Al Jefferson to Jazz for 2 1st round picks and a TPE

[Scatocephalus]

I read that last year 75% of Boozers baskets were asissted whereas only 45% of Jefferson's were. Read into that what you want.

[Basileus777]

I read that last year 75% of Boozers baskets were asissted whereas only 45% of Jefferson's were. Read into that what you want.

Jefferson is an isolation post scorer who was force fed possession on a bad team while Boozer does his work primarily on the pick and roll. Not much to read into.

[AQuintus]

Great post, ppl forget the triangle was a failure in Minny last season.

"Ppl" also forget that Minnesota is being built to be a run-and-gun team that will only use certain aspects of the Triangle when slowed down. Minnesota wasn't a Bulls/Lakers Triangle team last year, and they won't be one this year.

[demens]

Seriously Kahn can't win here.

All season you guys bash Al as a blackhole, defensive liability stat-padder who won't get any value. Now that he is on the brink of getting traded for more value than what many proposed, he's the 20/10 low-post stud that the Wolves fans have been saying all along.

Make up your damn minds people.

[Tadini]

Jazz started Boozer and Millsap together occasionally. I didn't like the lineup, but I do expect the Jazz to start Jefferson and Millsap at least to start the year depending on how Memo comes back from the injury. There are so many trades being made right now it can be hard to keep track of everything, but I just got an app for my android phone called LeteTweet that tracks all the tweets from NBA players and commentators organized by team. It helps stay up to date.

[tsherkin]

"Ppl" also forget that Minnesota is being built to be a run-and-gun team that will only use certain aspects of the Triangle when slowed down. Minnesota wasn't a Bulls/Lakers Triangle team last year, and they won't be one this year.

Yeah, and Rambis forgot that it was mostly (Please Use More Appropriate Word) to try and use part of the triangle without anything resembling a roster that supported the idea. He'd have been better off using the conventional stuff that has worked for decades and decades, even as defensive scouting has improved. Trying to learn the triangle is difficult; the reads on each of the plays make it more amenable to vets than to young players, which is part of why it flopped in Chicago under Cartwright.

You don't take a disparate collection of youths like the Wolves had and then tell them "here's a few pieces of the most complicated offense in all of basketball, learn this and remember all the other junk we do" and expect it to work, especially if the parts don't match. It's just messy and bad coaching, which isn't unexpected from Rambis. He wasn't that clever in the lockout year for the Lakers and he's not that good a coach for the Wolves. Minny was one of the two worst offenses in the league, despite having some decent pieces. Now, even a good coach couldn't have made them outstanding on offense, but an intelligent approach to the offense with those pieces would have been better than what they got.

Rambis... blech. I pity the Wolves for having to deal with him. Well, no, because I have to deal with watching Triano and his concept of "defense", but that's another story.

[Wizenheimer]

Jefferson gets hated on a lot because of his contract, but as Chad Ford put it...

$42M for Al Jefferson or $35M for Wes Matthews. Which would you choose?

Great deal for Utah.

typical of an ESPN guy to come up with a brain-dead analogy

it's more accurate to say Al Jefferson for 14 milion/year or Mathews for 6.8 million/year

[ahonui06]

This deal actually makes more sense for the Timberwolves. They get 2 1st round picks from the Jazz, get rid of Jefferson's terrible contract which will allow more playing time for Kevin Love and Michael Beasley. Kahn actually makes some sense on this trade. Definitely got a lot in return for a guy with low value at the moment.

Desperation move by the Jazz since they lost Boozer to the Bulls.

[BooRadley]

I think Jefferson will continue his no playoffs streak.

[Benedict_Boozer]

This is one of the most lopsided trades I have seen in recent history. MIN GM is (Please Use More Appropriate Word).

Utah robbed him blind.

[Scatocephalus]

I read that last year 75% of Boozers baskets were asissted whereas only 45% of Jefferson's were. Read into that what you want.

Jefferson is an isolation post scorer who was force fed possession on a bad team while Boozer does his work primarily on the pick and roll. Not much to read into.

Couldn't it also be argued that Boozer had a top tier PG feeding him the ball in a system designed to feature the 4 and once Jefferson arrives in Utah his assist per basket numbers will go up dramatically?

[Canomad]

kahn makes me laugh.

[tsherkin]

I don't think it's fair to say Kahn got robbed blind, he did get picks back with a trade exception that they could use on free agents. That's decent value... it's not like Jefferson was the centerpiece of a winning team.

I think the thing that gets me is that people think that this is a bad deal for the Jazz. Al has three years left (including this upcoming season) and tops out at $15M, which isn't so bad for the kind of production of which he has proven himself capable.

[Basileus777]

I don't recall anyone saying it was a bad deal for the Jazz. It's just not some amazing steal that's going to make them contenders. People were comparing this to the Pau Gasol trade.

[slick_watts]

I think the thing that gets me is that people think that this is a bad deal for the Jazz. Al has three years left (including this upcoming season) and tops out at $15M, which isn't so bad for the kind of production of which he has proven himself capable.

I wouldn't say it's bad, but I don't think the Jazz right now are better than they were this time last year. Three years, $42 million is a lot of money to spend just to tread water. I thought Millsap was matched to be a cheap Boozer replacement in case he leaves. At best, now, they are back to square one.

[gomby]

I like the deal. They don't lose too much offensively from what they had in Boozer and I'm a believer in Sloan's system bringing out the best in players. The downside is he's a mediocre defender at best.

The Jazz don't have the money to do it but they need to pick up a big who can play defense. the Collins brothers and Joel Anthony might be available for the vets' min, but that's it...

[Grizfan6969]

And people think the Grizzlies are stupid. Atleast the Grizzlies got Marc Gasol out of the deal and the flexibility to absorb Randolph's contract. Minnesota got flexibility to sign Luke Ridnour?

Minnesota is a freaking train wreck.

[Malinhion]

Let's see what Jerry Sloan can do with Jefferson's talents.

[ptown08]

And people think the Grizzlies are stupid. Atleast the Grizzlies got Marc Gasol out of the deal and the flexibility to absorb Randolph's contract. Minnesota got flexibility to sign Luke Ridnour?

Minnesota is a freaking train wreck.

They were absolutely dreadful WITH Al Jefferson, can't really get worse without him. Pau Gasol was the centerpiece to a borderline playoff team when he got dealt and was also a much better player, not comparable. Al Jefferson to the Jazz is a mediocre move which I don't understand. Why sign Milsap as a Boozer replacement then go out and trade for another replacement? Looks like a desperation move, but it won't help.

[RTM]

Maybe now Al Jefferson finally has a shot to contribute in a meaning way to a team that wins more than 30 games.

This is a win for him personally.