The Yin to C.J.'s Yang -or- The quest for the new Wes

Last year the MVP for the Jazz was Wes Matthews. Not because he scored the most, played the most minutes or anything like that. Wes was Utah's MVP because he was that unexpected piece that changed the Jazz last season.
What he brought was leadership by example, pure hustle, desire, and obviously a few points and defense!
Here at the cave we have felt that when he got on that plane headed to Portland, the Jazz lost a future all-star. Weather or not that ever comes to fruition will make for a fun player to watch. I just wish he played in ESA more than twice a year.

All that's left is the tears... still.

The break-up of Wes and the Jazz hurt... err, hurts. Even after the strangest on and off court seasons in Jazz history, I think this team has rebounded back remarkably well. Except on the lose of Matthews.
But the milk has been spilled, and by now it has all dried up, we need to dry the tears and move on... finally.

Raja is what he is... a great player.

Raja Bell is a great ball player. He has been known as one of the toughest defenders in the league, and can shoot the 3 ball very well.
But he's 34, and right now that is all that is showing.
Right now he is averaging over 2 minutes more than his career average; 30+ minutes a night for a 34 year old shooting guard?!? No! You can't do that to a guard that doesn't give everything he has, let alone to a guy like Raja who wants to leave it all on the hardwood every night. Stop making him the scape goat in Utah. He is doing everything he can in a body that he has taken care of remarkably well.
You don't race a classic car, you bring it in to win car shows, distract the competition, and win the occasional unexpected race.
I know all this sounds like a broken record, but it's the truth. He can do what he did last night against the Kings every once in a while, but to expect that from him night in and night out is just plain unfair and unrealistic.
I would love to see Raja get around 18 minutes a night, give or take a few, with the occasional 25+ night like last night. If he knew that this was what he could expect, you would see a more energized Bell who I think would not only continue to hit his current reg. season scoring numbers with less minutes (8+ points a night), but would be able to be more of a natural leader on and off the court.
I hope all of this doesn't leave any doubt that I am a huge fan of what Bell is. I'm just not a huge fan of what is expected of him right now.
 
An answer?

Right now Salt Lake City is not producing great basketball (Utes & Jazz), but down in Happy Valley there is some terrific ball being played (Cougs & Flash)!
BYU just won the MWC out right, and is expected to be right there in the MWC tournament too (despite the loss of Davies- that one hurt). The Utah Flash just won their 9th straight and are doing something that just doesn't happen in the D-League; they are playing team basketball and sharing the ball.
BYU's Jimmer F. is going to win the college player of the year. A lot has been said about his career at the next level - I love watching him and think his intangibles will help him succeed at the next level. I don't however, think he has the best chance as a Jazz man. I could be wrong, but he is not the Jazz's answer to the loss of Wes Matthews.
If you haven't seen the Utah Flash, change that! I have seen two games (1 on T.V.), and a lot of highlights. I want to see more. Kevin Young is making a name for himself as a youthful coach that should be getting some looks from some collegiate programs.

The guy down there that I am most impressed with is the same guy D-Will once compared to our "ex" (Wes Matthes), Ryan Thompson. Ryan can play, and from what I can tell has the tools that could translate to the next level. I would imagine he is on a lot of NBA short lists as a possible call up.
He is listed 6-6, 220lbs. (Wes 6-5 220lbs) He not considered an overwhelming athlete, but can use his big frame and long arms to get a surprisingly large amount of good shots off(Draftexpress.com). Ryan has been called a high I.Q. ball player that has great court vision - that is true! He makes that extra pass and will route to his teammates if his shot is not falling. Considered a terrific team player that rubs off on his teammates (evident down in Utah County), I like Ryan as the Yin to C.J.'s Yang.
 He is not a three point dagger, but can credit his D-league time with coach Young in gaining greater confidence in his long ball and has brought his % up to a serviceable 35% from behind the arc. For a guy that doesn't live and die on the three, that works. His lateral quickness is an issue on D, but that was a similar knock on Wes, who is now considered an elite defender. Besides that he is a tough defender that can really pressure all but the fastest wings, and even against them has shown brains over brawn with heady play.
The eye test- well, he passes. Not only are his build and height surprisingly similar to Mathews', the tools that he uses (moving without the ball & team defense especially) really bring his likeness to the surface.

Is Ryan Thompson the answer at 2 guard? Maybe. I can't say yes, because there is a reason he is not on a NBA roster right now. But would Wes be on an NBA roster right now if Utah didn't find him? Maybe. Maybe not.
With Ronnie Price out, I can't see why a 10 day is not offered to Ryan. When Jeremy Evans comes back (he looks REALLY well down there scoring, rebounding, and blocking shots) lets bring Ryan with him and see if D-Will has a future as a talent scout.

Jeremy Evans: Rotation player?

This is in response to a @SPORTSCAVElive (Twitter) follower ; @juicelake

"Rumors saying Evans may go to D League. Can @SPORTSCAVElive explain your feelings about Evans and why he doesn't play?"

Evans has quickly become a fan favorite, and has shown some incredible athleticism in his time with the Jazz. He can jump out of the building, and has pretty good hands around the rim (as seen as in his ally-oops). He has shown a simple jumper at around 10-12 feet too that has been pretty consistent.
Evans was a shot blocker in college, and was not a bad rebounder either. Those are two traits that almost always translate to the next level.
His man on man D is questionable, not because he can't or wont but because of what I will call the only reason he is not a big time player out of the first round:

He is the definition of a "tweener".

At 6-9, he has the height to play tall SF or mid PF, but because of his freakishly thin frame, can't defend any type of PF post players.
He can however stay in front of almost all basket facing PF's, and a good amount of SF's.
His athleticism is un-real and allows him to move laterally about as well as a completely raw player can.
Evans lacks the polish of a "prime-time" player. And when I say lacks I mean he lacks the polish of the guy that lacks the polish of a prime time player. The D-league will be great for him (I actually am working on a D-league piece right now), as it will give him a much larger amount of minutes and allow him to find out what he can and can't do against defenders.
If the Jazz were already WAY out of the playoff race, I think he would be getting a lot more minutes. But with all the changes, Ty is trying to get himself and his playoff bubble team into the playoffs. If the Jazz lose another handful right in a row (oh please no), Evans will see the NBA floor more.
Evans is a great example of how incredibly difficult it is for a good player to not get minutes in the NBA. Growing the awe of Millsap, a second rounder, even more! Remember, most teams draft in the second round with a "numbers game" attitude: Draft as many as you can, see if they show real promise immediately, throw the ones back that don't, and put the ones that do through hell and see if they stick. If they do, you get guys like Millsap, Landry Fields, Boozer, and CJ miles. If not you get guys like Morris Almond.
I think there is a seat for Evans long term on this team, the problem is right now that seat is occupied by Fes and Frank! Both of whom will be gone after this season.
Look for Evans to see minutes next season (if we don't lose the whole thing to a lockout), especially if he takes this off season aggressively with his shooting set and body development.

Take my talents to South Beach (REMIX)

For whom "Bell" could REALLY toll: Gordon Hayward.

When the Jazz selected Gordon Hayward with the 9th pick in the draft, he was booed by almost all in attendance at the Jazz Draft Party in ESA. Booed. Wow.
He was selected largely, we are told, because of his amazing basketball I.Q.... What does that mean? Is he a natural born leader? Is he a guy that can play above his abilities? It certainly doesn't mean he's just a well of raw talent that needs to be molded ( our 2nd round pick, Evens?). So If basketball skills have a sliding scale, with basketball intelligence on one end and raw talent on the other end, we are being told that Gordon is just a few strokes away from being an NBA head coach right now. OK, What now? Now you bring in Raja Bell.

Raja is a prime example of a limited raw talent guy with a library full of basketball I.Q.  Raja is who he is because he learned, stretched, and studied. In a sense, he is the product of hard work + a high basketball I.Q. Does that sound familiar? It should. If Kevin O'Conner knows what he's doing, he might have just created a taller, more athletic Raja Bell in Gordon Hayward. He did this by drafting a young, pretty athletic, hungry player in Hayward; and giving him a snap shot of what he could become in Bell.

I repeat, Gordon Hayward could become a longer, slightly more athletic Raja Bell.

I'll take that any day of the week, and twice on Sundays.

Raja Bell is at the sunset of his career. He has picked up tricks, sneaks, meanness, and a desire to win along the way. It really should be a beautiful sunset!
But when the Jazz front office pulled the strings on Bell, I think there was another motive besides watching a great sunset, I think they picked up someone who they had previous experience with, that knows the system, is everything the Jazz want in a 2/3 guy, hates the Lakers (yea this was important), and can teach everything he has learned over his unique career to a young, eager "basketball head" in G. Hayward. In other words, the Jazz just picked up the best possible one on one coach for Hayward they could have gotten.

It might be a little early but KOC, you might have just created an ALL STAR.

Am I crazy for saying so? No. Think about it this way;
Would you say Raja is one of the wiliest and nasty guys in the NBA? Sure you would!
Now, what if you could add 4 inches to him and younger legs... would you have an all star? I think you could. I think you would.

Final thought:
G. Hayward will have a long NBA career as long as he stays healthy. No matter what.
If he and Raja can work together and he can draw from Raja's HUGE well of tricks, schemes, hustle, toughness, and basketball I.Q., It could be a long CELEBRATED NBA career.

KOC, here is to one hell of an off season!

Utah Jazz Draft Review

Last night was a little rough with the Jazz going with a very conservative pick and getting a player that the majority a fans are already considering a bust. Rather than joining the mass of depressed Jazz fans I am going to try and argue some positives from this pick.

In case you weren't alive last night or this morning, the Jazz draft picks were:

9) Gordon Hayward, F, Butler

55) Jeremy Evans, F, Western Kentucky

Before I go into why this is not a bad draft for the Jazz, I am going to need everyone to re-adjust their expectation for the Jazz this next season. Let come to grips with the reality of some changes that are going to take place to this roster. The league salary cap is at $56.1 million for next season and as it stands the Jazz sit at $54.8 million. That number of $54.8 million is where the Jazz sit with the minus of Boozer, Krover, Matthews, Fesenko, and Gaines from their payroll! That leaves them with a whole $1.3 million to improve their roster! Not to mention they still need to sign their draft picks.

The Jazz are not going to bring Boozer back and they are not going to bring back Korver. They are going to be lucky if they can afford to bring back Matthews (everyone's new favorite) and Fesenko (hardly consider that lucky). With the lose of Boozer and not having a good bench the Jazz are going to struggle just to make the playoff next season. Forget the idea of winning the division! The Nuggets, Thunder, and Blazers are leaps and bounds more talented than the roster that the Jazz have. Not to mention if the Timberwolves learn to grow up, the Jazz are going to struggle staying ahead of them.

Another issue to consider is the fact that Okur might never play again! If his is able to recover he will be not even come close to being as good as he was prior to the injury. In addition to that if you thought his defense sucked before, now picture Okur being even slower (if possible) and not being able to jump at all. That is the player the Jazz get back from an injury this next season (for $10 million a year).

The Jazz have realized that their core is not going to win a championship and are attempting to change directions. They tried to go over the salary cap for a chance at a title last season and it did not work.

Ok with this perspective in mind now lets look at the draft.

Gordon Hayward-

I get that Hayward is not a sexy pick and his potential is not out of the world but he will help contribute to the Jazz team next season.

If you have not watched the interview of Kevin O'Connor following the pick of Hayward you need to! I thought he provided some interesting thoughts. The first one that stood out the most was talking about him being a winner and also being able to perform under pressure.

O'Connor said over and over that "winning counts for something" and no matter what you think of Butler or the State of Indiana basketball, Hayward was a winner in High School and in College.

The point of him being able to perform under pressure is a valid point. O'Connor also stated that it shows he is mentally tough and that is something that is important to Sloan. Heck I would argue that the attribute of being mentally tough is one of the most important characteristics a player (especially a rookie) has to have when playing for Sloan.

O'Connor also spoke about him being clutch in big games. Last season Butler played: UCLA, Clemson, Georgetown, Ohio St, Xavier, Syracuse, Kansas St, Michigan St, and Duke. Hayward did play in a weak division in college but played against some of colleges best teams last season. Best part is that he played well! In those games he averaged 18.7 points, 9 rebounds, and 1.1 steals.

He is better than Luke Babbitt because he can create his own shot! He can handle the basketball better than Babbitt and I would argue he can be a better shooter than Babbitt. Sure last season he only shot 29% from long range but he has the makings of a good shooter. In his freshmen year he shot just barely under 45% for long range! And that was with only 6 fewer shot attempted. Looking at his shots attempted it is easy to see that Hayward was Butlers go to guy and that opposing teams treated him that way. Also Babbitt did shoot 41% for long range but also attempted 59 fewer shots from long range.

My last point would be... There was not another player available that you can argue is leaps and bounds better than Hayward! O'Connor even pointed out that when the Jazz picked it was a different level of talent from what was in the top 5 picks. And indicated that there was a substantial drop off in talent. You don't have to be a draft guru to be able to see that. Last Hayward is a Sloan type of player. His is not going to cry himself to sleep if the coach tells him he sucks and he is going to play within the offense.

Jeremy Evans-

From what I have read on Evans he is not going to light up the score board or be able to ever carry a team on the offensive end. What he does offer is a athletic player that is known for being a great defender. Scouting reports for draft websites say that he relies on his speed and athleticism too much and needs to work on fundamentals. With some coaching and some weight training he could become a good player coming off the bench in the future.

Shake's Top 5 Players for the Draft

I want to make a point that this is my top 5 for the Jazz and not just overall.

1- DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky, Center;

This is the easiest pick in the draft. Cousins has the makings of a star! Take a look at the video posted a few days ago on him. Coach Callipari says he is the only player in this draft that opposing going to have to game plan for. He is a less athletic version of Shaq and don't believe me look at the numbers. Shaq freshmen year at LSU he averaged 13.9 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks (all in 28 minutes a night). Cousins freshmen year at Kentucky 15.1 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks (all in 23 minutes a night). Though if their stats are not enough look at their measurements. Shaq in college was 7'1" and 286 lbs ; Cousins is 6'11" and 270 lbs. They both have that wide body that makes them hard to move in the post. I do not mean to go on about him but to me he is the one sure star in this draft. And do not tell me he is difficult to deal with... name me one high profile athlete that has not been considered a handful at one time or another (in the NBA). If the Jazz want to land a star the will trade anything and everything to move up and get this guy! Trade the next 2 years worth of draft picks! Take a bad contract! Give them Millsap! Do whatever it takes to move up and land this guy. Also another thing on the character of Cousins... the only reason he might be available at 4 or 5 is due to his "character problem"! If he had the character of Tim Tebow he would be the 1st overall pick! Hands down!

2- Greg Monroe, Georgetown, Center/Power Forward;

He is not my favorite big man and I believe he is still 1 to 2 years out from being a big time player on any team. He would fit a need that the Jazz have. He is consider by many draft experts (meaning not me) to be one of the best passing big men to come around in years. He has the potential to be a great offensive player at the next level. I am apprehensive about his defense though. He is not a nasty player in the post on defense and will not have more around 1 block a game. Everyone in the Utah media feels the Jazz have to draft someone that has the potential to be a star and Monroe fits that bill. If he is available the Jazz will take him.

3- Cole Aldrich, Kansas, Center;

Ok I know that nobody is big on this guy but me. Just hear me out... The Jazz need a big guy bad and the quality of big men that are 2nd round picks or free agents are a considerable drop off from Aldrich. They can still land a serviceable 2 or 3 in the second round but they will not get a big man that can contribute this year. Aldrich will come and be able to play 15 to 20 minutes in his 1st year! And do not give me this crap about him being the next Ostertag! I already went over that in another post that you can see by clicking here. He will not become a star but he will get you 10 plus rebounds and 2 or more blocks a game. I have a hard time seeing him being able to average more than 15 points a night but should be in the neighborhood of 10 a night. Not sure what you think but I would take that in a heart beat.

4- Xavier Henry, Kansas,

If you are going to draft a wing player I would take the player with the most potential and I feel that Henry is that player. He is coming out after only his freshmen year and would have been a top five pick had he returned for another year (my opinion). Another reason I would have the Jazz taking him is because Walt Perrin the Jazz director of player personal said that the group the Jazz had in that included Al-Farouq Aminu, Luke Babbitt, Gordon Hayward, Damion James, Ryan Thompson, and of course Henry was one of the best workouts he can remember. With that in mind any of these players are potential picks for the Jazz at 9 (minus Thompson).

5- Hassan Whiteside, Marshall, Center;

I would take Whiteside but only if the Jazz are able to trade down a handful of spots and pick up another draft pick in the process. Potential trade partners would be the Grizzles (12th and 25th pick) and the Timberwolves (16th and 23rd pick). Whiteside is a big gamble but comes in being able to block shots. He is going to need to put on at least another 30 lbs before he will be able to log a lot of minutes. He reminds me of a poor mans Marcus Camby. Now with the addition of that other pick I would have the Jazz take Luke Babbitt, Paul George, or Gordon Hayward.

Dignan's top 5 @ 9!

One rule that almost all good g.m.'s use in the NBA draft(or at least say they do) is draft the best guy left. Well, I am giving you my top 5 I would take if I was the Jazz G.M.

Few rules:
1-no trade bait. I didn't take Wall #1 just because everyone wants him. We have D-will so wall is not my first pick. get it?
2-If I was a g.m. I would use position need as a huge asset to the "best guy left" thing. Meaning Cousins is my #1 because I believe he the best big in the draft and the jazz DESPERATELY need a big.
Hope that makes sense.

Here we go!

Remember, this is not a MOCK draft.

1- DeMarcus Cousins: As I mentioned above, He is the best big in the draft. Just his absolute size gives him SHAQ like qualities. He will live at the line, clog EVERY middle! Forget the head issues... he loves basketball, he's physical, and the Jazz have great veterans right now that can still relate to him.

2- Derrick Favors: Super athlete that dunks everything... that sentence alone makes him my #2! Dunks, as exciting as they are, are still way under-rated. They destroy the defending teams will, pump up the crowd, and have the highest foul potential and Field goal potential. Derrick Favors is a dunk!

3- Evan Turner: This might be too low already. He will be an all star year in and year out. period. He is a more defensive minded T-Mac. That's how good he is. Love his game. He is a steal at anything lower than 2 in the draft.

4- John Wall: I know, we have D-will. But if he is available and living by my above rules, I have to slip him in at 4. He will be such a talent in the NBA that the D-will and him would just have to "figure it out" on the court. I don't know, maybe having the Yin & Yang of star point guards would be a bad thing... yea right!

5- Wesley Johnson: He is better than 60% of SF's in the NBA right now. He is the most ready NBA guy in the draft. Put him on the court, teach him the Jazz system and he will give you 20 pts a night and bring that 60% of SF's that he guards stumbling down. He can change speeds, rebound, score, defend, endure, and learn as well if not better than anyone in the draft this year. A total package guy that doesn't do anything poorly.

Iceman's Top 5

Ok lovers of the draft, here is the real deal. I am not going to say we need Wall or Turner because we don't. Could we use them? Sure we could and they probably be a great asset to us, but as Dignan stated above we need a big...end of story. As many as six centers could be taken in the first round of the draft compared to two last year. This being said, here's the top 5 bigs we should go for pending who's on the board when our #9 pick comes around.

1- DeMarcus Cousins

In Cousins freshman season, Cousins averaged 15.1 points and 9.8 rebounds in just 23.5 minutes per contest. Cousins has worked out with the Sacramento Kings and they love him, so don't expect to see him on the board come #9.

2- Cole Aldrich

Aldrich averaged 11.3 points and 9.8 rebounds per contest. He is the best fit in my opinion for the Jazz and is not an Ostertag all over again, he is much more. He has a well rounded offense and can rip down the boards we need him to as well.

3- Greg Monroe

With 16.1 points and 9.6 rebounds Greg Monroe is another very attractive option for the Jazz. At 6'11'' he averaged 1.75 blocks per game and could be a great asset in the Jazz rotation.

4- Hassan Whiteside

Whiteside is by far the player with the biggest potential risk/reward in the draft. Whiteside is very young but has a lot of will and determination to dominate games. In his freshman season, Whiteside averaged 13.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and an otherworldly 5.4 blocks per game. Whiteside even had three Hakeem Olajuwon-like triple-doubles by collecting double-digit points, rebounds and blocks. Thats impressive and if he's working out with Hakeem, maybe we could also adopt Hakeem's pointer finger shake after a blocked shot!

5- Derrick Favors

Favors is my last option. Although he has good numbers with 12.4 points and 8.4 boards ll he does is dunk. Bringing in a guy that can dunk is electrifying to the crowd and all but dunking alone will not get us where we need to be. Case and point Ronnie Brewer, that guy could dunk over anyone but that was all he could do. Favors should be our last resort.

Could you imagine him and Jerry!

Hassan Whiteside: the Love fest continues!

Once again, DRAFTEXPRESS.COM has shown why Hassan Whiteside could be a legit NBA star! Below is an excerpt from the latest stat analysis on the centers in the draft. As you will see his findings are amongst the highest in the '10 class.
The analyses used is supposed to be one of the most telling..."Many of these statistics offer excellent insight into the players we evaluate, so we’ve taken the time to compile and sort through them in an effort to distinguish which players are, for instance, the most productive back to the basket threats, the most effective finishers around the basket, the most likely to draw fouls on a given possession, and the most efficient jump shooters."


Take this with a grain of salt, as I am a HUGE whiteside guy!





•Hassan Whiteside is one of the more intriguing players in this draft, and you can see why from his situations statistics.







With a usage of 12.8 possessions per-game that ranks him just above average, Whiteside scored on a very solid 56.8% of his overall touches and turned the ball over at a low 13% rate.






Whiteside received just 27% of his touches in the post, one of the lowest marks on our center rankings. Despite that fact, he scored 61.1% of those touches, good for third on our list. He was fouled on 16.1% of those shots, ranking him second. Whiteside was able to make a nice impact on the block despite his lack of lower body strength, showing a nice hook shot and unique touch for a player his age.






Outside of the post, Whiteside used his length to generate 2.9 possessions per-game from offensive rebounds (3rd). Showing impressive versatility, 26% of Whiteside’s shot were jumpers, the top mark in our sample. Making 40% of those shots and finishing at a highly respective 64.1% clip, Whiteside is one of the most unique talents in this draft. His ability to score from the outside at his height is incredible, he was one of the most impressive shot blockers in the NCAA last season, and shows the potential to score in multiple situations.


**Side note: A rumor that the Jazz are looking to get ANOTHER draft pick in the late teens/early 20's might make Hassan a bite more of a JAZZ reality!

2010 NBA MOCK DRAFT

DRAFTEXPRESS does an amazing job on the NBA draft! The analysis is superior to anything else you'll find as far as the amount of info that can be found on each player.

The latest Draft came out last night.

Some highlights:

+ D. Cousins falls to the 6th spot (Do they Jazz trade up?)

+ Jazz are projected to take:
Ed Davis PF

21 years old; 6'9"; 215 lbs.
North Carolina, Sophomore
at the 9th pick. (not in love with this pick.)








+ Jazz in the second round projected to take:
Artsiom Parakhouski C

22 years old; 6'11"; 260 lbs.
Radford, Senior
(Anyone who knows me knows I would love this pick. A violent big that can rebound and plays with passion!)

+ Cole Aldrich falls to the Rockets at 14! (Big steal at 14?)

+ Hassan Whiteside falls to 23rd! (Still really like this guy!)

**One thing I have noticed is that all the bigs projected from 16 in the first round to 25 in the 2nd seem really close in over all talent. A great year for the 2nd round? I think so!