Salt Lake is a nice little city. It reminds me of a smaller version of Denver, which is also a good city.
There are far worse places in the US than it. Most of them in the rust belt area of the US. Or most cities in Texas.
Utah Not even a thought for Free Agents...
- Thread starter LiemD
- Start date
Salt Lake is a nice little city. It reminds me of a smaller version of Denver, which is also a good city.
There are far worse places in the US than it. Most of them in the rust belt area of the US. Or most cities in Texas.
Duck Rodgers
Well-Known Member
Is any city really boring if you have millions and millions of dollars? I think the wives are probably the hardest sell. The players get a huge chuck of summer to go wherever they want.....they are constantly on the road during the season.....I don't think location would be that big of deal to me if I were an NBA player. I think all the NBA cities are decent enough to spend some days in every now and then. And who knows, a lot of these guys are coming from bigger cities anyway, maybe Salt Lake appeals to some of them because it's not huge. I know how much I missed Utah when I lived in Tokyo. There is something to be said for breathing room.
But then again, I don't go to Salt Lake except to use the airport and I'm only either 30 minutes away in Park City or 45 minutes in Provo. Just don't have a reason to.
But then again, I don't go to Salt Lake except to use the airport and I'm only either 30 minutes away in Park City or 45 minutes in Provo. Just don't have a reason to.
UGLI baby
Well-Known Member
Not so fast everyone.
I posted an article similar to this on the old forum. This is the updated version from two days ago.
https://www.realgm.com/src_feature_pieces/931/20100628/the_lebron_james_power_rankings_version_20/
We are in the conversation, people. In fact this author thinks the conversation STARTS with The Jazz.
I'm not saying its a done deal or anything, but the author did basically gaurantee it by calling Lebron to The Jazz "untouchable."
Not sure how much credibility the author has but RealGM is a pretty legit source.
I posted an article similar to this on the old forum. This is the updated version from two days ago.
https://www.realgm.com/src_feature_pieces/931/20100628/the_lebron_james_power_rankings_version_20/
We are in the conversation, people. In fact this author thinks the conversation STARTS with The Jazz.
I'm not saying its a done deal or anything, but the author did basically gaurantee it by calling Lebron to The Jazz "untouchable."
Not sure how much credibility the author has but RealGM is a pretty legit source.
Sean
Well-Known Member
I like living in Salt Lake. But I'm also not an athlete. I'm also not black. I could see how being a 20-something year old black dude could deter someone from the city. Is it fully justifiable? No. But let's not fool ourselves here. NBA players aren't going to pick Utah because of its skiing or its hiking. Some have been able to assimilate to the state more than others - but the overall factors go against the state.
For starters, we're still a very small market in a region that has been considered a flyover state since airplanes took flight.
Now the perception has changed a bit, but in reality, we've still got a long ways to go.
And because of that, I can't think of many NBA cities that are less desirable for an NBA player.
I think maybe Sacramento and Memphis are worse than Salt Lake.
San Antonio is probably close. But of course, the Spurs drafted their two most important franchise players (Robinson and Duncan). So they've not really been out there shopping for the biggest names. It also doesn't hurt they own the second most titles in the 21st Century.
I think it's obvious the Jazz will have a difficult time building their team through free agency. They'll get parts, but it will be difficult to land a player who's one of the best at his position.
That's why I'm not fully on board with the idea losing Boozer automatically makes Utah better. I don't think it does. I think we'll regress and even without his contract or AK's contract, we'll still struggle to get a really good player.
So that means we've got to build this team through the draft and the draft is a far bigger crapshoot because the talent is untested. Not many franchises build championship contenders through the NBA draft. Most do it through free agency and trades. L.A. would've never won its championships without Gasol. Boston wouldn't have won theirs without the ridiculous dealings a few years ago. And Miami wouldn't have won theirs if they didn't get Shaq.
The path to championship contention will never be through free agency here at Utah. It'll be through drafting and trades.
Even then, the Jazz face an uphill battle because if a player isn't going to willingly sign with Utah in the off-season, it's probably unlikely he'd support a trade here - at least a big-time player.
It is what it is, though. That's a big reason why I'm not the type to dismiss what the Jazz has done over the years.
The fact we're one of the most consistent teams in the league, knowing we're probably in the least desirable city, speaks volumes for the franchise.
Sacramento has had one good run (1999-2005). Memphis hasn't done anything of note since relocating from Vancouver.
The other cities are probably more ideal for an NBA player. Yet even a good number of them struggle at besting what Utah has done recently (Portland, Denver, Minnesota, Golden State and even Dallas).
For starters, we're still a very small market in a region that has been considered a flyover state since airplanes took flight.
Now the perception has changed a bit, but in reality, we've still got a long ways to go.
And because of that, I can't think of many NBA cities that are less desirable for an NBA player.
I think maybe Sacramento and Memphis are worse than Salt Lake.
San Antonio is probably close. But of course, the Spurs drafted their two most important franchise players (Robinson and Duncan). So they've not really been out there shopping for the biggest names. It also doesn't hurt they own the second most titles in the 21st Century.
I think it's obvious the Jazz will have a difficult time building their team through free agency. They'll get parts, but it will be difficult to land a player who's one of the best at his position.
That's why I'm not fully on board with the idea losing Boozer automatically makes Utah better. I don't think it does. I think we'll regress and even without his contract or AK's contract, we'll still struggle to get a really good player.
So that means we've got to build this team through the draft and the draft is a far bigger crapshoot because the talent is untested. Not many franchises build championship contenders through the NBA draft. Most do it through free agency and trades. L.A. would've never won its championships without Gasol. Boston wouldn't have won theirs without the ridiculous dealings a few years ago. And Miami wouldn't have won theirs if they didn't get Shaq.
The path to championship contention will never be through free agency here at Utah. It'll be through drafting and trades.
Even then, the Jazz face an uphill battle because if a player isn't going to willingly sign with Utah in the off-season, it's probably unlikely he'd support a trade here - at least a big-time player.
It is what it is, though. That's a big reason why I'm not the type to dismiss what the Jazz has done over the years.
The fact we're one of the most consistent teams in the league, knowing we're probably in the least desirable city, speaks volumes for the franchise.
Sacramento has had one good run (1999-2005). Memphis hasn't done anything of note since relocating from Vancouver.
The other cities are probably more ideal for an NBA player. Yet even a good number of them struggle at besting what Utah has done recently (Portland, Denver, Minnesota, Golden State and even Dallas).
This shouldn't be a huge surprise. As others have mentioned, SLC isn't the coolest place for most 20 something year old millionaires. Sure Park City is cool but most of those guys would prefer warmer weather rather than 6 feet of snow. There will always be the "Mormon" sterotypes. However, I think another big factor is Sloan.
Sloan can be a hard... In Utah he is the boss not the player. There aren't a lot of other places where that is the case. These guys have huge egos and some of them haven't had a coach like Jerry in their entire lives.
Another big factor is that we aren't one player away from a championship. We have a long ways to go and if you are a NBA player and you can go to a bigger market, a more exciting city, play for a more "player friendly" coach on a team that is contending or can contend for a championship or the Jazz which would you choose?
Sloan can be a hard... In Utah he is the boss not the player. There aren't a lot of other places where that is the case. These guys have huge egos and some of them haven't had a coach like Jerry in their entire lives.
Another big factor is that we aren't one player away from a championship. We have a long ways to go and if you are a NBA player and you can go to a bigger market, a more exciting city, play for a more "player friendly" coach on a team that is contending or can contend for a championship or the Jazz which would you choose?
The Ghost of Blue Edwards
Member
You're either lying or delusional. I grew up in Salt Lake City for 18 years. I've lived in Texas for 6 years since then. Salt Lake City seems nice on the surface, but overall it is a close-minded, suffocating place that pushes people who think differently into an underground subculture where trouble often follows them. The city has a property and violent crime rate on par with places like Baltimore and is one of the meth capitals of the world. Many non-mormons are pre-destined as outcasts and criminals from birth for having the wrong faith and are treated accordingly.
Anyways, cities in Texas that I'd rather live in than Salt Lake:
1. Austin
2. Georgetown
3. Richardson
4. Denton
5. New Braunfels
6. Schertz
7. San Marcos
8. Selma
9. Boerne
10. Canyon Lake
11. Mansfield
12. Round Rock
13. Sugarland
14. Carrollton
15. Frisco
16. Allen
17. League City
18. Plano
19. The Woodlands
20. Pearland
San Antonio, Corpus Christi, and Dallas are toss-ups. Hell no to Houston.
The Ghost of Blue Edwards
Member
No it's not.
Marty McFly
Well-Known Member
VINY is right. Salt Lake blows. Sorry. The mountains are beautiful, but the city itself is garbage. It wouldn't be a thought for me either if I was a free agent who could afford any city in the country. The entire city closes at 9, all year around. You think LeBron James and D-Wade want to go hang out in a city that is completely deserted past 9:00 p.m.? No way. They want to go to Miami, LA, Orlando, NYC, Dallas, Denver, SF/Oakland etc... where they can actually go out at midnight after a game and party for a few hours.
Even I think the nightlife here is lame and I only go out once a week at the most. I was just out tonight and I couldn't find a restaurant or place to hang out. And the sun wasn't even down.
Even I think the nightlife here is lame and I only go out once a week at the most. I was just out tonight and I couldn't find a restaurant or place to hang out. And the sun wasn't even down.
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richgates
Well-Known Member
I never really had a problem with Salt Lake's night life, but I grew up there. So for players coming in from bigger cities I think it is going to be a bit of a shock, especially culturally. To say that Salt Lake City lacks diversity is a huge understatement. I can see why players are reluctant to play in Utah, even though many do end up liking it ultimately.
As a non mormon living in Utah it is great. I am not forced into some underground culture and trouble is not following me. I have a lot of non-mormon friends in Provo and Salt lake and none of them are in this underground culture as well. But you claim Texas is great so there is no reasoning with you. Texas is long overdue to secede from the US and make the rest of us happy. What a **** hole.
David Stern
Well-Known Member
There's nightlife in SLC, you just have to find it. Downtown is a dump right now which is part of our problem, I'm pretty sure the Jazz's next arena should be in Sandy.
The Ghost of Blue Edwards
Member
That's good.
In Salt Lake? The city that elected Rocky Anderson mayor twice? They're the ones who are closed minded? Wow.
As for your crime, you have no f'ing idea as to what you're talking about. Compared to Baltimore? Seriously? Baltimore "beats" SLC is every violent crime stat but rape (oddly enough), and by very large margins. The property crime did strike me as being high though. I have no idea about the meth problem there, but I can't imagine it's worse than any other western city and their drug problems. I've never heard of it being worse than Denver and the methheads that run around here.
I walked from the Amtrak station in Salt Lake to my hotel (a Howard Johnson about 2 blocks from the Delta Center, about 8 or so blocks total) at 2 in the morning. I wasn't hassled once. I wouldn't dare do that in most US cities.
You mention Austin (the one good city) and a bunch of suburbs. They aren't that comparable.
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TheMulletMutilator
Member
Young black men aren't attracted by a city with no night life and a small population of African Americans to go with that. So family and character seems to be a value the Jazz have to draft and or use to get Free Agents. Not to mention money as well.
I actually consider you both correct here. I love the mountains, wildlife, etc. But I can also see how a 20-something, single, black, NBA star wouldn't want to come here. The entire county has probably less than 6 strip clubs, but it wouldn't surprise me if there's over 600 Mormon churches.
Still, I think most of those that come and give it an honest chance end up liking it.
I think a simple way to end this debate is to move the team to Vegas. I promise you that the Jazz will no longer have a problem getting the attention of free agents. I have no doubt that the stigma of Utah is the main reason why the Jazz have a problem attracting free agents to Utah. With the winning tradition, stable organization, and support of the fans there should be no reason why FA wouldn't want to come to a team like the Jazz. The big problem is the location, weather and the culture. Right or wrong. Utah, nationally has a negative stigma attracted to it.