CJ Miles should demand the starting position

[dalekjazz]

Ever since CJ was drafted everyone has talked about his potential Based on the preseason it looks like he is starting to put it together. He has put on some muscle and is focusing on other parts of his game beside scoring, like rebounding and defense. Raja Bell is a valued veteran, solid defender, and good role player, but is not the long term answer at shooting guard. Now is the time to find out if CJ wants to be Jazz version of J.R. Smith who chucks and puts up big numbers against second stringers or does CJ want be mentioned in the same sentence as Deron and Big Al as the Jazz version of the Big 3.

[Hikari]

Did you watch last night? Without CJ in the 2nd unit they have ZERO scoring. I think CJ should continue to accept his role his time will come.

[dalekjazz]

With Raja Bell on the bench along with Watson, Milsap (when Okur returns), an improved Fesenko, and Hayward, I think that's plenty of firepower against second stringers and who says all the starters have to sit at the same time. The regular season is different than preseason.

[UTJazzFan_Echo1]

I think you gotta start Bell and AK and I don't see what is wrong with the sixth man role with 25+ minutes a night.

[HolyToledo]

With Raja Bell on the bench along with Watson, Milsap (when Okur returns), an improved Fesenko, and Hayward, I think that's plenty of firepower against second stringers and who says all the starters have to sit at the same time. The regular season is different than preseason.

The Jazz starting lineup all year will be (even after Okur returns):

PG DWILL
SG Bell
C Jefferson
PF Millsap
SF AK47

CJ has said he wants to come off the bench allowing him to have the green light to shoot. He seems to be embracing it quite well in the pre-season.

Okur will provide additional bench scoring when he comes back later in the year. Jazz bench is very deep. (These are the 12 play on most given nights) Elson might play some until Memo comes back while Thompson goes to the D League (Im starting to think the Jazz choose the cheaper player with more upside in Thompson and cut Jeffers whose had a better pre-season)

PG Watson/Price
SG Miles
C Fess/Memo
PF Memo/Evans
SF Hayward/Evans

[Jazzfan12]

I think sixth man is a good role for CJ; he'll probably be the SG that finishes games anyway.

[jazzfan1971]

CJ's shot is falling. But, if that's just a streak he's not much improved.

If he's gonna keep shooting like this he's a huge asset.

[hoops4life]

I don't think any player has any right to demand anything (just about anything that is). Who is he and what has he done to be able to demand this? It has been his job to lose how many times? And yet he has struggled with it.

[dalekjazz]

I don't think any player has any right to demand anything (just about anything that is). Who is he and what has he done to be able to demand this? It has been his job to lose how many times? And yet he has struggled with it.

That's been the problem with C.J. Miles. He has been passive in his play in the past, not going after rebounds and playing passive defense. If he asserts himself by establishing a starting position I think it can positively effect his on-court performance.

[StocktonShorts]

I like CJ being the scorer/offense initiator off the bench.

[erudite23]

I don't want any player on my team "demanding" anything. If they earn it and they aren't rewarded by management, then management should be fired and replaced with someone who cares about the welfare of the team. Good thing we don't have to worry about that, as Jerry is about as fair and even handed as there is. As soon as he, CJ, goes out there and shows that he can perform at a high enough level to force his way into the starting lineup, he'll get that chance. When you have done as little in the league as CJ Miles has, you don't have the right to demand ****....and even if he had, I still wouldn't like it. You can't have the inmates running the asylum.

[dalekjazz]

There's a difference between being assertive and being oppositonal. These are professional NBA players who should know the difference.

[d-will8]

Personally, I'd prefer to have Raja starting and C.J. coming off of the bench and I don't think C.J. should or does view being the sixth man rather than a starter as a demotion. It's not that Raja's a better player than C.J. or that he should or will get more minutes than C.J. (frankly, I think C.J. should and will get more minutes than Raja). It's just that C.J.'s skill set would be significantly more valuable to our bench than Raja's would be.

Hayward, being a rookie, will likely struggle with consistency all season and, as much as Fesenko's offensive game has improved, I don't really see him as a reliable scoring threat. Watson neither. Bell can shoot, but he's not really a guy who can create his own shot and he'd probably be better served playing off of D-Will, Big Al and the rest of the starters than coming off the bench (I also think his defensive intensity and toughness would be a big plus at the start of games). C.J.'s easily our most talented perimeter scorer outside of D-Will and I think he could use his scoring talents more beneficially as the go-to scorer off the bench than as a complementary player in the starting five.

[erudite23]

One thing to keep in mind: its not like we are going to be trotting out lineups of Watson/Bell/Hayward/Evans/Fesenko. My best bet is that one of either Deron or Al will be on the floor at all times, or close to it. Also, one of Millsap or Jefferson will almost always be out there. I highly doubt we'll see more than two reserves on the floor at the same time that much. But to offset D-Will going out with CJ coming in? That makes sense. Raja is a catch and shoot guy while Miles can get to the hoop when he's not setting for long contested jumpers. If he continues to play as well in the regular season as he has in the pre season, he could easily be that guy for us. At this point, I don't even think its debatable.

Our best lineup at this point is Deron/Bell/AK/Millsap/Jefferson. Deron and Bell stretch the floor really well, AK has the ability to hit open jumpshots, Millsap has become almost automatic from 18 feet and in if he's open. Its nice mixture of shooting to complement Jefferson's post game, the regular high PnR with Deron and both Sap and AJ, and the normal flex action with AK and Millsap cutting.

Its a no brainer. CJ isn't as good of a shooter as Raja is at this point, and with all the other options available, his penetration isn't nearly as valuable as it would be with Deron and either Millsap or Jefferson on the bench. This isn't hard to grasp. If he keeps shooting 45% from 3 point land and starts playing quality defense, though, it will be hard to keep him on the pine. I'll tell you that.

[idajazz]

I don't give a rats ass who starts, I want to see who finishes games.

[StocktonShorts]

I don't give a rats ass who starts, I want to see who finishes games.

Tell us how you really feel, Jerry.

[Lava Rock Kid]

You know I know he wouldnt be too happy, but I think we should start Fes and Jefferson, and bring Millsap and CJ off the bench. That way our bench is rally strong. When Okur comes back he can start in Fes's place.

[jazzfan1971]

Yeah, starting Fes wouldn't be a terrible idea. Let him play the first 5-6 minutes then bring Millsap in.

[dalekjazz]

It would be interesting to start Fesenko and Jefferson. Sloan hasn't tried using those two together in any lineup so far.

[Ming Kong!]

There will surely be adjustments and opportunities for CJ. I really love his game at this point. He showed A LOT in the playoffs, and he seems to have continued to improve over the summer. 13-15 ppg is certainly a possibility.