Raw Materials: What the Utah Jazz have to work with

  A few days ago we began the discussion of building a foundation for the Utah Jazz.  Some of the "keys" that were discussed was the need for a "foundation" or principals and concepts.  We know that Dennis Lindsey has said that he wants a great defensive team, that likely being the number one principal that Lindsey is looking for.  Another principal that I believe that Lindsey is looking for is a "2 big" system.  His quotes as of the last couple games of the season and since, seem to insist on Kanter and Favors playing together.  That brings us to the "Cornerstone" Derrick Favors.  He is the key to the defensive principals and concepts that Lindsey appears to have in mind.  He is also a key figure in what appears to be a 2 big system.

  With those things in mind, lets take a look at the "Raw Materials" the Jazz have to work with in building this foundation for a successful franchise for years to come.  I wanted to look at some of the numbers for the Jazz young core coming in to the league.  I was able to pull players NBA Draft Combine numbers from Draft Express  http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-pre-draft-measurements/  It is likely that some of these numbers have actually increased for some of the players with all the work they do at P3 in the off season.  This should give us a decent baseline for some of the physical characteristics as well as some of their athleticism numbers.  These numbers should give us an idea of potential for the young core, if they are put in a system that takes advantage of these attributes and allows them to be successful.

  Trey Burke-

Wingspan 6'5"
Agility 11.20
Sprint 3.16

  I was surprised to find that Trey's wingspan was actually an inch longer than thought going in to the combine.  He shows good lateral quickness with the agility drill and his sprint time is good.  For comparison, Mike Conley Jr is often the comparison for Trey.  Conley agility time was 11.63 and his wingspan is equal at 6'5.75".  With the tools Trey has to work with he should be a better defender than he was this season.  Granted he was a rookie and is learning the pro game and the physicality of it, but Trey has all the tools to be an above average defender.  He has considerable length and could learn to play the passing lanes similar to Conley.

Alec Burks-

Wingspan 6'10"
Agility 10.96
Sprint 3.17

  To say I was surprised by Trey's wingspan, I was shocked by Alec's.  Here is a player with the tools to be an elite defender in my opinion.  He has incredible length for his size, has decent lateral quickness and has a burst that not many have at his size.  Alec's weakest point may be that lateral quickness.  It shows in game, as he struggles to get over screens.  Alec is good straight up, but when that screen comes it throws him off his game.  This is where he should be taking advantage of the great length he has and over playing to push away from the screen.  Alec has some of the best numbers but may lack some understanding to the concepts that were taught.  Given the right concept Alec should be able to wreak havoc in the passing lanes, as well as a help side shot blocker.  Not to mention his ability to stay in front of his man straight up.

Gordon Hayward-

Wingspan 6'7.75"
Agility 11.73
Sprint 3.22

  What Gordon lacks in mind-blowing numbers he makes up for with surprisingly high athletic numbers and smarts.  Gordon's no step vertical jump actually comes out at 30.5".  That is an inch less than Gerald Green of the Phoenix Suns, and we all know what type of athlete he is.  Gordon's max vertical jump is 34.5"  For comparison sake, Gordon's lateral quickness is actually better than Jimmy Butler of Chicago, who is widely consider to be a good defender.  Gordon is a good team defender and does a great job fighting over the tops of screens.  I think what really helps Gordon defensively, is he does his "homework" early.  He knows where his opponent wants to get to and fights them early and tries to push them off their spots.

Derrick Favors-

Wingspan 7'4"
Agility 11.74
Sprint 3.25

  We all know that Derrick has incredible length and athleticism.  Little needs to be discussed as far as his "tools" go.  What may be lacking from Derrick is that knowledge of defense, concepts and positioning.  I guess it could be simplified down to basketball IQ.  I believe that time on the court and in the film room will be the keys to his development.  He needs to do that "homework" that was discussed with Gordon.  He needs to understand personnel and put in the work early to push them off their spots.

Enes Kanter-

Wingspan 7'1.5"
Agility 11.30
Sprint 3.26

  This is where things get very interesting.  Enes has some unreal numbers for a guy his size and position.  The most surprising is the lateral quickness.  Enes has the foot speed that he should be able to defend a hard hedge on the pick and roll and still have the quicks to get back to his man.  As we all know all to well, that does not seem to be the case.  So why is that? The numbers say that he should be able to do that.  I think Enes has the same issue that Derrick does.  Lack of court and film time.  Defensive instincts are natural for some players like Rudy Gobert.  Others, like Enes need to be taught.  Defense is a concept that I feel can be taught to any player.  It is a concept of effort more often than the tools that a player has.  Enes has the "tools" but lacks the knowledge and understanding of the game.  The question is how long do you want to wait for those attributes to develop?

Rudy Gobert-

Wingspan 7'8.5"
Agility 12.85
Sprint 3.57

  Rudy's physical size is amazing!  He is so long and has huge hands.  Rudy does not have the lateral quickness which is a given, but that length is very effective in the pick and roll situation, forcing the guard to have to swing out wider than they would like.  It also makes the pass extremely difficult on the pick and pop.  While the lateral quickness and sprint seem a bit slow to me, I can safely say that I have seen improvement through out the season in Rudy's quickness.  As great as the physical numbers are for Rudy, you can't overstate his natural defensive instincts and his will to be a GREAT defender.  He understands where is his bread is buttered.

  These players are the "raw materials" the Jazz have to work with.  They have other pieces that are currently on the roster that will help build this team.  Guys like Jeremy Evans and Diante Garrett both have great length for their size.  Jeremy has other-worldly athleticism and Diante does a good job laterally and playing the passing lanes.  I look at these players and the numbers therein and find myself optimistic.  Given the right concepts, development and coaching I feel these players could be the core of a top 10 defensive team.

  Going  forward, I will discuss some concepts both offensively and defensively that could be used to make these players successful and continue to build upon the foundation. I will also try to touch on possible coaching candidates and how they might fit with this young group.  Again Jazz fans, there is a lot to be excited about!

GO JAZZ!

Impose your will....or not....

  Okay Jazz fans, I want you to scan your memory banks.  Look hard.  You may need to take a look in the way back machine, but here is the question, when was the last time a Jazz team imposed their will on an opponent? I am not talking about for a game or a stretch, but where a team knows that they are going to be in for a fight.  Figure it out yet?  Exactly....its been a long time, a really long time.  Dare I say back to the Jerry Sloan days?  Think about that, if I am being kind, I would say maybe the year that Jazz made a Western Conference Finals run with Deron and Booz.  But that is being generous.

  The last time the Jazz had a team that imposed their will upon an opponent would be the days of Stockton and Malone.  Those teams did what they wanted night in and night out.  You knew they were going to run the pick and roll with John and Karl.  You knew they were going to run the FLEX with Hornacek coming of a pick to hit that elbow jumper.  You knew that if you took the ball to the hoop Malone or Ostertag were going to foul you hard.  You were going to earn those points.

Fast Forward....

  For the past 5 years this Jazz team has been imposed upon.  5 years!  In a "season of discovery" and an opportunity to discover what assets, if any, the Jazz continue to play to their opponent.  We can look at this a number of ways.  From match-ups, to offensive and defensive game plans.  The Jazz never say this is who we are, or this is what we are going to do, now stop it.  Granted the Jazz can beat themselves at this with poor execution, bad personnel match-ups etc.  But this team has not said, this is who we are and we are going to battle with this win or lose.

  This can also be said of the players.  For example, both Gordon and Trey are slumping.  Their offense is lackluster and does not exhibit any confidence.  Advantage defense.  There is all this talk of "getting in the gym" or "getting shots up before and after practice".  But I think the fast way out of a so-called slump is to be the aggressor.  To IMPOSE YOUR WILL!  It would serve both these players well to come into the game and make sure that their first shots are going to the basket, being aggressive and putting the oh-nus on the officials.  Yeah its going to get you some bumps and bruises and you are not going to get calls at times, but it says to your opponent, this is what I am going to do STOP ME!

  The same can be said about the Jazz lineup decisions and rotations.  We have 3 very talented bigs, that need time and development together, not substituting for each other.  This is where we need to say, Kanter and Favors, Gobert and Favors, Gobert and Kanter, this is who and what we are going to run, STOP US!  This season is unlike any other, where the option to run these kinds of lineups and the ramifications of running them do not hurt the over all numbers.  They give the staff opportunities to teach and develop, to make these players the kind of players the front office believes they can be, for the future.

  Lastly, its the kind of mentality that needs to be developed on this young team.  That they know that the staff believes that they CAN succeed.  That they CAN impose their will on their opponent.  That the opponent has to game plan for the Utah Jazz, not the Utah Jazz game planing for the rest of the league.

Some things learned....

  The Utah Jazz fell hard again last night, losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves 112-97.  This one was hard to watch.  I fully expected the Jazz to come out with more intensity.  This was not the case.  The Jazz started the usual starters minus Derrick Favors who was out with a strained abductor. Enes Kanter was plugged in and was ineffective.

  Last nights game showed a couple of things.  First the value of Derrick Favors.  I think the Jazz should be extremely happy with the contract extension and the development of the young Mr. Favors.  He is a game changer in so many ways.  On defense, the other team is always conscious of where he is.  He may not block every shot in the paint but I guarantee you he effects every shot in the paint.  Offensively he demands a double team simply because of his size.  If he catches the ball deep in the post there are very few people in the league who are going to deter Favors.  Last night really shows how important Derrick is for the future of the Jazz.

  To go along with the Derrick Favors and his value to the Jazz, we need to take a close look at the value of a rim protector.  Rudy Gobert played 27 mins, went 4-5 from the field scoring 8 points, had 6 rebounds and 3 blocks.  The stats may look a little pedestrian but Rudy's effect on the game was not.  The Timberwolves were very conscious of where Rudy was at all times on the floor. At one point he made JJ Barea shot a runner earlier than he would like.  You could see that it was totally out of rhythm and was a floater a long way from the hoop (unfortunately some how it went in).  It was great to see Rudy get some extended run.

  Gordon Hayward did return to the lineup and played well.  No rust for Gordon.  He and Alec were really the only offensive bright spots for the team.  Hayward finished 10-17 from the field, 2-5 from 3pt for 27 pts.  Alec finished 6-14 from the field, 1-1 from 3pt for 18 pts.  The Jazz just did not get much else from anyone else offensively.

  One of the most frustrating parts of the game was the inconsistency in the calls by the officials.  I try not to bring the officials in to the game or anything that I write, but last night it could not be ignored.  So much so that even Coach Corbin made a comment or two about the way the game was officiated.  Looking at it, the Timberwolves shot 24 free-throws to the Jazz 12.  Its not very often that the home team is doubled up on the free-throw attempts.  Ty did mention early on that Minnesota was the aggressor, but I did not feel that it was that big of a discrepancy.  The Jazz also lost the rebound battle 42-41 and the turnover battle 9-14.  As far as the boards go, the Jazz did a much better job as a team in comparison to the previous game.  That was good to see.

  With the way this season has developed we can safely say that Trey Burke and Derrick Favors are the Jazz most important/valuable players.  This team flounders when missing one of these two players.  While I love Gordon and what he brings to the team, those things were filled by the other players on the team for the 2 weeks that Gordon was out.  If anything this may help the Jazz with their negotiations with Gordon this summer and will also help the front office decide how important he is to this team.

How much is too much?

  Been a while Jazz Fans, but I will say, I have not missed a game since the last post.  The Jazz are playing some really good basketball right now (minus Minnesota) and I have a tendency to believe the Jazz will play .500 basketball from here on out baring a major injury.  That leads me to believe the Jazz will fall somewhere between the 5th to the 8th pick in this summers draft.  Jazz Fans are going to need the ping pong balls to work in their favor if they want a top 3 pick!

  So that brings the thought, the Jazz will need to think very long an hard about keeping the assets they currently have.  Teams with a top 10 pick in this summers draft are not going to move that pick unless it returns them a star.

  So where does that leave the Jazz?  Looking at the roster the Jazz have at least one young player that could be a core player going forward.  Lets take a look....

At the Power Forward/Center positions the Jazz have Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, Jeremy Evans, Rudy Gobert.  At the Small Forward/Shooting Guard positions the Jazz have Gordon Hayward, Alec Burks.  Point guard is clearly Trey Burke, Raul Neto....and the Jazz may bring back Diante Garrett.

  Of this list of young building blocks, only one is signed to a long term extension, that being Derrick Favors.  Favors was able to sign an extension this summer that will pay him over $11 million dollars a season for 4 years.  With Favors offensive improvement so far this season and his ability to be an anchor on the defensive end, make this a great deal for the Jazz.

  So now the question becomes, where do the rest of the puzzle pieces fit?  Of the young core is there any of them that should make more than the teams defensive corner stone?  In my opinion, I don't believe, at this point, there is a player on this roster that deserves to make more than Derrick Favors.  So let's try to put this puzzle together....

Gordon Hayward was unable to come to an agreement this summer.  The rumored number was $12 million plus.  The question you have to ask yourself is, is Gordon worth that kind of money?  Having had numerous discussions and countless references, I tend to think that number is a little high.  Market value says $8-$10 million a year.  There is also the very likely possibility that a team will offer him that $12 million plus that he is looking for, that brings the question of whether or not you match?  While Gordon is a very valuable piece to the puzzle, I think the last 5 games have shown that with or without Gordon the Jazz are capable of .500 ball.

  So that leaves us with Alec Burks and Enes Kanter next on the extension list.  I feel pretty confident in the market value for Alec Burks.  Whether starting or being that elite 6th man, Alec's market value falls in at $5.5 million a season.  His comps being Lou Williams and Jamal Crawford.  Both explosive offensive players and the type of player that every franchise want to have.  Enes Kanter is a different story.  Bigs simply get paid!  Kanter is a resource the Jazz have yet to fully tap and that may be to their favor.  But because of the lack of quality bigs, Kanter is going to get something in the range of $8-$11 million.

  That leaves the Jazz with Trey Burke and Rudy Gobert on rookie contracts for the next 3-4 season and rookie contracts are always favorable to an organization.

So quick recap....

Favors- $11.5..... DONE
Burks- $5.5.....?
Kanter- $10....?

              $26 million for those 3....add Hayward.....

Hayward- $12....$

              Puts the Jazz at $38 million for those 4 players.

This seasons salary cap is $58.69 million.  Personally I feel these are all reasonable numbers for each player according to market value.  It will be interesting to see the front office approach this summer with the contracts of Hayward, Burks and Kanter.  Not to mention the draft and all the possibilities there.  Not a better time to be a Jazz Fan.....PERIOD!

http://www.basketball-reference.com/contracts/UTA.html

Jazz fans....#2 is in the books. Jazz down Bulls!

The Utah Jazz played a full 48 plus some tonight, beating the Chicago Bulls 89-83 in over-time.  They really needed a game like this.  It shows this young team that if they work hard and put in the effort, they can be in games and give themselves a chance to win games.  This was a total team effort.  Love the way this team fought....

• Only going to discuss the positives tonight...
• Great ball movement on the pick and roll early with Hayward and Favors, ends with Favs getting an "and 1"
• Trey Burke is going to be a good defender in the league.  
• Favors played like a man tonight!
• Great defense in the first quarter, Jazz were physical.
• Jazz won the first quarter 23-18
• Jazz cut hard and set some really good screens.
• Rudy Gobert is a game changer. Length and energy.  He runs the floor hard for a big.
• Evans and Gobert did a great job attacking the defensive glass.
• Jazz executed the offense and stuck with it.
• Balanced first half on offense for the Jazz.
• Jazz lead at half 40-32 only the 4th game this year that has happened.
• Jazz defense in the 3rd quarter was great.  Rotations were really good.
• Jazz really fought down the stretch.
• Trey Burke is not afraid of the big moment.  Hit a huge three.
• Jefferson had enough left in the tank down the stretch.
• Jeremy Evans played tough in the 4th and OT....did not let the bigger players push him around.  Was not intimidated and equal to the moment.
• Richard Jeffersons defense on Deng was fantastic!  That was the difference in the game.

  This game showed a lot of different things from a number of different players.  Again, staying as positive as possible, the Jazz tried to give it away but stuck with it.  To be honest, its really nice to be able to stick it to a guy like Boozer.  Jazz did lose the battle of the boards but it was only by 4 boards.  They did really well at the foul line shooting 16-19 84.2%.  This is the kind of game that this young team can build from.  They had to grind and fight.  They never quit!  This is was JAZZ FANS WANT!  Well done Jazz, well done!

http://www.nba.com/games/20131125/CHIUTA/gameinfo.html?ls=slt

Jazz back home tonight, going to need a lift from the fans!

  The Jazz are on the second night of a back to back.  The Jazz got blown out last nigh in Oklahoma City.  This was an all around poor effort across the board.  No reason to "beat a dead horse" time to move on.
I want to look at tonight's game from a different perspective.  Let's look at some things to watch both from a team perspective and individually.

1. Team rebounding.  This is a big deal.  Early in the season the Jazz were in the top 5 in rebounding.  Currently ranked 27th!  Getting 40.3 boards a game.  There is no reason this team should not be in the top 5.  The have size, length and athleticism to be a great rebounding team.  Simply put, rebounding is about effort and we can clearly see where the Jazz effort has been recently.
2. Gordon Haywards aggressiveness.  I think its clear that Hayward may not be a #1 option, the unfortunate thing for him is, he has been thrust in to that role.  While he may not have all the intangibles to be that #1, he is slated as that option, he needs to be as efficient as possible.  Gordon has been turning the ball over 3.5 times a game.  When the team's offense slides, Gordon starts to force the issue, driving to the basket and the defense collapses and knocks the ball away.  Last 4 games look like this...6, 5, 1, 6.  The one game he had 1 turnover was versus the Pelicans.  He let the game come to him and finished with 11 assists.  Gordon needs to be aggressive, this is a given.  He needs to pick his spots and in my opinion, needs to start his offense with aggressive drives to the basket.
3. Post/Paint presence.  The Jazz desperately need this on both ends of the court.  Favors and Kanter must be more physical and deter the opponent from getting easy buckets inside.  If they are going to foul, make it a hard foul.  Make sure the opponent feels it.  It will make the opponent think twice about driving to the basket.  On offense, the Jazz need to throw the ball in to these two more often.  Kanter has relied upon that mid-range jumper too much this year.  He needs to get back inside and bang, use those good post moves he has.  I think he is too worried about getting his shot blocked.  If he is concerned about that, he needs to be going into the body of the big every time, trying to draw as much contact as possible, putting the onus on the officials.  Favors post game has improved.  Most teams are double both Jazz big men as soon as the start to dribble.  This means that there is someone open.  Also, if the bigs go early (make a move as soon as they catch in the post) its going to take away the effectiveness of the double.  Teams will then be forced to foul Favors and Kanter.  I would also like to see more of Jeremy Evans and Rudy Gobert in the rotation.  Jeremy Evans starts fast and plays with a lot of energy.  Its hard to keep him off the court.  Gobert is constantly improving.  If you are not getting the defense at the rim like you would like, put this guy in.  He changes shots.
4. Transition/Fast break.  The Jazz are getting next to nothing from this part of the game.  When they do run the floor, they don't do it with any sort of purpose.  Where the Jazz can not shoot right now, there is not a better fix that than fast break, transition basketball.  This is another area that is dictated by effort.  You either want to or you don't.  If the Jazz choose to play uptempo and be aggressive, Ty and the staff can not get upset or frustrated with a few bad shots in transition.  I would rather have bad shots in transition as is show an effort to get some easy buckets.
5. Turnover and free-throws.  These to come down to concentration and execution.  The Jazz turnovers have come down some from the start of the season, where they were averaging 19 a game.  They have cut that down to 17 but that is still too many.  Again its not so much just the turnovers, but where they make those turnovers.  The majority of the turnovers are coming from the foul line extended, giving the defense a free run in transition for an easy basket.  This kills the Jazz, due to the fact that the only guys back are your guards.  No bigs there to protect the rim.  As for Free-throws, this is simply about reps.  The schedule has not been kind to the Jazz and has not given them much time to get in the gym and practice.  But that is no excuse.  There are plenty of stories of great players, great shooters having an off night from the the field or the line, being on the road and asking the arena to stay open or lights on for a while after the game so that player can get some reps in.  If the Jazz want to get out of the shooting slump they are in and want to reach their potential, these are the kinds of things that need to be done.

  Tonight the Chicago Bulls will be with out their MVP Derrick Rose.  He tore his meniscus in his right knee a couple of nights ago and under went surgery this morning.  His season is now over.  Sad to see such an incredible player have such bad luck.  Here's to a speedy recovery for the former MVP.  That being said, the Jazz will still need to give 48 minutes of effort.  As Jazz fans, that's all they want.  They don't expect them to win every game.  They just expect them to COMPETE EVERY GAME! 

The Y's Senior Squad closes out the youth Jazz in the 4th.

  "Old Men" Duncan and Ginobili were carried tonight by there younger counter part Tony Parker, as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Utah Jazz 91-82.  The final score is not indicative of how the game really went.  The Jazz led this game and were the aggressor through 3 quarters.  Tony Parker took over in the fourth, and the Spurs benefited from a few "vet calls" tonight.  Lets take a look...

• Alec Burks did a good job starting as a point guard.
• The hardest thing for Alec is trying to switch from PG to SG.  Getting Trey back and the addition of Garrett will really help Alec play his natural position.
• The first quarter as a whole was fantastic.  Great offense and defense.  Jazz scored 29 to Spurs 16.
• End of the first brought some questionable substitutions.  JL3, Garrett, Harris all on the court at the same time?
• Early in the 2nd that Jazz shooting to many jumpers.  They were great in the post, not sure why they went away from it.
• Effort on the boards was good.  Specifically from Favors and Kanter
• Jazz had very active hands on defense.  A number of deflections, finished with 9 steals as a team.
• Foul trouble hurt the bigs and Alec down the stretch.
• Jazz played 3 quarters....
• Hayward finished with 9 rebs but missed a few of assignments on the defensive glass.  His man secured a handful of offensive rebounds.
• Gordon shoots 5-23 from the field, 1-7 from 3.  Missed a lot of wide open shots.
• Late 3rd Kanter drove hard twice, got shot blocked that appeared to be fouled, no calls.
• Jazz gave this one away, shot 38.2% from the field.
• Favors was a MONSTER 20 pts 18 rebs 3 blocks 3 steals 2 assists.
• 18 turnovers again.....
• VET CALLS Spurs shoot 22 free-throws to the Jazz 11.  Jazz appeared to be the aggressor the entire night, so not sure about the discrepancy.
• Tony Parker NEVER tries to land on his feet.  He hits the ground on almost every drive to tries to get the foul calls.  This was the case tonight.
• Kanter was solid again on the defensive glass.
• Richard Jefferson play 43+ minutes....this is not good, as it will take a toll on RJ as the season goes on.
• Gobert in just of 3 minutes had 5 boards!

  The Jazz just gave this one away with the lack of shooting.  I thought Alec was solid at the PG as a starter.  To be honest he has been the best PG we have had all season.  That being said, its hard for him to transition when substitutions are made and Ty moves him to the 2.  His mindset has to change completely.  Hayward clearly frustrated tonight knowing that he missed way too many shots he normally makes.  The Kanter Favors duo continues to improve and seem to be gelling..  Disappointing to lose but can't say that we expected the Jazz to win this one.  This was definitely a glass half full game tonight even with the loss.

Jazz get distracted by the bright lights on broadway, get thumped by the Nets.

  The Utah Jazz looked star struck tonight in Brooklyn as the Jazz fall to the Nets 104-88.  For one Jazz player, Ian Clarke, it was the first time he had ever been to New York.  The Jazz youth clearly looked intimidated by the names on the backs of the Nets jerseys and the number of future hall of famer's they were up against.  Here are some highlights and low-lights from tonight's game.....

• Early in the first quarter, the Jazz spacing was terrible.  Brooklyn packing the paint.
• Rush gets his first minutes in over a year at the 5 minute mark in the first quarter.
• As expected Rush is tentative and nervous.
• Jazz go small in the first quarter with JLIII, Burks, Hayward, Rush and Favors.
• Jazz closed the quarter with the ball in Burks hands, he creates a draw and kick to Hayward, misses the 3, Burks gets the rebound and is fouled on a 3. Only converts 1-3 free-throws.
• Jazz give up 28 pts in the first quarter.
• Jazz could not hit a shot. 
• Kanter looked tired.  Battling Lopez will do that to you.  Also the first time he has really logged heavy minutes.
• Rotations in the first half were poor.  Team missed a lot on the "help the helper" situations.
• Gobert gets called for 2 fouls where he appeared to be straight up.  Hard to be a rookie.
• Lopez is a really BIG MAN!
• Gordon looks to be having an internal battle, being a scorer or a facilitator.
• Burks played a lot of minutes at the point guard position.
• With 5 minutes left in the second quarter, the Nets put their starters back in and built a lead.  Jazz had cut lead to 3.
• Tough sequence, Jefferson goes for a dunk appears to get body contact from Lopez, no call. Nets take the ball in transition on the other end Favors same position/vertical and the call is made, costing Favors his 3rd foul and putting Lopez on the line.
• Andrei Kirilenko has nice hair.
• Jazz ran a lot of "FLEX" tonight.  Looked like the defense was dictating that, as the Nets packed the paint.
• Pick and Roll was used late in the shot clock.  Seem to be a last ditch effort.
• Jazz may need to run more touches in the post for Favors.  He may not be polished, but his size dictates a double team.
• Jazz turned the ball over 21 times....
• Jazz shoot 73.3% from the Free-throw line 22-30
• Ian Clarke did get some minutes tonight.  Would like to see the him get a few more minutes.  But he has to earn them.
• Richard Jefferson was 0-4 from 3pt.
• Trey is on the road trip.  Supposed to go back to the doc on the 11th.  Hopefully gets a clean bill of health.

  This was a hard game to watch tonight.  Can't say I didn't see it coming. but did not make it any easier.  Jazz just looked a bit lethargic tonight.  Kanter and Hayward both scored the ball well tonight.  No one other than Rudy Gobert had double digits in rebounds.  The Jazz need to have a short memory.  They turn around and play the other "cellar dweller" team in the Boston Celtics tomorrow night.  This team is going to have to learn to put these types of losses out of their mind as soon as possible, so they can move forward and prepare for the next game.  Not much else can be said....just hard.....

Ready for blast off, Jazz take on Rockets Tonight!

 The Utah Jazz tip off tonight at 7:00 pm versus the Houston Rockets.  The Jazz are coming of a second hard fought loss the previous night to the Phoenix Suns in Phoenix.  This is going to be every bit as big a test for the Jazz as was the Oklahoma City Thunder game.  I would have to put Houston in my top three teams in the west with the likes of OKC and the Clippers.  I think people feel that they need to gel first to get that lofty position, but the type of basketball that they play is one that does not take much time for that.  They play a lot of pick and roll, push the tempo and drive and kick basketball.  Not exactly execution heavy basket ball.  Lets take a look at the keys for tonight's game.....

Defensively-The Jazz will see two things in heavy doses, pick and roll with Harden/Lin and Howard and drive and kick.  For the Jazz to be successful against this type of offense, the rotations on the perimeter will need to be spot on.  Look for Kanter, Favors and Gobert to close the lane hard thus creating the need for the "help the helper" situation.  Currently the Rockets lead the league in NETRTG at 13.8 and an EFG% of 53.7%  The Jazz will have to be monsters on the boards again tonight.  As Houston is ranked first in rebounding and the Jazz second.  The Jazz will need Gordon to crash the boards as effectively as he did last night versus the Suns.  This should make for an interesting match-up as Hayward and Jefferson will be matched up with the likes of James Harden and Chandler Parson.  Both good 3pt shooters and Parson is a very good rebounder from the small forward position.  Houston is averaging 27 3 point attempts a game and shooting it at 37%.

Offensively-The Jazz will need to have the same first half performance they got from Gordon for the entire 48.  He can not disappear in the second half like he did in Phoenix.  Look for Gordon to continue to attack the basket and create for teammates.  Tonight is the kind of night that Jazz need the likes of a Richard Jefferson, John Lucas III or Ian Clarke to get hot from the outside.  Houston has the likes of Dwight Howard and Omer Asik down low, that will make it tough for any of the Jazz wing to be effective in the paint.  Look for Burks to take it at Houston's bigs as he seems to be the only player on the roster right now, fearless enough to go strong.  Hopefully it will play in the Jazz favor and get Howard and Asik in some foul trouble.  Favors and Kanter are going to have the toughest test they have had early in this season.  Kanter will need to be very effective with his pump fakes and pick and pop game.  I would like to see Favors go to work early in the post.  Don't wait, when he catches the ball in the post, make a move right away going to the basket.  He has been very effective when doing so and does not give the defense time to set up of double.

Secondary Stats-Really need to be primary stats tonight.  The Jazz can not turn the ball over the way they have in the first 2 games.  Luckily for the Jazz, Houston has been equally terrible in that department with 21 TO a game.  Secondly the Jazz have to be better on the free-throw line.  They are shooting 64.9% from the line.  They need to been in the 75%  range minimum to take advantage of the number of times that they get to the line.  Also the Jazz had just one block shot last night against the Suns and that came from Ian Clarke!  I think they really had 2 but they did not give Gordon the block on the PJ Tucker dunk attempt last night.  Kanter, Favors, Gobert all need to be more active at the rim tonight.  The Jazz will need to be equally effective at moving the ball as a team and pilling up assists.  As a team the Jazz are averaging just under 23 assists.

  Should be a good test for this young Jazz squad that has battled hard the first two games of the season and been right there at the end.  I think that is exactly what the front office and Jazz fans really like to see as this team develops.  GO Jazz!

W's are nice, but the Jazz needed the experience...

  The Jazz fall to the Oklahoma City Thunder 101-98.  The Jazz were in this game despite 22 turnover and 42 pts from Kevin Durrant.  Here are a few thoughts on a hard fought game.

• Rudy Gobert is really going to push Kanter and will actually make both of them better.  
• Derrick Favors is playing much better with the contract situation behind him.
• Defensive rotations were really good tonight.
• The Jazz moved the ball really well in the first half.  Finished the game with 25 assists
• Favors and Kanter did not rebound well tonight despite the #'s.  The 2nd half was better.
• Kanter needs to be more assertive in every aspect of his game.  Needs to use his NASTY!
• Despite the 22 turnovers and the 2nd best player in the league getting 42 the Jazz were right there.
• Ty made a great situational coaching call with the Jazz down 2 with 40 seconds left, called a time out and set up a play.  Unfortunately Durrant got a hand on it and forced a turnover.  This is something Ty did not do well last season.  Its good to see progression from him and the staff.  His one mistake was taking Alec Burks out with about 7 minutes left.  But Alec did look gassed.
• Mike Harris may have sealed his own deal for the year with his all-around play.
• Everyone play better with rhythm, but this more important for Alec.  He will be a far better shooter overall when he gets rhythm.
• Could the contract situation be weighing on Gordon?  I think so.....
• Foul trouble killed the wings, we really need Rush and Williams soon.
• Lastly, Jazz did lose but Philly won.....so I guess that is like a win for the Jazz and the race for #1

  The game was a great game to watch.  Guys battled all the way.  I am not sure if I can handle 81 more close games!  Luckly they won't all be nail bitters but I think the Jazz will be in a lot more of those then people think.  Go Jazz!!!