin played the three together with great success in limited minutes last season. But if that super-big lineup remains only an occasional experiment, Corbin will have to sort minutes in a way that maximizes two-way productivity — even it means starting Favors alongside Jefferson for offense/defense purposes.

In the big picture, every player on a non-rookie deal other than Marvin Williams and Jeremy Evans has an expiring contract, and Millsap has already reportedly turned down an extension offer. Utah has decisions to make — and the future flexibility to be a major trade player.



This article from bleacherreport doesn't even place the Jazz' frontcourt in the top 15. ... Al + Paul + Heyward/Marv, not to mention Favors... seriously? Not top 15? Behind G.S.'s Bogut, Lee & Barnes. Behind PHO's Scola, Gortat & Beasley. Seriously?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1283511-power-ranking-the-top-
15-starting-frontcourts-in-the-nba



NBA.com power rankings have them at #17, a spot behind the chaos in Orlando & only 2 spots ahead of the Warriors.

http://www.nba.com/powerrankings/



And here's a fun list. David Aldridge ranks the teams according to how good of an offseason they've had. Most people on this board think the Jazz' offseason has been fantastic. Mr. Aldridge? Not so much. He has them ranked #24. Only 6 teams had a worse offseason that Utah? Wow. He does seem to think that the team has another big move on the horizon.

No. 24 -- UTAH JAZZ

2011-12 RECORD: 36-30, third place, Northwest Division; lost in first round of playoffs.

ADDED: G Mo Williams (acquired from Clippers); F Marvin Williams (acquired from Atlanta); G Randy Foye (one year, $2.5 million); G Kevin Murphy (second round, 47th pick overall).

LOST: G Devin Harris (traded to Atlanta); G C.J. Miles (signed with Cleveland).

RETAINED: F Jeremy Evans (three years, $5.5 million).

THE KEY MAN: F Derrick Favors.
The third-year forward really started coming on last season, finishing second on the Jazz in rebounding (9.5) and fourth in scoring in (11. while playing just 29 minutes a game. If Favors continues the upward tick Utah will have the flexibility to bundle some of its cachet of guards and either Paul Millsap (who appears to be looking at free agency) or Al Jefferson, who's on an expiring contract, to try to make a bigger splash via trade in the next few months. Former GM Kevin O'Connor, who was promoted to executive vice president on August 7, believed in Favors before the 2010 Draft and made sure he was the centerpiece of Utah's haul from the Deron Williams trade.

THE SKINNY: There's another shoe that's yet to drop in Utah; O'Connor is way too smart to not know exactly who's available out there, and what combination of his young group will get it. He'll work closely with new GM Dennis Lindsey, who comes to Utah from San Antonio, on whatever is next. Until that big deal goes down, though, the Jazz will have to get scoring from Williams, who expected to run the point last season for the Clippers until Chauncey Billups was claimed off of amnesty. Foye will also help keep Utah among the league's more potent offenses, and Williams could help at both ends of the floor, giving Utah a solid one-two at small forward with Gordon Hayward. But the Jazz are stuck as a good-but-not great team until that next big thing comes to town.

http://www.nba.com/2012/news/features/david_aldridge/08/06/morning-tip-offseason-grades-part-3/index.html

zero24gravity wrote:

SI.com -

Utah Jazz

Covered at length in this Western Conference analysis, the incumbent No. 8 seed will be a team to watch on and off the court all season. The acquisitions of Mo Williams and Marvin Williams make sense. Marvin beefs up what was a weak wing rotation and spares Gordon Hayward the burden of being a full-time small forward — good things if the Hayward/Marvin Williams pair can work, and if there are enough minutes for second-year shooting guard Alec Burks. The other Williams isn’t really a point guard, but he makes sense as one in a post-heavy Utah system that requires outside shooting, entry passes and active cutting from its point man instead of high pick-and-rolls. Devin Harris struggled to fit that system, though the Jazz reached some of their highest levels of two-way play during his hottest streaks.

The frontcourt is both loaded and loaded with questions. Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap and Derrick Favors all need big minutes, and Jefferson and Favors bring almost diametrically opposed skill sets. Jefferson is a post hub who can’t guard the pick-and-roll and earns few free throws, while Favors is emerging as a mobile defensive crusher with an inconsistent and tentative offensive game (outside of some off-ball cuts). Coach Tyrone Corbin played the three together with great success in limited minutes last season. But if that super-big lineup remains only an occasional experiment, Corbin will have to sort minutes in a way that maximizes two-way productivity — even it means starting Favors alongside Jefferson for offense/defense purposes.

In the big picture, every player on a non-rookie deal other than Marvin Williams and Jeremy Evans has an expiring contract, and Millsap has already reportedly turned down an extension offer. Utah has decisions to make — and the future flexibility to be a major trade player.



This article from bleacherreport doesn't even place the Jazz' frontcourt in the top 15. ... Al + Paul + Heyward/Marv, not to mention Favors... seriously? Not top 15? Behind G.S.'s Bogut, Lee & Barnes. Behind PHO's Scola, Gortat & Beasley. Seriously?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1283511-power-ranking-the-top-
15-starting-frontcourts-in-the-nba



NBA.com power rankings have them at #17, a spot behind the chaos in Orlando & only 2 spots ahead of the Warriors.

http://www.nba.com/powerrankings/



And here's a fun list. David Aldridge ranks the teams according to how good of an offseason they've had. Most people on this board think the Jazz' offseason has been fantastic. Mr. Aldridge? Not so much. He has them ranked #24. Only 6 teams had a worse offseason that Utah? Wow. He does seem to think that the team has another big move on the horizon.

No. 24 -- UTAH JAZZ

2011-12 RECORD: 36-30, third place, Northwest Division; lost in first round of playoffs.

ADDED: G Mo Williams (acquired from Clippers); F Marvin Williams (acquired from Atlanta); G Randy Foye (one year, $2.5 million); G Kevin Murphy (second round, 47th pick overall).

LOST: G Devin Harris (traded to Atlanta); G C.J. Miles (signed with Cleveland).

RETAINED: F Jeremy Evans (three years, $5.5 million).

THE KEY MAN: F Derrick Favors.
The third-year forward really started coming on last season, finishing second on the Jazz in rebounding (9.5) and fourth in scoring in (11. while playing just 29 minutes a game. If Favors continues the upward tick Utah will have the flexibility to bundle some of its cachet of guards and either Paul Millsap (who appears to be looking at free agency) or Al Jefferson, who's on an expiring contract, to try to make a bigger splash via trade in the next few months. Former GM Kevin O'Connor, who was promoted to executive vice president on August 7, believed in Favors before the 2010 Draft and made sure he was the centerpiece of Utah's haul from the Deron Williams trade.

THE SKINNY: There's another shoe that's yet to drop in Utah; O'Connor is way too smart to not know exactly who's available out there, and what combination of his young group will get it. He'll work closely with new GM Dennis Lindsey, who comes to Utah from San Antonio, on whatever is next. Until that big deal goes down, though, the Jazz will have to get scoring from Williams, who expected to run the point last season for the Clippers until Chauncey Billups was claimed off of amnesty. Foye will also help keep Utah among the league's more potent offenses, and Williams could help at both ends of the floor, giving Utah a solid one-two at small forward with Gordon Hayward. But the Jazz are stuck as a good-but-not great team until that next big thing comes to town.

http://www.nba.com/2012/news/features/david_aldridge/08/06/morning-tip-offseason-grades-part-3/index.html

I read this a couple of days ago. The one thing i have to add to this is he isn't taking into account the natural progression of the young guys we have. I agree you get the felling that something else is coming, but if not we are still gonna surprise some people this season.

Romoholic wrote:

I read this a couple of days ago. The one thing i have to add to this is he isn't taking into account the natural progression of the young guys we have. I agree you get the felling that something else is coming, but if not we are still gonna surprise some people this season.

Yea same here, it was interesting. Is something else coming??? I actually kinda feel like we're set for the season, after signing DC and Murphy after training camp. And after thinking about it, I think I want us to go ahead with this group, and prefer we DONT make any other moves. I like this group. I love the depth, I love the balance, and I love the new additions specifically for this squad. Lets go to WAR!!! come on November already......

I thought you guys might want to read this, nothing new really just the Jazz not getting any respect like always.

http://hoopshype.com/previews/utah.htm[b]

Here is another read from NBA.com, a review of the "tightening up NW division". Its pretty shallow but there are a couple interesting nuggets, such as the author's opinion that with improved outside shooting from Mo, Foye and Marvin, combined with the Jazz's offensive glass crashing ways and dominant post game, could become an elite offense. The author questions whether Mo can run the offense better than Harris with respect to poor turnover/assist ratios and thinks Favors needs to take minutes from Al to improve defense. He also surprisingly thinks Maynor's return to OKC is going to have positive impact on the team defense. Not so surprisingly the same with AK in Minny. Overall, a glimmer of some respect for the Jazz off-season moves.

http://www.nba.com/2012/news/features/john_schuhmann/09/19/northwest-division-advanced-stats/index.html?cid=nba.2013

As far as I can remember, thats the first preview of the Jazz I've seen thats in depth and shows a realistic knowledge of this team. Can't really disagree with any of it, and seems spot on. Nice.
Especially agree with the "elite offense" label with the additions----really have thought it balanced this team out perfectly.

Mark Stein over at ESPN has Utah #16 in his power rankings, 9th in the west.

http://espn.go.com/nba/powerrankings/_/year/2013/week/-1

That seems like the consensus among so called "experts". Most picking Jazz to finish 4th in the Northwest division and just miss the playoffs. The thing about it is that the teams that the Jazz are always grouped with have massive question marks, like health (GS, Minnesota, Chicago), Chemistry (NY, Brooklyn), and age (Dallas), whereas the Jazz are pretty much just guaranteed to be better than last year.

I'd put the Jazz at #13 on my pre-season power rankings, ahead of Dallas, Minnesota, and a D-Roseless Bulls team.

Nice article from Grantland has the Jazz listed among 5 teams you need to watch on LeaguePass (presumably because you likely can't see them anywhere else), along with GS, Denver, Atlanta and Milwuakee.

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/39319/the-all-league-pass-teams-to-watch-this-nba-season

Hollinger has the Jazz finishing 44-38 and 8th seed. But you gotta be a insider to read it.

Leoverine wrote:

Hollinger has the Jazz finishing 44-38 and 8th seed. But you gotta be a insider to read it.

Ya, he was surprisingly (to me anyways) critical of Corbin, citing the fact that he started useless vets over productive youngsters (ok, that wasn't a surprise, most of us felt the same way in the beginning, but I thought he corrected over the course of the season and proved it wasn't a fluke when he basically left them on the bench at the end of the season), the lack of corner 3's, and the Jazz long time habit of fouling the dickens out of people.

There's more to it than just this, but here is his conclusion...

John Hollinger wrote:

The Jazz are an up-and-coming young team that made the playoffs last season, so one might assume that, at a minimum, they'll make it again. They might, but it won't be simple. The Jazz indeed played very well at the end of last season, but they also benefited from tremendous health for their best players and the bizarre fact that their only two serious injuries actually helped them by eliminating underperformers.

The Jazz have other issues going on outside of that. Several players are playing for contracts, and the possibility of a trade involving Jefferson or Millsap looms. Also, the backcourt depth is a potential issue, especially if Mo Williams -- who has missed at least a dozen games in seven of his nine seasons -- can't stay on the floor.

The two things to like, on the other hand, are that a healthy Jazz team would likely be better in the two areas that plagued them most a year ago: defense and 3-point shooting. Mo Williams and Foye give them some genuine knockdown shooters on the perimeter, and Hayward should be better as well. Defensively, another year of experience for their young players, increased playing time for Favors and the addition of Marvin Williams should all spell an improvement.

They'll need it, though, because there's no guarantee their best players will glide through the regular season injury-free again. Additionally, any defensive improvement will be marginal if Corbin can't change their approach from the mad-hacking system of the past decade-plus into a more sensible approach based on eliminating high-percentage opportunities (such as free throws, for instance). Similarly, the added shooting will be of a lot more benefit if Corbin can help them make use of the heretofore abandoned short corner.

Taking a step back and looking at last season's top eight in the West, I think that Minnesota is likely to join the group, which means somebody else has to fall out. The two most likely candidates are Dallas and Utah, which tied for the conference's seventh and eighth spots last season. It's a close call, and I had Utah out until Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki started having knee problems. Now I'm thinking the Jazz just squeeze in.


http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/preview2012/story/_/page/hollinger-uth-forecast/utah-jazz-outlook

Earlier this year ESPN ranked Utah #4 in the NBA in its Future Power Rankings...

Quote :

4. Utah Jazz | Future Power Rating: 774
PLAYERS - MANAGEMENT - MONEY - MARKET - DRAFT
353 (11th) - 145 (8th) - 179 (3rd) - 32 (23rd) - 65 (10th)

A year and half ago, the Jazz looked dead in the water. Franchise legend Jerry Sloan retired in the middle of the season and All-Star point guard Deron Williams was abruptly shipped to the Nets at the trade deadline for a handful of prospects.

But after two really solid summers and a better-than-expected season in 2011-12, our optimism for the Jazz has never been higher. How does a No. 8-seed in the Western Conference without any stars warrant such a position?

Despite working in a less-than-desirable market, Jazz executive vice president Kevin O'Connor continues to be proactive in rebuilding this roster in a way that keeps the team winning while adding young pieces for the future.
...
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/FuturePowerRankings-1-120815/1-5

Chad Ford just wrote an article explaining the Jazz rankings titled "Stage set for new Jazz age". It's a long article so I'm not going to post the whole thing, but here are some excerpts....

Chad Ford wrote:

SALT LAKE CITY -- The Western Conference looks like it will be a three-team race again this season between the conference defending champion Thunder, the newly reloaded Lakers and the aging but timeless Spurs.

Other upstarts, such as the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers will make noise as well. And no one is quite ready to write off the Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies.

But if you look beyond 2012-13, a dark-horse contender is quietly emerging in the mountains, one that could be the NBA's team to beat in the near future.

In August, John Hollinger and I ranked the Utah Jazz No. 4 in our Future Power Rankings. When Hollinger and I aggregated the numbers, it raised a few eyebrows -- including ours and those of a number of observers around the league.

Newly hired Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey was among those taken aback.

"We are a long way from No. 4 right now," Lindsey said. "I can understand on the future ratings why there's reason to be optimistic -- with the cap flexibility Kevin has created and the young players that we do have -- but cap room doesn't win you games. Young players, almost by definition, don't win you games."

No one can predict the future precisely in a league where injuries, trade demands, complicated cap rules and luxury tax thresholds can shift a team's fortunes overnight. But over the past few years, our Future Power Rankings have done a solid job of giving us some clues. Most recently, the FPR signaled the rise of the Pacers well before Indiana finished with the third-best record in the East last season.

Will the Jazz be the next young team to take the league by storm?

I spent some time in Salt Lake City over the past week to dig a little deeper.


Players (Jazz Rank: 11 out of 30)

Of the five categories Hollinger and I use to develop our ratings, "Players" is weighted most heavily, accounting for 50 percent of a team's score. After fiddling with different models, we have found that this number is about right.

Cap room doesn't win championships. Neither does a market or a team's management. They can all contribute in a big way, but ultimately it's the players who decide the games.

...

It's what the Jazz have waiting in the wings that has Hollinger and me bullish on the Jazz.

Derrick Favors and Gordon Hayward learned a lot in their summer session with the U.S. Select Team.
Third-year forward Derrick Favors and third-year wing Gordon Hayward are coming off excellent sophomore seasons. Second-year center Enes Kanter and guard Alec Burks have enormous potential. All four players have had productive summers, and the Jazz are optimistic that they may start to see bigger dividends this season.


....

Favors and Hayward spent the summer playing for the U.S. Select Team, which practices against Team USA, and the experience was eye-opening for both players. Practicing and playing against the best in the NBA has its privileges.

...

Both Favors and Hayward walked away from the experience with a better understanding of how much effort the best players in the league expend.

"It showed me I have to work a little harder to improve my game," Favors said. "I've got to keep developing my offensive game. I think my defense is pretty sick, but my range, my post moves and everything else still need a lot of work."

Said Hayward: "They have extreme discipline -- all of them. Us young guys have a lot of talent, but sometimes we don't know how to harness it. They make the right play almost every time. There are so many great players on that team and they could all play selfishly, but instead they play to win."

Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin raved about both the progress and chemistry that Hayward and Favors showed over the summer. Favors has been working on his low-post game. Hayward is no longer settling for jumpers; now he is putting the ball on the floor and attacking the basket. Just as importantly, they appear to be working together.

"They're two great players who continue to get better and who are learning from each other," Corbin said. "They are playing off each other at different times, and we continue to expect them to grow."

Kanter and Burks have also had their moments.

The Jazz staff has been working with Burks on his handle all summer. Burks may be the Jazz's best player when it comes to attacking the basket, and he also ran the point for much of the second half in a recent exhibition game. While he likely won't see a lot of minutes at the 1 this season, Corbin said he has the potential to play there down the road.

Kanter dropped an amazing 50-plus pounds this summer and is down to a svelte 241. He appears much more athletic than a season ago.

...

Team vice president O'Connor, who drafted Kanter despite having zero game film on him, is happy with the progress, but he is preaching patience.

"He still has to get a feel for the game of basketball," O'Connor said. "He didn't play for almost two years. The thing he's done is he's lost weight. He's gotten himself quicker. He's done the things we've asked him to do, but he's 20 years old and if you really want to go in terms of basketball age, he's 18. He's still not there yet.

"Anyone who expects him to make a quantum leap ... he's going to be a slow work in progress. When we drafted him, I thought he was a couple of years away from where we'll know where he'll get to. But are we pleased with the progress? Of course."

Most importantly for the Jazz, the four youngsters seem to genuinely like one another.

"We have a really bright future," Favors said. "If we keep working together, we can really be something special. We've built good chemistry together."

"I think they've made great strides," O'Connor said. "I think there's a lot more to go. The key point with them is that they are willing to work to get better. A lot of players think they've arrived and feel like 'I'm here. I've been drafted in the lottery. I'm supposed to be this.' There's an entitlement, and those kids don't have that.

"They have to ratchet it up a little bit and play at an NBA level all of the time, but the focus they have is lengthening and it has to lengthen a little bit more."

Management (Jazz Rank: 8 out of 30)

Spurs GM R.C. Buford and Thunder GM Sam Presti may be the two standard bearers for NBA general managers. But ask just about any exec in the NBA who the most underrated GM in the league is and they all come back with the same answer: O'Connor.

...

Incredibly, the Jazz have built and rebuilt their teams without having to spend years in lottery purgatory like so many teams. O'Connor has insisted that young players be surrounded by veterans and earn their spots in the rotation. His goal every season is to make the playoffs. He has a deep-seated belief that you need talent -- but talent without a winning culture stagnates and regresses.

New Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey will look to build on the solid foundation Kevin O'Connor laid.
"I think we've always been fortunate that when we've had a young team, we've had someone like Matt Harpring, we had a Raja Bell, those type of guys that will compete every night. This time around, Paul Millsap is an anchor, and having guys like that on the team are awfully important because they help us win and the young guys understand what winning is, what making the playoffs is and then watching us get our tails kicked by San Antonio in the first round of the playoffs and knowing there's another step we all have to take."

...

Money (Jazz Rank: 3 out of 30)

While things on the court and in the front office are looking up for the Jazz, where the Jazz ranked the highest in our FPR was in the Money section.

Over the next two summers, the Jazz will have loads of cap space to use if they choose. Jefferson, Millsap and Mo Williams all come off the books this summer. Marvin Williams comes off the year after. The Jazz are looking at something in the neighborhood of $30 million-plus in cap room in July 2013.

While the Jazz have not historically been free-agent magnets, the cap flexibility allows them to re-sign their own players if they want, make trades with teams looking for cap flexibility and make offers that few teams can match.

Given its young core, the team doesn't have to panic. It can wait for the right player or the right deal before it pulls the trigger.

Few teams will have the flexibility that the Jazz have while maintaining all their young talent.

Market (Jazz Rank: 23 out of 30)

If there's been one negative over the years for the Jazz, it's been their market. While the team sports some of the most passionate fans in the league, a low cost of living, exquisite ski resorts and a committed ownership team, players tend to gravitate to warmer climates and larger populations.

While Malone and Stockton loved living in Utah, the market situation bit them with Deron Williams. At the start of the 2010-11 season, Williams, an All-Star, began to send the signals to Jazz officials that when he became a free agent, he wanted to go to a bigger market.

...

Draft (Jazz Rank: 10th out of 30)

As an up-and-coming playoff contender, the Jazz might not land in the lottery in the near future. But the team does own the Warriors' pick next summer (top-7 protected), and O'Connor has been as savvy as any team in the NBA when it comes to pawning off veterans for future lottery picks.

When the Jazz are drafting, they've been one of the better teams in the league when it comes to talent evaluation. Millsap, for example, was the 47th pick in the draft. They also discovered Mo Williams in the second round -- also with the 47th pick (and recently reacquired him).

With the addition of Lindsey, the Jazz will employ an even more comprehensive scouting system, especially when it comes to using advanced statistics to evaluate talent.

"We needed to expand, especially the analytical part of it," O'Connor said. "In order for us to succeed in a small market, we can't make mistakes on contracts, and we've got to get it right with free agents, draft picks and trades. It requires a lot of work. It requires you to use every tool available to you. I think that Dennis is someone that has proven he can help us there. The Spurs have done a terrific job drafting players of value in the second half of the draft. We think that combining what Dennis brings to the table with our own staff, we'll continue to get better."

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/8506808/nba-there-future-golden-age-utah-jazz-coming

Nice share Mags, thanks

An even brighter path is ahead!

I was just going to ask what Ford wrote. Thanks. Real encouraged when Favors and Hayward say they need to improve. Their success, or lack of success this yr will determine our next move in free agency. I see the chemistry going toward signing Millsap and getting a player or two for Jefferson with expriing contracts- along with a lottery pick from another team... Hard to do but there are tons of teams and multiple situations to look at.