OFFICIAL Postseason race thread *Sticky*

[Stifle Tower]

Anyone who thinks we need to be willing to sacrifice defense is not living in reality. We need BETTER defense! We need Exum. We need to be able to shut down every position of the floor like no other team in today's NBA can do. That's what this team needs. Gobert is indispensable. Favors fits that role at the 4 way more than he fits that role at the 5. Favors is better at the 4 than the 5 in every aspect of the game. You want the Jazz to be mediocre on the defensive end so that they can be mediocre at the offensive end. Yet we have a team that has the potential to be elite, not just right now, but all-time, elite on the defensive end.

I know I'd love to watch the best defensive team in NBA history, but so many here would rather neuter our defense so that we can also have a mediocre offense. GTFO. We'll get the points we need while keeping other teams below 90ppg. We'll be the most disruptive and frustrating opponent in the NBA.

Tune in for Utah Basketball 2016-17 and get ready to believe.

No. I do NOT want Utah to be mediocre on defense. That's silly to say replacing ONE player is going to make us mediocre. But you've seen what happens when teams have one or more one-dimensional players. Jazz couldn't win a title with Eaton. They didn't win with AK. When a player can't shoot, opposing teams just take away the other 4 players. It was hilarious (and SAD) to watch teams give players like AK and Brewer open shots ALL GAME LONG.

What I AM saying is that Rudy has been underwhelming MANY games this year. Multiple times his defense has not only fallen short of great, but has not even been very good. He's shown zero improvement from last season. He hurts Utah with all his missed FT's. The debate will be (and Lyles isn't there yet), do you give away 5-6 pts more per game, by having Derrick at the 5 and Trey at the 4, but gain 8 pts/per on offense? That, IMO, might be a valid argument in deciding who to pay and who has to go in the next 4-6 years.

BTW, according to Hollinger's stats, the Jazz are LAST in pace. They're tied for 7th in defensive efficiency. Defense is great, but teams need to be able to score, which Utah cannot at times. Why? Because Utah has too many players who can't shoot straight.

 

[Elizah Huge]

No. I do NOT want Utah to be mediocre on defense. That's silly to say replacing ONE player is going to make us mediocre. But you've seen what happens when teams have one or more one-dimensional players. Jazz couldn't win a title with Eaton. They didn't win with AK. When a player can't shoot, opposing teams just take away the other 4 players. It was hilarious (and SAD) to watch teams give players like AK and Brewer open shots ALL GAME LONG.

What I AM saying is that Rudy has been underwhelming MANY games this year. Multiple times his defense HAS not only fallen short of great, but has not even been very good. He's shown zero improvement from last season. He hurts Utah with all his missed FT's. The debate will be (and Lyles isn't there yet), do you give away 5-6 pts more per game, by having Derrick at the 5 and Trey at the 4, but gain 8 pts/per on offense? That, IMO, might be a valid argument in deciding who to pay and who has to go in the next 4-6 years.

By what standards? It would have been hard for any player to live up to the hype that Gobert received during the final stretch of last year and through the summer. He's been battling injuries and this is his first full year as a starter. He's 23 and averaging 9 PPG, 11 RPG, and 2 BPG. You don't win Defensive Player of the Month by being a scrub.

 

[NAOS]

LOL ... just realised this. This truly is going to be an EPIC game.

You epically overuse this word.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

Why?
I was one of the earliest posters to declare my fandom of Rudy..........way before the draft. Do I blindly have to praise him at every turn? When a player deserves criticism, we should all have the right to criticize. Put me on ignore if you don't like me being honest. He and Derrick SUCKED against the Clippers. There is ZERO reason why Cole f'in Aldrich should get 21-18 with 5 steals.

Difference between critique and calling for one of the top defenders in the NBA to be benched.

Sometimes people like Aldrich have good games. We all saw Greg Ostertag have similar games vs players like Hakeem Olajuwon. It happens.

 

[Stifle Tower]

By what standards? It would have been hard for any player to live up to the hype that Gobert received during the final stretch of last year and through the summer. He's been battling injuries and this is his first full year as a starter. He's 23 and averaging 9 PPG, 11 RPG, and 2 BPG. You don't win Defensive Player of the Month by being a scrub.

EVERY player battles injuries. First full year? C'mon, the guy is 23 and has been playing professionally for years. This isn't some wide-eyed kid out of high school (the excuse we use for Exum). Rudy rebounded well in March, I'll give you that. But he didn't have a stellar month overall: his FG% was .475 (really bad for a player who only takes shots around the rim); FT% an embarrassing 51%. Blocks a ho-hum 1.6/per (nothing special). Points per was an underwhelming 6.7.

When Utah needs to make stops down the stretch to win games, where's Rudy? On the bench because he's one of the worst in the league with FT's. This isn't football; you can only have limited sub outs for defensive/offensive purposes. Unless Rudy becomes a better two-way player, it's a legitimate argument that Utah COULD be better off with a different starting lineup. Give me a couple of 16/12 players who are both threats to shoot outside as well as run the P&R. That MAY be better than a player who you only have to worry about from 5ft in (and can foul if needed to just give up 1 pt on average per possession).

IMO, Rudy has been one of the most disappointing parts of the Jazz season, simply because we THOUGHT he'd make some improvement. And he hasn't. Where are those who proclaim the 1st to 2nd or 2nd to 3rd (depending on who they are arguing for) year is when players make the biggest leap. Can't be a sophomore slump; this is Rudy's 3rd year. Oh wait, rookie season doesn't really count because he's from France or played under Corbin or was worked too hard by his national team.

 

[Stifle Tower]

Difference between critique and calling for one of the top defenders in the NBA to be benched.

Sometimes people like Aldrich have good games. We all saw Greg Ostertag have similar games vs players like Hakeem Olajuwon. It happens.

If Gobert can't dominate on the boards and defensively, he's too big a liability to play. I don't know what his ****ing problem is, but if he can't come to play, he shouldn't come at all. QS needs to park Rudy's sorry *** on the end of the bench. Move Derrick to the 5 and play Lyles. Gobert needs to be Gonebert if he doesn't improve his game.

RIF. Go back and read the post. My point is that if Rudy can't give maximum effort, he's a liability. If he's not defending and not stopping his opponent, yes, then send a message and play Withey or Favors at the 5 and Lyles at the 4.

Snyder got after him against Denver and he produced. That's his role. That's what he needs to do for the Jazz to win. Yes, opponents can have good games. But the Clippers game was THE MOST IMPORTANT game to date. And Gobert was MIA. And I would say that about ANY player, Season on the line, every game counts. Your shot may not be falling, but you can still play a great game defensively. Defense is about attitude and effort.

 

[Joe Bagadonuts]

Anyone who thinks we need to be willing to sacrifice defense is not living in reality. We need BETTER defense! We need Exum. We need to be able to shut down every position of the floor like no other team in today's NBA can do. That's what this team needs. Gobert is indispensable. Favors fits that role at the 4 way more than he fits that role at the 5. Favors is better at the 4 than the 5 in every aspect of the game. You want the Jazz to be mediocre on the defensive end so that they can be mediocre at the offensive end. Yet we have a team that has the potential to be elite, not just right now, but all-time, elite on the defensive end.

I know I'd love to watch the best defensive team in NBA history, but so many here would rather neuter our defense so that we can also have a mediocre offense. GTFO. We'll get the points we need while keeping other teams below 90ppg. We'll be the most disruptive and frustrating opponent in the NBA.

Tune in for Utah Basketball 2016-17 and get ready to believe.

Awesome post.

 

[Ferguson_Mellochill]

wtf. Fivethirtyeight dropped our playoff odds from 89% to 59% after the Rockets beat the Lakers in Houston. That seems odd.

EDIT: Now up to 81% after the Jazz beat the Nuggets. I'm confused how our playoff odds decreased after today's outcomes though. Houston was a heavy favorite against LA and we were slight underdogs in Denver.

This has to do with Houston's potential to tie the Jazz and win the tie-breaker due to a slightly better conference record. Originally, the Jazz were projected to lose this game with the Nuggets. The Jazz need to get to 42 wins to assure a PO spot, regardless.

 

[Ferguson_Mellochill]

DWill is back in their lineup and really gonna try and stick it to us.

That's okay with me, actually. It's Barea who's been playing well lately. Jazz need to win the battle of the boards, and Hood needs to be able to score against the smaller defenders. Ray Felton and DWill have been getting minutes at the SG.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

RIF. Go back and read the post. My point is that if Rudy can't give maximum effort, he's a liability. If he's not defending and not stopping his opponent, yes, then send a message and play Withey or Favors at the 5 and Lyles at the 4.

Snyder got after him against Denver and he produced. That's his role. That's what he needs to do for the Jazz to win. Yes, opponents can have good games. But the Clippers game was THE MOST IMPORTANT game to date. And Gobert was MIA. And I would say that about ANY player, Season on the line, every game counts. Your shot may not be falling, but you can still play a great game defensively. Defense is about attitude and effort.

If Gobert doesnt improve his game an iota from this point on he is still a top 3 defender in the NBA. To make him "Gonebert" would be idiotic.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

I also don't buy that Gobert played that poorly vs the Clippers. I think Aldrich made some nice 1 on 1 moves and got some good buckets and hit some tough shots on Gobert. He had one of the better +/- of the starters. Quin just got played by Doc somehow and had really poor lineup management that resulted in Gobert not getting enough minutes.

 

[MT Steve]

Harden played 41 minutes against the Lakers today. I'd be surprised if Houston won tomorrow in Minnesota.

 

[zyzz]

I think the X-factors against the Mavs are going to be David Lee and Trey Lyles. We seem to have trouble guarding crafty bigs who also get good positioning on offensive boards. It doesn't matter how unathletic they are, they just seem to give us trouble. Lyles had a big game at Dallas a couple months ago and Dirk just could not guard him since he has the ball-handling skills and quickness and Dirk just couldn't keep up. Dallas actually has good size in Pachulia and Mejri, so I don't know if Favors's overpower/back-down game will work well on them unless his jumper is falling. So I think if Trey has a good game with his speed and floor-spacing, it will be huge for us.

Man, I really hope we clinch so I can enjoy our last game in peace. That game is going to be an absolute circus.

 

[RJF]

sex worker ?

Lmao! I'm quite sure people would pay me NOT to sex them up.

 

[fishonjazz]

I stand by my post. Gobert played like **** against the Clippers.

Cp3 played like **** against the mavs yesterday.
They should bench his ***.

 

[fishonjazz]

Why?
I was one of the earliest posters to declare my fandom of Rudy..........way before the draft. Do I blindly have to praise him at every turn? When a player deserves criticism, we should all have the right to criticize. Put me on ignore if you don't like me being honest. He and Derrick SUCKED against the Clippers. There is ZERO reason why Cole f'in Aldrich should get 21-18 with 5 steals.

Maybe if rudy didn't get benched against the clippers we would have won the game.
Rudy only played 24 minutes (maybe a season low when healthy) and we lost.
Coincidence?

 

[fishonjazz]

But the Clippers game was THE MOST IMPORTANT game to date. And Gobert was MIA.

Yes he was. Right on the bench where you wanted him. How did that work out again?

 

[ijazz]

Harden played 41 minutes against the Lakers today. I'd be surprised if Houston won tomorrow in Minnesota.

That's my hope, we win, Rockets lose, we be in!

The Lakers game really scares me that the NBA will send Kobe out with a win.

 

[fishonjazz]

Mavs main rotation guys barely played any minutes yesterday.
Jazz main guys played tons of minutes (Gobert 38, hayward 36)

Hope the jazz are ready for this game. They better be

 

[fishonjazz]

But the Clippers game was THE MOST IMPORTANT game to date.

Btw rudy had the best +/- of any of the starters for the jazz against the clippers.