[valentine]

 Jazz have been pretty good in pre season. I just see a team thats 12 wins better than last season. 

I also think theres only 1 strong team in the West and that the Jazz are the clear #2 seed.

People will talk about their lack of clutch scoring and superstar factor. And they’re right. This is why they wont grind out many playoff series’.

But in the regular season I think they’ll be the best ‘All Around’ team with multiple contributors and a lot of easy wins.

Theyre the best defensive team in the league…which is a result of style and personnel.

And theres veterans on that team that can hit big shots. So some of that previous talk is just lazy analysis really.

Now I’m gonna be real with you folks here. 

Dante Exum is returning from Knee injury at around the same level that Jabari Parker did. Similar situations and age, despite different games. Parker is now fully recovered and looks pretty good. I expect Exum to follow a similar trajectory as hes already playing at a starter level, which I didnt expect. Joe Ingles is also a great glue guy.

Im calling it now, Exum is a sneaky for All Defensive 2nd team. His job description is primarily still to be a lockdown defender. 

And Gobert will be the DPOY. Hood and Lyles are also legit starters on most teams.

Ceiling: 60 wins

Realistic: 55 wins

Basement: 50 wins

 

[OhCanada-Participant]

 To be fair they did pretty much hit thier basement last year almost everything that could go wrong did and they were what a game away from the playoffs. I do see them making a jump this year but they dont have over the top talent so they need alot of things to go well for them to win a playoff series. They wont win more games then San Antonio. 

 

 

[Hype Machine]

Its always tough to write off the Spurs, but I’m selling high on them and the Clippers.

And buying low on Mavs & Jazz

 

 

 

 

 

[Jaymes BrownParticipant]

 The Trey Burke era was just heating up.

[ZachAttackParticipant]

 Yep… that’s why we traded him.

Anyways, good analysis Hype, I don’t see the Jazz being the 2nd best, but I think that 4th is most likely with a possible 3rd seed depending on Clippers health. I would probably predict 54-28 for them on the season.

 

[BeastMode716Participant]

 w/ the Deron Williams trade – back when ESPN had him rated as a top 10 player in their.

I would trade Hayward though….. Eventually the salaries will catch up to the new cap & there won’t be any space again & if the Jazz have Hayward as their "Max" player they can only go so far

That’s not a knock on Hayward – it’s just a reality of the NBA. If your #1 option or "Maxx" Star isn’t a Super Star you’re just not winning a Chanpion. I really like Exum & Gobert – build around them

 If they could get one or both of those Nets Lottery picks from the Celtics for Hayward that would set the Jazz up for the next Decade – it would take a few years but they would be a real contender at some point

 

 

 

[markfitz14Participant]

Not being a Jazz fan I see a different team. I do like there veteran additions, Diaw, Johnson, Hill I think those guys help them gel a ton.

 Gobert was a huge let down last year though. I thought he would beast mode and he just couldn’t consistently score. He rarely got over 10 points. I see a similar year from him, some big games and then some games where you forget he is there. I think Exum needs another year to develop more before he makes a big impact. Or at least most of this season to start breaking out, if he does.

Great potential as a team to make the playoffs for sure. Pretty solid all around at every position. Reminds me of the celtics. Good players on the whole roster, with some young guys. I would do everything I could to resign Hayward though. Beg the man to stay lol. 

   

 

 

[HitsterParticipant]

The Jazz have a very good young core and have added some very good veterans to their roster. They have been in rebuild effectively since the D-Will trade and especially when both Millsap and Jefferson left via FA.

They have improved from 25 wins in 2014 to 40 wins last season and I would see them having a winning season this year and getting back in the play offs.

The key moves for them will be, what do they do with Hayward. He is a very good player but is he the sort of player who could make a team a legit contender I wonder and would he be worth the salary he is likely to be after next summer. I’m still undecided on this.

Rudy Gobert can be extended now and I’d assume the Jazz would want to tie him down given he is their defensive anchor and would surely get max offers if he went into RFA.

Derek Favors will be an FA in 2018 and could command a very big deal given he should be entering his prime then and the value teams put on good big men. So the Jazz have a lot of big decisions to make. Retaining Hayward, Gobert and Favors would effectively kill all cap space they may have in a the future.

[HazelParticipant]

The Jazz have been compared to the Celtics here, and there seems to be a near consensus that they need an elite star that they don’t have.  I think a little differently.  While I think the celtics are in a great position, they really have a lot of guys who are finge starters with not a lot else.  I really like their players, but none besides Harford are surefire bets to be as good as Hayward is today.   

In Utah I believe they have five players who could prove better than Hayward in the end:

Gobert

Exum

Hood

Favors

Lyles

All of these guys have unique, highly coveted skills and are extremely versatile.  I say keep Hayward, sign him to a max extention, then when these players’ salaries start to kick in, you have six (SIX!) high-value players to chose from flip for future picks.  In the meantime, keep developing with players who can legitimately guard a team like Golden state and whom GS cannot handle down low.  

I think there is a chance that Hayward and Favors rework thier contracts about the time Exum is due for his big raise if they see a possibility for a championship.  Ask Duncan, if you already have 150,000,000 guaranteed, it is a lot easier to give back for the chance to play on a team with a chance to win a championships for a decade.  Pretty sure you get that money back plus some and an extremely satisfying career to boot.  

Side note:  I think with the kind of money these guys are making, that sort of thing is going to happen a lot more in the NBA.  Make 100million then step off the salary gas for a teammate you love.  Chase some rings together then get a nice departing gift your last year of you are headed to rebuild. You still make 200 million!  Team culture and teammates start to matter more then. 

Second Side note:  I see organizations like San Antonio, GS, Utah, Portland, Boston, Dallas with great player-centered management becoming more desirable destinations than LA and NY, NJ wtih their amazing dysfunction.  Today you can live anywhere you want anyway and get national endorsements.  It’s way better working for better companies. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[holefillers1Participant]

 Dont see it.  I liked Exum coming out of draft but he has a ways to go. Trey Lyles is a player I just dont get.  Like I get his style, but he is no more valuable to me than a Tobias Harris.  I heard talk about him being a point four but from what I have seen, he scores a lot when he gets hot and disappears in every way when he isnt.  I actually think George Hill will be the most important addition to this team.  He has good size and does a little of everything, even scoring the basketball which Utah needs.  But in the end as far as this team is concerned it’s Gobert or go home.  You go as far as he goes.

 

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