SB Nation - Login for mobile commenting

SLC Dunk

The Jazz had a Chance to Go from a Good Team to a Great Team Edition : The Downbeat 667

We suffered a tough tough loss last night to the reigning champions, Dallas Mavericks. If all of you are like me, its a hard loss to swallow. Dallas had players who played out of their minds. It seems like no matter the jersey, Shawn Marion and Lamar Odom ( Odom only had 11 points but they were timely and it felt like he had a bunch more) are going to shine against the Jazz, they had a partner in crime last night with Beaubois chipping in 17 points, including easy easy layups at the end of the 4th quarter. Lamar had been averaging 6.9 ppg on 31.2% shooting, in his first six minutes he had 7 points on 3-of-3 shooting. Seriously what have we ever done to Lamar to always have him play well against us, his Lakers teams nearly always beat us, so there isn't that but man does it get old seeing candy-loving Odom go off against us. ( I know 11 points isn't much but 4/5 from the field for in 20 minutes is pretty dang efficient)

Earl Watson is the heart and soul of the Utah Jazz. Earl is the vet leader we have been looking for since Derek Fisher left. Earl has a passion for the game and a desire to win that can't be matched. Utahjazzblitz tweeted that Watson is the anti-Boozer. I don't think there is a better description. Earl sat in his locker not facing the media for over 3 minutes last night, fuming about the loss. Earl commented about defending Favors: (thanks to Salt City Hoops for the quote)

"My teammates are like my brothers. I love all my teammates, I love my team. Its like protecting your house, you know?"

The Jazz are lucky to have Earl Watson on the team, we need that fire, we need someone who doesn't believe in moral victories.

"I'm not into moral victories, man" - Earl Watson after 94-91 loss to the Mavs.

Listen to Earl's post game courtesy of KFAN : earl watson after dallas game

CJ Miles has played just fabulously the last few games. It is the CJ we have always dreamed of, the smart CJ. The CJ that slashes to the basket instead of settling for jumpers, is active on the defensive end and capable of this....

Dirk hates Utah its his least favorite place to play in the NBA. In his first playoff series which was against the Jazz he muttered "Utah is a bad city." It is no surprise that Dirk once again lost his cool against our Jazz last night. The thing is this time he wasn't caught by the refs or they turned a blind eye, when he slapped the ball out of young Derrick Favors hands. Here are some of Dirk's other adventures in Utah.

Dirk taking out Kirilenko:

Dirk backhanding Harpring:

Marc Stein

Been hearing reliable rumblings since trip to Reno for D-League Showcase that Jazz have made it known Devin Harris is available via trade

Marc Stein
Not exactly leaping onto a limb to suggest Harris' TNT performance against his old friends from Dallas won't have phones buzzing in the SLC

Marc Stein

Yet I'm told Jazz will keep shopping him and they'll eventually find taker for Devin. PG is only 28 and has just one year left at $8.5M
I know Devin hasn't been playing well lately, but I don't know how I feel about these rumors. I love our team right now and I don't want trading Devin to cause any major shakeups with our team.
Poll
Would you trade Devin Harris?
Yes
318 votes
No
78 votes
No Comment
59 votes

455 votes | Poll has closed

1 recs  |  98 comments

Comments

#5 i think it really depends on who we get in return
Exactly

If we could somehow snag a better starting PG, I would be okay with that. I doubt our PG of the future is available right now (unless we can get Rondo) but I dont think it would be a terrible idea to go after a solid vet PG that could help us for a season or two. Andre Miller anyone?

No thank you on Miller

I think the only thing worth shaking up our chemistry for would be a PG for the future.

I agree
So you

want to trade a steadily declining PG who is playing some of the worst bball of his career and going to make close to 9 million dollars next season for a PG of the future? Unless you are hoping for a marginal draft pick to become the PG of the future I think that’s just plain crazy. KOC will be lucky to find any takers for Harris’ contract.

Exactly

No way were going to trade Harris for a PG of the future unless we give up something good in return, and with how the rest of the team is playing, I don’t want to get rid of any of them yet. Harris is the odd man out. Do I think we have to trade him? Absolutely not, but I’m not opposed to the idea.

I don't expect Harris to get us the PG of the future

I just don’t think its worth potentially destroying team chemistry for a 33 yr old rental.

My Thought

Was more along the lines of Andre and Earl filling the same need and that it’s not worth trading Devin unless it is for the future.

Andre Miller is fine with coming off the bench. He's doing it with Denver.

I don’t think Denver’s interested in giving up Miller though.

Yes, he's coming off the bench. No, he's not fine with it.

http://www.foxsportsflorida.com/01/11/12/Denvers-Andre-Miller-not-thrilled-with-r/landing.html?blockID=644414&feedID=10140

Yeah, when Bebop said he wants to be a starter, I did research and found some stuff about it.

Earlier in the year he’d said that he was ok with coming off the bench.

I tend to agree with this.
I wouldn't mind Miller.

He’s made it known that he wants to be a starter, and that isn’t happening in Denver. He’s been pretty consistent through the years, and he already has a large built in fan base in Utah. I like Harris, but he just never seems to play with passion anymore. I think a large part of it is that he’s a shooting/slashing point, and we need more of a traditional pass first guy. Harris might also fit in better with Denver’s run and gun offense, and Miller would def fit better here. Probably have more consistency from the point position with him starting and Earl backing him up.

I’m not sure how important Devin is to the team as far as chemistry goes. He just doesn’t seem to gel with anyone on the court.

miller's passing ability hasn't gone down hill at all.

the biggest beneficiaies would be millsap, jefferson and favors. to a lesser extent howard, hayward and miles. if you move and go to the hoop miller will find you. he plays decent team defense, but the ultraquick points are just too fast for him.

all that said, miller will be 36 in couple months. he is an expiring contract.

I do wish we would take the target off his back

I’m tired of trade this and trade that arguments. I know I’m just as bad as everybody else, but I think we all need to give him some space.

That would defintely be the levelheaded decision.

But knee jerk reactions are way better!

The problem is that he's paid quite a bit and isn't filling the cap space taken w/ production.

I think we all acknowledge that he’s been playing much better lately. If he keeps improving his team play, then I don’t see anyone worrying about trading him.

I said the exact same things about Al Jefferson last year.
Yeah, I remember that now that you mention it.

And in my opinion, they’ve both gotten a lot better. I think Al has gotten to the point where he’s justified his salary. There just aren’t that many quality big guys available for easy replacement.

For point guard however, I feel like there are probably a few of them out there and available for cheaper who would replace the production with perhaps slightly better efficiency.

I haven’t watched a ton of NBA this year though, so it could be a bad perception on my part that:
a) There are guys who can match the defense/pass first part of Devin’s production
and/or
b) Some of the guys from part a) are available via trade
and/or
c) Said guys would be cheaper

I always thought Sundiata should have been re-signed. Dirt cheap, ran the team pretty well, young enough. I actually sort-of feel like the team could get by on signing a super cheap 3rd PG from the D League and having Tinsley and Watson run the show. It would definitely depend on Tinsley not being a chucker though, and both staying healthy.

Al has played well and he's doing the little things better to help the team.

$14 million worth? No. But I’m not going to hold it against him too much. He only has two years left so it’s understandable and not killing the team financially. But it’s not a slight on Al. Most guys are overpaid.

But when Marcin Gortat makes $7 million a year the next 4 yrs. and Al Horford makes $12 million the next 5 yrs. and Marc Gasol and Bogut make 12-13 a year…it’s hard to say he’s worth $14 or $15 million. Maybe if he was our best offensive OR defensive player we could get closer to saying that.

But you're only quoting guys who somewhat outperform their salary.

Rashard Lewis, Amar’e Stoudemire, Elton Brand, and Antawn Jamison all make more, and I would say, produce less. I’d put Chris Bosh and Al Jefferson in the same range, and Bosh makes $16 mil, $19 mil in 2 years.

DeAndre Jordan’s making $10 mil and he’s averaging 7.4 and 8.1. 40 blocks and very good defense, but still… $10 mil. Bynum’s at $15 mil, and I think Jefferson should be close behind him. Marc Gasol will be at $14 mil next year. Mehmet’s at $11 mil. Okafor’s at $12.5 mil. Tyson Chandler’s at $13 mil and as challenged offensively as Jefferson is defensively.

Chris Kaman is at almost the exact same salary and I’d right now, I’d take Al over Kaman. Boozer’s a little less than Al and again, I’d take Al.

$14 mil is a lot, but Jefferson played in 82 games last year. Bogut only played in 65. Pretty sure he still got his full contract value, which was probably around $11-12 mil, right? Seems like that evens out.

Al Horford is the only one in that list that I think is close to Al’s production right now. And even he’s injured right now. I think most of us were very interested in Gortat after Orlando’s playoff run. We’d all take Bogut for his price if we could get him.

I think Al’s a little expensive, but I think he’s making a reasonable amount for what he’s providing, especially when you factor his steals, blocks, low turnover rate, and ESPECIALLY, the fact that he wants to be in Utah. The fact that Millsap is better than Al offensively doesn’t take away from Al’s abilities and performance in my mind. There are several of us on the board who thought Millsap’s contract, while front loaded, was an excellent value overall.

Geez I have a lot to say this morning...

.I said it in the game thread last night, but I really think that we should have tried Paul at the three against Marion and Odom. They ran all over poor Hayward. I also think that if we had slid Hayward or CJ to the two their size and length could have stopped (or at least slowed) Beaubois.

Agreed

If Howard is active, I think we win that game by 6-7.

Def

Odom and Marion were killing both of them, since they are 3/4’s whereas CJ and OG are 2/3’s. Just a bad matchup for us.

We really did miss Howard

we were losing the matchup battle there and the Mavs were constantly taking advantage of the situation.

Odom

Destroys Millsap. Doubt there would have been a difference.

At this point I think

The only reason Harris is still starting is to give him an opportunity to showcase his game for other teams. Everyone is all, “I only want to trade him for a starter”. But what does “starter” even mean? Are you telling me Early isn’t a starter? Because it seemed like he owned it last night. Let’s make Earl our starting point guard and pick up a pass first back up for him.

As to Dirk, I’ve never liked the guy or understood where the seemingly universal adoration comes from. I guess now I know it’s because he doesn’t like Utah and plays especially dirty here?

Harris is starting because Earl is better with the young guys coming off the bench

Watch how he is while on the floor with Burks, Favors, and Kanter. He is very much an extension of Ty on the floor, guiding them to the right places on offense and coaching them after defensive possessions.

This

In the second quarter we got to see “The Future + Earl” All of our young guys were on the floor with earl at the point and they looked really really good (I think this was the first time we’ve seen all four of our young guys on the floor together). They were causing all kinds of trouble for the smart veteran offense of the Mavs (Dirk, Kid, and Terry were all on the floor at the time) and they were doing alright on the offensive end. They had some rookie mistakes but overall they outplayed the Mavs. They won that portion of the game while on the floor. Ty subs in the starters with a few minutes left in the half and the Jazz down by a point if I remember right. It only took a few minutes for the same Mavs players to go up by 13 on our starters.

You have the greatest user name ever.
From one Bob to another

Thanks!

My reaction to Harris'?

It was just one game. He and Watson, together, have been steady for most of the season. Its hard to ask a PG to completely change his game. I think he is coming along, but it is clear that last night he sunk into his old habits. If the Jazz do trade him it is not going to be right away. Lets give him time to see how he comes out the next few games

How come no one is pointing out

That Harris was probably trying to get some revenge on the Mavs…and maybe Corbin wanted to give him that chance.

They did win a championship without him.

Yep, I think this is the appropriate response.

I still voted Yes though, contingent on what/who they could get back. I just tend to think he’s too expensive for a developing player with some bad habits.

I don't know about the "just one game" thing

Devin’s been really bad almost every game this year.

it is easier to remember the few good games he's had

but still i am reluctant to mess with the chemistry of the team

I wanted that win SO BAD!

I haven’t felt that much animosity towards a team since, well, the Lakers. But I loved the way we didn’t back down. I do think putting in Harris for Watson at the end there was a mistake. And it looked like dirk was pretty slow out there, it seems like there could have been a way to attack him. Maybe have Millsap face him up and go at him. I don’t know, tough game, but a gritty performance. Love these Jazz.

I think Harris is definitely the odd man out, but why not wait until the draft to trade him? We should be looking at PG prospects in the draft, I think. It will be too hard to get a good PG off another team.

I really doubt that Harris will be traded any time soon.

My real concern is that we already have an offensive stiff starting at the 2 guard position. Bell has stepped his game up considerably, but he is basically a role player who happens to start for a team that needs veteran leadership. If Harris is going to play this poorly, then our starting lineup is really going to struggle. There is no way that we can start Watson at PG right now. He is the strong leader that our second unit needs, and Harris would be a poor fit coming off the bench. It’s not like we are playing for a championship this year, so I would like us to hang onto Harris and see if he pulls out of this slump. If he doesn’t, that’s not too big of a deal. If he does, then maybe his trade value could get us something in return.

This is the right course.

Trading him now (at extremely low value) really doesn’t do much for us. I don’t see what we could really get in return for him right now (except a can of tuna, perhaps). And, if he continues to suck, it’s not like we will lose much value either; I think his stock is pretty close to rock bottom.

Why trade Harris?

The Jazz are already doing pretty well as harris has become less of a scorer and more of a facilitator. what the jazz need are some perimeter shooters because they have no one who can be considered a reliable option from outside.

I think you just answered your own question, but didn't realize it.
LOL I get it

But still, if it ain’t broke . . . and I doubt the Jazz can get any real value for Harris who is having his worst season offensively.

#2 Jazz have never had a better backup PG than Earl

Not including Stockton or Williams but someone brought in specifically to be a backup.

Great stuff Diana...

I really appreciate the acknowledgement of Fisher’s contribution as a veteran leader on that WCF team. I’ve always felt that lost in the circumstances of his departure, was that Jazz fans don’t appreciate what he did to help lead a very young team deep into the playoffs.

This is the most important attribute that Earl Watson brings to this team. I don’t think you will find a Jazz fan who isn’t 100% on board with Earl. He and Paul should be our team captains for the rest of the year.

That being said, I can’t see Earl as our starting PG. He is the PERFECT backup for this team. He can come in and play 20-25 minutes a night, throw alleyoops to Jeremy, CJ, and the Bear if he’d like, but we need someone else to start. If in fact KOC (no comment) is able to trade Devin, I would like to see him bring back a competent point guard (or JJ Redick… just sayin’) that can play 23 minutes a night and feed the ball to our bigs. I don’t have an answer as to who exactly that is, but if Carlos Arroyo was able to do what he did for this team 6 or 7 years ago someone has to be out there.

i can't see Earl starting either

he is absolutely perfect for our young guys. I wouldn’t want to see them out there without them. He is like the kind older brother or the cool young- Young Men’s leader that helps the younger boys, teaches them guides them, I can’t see devin doing that with the 2nd unit

FESENKO MAKE BASKETT!
This statement is a fallacy
Can we please

just take it easy on devin? every loss it seems theres someone that didnt contribute that night and everyone starts screaming trade, whether it be Raja, AL, CJ or whoever.

why cant we as a fan base just get behind devin this year, does anyone have patience?

we were ready to hang raja out to dry for nothing 2 weeks ago, now he’s playing good. give devin time to get it back togetherm because when he does it’ll be worth it, and better than anyone we could t rade him for.

what do you think it does to his morale when he knows every team he has played for, wanted to trade his ass the ENTIRE time he was on the roster? it’s gotta mess with you.

fingers off the panic button! we were close, but we werent supposed to win that game anyways.

BTW I HATE TNT’s coverage, UGH!!

also "Shut up."
that was almost the title of the down beat today :)
Frame of reference for everyone:

Last night Devin Harris missed the exact same shots he made vs. the Clippers — shots that he took early in the shot clock, off transition, that staved off all Clipper potential runs.

That said, in previous games where Devin was shooting poorly he also defended and got assists. Shooters mentality suggests you have to keep shooting, even more frequently when you miss.

Tough spot for him right now.

I think the thing is that if Devin sometimes gives you points/shooting, and sometimes gives you defense and assists,

wouldn’t it be better to give you someone who sometimes gives you points/shooting and almost always gives you defense and assists? Especially if he’s cheaper?

I can't argue against that

but i’m trying to be objective here

Amar I think you are becoming my favorite...
I think he was trying too hard

Facing his old team, he probably wanted to prove something. He’s pretty reliable with his jump shots but last night they just looked horrible.

4

Jim Carey had hair back then!! I love seeing old games.

I’m not going to jump on the ‘trade’ wagon yet. Devin can play, but he’s GOT to get his crap together. I do not see in him the competitive fire I want from my PG, even when he plays well.

Great DB Diana.

Let's trade Devin Harris for Burks

That’s a trade that Ty can make without needing KOC.

Hahaha... nice one
I think that the internet, the game threads

and even Twitter tend to give people a mob mentality at times. It in’t a big deal, but I think that we are all jumping on Devin’ play way too much.

He had a nice game the night before, so I am not going to give up on him. He even made a few plays when he was inserted back into the lineup. I am guessing that if he makes that last shot none of this is an issue. Also last night was a little bit strange because Earl had that really emotional confrontation with Dirk which made Devins bad game seem even worse.

Raja on the other hand, should not be playing as much, though I think he has done better recently.

I agree. I am not at all giving up on him.

But I think the Jazz are smart to be shopping him.

This is kind of funny

Since Raja’s had more decent games this year than Devin

keep devin but have him come off the bench?

No matter who’s on the floor, I think Earl right now just knows how to run the offense better, and control the tempo; that’s just my opinion =p

and someone like that is good with the bench AND the starters, he’s good with everyone!

i think the jazz offense needs a facilitator

pass, move around, FACILITATE!.

It just comes down to who is the better facilitator, devin or earl? We don’t exactly need a scoring pg. Jeff Teague, C.J. Watson, Devin Harris….doesn’t work as well (at least in my opinion) with what the Jazz have going for their offense.

Right. That's what Devin Harris seems to be doing better lately, but can you get someone better at it for cheaper?

To me, that’s the question.

I have no problem with Devin Harris. But he needs to keep improving.

food for thought

(Starters + Devin) + (Bench + Earl) >>>> (Starters + Earl) + (Bench + Devin)

Is this a true statement? Does removing earl from the bench make our bench incompetent? Does he add more to the team working with guys who can’t make their own shot, vs setting up guys who have one on one moves?

I don’t know

Yeah, it's a clever way to express what the Should-Earl-Start debate is all about.

And I don’t know either. I’m not sure it’s really been tried yet, has it? Until they test it out for a couple games, I’m not sure there’s really any way to know.

Theory

(Starters + Earl) + (Bench + Tinsley) >>>>> (Harris + ∞ )

Don’t know if that will work, we’ll see.

like
at least seeing what might happen with it

though I’m not advocating throwing Harris out with the dishwater either

If Devin was knocking down those open shots would it make most ppl feel better?

probably. But does he do it consistently, not just on a game-to-game basis but shot-shot? Not really I don’t think…

Concerns about defense and starting earl? He isn’t worse than devin at that…and we have Raja and Burks (who is learning from Raja). and Raja is also a good leader on the floor.

Have Devin and CJ come off the bench with Favors too to lead the 2nd unit. Burks and Kanter won’t be affected by that change really too and can keep developing.

His distance shooting has never been particularly great

That’s what bothers me when I see people say things like “shooter’s mentality” with Harris. He’s not really a shooter. Or maybe he’s a shooter, not a maker. Either way, he’s not a Kobe or Michael Redd type who you want to keep shooting through slumps to try to find their stroke. You want him to be more selective in his shooting and pass up some of the not as good shots to guys like Millsap (who struggled last night, but the idea stands).

Never been so upset, yet so proud

After a Jazz game in a long time. That pretty much sums up my thoughts.

5) I’m fine with either keeping or trading Devin. Not sure what you can get out of him, really. There’s a FanPost talking about a desired Calderon/Harris trade. I actually would do that because I feel Calderon is a much better fit for the Jazz, but I’m conflicted about pulling a trade like that off during the season—would rather that trade happen in the offseason.

People’s main concerns about that particular trade is how it would affect team chemistry. Honestly, I’m not sure trading Devin specifically would affect chemistry that much just because it just doesn’t seem like he works well within the system to begin with. But I do have concerns about bringing in a new guy and forcing him into the starting line-up in the middle of the season, especially if this squad has aspirations for the playoffs. Perhaps it’ll work if the guy definitely had a pass first mentality. Earl could fill in as a spot starter for a few games, but the guy is so much more valuable with the second unit.

I guess I’ll just wait and see with Devin.

I will say this, though: The Jazz needs a capable 3-point shooter. Badly.

Honestly, I think it's more of an issue of locker room chemistry than on-court chemistry.
Okur was one of the most liked guys on the team

When the Jazz traded him away, I’m sure it stung, but it didn’t appear to affect the locker room long term. The guys got over it. The main thing was Okur wasn’t a guy who affected what the Jazz did on the court. His departure actually created more well-need opportunities for others. It was a positive for the team.

It’s a bit different with Devin because he’s the Jazz’s starting PG. Now it’s a question of whether trading Devin can positively or negatively impact what the Jazz do on the court and whether the Jazz is willing to risk that during the season. For the right guy I’m sure it’ll help, but it’ll take some time for any person to get acclimated to the system.

Agreed, but removing someone is different than adding someone.
Right

That was main concern in the original post. I was more worried about bringing a new person in than trading Devin. My main point in the second post was that on-court chemistry mattered more than locker room chemistry.

if i was toronto i wouldnt do it lol
5 - No

Shakeups are bad. Keep Devin and use his skill set to his maximum capability is my advise. Devin needs to drive it in and create rather than take outside jumpers. Coach needs to implement that. That’s his strength and game. Use it.

Jazz had the win, if Favors could’ve stayed in. Didn’t realize how much Favors meant to the team. Speedy athletic guys like Westbrook and Beaubois have always caused trouble for the Jazz. We had no answer for them, and last night was no exception. Favors is the ONLY guy on the team that can challenge them and make it hard for them to drive it in. I thought Beaubois single-handedly took down the Jazz in the 4th qtr.

Just as an aside, it's awesome to see the SLC Dunk community so active. Love it.
For sure!

I was always a little jealous of other teams sites that had more activity than us, but recently, the SLCDunk community has really been kicking it into high gear! Its awesome.

unwanted point guard for unwanted point guard

felton facing same scrutiny in portland as harris here. though i haven’t looked up salaries they should be close.

felton is in a contract year. felton “might” fit better with younger jazz players than harris. neither man is shooting the ball well. felton is a better passer, and even though currently overweight, still quite fast.

I'm thinking Portland will always have a PG problem

so long as OMSW wants the ball always.

Damn

That was one hell of a game. I have been to a lot of games over the past 3 years, and this was definitely one of the most intense regular season games (last years CHI being the most) I have ever seen. Proud of the team for not giving up when down by team, this team has a legit playoff chance. Also I really hate Dirk

does anyone like dragic?

im not saying straight up for harris, but I think it’s worth debating considering the other parts of the trade. Having watched dragic play, i really like him. And I feel like his game excels when in a starting position, leaving us to still play earl alot and off the bench. I really wanted to join the thread last night but was too in the zone, and probably would have talked too much

I have always like Dragic's game.

I just dont see him as a starter…

fantastic Downbeat DA

clear, concise and well written – kudo’s and rec’d

Devin is an asset with probably not a lot of value right now – at least not anything that is going to move ‘us’ forward substantially as an organization. so do we trade him? of course that depends.

keep Harris through the end of the year and leave the team intact; possibly drop amnesty on him season end to free up ~$15 mil for a free agent out there . . .

just an idea anyway
thank you so much!
Trading Devin

straight up may not bring anything worth the trouble in return. However, Devin, packaged with the trade exception, and perhaps, say, Raja, could result in something a lot more exciting in return.

challenge then

go to ESPN Trade Machine and find a do-able deal that would make sense right now

That's what I've been trying to do.

The only trades that I can see happening are Harris for Calderon or Harris for Nelson. I guess I could live with either of those. Calderon would provide solid passing, and Nelson would be a real live three point threat.

What I’d like to figure out is maybe a way to trade Harris for Collison… but I don’t see how its possible.

4

That makes me laugh. Utah is a fantastic place. I always have a great time in SLC at Jazz games.

You must Login with your SB Nation account and be a member of SLC Dunk to post a comment.