I don't care about preseason games per se, but something about this iteration of the Jazz is just... off. At first glance, you'd think that this team could have the same type of energy as the group that started last season – you know, bunch of guys looking for a fresh start, playing unselfish basketball, loose but sharp, no egos or overt agendas, everybody buying in.
But I'm just not seeing that. Despite all the newcomers, IMO this team is extremely similar to the one that finished last season. Weird, unbalanced roster full of guys in roles way too big for their skills, playing chaotic streetball, with ambiguous (to put it mildly) team goals.
I guess it all somehow comes down to THT. I didn't enjoy watching the 2nd half of last season after he was given a bright green light. And I worry that behind the scenes, he's again being appointed the true tank commander, the guy who gives us the best chance to lose if featured heavily and allowed to throw up his circus shots to entertain the casuals. I'm not sure I can stomach 82 games of the type of THT we saw against the Clippers. And I definitely can't stomach tanking.
The trouble is, so far all signs point to a tank job. Fans were led to believe that we were "in" the Jrue race, but I think that's BS. If we really wanted to improve the backcourt in order to make the playoffs this season, we could have done it in a number of ways in the offseason. Our eggs were never all in one basket. Now it's like, "Oh well, since we didn't get Jrue, I guess we need to hand the team over to THT again". That's laughable. The fact is that this team needs a lead point guard in the worst way, and Ainge did nothing to fill that hole. Nothing.