FanPost

'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'



Chitty Chitty Bang Bang


Yea, okay, so despite being a middle-aged white woman in a somewhat secluded state of the United States; I still remember and tend to act like a kid. I want to act like a kid and say “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”. I used to adopt the phrase from an old movie and song, when I wanted to swear around a bunch of religious people (Hint: Utah). Why now? Simple, Raul Neto is not coming to the Jazz this year according to a Brazilian Article. (Insert car screeching and the engine popping and a puff of smoke coming out of the back of the original ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’)


I want to rant and rave at those who told me on twitter. I want to scream back at the excellent newspaper reporters we have covering the Jazz, that the right questions weren’t asked, and nobody’s final answer is really on the line here. I wanted to walk up to Dennis Lindsey and empty a spray bottle of cheese in his face, but none of that would get me to the acceptance I would have to swallow. (Yea I know, Pop Rocks) So, I decided to try to hide the ranting and raving I did at home and the smashed pillows, and try to rationalize it from a business perspective.


Oh wait, I don’t have to use a business perspective, I am a fan. However I have to still be a rational one. So...


1- Raul Neto wouldn’t get playing time on the Jazz this year.


Why not? Honestly If you look at the past couple of years (maybe someone can come up with a stat) the most played players have not always been starters. Would he start? heck no. Would he help build Burke’s speed? I say definitely. These two could feed off each other much like Boozer and Millsap did those first 2 years. I liked that balance then, and I like this prospect now.


2- It is an appealing financial decision to let Raul Neto develop overseas on someone else’s dime. (paraphrasing an interview with Lindsey)


Um, sure let the road runner Neto develop more overseas then try to bring him in when? After Burke’s rookie career? When Burke should get the most of his NBA experiences after his first year when it intensifies for players? Even Derrick Favors said in a P3 video that the first year you are excited to just be in the NBA and the work ethic doesnt always settle for the first year or two. (He said his did when he was traded to the Jazz, and realized what he could do as part of the NBA Job.) Bringing Neto in maybe next year, or after when we want to develop this rookie pg and get the jitters out, is not a super good plan in my opinion. Others will see him, and others will want him, and falling to all those 5-10 year pg out there is part of the NBA’s problem to begin with. Other teams don't have the program we do, and I would hate to have to break Neto of habits formed overseas another year after having to break Gobert and Burke of theirs this year. Just get it over with now... you wanted to go young, wind them up and let them go.


The other side of this is look at Ante Tomic. Now I am completely paraphrasing what I have seen in news reports and honestly AndyBLarsen is a much better stat guy to go to for this, considering I hate stats, but we probably will not see Tomic, ever in a Jazz uniform. He is doing well overseas, and his contract from what I was told would equal paying him about 5mil to come here from europe. That would not be lucrative for the team, and they will more than likely trade him away for another pick or space. Why would we want another big, when we have developed 2 and have Gobert coming in this season. Exactly. So what makes you think that if we let Neto develop overseas that it won't be the same thing? A couple of years and we could be trading his rights or he could become so big overseas that we have no room for him on Burke’s 2nd or 3rd year.


3- He will be a bigger asset once he fully develops and then bring him over to fit the team.


Yea, I know. I have heard this one alot. There is just one problem with that; didn’t you guys just tell me that the good move was not bringing Millsap or Jefferson back because they wanted a fresh outlook for Kanter and Favors without someone hindering learning a new system? I was told (paraphrasing again) that Millsap and Jefferson could have an unforeseen negative impact on those two becoming floor monsters on their own because they know how it should work, and that Kanter and Favors have to work together to build their defensive core without old system habits. If you don’t bring over Neto now, then you run the same risk of Burke, or whatever vet point guard we happen to have (not mentioning the name yet, I have to adjust to that first), influencing Neto’s development in the same way? This guy is a possible balance to the shooting needs of a point guard to help influence the teams stats. This guy, if you're a big believer in what you saw like Lindsey obviously was when he saw him, should be working with Burke, as an established second guard with potential for first later or with another team.


(This is my favorite one- my sour green laffy taffy one)


4- Our team’s focus this year is building a defensive core, and that means the focus has to be on Trey Burke, and the other young guns we have developed.


(As a reason Not to bring Neto over, I think this one bites) I can part agree with building a defensive core, although I have not heard about the possible playbook changes, outlook, training, core biometrics, cohesiveness, and system changes that SHOULD happen for this to be a focus. In fact, I have hardly heard from Coach Corbin at all longer than 2 minutes towing the company line. This does not mean that we have to build a defensive core against two fundamentals that we need: To keep our offensive outlook steady without the defensive push taking away from that. And two, keep the cohesive teamwork and pick and roll basics we seemed to have lost the last couple of years. If we wait on Neto, and build this defensive core, then bring him in a year or two later; all of a sudden Neto is behind the learning curve. I have this image in my head of spending 2 years building our defense, then having to scrap half or more to rebuild the offense we lost with the defense. Neto needs to work on some of his passing, and some of his floor spacial awareness, especially when it comes to other teammates on the floor. He will learn in a way we will have to correct overseas, vs. learning here with the rest of him.


and lastly..


5- (I don’t remember who said it, so forgive me) “Neto would do well in Barcelona another year to work on his speed”


For real? This is the part where I go into a comedy skit acting like Aunt Jemima on the syrup bottle commercials and go hehe. Apparently someone was so busy drooling over Kevin McHale and others gathering on Orlando that they missed the moves that the other teams point guards could not always catch. He is already fast (which is why I call him roadrunner) but he also has visual isolation for passes that I have not seen since watching videos of Norris Cole of the Miami Heat (who never really got enough on air time for his movements). By the time Neto executed some of his moves (yes he had adrenaline going, didnt we all??), the other time was sayin “which way did he go george? which way did he go?”. He has to work on his passing, and he has to work on his transitions, but he can do that here. why not?


I will close this out forever saying I have a tear in my eyes for not taking this chance to keep Neto here this year, for Burke, Neto, and others I will wish I was brave enough for a tear tattoo. Now I have to go listen to the Lindsey interview and hope he has better reasons then the no comment earlier this week


(just my opinion)


Kate

All comments are the opinion of the commenter and not necessarily that of SLC Dunk or SB Nation.