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I haven't watched the game but clearly Ainge doesn't know how to orchestrate a tank. Second game of the the pre-season and already the Jazz win. Ainge purposely built a team that will get close to the play-in and get a crappy lottery pick so he could screw the Jazz, his future rival, and then bolt to Phoenix. This is sabotage.

Preseason sucks. I hope we win all preseason games though haha.

I didn't see the game, but the Olynyk, Markkanen, Vanderbilt, Clarkson and Conley starting lineup has significant offensive potential. Loved seeing the six assist total from Olynyk.

Vanderbilt reminds me of Millsap in his first couple of seasons....... No offensive game to speak of, but plays hard all the time and is very athletic......

This is going to be like the 03' season winning 42 games and having players like Ben Handlogten posterizing Marcus Camby.

Well.... no Blazer players of note played in the 2nd half, so there's that.

Vanderbilt's energy is great. Looking forward to him playing in front of a Jazz-crowd that will undoubtedly cheer loudly for all the hustle plays.

Sexton played limited minutes off the bench again, but it's clear he can score & is fearless, even coming off an injury. I'm torn on what his role should be, as I also support Conley starting and providing some vet leadership. Starting JC was an interesting twist. I like Clarkson a lot, but really don't think he's a starter. His style is perfect as a 6th man. Still, if he starts (what happens to Beasley?), then perhaps Sexton will/can play a bench role as instant offense and playing freely (like JC in the past), but also still play more minutes than Mike??? We'll see how things shake out.

Markkanen didn't play nearly as well as he did vs Toronto, but it's still clear that he's going to have a huge role in the offense.

Olynyk played more like the player we can expect to see. Hit some J's, make some veteran plays/passes, be a bit annoying to the other team. Nothing flashy, but solid.

Kessler is an NBA player. Too early to tell what level he can get to, but I guarantee he's already ahead of Azabuke (who should be cut, IMO). However, if anyone thought he was more of a shooter than Gobert (at least at this point), then it appears you were mistaken. Yikes on the FT's, and hasn't even looked to shoot anything other than a dunk/layup.

Stanley Johnson played hard. Not sure if he'll have a spot in the rotation or not, but he played like he wants it. Also, NAW looks better than last season, although I'm still not sure exactly who he is and what his role could be. He averaged 13ppg with the Pelicans, and has the tools to be a real contributor if he can find his niche.

I hope Beasley's ankle sprain is mild and he's back soon.

I really want to see bigger minutes from Fontecchio in the remaining pre-season games. Watching him on the court, he just seems to know how to play, and looks the part. Agbaji is the other player that needs more minute, IMO. I'm curious about why both have been an afterthought so far. (It's not like I know more than Hardy.)

JazzyPhinz wrote:This is going to be like the 03' season winning 42 games and having players like Ben Handlogten posterizing Marcus Camby.

Fans might burn down the stadium if that happens.

I hope that Sexton starts at least half the games.

The big worry about Kessler when we drafted him was speed. How was his speed in the two games so far? Also, kinda curious if you guys think Lea Bolmaro will make the team?

JazzyPhinz wrote:This is going to be like the 03' season winning 42 games and having players like Ben Handlogten posterizing Marcus Camby.

Not a chance.

Ainge didn't clear the deck just to let that happen. That's one reason you hire a young coach who's never been a head coach before. He's going to do what he's told and cooperate with the bigger picture, instead of playing for wins. Utah doesn't have a single player right now that they know for sure will be here long term. There is no silver lining here to winning more games than they should.

Utah needs to be a bottom 3 team to get the best possible chance at a top 2 pick. This will be a tank for the ages, the likes of which has never before been seen in the land of Utah.

Cappy_Smurf wrote:

JazzyPhinz wrote:This is going to be like the 03' season winning 42 games and having players like Ben Handlogten posterizing Marcus Camby.

Not a chance.

Ainge didn't clear the deck just to let that happen. That's one reason you hire a young coach who's never been a head coach before. He's going to do what he's told and cooperate with the bigger picture, instead of playing for wins. Utah doesn't have a single player right now that they know for sure will be here long term. There is no silver lining here to winning more games than they should.

Utah needs to be a bottom 3 team to get the best possible chance at a top 2 pick. This will be a tank for the ages, the likes of which has never before been seen in the land of Utah.

I didnt think I needed to use the green font there.