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!

Just some thoughts....

As a Jazz Fan....

  Over the last couple of weeks I have been asking myself a number of questions as a Jazz fan.  Somethings that left me a bit perplexed and others that down right frustrated me.  It left me wondering if I am the only one seeing and feeling these things.  So I am going to put it out there, what are your thoughts?

  Offensive concepts....the Jazz run the FLEX as much if not more than the pick and roll.  They seem to run the FLEX to exhaustion.  They don't seem to take advantage of the first good shot available.  We know how the Jazz suffer with pace of play and this could help alleviate some of that.  Versus the Warriors, there were a number of opportunities for Kanter, Favors and Evans to shoot that 17 footer, the Warriors just packed it in.  The Jazz never eve looked at the shot as an option.  You have to take it to make it and even if you don't make it the team has to honor that shot as an option and will then open up the floor.

  I think the casual fan could tell that Alec Burks is ELITE with the ball in his hands attacking the basket. Really has been since he has come in to the league. Granted there has been some development in that process, but why has it taken 2 1/2 years for this staff to put him in position to succeed or be a force?

  I think the same can be said with all of our bigs. Favors and Kanter demand double teams simply because of their size, but the Jazz are content to let guys CHUCK JUMPERS! It is the staffs responsibility to teach these young players and make the game easier for them. If you want to chuck jumpers fine, but at least make it easier for those shooting the jumpers. That starts inside out. Make teams double the bigs, teach the bigs to kick it out for the OPEN jumper.  While all of this sounds nice, I am not so sure the Jazz have the shot makers to make this happen?

  I have been watching Trey really closely in the P & R not sure why his first instinct isn't to attack the basket! WHY? If Trey attacks it puts pressure on the D, rotations need to be made, players are caught out of position and our offense gets easier. I have been so obsessed with this that I have been trying to chase down Trey's college shot chart to see where the majority of his offense came from in college. I was surprised to find out that Trey's 2pt attempts to 3 pt attempts was better than 2/1. I also found that on average Trey went to the free-throw line 4.3 times a game. If you look at these #'s (and they are an inexact science) Trey has regressed in this offense. He shoots primarily 3's (what the offense seems to give him) and he never, and I mean NEVER goes to the line! This is disconcerting.

If the Jazz continue on this path for the next X amount of time, they will be the Atlanta hawks, "always the bridesmaid, never the bride" mired in mediocrity for years to come and playoff fodder.....

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.

So many questions....Not a lot of answers.

  The last 2 weeks have had their ups and downs for the Utah Jazz.  There have been wins, there have been losses.  Good games by Enes Kanter, Alec Burks.  Struggles for Gordon Hayward and Trey Burke, and injuries to the cornerstone Derrick Favors as well as Jeremy Evans.  The vets Richard Jefferson and Marvin Williams continue to battle through their own nicks and dings.  But one question remains, who are the Utah Jazz?

  We are better than half way through the season and I rack my brain game after game, trying to identify what this Jazz team hangs their hat on.  General Manager Dennis Lindsey stated at the first of the season and he wanted to see this young team develop, see what pieces he had to build with.  He also mentioned the need to build a top caliber defense.  At this point, can Dennis Lindsey say that the Jazz have accomplished either of these goals?  Only he can answer that question....

  As I watch the Jazz, I can't put my finger on one thing that this team is.  Are they a post team?  A transition team?  A 3pt shooting team?  A defensive team?  Night in and night out the Jazz have been any of these, but they are never consistently one.  And there in lies the problem....

  This is a young team that needs direction, guidelines and roles.  Just saying that we are going to compete every night is great, but young players need something to focus on, a role, something that the are going to focus on and execute.

  So what are those roles?  Do the players have them?  Do they know and understand what they are?  How were those roles chosen and do they put the player or players in the best position to be successful?  While I am not at practice and don't know what Coach Corbin and the staff go over with the players, watching the games leaves me wondering if the players know their roles.

  David Locke, radio voice for the Utah Jazz, made mention on his Tipoff podcast the fact that Alec Burks has an elite skill as an attacker/penatrator and score and the fact that that is a building block for a player and an offense.  This has lead me to think about the young core and their skills or things that are valuable or valued on this team.  What are they?  How can the Jazz build off of them?  Lets take a look....

  Derrick Favors, in my opinion, his elite skill would be a defender or rim protector.  Enes Kanter, would have to be an offensive rebounder.  Rudy Gobert, very similar to Favors as a defender and rim protector.  Trey Burke, his elite skill would have to be the mid-range game, a lost art in the NBA game.  Four players that have elite skills or talents.

  Are they being put in a position to use those skills and be successful?  I am not so sure.  For all the talk of Kanter and Favors can or can't play together (depends on which side of the fence you are on) I believe they can.  Both players have elite skills that offset each other.  While Kanter struggles on defense and his rotations he is a much better offensive rebounder than Favors.  Because the Jazz have change their philosophy on defense and the fact that they want to stop transition, they are missing out on second chance points and thus negating Kanters skill.  So why not play Favors and Kanter together?  Make Kanters role that of an offensive rebounder and hitting the offensive glass hard.  Make Derrick Favors the rim protector and defender.  He has the responsibility to get back in transition and protect the basket.  The same philosophy could be used with Gobert instead of Favors.  Or if you are going to play Favors and Gobert together, have Derrick crash the boards.  The options are there and they should be looked at a lot more than they are,


  So that leaves us with Gordon Hayward and Jeremy Evans.  What are their elite skills or talents?  While Jeremy Evans will never be a starter in the league and likely not a 6th man in the league, he can be a valuable contributor off the bench.  If you were to ask me what Jeremy's elite skill COULD be, I would tell you that I believe he could be an elite weak-side/help defender.  Jeremy is long and extremely athletic.  The prefect combination for a help defender.  I hate to say it but I don't think this skill has been developed very well for Jeremy.  One other aspect Jeremy's game that is over-looked is his energy/motor.  He plays hard all the time.  Sports Illustrated Seth Davis wrote a fantastic piece about talent in college basket ball and the need for a new definition for players other than just measurables.  If you haven't read it I would strongly suggest it, here is the link  http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college-basketball/news/20140203/hoop-thoughts-talent/?eref=sihp

  So what is Gordon Hayward's elite skill?  He is a good passer, a good defender, a good shooter, good from 3pt range, an average rebounder.  What is Gordon's elite skill?  While Gordon is good in a lot of areas and valuable because of this, I am not sure he has an elite skill.  He is not a great 3pt shooter.  He is good in the pick and roll but his handle tends to be loose from time to time and can be turnover prone.  The skill that I would say would be closest to elite would be defense.  He has good lateral quickness, sneaky athletic and is long.  He has the ability to defend multiple positions as well as being a good help defender.  With that being said, is Gordon focusing too much on his offense?  Has he been put in a position to enhance that skill?

You decide...

  For the Jazz, the All-star break is just around the corner.  I would hope the Jazz get some good rest, come back healthy, refreshed and focused.  I hope they have a renewed interest and effort in finding out their elite skills and identity as a 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 take on the Bucks tonight...who really wants to win?

  The 10-24 Utah Jazz take on the 7-24 Milwaukee Bucks.  The Jazz are coming of an 83-80 victory over the Charlotte Hornets Monday night at the ESA.  The Jazz got good performances from Trey Burke 21 pts, 5 rebs, Alec Burks 14 pts, 6 rebs 2 stl and Derrick Favors 13 pts, 4 rebs, 2 stl, 3 blks.  Derrick Favors was instrumental in holding Al Jefferson to a 8-23 from the field.  Favors always made it difficult for Big Al and limited him to getting to his spots.  Great individual defensive effort from Favors.

  Tonight the Jazz take on a Milwaukee team that is in the same position as the Jazz.  Both teams are developing young players with the hopes of a bright future.  Tonight's game may not be about who wins but more about who loses.

  There was a great discussion over the holiday about the Utah Jazz and the direction of the season.  The "meat" of the discussion is whether the Jazz should continue to play veterans Marvin Williams and Richard Jefferson or start playing the "youth".  With the strides the Jazz seem to be making of late, playing the vets could be a costly decision for the franchise long-term.

  The Jazz have been just better than .500 the last 15 games or so.  That record was through a very difficult stretch in the Jazz schedule.  The Jazz have now hit a stretch in their schedule that is pretty soft and forgiving.  Through January the Jazz have only 4 road games, 9 games versus teams that are .500 or worse!  Looking at this month the Jazz very easily could go 7-5 or better.

  Now here is where the dilemma comes in.  Do you want the Jazz to be 2 games better than .500 through this stretch?  There is a number of Jazz fans that are happy with playing the vets and continuing on the path that the team and franchise is currently on.  If the Jazz finish the season with 30+ wins this season they are looking at no better than a #10 pick in this summers "Super draft".

  While this summers draft is consider to be the deepest draft since 2003 the 10 pick or worse may not provide the Jazz a "franchise changer".  Is it possible that that player could be?  Yes, but chance would be slim.  So moving forward, the Jazz can continue to play .500 or slightly better ball, play the vets, Kanter Gobert and Evans continue to get limited minutes, the team beats the sub .500 teams in the league (which thanks to the eastern conference is a lot) and end up with a #10 pick, a pick in the 20's and the one of the first few picks in the 2nd round.

OR.....

  The Jazz can start now!  Develop Kanter, Evans and Gobert.  See what 5-man units are effective with the young players and which are not.  Look at the opportunities to improve in the areas that those units and players individually can develop and start building now.  The Jazz need to find out what these pieces they currently have can help them going forward.  The Jazz know what Marvin and Richard bring to the table, "They are who we thought they were".  If the Jazz still win with the young guys they have double their reward in all honesty.  They have had the chance to develop those pieces, they have an idea of what they can do and regardless of where the pick in the draft they have a better understand of the piece or pieces that they will need to bring this franchise back to relevance.

  Now I have my opinion and I have shared it in the past.  I am not a fence sitter, I believe that option 2 is the best option for this team to get back to relevance as quickly as possible.  Now that is not to say that the Jazz don't possibly have pieces now that can do that as well.  Derrick Favors improvement this is has been remarkable.  We all knew he could defend, but there was a lot of question about his offensive game and the lack of a so call "go to" move.  From what I have seen, I'm not worried about his offense.  The Jazz also have a point guard in Trey Burke that I feel is a budding star.  He has elite quickness, does not turn the ball over, has the long forgotten mid-range game and is not afraid of the big stage or big moment.  I also think the Jazz have one of the top 6th men in Alec Burks.  He fills a roll very similar to Jamal Crawford and Lou Williams.  The kid is a flat out scorer.

  I love this team, and have enjoyed watching them this season.  In a dream sequence I wish the draft was now and that the Jazz had secured a top 5 pick and then acquired Marvin and Jefferson.  Only in a perfect world right?  GO JAZZ!

http://www.nba.com/gamenotes/bucks.pdf
http://www.nba.com/gamenotes/jazz.pdf

Jazz fans might want to rethink their win projections....Jazz get another one!

  Wow, the Jazz tried to give that one a way!  Great game and great to see the Jazz close out games.  Something this team has not been able to do the last couple of seasons.  The Jazz beat the Bobcats 83-80.  Brings the Jazz record to 10-24 with the Jazz heading in to a soft portion of their schedule with 10 of 12 at home.  The Jazz are going to have a chance to tally some wins...depends on who you are if that is a good thing for the Jazz.  Lets recap.....

• Hayward in foul trouble early, 4 minutes in the first quarter 2 fouls.
• Richard Jefferson has been playing really well.  
• Alec Burks had 6 pts in the first quarter.  He is a much need spark off the bench.
• Game tied after the first at 21.
• Kanter was passing the ball really well tonight.  Double comes and he is making the right pass.
• Jazz offensive rebounding in the first half was great.
• Team defense was great, active hands.
• Jazz up 8 at the half.
• While I don't agree with all the minutes going to Richard Jefferson and Marvin Williams, both players are very good for this young team.  The leadership and game experience they bring has been huge in the wins.
• Too bad Jefferson and Williams aren't/weren't here after this summers draft....
• Jazz shot the 3 lights out thru 3 quarters.  Finished the night 8-21 38.1%
• Marvin Williams was a monster on the boards, finished with 10 boards.
• What is on Chris Douglas-Roberts head?
• Alec Burks is a much better player with the starters, could be the additional weapons
• Jazz really struggled the first 5 minutes of the 4th quarter.  Would like to see Trey be more assertive at times like that.
• Coaching issues....Gordon had a mismatch with Ramon Sessions guarding him.  Jazz never went to him in the post.
• 5 minutes left in the game, Trey hits a huge 3 and then follows it up with a big rebound on the defensive sequence....key plays.
• Al Jefferson really wanted to beat the Jazz tonight.
• Ty is clearly coaching to win.
• Trey Burke made all the big plays down the stretch.  The 3, the rebound and the runner as the shot clock expired, kid has swag!
• Gordon Hayward was scoreless in the second half, other than the 2 free-throws at the end.
• Derrick Favors only had 4 boards but played great defense all night.  Changed shots in the paint and made Al work.

  Great win for the Jazz!  It was a fun game to watch and this team is really developing.  Interesting point tonight from Matt Harpring.  He made comments about the Bobcats and the number of lottery picks that they have had and the fact that the players they have picked are not "difference makers".  Kidd-Gilchrist and Zeller were two of the players that he named specifically.  He made the point that they were a #2 and #4 pick respectively and that Charlotte should have done more "due diligence".  I can't agree more.  Where ever the Jazz end up in the up coming draft, the Jazz will need to do their home work and find that piece that can take this team back to the playoffs and hopefully compete for a championship.  Nice win Jazz!

http://www.nba.com/games/20131230/CHAUTA/gameinfo.html?ls=slt

Welcome back "Big Al'...by the way, Kanter is going to "pump fake you all night!"

  Who can forget Enes Kanter's "love note" to Big Al last week!  That was classic!  To make it even better the Jazz got a nice road win in Charlotte.  The Jazz take on the Bobcats tonight at Energy Solutions Arena.  The way the Jazz have been playing, Charlotte will need to bring their A game to get a win.  That shouldn't be a problem for Al Jefferson, after coming off a 23 pts 24 reb game against Paul Milsap and the Atlanta Hawks.

  The Jazz are coming off a 98-90 loss to the Los Angels Clippers in L.A.  The Jazz played a great game and stood toe to toe with the Clippers.  Blake Griffin was a monster scoring 40 points and added 10 rebounds.  The Jazz did not have an answer for Griffin down the stretch as he scored at will and did what he has not been able to do in the past.....make free-throws 14-17 from the line.

  Possibly the biggest mistake of the night, for the Jazz, was being tied with give or take 3 minutes left and not playing the Hack-a-Jordan game.  The Clippers scored on three consecutive possessions and that sealed the deal for the Clips.  Recently, Ty and the staff have done a good job with game management and situationals, but they missed on this one.  On the positive side of things, Ty did a great job riding the hot hand, Enes Kanter and giving him some extended run.

  It was great to see Kanter get some confidence back and play with some toughness.  Kanter and Griffin battled all night in the post.  Each player trying to assert themselves and playing extremely physical.  Kanter finished the game 7-13 from the field for 17pts, 12 rebs and only 1 turnover.  That is a great game and good to see from Enes as he has struggle mightily as of late.

  Tonight's match-up will be equally fun to watch.  It will be interesting to see if Kanter can string together a few good games and build off the success and confidence he showed against the Clippers.  One thing I have notice about Kanter's game of late, he is shooting a really nice jump hook to the middle of the lane.  I would like to see him use this shot a little more than he currently is.  The shot is almost impossible to block and if the defender does try to block it, they generally will have to go through the body of Kanter.

  The match-up of the night, in my opinion, is going to be Trey Burke vs. Kemba Walker.  These players are very similar and equally matched.  Both have blazing speed and can create for their teammates as well as themselves.  Trey has been lights out with the mid-range game of late.  Look for him to use this to his advantage, as he has yet to learn how to score in the lane with contact or drawing fouls.

  Lastly Jazz fans, are the Jazz winning too much?  What do you think?  While I love seeing the development from this young team, I have had numerous conversations with the thought that the Jazz need to lose and secure the best draft position possible.  For example, watching Saturday's game versus the Clippers I found myself torn.  I really wanted the Jazz to beat the Clips because it was the Clips and the hype behind them.  Then again, I knew that it was better for the long term success for the Jazz to lose and continue to accumulate "ping pong balls" if you will.  So I guess for me, Saturday was a win win.....  As long as the Jazz are able to secure a top 5 pick in this summers draft I think I will be fine.  But if the Jazz are not careful and the way this team is developing currently, I would't put it past them to be in the 7-11 pick range.  Don't know if that is a good thing......but I will trust Dennis Lindsay and the front office that they have a plan.....GO JAZZ!

Road Warrior Jazz take on the Hawks in the ATL tonight!

  The Utah Jazz are coming off another road win Wednesday night in Orlando.  It was a career night for Trey Burke as he finished with 30 pts, 7 rebs and 8 assists.  The Jazz look to keep the momentum going as they take on the "Jazz of the South" the 14-12 Atlanta Hawks.  The Hawks have 3 former Jazz players on their roster.  Kyle Korver, Paul Milsap and Demarre Carroll, so we have a bit of a Jazz reunion on our hands.


  Tonight's game has match-ups across the board.  Trey Burke vs Jeff Teague, Marvin Williams vs Paul Milsap, Derrick Favors vs Al Horford.  I will be interested in Burke vs Teague and Williams vs Milsap match-ups particularly.  Can Trey follow up with a solid outing after having career highs?  This match-up for Trey is a favorable match-up.  Both players are similar in size (Teague 6'2") as well as being extremely quick.  I think I would have to give Trey an advantage when it comes to shooting the ball.  Trey's mid-range game is really good and he is really developing that floater.  Teague shoots 40.6% from the field and seems to be more of a volume type scorer or shooter.

  The match-up of Williams vs Milsap will be very interesting.  There were a number of Jazz fans that felt if any player was coming back from last seasons roster, it was Milsap.  The Jazz chose to go a different direction.  Milsap has always been a player that goes out to prove a point.  He has done so against the likes of Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, Carlos Boozer etc...Look for Paul to try to stick it to the Jazz.  I believe Marvin has the quickness to stay in front of Paul and take him off the dribble as well.  Look for Milsap to work the post game and see if he has an advantage on Marvin there.  I'm not so sure he does.  Marvin has done a pretty good job defending other teams power forwards in the post.  The only place that Milsap may get the best of Marvin would be on the boards.  I have notice that Williams has had to do a fair amount of "face guarding:" on the defensive boards.  That means that other guys (Hayward, Burke, Burks) will need to help on the boards and team rebound.


  Lastly, the Jazz need to watch out for Kyle Korver.  Korver is shooting 50% from the field and 51% from the 3!  Oh and he is still riding a 95 consecutive games with a 3 pointer made streak!  Longest streak in NBA history!  Korver is on fire and the Jazz will need to run him off that 3 point line forcing him to shoot the mid-range jumper.


  Tonight's game should be a fun one.  I have really enjoyed the development of the team, from the staff to players.  David Locke radio voice of the Utah Jazz, wrote a piece yesterday on the development of players and integration of Ipad's in coaching and being used on the bench.  If you have not checked it out, do! Its a great piece and you can see how it is benefiting the players as well as the coaches.  You can check it out at http://weareutahjazz.com/lockedonjazz/category/insider/  GO JAZZ!

http://www.nba.com/gamenotes/hawks.pdf

http://www.nba.com/gamenotes/jazz.pdf

Trey Burke = Future All-star....

  Ok Jazz fans,  been a way for the last couple of games.  Sorry for that!  Its that time of the year holidays, work etc.....all busy.  So I will work harder to keep the content coming.

  Now lets talk about the future.  That future is Trey Burke.  Just on the simple "eye test" since returning to the lineup, this Jazz team is a completely different team.  Sure you could credit it to over all team health, a resurgent Alec Burks, a number of different things.  But I think the main reason for the Jazz recent success (that has many Jazz fans worried about draft position) is Trey Burke.

  There are players in the league that have that "it" factor or superstar presence.  As I watch these games, I sense that from Trey.  He has a swagger to him and his game.  He is not afraid of the big shot or the big moment.  He looks forward to the challenge of guarding teams great point guards, and he simply never backs down.  Monday night in Miami he struggled.  He struggled so much that Ty put him on the bench.  What I like about this, is the fact that Ty is learning, as is Trey.  Ty did not bench Trey for the rest of the second half.  He let the rookie sit down, collect himself, regroup and get back out on the court.  When this happens to players, the often come back out with bad body language and do not want to compete.  Not Trey.

  Fast forward to last night versus Orlando.  Trey Burke the #9 pick overall taking on Victor Oladipo #2 and media darling pick for rookie of the year right now.  Trey, clearly a gamer, comes out with something to prove and does so emphatically!  Trey plays 40:28 minutes, shoots 12-20 from the field, 4-8 from 3, finishes with 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal and 2 turnovers!  Oladipo finished 1-12 from the field, 3 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 2 turnovers.  Well played Mr.Burke.

  I know that Jazz fans don't feel like the team has a "go to guy" on this team right now and that we need to get "that guy" in this draft.  Don't get me wrong, I would love to have a top 5 pick in this years draft and feel that can pay dividends for years to come.  But I can't remember a single rookie in the last 10 years that has come in to the league and been the "go to guy".  Even Lebron James missed game winners and struggled some nights.  The more that I watch the Jazz this season, the more I believe that they may have one or two "go to guys" currently on the roster.  That is why I have been impressed with Ty and the staff of late.  They are doing a great job teaching and developing these young guys.  Time and development will equal Trey Burke, the All-star and possible superstar....

 

Jazz taking on new look Kings and Rudy Gay tonight...

  The Utah Jazz head to "Sac town" tonight for a battle with the Sacramento Kings.  This will be a different team than the Jazz lost to on Saturday.  The Kings pulled off a 7 player trade, acquiring the rights to Rudy Gay, Aaron Gray and Quincy Acy.  Gay and Acy seem the most likely to get minutes for the Kings tonight.  This has also opened up an opportunity for BYU product Jimmer Freddett to get some increased minutes.  Jimmer was a DNP for the Kings Saturday night versus the Jazz.

  In the first game against the Kings, the Jazz were without the likes of Derrick Favors and Marvin Williams.  That stretched the Jazz thin and the did not have the size to battle with Cousins and Thompson.  Derrick Favors is said to be a game time decision.  Hopefully Favors is ready to go.  He has been a huge factor for the Jazz prior to the back spasms.  Favors offense is really developing.  He and Trey seemed to be getting into a rhythm and were playing really well.  Derrick was also showing off a nice little "pick and pop" ten footer, and we know what he brings on the defensive end.

  The last 2 games I have been impressed with Enes Kanter and his offensive game.  He is not hesitating on his 17 footer and is causing the defender to pull out on him.  Versus Portland he hit a couple of back to back jumpers, causing Lopez to close out hard.  Kanter blew by him for a dunk.  Its good to see Enes has the "green light" to shoot that shot.  He is a capable shooter with good touch.  This will pay dividends when Favors gets back in the line up.  This will help to spread the defense out some.  I would like to Enes pull the trigger on a 3pt shot or two also.  Pretty sure he does not have the go-ahead on that one yet, but I see no reason not to.  That is ultimately what the organization would like to see him develop some, so there is no better time than now to start shooting that shot.


  The back court of Trey Burke and Alec Burks have been playing fantastic.  Alec is averaging 17.4 pts over the last 6 ball games.  He has really benefited from the return of Trey, as well as, understanding his role on the team.  Alec is getting his points by doing what he does best, attacking the basket.  When he attacks he has incredible hang time and body control in the paint, allowing him to convert numerous 3pt plays.  Trey Burke has been as steady as they get.  I am not sure we expected him to be this good this early in the season.  He is getting a great feel for the offense and his teammates and putting them in a position to be successful.  Trey is learning quickly and is not turning the ball over too much.  He is playing with in the context of the offense and is being aggressive when the opportunity presents itself.

  Tonight's match-up is going to be difficult for the Jazz.  They do have an advantage with the fact that Sacramento is trying to work in a new player.  This may cause some confusion on the offensive end for the Kings.  The Jazz will need to take full advantage of the Kings lack of familiarity.  This trade make the Kings a very explosive team offensively, thus requiring a great TEAM DEFENSIVE EFFORT.  Watch the effort in the first 8 minutes.  If the Jazz are not getting after it (defensive glass, 50/50 balls etc) its going to be hard to get a victory on the road.  Time to fight and show some toughness.....GO JAZZ!

http://www.nba.com/gamenotes/jazz.pdf
http://www.nba.com/gamenotes/kings.pdf

Jazz vs Blazers 2.0....Same result Jazz fall 105-94.

  The Jazz could not put together a full 48 tonight.  Enes Kanter and Alec Burks had big games for the Jazz, but it was not enough.  Jazz fell to the Blazers 105-94.  The Jazz just didn't have enough in the tank.  Lets take a look....

• Trey needed to be aggressive with Favors out.
• Not sure if Gordon Hayward is the one the Jazz want initiating the offense.
• Saw Ty do something with Kanter I have not seen him do all season, Kanter came out of the game late in the first quarter, instead of chewing him out and stomping around as Kanter went to the bench, Ty stopped Enes and took the time to teach and coach.
• Jazz were tied at 22-22 at the end of the first.
• Team rebounding for the Jazz was not good in the 2nd quarter.
• Thomas Robinson is really a disappointing player. 3 teams and really no results.
• Trey got the "rook" treatment from the officials in the 2nd. Driving to the basket, not getting any calls.
• Slump is really affecting all facets of Hayward's game. He has not learned how to work himself out of it.
• Jazz did not get any calls tonight. They were clearly the aggressors all night and did not get any calls.
• Alec Burks has been killing it the last 6 games.  
• Burks playing with all the heart for the team.
• Burks played a lot of 1 on 5, was not getting any help from anyone else on the floor.  Portland started to collapse hard on him.
• If the entire team played with the heart and effort that Mike Harris plays with, the Jazz would not lose many games.
• Kanter had another good game offensively.  Still not where he needs to be on the boards.

  Couple of ideas from this game.  How long does Hayward's slump last?  Does this have any effect on what the Jazz decide to do long term with Gordon?  I think we can safely say that Gordon is not a number one option.  I find it interesting that Jazz continually run or initiate the offense through Gordon.  Trey Burke is the one guy on this team that seems to have that "it" factor.  I feel the Jazz should be running more offense through Trey.  When Favors is there I would like to see the Jazz play a little more inside out.  I think these are a couple philosophies that the Jazz should look at.  Couple guys had good nights, but for the Jazz to win it has to be a team effort.

http://www.nba.com/games/20131209/PORUTA/gameinfo.html?ls=slt

Jazz take on the red hot Blazer tonight in Portland!

  The Utah Jazz travel to Portland, Oregon for a dance with the leagues hottest team the Portland Trailblazers.  The Jazz are coming of a battle with the Indiana Pacers Wednsday night at ESA.  They Jazz played a great game, but there is a reason the Pacers are currently the best team in the league.  They were able to get a few stops on the Jazz down the stretch and finish them off.  It was a great game for the Jazz Kanter had 20 pts 10 rebs and Derrick Favors finished with 22 pts and 13 rebs.  Tonight's match-up doesn't get any easier.  Lets take a look.....


Defensively-Tonight's defensive keys are 3 players, LaMarcus Aldridge, Damian Lillard and Wes Mathews.  I feel tonight's game is a mater of not letting someone else beat you.  The way these 3 players are playing currently, you are not going to stop them.  All you can hope for is to play solid defense, make things uncomfortable and difficult for them.  The Jazz will need to make sure guys like Mo Williams or Nic Batum don't have big nights.  LaMarcus Aldridge is averaging 31 points and nearly 60% from the field in the 3 games this month.  Wes Matthews is leading the league in effective field goal percentage at 66%, Burks and Hayward will have their hands full with Matthews.  The match-up I will be interested in watching will be reigning Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard vs Trey Burke.  This will be a fun one.  Trey Burke seems to be coming in to his own and seems to have an "IT" factor about him.  Lillard and Aldridge have been running the pick and roll to perfection this season.  The Jazz have struggled in the past defending the pick and roll, this will be a good test for them.

Offensively-As well as Lillard and Aldridge have been running the pick and roll, the Jazz have been have been having and equal amount of success with their pair of Burke and Favors.  Favors was fantastic versus the Pacers, going strong to the hoop when the defense dictated, but also doing a good job with a nice little 10ft pick and pop shot.  Derrick is really developing and its fun to see.  It will be interesting to see if Marvin Williams is a go for tonight.  Enes Kanter played really well starting versus the Pacers.  Granted they do run 2 bigs.  That could be the same match-up tonight for the Jazz, as Portland starts Robin Lopez and LaMarcus Aldridge.  It will be interesting to see what Ty's decision on that will be.  Gordon Hayward struggled from the field versus the Pacers.  Jazz will need a solid game from Gordon.  Look for Hayward to be aggressive early.  This seems to be a catalyst for Gordon to have a good game.  If the Jazz can win the three key stats (rebounds, Free-throws, turnovers) they will have a great shot at picking up their 2nd road win of the season.

  Looking forward to this one tonight.  I want to see the Blazers for myself.  I felt their schedule was fairly soft early on and then they went and beat Indiana and OKC back to back!  Maybe these guys are the real deal.  Lot of great match-ups across the board.  This definitely on that Jazz fans should tune in for....GO JAZZ!

http://www.nba.com/gamenotes/jazz.pdf
http://www.nba.com/gamenotes/blazers.pdf

Battered and beaten, Jazz battle but fall to the Pacers....

  The Jazz took jab after jab from the Pacers and were right there before being knocked out down the stretch 95-86.  This was a hard one to watch.  Jazz played really well the entire game and wanted to see them pull it out, but knowing a loss in the long run is probably better for the team.  This was a "best of both worlds" game for the Jazz.  Hopefully they were able to learn a bit from the Pacers, how to be a gritty hard nosed team.  Lets recap.....

• The Jazz defense and execution early was fantastic!
• Jazz had a number of deflections in the first half.  Very active in the passing lanes.
• Ty called a time out at the 2:19 mark in the first, Jazz were up 5 at the time but were slipping.  Well called timeout, gave the guys a quick breather.
• Jazz win the first quarter 23-17
• Brandon Rush checked in during the 2nd quarter, hit his first jumper from the elbow.  Good for his confidence.
• Team rebounding in the first half was really good.
• Lance Stephenson has really improved, but is still throwing up garbage that is going in???
• Rudy Gobert got some run in the 2nd and there was some definite rust.  Paired with Kanter and looked a little bit lost.
• Alec Burks had a really good first half, and a strong game over all.
• This play stood out....Jazz on defense, 5 minute mark of the 2nd quarter, ball is above the 3 pt line on the left side, Jazz over play defensively not allowing Stephenson to go right.  Tries to go right 3 times stopped every time, completely disrupts Indiana offense.  The end up with a forced shot and miss.  Fantastic team defense.
• Jazz close out the 2nd quarter rough...lead at half 48-47.
• Jazz transition offense made all the difference in the world.  Indiana is not good in transition.  Bigs don't get up and down the floor well.
• 3rd quarter the Jazz looked tired, but continued to battle.
• All the minutes that Richard Jefferson logged early in the season have taken their toll, he just doesn't have any legs right now.
• Kanter played the way he is expected to.  Had a really good game, finished with 20 pts 10 rebs.
• Derrick Favors is going to be a steal at 11 million a year.  His development is really taking off.  Played like a MAN tonight.
• Favors got "jobbed" on his 4th and 5th foul calls.  He clearly blocked Hibbert under the basket got called for his 4th.  The 5th was a box out on Hibbert, should have been a no call.

  

All together there are a lot of positives to be take from this game. The Jazz took everything the Pacers had and gave some back to them, they played tough.  Two things came to mind as I was watching this game, one: the talent disparity is not as bad as many Jazz fans think.  I think the first of the season not having a legit point guard made the talent that this team does have look really bad.  Now with Trey back its almost a completely different team.  If you look at the numbers for all the players and the efficiency numbers, they have increased remarkably.  Two, the Jazz may win a lot more games than people think or may want. The Eastern Conference is so bad. Luckily, the Jazz play in the west and will have to battle the majority of the season.  If they were in the Eastern Conference, I would say the Jazz are making the playoffs.  Jazz are back at it Friday night in Portland.  Not getting any easier...

http://www.nba.com/games/20131204/INDUTA/gameinfo.html?ls=slt

Jazz look to keep PACE tonight at ESA...

  The Utah Jazz take on the leagues best team, the Indiana Pacers tonight at Energy Solutions Arena.  Jazz are riding an unexpected 2 game winning streak and the Pacers are coming of a loss to the hottest team in the league the Portland Trailblazers.  Tonight's game is going to test the young Jazz toughness.  They will have to come prepared to battle this team all night.  The match-up of the night will be early MVP canidate Paul George versus Gordon Hayward.  In the off-season, Jazz fans were upset with the Pacers for signing Paul George to a max deal.  To be honest, I thought that deal was a mistake and felt like it hurt the Jazz opportunity to resign Hayward.  Now we can see why Indiana paid George what they did.  Lets take a look at tonight's match-up.....

Defensively- The Jazz defense the last 2 games has been better.  They seem to have made a philosophy change and seem to be switching everything on defense for the most part.  It seems to be working.  This will be a different test for the Jazz tonight.  Indiana is an "old school" hard nosed team that plays inside out.  The offense will start in the paint with Roy Hibbert and David West.  I think Favors matches up favorably to Hibbert, should be able to play position defense and bother some of his shots.  Favors will have to do his work early and push Hibbert off the block as best as he can.  David West has always been a Jazz killer.  He always torched both Boozer and Milsap.  Tonight match-up plays in his favor.  Marvin does not have the size or strength to battle West.  The Jazz will have to double hard on West.  Look for whoever is guarding Lance Stephenson to be the double man.  Stephenson is not a good shooter and he is the guy that you would want to leave open.  For the Jazz to have a chance, they will need to bring their "hard hats" tonight.

Offensively- I think the only advantage the Jazz may have here is in transition.  They will need to run to be successful tonight.  And that means our bigs need to beat their bigs down the floor.  While West may have the advantage on Marvin, he still has to guard Marvin outside.  Marvin will help spread the floor and can also beat West off the dribble.  Trey Burke will be challenged offensively as he is going up against a bigger solid defender in George Hill.  Look for Trey to put Hibbert and Hill in the pick and roll and use his speed.  I am not sure that Hibbert can defend in the pick and roll, so Indiana may switch a lot, which may cause some confusion and breakdowns.  The Jazz can take advantage of this by making good off ball cuts and motion.  Gordon looked like he came out of his shooting slump a bit last game.  He was extremely effective early, being aggressive and putting the pressure on Harden.  Paul George is a different story.  He is an elite defender and is very long.  I think Gordon will come out feeling like he has something to prove.  This is a bit of a "double edged sword".  Gordon will need to play within the context of the offense as he did against the Rockets.  If he presses and tries to do too much, he will end up turning the ball over.

  Tonight's game will show what kind of toughness and fight the Jazz have gained over the last week or so.  I have been pleased with the progress of both the team and the staff.  They both have made strides in areas they were suffering previously.  Ty is making some good time out decision and substitutions have been solid.  The Jazz have also shown more fight and toughness, not backing down from anyone.  I have also enjoyed the poise this team has developed over this 2 game win streak.  Both games had a chance to go either way and the Jazz were able to execute and not get lost in the moment.  Development!  That's what its all about.....GO JAZZ!

http://www.nba.com/gamenotes/pacers.pdf
http://www.nba.com/gamenotes/jazz.pdf

The Jazz may have found their leader....

  What a game!  The Jazz beat the Rockets 109-103 tonight at Energy Solutions Arena.  If you weren't at the game or didn't get a chance to catch the broadcast, you really missed out.  This was a total team effort across the board, both offensively and defensively.  Hopefully this recap will do it some justice....

• Dwight Howard is overrated.  The Jazz doubled and really didn't need to.
• The Jazz offense was really good.  Ball movement and player movement was excellent.
• Jazz did a good job running the Rockets off the 3 point line....
• James Harden is a great OFFENSIVE player.  Plays Jimmer-esq defense.  No wonder Houston sold out to get Howard.
• Trey Burke was killing Houston on the pick and roll
• GORDON HAYWARD....welcome back!  He was aggressive the entire game, but did so in the context of the offense.  Did not force too many shots.
• Jazz won the first quarter 36-23, and lead at the half by 5.
• 2nd quarter and the 2nd unit struggled....looked a little lost.
• Houston plays no defense.  
• I could not figure out why the Jazz don't force "lefties" to the right.  Harden goes left as much as Tyreke Evans goes right.
• Finally, the end of the 2nd quarter Alec Burks forced Harden right twice.  Harden did not handle that well.
• Richard Jefferson had nothing in the tank tonight.  Heavy minutes early may be taking a toll on the vet.
• Alec Burks played a great game.  Also played within the context of the offense and the team.  Made some really nice passes and plays down the stretch.
• Team rebounding was decent in the first half, Jazz struggled on the boards in the 3rd.
• Harden gets away with a lot of travels.  Always takes 3 steps.  Also, a habitual flopper, especially on offense.  Dude really sells it.  Wish someone would show him what a "real" foul is.
• Jazz's "help the helper" was really good tonight.  Rotations solid, only missed on a couple of plays.
• Jazz were up by 2 with 4:40 left in the game.  Ty called timeout.  I felt this was a good timeout.  Jazz come out of the timeout, execute well and end up with a good shot, a Favors offensive rebound and sent to the line.  Best part, he knocked down both free-throws.
• Trey Burke loves to close games out.  He is not afraid of the big shot or big moment.
• Marvin Williams sealed the deal with a steal for a dunk putting the Jazz up five, then knocking down a 3 pointer the next possession putting the Jazz up 8.

  This was a fantastic game.  They Jazz played the full 48 minutes and did not let the moment get to them.  This game is one example where the Jazz did not win the "big 3" categories (rebounds, free-throws, turnovers) but were close enough to give themselves a shot to win.  The difference really was the defense.  The Jazz shot 54.4% from the field compared to the Rockets 48.2%.  They also bested the Rockets from the 3 point line shooting 58.8% to Houston 32.1%.  The Jazz made life difficult for the Rockets on the offensive end.  Yeah James Harden had 37 pts, but the Rockets didn't get much else from anyone else. 

 Watching this game made me really think about the importance of defense.  The Rockets have all the offensive firepower in the world.  That being said, they couldn't stop the Washington Generals from scoring on them.  I am not sure that kind of basketball is going to get you deep in the playoffs.  The game really slows down in the playoffs and I am not sure that Houston has the horses to be a defensive ball club.  They have two players on their entire roster that can play any D, Dwight Howard and Patrick Beverly.  Not sure where this Rockets team goes from here.  

  What I do know, the Jazz are ballin' and Trey Burke is a major reason why.  Toughness, grit, effort, leadership, all qualities that this young rookie is showing and will just get better.  Jazz fans, I think we found our leader!

http://www.nba.com/games/20131202/HOUUTA/gameinfo.html?ls=slt

Jazz look to ground Rockets tonight!

  The Utah Jazz come in to tonight's game feeling good after securing their first road win of the season.  Time to temper your excitement, the Houston Rockets are in town and they are riding a 6 game winning streak!  The Rockets are hot and will be a difficult match-up for the Jazz.  The Rockets come in averaging 111.6 pts a game, 51.2% from the field and 44.1% from three, with a league leading True Shooting percentage of 59.4%.  This will be a huge test for the Jazz team defense and defensive rebounding, as the Rockets are 2nd in the league in offensive rebounding.  Lets take a look at tonight's match-up....


Defensively- Number one, is going to be the defensive glass.  This is not something that should be left to the Jazz bigs.  This will need to be a team effort.  Trey Burke has been really good on the boards, considering size and position.  Again, goes to show rebounding is about effort.  If the Jazz are getting beat on the boards early, it could be a long night. If you look at Houston's road shot chart, http://stats.nba.com/teamStats.html?TeamID=1610612745&SeasonType=Regular%20Season, they shoot two shots, the 3 or in the paint.  This team does not take any long twos, and they don't take that many corner threes. They actually have more makes from the 3 from the wings and the top of the key than they do attempts on the corner 3.  The Jazz wings must run the Rockets shooters off the 3 point line and the big's will need to stay home and clog the lane.  Easier said than done....The majority of Houston's offense comes out of the draw and kick.  They will run some pick and roll with Harden and Howard.  The Jazz bigs don't need to worry about the pick an pop game with Houston as they don't really have player that is capable or consistent enough to cause problems.  Houston is full of shooters, this one will be tough for the Jazz, although the first match-up of the season the Jazz dominated the first half and were right there in the 3rd quarter, Jazz will be looking for redemption.

Offensively- Trey Burke is really emerging as a leader and good point guard on this Jazz team.  I think the offense will go as Trey goes.  He has been playing really well the last 3 games.  He is not afraid of the big moment and is showing some toughness that the Jazz had been lacking.  I also feel that the offense is transitioning a bit with the bigs getting more post-ups and shots in the paint.  This could be do to the fact that Hayward is still struggling mightily with his shot.  I think this is a good strategy for now and the future.  Teams have to double Favors and Kanter and that is creating open shots for Marvin, Jefferson and Hayward.  Houston will be a little different as they can match-up Howard with Favors/Kanter.  Houston has been starting Terrence Jones at the power forward, so the Jazz could have an advantage there if the run 2 bigs.  Also Marvin is quicker than Jones and should be able to get to the basket.  Against Phoenix, I felt Ty did a great job with his rotations and situationals.  There will need to be more of that tonight from the staff.

  Jazz will need to win the 3 critical categories (free-throws, rebounds, turnovers) if they want to give themselves a shot at their first 2 game winning streak.  Effort and toughness are a must for tonight.  Bring it.....GO JAZZ!

http://www.nba.com/gamenotes/rockets.pdf

http://www.nba.com/gamenotes/jazz.pdf

Holiday weekend recap, Jazz Style....

  Thanksgiving is now in the books and Jazz fans can be thankful for another win in the books.  That came last night in Phoenix as the Jazz beat the Suns 112-104.  This was the second game of a home and home with the Suns.  The night before, the Jazz looked like a team that couldn't defend, shoot or even show up.
This was a totally different team Saturday night.

  The Jazz played with a purpose, they played with toughness and a knowledge that they could get a win if they just executed.  Ty and the staff did a great job with adjustments from the night before and also in game.  Friday night the Jazz were killed in the pick and roll, Saturday was a different story.  The Jazz rotations were solid, there was a "help the helper" mentality and the Jazz were active.

  On Offense, the Jazz tried to dictate the situation as well.  Friday night, having clear size mismatches versus Phoenix guard line, the Jazz failed to get Gordon or Jefferson in the post.  Tonight the Jazz put both players in the post and made Bledsoe and Dragic defend the bigger, stronger Jazz.  It caused some foul trouble for Bledsoe specifically.  The Jazz also had the advantage in the post with their bigs.  They did a much better job of getting looks for both Favors and Kanter in the post.  Favors finished 5-7 from the field 14 pts, 8 rebs, 1 stl, 1 blk.  Kanter only logged 14 mins but finished 3-6 from the field 8 pts 4 rebs.

  The Jazz had some solid contributions off the bench, as well.  Jeremy Evans 12 pts, 3 rebs, 1 ast, 1stl.  Alec Burks had a good game with  5-9 from the field 13 pts, 3 rebs, 5 ast.  These two brought energy to the floor and were effective.  So much so that Ty closed out the game with Alec in the line.  Alec's size and length made it possible for the Jazz to move Trey Burke to the smaller Bledsoe.  Diante Garret also had a similar effect with his long reach.  He was able to deflect a number of passes and made life a little more difficult than John Lucas did the night before.

  There are 3 stats that I always look at that I feel are a great indicator of a win or a loss.  Those being, rebounds, free-throws, and turnovers.  The Jazz won two of the three categories.  Rebounds 39-35 Jazz, free-throws 25-29 86.2% Jazz, 18-25 72.0% Suns, turnovers 14-13 Suns.  I think that these 3 categories show a direct link to effort, execution and concentration.  Rebounds are all effort, turnovers are both execution and concentration and free-throws are clearly concentration.  Its rare that if you win two of the three categories, that you don't give yourself a great chance to with game.

  The talk of the night had to be rookie Trey Burke.  Burke finished 6-15 from the field, 4-6 from three, 20 pts, 6 rebs, 3 ast and 2 stls.  The stat line looks great, but it was Trey's toughness and his will down the stretch.  There was a point in the 3rd quarter, Trey was battling with Dragic for a rebound, Dragic clearly trying to give the "rook" the business, and Trey wasn't buying.  They both went to the ground and were called for a double foul.  Love the effort he had specifically on that play.  The second was the finish, in the last 3:30 of the game Trey hits 2 clutch threes!  Now I know its only one game, and we need to see Trey do that on a consistent basis.  But if the last couple of games are any indicator of the potential of Burke, the Jazz point guard of the future is going to be just fine.

  This is a bit of a tough one if you are the Jazz fan looking for the best draft position.  Losses are a good thing this season.  But it is nice to see the Jazz progress and improve from one night to the other.  I have to say that I was impressed with Ty and the staff's adjustments.  They did a good job dissecting the game film from the night before and putting these guys in a position to succeed.  That is the kind of improvement that we need to see from both the staff and the players.  The good news is Milwaukee Bucks won last night also!  The one negative, it helped Golden State out having Phoenix loss.  But a wins a win!  I will take it!

http://www.nba.com/games/20131130/UTAPHX/gameinfo.html?ls=slt

 

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

New line up, same result...Jazz get clobbered in OKC.

  Personal disclosure: as a Jazz fan I can tolerate losses.  I can tolerate blowouts.  What I can't tolerate is a lack of effort across the board, from players and staff.  No one showed up tonight.  This is not acceptable.
  Now that's out of the way, Jazz really struggled tonight.  They looked tired and disinterested.  Let's take a look....

• New starting lineup, Trey Burke, Gordon Hayward, Richard Jefferson, Marvin Williams, Derrick Favors.
• New lineup had major growing pains.  No consistency on offense, guys don't know where to be.
• Early first quarter Richard Jefferson pump fakes Durant, gets landed on by Durant, no call, ball turned over.
• Positive....Jeremy Evans play hard always.  
• Kanter is mentally broken.  Has no confidence.
• Offensive sets, Jazz don't cut hard.  That kills the offense.
• Jazz did not attack the basket at all.
• Jazz got no play in the post or in the paint.
• I like Diante Garrett's effort.  Plays hard and tried to rebound from the guard position.
• Team rebounding is killing this team.  They are just bad.
• Down 17 in the first half....again.
• Gordon missed 2 layups early, stopped being aggressive.
• On offense there was no continuity whatsoever.
• This was interesting, Coach Lowe in the halftime interview, seemed disinterested....not good.
• Gordon Hayward as no leash whatsoever.  He can make mistakes and struggle, stays in the game.  Hard as a teammate to watch that and know that is not the case for you.
• Jazz lack of aggressiveness showed, Ibaka gets first foul of the game with 1 minute left in the 3rd.  Jazz did not challenge the interior of the Thunder.
• Jazz did get decent looks out of offense, just can't make anything.
• I'm ready to trade for Jimmer.  Atleast he can knock down an open shot....
• Maybe Jeremy Evans is a guy that needs to start.  He starts fast may be that spark they need.
• Lastly, this really bothered me.  Kanter went hard and challenged a shot, came down awkwardly, twisted ankle pretty bad.  Gutted it out got down on offense, the Jazz got fouled and he came out of the game.  Not one member of the staff came to check on him.  I bet it took them 2 minutes before they noticed him with his head between his legs, grimacing in pain.  That's not ok.

  I am not an NBA coach, not a college coach, I don't do this professionally but there are a few things off  right now.  The unfortunate thing, Ty is losing the locker room.  That can't happen.  Players will start to turn on each other and the staff.  The players have to take some onus on themselves, to get in the gym, practice where they are lacking.  They have to be the ones that put forth the effort to get better and become great.  Right now I am not sure where they are going to get that fire from.  Always easier said than done, but this is Trey Burke's chance to make this team his.  Make these guys respect him and lead this team.  Its becoming evident that this may not be something that Hayward can do.  He will be a great #2 or second fiddle, but he clearly can not be your "lead dog".  Tough, hard to be this negative....