RealGM

Evans was sent to D League but might be back with the team very shortly. I would have had him there since the begining of the season. I am not sure why he was barely sent there until now. He has potential and skills but needs playing time playing PF instead of center which he played in college. He also needs to work on his body and gain weight which I have not seen him do. He will be as good as he wants to be so we shall see if he wants to put in the work on the court and in the weight room.

I'm upset he's there. He has been effective in limited minutes on the floor in the big league and I see no reason why he couldn't handle more there. From his play, I expected an increase in minutes now, not a demotion to the JV.

I also hope he stays just as skinny as the day we drafted him. At this weight, he is lighting fast and high flying. Play him at the 3 and let him cheat off his man like AK does. Weight could slow down his lateral movement and his vertical, and he isn't getting bodied by small forwards.

Unless we start to see large increases in minutes for Favors, Hayward, Evans, (and maybe even Fes), over players like Bell and Elson, I think we'll all have a good reason to be skeptical of the new coaching staff.

I pray to God that Elson continues to be favored (no pun intended) over Fesenko. But Favors certainly needs more minutes. Don't know how he's getting fewer minutes than in New Jersey, considering our big man options off the bench.

The59Sound wrote:I pray to God that Elson continues to be favored (no pun intended) over Fesenko. But Favors certainly needs more minutes. Don't know how he's getting fewer minutes than in New Jersey, considering our big man options off the bench.

Yesterday for example 5 fouls....

With Milsaps injury and AK's back acting up, I bet Evans will be called back up.
As for Favors, yesterday was not his best game. I think he must of been sick still, he didn't seem to have any energy.

I watched Evans D-league games. He played the same way as he did at Western Kentucky. Similar numbers also. Unfortunately, that style of play won't work for him in the NBA.

I like Evans. I hope he can stick. If he does and he stays at his present body weight, he won't get much playing time. As an SF, he's got to go inside both offensively and defensively. His weight has hurt him in several games this season. He could only play a few minutes and then the defensive match-ups hurt the Jazz.

During the next couple of years there will be a lot of competition at SF and SG with the draft picks and possible trades, so Evans is going to have a hard fight keeping a bench position. I think he could have a good career and make more money playing in Europe.

I know he's a fan favorite because of the high flying dunks and a block here and there, but there are other things going on during the game where he's not being nearly as competitive.

His defensive footwork and timing have been great. I haven't seen him get backed down or lose a rebound because of his weight much this season, but I have seen him use his mobility to his advantage on both ends of the floor.

Everyone always wants rookies to get big, but this is a case where it would take away his strengths and wouldn't cover his weaknesses. As a SF, he'll certainly spend less time inside than as a PF, and I'm not too worried about him matching up with other 3s in that context. He won't make the transition to a bulky 4 in the NBA--he's better off beating guys with his natural body type at the 3, imo.

Lugi--I'm not trying to start a big debate or argue with what you said. As I said I like Evans. Unfortunately several times this year he's been very ineffective. It wasn't because he is a rookie, it was due to size and not being able to get position against larger opponents. Footwork doesn't matter much if the player can't hold the position.

Why do you think his playing minutes have been very limited this year. Evans' wow factor dunking and jumping have been mentioned many times and are a crowd favorite. It gives people the impression he can play better than he can. If he could get an easy 8 points every time he was in why hasn't it happened?

He'll play a lot tonight against NY, and probably more on the road trip. I hope he plays well.

FJS wrote:

The59Sound wrote:I pray to God that Elson continues to be favored (no pun intended) over Fesenko. But Favors certainly needs more minutes. Don't know how he's getting fewer minutes than in New Jersey, considering our big man options off the bench.

Yesterday for example 5 fouls....

Yesterday, sure, but not the other games, as far as I can recall.

Favors will play as much as he is able on this road trip. Corbin will keep him on the floor as long as he is feeling ok and stays out of foul trouble. His fouls tend to come in 2's. I doubt he's completely over his cold and may still have breathing and energy problems the way he did on Saturday.

Rookie ref calls +2 NY's home court advantage +1 in fouls that should not be called. That will make it tough for him to stay on the floor. However, the refs also recognize the Jazz are short handed and may lay off a bit on the rookie crap. We'll see.