Chris
Well-Known Member
I am a massive fan of the Mike Conley trade. We traded ponies for a horse and if we do this right, acquire a value-add scoring FA big/wing, and Lady Luck shows up (i.e. a clean sheet injury-wise), we could be in the the Western Conference Finals this very season. This move will probably begin something really special with this team, in the way our chances got a lot better in the Nineties with the addition of Jeff Hornacek. What's nice is that the Jordan Bulls wagon of the late 1990s is not standing in our way at the moment. So who knows come playoff time -- this year and for the foreseeable future?
That's where we are right now and it's largely due to the Mike Conley trade. The front office struck while the iron was hot in what looks to be a wide-open year of NBA basketball. Significant power shifts are bound to take place throughout the NBA this summer, due to the availability of the largest and most top-heavy free agent class possibly in League history -- two primary members of which will miss all of next season. While some players will remain (Kawhi?, Kemba?), other players (Davis, Conley, Zion) have already moved. There is going to be a diaspora of talent this coming season, the likes of which the League has never seen.
It's actually pretty nuts what is going on right now in the NBA and it's frankly what the League has needed for years. The dominance of Golden State has gotten stale and this Finals Run was the nail in its coffin, as far as I'm concerned. It's anybody's guess as to which teams are going to be legit this coming year and the Jazz are primed to become just that -- and at the perfect time. This team is built to win right now.
Mike Conley is a terrific defensive presence, so take anything Rubio gave us and add another heap to it. He is quick and agile on both the offensive and defensive ends. Conley is also a talented scorer in today's NBA. While he has had to be the best player on a not very good team for a few years now, I believe he can still reliably get 20+ per night for the Jazz.
Conley is both a skilled and willing passer. He is a more than competent outside shooter. He is massively efficient with all of his possessions already and we're putting him smack dab at the center of one of the best pick-and-roll offenses in the League. Mike Conley is going to thrive here.
And I haven't even mentioned the fact that he just won the Teammate of the Year and Sportsmanship awards and is apparently one of the best human beings on the planet. There is ZERO chance he doesn't fit into this team, this community, and this offensive/defensive paradigm that Quin Snyder continues to build. Mike Conley knows the clock is ticking. This is the right move to the right team (made at the right time) that ownership, players, and fans have been waiting for.
This is the type of front office move that sidesteps the idea that the best free agents wouldn't pick Utah as a destination. If anything, this acquisition significantly improves the front office's ability to add talent right now and in the next few years. It's also perfectly aligned with Donovan's and Rudy's contracts and career paths. Let's see how this thing works this year and, in next summer's offseason, we might be looking at some pretty cool contract structuring to keep all of these three together for the next several years.
What the team has done (which is what every player wants) is pay top money to give their top two players a third key piece in his prime to help them win now. This is why Rudy and Donovan will stick with us when the time comes. They will happily remain two key parts of a quality nucleus. Any way you slice it, this trade is a coup for the front office.
And from where I sit, there's really no reason to care too much about the aforementioned ponies that are leaving town. Grayson Allen hurts a bit because we lose outside shooting, which will be very useful and needed this year. I don't know what Grayson will be but I am willing to part with his potential in order to acquire a major addition to this roster -- at the very position we've had a hard time filling since Deron Williams blew up the last legitimate incarnation of this team. I was happy to have Korver back this year -- what a great dude and an even greater shooter. So -- again -- we're losing outside shooting, which stinks. But given that Kyle is still contemplating retirement, I think it's best to separate from the unknown and know precisely what you have in cap space.
I'm not overly exercised about the two draft picks either. No. 23 in this particular draft this year was nothing special and the other pick won't convey for another few years because of the protections and how good the Jazz are going to be. At the end of the day, it's likely that #23 this year and let's say #27 in 2022 won't ever be more than role players (our boy Rudy being a serendipitous exception to the historical rule).
While Crowder was a fan favorite, we just replaced him with a guy who's sure to be even more beloved (and more accurate from three-point land). Even if part of the fans' adoration is to convince Mike Conley to run it back after what should be a successful season this coming year. Once Conley has the ability to decide whether this is a one-year or a multi-year deal with the Jazz next offseason, I believe at the end of the day that he will work out a longer deal to stay in town. With this wide open of an NBA right now, he will have every reason to stay with the team -- especially if we have a deep playoff run this year.
Basically, what we're looking at now with the Jazz is what we'll be looking at for a few years -- and I like what I see, at least on paper.
Rudy Gobert will improve as a player; Mike Conley will free Rudy up even better on defense due to Conley's own defensive ability. Conley gets up and down the floor and Rudy will benefit tremendously from years of finding out how to be at the right place and right time -- both offensively and defensively.
Donovan Mitchell will also improve. He doesn't have to be Superman anymore; he can just be Spidaman. This deal changes everything. Don will benefit from having a primary ball handler who is both a talented distributor and an effective scorer. Donovan will have many more wide-open looks -- especially from 3. With his ability to move without the ball, pick and pop, and to run the floor in transition, Donovan will get better in every phase of the game. When this happens, Don will officially become one of the best players in Utah Jazz history.
Jingles will be way more open from distance and will thrive in the role as the ball-distributing Robin to Mike Conley's Batman. I could go into all of the other players (like Favors getting more quality looks and assists and maybe even unlocking his own true potential) but I am being way too long-winded and I need to hose myself down. This is a clear win for the Utah Jazz franchise and is going to be an historic moment in the team's history.
Big things ahead.
That's where we are right now and it's largely due to the Mike Conley trade. The front office struck while the iron was hot in what looks to be a wide-open year of NBA basketball. Significant power shifts are bound to take place throughout the NBA this summer, due to the availability of the largest and most top-heavy free agent class possibly in League history -- two primary members of which will miss all of next season. While some players will remain (Kawhi?, Kemba?), other players (Davis, Conley, Zion) have already moved. There is going to be a diaspora of talent this coming season, the likes of which the League has never seen.
It's actually pretty nuts what is going on right now in the NBA and it's frankly what the League has needed for years. The dominance of Golden State has gotten stale and this Finals Run was the nail in its coffin, as far as I'm concerned. It's anybody's guess as to which teams are going to be legit this coming year and the Jazz are primed to become just that -- and at the perfect time. This team is built to win right now.
Mike Conley is a terrific defensive presence, so take anything Rubio gave us and add another heap to it. He is quick and agile on both the offensive and defensive ends. Conley is also a talented scorer in today's NBA. While he has had to be the best player on a not very good team for a few years now, I believe he can still reliably get 20+ per night for the Jazz.
Conley is both a skilled and willing passer. He is a more than competent outside shooter. He is massively efficient with all of his possessions already and we're putting him smack dab at the center of one of the best pick-and-roll offenses in the League. Mike Conley is going to thrive here.
And I haven't even mentioned the fact that he just won the Teammate of the Year and Sportsmanship awards and is apparently one of the best human beings on the planet. There is ZERO chance he doesn't fit into this team, this community, and this offensive/defensive paradigm that Quin Snyder continues to build. Mike Conley knows the clock is ticking. This is the right move to the right team (made at the right time) that ownership, players, and fans have been waiting for.
This is the type of front office move that sidesteps the idea that the best free agents wouldn't pick Utah as a destination. If anything, this acquisition significantly improves the front office's ability to add talent right now and in the next few years. It's also perfectly aligned with Donovan's and Rudy's contracts and career paths. Let's see how this thing works this year and, in next summer's offseason, we might be looking at some pretty cool contract structuring to keep all of these three together for the next several years.
What the team has done (which is what every player wants) is pay top money to give their top two players a third key piece in his prime to help them win now. This is why Rudy and Donovan will stick with us when the time comes. They will happily remain two key parts of a quality nucleus. Any way you slice it, this trade is a coup for the front office.
And from where I sit, there's really no reason to care too much about the aforementioned ponies that are leaving town. Grayson Allen hurts a bit because we lose outside shooting, which will be very useful and needed this year. I don't know what Grayson will be but I am willing to part with his potential in order to acquire a major addition to this roster -- at the very position we've had a hard time filling since Deron Williams blew up the last legitimate incarnation of this team. I was happy to have Korver back this year -- what a great dude and an even greater shooter. So -- again -- we're losing outside shooting, which stinks. But given that Kyle is still contemplating retirement, I think it's best to separate from the unknown and know precisely what you have in cap space.
I'm not overly exercised about the two draft picks either. No. 23 in this particular draft this year was nothing special and the other pick won't convey for another few years because of the protections and how good the Jazz are going to be. At the end of the day, it's likely that #23 this year and let's say #27 in 2022 won't ever be more than role players (our boy Rudy being a serendipitous exception to the historical rule).
While Crowder was a fan favorite, we just replaced him with a guy who's sure to be even more beloved (and more accurate from three-point land). Even if part of the fans' adoration is to convince Mike Conley to run it back after what should be a successful season this coming year. Once Conley has the ability to decide whether this is a one-year or a multi-year deal with the Jazz next offseason, I believe at the end of the day that he will work out a longer deal to stay in town. With this wide open of an NBA right now, he will have every reason to stay with the team -- especially if we have a deep playoff run this year.
Basically, what we're looking at now with the Jazz is what we'll be looking at for a few years -- and I like what I see, at least on paper.
Rudy Gobert will improve as a player; Mike Conley will free Rudy up even better on defense due to Conley's own defensive ability. Conley gets up and down the floor and Rudy will benefit tremendously from years of finding out how to be at the right place and right time -- both offensively and defensively.
Donovan Mitchell will also improve. He doesn't have to be Superman anymore; he can just be Spidaman. This deal changes everything. Don will benefit from having a primary ball handler who is both a talented distributor and an effective scorer. Donovan will have many more wide-open looks -- especially from 3. With his ability to move without the ball, pick and pop, and to run the floor in transition, Donovan will get better in every phase of the game. When this happens, Don will officially become one of the best players in Utah Jazz history.
Jingles will be way more open from distance and will thrive in the role as the ball-distributing Robin to Mike Conley's Batman. I could go into all of the other players (like Favors getting more quality looks and assists and maybe even unlocking his own true potential) but I am being way too long-winded and I need to hose myself down. This is a clear win for the Utah Jazz franchise and is going to be an historic moment in the team's history.
Big things ahead.
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