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Hopefully the Jazz trade Boozer sooner rather than later. If they can get a SG/SF in return for Boozer and then let Millsap take his $ and run the Jazz can let AK start at the 4. Too skinny you say? Boozer sucked at defense anyway. AK had his career year when he played the 4. No back up at the 4 you say? Koufos is there ready and willing to get some more PT. What do you think? The Jazz get rid of Boozer and save $ on Millsap. Obviously this is all contingent upon the Jazz trading Boozer for a 2 or 3.

AK sucks. AK sucks at the 4. Im not banking my whole season on a guy that had one fluke year. IF we lose both Millsap and Boozer we will be the worst rebounding team in the NBA. We were already in the bottom 10 last season without Boozer.

While I think this is a moronic move by the Jazz it brings something interesting to talk about. What are the Jazzs option if they let both walk? We have 50 million in committed salaries to 6 players next season. There is no guarantee we will get a PF better than MIllsap in FA. There is no guarantee that we get a top 5-10 pick and land one of the "premier" PFs in the draft.

If the Jazz survive this season Millsap makes less ever season after. By the end he will be paid like a 6th man.

Finally I wish everyone would stop asking for AK at the 4. Bad idea. Maybe as a backup, but in the system we run AK at the 4 doesnt work. He was so succesful because he played an inside outside game with Matt Harpring.

I was thinking about Ike Diagu as a pos. replacement. Obviously not getting any playing time on bad teams is a bad sign.

Tapoona wrote:AK had his career year when he played the 4.

AK's career year had nothing to do with what position he played. At the time he was playing on a crappy team and got a lot of touches. The touches on offense kept him involved in the game and you saw the benefits on the defensive end.

Unfortunately a team that centers around AK on offense isn't very efficient.

I personally think it hurts Portland more if you let him sign with us.

Here are my non trolling reasons

1. It creates a big logjam at the 4 and 5.

2. Despite saying he wouldn't mind backing up Aldridge, he will also never play in crunch time if Oden is not in foul trouble....(so maybe he would play quite a bit LOL)

3. Portland's two biggest needs are PG and SF. Nicolas Batum is going to be really good, but he's not there yet. Bayless might be really good at some point, but like Batum, he is not ready. Adding Millsap is great for our interior needs, but that leaves nothing to help us with our PG and SF possitions.

4. Creates a logjam at the 3. Travis Outlaw played a lot of 4 last year,and signing Millsap would essentially put him as primarily a 3. Batum, Webster, Roy and Fernandez also play that possition.

Again, I say this in a non trolling manner. It's not like Utah is going to be competing for a title anytime soon anyway. You have Williams, but that's about it. Millsap is a nice player, a really nice one, but I am not sure he is on a level where he can help take a team to the next level. It might be better to start all over. You will have mad cap money next offseason by letting them walk, and building around Williams would be really easy I think.

I have been saying this for sometime. Let Millsap walk and trade Loozer for Hamilton or some other SF/SG then playing AK-47 at PF. Sloan would have to be innovative on defensive match ups.

Such as you play Portland, You can hide Ak-47 on Prysbilla or Odon allowing AK-47 near the basket with Memo on Aldridge and maybe AK-47 play some minutes on Aldridge. Dont you think AK-47 going to beat those centers on the fast break everytime.

Say you play the Lakers (probably Jazz worst matchup), you can start AK-47 on Gasol and if not good then switch him to Bynum. Dont tell me Boozer going to play them better than AK-47!!!

My point is Jazz paying AK-47 alot of money and they cant trade him then you might as well use him to the best of his ability whcih is as a shot blocker/help defender.

The biggest issue will be rebounding, but I think Memo picks up more rebounds that Boozer took and they would need others to pick up the slack on the boards such as Brewer and Dwill.

We would not have "mad" cap space. Factor in the draft pick and we will have 5 mil or less in cap room.

The Jazz offense is predicated upon a low post presence. Its enough of a stretch for Millsap to play that role, let alone AK. Furthermore, after the first year Millsap's contract will be a bargain- and he therefore will remain a valuable trade asset if Jazz management decides to move him.

The Jazz really need to get the most out of their assets; without a proven player at pf they're not going to suck enough to get a high lottery pick and definitely won't contend.

The Jazz would be crazy to let them both go. You keep one of them no matter what. AK can play the 4 and I would love to see him play the 4 but only as a backup, not our starting 4. Maybe if this was New York or Golden State I would consider it...but no.

I would love to see AK get 30-38 minutes a game at the four.

As long as it was for another team.

No, really. I would love that.

I only want comments from anyone that has played basketball before. Who thinks that someone with AK's frame could defend against the Power Forwards in the league and still play well offensively on the other end? Boozer may not play any defense but he does bring it in the paint offensively. AK wouldn't be able to maintain either for 35-40 minutes a game. 5-10 minute stretches? Yeah probably, but not 35-40 in this Jazz system. Besides he is a better off the ball defender than he is a match-up defender.

If you had a big defensive-minded center then AK could gamble more and front his man... but that's clearly not the case with this team.

For what it's worth, in 2003-2004 Greg Ostertag played 78 games for the Jazz, averaging 27.6 minutes and getting 1.78 blocks and 7.4 rebounds/game. Jarron Collins played the rest of the minutes at center. While those two guys added together don't make a Mark Eaton or Alonzo Mourning they're both more of a defensive presence than Memo is (yes, even Jarron. I dislike him as much as anyone, but at least he rarely gives up easy baskets or and-ones).

The perfect frontcourt compliment to Memo would be his virtual opposite: quick/athletic; a better than average post defender; a fantastic help defender; a strong finisher at the rim. Andrei has only one - arguably, two - of those qualities. Starting him at the PF will not make us any better, which has to be the goal if the ultimate aim is title-contention. Millsap is closer to the prototype aforementioned, but he's not near the answer, either. The more I think about it, the more I want Tyrus Thomas. Whether that means the shedding of both Boozer and Millsap is for KO'C to find out.

A lot of Bulls fans would disagree that Tyrus is an above-average post defender. Not sure he's a strong finisher at the rim, unless it's an uncontested dunk. Definitely not worth giving up Millsap and Boozer for.

I think he'd be a good piece to get back in a Boozer trade, but he's not a player I'd expect to get a lot of productivity from.