Thursday, October 3, 2013

Utah Jazz Season Awards....


  There has been a lot of talk about this season for the Utah Jazz being a season of discovery.  We have seen flashes from all the guys in our young core.  Now they have to show us what they can do.  I have been doing a lot of thinking and while many of our player will not win and league awards, I thought I would give them team awards based on the same awards the league gives.  So here we go....



MVP-Gordon Hayward

  I look for Gordon to have a big year.  He is going to have the opportunity to do what he does best, make plays.  When I look back at his career at Butler and the run they made in the NCAA tournament, it wasn't always him scoring the ball.  He was setting up his teammates, making plays and scoring when needed.  I believe we will see plenty of that from Gordon this year.  He will make his teammates better and give them opportunities to get easy buckets, because other teams defense will be keying on him



Rookie of the Year-Trey Burke

  This is a bit of a no brainer, but to added to it, I have a feeling he is going to with ROY for the entire league!  Trey has a chip on his shoulder, he knows that everyone is doubting him.  That's when he THRIVES!  I remember watching him as a freshman at Michigan.  He was not highly touted, but he came out and has some great games as a freshman.  Keep doubting, hating on him.  It fuels the kid!  He is a student of the game and works at his craft.  I look for this kid to surprise a lot of people.



Most Improved Player-Jeremy Evans

  Jeremy had a couple really good summer league games.  Yeah I know, its summer league.  But Jeremy has put in work and has expanded his game.  I think his strength may come from playing with Kanter or Favors where he can be a weak side defender.  He has also worked very hard on the pick and pop aspect of his game.  I feel that the one thing that has held Jeremy back is the same thing that plagues Andris....confidence.  I think Jeremy now knows that he belongs and can be a valuable role player.



6th Man of the Year- Andris Biedrins

  Shocker!  Yeah I said it!  I think that Andris will have a bit of a resurgence here with the Jazz.  I feel the key to this happening is the Jazz offense.  If they run a lot of pick and roll like we expect, this will be to his advantage.  He is mobile big that does a good job crashing to the hoop for boards and buckets.  The flex offense won't do him any favors.  So if we stay flex heavy that could really hurt him.  The other thing to remember is Andris is a good defender.  Again, playing along side another long athletic big will make the Jazz very strong down low.  Oh by the way, we have a lot of long athletic bigs now!



Defensive Player of the Year-Derrick Favors

  Ok if the last was a shocker, this is a no brainer.  I watched the USA Basketball summer camp and scrimmage.  Yeah Favs was hurt pretty early on, but he was active, vocal leader on the defensive end of the court.  The trait that I have picked up on early in camp though, is his nastiness or demeanor.  He is tired of the talk and wants to show what he can do.  He wants to lead.  He wants to win!  I look for Derrick to have a big year and be a big presence on the defensive end of the court.


  These picks are difficult with so many unknowns.  There are other guys that could come out and surprise us.  Alec Burks, Richard Jefferson, Brandon Rush could all have big years and I hope they do.  27 days to the start of the regular season and less than a week to the first preseason game!  Let's go get it Jazz!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jeff, I am new to the blog. Great work so far. I wrote for hoopsworld a while back.
I wanted to ask or pose something to consider an issue no one wants to talk about. I believe J-Slo was brought back to shield Coach Corbin against fan and media criticism. Also, providing Corbin credibility by vocally supporting Corbin.

Jazz nation is excited about the youth finally getting their chance to play. I count myself among them. However,

I question the collective coaching credentials of Corbin and his immediate staff (J-Slo & Mail not included)

The past six weeks many have chimed in about the team's lack of depth as a glaring weakness. I contend, coaching is our most glaring deficiency.

No one on the immediate staff has ever produced significant team success at the highest level. Coach Lowe has never proved his worth at this level. Coach Sanders has no track record of accomplishment as an assistant. Coach Jones (who I really like) is unproven as a coach at the highest level.

How will the franchise and the promising careers of our young talent be affected if in fact the Jazz coaching staff is our most glaring deficiency??

Something to think about.

Unknown said...

Thanks for the comment and question. I have to agree and disagree with you. David Locke made a point this morning that he thinks that the Raja Bell issue may have affected Ty more than we think and that he lets on. As far as his staff I totally agree. I am not sold on Sydnee or Sanders. I think Ty uses them similar to what Michael Jordan has always done in his organizations, they are yes men. The two of them were Corbin's college teammates and he is comfortable with them. Watching last season, and having some high school coaching experience myself, I was a little disappointed with Ty's game and situational management. Now if what Locke had to say is true, it may have really taken a toll on Ty. I think this season is definitely a season to see if he can TEACH. That is what I feel we need to see out of him this season. I personally would not be opposed to seeing someone like Malone or an outside source be added full time to the staff. I feel it would be beneficial. As for Jerry being back, I think he is back as a mentor to Ty. The front office saw the same things we did with Ty and they know the kind of trust and respect Ty has for him. Lastly, if things don't go well for Ty, one name I am going to throw out there now is Nate McMillan. Dennis Lindsey is about building a defensive team, Nate is a defensive coach and has worked to develop younger players....