What Happens if We Don't Trade for Al?

[vegas]

Jefferson--that is Richard

I have not followed RJ at all since the Spurs picked him up last year, but I do remember all the hype of how the spurs would be very tough last year. Now we know those predictions were right, but off by a year.

Just for fun, I looked at what players do after trades and came up with this link.
https://www.48minutesofhell.com/spurs-stats-team-chemistry-richard-jefferson

It's some info to chew on, but unfortunately it looks like its pretty rare for a player's stats to increase after a trade. It looks like they usually get a little bump the year after the trade. As for RJ it looks like the biggest stat difference is his 3pt% is 10% higher.

It would be interesting to see the effects on a team basis (winning %) the second year. Where would we be without AL -- This year I think we are actually better off. In the future I think it gets a bit muddy with the deciding factor being future chemistry. I think another trade only sets us back even more in the short term and possibly the long term. The caveat is certain no-brainer superstars that are only traded once in a blue moon.

 

[JAZZFAN_2814]

The danger with casting your lot with Jefferson at the cost of Millsap (who until the last week was clearly the 2nd best player on this team)

Which, if accepted, is its own indictment.

There are teams aiming for the lotto that have more to look forward to. Millsap as the team's second option is a punchline to a joke called 'the new, improved Utah Jazz'.

Disgusting.

is that Jefferson's inability to read a defense or play in an offense can have a massively net-negative affect. Sure, if he ever figures those out, you keep him, but he's been in the league 8 YEARS and has never shown that he can do those things. His fundamentals were terrible when he came into the league and they're hardly better now. When will he learn? What will make him learn? I'll be the first in line to get my helping of Corvus if Jefferson can consistently show he's not just a moron out there, but he hasn't come close to that.

I have little to no qualm with what you see in this regard. I see it as well.

The only thing I would add, is that Utah management, no matter what they try and pass off, clearly wanted Jefferson to be the replacement for Boozer.

Then again, they had thought that Millsap could fill that role back in 2009, or that Sloan's offensive aptitude could hide the truth from a gullible fanbase.

Overall, my point is not how good Jefferson is, but how frightening Utah's predicament will be if he doesn't get a hell of a lot better.

Speak of Millsap's inconsistencies all you want, but if you're contrasting, Jefferson has been worse.

On the contrary, I think Millsap, even by way of his inconsistencies, is being very consistent. It's pretty predictable.

Jefferson's the one that's the contradiction, to the point where I still have no handle on what he's worth. But he is the player with the better embedded potential, the one that has the necessary gifts to be the lynchpin for a postup offense.

That doesn't mean that he ever will be. But that's a separate matter from Millsap, and should be treated as such.

The bottom line is Jefferson needs to prove it. That's the key. If he does, no one has to go anywhere. I'm just skeptical.

If the Jazz were to move Jefferson, assuming he never finds his brain, or testes, around the basket on either side, I wouldn't automatically disagree with that, nor with keeping Millsap.

The point at this moment may just be how big of a mistake it was getting rid of Boozer for, even if the Jazz move pieces for a frontcourt standard, who is there to get? Utah's offensive needs in this area are not easy to fill, and I fear they made a rather big mistake.