In defense of the Jazz

BarneyGumble · Post #1 » by **BarneyGumble** » Mon Jul 12, 2010 9:00 pm

Im pretty sick of everyone on here who claims to know how to build and manage a team much better than the Utah Jazz. I will remind you the Utah Jazz has put up a playoff contender for 25 of the past 27 season and a legitimate title contender for much of the late 1990's.

Thats more than 100% of the rest of the league can boast in regards to playoff appearances and more than 90% can claim about being a title contender...

Here are the moves your so-called "tight with the purse" owner Greg Miller and his late father made in recent years:

-Matched an offer for CJ Miles at $4mm per. I argue that CJ Miles is a bench player at best for a title contender and not worth his contract.

-Matched an offer for Paul Millsap at an average of $8million per. For the Boozer lovers, this was the wrong move. For the Boozer haters (like me), this was a great move. Secures a starting quality PF that also plays defense at reasonable price while accepting that Boozer will move on, as he publicly has been lobbying to do for more than two years.

-Gave DWill a max contract. no brainer.

-Gave AK-47 a max contract. Seemed like a great move at the time and turned out to be one of the worst contracts in NBA History. We are now seeing the ugly ramifications of this contract.

-Extended Memo for 2 years and $20mm. I honestly cant figure out what they were thinking here. Not a good move.

Conclusions: The Jazz seemed to have a spend spend spend mentality contrary to the beliefs of many of you on here. The problem was we overpaid for guys that could not take us past the WCF, or in a year with great competition, the 2nd round. It looks like othe organization has figured out that the team we've fielded in recent years wont be more than it has been...and we are starting over. We have "blown it up" as so many of you have lobbied for us to do in years past. And I am fine with this. AK's ridiculous contract ends this season. We need to build through the draft and target FA that we can realistically bring here. We need to try to keep Williams happy, but if he leaves, so be it. The Jazz has a history of winning in the regular season and occasionally being title contenders in the playoffs. DWill knows he has a chance to be one of the top PGs of all-time here. If he decides to leave, fine...we'll deal with that when it happens. But for now, one way to guarantee he will leave is to spend all our money on player that wont bring us a title. Glad to see that has stopped....

stevebozell · Post #2 » by **stevebozell** » Mon Jul 12, 2010 9:03 pm

DWill_daShizzle wrote:Thats more than 100% of the rest of the league can boast in regards to playoff appearances

That isnt even numerically possible.

BarneyGumble · Post #3 » by **BarneyGumble** » Mon Jul 12, 2010 9:05 pm

stevebozell wrote:
DWill_daShizzle wrote:Thats more than 100% of the rest of the league can boast in regards to playoff appearances

That isnt even numerically possible.

Nope. There are 30 teams in the NBA. Of the 29 other teams, 29, or 100%, cannot make the claim the Jazz can about playoff apprearances.

RIJazzMan · Post #4 » by **RIJazzMan** » Mon Jul 12, 2010 9:06 pm

Miles is not worth his contract??? Pft...

BarneyGumble · Post #5 » by **BarneyGumble** » Mon Jul 12, 2010 9:08 pm

RIJazzMan wrote:Miles is not worth his contract??? Pft...

Here are Miles' career averages. Tell me this is the resume of a man that lands a $17 million contract...

Year Team G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG
Career -- 255 126 17.2 0.438 0.341 0.767 0.5 1.4 1.9 1.2 0.6 0.2 0.82 2.18 6.9

kebutah · Post #6 » by **kebutah** » Mon Jul 12, 2010 9:09 pm

What a load of crap. The Jazz have put up a playoff team for many years but only twice a true contender. Spending money on the wrong players, keeping players too long, a continually wanting to see what this team can do when fully healthy are all mismanagement.

babyjax13 · Post #7 » by **babyjax13** » Mon Jul 12, 2010 9:10 pm

DWill_daShizzle wrote:
RIJazzMan wrote:Miles is not worth his contract??? Pft...

Here are Miles' career averages. Tell me this is the resume of a man that lands a $17 million contract...

Year Team G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG
Career -- 255 126 17.2 0.438 0.341 0.767 0.5 1.4 1.9 1.2 0.6 0.2 0.82 2.18 6.9

The last two years he has been a 10p 3r 2a guy, that kind of production in the NBA gets you a $17 million contract.

BarneyGumble · Post #8 » by **BarneyGumble** » Mon Jul 12, 2010 9:10 pm

kebutah wrote:What a load of crap. The Jazz have put up a playoff team for many years but only twice a true contender. Spending money on the wrong players, keeping players too long, a continually wanting to see what this team can do when fully healthy are all mismanagement.

Did you even read my post? Seriously....

HolyToledo · Post #9 » by **HolyToledo** » Mon Jul 12, 2010 9:11 pm

Miles looks like a bargain. Ak-47's contract was plain out crazy especially since Sloan has not used him correctly. Signing DWILL to max contract had to be done. Matching Millsap or resigning Boozer was an either or where one had to be done and they chose Millsap instead.

So the Jazz have done what was necessary BUT have never gone beyond what any other team would have done to put a team together. Unlike the Lakers that took on Gasol's contract and pay a ton of luxury tax, the Jazz have never made a move to try and win the championship other than a mid-season trade for Hornacek.

Time to make such a move whatever it maybe or simply sell the team because the Jazz is broke.

BarneyGumble · Post #10 » by **BarneyGumble** » Mon Jul 12, 2010 9:11 pm

babyjax13 wrote:
DWill_daShizzle wrote:
RIJazzMan wrote:Miles is not worth his contract??? Pft...

Here are Miles' career averages. Tell me this is the resume of a man that lands a $17 million contract...

Year Team G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG
Career -- 255 126 17.2 0.438 0.341 0.767 0.5 1.4 1.9 1.2 0.6 0.2 0.82 2.18 6.9

The last two years he has been a 10p 3r 2a guy, that kind of production in the NBA gets you a $17 million contract.

And how do you justify giving it to him before he had those amazing 10 point seasons?

babyjax13 · Post #11 » by **babyjax13** » Mon Jul 12, 2010 9:14 pm

DWill_daShizzle wrote:
babyjax13 wrote:
DWill_daShizzle wrote:

And how do you justify giving it to him before he had those amazing 10 point seasons?

He was 20 years old and had shown flashes of his potential. I am not crazy about CJ, but looking at that contract now it has worked out pretty good for us.

RIJazzMan · Post #12 » by **RIJazzMan** » Mon Jul 12, 2010 9:30 pm

Miles isn't even at full potential. He continues to grow more and more and has the athleticism to be special. He's not a headcase and keeps quiet. I really hope we don't match the offer for Matthews. He's a good player, but that's just too much money. I would take Miles over Matthews any day.

kamazilla · Post #13 » by **kamazilla** » Mon Jul 12, 2010 9:46 pm

#1 I said Greg is tight with the purse, not his father.
#2 Greg has 0 responsibility for fielding a winning team over 25 of the last 27 years.
Therefore: your first, second, forth and fifth points are moot.

#3 I agree the Okur extension was a bad move.

#4 Matching Millsap's contract became necessary after the Jazz FAILED to secure an extension.

Of course, it is your prerogative to continue defending the Jazz's management- you just come off as being imperceptive and inexperienced. BTW, why make a whole new thread to address the topic of another thread?

ColdBlue · Post #14 » by **ColdBlue** » Mon Jul 12, 2010 10:45 pm

I think the draft day trade to get Deron was a brilliant move to insure we got him. The Jazz deserve credit for that one. Giri for Korver was good too, but that was a silver platter.

maccca32 · Post #15 » by **maccca32** » Mon Jul 12, 2010 10:55 pm

The other Malone for Horny was great.

Not to mention my favourite trade of the KOC era Eisley for Marshall. First ever four team trade, if I remember correctly.

Post #16 » by **StocktonShorts** » Mon Jul 12, 2010 11:18 pm

DWill_daShizzle wrote:The problem was we overpaid for guys that could not take us past the WCF

Yes

It looks like the organization has figured out that the team we've fielded in recent years wont be more than it has been...and we are starting over.

Have they figured it out? If so it's one or two years on the late side. That's my complaint. They haven't blown the team up so much as slowly let it fall apart. Blowing a team up usually implies trading away good but expensive players to get rebuilding assets (draft picks, young players) in return. The Jazz haven't done that. They've largely let their players' agents and other teams dictate their "strategy."