In my opinion, Kevin O'Connor is now on the clock. Between now and the trade deadline (March 15th), something needs to give.
At this point, with the schedule starting to even out (and it still hasn't yet), I think even the most homer Jazz fans are starting to see that this Jazz team is (at best) a .500 team. And it won't get any better this year or next.
Without any changes, next years rotation will look just like this team's rotation. Most likely the only the exception will maybe be Burks getting Howards minutes. But just like we are seeing with Hayward, it will be a tough learning curve for Burks without getting many meaningful minutes as a rookie. Our young bigs will still be averaging under 20 min. Hayward will improve, but Bell will get slower. I think CJ is who he is (a solid backup). Whatever rookie(s) we pick up will be getting Burks' (lack of) minutes. And the win total will be about the same. And, all of this is assuming Corbin is able to maintain the level of motivation that he has thus far been able to produce.
The year after next will start the rebuilding process. Two years late.
Right now the PG position is the only position that is performing below average (considering all 48 minutes). It is performing well below average. Earl is a great backup, but Harris is maybe the 28th or 29th best starting PG in the league. He should be a backup the rest of his career. But putting Earl in as the starter wouldn't change anything. He can't play that effective for more than 20-24 min/game, and that is what he is playing.
The answer is obvious. We need to trade for a PG. Easier said than done, I know, but if it isn't we are looking at (at least) another 1.5 seasons of a slightly below mediocre team.
So...... I think we will learn a lot about how good (or not) KOC and the front office is on this trade deadline. They have to know that there isn't a great chance of drafting a franchise PG between now and then. They have to know that even if we get Golden State's pick this year (I think unlikely), the best available player at that spot (playing the percentages) is going to be a PF.
We are deep in the front-court, with two #3 picks showing potential but getting slim minutes. Everyone knows this. I know KOC is probably playing the waiting game, as is his m.o.. Wait and see what other teams are doing. Be patient looking for a good, safe play. But now is the time. The offers will be worse by next year.
The Jazz either find a way to turn Millsap or Jefferson (and what ever draft picks needed) into a quality starting PG, or lets get use to being the 10th best team in the West for the next few years.
The clock has started.All comments are the opinion of the commenter and not necessarily that of SLC Dunk or SB Nation.
0 recs | 28 comments
A few crazy scenarios:
1) Jazz trade Al Jefferson straight across for Dwight Howard. I know, we don’t want the hassle of Howard. But after he is here, we make it really clear that we don’t want to resign him. At the end of the year, we lose Howard’s contract as he becomes a free agent and don’t have to pay for Jefferson anymore. That extra money could be used on a free agent signing (D.J. Augustin or Mo Williams?)
2) Admit its rebuilding time. Let Miles, Howard, Carroll all walk at end of season. Get rid of Jefferson, Harris, and Bell with the point of getting draft pick(s). In the draft go after a PG. First round you could get a player like Maruis Teague, Tony Wroten, or Kendall Marshall. Or wait till the second and grab a solid SF and move Hayward to SG. First round SF talent should be Harrison Barnes, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Moe Harkless, or Terrence Jones Second round talent for PG includes Damien Lillard, Tyshawn Taylor, Jordan Taylor, Dee Bost, or Tu Holloway.
2012 Roster
PG – Draft Pick, Watson, Tinsley (Watson is there as a veteran to help mold the player)
SG – Hayward, Burks
SF – Millsap, Howard, Evans (Possibly mix in a draft pick some where)
PF – Favors, Millsap (Get a solid free agent)
C – Kanter, Favors (Get a solid free agent)
Tell the world and the players that we are in rebuild mode. Lose for a few years probably but keep the key core together. Should develop into a really nice team in 3-5 years.
king.nothing - February 11, 2012
Uhh IT's going to take
a huge package to get Howard from the Magic. Think Dwill/ Melo trade. Magic would laugh KOC off the phone for a straight up Big A/ Dwight trade.
ForTheLove - February 11, 2012
In all fairness
I did say crazy.
king.nothing - February 11, 2012
That is fair. And it was crazy.
clarkpojo - February 12, 2012
for just the rest of the year? Why wouldn't Orlando make this trade?
They’re going to lose him at the end of the year anyway.
MTN - February 13, 2012
They still have Howard for Bynum on the table
if everything else falls through. In spite of injury concerns, Bynum’s defense and upside still easily trump Al Jefferson.
Caderade - February 13, 2012
Jazz should try this trade?
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=73448oq
A few picks might need to be moved around, but Wizards get Big Al and Ray Allen, which could be a scary combo, and Celtics would get an upgrade backup PG, and probably a pick or two in upcoming drafts. Wizards also create some cap space because of Ray Alllen’s expiring contract, and the Jazz taking on R. Lewis’ massive contract. The Jazz also get a decent starting center that would be temporary until Kanter is developped enough to start. Think of Lewis’ contract as a “down-payment” on a potential superstar in Wall, plus we would be able to move Hayward to SG, and still have a relatively good starting SF
jazzyman - February 11, 2012
I think this is the rare trade that none of the teams would agree to this trade.
BobbyD31 - February 13, 2012
Ha ha, I agree
TurboJazz224 - February 13, 2012
I'm not sure why KOC is on the clock...
The Jazz are over .500, but will likely miss the playoffs, so what?
If we miss the playoffs, as everyone knows, we get a lotto pick in this year’s stacked draft.
Right now ESPN has us taking Bradley Beal with the GSW pick & Quincy Miller with our own.
Neither guy is a PG, but both would certainly help the 3 point shooting woos & round out an excellent young wing rotation with Raja acting as resident mentor.
Assuming that Carrol, Miles & Howard all don’t come back & the Jazz draft these guys, the Jazz would have Burks, Hayward, Beal, Miller & Bell as wings to go along with an already solid frontline.
Kanter gets better all the time (I wasn’t initially a fan of the pick, but KOC seems to have made a good choice in retrospect), Favors has shown some offensive moves (when not being called for charges) & from many accounts Big Al is acting as an offensive big man player coach for the young guys to great effect.
I don’t know what is going on with Millsap recently, but given his history, I’m fairly confident that he will get his crap together.
PG would appear to be the Jazz’s weakness going forward.
Harris is playing without much confidence, but he is playing a lot better than comparably paid starting PGs Jameer Nelson & Raymond Felton.
Watson is the epitome of back-up PG, but how many seasons does he have left?
IF I had to make this team try to win now & propose a semi-realistic trade to help it do that, I’d trade Harris & Millsap to Phoenix for Nash & Frye.
The salaries match up & both teams would be improved, but in different ways.
Utah would have a pass first PG that can hit 3s & free throws, as well as a reasonably cheap 6-11 PF/C that can hit 3s at a reasonable clip.
Phoenix would have a younger PG that excels at getting up & down the court, which is what Phoenix does best, plus they’d get a big man that can score in the post, whose defensive shortcomings would be offset by Gortat.
Honestly, I don’t really mind if the Jazz don’t win now, so long as the team plays with effort & the young guys get time to develop.
Mostly this is happening, except recently for Burks, which I can’t understand, since Howard has been awful.
In any case, I don’t have any major problems with how KOC is doing things & I think the future doesn’t look too shabby with/without a major trade this season.
The Jazz have already done a much better job being competitive while developing the youth than many people thought they would this year.
Waxmaster - February 11, 2012
Let me give my response to "the Jazz are over .500, but will likely miss the playoffs, so what?"
So what? So that is awful. The whole point of sports is to try to build a contender. Missing the playoffs is a failure. However, the years that a team misses the playoffs, it can be acceptable if the team is improving year-to-year.
That is not the case right now.
My point was, barring any trades, the team (and it’s rotations) will be nearly identical next year. Another non-playoff team. In two years, it is unlikely that Millsap, Jefferson, Harris, and Bell will be on the team. We do have replacements for three of those players, but not Harris. The best hope (barring trade) is that we find a starting caliber PG in the mid first round of the draft. Not a sure thing at all.
So the point is, use the veteran assets (before they are gone anyway) to acquire a quality PG now. Even if we take a bit of a step back, what is the difference between missing the playoffs by 10 games vs. 5? Seriously. I will take it if it means in two years the team will be much better.
Frank5 - February 11, 2012
they were 8-20 or something like that post-trade last year
if they manage to hover around .500 this season without having made drastic roster changes, I’d say that is pretty miraculous improvement. The reason I said “so what” is because many people on here want the team in the lottery this year. Personally, I don’t care if the Jazz are in the playoffs or not, so long as they are playing with effort every night, which sadly the team isn’t always doing lately.
Anyways, picking up 1 or 2 lottery picks in a good draft, while also having developed Hayward, Favors & Kanter (hopefully Burks too) would IMO make for a better roster next year, if not then I am missing the point of drafting/developing talent.
As far as trades go, Harris is probably more valuable as an expiring contract after this season, than he is as a player if he doesn’t get his crap together. Millsap & Jefferson are not going to gain/lose much value on the block by dealing either of them this year or next, so I don’t see the reason to rush.
If some kind of grand slam deal doesn’t come along by the trade deadline, it is maybe for the best in the long run, since draft day trades might be more lucrative anyway.
The Jazz were supposed to be one of the worst 3 or so teams in the league this year, so I say enjoy their marginal playoff contender status as long as it lasts, but don’t think for a minute that this team’s future isn’t going to be a lot better fairly soon.
Waxmaster - February 14, 2012
could we pick up Jeremy lin?
for nothin
?
UtonganKidInCali - February 12, 2012 via Android app
If we had a time machine that took us to two weeks ago.
Kfunk - February 13, 2012
I think that KOC has to be proactive in anticipating the timing on the right deal, just like he did with the Deron Williams trade.
However, I think it is difficult to dictate completely what that timing might be, because it depends on what other teams want to do.
If the Jazz are going to make a move for a very good point guard, it would appear that the best ones that might be available are Rajon Rondo (whereas after this season it is likely the Celtics will be in full rebuilding mode, and they seem to be looking for a big man and draft picks), John Wall (whereas the Wizards are a complete mess right now, and who knows what they might do, if they don’t think that Wall has quite the right skill package, even though he is very talented) and Rodrigue Beaubois (who might be available next year, if the Mavericks are able to sign Deron Williams in free agency). Otherwise, the point guards that are available don’t seem to be better than what the Jazz already have.
On the other hand, perhaps the Jazz could build a winning team without an all star point guard—whereas many other teams have been able to win without an all-star point guard (if they have an all-star shooting guard and/or an all-star center). Right now the Jazz’s biggest weaknesses seem to be perimeter defense and 3-point shooting. It is rumored that Anthony Morrow of the Nets is available (at a reasonable salary of $4 mil. per year for 2 years), and the Jazz might be able to get him for a trade exception and 2nd round draft pick. Or, Ray Allen is a free agent next year, and the Celtics will probably be in a rebuilding mold and go in another direction. Although Allen is now very old (36), he probably has at least 2-3 years left in the role as an effective scorer off the bench. If you have ever seen him play, he just seems automatic on his jump shot, and that is a skill that doesn’t seem to erode with age.
Or, the Jazz could go with a very-old-but-still-very-good point guard, such as Steve Nash or Andre Miller, while they develop a younger point guard. Perhaps a trade with Phoenix for Nash and the rights to Aaron Brooks would be a reasonable way to go.
Fesenko for President - February 12, 2012
One other player I would like to see the Jazz make a play for is Andre Iguodala, who was on the trading block previously.
However, with the way the 76ers are playing this season, and with Iguodala being an all star, he probably is no longer available. He is an all around very good player, who is especially good at perimeter defense. A combination of Iguodala and Hayward at the wings could really be a dynamic tandem.
Fesenko for President - February 12, 2012
The 76ers aren't going to blow up the team right now. They are doing too well.
Plus if there is anyone on the 76ers the Jazz should go after it should be JaRue Holiday and it would cost a pretty penny but it’d be worth it.
ForTheLove - February 12, 2012
I agree that the 76ers aren't going to blow up the team right now.
However, depending on how the 76ers finish out the season, Iguodala might be available for a trade during the upcoming draft. The Jazz might be able to get him for a combination of Jefferson, Burks and one of the Jazz’s lottery picks (assuming they will have two lottery picks). The question is whether that is too much to pay for Iguodala.
Fesenko for President - February 12, 2012
Completely agree with the premise of the post. Now is the time to make some trades.
But I don’t want to hold the team to definitely finding the future point guard of the team right now. They do just need to dump some salary, acquire some picks (assets) or else pick up very good players who can complement our young guys and be here past the next two years. Those are my criteria to making trades.
clarkpojo - February 12, 2012
I happen to think that a Hayward/Burks backcourt may be all that is needed
So a traditional PG is not really a priority.
However, the Burks situation is getting annoying. And part of it is KOC. As long as the mission is to win as much as possible now then Raja and Howard are going to get a lot of minutes. Ty simply trusts the vets more.
Trading Howard before March is not an option, so this falls to Raja and CJ. Which stinks, because I’d much rather have those two than Howard. Anyway, the real thing I’d like KOC to do is trade Raja or CJ for the best return he can get while also clearing space and allowing Burks the chance to play.
From everything I’ve read, Burks has a good attitude, works hard, etc. But Ty simply trusts the vets more. It is KOC’s job, in this case, to force Ty’s hand.
Yucca Man - February 12, 2012
Trade deadline is March 15, so Josh Howard will have an opportunity to be dealt this year.
clarkpojo - February 12, 2012
I agree
Draft Austin Rivers in the late lottery, play him as a scoring PG and run the offense through Hayward and Burks. What we really need right now is a shooter.
Caderade - February 13, 2012
Teague?
I watched Teague from Kentucky blow up my Vanderbuddies on Saturday night. He might be a Kyrie Irving, John Wall type. But I don’t really know what I’m talking about, I just watched him play well in one game.
MTN - February 13, 2012
Hayward runs the guard's part of the pick and roll really really well
But Favors mostly fumbled his passes. I’m sure with some work together, they could become as good as D-Will and Memo (nobody will be as good as you-know-who).
I’m convinced that those two guys are our future. If Burks can run the point in break situations and Hayward can run the pick and roll, our other offensive sets (UCLA 4-high and flex) don’t really rely on traditional positions.
Therefore, I agree with Caderade – we need a guy who can knock down 3’s at >40% most urgently.
MTN - February 13, 2012
Another option for the Jazz is to take a look at some of the 2009 draft lottery "busts" currently on the roster of the Houston Rockets.
The Houston Rockets have stockpiled four 2009 draft lottery “busts,” namely 7’3" C Hasheem Thabeet (2nd pick), 6’0" PG Jonny Flynn (6th pick), 6’10" PF/C Jordan Hill (8th pick), and 6’6" SG/SF Terrence Williams (11th pick). I have heard that the Rockets have not picked up the option on any of the four players, meaning that they will all be free agents this summer. Also, the Jazz could probably trade for any of the four players for almost nothing (perhaps a trade exception and a future 2nd round pick, or the rights to one of the Jazz’s former 2008 draftees playing in Europe—Ante Tomic, Tadija Dragicevic), if they want to try them out a bit before the 2012 free agency period.
They all showed good potential in college, but have not done much in the past three years after being drafted.
You can’t coach height, and Thabeet is 7’1.25 without shoes, with a wingspan of 7’6.25, and he can run like a deer. If the Jazz could sign him for $2-3 mil. per year (rather than at the salary of the #2 pick), it would be worth it to try to develop him as a defensive backup center (whereas the Jazz have seemed to have given up on Fesenko). One of his reported weaknesses is getting pushed around by stronger centers. However, practicing against Enes Kanter every day could probably really help him improve on that weakness. He is a good shot blocker, and not a bad foul shooter, although he has absolutely no offensive game whatsoever, other than dunking the ball awkwardly.
Jordan Hill has shown some flashes of being productive, and could eventually be a decent backup to Favors and Kanter at the PF/C position. He has great size and athleticism. However, he seemed to come into the NBA with kind of a prima donna attitude, but did not seem to have the skills to back up his attitude. However, with a lack of success, his bad attitude has seemed to change quite a lot, and he does seem to slowly be developing some skills in the post.
Jonny Flynn is a quick little jitter-bug type of point guard, who could provide a change of pace off the bench. Before he totally lost his confidence, his game was a lot like the game of Kemba Walker, as I recall.
Terrence Williams has an NBA body, is a pretty good shooter and scorer, a good passer and a pretty good defender. He could be a solid backup at the wing positions, as well. When he came into the NBA, he was a trouble maker knucklehead, but with a lack of success, he seems to have settled down, as well.
All of these players were drafted in the lottery with expectations that they could develop into solid starters or better, and that has not materialized. However, I think they all have enough talent and other attributes (such as athleticism, speed, size) to at least develop into solid bench players, if they can be signed at the right price.
Fesenko for President - February 13, 2012
So we get better by picking up someone else's trash? Eating crumbs?
Will they suddenly realize their draft-day expectations by moving to Utah?
How would Flynn be any better here?
MTN - February 13, 2012
Who knows?
It has happened before. Kyle Lowry, Chauncey Billips, Kevin Johnson, and finally, Jeremy Lin all come to mind.
Fesenko for President - February 14, 2012
That's a fair point
I have to admit that I can’t remember ever seeing Flynn play before. Most of my judgment of him is just based on reputation. I guess there’s not much of a reason not to give him a shot, if we don’t have to give anything up to get him. Although I’d rather just see more Tinsley and less Harris for now.
Caderade - February 16, 2012
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