Phoenix didn't roll with that. They made Elston Turner stay and then picked Lindsey Hunter over him as their new head coach.
29 Minutes with Kevin O'Connor
- Thread starter mellow
- Start date
Phoenix didn't roll with that. They made Elston Turner stay and then picked Lindsey Hunter over him as their new head coach.
mellow
Well-Known Member
My take on the Lindsey hire was that KOC had said some harsh things about Paul Milsap's agent after Paul signed the Portland Posion Offer. There are probably others agents that were miffed at KOC and had no other contact within the Jazz organization. I thought that Lindsey was brought in to talk with agents when KOC couldn't. Its a great way to negotiate--good guy/bad guy or car salesman and floor manager. the Millers would understand that set-up.
Stifle Tower
Punch Bowl Re-Filler
Perhaps. But Paul's agents are rookies with no other clients (his uncle and an attorney friend, IIRC). Pro agents know the game; they're used to negotiations which sometimes get tense or contentious. And KOC generally doesn't discuss anything with the media. Agents and players have to like that about him. I think the sheer volume of work to do this off-season was the driving force behind the hire. They knew they wanted Lindsey so the only way to get him was to make it a promotion from the assistant job he already had. And I wouldn't be surprised if there's not also an understanding/promise in place that Lindsey will truly take over when KOC retires in a handful of years.
Gyp Rosetti
Banned
This was disheartening.
So next time our team sucks and we're disappointed the team can't make any moves, just take a look around and point that finger back at yourselves because the JazzFanz populace has, once again, thwarted genius on the part of KOC.
Honestly, it's amazing that over the years the FO has insinuated how clueless the fans are to how things run, but now he turns around to further insinuate that those same ignorant fans and radio idiots are handcuffing his master plans?
Honestly, it's amazing that over the years the FO has insinuated how clueless the fans are to how things run, but now he turns around to further insinuate that those same ignorant fans and radio idiots are handcuffing his master plans?
GVC
Well-Known Member
Just listened to it. I don't think he was insinuating anything about fans in particular. I actually thought it was a pretty good interview. As for the efficiency argument, if he really buys into points per shot as much as he said (not a great stat, albeit better than raw FG%), there's no way he thinks Al is a really good player. He had some positive things to say about Gordo, Demarre and Paul, especially in regard to adding to their respective games.
The best part of the interview was the talk about the cap, and how the Jazz might be in a really good position if they save their cap space through to next season's trade deadline. This was complemented by the talk of not making a trade where you take on salary that makes future deals impossible. If this is the tack the Jazz are taking, they're dong the right thing. I think it's unlikely they make a deal this season that adds salary next season unless they're blown away. Further, I think it's unlikely they sign mediocre players to long deals this summer that would hurt their flexibility when teams are scrambling to get under the LT line next season. Maybe I'm only hearing what I want to hear, but the interview certainly reminded me of how good the Jazz FO has been and likely will continue to be.
mellow
Well-Known Member
When I heard that I thought that the one type of deal the Jazz might do would be trade an expiring deal, such as Al, for a deal that expires next season. Basically renting a guy for one season so that they have the flexibility of an expiring next trade deadline.
But if the CBA will allow the team to just go into the next season with a bunch of cap space then the Jazz might just let Al walk, and go into next season with a small payroll. Then they could pull all kinds of deals next year and take back whatever they wanted.
Lots of options.
Thee Idiotic Minivan K
Well-Known Member
Exactly my thoughts as well.
GVC
Well-Known Member
It will. A team could have 13 rookie minimum players for a whole season. They'd just have to pay the balance of 90% of the cap to those players at the end of the season.
^What a way to make rookie scale contracts love the organization too. Maybe they'd even pay it forward by taking a slightly lower salary in order to hunt championships.
KOC brings the team in after the trade deadline for a meeting and explains they only have $36mm in payroll but must spend $50mm, so unfortunately each player will get a $1mm bonus this season, or in other words a 30% raise for Gordon Hayward.
KOC brings the team in after the trade deadline for a meeting and explains they only have $36mm in payroll but must spend $50mm, so unfortunately each player will get a $1mm bonus this season, or in other words a 30% raise for Gordon Hayward.
Stifle Tower
Punch Bowl Re-Filler
This argument can be used EVERY year. Teams will want to dump some salaries this season; others will want to shed payroll next year and the year after. Each time, those teams will want to trade bad contracts. A bad contract is the price for getting a decent prospect or picks. OKC won't be calling around asking someone to take Durant off their hands. Chicago won't be asking Utah to take Rose off their hands. KOC either needs to go the Boozer/Okur route - i.e. overpaying in free agency for an underutilized young player, or he needs to be willing to take on a veteran on the downside with a few years left on his contract AND getting a young player or high picks along with that contract.
I don't fault him for taking a chance with Jefferson. Al was worth a shot. But what Utah should really focus on is helping a crappy team shed salary. Trade them an expiring (Al or Paul) + our two first round picks for a vet contract plus their lottery pick. Do something to move up in the draft, or get prospects. Instead, it's likely KOC will just keep talking about how the Jazz are perfectly poised to make trades at the deadline. And each deadline will pass with the same excuse of the Jazz wanting to make the team better, but not finding any deal they really liked.
GVC
Well-Known Member
13/14 is the first year of the new, more punitive luxury tax. As such, this strategy may be more beneficial this coming season than in any other recent season, especially if the cap falls (it was guaranteed to be at least $58mm the last two seasons, and since it was exactly that number, it stands to reason that the cap calculation based on BRI was below that number).
GVC
Well-Known Member
The next 12 1/2 months should be pretty interesting in Jazz land.
Stifle Tower
Punch Bowl Re-Filler
I believe a team has to be a repeat offender for the tax to be extremely punitive. Most teams have already limited their exposure to the tax by limiting the number of years on select contracts. There will be less opportunity to trade for players than we think. And again, who are the players that a team is going to trade? Superstars aren't going to be on the trading block. It will be the overpaid, third and fourth options on teams and the aging veterans. It's fool's gold to think Utah is going to suddenly get a player who will transform the Jazz into a contender. Utah's "blockbuster" trade will be more along the lines of a Giri for Korver deal. Perhaps we can trade the expiring of Marvin Williams next season for a Kris Humphries-type player and a late draft pick. That will be the kind of deal Utah will make if KOC is unwilling to take on a bad contract.
GVC
Well-Known Member
It goes up by at least 50% for all tax payers this coming season. Also, there could be underperforming teams in danger of hitting the 3 in 4 years looking to dump. And, again, the Cap and tax were at exactly the minimum guaranteed in the CBA for this year. Starting next season, the cap and LT will be based off a percentage of BRI (and, to a lesser degree, payments to players in the previous season), and there's probably a good chance both fall next season. Regardless, if the Jazz can't land players they want in free agency in 2013, they're probably better off preserving their space for potential trades and 2014 free agency. Blowing their wad on Kris ****ing Humphries would be stupid.
The last time the Jazz had cap space, KOC went risky, and committed $120mm over 6 years to largely unproven Mehmet Okur and Carlos Boozer. A few months later, he extended AK for $86mm over 6 years. Yep, he signed over $200mm in contracts in a few months. Ballsy.
NAOS
Well-Known Member
Yes, and...................