[lukestine13Participant]

 On sportbeat sunday (its a utah sports show) they interviewed greg miller last night and they asked him about resigning AK and picking up CJ’s team option and his answers were interesting to say the least.  With AK he said he liked AK but was really concerned with his durability and questioned his toughness and willingness to play through nagging injuries.  With Miles he thought he was inconsistent but he hoped with more seasoning he would become more consistent.  He also said during the draft they wanted to get bigger and have better jump shooting.  Did anyone else see this and what are your thoughts.  I was surprised when he said they wanted to get bigger.  maybe this is the year they bring Ante Tomic over.

[sammybuckeye13Participant]

Agree with lukestine…They have Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Derrick Favors and Mehmet Okur under contract (for a good amount each) next year, with Tomic coming from overseas possibly in ’12…and they want to get bigger? Huh? Not to mention their PG is a horrible shooter and apparently Miller has doubts about Miles, the team’s best shooter.

I know Miller isn’t the GM, but seeing the decisions he’s prepared to make…

Bill Simmons once said if it weren’t for NBA GMs, he wouldn’t have a job. Amen…

[scliddiardParticipant]

I didn’t see it but I read about it this morning, I still hope the Jazz resign AK, they will just need to sign him for a price they feel is worth it.  It is for this reason that I feel the Jazz need to draft a long, athletic, good shooting 3 in this draft if they can find one. The other option is to trade Milsap for  a long, athletic, good shooting 3 and draft someone like Biyombo.

Jimmer or Knight are good shooters and would help fill that need.

To me Tomic is questionable, he is taller but his lack of weight/bulk are a big concern, I’m not sure he can hold his own in the paint. He’s not that good of a defender and his rebounding is average at best.

[i’m jus so offendedParticipant]

 Yeah they want and need to get bigger. Jefferson and Millsap are both undersized, Favors is a big kid but thats basically what he is, a young kid. And come man Okur? he’s gone after this year and he hasn’t produced ish the past 2 years. You can’t count on him being a contributer, or Tomic who I like but you never know. Is Fesenko still going to be on the roster? I don’t know if he’s ever going to amount to much.

[scliddiardParticipant]

Sammy:  Not sure why you think CJ is the Jazz best shooter, he’s not, check out his shooting percentages, there not very good, that is one of the frustrating things about CJ, he has a ton of talent but his inconsistency is very difficult to bear ( as a Jazz fan & as a CJ fan). Many fans want to see him traded or just not resigned, I personally still have hope he can come around and become consistent but I’m not nearly as convinced it will happen after 6 years.

Where the Jazz need to get bigger is a relative thing, Milsap is undersized at the 4, Miles and Hayward are undersized when they have to play the 3, and except for Fes, we really don’t have a true center, Fes may or may not be resigned. Those are all area’s the Jazz need to get bigger and longer at.  Outside shooting is also a problem, Jimmer or Knight would help in that area. I don’t really see a good shooting 3 or 2 for that matter that is worthy of a lottery pick.

[lukestine13Participant]

From my understanding he is built alot like Pau Gasol.  Here is an interesting thought do the jazz try to sign marc gasol away from memphis.  he is an unrestricted free agent after the season and i think he could help the jazz out a ton but would he be happy coming off the bench for the jazz. If the jazz try i see them trying to work out a sign and trade.

[scliddiardParticipant]

I don’t know how much you have seen of Tomic but your right he is tall, and slender, so far he hasn’t shown that he can be much of a banger or very tough. I was hoping he would progress this season but haven’t seen much in that area. He has pretty good offensive skills but questionable defense. Chuck Nunn (Jazz Oracle site) does a update on Tomic every month or so, he has been keeping track of players associated with the Jazz that are over seas. Look his site up.

The way the Grizzlies are playing I don’t see them letting Gasol get away, they look like they may have something nice in the works.

[SwatLakeCityParticipant]

 This doesn’t surprise me. I am not expecting the Jazz to resign AK. Why, because not only will it be harder to do so with less cap money because of the potential lockout, but also is it worth it. Yes he is big, and yes he plays when he is healthy. But the key phrase is "when he is healthy." Why would you want to resign someone who is never healthy? And not to mention the Jazz are rebuilding this year. AK is one of the older guys along with Watson, and Bell. I don’t think any of those 3 will be back next year. The Jazz really need to find someone to replace AK, and it can’t be Hayward or Millsap switching over to the 3. 

That’s why in the draft Utah needs to draft a SF. Hopefully Derrick Williams, but I doubt it unless the Jazz get the 1st or 2nd pick. If they stay where they are at they need to do all they can to get Terrence Jones. 6’8 maybe 6’9, 19 year old that plays alot like Lamar Odom, would be the perfect replacement for AK. After that, though I’m not quite sure where the Jazz will go. There are many options at 12. Jimmer, Marcus Morris, Kawhi Leonard, Jordan Hamilton, Bismack Biyombo. Where do you go? take your pick? For now I chose Marcus Morris. He could do what Al Harrington did for the Nuggets this year. He could provide some bench scoring,as well as some defense. He could also play SF which would definitely help with versatility. 

Yes, lukestine and scdilliard I have warmed up to the idea of starting Hayward at the SG. Although with that being said the 12th pick is puzzling to me, not quite sure who the Jazz will draft. The only free agents I see the Jazz resigning are CJ Miles, Ronnie Price, and Fez. Then in the offseason, I hope they bring over Tomic and Okur can work with him and train him to play just like he did before he got hurt. They also need to go after a 3rd PG. Preferably one with some experience. One that can bring that same veteran like performance that Watson brought. Another true Center would be nice as well other then just having Fez. Another SG would also be nice but all this may not be possible because who knows how much money the Jazz will have left after the new CBA is signed and a salary cap is instated. 

[scliddiardParticipant]

I like most of what you said, although I like Price (local product), I don’t know if the Jazz will keep him, I think they may look at keeping Watson instead.

I agree we need to draft a 3 to replace AK, I like TJones, he could be a Odom like player, he needs to be able to be our 3 of the future if we do pull the trigger on him, if he can’t play the 3, I wouldn’t draft him.

If we pick Jones, I wouldn’t pick  Morris, not sure he can play the 3, he may be more like Milsap, an undersized 4, that can hit the outside shot sometimes.

I think the Jazz should look at Knight or Jimmer as the point guard of the future, some question Jimmers ability to distribute ( they may be right) but I think he can and will be able to show he has those abilities. Defense would be my biggest question concerning Jimmer but that too I think he will show he can do, he’ll show he’s more athletic than people think.

Not sure the Jazz will resign Fes, I hope the do but it will depend on if any other team decides they want him. The Jazz will probably wait to the last minute , like they did last year.

Bell is under contract for 2 more years, so unless they can trade him, he’s likely to be on the team next year. I’m warming to the idea of drafting Biyombo, especially if we could get him at the 12 spot. If we did, then I would look to trade Milsap, he’s probably our best trade chip and he’s undersized. Trading Milsap, hopefully would give the Jazz the opportunity to get a proven player to fill the 3 spot.

[SwatLakeCityParticipant]

 scdilliard: The Jazz are rebuilding this year. Why would they keep Watson, when they are rebuilding? I think Watson will want to end his career on a contender seems the usual way to go, and the Jazz aren’t contending for a championship for at least another 2 or 3 years.

I think Millsap might play the 3 next year as a backup. Morris is actually a very capable outside shooter, and he can bang down low with other 4’s. He plays very hard, and he’s not as undersized as Millsap is. He’s 6’9 while Millsap is like 6’7.

Defense is what worries me the most about Jimmer. He just seemed disinterested on D. at BYU. I want my PG to defend. If he’s that athletic then why doesn’t he show it? I want proof that he can play defense not just hope on a prayer that he can. I like Knight but I know he’s not gonna be available at 12. I think that Terrence Jones will impress a lot of teams at workouts so the Jazz should draft him with the 6th pick if they really want him replacing AK. I really the Jazz will try and get their PG in the offseason and it only be a backup. 

When resigning free agents, you have to remember one of the main goals that the Jazz have this year is to rebuild. It isn’t smart to sign old players when you rebuilding, but signing young players is smart. That’s why I think Price and Fez will stay along with Miles.

I think Bell will be traded around draft time. Something you may not know is that he was rumored to be traded to the Wolves around the trade deadline but a deal never finalized. I’m thinking the Wolves will try to get him again or he could go somewhere else. Remember the Jazz are rebuilding, and Bell is one of the old guys that probably won’t be around next year.

[scliddiardParticipant]

I’m not sure the Jazz front office thinks the same way you do.  Greg Miller was on ksl channel 5 sports last night and he wants to win and rebuild at the same time.  The coaches like Watson better at the point than Price and Watson would be a good mentor for a young point guard, if they get one in the draft and at the same time be able to help the Jazz win. They still want to win, even though they are needing to rebuild.

I agree that Knight won’t be there at the 12 spot, if Jones can play the 3, I’d like the Jazz to get him, if he is a question mark that he can really play the 3, I’d pick Knight at the 6 spot. Then at the 12 spot I would look to pick up Jimmer or Biyombo depending on if the took Jones or Knight. If they take Knight, then we need a 3 and trading Milsap would be our best trade chip. Then they would need to draft Biyombo. Biyombo would bring defense , rebounding and shotblocking, all things the Jazz need. Your right Milsap could play some 3 next year if they keep him but I’m not sure he can be the full time starter at the 3.

I hope your right that the Jazz could trade Bell, but I’m not sure it will be that easy. Yes I did read about Minn. looking into trading for Bell, I’m just not sure it’s still a possiblity. I hope it is.

Concerning Jimmer, I think his work outs will determine where he goes, if he has good workouts, he definitely will go in the lottery, if his workouts don’t show teams he can play D, he’ll end up in the high teens or early 20’s. It will be interesting to see how his workouts go. His college coaches say he’s more athletic than people think. 36" vert. We’ll see.

I don’t know that much about Morris,  if the Jazz took him, I hope it would be because your right.

[scliddiardParticipant]

wardb12,  where do you live?  Wondering whether you get the local scuttle but like local news or David Locke’s blogs etc. ?

[CodySLCParticipant]

Ya i made sure to watch it because I was interested to see what Greg Miller had to say. He made it seem like A.K. is gone. And honestly he’s hurt all the time anyways. It’s probably better to hand the reins over to Hayward. I think they bring Miles back atleast for next season. We don’t have really any other sg’s besides garbage old man raja bell. He also made it clear he wouldn’t pick Jimmer just to fill seats. He said he would take him if they felt like he’s the best player available. I’m still hoping we take Brandon Knight at 6 tho.

[iguapops420Participant]

Maybe not having Miles playing the 3 would help the kid’s consitency. Or letting him start through the inconsitencies.

[the27guyParticipant]

Guys, a big no here on Terrence Jones. No way! I watched each of Kentucky’s NCAA games. Terrence Jones absolutely does not have the ability to play the 3 in the NBA right away. His jumper is slow and awkward. He can’t handle it yet. People say he’s like Odom because WITH TIME he could possibly become a solid 3, but right now he plays like a soft 4. Don’t let his measurements and playing style fool you. He’s not ready and he won’t be for a few years (and I actually don’t think he ever will be). I seriously hope someone else takes him before our 12 pick, so we have a better chance to get someone who will actually be able to help next year.

 

Brandon Knight, on the other hand really impressed me. He and Liggins made that team go. Liggins shut guys down, and Knight ran the team effectively and knocked down clutch shot after clutch shot, so although 3 is a more glaring need than the point, I’d take Knight because I think he’ll be very good in this league. I think he’ll be better than Harris within a year and a half. Having said that, if you get a top two pick and have a chance at DWill… how cool would it be to get another DWill from the DWill trade?… then you take him.

 

[scliddiardParticipant]

the27guy: Good info, if TJones can’t play the 3, we don’t need him, Knight would be a pretty safe choice, he won’t last too long, we’d have to take him at 6 if he’s still there.

Where do you live to see all the Kentucky games?

Not sure why everyone is so high on Williams, if he can’t play the 3, we don’t need him either. Until he proves otherwise, he is a undersized 4.

If TJones and Vesely can’t play the 3 then we need to look at Leonard at the 12 spot and Knight at the 6.

[lukestine13Participant]

 If we can’t address our small forward issue through the draft we have to try through free agency or a trade. Paul isn’t the answer at the three.  I personnally hope Perry Jones has a less than spectacular year and the jazz can get him with golden states pick  next year. hey everyone can dream right.  Dude is crazy athletic and could gaurd any position.

[SwatLakeCityParticipant]

 Lukestine, you may not have heard, but Perry Jones is going back for his sophomore year, so the Jazz would not be able to draft him. But even if he was available he would not be a good draft pick not for the Jazz because he does not work hard and he doesn’t seem to want it bad. His position is very questionable, but I think he is a PF.

scliddiard, Right now I live in Sandy, Utah. I got the David Locke thing that I posted on this site from the Jazz website. 

If its true that Terrence Jones can’t play 3 yet, then no of course he can’t replace AK, which means that the Jazz would be smart to draft Kawhi Leonard as AK’s replacement. In that case the best available at 6 is probably Brandon Knight or Alec Burks. Either of those two would be great picks. At 12, Leonard is a good fit, so is Marcus Morris, and Tristan Thompson (although he reminds me a little too much of Millsap so I wouldn’t pick him) Of course Jimmer could work there too, but again his defense really worries me. Possibly Jordan Hamilton (great offense but not so great D.) When the Jazz already have Hayward, picking Hamilton is questionable. Leonard or Tobias Harris I think would be great AK replacements. (although 12 may be a little to early for Tobias Harris.

Really there are only two PG that I like the Jazz drafting, Irving and Knight. Kemba is a little small, and is really more of a scoring PG, not really Jazz style to have scoring PG. Jimmer also fits this role, but I’ve heard that is passing is better then people think. I like everything about him except for his defense. If he wants to start he needs to play some D and not look so disinterested when he does. To me he is just a 6th man guy off the bench, unless he proves that he can play better defense. I too would love to have the next Dwill, 27 guy, (he’s a small forward to me) but the only way the Jazz get him is if they get lucky and get like the 1st or 2nd pick. Knight is much more realistic. 

I wouldn’t like the Jazz drafting Biyombo, not because of his defense or that he is raw offensively (although this does worry me a little) I really think that with all this talk about him that he is being hyped up to much and he’s not gonna be what some expect. I mean about a month ago he was a second round draft pick and NO ONE had heard about him. He was unknown. I remember this because I remember asking who he was on another forum, and no one could answer me. So a month ago he was a 2nd rounder and then all of a sudden after one performance in the Nike Hoop Summit he stock moves all the way up to a lottery pick? Doesn’t that sound a little premature to you? I don’t care how good of a tournament you had, scouts should know better than to say "lottery pick" You don’t just move up 50 picks in one week. Things like that just don’t happen. So there’s has to be something more to it, otherwise he may just be hyped up to much. Do you really want to take a project like that, when you are rebuilding and still want to win? (If that is truly the case then I would think that the Jazz can’t afford to take that kind of project that may never work out. To much of a risk and they might start going backwords instead of forwards!!)

Watson would be a great PG for the young possible draft pick (Knight) to learn from, but remember even though the Jazz want to win, they are not competing for a championship for at least another 2 or 3 years. They are building towards that of course, but they are not going to be there next year. Since Watson is getting close to retirement he will want to end his career competing for a title. This may not be what the Jazz want but they may not have a choice in the matter.

Raja Bell does not have a big contract, its only 3 mil, so its not hard to trade. And most teams want a player like him because of his veteran presence and his defense, how hard he plays. If the Jazz do end up trading him to the wolves, they might do it with the 12th pick and hopefully receive Anthony Randolph back. He’d be a nice backup to Favors or Jefferson.

I never said Millsap would start at the 3. I said he could play backup at the 3. Starting would be way to risky especially with all the athletic and great 3’s the NBA has, but being a backup 3 the size or still adjusting to the postion would not matter because he would be playing against other backups.

[lukestine13Participant]

 You didn’t read my last post close enough i said next year with the pick we get from golden state take Perry Jones. I also think the guy could about play any position he wanted.  I think his problems are/were: First of all Lacedarius Dunn by all accounts the dude was a major ball hog he only cared about his stats no one elses. Second i think he wanted it he just didn’t know  how to utilize his talents to make an impact. Third maturity he admitted himself he knows he is not ready for the nba yet but i don’t see him staying another year.  thats weird to make a mature decision about having a lack of maturity.

[SwatLakeCityParticipant]

 Yeah my mistake, I realized that after I had already posted that. I actually think the Jazz should use this pick to get their PG. Why, because their are 3 PG that will be really good in that draft. Myck Kabongo, Marquis Teague, are Kendall Marshall (who reminds me of John Stockton!) The 2012 draft is so deep and so talented that its very likely at least 2 of these PG’s will still be available when the Jazz are up with the Warriors pick!

All 3 of them are legit PG and I know they will be great players while Kyrie, Knight, Kemba and Jimmer, I suspect only 2 maybe 3 will start but none will be great players, just solid role players. I still have doubts that Perry Jones is just not a jazz type player. But two of those 3 PG’s are (Myck Kabongo and Kendall Marshall. The Jazz should focus this year on getting their replacement for AK and their backup PG (probably 6th man) Leave the starting PG for the "dream draft" of 2012.

[SwatLakeCityParticipant]

 and scdilliard, Derrick Williams has proved he can play the 3. He can shoot very well from 3 pt land. Shot like 60% from there this year!! He even wants to play SF’s. He knows he’s not a 4. He can both positions but he’s better at the 3. I love this guy’s attitude. He always proves the opposition wrong. He plays like he wants it, and his willpower, determination, heart, and work ethic are just what the Jazz need. This is why I want the Jazz to get the top pick or the 2nd pick otherwise they will have to settle for Knight and Leonard.

[scliddiardParticipant]

lukestine13: You said you were a big BYU fan & Jazz fan, just for the sake of getting to know those we share posts with, where do you live etc, etc.

I’ve been a fan of Perry Jones and it was alittle frustrating to read and hear that he isn’t as assertive as he needs to be, hopefully he will learn how to use all his abilities. Coaching and teammates can make a big difference in how a player plays and whether he plays up to his ability. The 2012 draft does seem like it will be very deep. Hopefully as the workouts start happening we will get some reports that can give us some hope that this years draft class is better than we think. With comments about TJones and Vesely being questionable when it comes to playing the 3, it weakens this draft in my opinion. We need a good 3 and if they can’t play the 3, that dramatically limits the players available, this draft already lost Barnes and PJones.

[scliddiardParticipant]

lukestine13: You said you were a big BYU fan & Jazz fan, just for the sake of getting to know those we share posts with, where do you live etc, etc.

I’ve been a fan of Perry Jones and it was alittle frustrating to read and hear that he isn’t as assertive as he needs to be, hopefully he will learn how to use all his abilities. Coaching and teammates can make a big difference in how a player plays and whether he plays up to his ability. The 2012 draft does seem like it will be very deep. Hopefully as the workouts start happening we will get some reports that can give us some hope that this years draft class is better than we think. With comments about TJones and Vesely being questionable when it comes to playing the 3, it weakens this draft in my opinion. We need a good 3 and if they can’t play the 3, that dramatically limits the players available, this draft already lost Barnes and PJones.

[scliddiardParticipant]

lukestine13: You said you were a big BYU fan & Jazz fan, just for the sake of getting to know those we share posts with, where do you live etc, etc.

I’ve been a fan of Perry Jones and it was alittle frustrating to read and hear that he isn’t as assertive as he needs to be, hopefully he will learn how to use all his abilities. Coaching and teammates can make a big difference in how a player plays and whether he plays up to his ability. The 2012 draft does seem like it will be very deep. Hopefully as the workouts start happening we will get some reports that can give us some hope that this years draft class is better than we think. With comments about TJones and Vesely being questionable when it comes to playing the 3, it weakens this draft in my opinion. We need a good 3 and if they can’t play the 3, that dramatically limits the players available, this draft already lost Barnes and PJones.

[the27guyParticipant]

 scliddiard,

 

Utah, born and raised. Just watched the KY tourny games.  

 

WardB, I like Leonard at 12. I’d rather have Biyombo, or Jimmer, but if both those guys are gone, then I’d take Leonard.

[Author]

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