Easier said than done. They spent 10 million for Ed Davis and it didnt happen.
2020 NBA Draft Live Thread
- Thread starter Avery
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OK.
Like I said, I'm a glass half full guy, so I see the positives and upside. If you want to be miserable over it, go for it. I can acknowledge I dislike the pick overall and would have gone a different route and still find things to like about what they did.
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Well ya said it... up until this offseason you been preaching about how nimble he is for his size and other bull ****.
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It’s not hard. Ed teaches you a lesson... either change the bench defense or get a guy that fits the mold. Alex Len, hartenstein, Udoh, Henson.... these guys aren’t hard to get. Or go get someone that can shoot and provide something different. It isn’t that hard... ****ing Boston gave Baynes away last year with a pick to get some space.
None of those dudes offer what Udoka does (or potentially can).
They sold the pick to get off Tony Bradley because he was wasting a roster spot and taking up cap-space. I didnt read it as a cheap move.
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DL and Zanik are C+ GMs that get talked about like they are the valedictorians... I’m sorry I can’t throw a party for them getting their GEDs
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Henson is a great rim protector... Len is good too and is an intimidator... he’s not soft at all. He can also make half his free throws which is a big benefit. When Udoka can’t get on the court because he doesn’t know what the offense is doing and while he can protect the rim guys are going to blow past him or shoot threes when he can’t recover to the shooter... just remember how much better he is than TB. It like if you husband beat you and cheated on you so you leave them and the next guy only beats you... IMPROVEMENT!
Henson is rail then and injury prone.
Len is a dumb player and has been a negative defensive player his entire career. Terrible positioning, terrible hands on offense. Also very much a fake tough guy.
Udoka probably fought off Nigerian Warlords when he was an 8 year old. Dude is tough af.
If the Jazz survived on defense with Tony Bradley, Udoka can hold his own and then some.
LoPo
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I'm serious. Out entire set up on D and O is set on Gobert. Everything.
Name a single title team that won title with their focus being a center like Rudy being the #1. It doesn't exist. Rudy isn't Shaq. Hakeem. Even Gasol.
And this is even more silly with the evolution of the game. Just look at Wiseman. All the analysts said he's a #1 pick 20 years ago then questioned his ability to stay on the floor because how much the game has changed.
If you can't guard on the perimeter, you are a liability. Great teams spread you out and attack bigs who cant guard.
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Pick a new team then cuz Rudy is here to stay and if he leaves its Udoka's time.
LoPo
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Clone wasn't a good term to use. We selected Bradley in the same context that we just selected Azubuike - center depth behind Rudy. A big to groom to back up Rudy.
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framer
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We selected Bradley as a "change up" center. Someone who could "stretch the floor" and be passable at defense. He couldn't reliably do either. He had no skill that reliably made him an NBA player, he was drafted on the premise that we could build that stuff into him because he was so young.
Azubuike steps onto the floor with a few definate NBA skills. He still has plenty of headroom for developmentand is an athletic freak of nature. He's well ahead of any benchmarks Rudy had at the same age with arguably less development. He also has Rudy to help his development now. THis move is the Jazz defining who they are and stepping away from trying to be like Golden State. THe Jazz didn't really have a problem shooting the ball last year, they had a problem defending, especially when Rudy was off the floor. This fixes that.
Now we have the room to sort out perimeter defense in free agancy, something that was not possible to do via the draft.
LoPo
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I don't mind the Udoka pick. I do mind putting our entire defensive scheme around rim protecting centers who can't guard the perimeter.
We are building a team that is built to defend the Lakers, Celtics, Pistons, and Blazers...... OF THE LATE 1980s....
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Look, the Jazz are clearly committed to trying to find success in a mold that is different than the current NBA trend. The Jazz have one of the top 15 players in the league, who happens to be a traditional center. The Jazz had the best defense in the NBA for several years when the put good defenders around and behind Rudy. They went away from that last year and while their offense greatly improved their defense went off a cliff. As such, they failed to improve.
The Jazz made a pick they think will ensure them 48 minutes of high quality rim protection, screen assists, and rebounding, just like they had with both Govert and Favors, except at a fraction of the cost of Favors and without any expectation of starting. Time will tell if he turned out to be a good pick or not, but I want to push back on the assumption that you can get a high impact defensive big for a minimum contract. If any of those journeymen were good enough to tip the defensive scales they wouldn’t be journeymen.
The Jazz made a pick they think will ensure them 48 minutes of high quality rim protection, screen assists, and rebounding, just like they had with both Govert and Favors, except at a fraction of the cost of Favors and without any expectation of starting. Time will tell if he turned out to be a good pick or not, but I want to push back on the assumption that you can get a high impact defensive big for a minimum contract. If any of those journeymen were good enough to tip the defensive scales they wouldn’t be journeymen.
I actually like that the Jazz are trying a different mold than the rest of the league. We don’t have the personnel to try and play like the Warriors or Clippers. Rudy is a hugely impactful player, one I assume is the most impactful player (from a metrics perspective) the Jazz have had since Stockton and Malone. If you have a guy like him it makes sense to build to his strengths. I have no problem with the Jazz doubling down on the drop defense.
Throughout the history of the league champions have come in different shapes and sizes. Contrasting styles of play has been at the center of some of the best finals in league history. The thing most finals teams do have in common is being a top 5 rated team on both offense and defense. The challenge the Jazz have this off-season then is getting back to being a top 5 defensive team without regressing their offense.
LoPo
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The Jazz do have a top 15 NBA player - Donovan Mitchell. Sure Rudy statistically helps us win more season games, but hell, we build the entire team around him. We cater everything to Rudy. When we hit the playoffs, it doesn't work and we hope Don can be superman.
They can combine to make help us advance past the first round, but the FO needs to change the mindset from everything Rudy to a shared approach.
And you are right about pieces around them. We need more defenders. We need to swallow our pride and find a way to trade Conley or sign and trade JC for more defense.
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jom2003
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Our defense went off a cliff not because of the backup big, but because we don't have anyone who can guard the perimeter, a problem that we could have solved by drafting a few perimeter/wing defenders like Bey and Woodard
homeytennis
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Wasn't Bradley a late first round pick? Management whiffed on him.