Playoff Talk Premature

[One Brow]

Kirilenko is better at guarding Odom than Millsap has been.

In the past five seasons, he's been averaging about 66 games/year, well over a block and a steal per game, puls a few rebounds and assists. He's not worth his past contract, but he's a better-than -average player. 3 years at just over the mid-level is something he is worth. Letting him walk for nothing is another step back.

 

[VINYLONE]

Jazz are one player away from being a 50 win team. They're starting to gel.

I think Frankie is on point. That player NEEDS to be a shooter.

 

[twentytwo]

I'm expect Okur to return and play 10-15 minutes/night, and also Kirilenko to return and start. With Jefferson and Favors starting and Millsap off the bench as a tweener, that's a very good frontcourt (against the Lakers, start Millsap on Artest and bring in Kirilenko to guard Odom, if they still have their current team together).

Hayward starting and Miles off the bench in the backcourt, both can also swith to SF injury situations.

I havent seen enough of Harris, but so far his box scores have not impressed. This seems to be the position where we need the most work.

I think we will be a playoff team next year, even without drastic changes. Maybe I'm being too swayed by our winning 3 of the last four games, all against playoff opponents.

I don't expect anything out of Okur and I don't expect Kirilenko to return. I think the Jazz will pick up the option on CJ and start him and Hayward and see how it goes. If it doesn't go well, CJ will be traded or not on the team the following year.

I think Harris has been great for the direction we are going (or I hope we are going). I don't want our team to put everything into the PG position again. That doesn't build a contender. I think Harris will fill the role of a fast, penetrating PG as good as most others. Having said that, if we can get Kyrie or Kemba in the draft, things could change, and I'm fine with that. Most of all, Harris (along with Hayward, Favors, Millsap, Jefferson--- our real "core") all seem fine or happy about being in Utah. It isn't everything, but I think it goes a long way to getting the best effort out of your players if they actually want to be there.

 

[Karadrys30]

In order to match up with the lakers as they are currently, the Jazz need a big body like fes to play bynum, Al to take gasol (would actually like someone taller), favors on odum, milsap, ak or maybe evens on artest. Kobe would be hayword or AK (miles can do it when he focuses on defense). The three headed monster of Gasol, Bynum and Odum make the lakers a championship team. When you can man up on them with limited doubles they become a one dementional team. Al is not big enough to keep Bynum off the block, Favors needs some experience and size to go against Gasol and Milsap and the others dont have the length against Odum. Favors may gives up the least amount of size but retains the quickness to stay with Odum if he goes outside or off the dribble. If utah wants to compete with the Lakers, they need a big defensive player to keep Bynum out of position and off the glass.

 

[chawx]

Give it a rest. I often wonder about some posters' outlook on life when they turn to bitching about the local play by play guy hoping that their team will be back in the playoffs. They are the TV people for a professional basketball team. They are trying to fill 150+ minutes of air time entertaining the 27 year old guy who still wonders what might have been if coach would have played him more his senior year, my grandma, and all the resident 275lb armchair Jazzfanz experts - all while trying to make bad basketball (during the last part of the season) not sound so bad and provide some sort of optimism.

What would you prefer? For them to just talk about how bad the Jazz suck, rip the front office, crack on AK/Memo, and then have then ask Harris/Jefferson during their post-game interviews if they have ever noticed that their teams lose wherever they go?

Harpring and Boler are not objective and unbiased. Good luck on one of the smallest market NBA teams based in Utah (and all of its stereotypes) attracting one of the 4 Jazzfanz-acceptable play-by-play guys over this next off season.

Their opinion is just as valid as yours. Just like Sloanfail pointed out elsewhere...most people here thought this years team was a 4 seed or higher. Now a lot are saying they won't even crack a top 8 seed next year. Guess what. Your opinion is worth as much as the signed Deron Williams jerseys the Jazz gave out to season ticket holders two weeks before the trade.

Good hell this place can be negative.

I agree with everything you said...except for the part about Bollerjack and Harpring being good play-by-play announcers....oh, and...

 

[gomretat]

Give it a rest. I often wonder about some posters' outlook on life when they turn to bitching about the local play by play guy hoping that their team will be back in the playoffs. .

You are barking up the wrong tree here. I like and have defended our announcers. I like the trade. There is nothing even resembling bitching in my post -though I agree there often is on this board. That being said, with announcers and posters, I prefer a degree of objectivity. I thought they way overstated a few things and said so. The most negative thing in this thread is you looking for something that isn't there.

 

[Justys]

Im actually really excited about this team and the future of the Utah Jazz. Theres a ton of things to get excited about.

Harris- will be a decent player, not great but 17pts and 6-7 ast (when Healthy)
Haywards- looking great and will just continue to get better
Millsap- wants to develope more Guard SKills and more range on his shoot
Favors- is just starting to come into his own. Once he gets his Karl Malone jumper Watch out!!
Jefferson is starting to look like his old self again...Yay!!

6th man Miles he showd he can bring the energy just needs to bring it everynight

and our picks 5,6 & 12 I'd go with dept at the point with Knight. That way when Harris is out his normal 20-25 games He will develop that team chemisty by the end of the year like Watson did. And I also like Burc but Id use the other pick on a 2-3. Hopefully Barneschanges his mind and takes the moneys.

Ak I'd sign him and Fez. Ak will be a solid vet for a young team. Or trade him to a team looking for that next piece, like the Bucks. A pick and Irasolva for AK. And Fez becasue he is a great 5th big man.

 

[GVC]

Jefferson is starting to look like his old self again...Yay!!

Yay?

 

[Gyp Rosetti]

I don't expect anything from Okur and they should just cut ties with Kirilenko and move on. They should pick up Miles' option only for trade value. Neither AK or CJ should be in the team's future plans.

Holy ****, this!!!!!!!!!! AK and CJ are cancerous as all hell.

 

[7StraightIsGreat]

I don't know. I really didn't see any signs that this team is one player away, though. Yeah, there were injuries, and maybe chemistry issues, but even when they put a full team on the court, they never struck me as being close. If Favors were to develop his game more this summer, that would help, but the lockout could be devastating for him. He could use the summer league to figure **** out, and hopefully he takes the initiative and works out on his own. The interior defense still sucks, the outside shooting is not threatening, and they could use a veteran on the bench who can help Ty. Not a player, but a coach. I'm not sure this team will see the playoffs for a couple of years, and that might be optimistic. I'm just not seeing anything that gives me hope right now.

Injuries were pretty much a constant concern for Corbin the second he took over. I'd have to look it up but was there ever a night he actually had every single player at his disposal? It doesn't seem like he did. That makes it pretty hard to quantify whether or not this team is 1 player away. However, I will say this: During the last 6 games the players that were healthy and on the court for the Jazz seemed to be getting better and not just offensively. During that 6 game span Utah dropped their points against average by over 10 points when compared to the previous 6 games.

I do think this Jazz team is close to being a playoff team, but only a 7 or 8 seed at best. I do agree that if we are 1 player away, it's a shooter. It's painful to say, but Kyle Korver coming off the bench for this Jazz team would be HUGE. If only we could have a do-over. I also think that the interior Defense started to look much better the longer Favors-Jefferson-Sap spent time on the court together.

This team is certainly far off from being a serious contender, but not that far at all from being a lower level playoff squad.

 

[gomretat]

I get the general argument about the injury thing but when I get specific I am not sure it holds much water. Price, Raja, Fes, and AK miss a fair number of games once Ty takes over. I happen to be one of the folks who still like AK but I have to admit you never know from one night to the next what you will get. Other than the games Harris missed, I am not seeing the real impact of most of these folks not being available. In some ways the shortened rotation was good. I really do hope we are one player away but I am not seeing it. I think it takes unloading one of our core and hoping it is an upgrade.