January Expectations For The Jazz - The Downbeat - #654

But until he fixes how he plays, he won’t be very effective on this team, especially when Hayward, CJ, and Burks should be getting time at the 2 over him.

If the Jazz insist on using Hayward at the 3, then CJ and Burks are still both better options.

I mean it seems like there’s a Jazz game on almost every night. And I also like waiting for the basketballs to start until after college football has wound down. The NBA should always start on Christmas. My only real complaint is that the Jazz never get to play early games on weekends and holidays. I would have loved it if yesterday’s game had been played in the afternoon instead of at night when I’m trying to get the kids fed and washed and off to bed.

While waiting for the game last night I was watching the Spurs feed on the Minn v SA game and in the player intros they put up Devin Harris’ picture and number for Wesley Johnson. I had to rewind it a couple of times to make sure but I thought that would be a typical Kahn move.

We didn’t have a starting quality 3. Josh Howard was available at a bargain basement rate, without hurting our cap flexibility in future years. Nobody’s development is being hindered, since both Hayward and Burks are really natural 2s. So we get some decent SF play, and our young guys get to learn on the floor with a competent 3.

I actually really like the Howard signing for a couple of reasons. First, he doesn’t need to make shots to make a difference. His slashing, hustle, and defense provide a much needed spark. In that way, he is a positive on-court influence to CJ, Hayward, and Burks. Also, isn’t his style of play exactly what we have always wanted out of CJ? He isn’t timid, and he just keeps going at the opposing team. He should start at the 3, moving Hayward to the 2, IMO.

since he’s an undersized pf

AJ for Cousins + Fredette ??? Half joking, but seriously how much value could AJ pull in a trade, wee almost got him for free.

Like everyone else suggested, I too think the Jazz should start Howard at the SF and Hayward at the SG.

The Jazz actually have 3-4 shooting guards in Hayward, Burks, Bell and CJ—with CJ also being more of a SF than any of the other 3.

However, right now, Howard is the Jazz’s only true SF, although CJ can play SF reasonably well—but Burks and Hayward probably not so much. Evans doesn’t seem to be transforming himself into a SF, but rather, seems to be content with being a too-skinny PF. Millsap could perhaps play SF against other similar players, like Metta World Peace, but he certainly can’t give the Jazz what Howard does with ball handling and quickness on both offense and defense.

If Howard keeps improving his play, I think the Jazz should try to sign him to a 2-3 year extension. Even if the Jazz get a very high draft pick this year (their own pick) and get someone like Harrison Barnes, and/or or get one more of the other good SF prospects, that player will still be very young and will need to grow into the position. The Jazz lineup I would like to see as the year goes on is the following:

PG: Harris, Watson, Tinsley
SG: Hayward, Burks, (Bell)
SF: Howard, Miles
PF: Favors, Millsap, Evans
C: Jefferson, Kanter (Fesenko)

I’d like to see the Jazz waive Bell outright. Under the new CBA, I’ve read that a team can average out the player’s remaining salary over the # of years left for the term of the contract multiplied by 2, plus 1 year. That is the amount that a team then has to count against its salary cap, if it waives the player. In Bell’s case, the Jazz owe him somewhere close to between $6.5 mil. and $7 mil. over the next two years, which would require them to count approximately $1.3 mi. to $1.4 mil. in the Jazz’s salary cap for the next five years, if the Jazz waive him. The Jazz should be able to work with that small amount of dead weight salary and still avoid the luxury tax.

I’d also like to see the Jazz re-sign Fesenko. It appears they could re-sign him for around $1 mil. per year. Apparently, he is still recovering from his knee injury and isn’t in NBA shape yet, but he could provide insurance at the big men positions, if someone is injured, which is very likely to happen this season. He also gives the Jazz someone who can at least match up physically against really big post players like Andrew Bynum—who is likely to really thump the Jazz for the next few years, if they don’t have someone to match up on him defensively. He also gives the Jazz another good interior defender who takes up a lot of space. For the piddly amount of his salary (by NBA standards), it should be a no-brainer for the Jazz to re-sign, despite the goof-off attitude that he has. If he can help the Jazz win even a few regular season games, and especially if he can help the Jazz win a playoff series (like he did against Denver two years ago), he is certainly worth every penny of his puny salary, and he is not going to complain about playing time—he will just be gald to still be in the league.

Howard gets the thumbs up.
Hayward is better suited to play the 2 guard spot.
Honestly I want to see how Tinsley plays as well. The guys got some nice court vision.
What about our bigs?
My biggest concern would be how we play our bigs, such as the right combinations, improving defense, getting most out of guys like Favors and Millsap.