Leroux's Jazz offseason review

[Jefff]

If someone missed it.

Mediocre offseason

Utah Jazz: A strange summer for the Jazz considering how many big decisions still loom next off-season with little to read between the tea leaves. Adding Mo and Marvin Williams while only losing Devin Harris and CJ Miles should make them a better team even as their overstuffed big man rotation remains unclear

Read more: http://basketball.realgm.com/blog/22308 ... z24TOaVZWC

[SoCalJazzFan]

I'm probably a homer, but that list has a lot of garbage.

Jazz should have been "good" not mediocre. He really puts them in the same mediocre group as Houston and Sacramento???

Portland, Atlanta, the Bobcats and San Antonio, in my opinion, had mediocre at best offseasons.

[babyjax13]

Outside of Orlando, I'd say we've had the worst. The more and more I think about having Mo and Marvin the less I like this team. It's a recipe for mediocrity.

[MeestR]

i think the additions are upgrades from what jazz lost. so they definitely improved, imo. but jazz failed to make a significant change yet again. another solid C to B grade off-season. just enough to make the playoffs and sell some tickets, but not much more.

[nghedman]

Outside of Orlando, I'd say we've had the worst. The more and more I think about having Mo and Marvin the less I like this team. It's a recipe for mediocrity.

Wowsie billy bob! Are you guys kidding me.

I'd say the Jazz are an easy A for the offseason. Anyone who watched the Jazz know their failings came from the perimeter. It should also be an easy read from the roster to figure this out too. So what did the Jazz get? Arguably the best outside shooters available, not only in one position but ALL THREE positions that play on the perimeter.

"A" baby! That journist is an idiot to the Northwestern conference.

As far as decisions go did that journalist even realize what happened last year? Something about changing the salaries, and team payment options. I'd say the Jazz are one of the few teams in the league that set up their salaries correctly and made the right decisions, they set it up that way on purpose not at the expense of this year.

[babyjax13]

Please tell me how you can give an 'A' to a team that is limiting its success three years down the road. We could be getting a high pick this year, we could have gotten assets for Millsap and Jefferson then watched Devin Harris expire. Now what we're left with is a team that will struggle to make the playoffs, be out fast and will have nothing to show for it.

[nghedman]

Please tell me how you can give an 'A' to a team that is limiting its success three years down the road.

I wouldn't say limiting in fact most believed the Jazz to have done worse last year and predicted so. They are improving and making great strides after basically re-doing their entire roster. Very great job there.

We could be getting a high pick this year

Well, They got a 3 pick last year and look what that did them. A team needs to learn to develop players. A top pick that is an all star is a rareity. And look what all the teams got that tanked it this year. Only the #1 pick will probably be an all star, hmmmm did other teams that tanked get all star draft picks? I guess time will tell us that. But I think the Jazz made the right decision for this past year's draft. More on this below about their next draft pick.

we could have gotten assets for Millsap and Jefferson then watched Devin Harris expire.

Yes, they could have but, they decided to watch Millsap and Jefferson expire and got assets with Harris. I think they probably made the better choice. And they may still trade Millsap or Jefferson who knows but they still made the best of the decision in my opinion. If fact they probably should keep Milsap and Jefferson for our team.

Now what we're left with is a team that will struggle to make the playoffs, be out fast and will have nothing to show for it.

You sound like someone from last year that was proved wrong with how the Jazz did. I would beg to differ with this opinion. Jazz WILL make the playoffs especially after their additions. Will only be struggling with finding which spot within the top 4 of the western conference, make it past the first round, and then will know exactly who to keep for the next year and will still have a great team to show for itself.

And I may be wrong but don't the Jazz still have Golden State's draft pick for this next year? They worked it perfectly for this past drafts selection. (no all star so they got a developing player, and still could have a great pick next year.) Hopefully the ping pong balls fall right this next year and they get that all star!! Wow, a team competing with OKC for the division title and getting a new all start in the draft.... could be awesome!

I don't see where the Jazz ever went wrong this off season and in fact did everything right. I think they deserve an A grade. Not sarcastic here.... thanks for asking, I really needed to explain that better, and love to do it! Go Jazz!

[AZ-Jazzy]

I'd have to agree with nghedman and his post.

My understanding going into the offseason was the Jazz wanted to improve their perimeter offense and defense. Picking up Mo, Foye, and Williams and letting go of Raja, CJ and Howard, they did just that. Also it was a goal for this season to build and improve within, with Favors, Hayward, Burks, and Kanter all improving. They may not be ready to make a deep run into the playoffs as of yet, but they all seem to have a good future to still build upon.. They are all still very young with a ton of potential.

As for Big Al, with his contract for this year and the tax problems upcoming with the new CBA, he might be very hard to trade. His value as an expiring contract to the Jazz may be more valuable than trading him. The Jazz will doubtfully be able to get good players with good contracts in return. They would have to get something in return that is at least as valuable as a 15M expiring contract. I'd say pretty much the same goes with Millsap, but to a lessor degree. So unless something comes about that will knock their socks off, I'd halfway expect both to play out the season with the Jazz.

With all the expiring contracts at the end of this season, (assuming Marvin opts in) they will have close to 30- 32M cap space to re-sign whoever they want with additional $$$$ for free agency, along with two first round draft picks. In the meantime, this season, up till the trade deadline, who knows what might pop up.

[nghedman]

Last post got me thinking.

Having all that open cap space, if no other team has it open like the Jazz, the Jazz could get picked off like scavengers walking by a peach tree, and given only the left overs. If the scavengers over pay everyone it could be a problem for the Jazz. Their best players would most likely go for the over payment dollar in favor of the smart conservative jazz front office.

Jazz most likely will lose at least one or more players next year.

Yet, I hope there are enough one or two players from each team the Jazz can grab back. Or scavenger first.

[Jefff]

The Jazz did'nt big moves, but addressed all deficiencies showed in last season without hurting the cap or losing assets. On paper we're deeper, and with an improved outside shooting.
Yeah, if someone expected major moves, he was deceived....... and we'll have some fight for playing time (Sap-Favors or Burks-Foye, for example).
But we won't regret so much losing Devin, Josh, Raja or CJ, with Mo, Marvin, Foye

[babyjax13]

Please tell me how you can give an 'A' to a team that is limiting its success three years down the road.

I wouldn't say limiting in fact most believed the Jazz to have done worse last year and predicted so. They are improving and making great strides after basically re-doing their entire roster. Very great job there.

We could be getting a high pick this year

Well, They got a 3 pick last year and look what that did them. A team needs to learn to develop players. A top pick that is an all star is a rareity. And look what all the teams got that tanked it this year. Only the #1 pick will probably be an all star, hmmmm did other teams that tanked get all star draft picks? I guess time will tell us that. But I think the Jazz made the right decision for this past year's draft. More on this below about their next draft pick.

we could have gotten assets for Millsap and Jefferson then watched Devin Harris expire.

Yes, they could have but, they decided to watch Millsap and Jefferson expire and got assets with Harris. I think they probably made the better choice. And they may still trade Millsap or Jefferson who knows but they still made the best of the decision in my opinion. If fact they probably should keep Milsap and Jefferson for our team.

Now what we're left with is a team that will struggle to make the playoffs, be out fast and will have nothing to show for it.

You sound like someone from last year that was proved wrong with how the Jazz did. I would beg to differ with this opinion. Jazz WILL make the playoffs especially after their additions. Will only be struggling with finding which spot within the top 4 of the western conference, make it past the first round, and then will know exactly who to keep for the next year and will still have a great team to show for itself.

And I may be wrong but don't the Jazz still have Golden State's draft pick for this next year? They worked it perfectly for this past drafts selection. (no all star so they got a developing player, and still could have a great pick next year.) Hopefully the ping pong balls fall right this next year and they get that all star!! Wow, a team competing with OKC for the division title and getting a new all start in the draft.... could be awesome!

I don't see where the Jazz ever went wrong this off season and in fact did everything right. I think they deserve an A grade. Not sarcastic here.... thanks for asking, I really needed to explain that better, and love to do it! Go Jazz!

They "remade" their roster with players that are only here for the short term. Essentially, we're the Milwaukee Bucks of the west right now. As soon as Al, Paul and Mo expire we're going to be looking at losing at least one - if not all of them. I don't care if we do better next year, what I care about is if we're building a long-term future. I don't think we have. Until this last season I was very much on board with KOC, but I think we needed to look at what players would stay when their contracts expired and which ones had a high liklihood of leaving. Mo and Al? They might stay, but Mo only has a 2 year window left in his prime. Paul? He's probably going to get offered more money than we'll pay and it isn't unlikely that Al or Mo will as well. This year would be the perfect time to enter a massive rebuilding stage; trade Millsap and Jefferson for picks, allow Devin Harris to expire, let young players develop and collect two more lottery picks in a strong draft. Instead we hamstrung ourselves by stretching our thin resources to add marginally better players than we already had.

IMHO Mo and Devin is a wash; Marvin is better than CJ, but Burks and Hayward didn't really need any help manning the 2 and 3 by committee. The rest of our additions/roster changes are extremely ho-hum.

[UTJazzFan_Echo1]

The Jazz had the most underrated off season of any team. Made huge improvements in the needed areas and are setup better for the future than 90% of the teams in the league.

No respect...

[nghedman]

The Jazz had the most underrated off season of any team. Made huge improvements in the needed areas and are setup better for the future than 90% of the teams in the league.

No respect...

And 1 that quote.

Hmm so that is what that button must mean eh?

[babyjax13]

The Jazz had the most underrated off season of any team. Made huge improvements in the needed areas and are setup better for the future than 90% of the teams in the league.

No respect...

They did make big improvements in areas of need, but they're not permanant; which is bad. That's all I'm saying.

[Jefff]

nothing's permanent.... do the jazz can afford the risk to a complete rebuild? I mean, NY can rebuild for ten years straight, while the window for Utah is narrow....

[reapaman]

nothing's permanent.... do the jazz can afford the risk to a complete rebuild? I mean, NY can rebuild for ten years straight, while the window for Utah is narrow....

Full rebuild is yes more risky than what KOC is doing but its more rewarding. Some fans keep harping on that they trust the Jazz FO and that he is a good drafter ect ... but are scared to do a full rebuild and site team like the Knicks and Kings on reasons why not to do a rebuild. Either the FO is good or he's not. What other teams did is irrelevant because most of their struggles are because they made stupid decision during the rebuild. Yes it takes some luck but most of it is about how good the FO is.

So either the Jazz FO is good enough to do a full rebuild or they aren't and should stick to whatever medicore crap they are doing now because their not good. One or the other.

[Jefff]

you have to consider also some changes in the ownership. Now all seems more "settled", and maybe with Lindsey we'll see more bold moves

[UTJazzFan_Echo1]

The Jazz had the most underrated off season of any team. Made huge improvements in the needed areas and are setup better for the future than 90% of the teams in the league.

No respect...

They did make big improvements in areas of need, but they're not permanant; which is bad. That's all I'm saying.

You complain about this team potentially being stuck in the mediocre zone only to complain that the moves we made aren't permanent... I don't get you.

[babyjax13]

The Jazz had the most underrated off season of any team. Made huge improvements in the needed areas and are setup better for the future than 90% of the teams in the league.

No respect...

They did make big improvements in areas of need, but they're not permanant; which is bad. That's all I'm saying.

You complain about this team potentially being stuck in the mediocre zone only to complain that the moves we made aren't permanent... I don't get you.

It seems pretty obvious to me. We're mediocre now, it limits our potential to get better in the future and so we'll be mediocre then, too.