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delpotro

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I understand a bit why Favors and Kanter don't play more; they have two really good starters at those positions. The Burks thing slays me though; Raja Bell is a helpful defender but he'd need to be Bruce Bowen to justify his total lack of production in any other category. I can't believe I live in a world in which both he and Rasual Butler are starting in the NBA.
 
delpotro said:
I understand a bit why Favors and Kanter don't play more; they have two really good starters at those positions. The Burks thing slays me though; Raja Bell is a helpful defender but he'd need to be Bruce Bowen to justify his total lack of production in any other category. I can't believe I live in a world in which both he and Rasual Butler are starting in the NBA.
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do you have a link
 
I guess Hollinger doesn't realize how important it is that Raja "sets the tone" on defense. Or as Locke loves to point out, how he "keeps the ball moving" on offense. Or as Ty says, that people "don't understand the value of him."
 
Yes--Go to today's NBA home page on ESPN. In the lower left hand corner you will see John Hollinger Chat Wrap dated 1/12/12. Hollinger's response was in response to a question from Jed from Redding.
 
This is not the first time Hollinger has weighed in on this. In his previous chat, he responded to a question about why Raja starts similarly:

Probably the greatest mystery in the league thus far. It's not like he was awesome last year and this is taking them by surprise. All the Jazz are doing is delaying the development curve for Burks.
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To be fair, though, Hollinger doesn't watch the games, and Burks not only doesn't get the offense, he chucks unmercilessly. He either has to start making his shots or learn that he needs to find a way to contribute without the ball in his hands. His D has been unexpectedly good, though.
 
NUMBERICA said:
To be fair, though, Hollinger doesn't watch the games, and Burks not only doesn't get the offense, he chucks unmercilessly. He either has to start making his shots or learn that he needs to find a way to contribute without the ball in his hands. His D has been unexpectedly good, though.
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On our team, as with almost every other team in the NBA, Bell should be the 5th wing. Nothing he does defensively justifies regular minutes. If Ty used him as a matchup or a fill in guy I could live with Raja. I can't live with Raja averaging 20 minutes a night.
 
billyshelby said:
On our team, as with almost every other team in the NBA, Bell should be the 5th wing. Nothing he does defensively justifies regular minutes. If Ty used him as a matchup or a fill in guy I could live with Raja. I can't live with Raja averaging 20 minutes a night.
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Yeah, probably. That doesn't change that Burks doesn't get it. If he didn't and he still made his shots then I might have a different take, but he doesn't and that's mostly because he takes bad shots. Which is what a team offense is for.

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NUMBERICA said:
Yeah, probably. That doesn't change that Burks doesn't get it. If he didn't and he still made his shots then I might have a different take, but he doesn't and that's mostly because he takes bad shots. Which is what a team offense is for.

snakeeatingtail.jpg
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Nailed. Unfortunately for us, Bell is better than CJ and Burks in that he is the only SG on the team that does what he's told (Hayward is a forward now). If Burks is rewarded for his cowboy game with more responsibility he will never learn any better. As I watch more games it becomes a lot more clear why Bell starts.
 
Brown Notes said:
Nailed. Unfortunately for us, Bell is better than CJ and Burks in that he is the only SG on the team that does what he's told (Hayward is a forward now). If Burks is rewarded for his cowboy game with more responsibility he will never learn any better. As I watch more games it becomes a lot more clear why Bell starts.
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Bingo. Evaluating Bell versus what he might be on another team is irrelevant as it gets. I would love to see Burks get to the point where he takes Bell's minutes but as of now, no one is bringing what Raja brings on defense. And he does keep the ball moving. I have defended Bell but not because I am glad that is our best option. Burks is erratic on both ends of the floor but that is to be expected. It would be great if we get to the point where Burks or CJ get consistent enough that they take the time but I don't see if happening anytime soon.
 
Bell is not Thabo or Tony Allen. And those guys have something real to offer on offense. Bell is a putrid offensive player. Like, historically awful. His +/- (unadjusted) is worst on the team by far at -69. And for all the talk about Raja being a good defender, he's at 19.4 PER against currently. Just to put that in perspective, Thabo is at 12.1 and Allen 16.1.
 
NUMBERICA said:
To be fair, though, Hollinger doesn't watch the games, and Burks not only doesn't get the offense, he chucks unmercilessly. He either has to start making his shots or learn that he needs to find a way to contribute without the ball in his hands. His D has been unexpectedly good, though.
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Maybe Hollinger doesn't watch every game, but it's clear from his Twitter feed some game nights that he is actively watching a Jazz game.

Part of the reason Burks chucks is because he's trying too hard to prove he can score. He needs to work within the offense first. He needs to be more like Hayward, less like Miles.
 
Bell has no legs and he's not a scorer, but he still plays the game the right way (within an offense, and within himself). CJ and Burks are nowhere near there, and Hayward is seemingly only 40% of the time.

Howard has been the best Jazz wing this season. Bell has been somewhere between 3rd and 4th, and CJ has been a strong 5th.

I would love for Burks to wrest the position from Bell, but he hasn't. However, why CJ is getting any minutes except to keep Burks off the court for his 'cowboy game' is beyond me. Especially since CJ has absolutely no shame for hoisting up shots, despite not getting to the line and shooting a horrible percentage from the field.
 
NUMBERICA said:
Bell has no legs and he's not a scorer, but he still plays the game the right way (within an offense, and within himself). CJ and Burks are nowhere near there, and Hayward is seemingly only 40% of the time.

Howard has been the best Jazz wing this season. Bell has been somewhere between 3rd and 4th, and CJ has been a strong 5th.

I would love for Burks to wrest the position from Bell, but he hasn't. However, why CJ is getting any minutes except to keep Burks off the court for his 'cowboy game' is beyond me. Especially since CJ has absolutely no shame for hoisting up shots, despite not getting to the line and shooting a horrible percentage from the field.
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Every single wing we have is a far better option than Bell.
 
billyshelby said:
Every single wing we have is a far better option than Bell.
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To that I absolutely cannot agree. Chucker is absolute poison. I'm sure he's a cool guy, though.

Knowing how to play actual basketball (it's a team sport) is a wildly underrated ability. Especially when compared to 'talented' players that can't get basic ideas through their thick skulls.
 
What Holinger doesn't know is that Raja Bell has incriminating photos of the coaching staff and will retain his starting spot as long as those photos are hidden.
 
billyshelby said:
I guess Hollinger doesn't realize how important it is that Raja "sets the tone" on defense. Or as Locke loves to point out, how he "keeps the ball moving" on offense. Or as Ty says, that people "don't understand the value of him."
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or Cyrone's "man crushing" on him...
 
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