Possible Hint To KOC's Next Move

[NotDeadYet]

Totally agree Gortat would only fit here if we could ship them AK in the deal, which I don't see the Magic going for. Even that has issues; Al would end up mostly a PF, which is Millsap's slot. And we've not seen Gortat play major minutes over several games. NOT the same as coming off the bench. Plus, we'd have to integrate yet another guy into our rotation, which usually takes some time to get everyone to mesh. Big Al is a much better fit here!!
I think our best lineup is with both Al and Milly playing the major minutes, with Memo and AK contributing quality but lesser bench minutes. If each of them can give us 20 minutes or so a game of smart team basketball off the bench to go with Big Al and Millsap starting I think we'd be a force in the West!

 

[Doc Cherno]

I thought Gortat seemed far fetched, but Realgm is saying Orlando is matching Reddick's over-the-top offer, putting them at 84 million right now (with one player left to sign). I'd be stunned if they don't try to ship out some salary. I still doubt KOC can convince Greggy to pull the trigger on that much more salary, but if they do we are freaking set this year.

I also saw Houston gave Scola, who I like, a ridiculous contract worth almost $10 million a year. Geez. Must be fun to throw that kind of money around. I think Scola helps Houston, but that's a Memo-like contract for them.

 

[BENTLEY]

I was on the Gortat bandwagon until someone on here convinced me that Fes at a 3rd of the price was better value than Gortat at his contract. -- it's not my money, but when it limits the moves the Jazz can make, or the players they have to dump later in the season to get under the luxury tax, I'm not so inclined to throw the Miller's money around.

I agree with anonymous that Arroyo was a diva when he was here, but I figured being a backup ever since starting for the Jazz maybe he's realized he's a good backup. I could be wrong - he does seem a bit out of touch. But I agree with vj - I don't want Deron to have to play the entire game. I wish we had Maynor so the backup unit can be run well. I look at the backup in Phoenix and salivate. What a studly backup.

 

[write4u]

Arroyo would be in Jerry's doghouse from day one ... would be a waste to sign him.

 

[chawx]

Teams don't have to pay the luxury tax til the end of the year, the Jazz could easily get Gortat and just plan to unload AK before the trade deadline when the timing is right. You know that some team that's projected to be fairly decent next year but will fail hard the first half of the season will take AK so they can have a chunk come off the books in 2011. Although, with the lock out pending, does anyone really take AK at this point, or do they all wait and see what happens with the new CBA??

I don't know enough about this stuff, but I do know that the team will have 1/2 the year to get rid of AK at some point if they get Gortat and not have to pay any luxury tax because it only counts against you at the end of a season. Go get him, KOC!

 

[anonymous832]

well part of the reason Deron has to play 40 mins is because he has sucky backups in the first place. I am not endorsing Arroyo here, but merely disagreeing with you if you say that a Gaines-like guy playing for peanuts is good enough for Deron just because Deron plays big mins away.
You think Chris Paul doesnt enjoy having a backup like Collison? 1mil is not a lot for a quality backup, especially at the important PG position.Deron has at several times in the past hinted about getting tired , playing with injuries, having to carry a load and all that. He is going to be banged up again by the end of the season. We can easily use an upgrade at backup PG.Someone who can play 10-12 mins at least and also be the starter if and when Deron misses games.

Uh...no. The reason he plays 40 minutes (well, 37-38 really, but 40+ whenever he has to) is because that's the type of playing time NBA superstars get. It's not like if the Jazz had a really good backup PG, Deron would just drop down to 29 minutes a game to save his legs. That's not how it works. You're a team leader, a go-to guy, a floor general, you play a **** ton of minutes. Obviously it would be nice to have a solid backup - simply because I'm sure Deron would like for SOMEONE else on the roster to be able to create a shot - but freaking Arroyo, of all people, isn't good enough to justify the extra $750K or so than you'd be paying Gaines. Price/Gaines can obviously be upgraded, but it has to actually be worth it.

 

[billyshelby]

I could see a deadline deal maybe. Like a 2% chance. They like long 3's who can shoot (AK can a little) some and play some 4 and they're big on defense. Plus AK's expiring. Perhaps they'd unload some mediocre contracts of about 14M to take on AK's 17M+. We'd get Gortat and others at 14M and save some money this year. They'd add LT this year but save a lot in the long run with AK expiring. Maybe Gortat and Bass for AK? I don't know, I'm just spitballing here.

This is exactly the type of deal I would expect KOC to be looking for at the deadline for AK if he wants to deal him. Not necessarily these players, but the framework: We need to shed a few million to get under the tax. AK brings back a max of 5 million as per CBA trade requirements. A contender is interested in AK. They send us some type of player we want in a package that saves us a little money. They only take on the remainder of AK's salary (a few months) and pay an extra few million in luxury tax.

 

[Hopper]

On the other hand, the Jazz may negotiate a new deal (for substantially less) with AK early on and just keep him, eh? AK made it sound like that's what he would like to do (although he didn't say for "substantially less").

 

[cowhide]

I like Gortat but if the Jazz were to get him and then Tomic comes over next year, the Jazz would have a big logjam at the C/PF position.

I agree that it would be difficult to find a decent backup vet PG for cheap but there have to be better young PG options than Gaines and even Price.

I think Patrick Mills has more upside than Gaines does. We are talking about 10-12 minutes a game.

 

[billyshelby]

As I've said before, I think the best option would be to try and extend AK. But I'm sure KOC wants to keep all his options open through Free Agency and the summer. The biggest problem is if you lose AK, you have to replace him. His injury history aside, guys who can produce at his level are few and far between.

If you just go off Hollinger's PER, AK ranks 7th amongst small forwards, and would rank 8th amongst 2's. And since one of the 2's ahead of him is Beaubois, he effectively ranks 7th amongst 2 guards as well. Add it all up and he's Top 15 in PER amongst all 2's and 3's in the game. Where are we going to get THAT in trade or free agency at a reasonable price?

 

[1-Jazzfan]

Arroyo would be in Jerry's doghouse from day one ... would be a waste to sign him.

I agree! I think he'd get as much playing time for the Jazz next year as Koufos will.

The reason I heard he left is because he and Jerry didn't get along too well.

Why would the Jazz take a chance on that same attitude again?

 

[DutchJazzer]

Nope.

Fess is just as good if not better than Gortat.

there are a few players that Jazz fans become obsessed with here. Gortat, Troy Murphy, Jeff Foster, Andrew Bogut, Jason Kapono, and Corey Maggette have all been listed as missing pieces at one time or another on this board for a championship run.

forgetting someone?

marc gasol is the TRUE missing PIECE

 

[Stifle Tower]

Teams don't have to pay the luxury tax til the end of the year, the Jazz could easily get Gortat and just plan to unload AK before the trade deadline when the timing is right. You know that some team that's projected to be fairly decent next year but will fail hard the first half of the season will take AK so they can have a chunk come off the books in 2011. Although, with the lock out pending, does anyone really take AK at this point, or do they all wait and see what happens with the new CBA??

I don't know enough about this stuff, but I do know that the team will have 1/2 the year to get rid of AK at some point if they get Gortat and not have to pay any luxury tax because it only counts against you at the end of a season. Go get him, KOC!

In that case you could only deal him to a team that would be under the cap taking on his salary, since the Jazz are trying to "dump" payroll. Last season, there were only 2-3 teams that could accommodate taking on Harp's $6M without giving us anything back. And the cheapest option meant we had to give up a #1 pick (Maynor) in order to get the deal done. It would be virtually impossible to deal AK for any kind of significant salary savings. And if that was our position going in, a team would want a king's ransom to help us out. Best scenario is to stand pat right now. Be in a position at the deadline where we can be a buyer. Ideally, we'd take back say $9M-$12M in long term salaries for AK, and the rest in scrubs whose contracts also expire or can be bought out. That would give the Jazz a starter and maybe a backup or perhaps a pick and $5M-$8M in reduced payroll for 2011-12, probaly putting us pretty close to the next tax threshold. Team B gets $17M in expirings instead of just $5M or so. Win-win for both teams. And that's where the value lies.