Game 32: Minnesota Timberwolves (16-17) @ Utah Jazz (15-16)

[jazzgasm]

I think we need the all star break more then the players do lol. What a downer tonight.

[schneiderjazz]

When we were sharing the ball in the 1st quarter and playing defense, we were beating the crap out of the Wolves. It took 10 minutes for Al to score his 1st bucket, and we didn't miss a beat because he was not scoring. We should be sharing the ball, cutting and letting Harris and Hayward create off the pick'n'roll. Isoing our bigs on the block will not work every time down the floor.
BTW, we lost this game cause nobody could stop Barea. And Hayward made a silly mistake at the end. He should have let Ridnour take a 30 footer instead of closing out on him and allowing him to drive into the paint.

[Lava Rock Kid]

Millsap and Al should never play together. Until Corbin quits worried about one of their feelings getting hurt, and starts one of the rookies, (I think Favors), with either millsap or al. This way we have a rebounder on the court with a scorer.
Millsap is a back up on a good team.

[d-will8]

Millsap and Al should never play together. Until Corbin quits worried about one of their feelings getting hurt, and starts one of the rookies, (I think Favors), with either millsap or al. This way we have a rebounder on the court with a scorer.
Millsap is a back up on a good team.

Yup, and Al's not on a good team. Well, maybe he could come off the bench as a post scoring specialist for about 20 minutes a game, but that's about it. He's not good enough to be a first or second option on a good team and he doesn't project well as a role player. Millsap may be miscast as a primary option, but he's proven to be an awesome role player. That's why I'd prefer to keep him rather than Al. Unfortunately, that, along with his contract, is also why he probably has considerably more trade value than Al.

[Fire Mchale]

Wolves fan here. It's interesting to hear Jazz fans talk about Al Jefferson. I don't go a week without hearing from a Wolves fan that we didn't get enough for Al or that we need him back. Makes my head hurt. My opinion of Al is that he's nothing more than the leading scorer on a lottery team. He can't play a huge role on a winning team because he has too many holes in his game. He's not a spectacular rebounder, he's not a rim-protector, he doesn't draw fouls, and the piece that drove me nuts and appears to be driving Jazz fans nuts is he is a freaking black hole, ball-stopper. Nothing makes basketball less interesting to watch or play when you have one guy standing there with the ball for the duration of the shot clock decided which pump fake he's going to use.

It's this very concept that has ultimately pushed Michael Beasley out of our starting lineup. There were way too many times he would stand there with ball making countless jab steps, only to shoot a contested 19-foot jumper with one second on the shot clock. Just like Big Al. I like Al, but his contract is way beyond his value to a good team. He's the Kevin Martin of NBA centers. He's good at putting up meaningless numbers but won't get you where you want to go.

All this being said, Jazz fans should be fairly excited for the future of the team. I don't get to watch you all that often, but guys like Kanter, Favors, Hayward, and Burks are young, affordable, and exciting and you have a tradable asset in Millsap. I think you most definitely need a huge upgrade at PG and quite frankly just need to get Al off the court. If you sit Al and trade Millsap, I'm not sure who scores for you but if you could find a PG that could give you some pace you would be fun to watch.

Good luck!