Missed Opportunity

[eLo]

The point isn't to justify anything because of injuries. The FACT is, that even had Utah made the playoffs, they would have likely been without Rudy, and Favors clearly was hobbled to the point of being a non-factor. So unless you really believe Utah could compete with ANYBODY, let alone the top teams in the west without those two players, this so-called missed opportunity is a myth, Curry or no Curry.

thanks God then we didnt make it if any one would know that rs would look like that maybe we could also skip it

[Cappy_Smurf]

That last playoff appearance by the Jazz sure did wonders for our players.

It was good experience for the players we let go in FA and that experience allowed us to not get a lotto pick and lose out on Dame but it was worth the experience.

Utah lost out on the GS pick on a coin toss as well. Now, suppose Utah had decided to commit to a full rebuild, we very likely would have had 2 top 10 picks in a draft with Lillard and Drummond. Even if we had missed on both those guys, those assets would have put us over the top in the Harden sweepstakes. We also would have had whatever assets we would have gotten out of trading Al or Millsap. Probably would have been Al, although Sap had considerably higher trade value.

In the end, we just might build a team with a higher ceiling, as it's impossible to imagine the exact scenario, but one thing is for certain; Utah would have had a MUCH faster rebuild had they gone that route.

Very few young teams do well in their first playoff series. For that reason alone I really wanted the Jazz to make the playoffs this year so that next year they won't be going through everything for the first time. Even if they had been swept it would've been good for the players and coaching staff to have the experience.

Exact same argument was made the year Utah scraped into the 8th seed, only to get slaughtered by the spurs. Well, Hayward and Favors got that ever-so-valuable asskicking experience then, so no need for a 2nd time. Seriously though, there's a big difference between the two teams, as well as circumstances, and if Favors and Rudy were healthy, I would be all-in on making the playoffs, regardless of the outcome. BTW, trying to scrape into the 8th seed that year instead of starting the rebuild was a HUGE mistake, and I believe it to be the reason KOC decided to hang it up.

[KqWIN]

Around mid season I think we had a thread asking whether we wanted to make the playoffs or get a lottery pick. For me, it wasn't about either of those things, it was all about the players getting better and making progress as a team. The Jazz were in prime position to make the playoffs, and it was something they should have accomplished. I couldn't foresee a scenario where we missed the playoffs unless something bad happened or we didn't progress, and that's exactly what happened. We continued to make the same mistakes as we did all season and got dinged up at the end.

I don't care about what would have happened in the playoffs, I care about what didn't happen during the season. I want to see the players take steps forward and improve their teamwork. Hopefully it'll happen over the summer, but it certainly didn't happen over the course of the season. We went backwards in as many areas as we went forward. Next year is a big year.

[BarneyGumble]

That last playoff appearance by the Jazz sure did wonders for our players.

Demarre Carroll, Al Jefferson, and Marvin Williams benefited quite a bit, actually.