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Phoenix @ Utah 7 pm MT

hilltopper06 said:
Evans guarding Garret Siler at the end (and getting completely out muscled) is what his college career was most nights. I think he can add some strength and bulk, but he is much better suited for SF/stretch PF. He cannot guard a 6-11/305lbs monster like Siler (or even a 6-9 - 270lbs college center like he saw most nights). Don't get me wrong, he would block shots against those guys, but he would consistently get beat up trying to stop them, when he should have been dominating a 6-5 college SF.

As for the midrange game, he has it, but has no confidence behind it, due to his college coaching (or lack thereof). Once Sloan convinces/forces him to take that shot, he will make it with consistency.
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I think they will encourage him to take that shot soon, just want him to learn the offense first.
 
billyshelby said:
The kid has so much ability. He's the best athlete on the entire floor tonight, and I'd bet he's in the top 5% in the entire NBA. He also knows how to play 5 on 5. But he can't create his own shot obviously which he should have been taught. Thank god he wasn't. He's going to be a player in this league.
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Dwill is a better athlete
 
billyshelby said:
Gaines is being showcased. The Jazz are being nice helping him to catch on somewhere else. But I think you're wrong about Jeffers. He looked good in his minutes. He took one shot I didn't think he should take. Otherwise, he was very active and definitely has the system down cold. Maybe Thompson is pushing him, but Nichols is gone, and it's down to the Jeffers and Thompson.
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Still, what if someone gets injured? Do you really want Jeffers coming in, cutting to the basket, then getting stuffed down low? Or him taking a 17 foot and clanking it badly? Thompson or Nichols both looked like serviceable defenders who could both finish and shoot.

Jeffers is basically Brewer minus finishing ability and passing ability, which is basically a player you never want on the floor as your SG.
 
billyshelby said:
Gaines is being showcased. The Jazz are being nice helping him to catch on somewhere else. But I think you're wrong about Jeffers. He looked good in his minutes. He took one shot I didn't think he should take. Otherwise, he was very active and definitely has the system down cold. Maybe Thompson is pushing him, but Nichols is gone, and it's down to the Jeffers and Thompson.
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I have a bad feeling Jeffers will be getting kept over Thompson, which is a mistake. Jeffers plays like a PF but is 6'4 and thus will always get mixed results against even the smallest opposing frontcourts.
Thompson is a knock down shooter despite struggling with his shot and once he gets comfortable could help us more than Jeffers.
 
Dwill_PwnasaurasRex said:
Still, what if someone gets injured? Do you really want Jeffers coming in, cutting to the basket, then getting stuffed down low? Or him taking a 17 foot and clanking it badly? Thompson or Nichols both looked like serviceable defenders who could both finish and shoot.

Jeffers is basically Brewer minus finishing ability and passing ability, which is basically a player you never want on the floor as your SG.
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I agree. Gains is not needed, and Jeffers is too small and can't shoot. I love both guys, but I doubt they'll make it.

Nichols is a bit of a hopper, but he seemed aggressive and motivated. I bet he makes it.
 
billyshelby said:
I can see that. He just seems like the type of guy who would have accepted his "place" under the stars of the team. But you should have had a coach who wouldn't let him accept that place. No way there is 2 guys in your conference with his natural ability. You just don't let a guy like that be a role player.
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I very much agree. But the 2nd coach he had here wanted him to be more agressive and take on more of a scoring role. Jeremy responded in a leadership way, but not on a consistant nightly basis. Jeremy did have to play out of position alot here just becuase of his athleticism and our lack of a good big man the last couple seasons.
 
Dwill_PwnasaurasRex said:
Dwill is a better athlete
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No he isn't. DWill is a much better basketball player, far more skilled. But he isn't anywhere near Evans athletic ability. He gets sky high in a millisecond. He covers 10 feet like he's stepping sideways. He's a pure freak athletically. It may never translate, but I was amazed at how much he stands out on an NBA floor for his athleticism.
 
Evans need to give some of that loose juice to Hayward - the kid skips around the court like he doesn't have a care in the world.

Hayward looks horrified that his next mistake is going to land him on the bus back to Indiana.

Jeffers plays with heart and hustle but the sad fact is he isn't an NBA talent. Nichols or Thompson should make the team before he does.

I forgot the one good thing about Raja Bell - when he raises his defensive intensity - so does AK. You saw a lot of that in the 03-04 season.
 
Dwill_PwnasaurasRex said:
Still, what if someone gets injured? Do you really want Jeffers coming in, cutting to the basket, then getting stuffed down low? Or him taking a 17 foot and clanking it badly? Thompson or Nichols both looked like serviceable defenders who could both finish and shoot.

Jeffers is basically Brewer minus finishing ability and passing ability, which is basically a player you never want on the floor as your SG.
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He's a 14th man. He's supposed to have holes in his game and/or physical limitations. I don't know if keeping him over Thompson/Nichols is the right move. But I can see he will run the O, be productive on the court, and capably fill in. If he can't, he gets cut, and guys like Thompson/Nichols will undoubtedly be available. It's not like teams are lining up to sign either of those guys. They'll be in the DLeauge and the Jazz will be monitoring them.
 
billyshelby said:
No he isn't. DWill is a much better basketball player, far more skilled. But he isn't anywhere near Evans athletic ability. He gets sky high in a millisecond. He covers 10 feet like he's stepping sideways. He's a pure freak athletically. It may never translate, but I was amazed at how much he stands out on an NBA floor for his athleticism.
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Dwill's body combined with his quickness and speed make him a better athlete. There are more players like Evans than there are like Dwill, that is why I consider him a better athlete.
 
Dwill_PwnasaurasRex said:
Still, what if someone gets injured? Do you really want Jeffers coming in, cutting to the basket, then getting stuffed down low? Or him taking a 17 foot and clanking it badly? Thompson or Nichols both looked like serviceable defenders who could both finish and shoot.

Jeffers is basically Brewer minus finishing ability and passing ability, which is basically a player you never want on the floor as your SG.
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I actually don't think game performance is the primary reason that Jeffers will make the team. He'll be the last guy off the bench, but primarily the guy that will work really hard in practice and push his teammates. His knowledge of the system in practice is where he has a huge leg up on his competition.
 
While Jerry is rotating players at the starting 3 I hope we see Evans in that spot. He'll be comfortable as the 5th option and will bring all kinds of intangibles that the other 4 simply CANNOT bring. I'm still a fan of starting AK, but if Jerry is determined to bring him off of the bench, then I think Evans might be a good option.
 
Dwill_PwnasaurasRex said:
Dwill's body combined with his quickness and speed make him a better athlete. There are more players like Evans than there are like Dwill, that is why I consider him a better athlete.
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Fair enough. Deron's ability probably obscures his athleticism. Evans is a specimen. He just stands apart. Whether he becomes a basketball player to go along with that is the unknown. But I'm optimistic.
 
Easy 20+ by Big Al. We can probably expect that every night. He had some great passes as well. Notice how much easier it is for him to score in the post than it was for Boozer?
 
My thoughts after seeing the Jazz for the first time.
First off, I'm much happier with the offensive execution than I thought I would be at this EARLY stage, so my one critique here is relatively minor.

I don't think there is any question that we'll be a better team with Big Al than we were with Boozer. His ability to create his own shot, and the fact that his go-to moves are virtually un-defendable by centers makes our team automatically better. But when you add the fact that this frees up Millsap and the shooters, the case is closed. I know this has been talked about; I think these points are valid.

I also don't think there is any question that our second unit will be better than last years'. Watson is definitely an upgrade. If Fes can continue to play like he has been, then just these two pieces add considerable depth.

My one concern is that we have a few players, namely Miles, Hayward, and AK, that need to play themselves into a rhythm. They can be very cold for stretches and its likely that 2 of them will be on the court together for long stretches of the game. Sloan is going to have to find a way to get them involved without subtracting from the real bread&butter of Williams, Jefferson, and Millsap.
 
New_Anonymity_Old_Sage said:
My one concern is that we have a few players, namely Miles, Hayward, and AK, that need to play themselves into a rhythm. They can be very cold for stretches and its likely that 2 of them will be on the court together for long stretches of the game. Sloan is going to have to find a way to get them involved without subtracting from the real bread&butter of Williams, Jefferson, and Millsap.
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Yeah, mediocre wings has been the Jazz's problem, like for what, a decade?

Regarding the frontcourt, we'll have to see how a 6-8 Millsap and 6-10 Jefferson fare on a nightly basis. Thats an even smaller frontline than the one we had last season. It can wear them out quickly banging against bigger guys night in and night out.
Also, Millsap has'nt made much noise yet in the preseason. He is looking more like the role player that he was. These are just mild concerns, but still.
 
Al is going to be so huge for this team. He's light years beyond Boozer in his one on one game. But he needs to do what he did tonight and move the ball around. I posted this earlier, but he got visibly pumped when he dropped that pass Millsap early in the game. That says to me that he really wants to expand his whole game, not just get numbers. And those two feeding off each other's misses close to the basket should get a lot better.
 
Marty McFly said:
Easy 20+ by Big Al. We can probably expect that every night. He had some great passes as well. Notice how much easier it is for him to score in the post than it was for Boozer?
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He still doesnt have the roll game Boozer had. If he can develop a roll game close to Boozer's that would be great.
 
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