Lowe: Winners and Losers (ESPN)

[Engorged On Unborn Gore]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/27143232/winners-losers-wildest-nba-week-ever

The Utah Jazz are loaded after trading for Conley and splurging on Bojan Bogdanovic -- a last-minute pivot after Nikola Mirotic spurned them. Jeff Greenand Ed Davis bring needed depth.

Utah will miss Derrick Favors. An injury to Green or Davis would bring more danger than it should. But the Jazz will be really hard to guard with four shooters around Gobert and two ball handlers who can score from anywhere, in Conley and Mitchell.

In the past, Quin Snyder leaned on complex motion to mask a lack of go-go talent. The Jazz can simplify now and run more classic spread pick-and-roll around Gobert. They remind of the peak Dwight Howard-era Magic, down to Gobert grabbing enough offensive rebounds on his own to mimic the effect of a normal team having two or even three guys crash the glass.

Gobert faces a huge burden on defense, but is it really so much bigger with Bogdanovic as small-ball power forward than with Jae Crowder? Gobert is back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year. It's his job to handle that burden.

Utah can make the Finals, but I'm a tick lower on the Jazz than the consensus. They don't feel soft, exactly. Maybe lacking in force? Compare them to last season's Philadelphia 76ers, who overwhelmed opponents -- and unnerved the champion Toronto Raptors -- with sheer size and athleticism. Even Conley doesn't scare you in that sense. He's fast, but he's barely 6-foot-1; he beats you with craft. Gobert is not as powerful or coordinated rolling to the rim as peak Howard.

Which projected starter is defending huge alpha wing scorers like LeBron, George and Leonard? What about James Harden? That job fell mostly to Ricky Rubio in last season's playoffs.

Dante Exum and Royce O'Neale figure into those questions. They bring some of that missing oomph. But will Utah be able to score enough against elite defenses with one or both on the floor? Bogdanovic is 30; that four-year, $73 million deal may not age well.

 

[infection]

Dante Exum and Royce O'Neale figure into those questions. They bring some of that missing oomph. But will Utah be able to score enough against elite defenses with one or both on the floor

WUT? Lowe must not read JF enough to be in the know.

 

[Engorged On Unborn Gore]

Gobert faces a huge burden on defense, but is it really so much bigger with Bogdanovic as small-ball power forward than with Jae Crowder? Gobert is back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year. It's his job to handle that burden.

With more made shots within Snyder's schemes, I think Rudy's burden gets much lighter.

 

[jom2003]

Lowe isn't wrong. We still need one additional player with great length and athleticism at the forward spot.

 

[stitches]

Lowe is right though... we lack athleticism. IMO we should be looking to add athletic wing/forward type either through FA/trade or through the draft next summer. Hopefully Brantley is part of the solution too...

 

[Engorged On Unborn Gore]

Lowe is right though... we lack athleticism. IMO we should be looking to add athletic wing/forward type either through FA/trade or through the draft next summer. Hopefully Brantley is part of the solution too...

He's right about the Jazz' needs. But his Orlando/Dwight Howard comp is weak. The Jazz don't just have shooters around Gobert. They've got 4 shooters/3 PNR playmakers. And in reference to "softness", Gobert is the opposite of Howard.

 

[jom2003]

Lowe is right though... we lack athleticism. IMO we should be looking to add athletic wing/forward type either through FA/trade or through the draft next summer. Hopefully Brantley is part of the solution too...

Clippers got Green and Nuggets got Grant. We could've easily acquired one of them have we not been stuck with Dante's contract.

 

[Miggs]

Pretty accurate article by Lowe.

 

[Elizah Huge]

The one part that stuck out to me the most is the Bogdanovic deal not aging very well. I have been too excited about him coming to even worry about the deal. I think he has a solid 3-4 years left regardless and it’s 18m a year not 30+ like some of these other guys.

 

[NUMBERICA]

Yeah, he nailed it. I’m happy with everything so far, but I can’t help but feel this team lacks some “force” as he says. I feel having Crowder would help kind of a lot. I can see him even playing as a small-ball C a la Tucker.

 

[jom2003]

The one part that stuck out to me the most is the Bogdanovic deal not aging very well. I have been too excited about him coming to even worry about the deal. I think he has a solid 3-4 years left regardless and it’s 18m a year not 30+ like some of these other guys.

It was a big offer no doubt. Bojan's market value is about 15 mil per for 4 years or 20mil per for 2. Us offering him 19mil per for 4 years is the main reason why we were able to outbid Indy.

 

[NUMBERICA]

The one part that stuck out to me the most is the Bogdanovic deal not aging very well. I have been too excited about him coming to even worry about the deal. I think he has a solid 3-4 years left regardless and it’s 18m a year not 30+ like some of these other guys.

You don’t make that deal worried about year 4 when the championship window is strangely wide open now, and the Jazz had a cap-window open pre-Mitchell’s raise.

I have no issue with Bojan at all. As I have been so, so loud about; my issue is the opportunity cost lost in being obsessed with a guy that has done practically nothing in his entire five seasons (and how that seems to INCREASE his value, somehow). I feel Marcus Morris could’ve been an important get, and I feel strongly about Caruso as well (why would the Jazz go after him if they’re hell-bent on giving X every opportunity?). Keeping him OFF the Lakers alone carries some worth since I think he’s a real player.

Anyway.