SLC Dunk: FanPosts

Geek alert: Correlation between Draft Combine Measurements and Defensive Prowess?

2013-05-20T14:20:29Z

How much can the NBA draft combine measurements be used to “predict” defensive success in the NBA? I’m enough of a nerd to try to figure out.

I ran some correlations with Basketball Reference’s NBA career defensive ratings against the Draft Express’s Measurement History database and found the following:

Major Effects

PG: none

SG: none

SF: wingspan

PF: none

C: none

Moderate Effects:

PG: wingspan and vertical reach (but the total wingspan and reach gave only minor effects; it was the ratio between wing & reach to height [non-alligator arms] that was more important)

SG: wingspan, reach, agility test

SF: weight (more is better); vertical reach

PF: none

C: wingspan, vertical reach, jumping vertical reach with no step, and maximum jumping reach (but interestingly the ratio of wing & these various reaches to height was more important, especially for the jumps, than total wing & reaches); bench press (but more presses meant a worse defender)

Minor Effects:

PG: weight (less was better); no-step jumping vertical reach; maximum jumping reach; bench press (fewer was better); sprint (slower was better)

SG: height; weight (more was better); no-step jumping vertical reach; maximum jumping reach; sprint (slower better)

SF: height; no-step jumping vertical reach; maximum jumping reach; bench press (fewer better); agility (slower better)

PF: wingspan; vertical reach; no-step jumping vertical reach; maximum jumping reach

C: weight (more better); wingspan and reach (though ratio of these to height was as or more important than total wingspan & reach)

Some conclusions:

1) Measurement/testing results had greatest correlation with SF defensive prowess, least with PF

2) Jumping ability is overrated. Verticals (not including reaches) had no impact on defense at any position. Jumping reaches were less important than standing reach, except for centers

3) Ratios of reaches and wingspan to height was at least equally important as total jumping reaches and wingspan in some instances

4) Bench press is a useless test for predicting defense

5) Agility test only seems to matter for SG

6) Sprint matters very little

7) Height has only very small impact; weight is a better predictor of defensive success (though for PGs less is better)

Thoughts about the results? Do they alter the way you look at any of the 2013 prospects?

Some even more nerdy details:

1) Used the entire DX Measurement history database of players that received more than about 200 NBA minutes. About 375 total players, approximately 75 per position.

2) Many potential problems with this research, including: sample is problematic since many NBA players (esp. the best and the worst) didn’t go through the full NBA combine experience; defensive rating a problematic stat; taking career defensive rating perhaps is perhaps biased against both players who are now young and those who had long careers. But I think the sample size is probably large enough to wash away many of the issues.

3) Correlation coefficient of more than 0.3 meant major effect for me; between 0.3 and 0.2 meant moderate effect; between 0.2 and 0.1 meant minor effect. None of the correlations, except for the SF wingspan (0.412), can be considered very large.

4) Correlation coefficients are not very helpful in seeing relationships to defense that may be non-linear (such as for weight or bench press, where it is better to be in the middle than on either extreme perhaps).

How much can the NBA draft combine measurements be used to “predict” defensive success in the NBA? I’m enough of a nerd to try to figure out.

I ran some correlations with Basketball Reference’s NBA career defensive ratings against the Draft Express’s Measurement History database and found the following:

Major Effects

PG: none

SG: none

SF: wingspan

PF: none

C: none

Moderate Effects:

PG: wingspan and vertical reach (but the total wingspan and reach gave only minor effects; it was the ratio between wing & reach to height [non-alligator arms] that was more important)

SG: wingspan, reach, agility test

SF: weight (more is better); vertical reach

PF: none

Minor Effects:

PG: weight (less was better); no-step jumping vertical reach; maximum jumping reach; bench press (fewer was better); sprint (slower was better)

SG: height; weight (more was better); no-step jumping vertical reach; maximum jumping reach; sprint (slower better)

SF: height; no-step jumping vertical reach; maximum jumping reach; bench press (fewer better); agility (slower better)

PF: wingspan; vertical reach; no-step jumping vertical reach; maximum jumping reach

C: weight (more better); wingspan and reach (though ratio of these to height was as or more important than total wingspan & reach)

Some conclusions:

1) Measurement/testing results had greatest correlation with SF defensive prowess, least with PF

2) Jumping ability is overrated. Verticals (not including reaches) had no impact on defense at any position. Jumping reaches were less important than standing reach, except for centers

3) Ratios of reaches and wingspan to height was at least equally important as total jumping reaches and wingspan in some instances

4) Bench press is a useless test for predicting defense

5) Agility test only seems to matter for SG

6) Sprint matters very little

7) Height has only very small impact; weight is a better predictor of defensive success (though for PGs less is better)

Thoughts about the results? Do they alter the way you look at any of the 2013 prospects?

Some even more nerdy details:

1) Used the entire DX Measurement history database of players that received more than about 200 NBA minutes. About 375 total players, approximately 75 per position.

Comparing Hayward and George Defensively

2013-05-19T06:07:52Z

A few minutes after I got the previous comparison between Hayward, George and Thompson posted, I got "opinion" posts on other sites saying George was dominate on defense and therefore, a much better player than Hayward. The problem, of course, is there were no facts just more opinions based on "if you have eyes", "I know it in my heart" or "I felt through the grapevine." None of those really work for me so here's another table that illuminates a bit more offense and defense that gets down to it between these guys.

One stat, offensive pts per 100 possessions and defensive points per 100 possessions, is time on the court related, and I did NOT adjust the numbers to normalize the playing time. I just used Net points. On offense a positive number means there are net positive points with the player on the floor. On defense it is the opposite.Other stats like passing rating are attempts to quantify passing effectiveness on offense.

One of the interesting stats here is the Player Efficiency Rating of each player and their opponent by position.Hayward was better than his opponent both at SG and SF and he was better by a wider margin. George also played some power forward, but it appears it didn't work out all that well. If your opponent has a higher PER than you do then it's an indication that defensively you are losing the battle and your opponent is having a larger impact offensively than you are. That's not an absolute defensive conclusion but it's one component.

Here it is.

Stat	Hayward	George

Draws Fouls % of Poss	12.2%	8.3%
Turnovers
TO's Off Fouls	15%	11.2%
TO's Bad Passes	39.2%	56.0%
TO's Ball Handling Errors	45.8%	32.8%
Passing Rating	5.7	4.7
Block Rating	2.2	2.3
Blocks/Foul	0.93	0.52
PER by Position
At SG	PER 15.1 Opponent 13.6	PER 12.3 Opponent 17.6
AT SF	PER 18.6 Opponent 12.4	PER 17.2 Opponent 12.0
AT PF	NA	PER 21.3 Opponent 34.4
Own Shots Blocked	7%	7%
Shots Blocked	7%	7%
Offensive Pts per 100 Poss	net 4.8	net 6.1 (reflects more PT)
Defensive Pts per 100 Poss	net -0.9	net -2.7 (reflects more PT)

Here it is.

Stat	Hayward	George

Draws Fouls % of Poss	12.2%	8.3%
Turnovers
TO's Off Fouls	15%	11.2%
TO's Bad Passes	39.2%	56.0%
TO's Ball Handling Errors	45.8%	32.8%
Passing Rating	5.7	4.7
Block Rating	2.2	2.3
Blocks/Foul	0.93	0.52
PER by Position
At SG	PER 15.1 Opponent 13.6	PER 12.3 Opponent 17.6
AT SF	PER 18.6 Opponent 12.4	PER 17.2 Opponent 12.0
AT PF	NA	PER 21.3 Opponent 34.4
Own Shots Blocked	7%	7%
Shots Blocked	7%	7%
Offensive Pts per 100 Poss	net 4.8	net 6.1 (reflects more PT)
Defensive Pts per 100 Poss	net -0.9	net -2.7 (reflects more PT)

Comparing Hayward, George & Thompson

2013-05-18T19:26:07Z

There have been a posts on a variety of blog sites discussing the merits of drafting G Hayward, P George and K Thompson. It appears fans are divided over which player is the best. The stat table at the bottom of the post might help illuminate the debate with a few facts.

The answer to that question is really dependent upon which team they are playing for. However, from the stats it appears that Hayward is the more efficient of the trio. His 3 point shooting percentage, And 1% , and player efficiency rating are all much higher than the league average. And Hayward goes to the free throw line at a very high rate, which is significant given the value of free throws as an efficient way to score points.

In addition to being better than the league averages in almost every statistical measure, he is very close to George or Thompson, whichever one is leading in a particular category. The only exception is Paul George's rebounding which is unquestionably better than Hayward's at this point. However, both George and Thompson are starters, and for most of the season Hayward came off the bench and played fewer minutes on average than either one of the other two.

If Hayward, George or Thompson played for a different team, they each might have very different stats--either up or down. Each player contributes to his own team under his current circumstances, and all three of them have been important to their respective teams. Who knows how good Paul George would be if he had been drafted by GSW or if Hayward had gone to the Pacers. That question will never be answered but these stats certainly speak well in favor of the Jazz getting a good deal in Hayward.

(In order to compensate for the unequal playing time between the three, I used the Per 36 stat if it was applicable. I understand the limitations of and flaws of Per 36 stats but it's a simple and easy way to normalize playing time.

If you don't understand a specific stat, Google it, and you'll find a definition and calculation method.)

As an after thought, reviewing these stats on Hayward leaves as similar impression regarding his minutes played versus his development as David Locke indicated in one of his stat reviews on Favors. His conclusion was Favors development has not be set back by the minutes he's played, and it doesn't look like Hayward's has either. Of course there is no absolute proof of that but both Favors and Hayward meet or exceed the performance of other peers that have played more minutes.

Stat	G Hayward	P George	K Thompson	League Avg
FG%	43.5%	41.9%	42.2%	45.4%
3pt FG%	41.5%	36.2%	40.1%	36%
FT%	82.7%	79.7%	84.1%	75.5%
And1%	3.6%	2.3%	0.3%	2.4%
At the Rim %	62.5%	63.6%	62.8%	64.7%
Assists Per 36	3.6	4.0	2.2	2.1
Rebounds Per 36	3.8	7.3	3.8	6.2
Turnovers Per 36	2.1	2.8	1.9	2.1
Pts per 36	17.4	16.7	16.63	14.1
Eff FG %	49.7%	49%	50.7%	49.8%
FTA/FGA	39%	23%	13%	26.3%
True Shooting %	56.3%	53.1%	53.2%	53.6%
At Rim Assists Per 36	1.35	1.35	1.22	0.8
Assts/TO	1.77	1.41	1.18	1.60
Steals, Blks, Charges	1.97	2.42	1.66	2.04
Usage Rate	21.96%	23.46%	21.80%	18.84%
Player Eff Rating	16.64	16.83	12.63	13.46
Rate of Assists Against Possessions	17.44%	17.78%	11.39%	16.35%
% of Possessions TO	9.87%	12.61%	9.69%	11.48%

If you don't understand a specific stat, Google it, and you'll find a definition and calculation method.)

Stat	G Hayward	P George	K Thompson	League Avg
FG%	43.5%	41.9%	42.2%	45.4%
3pt FG%	41.5%	36.2%	40.1%	36%
FT%	82.7%	79.7%	84.1%	75.5%
And1%	3.6%	2.3%	0.3%	2.4%
At the Rim %	62.5%	63.6%	62.8%	64.7%
Assists Per 36	3.6	4.0	2.2	2.1
Rebounds Per 36	3.8	7.3	3.8	6.2
Turnovers Per 36	2.1	2.8	1.9	2.1
Pts per 36	17.4	16.7	16.63	14.1
Eff FG %	49.7%	49%	50.7%	49.8%
FTA/FGA	39%	23%	13%	26.3%
True Shooting %	56.3%	53.1%	53.2%	53.6%
At Rim Assists Per 36	1.35	1.35	1.22	0.8
Assts/TO	1.77	1.41	1.18	1.60
Steals, Blks, Charges	1.97	2.42	1.66	2.04
Usage Rate	21.96%	23.46%	21.80%	18.84%
Player Eff Rating	16.64	16.83	12.63	13.46
Rate of Assists Against Possessions	17.44%	17.78%	11.39%	16.35%
% of Possessions TO	9.87%	12.61%	9.69%	11.48%

The "Old"-Men-Rock Post: Jamaal Tinsley, Mike James, & Pablo Prigioni

2013-05-18T10:37:51Z

So, while most people, including myself, are caught in the rapture of the pre-draft evaluations- the mock drafts and the combines and the practices and scouting reports and blogging reports (such as this I guess)- I for some reason found myself reflecting on an abstract at the opposite pole of what this draft symbolizes. Instead of thinking of the new, talented upside players, for some reason, I found myself curious about how Mike James performed compared to Jamaal Tinsley this past season. And then that got me thinking about Pablo Prigioni.

To preface what you are about to see below, each of the supporting 3rd string options at point guard had to step up and start for their team for some extended stretch of the season, whether it was 18 straight games or 28. All of these old dudes were up to the task, and they actually out-performed their team when they did so. I'm trying to figure out if there is some other phenomenon taking place here, because no team in its right mind would put these players in their starting rotations, and yet, the winning record recorded when they were at the helm was better than their teams season record. Surely, there must be an odd phenomenon of old men changing up the style just enough to keep things just unpredictable enough to keep their team on the winning edge.

The Home% stat refers to the percentage of the games in that stretch that were played at home. Obviously many can see Prigioni had the most competitive game record, whereas Tinsley and James had the better part of those games on their own respective home courts.

via lh5.googleusercontent.com

Many people recognized TInsley's winning record as superior to Mo William's injury-plagued season losing record. For being 35 and recently reborn from the dead (or D-league, I'm not sure which), Tinsley (age 35) showed that he was still relevant and decent enough to scrape out wins (Utah was 17-11 under Tinsley starting in 28 games at PG), and wins they got. He even averaged 1.2 steals per game in only 25 minutes per game, and dished out 5 assists. Not bad.

37-year-old Mike James would do him one better though. James shot 41% from the 3-point line, average 8+ points per game and still managed to dish out 4+ assist per game. That wasn't the real bonus though. The big acknowledgment lays in their winning records. Mike James started in 23 straight games, where Dallas (a .500 team on the season) went 15-8, one of the best stretches in the season they had. Pablo Prigioni, the 3rd string for the New York Knicks would do them even one better. He led the Knicks in a stretch of 18 games to a 16-2 record in that run, at one point winning 12 in a row. Yeah, I think most people forgot about their 12-game win streak. And everyone forgot to give the 36-year-old straight-out-of-the-Spanish-league Prigioni props for keeping it going with 45% 3-point shooting, 52% FG shooting, and 3.4 assists.

For those records, here were their salaries:

Tinsley: $1,352,181

James: $636,320

Prigioni: $473,604

The % in shooting almost climbs with decrease in cost. As much as Utah fans thought they might've been getting something magical out of Jamaal Tinsley's Rucker-style play, the real New York was benefiting from an 89% winning rate when Prigioni was taking over the PG position, and he cost the least for the job. Way to go New York.

This isn't suppose to be a post about to save more money by paying less than half-a-million for an out-dated point guard dinosaur, but I think it does go to show that it may very well not only not hurt a team, but potentially benefit a team, to have one of these out-dated veterans backing up the team in those tough stretches.

via lh5.googleusercontent.com

For those records, here were their salaries:

Tinsley: $1,352,181

James: $636,320

Prigioni: $473,604

Poll

Would you entertain the idea of keeping around an "old dude" PG in that 3rd/4th string just in case?

Shabazz Muhammad: Could We, Would We, Should We?

2013-05-17T06:45:06Z

A year ago at this time, many pegged Shabazz Muhammad as a surefire top three pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. Many believed he was the odds on favorite to go first overall, a belief that lasted well into the college basketball season. But the longer the season lasted, the more anxious buzz surrounded the once favorite prospect dubbed "most NBA ready" in his class.

Then a teammate at UCLA hit a game winning shot as Shabazz pouted at not getting the ball, the world saw this prospect was almost physically incapable of passing, and the whole "oops, I'm not 19, I'm 20" thing. Muhammad dropped as the NCAA season came to a close, slowly but surely, and he's continued to drop to this moment. Currently, both DraftExpress and NBADraft project Muhammad as going 10th to the Trailblazers.

What if that drop continues another month and ten days and Muhammad slips to, say, pick 14?

Chris Mannix has named Muhammad the "most debated player in the draft." With that many people talking about him, it's unlikely one of the first 13 teams on the board won't take a risk on the former Bruin. But unlikely is not unimaginable, as Muhammad's availability when the Jazz first pick would have been six months ago. If he continues to struggle shooting in particular (as has been reported his first day at the combine), he just might be there when the Jazz are on the clock.

If he slips much more, the Jazz really could draft Shabazz Muhammad. The questions, then, if that should happen:

Would we?

Should we?

What if that drop continues another month and ten days and Muhammad slips to, say, pick 14?

If he slips much more, the Jazz really could draft Shabazz Muhammad. The questions, then, if that should happen:

Would we?

Should we?

Poll

Would and should the Jazz draft Shabazz Muhammad if he is available at pick 14?

Will Burke fall to the middle of the lottery?

2013-05-16T20:06:02Z

I think they chances of Burke falling below 8 are actually rather likely.

From teams 1-13, there are only 3 or 4 teams that would draft Burke. The Bobcats have heavily invested in Kemba Walker. The Cavaliers have Kyrie Irving. The Pelicans have Vasquez. The Kings have Isaiah Thomas.

The Wizards have John Wall. The T-Wolves have Rubio. The Blazers have Lillard. The Pistons have apparently not contacted Trey Burke for an interview, indicating that they may try to re-sign Calderon or simply hand the team over to Brandon Knight. The Sixers have Jrue Holiday. The Raptors have Kyle Lowry.

That leaves the Orlando Magic, the Phoenix Suns, the Dallas Mavericks, and maybe one or two of the teams with a point guard who is merely sufficient or is on a short contract like the Kings or the Bobcats.

If the Magic get the #1 pick, they'll almost certainly take Noel. They're looking to replace Dwight Howard, and Noel is a defensive juggernaut. If the Magic do NOT get the #1 pick, however, they will most likely draft Burke. The Bobcats have Kemba Walker, and I don't see them drafting another point guard with him and another solid option on the roster (Sessions). The Phoenix Suns already have Goran Dragic, but they might look to the future with Burke. I don't think it's likely, because Dragic is under contract for another 3 seasons, as is Kendall Marshall, with a hefty chunk of salary tied up in both (not to mention another year with Shannon Brown under contract). The Kings have Jimmer and Thomas under contract, but the front office and coaching staff seem to hate Jimmer, and Thomas could definitely be improved upon.

I think if the Kings pass on Burke, he won't be drafted by anyone (Pistons, Wizards, Wolves, Blazers, Sixers, Raptors) until the Mavericks at #13. If those teams start to pass on him, the Jazz should seriously consider moving up before the Mavericks do.

I think they chances of Burke falling below 8 are actually rather likely.

A "Can we at least agree that the glass is not full!!??" look at the Utah Jazz

2013-05-15T06:09:36Z

Missing the playoffs gives a lot of time for reflection. Instead of getting amped up for each next game and deluding ourselves that all our team needs is some lucky bounces or to get a particular player more involved, we can just sit back and see how far behind we are from any of these teams. In the east we'd make the playoffs, hell we'd probably be a 4-seed if we played an eastern conference schedule but we are stuck in the wild wild west.

Of the eight west play off teams the only team that looks like they might possibly fall off of the map next year is the Lakers, if Kobe can't come back strong and they loose Dwight. Denver might loose Igoudala, but their style is such that they will still run and gun their way into the playoffs. Houston is going to add a good player to their front-court. Golden State returns everybody but Jarrett Jack. Memphis has a pretty good team construct. OKC and San Antonio are just way better than us and that won't change soon either. This is all regardless of who we bring back next year.

What is a little disheartening for me are the next three teams:

Dallas
Portland
Minnesota

Dallas missed Dirk for 29 games, and while he isn't the offensive dynamo that he used to be, just having him for half of those games probably is the difference between finishing 10th and making the playoffs. Vince Carter probably has some drop off, but Rick Carlisle>Ty Corbin. I fully expect them to have a better record than us next year.

I don't really like Portland as a team. Nothing to do with their GM's giving our young guys offer sheets. Just I don't like LaMarcus Aldridge that much, I think Lillard doesn't have a lot of room for improvement, Nicolas Batum is french. Wesley Matthews is a Bruce Bowen type player but this team seems to be stuck where most recent Jazz teams have been, their best players are almost allstars who take a lot of midrange jumpers. Still they could be better than us next year, I mean at least they have a couple of almost allstars.

Soooo many injuries for Minnesota. It just seems unlikely that happens again next year. They probably loose one of either Kirilenko or Pekovic this offseason and both are great players for them. I don't think they can make the playoffs next year but they have enough talent to "compete" for the eight seed.

Then there is us.

I don't want to look at which of our free agents we bring back next year (it makes me too sad) mainly because I don't think it makes sense to bring any back. I'll touch back on this point later. As it is our roster next year looks something like this:

PG: ???, ???, Burks???

SG: Hayward, Burks???, ???

SF: Marvin, Hayward, ???, Evans???

PF: Favors/Kanter, Kanter/Favors, Marvin, ???, Evans

C: Kanter/Favors, Favors/Kanter, ???

We have two first rounders but KOC does not have a great mid first round track record, and I don't really see any players I like. I don't think we add a lot of talent through the draft this year.

Evans could surprise me next year. He showed flashes of a jumpshot that one game, maybe he can put it together with more time next year.

Marvin Williams is the most invisible player I have seen to average 24 mpg. He plays okay defense, has an okay 3 pt shot, rebounds a little. Just a mediocre player but hey not the worst we've had in recent years. At least he 1) actually played for us and 2) did not take 8.5 shots per game while shooting 24% from 3pt range (Josh Howard you are the worst).

For Dennis Lindsay's sake I am going to refer to these next players as those four young guys upon whom reckless boggers have pinned their hopes on. That is TFYGUWRBHPTHO for short. We have one player who is a proven commodity, one very good defensive player, one mystery man and an Alex Bojorquez.

Let's start with Hayward

How do you think other fanbases or even national media would rank these guys?

Of the good young wings in the league I would not be surprised or offended to see Hayward ranked last by those outside of the jazz fanbase. Personally I think he is better than Parsons, Thompson and Leonard but I could understand arguments for the them over Hayward.

He is the most proven of our young guys and a reasonable case can be made that he is only the 6th best YOUNG wing.

His per36 numbers are about as good as any of them but if we don't bring back any of our free agents (and I hope we don't, at least the big names) he will be the first option on offense and he is going to have some growing pains as other teams load up against him.

Derrick Favors

The man who should be the defensive anchor of this team for years to come. Offensively he is a little further along than say DeAndre Jordan, and I think he should average 14 ppg next year. However it's going to be hard to be a defensive anchor on such a rudderless ship. Per Grantland's Zach Lowe:

There's also the fact that Utah's defense plays with a weird lack of discipline and unclear, unproductive rules...

There are no clear, consistent rules to Utah's defense.

The Chicago bulls have shown you can hide one bad defender if the players are committed to the scheme. I think we will see the opposite, it is easy to avoid one good defender if the scheme is only marginally existent. For this reason I do not believe we will see Favors make nearly as big of an impact as he can while the current coaching staff is in place.

Next is Favor's front court partner Kanter

I think that there is a very simple question to see if anybody has watched a jazz game this year. What do you think of Enes Kanter? If their response is anything other than, "who?", you know for sure that they have.

I really really like Kanter, he is aggressive yet controlled, miraculously plays better defense than we think, and has a good shooting touch. I also love that in the 14 games he played 20 minutes or more he averaged 12.9 ppg 7.9 rpg in 24 mpg.

He gets blinders on when he gets the ball and does not pass well out of the post. His turnovers are a problem. It seemed like he was getting better (1.5 TOpg pre allstar w/ 14.3 mpg vs 1.3 TOpg post allstar on 18.5 mpg) but this is something he has to work on.

I think he will get better but we could easily that question again. If anyone knows who he is they are probably a jazz fan.

And we know Burks isn't a real point gaurd

Burks could be a really good player. He's athletic as can be, a Manu Ginobli style contortionist and has the size, speed and length to bother even the better point guards of the league. He makes 36% of his threes which is adequate if not great (and good for 4th on the team) and can probably be improved upon.

He could also be just another journeyman player. Maybe Corbin knows what he is doing and Burks isn't playing much because he just isn't good enough to. With such a small sample size we can't really say one way or the other.

So where does that put the core 4's ceiling?

There is a possibility each member of the C4 could reach their full potential but unless Hayward is a multiple all-star type player or Favors becomes DPOY worthy or Kanter starts averaging 23 and 12 I don't see this team being better than a 4 seed. OKC is going to be good for a long long time. I think Memphis and Golden State will be as well. And all those teams are so much better adapted for the current NBA as they either have incredible 3 pt shooting (GS), a stringent defense (Memphis) or a bit of both (OKC). Other western teams are going to improve too.

It's a little depressing but our best hope is to be playoff contenders, not actual contenders.

Verdict

The Jazz need to tank next year and hard. There is no reward for being 12th best in the west that's good for just the 10th pick. Also with very little money even on the books there is no financial incentive, you make more money being cheap than by signing best available FA's and missing the playoffs (that's something I learned from Donald Sterling btw).

Then throw in the fact that next years drafts is supposed to be one of those epic, once in a decade drafts with Andrew Wiggins being a guaranteed no. 1, two 6'5" pg's and Jabari Parker all likely to be top 5 worthy. There is a big incentive to swing for the fences on this one. Anyone of those guys would be flat our transformative (red squiggly line telling me that is not a real word) for this team.

So I am going to say something that almost makes me cringe. Dennis Lindsay, Kevin O'Connor, bring back Josh Howard!

What is a little disheartening for me are the next three teams:

Dallas
Portland
Minnesota

Then there is us.

PG: ???, ???, Burks???

SG: Hayward, Burks???, ???

SF: Marvin, Hayward, ???, Evans???

PF: Favors/Kanter, Kanter/Favors, Marvin, ???, Evans

C: Kanter/Favors, Favors/Kanter, ???

We have two first rounders but KOC does not have a great mid first round track record, and I don't really see any players I like. I don't think we add a lot of talent through the draft this year.

Evans could surprise me next year. He showed flashes of a jumpshot that one game, maybe he can put it together with more time next year.

Let's start with Hayward

How do you think other fanbases or even national media would rank these guys?

He is the most proven of our young guys and a reasonable case can be made that he is only the 6th best YOUNG wing.

Derrick Favors

There's also the fact that Utah's defense plays with a weird lack of discipline and unclear, unproductive rules...

There are no clear, consistent rules to Utah's defense.

Next is Favor's front court partner Kanter

I think he will get better but we could easily that question again. If anyone knows who he is they are probably a jazz fan.

And we know Burks isn't a real point gaurd

So where does that put the core 4's ceiling?

It's a little depressing but our best hope is to be playoff contenders, not actual contenders.

Verdict

So I am going to say something that almost makes me cringe. Dennis Lindsay, Kevin O'Connor, bring back Josh Howard!

Another spreadsheet

2013-05-13T22:17:00Z

I looked at the current starters for all 30 teams and what position the player was drafted. Thought it was useful info. If a player was undrafted I put in the draft position of 61.

Teams Starting Lineup
TEAM	PG	Draft #	SG	Draft #	SF	Draft #	PF	Draft #	C	Draft #
Atlanta	J. Teague	19	D. Harris	5	J. Smith	17	A. Horford	3	J. Petro	25
Boston	A. Bradley	19	P. Pierce	10	J. Green	5	B. Bass	33	K. Garnett	5
Brooklyn	D. Williams	3	J. Johnson	10	G. Wallace	25	R. Evans	61	B. Lopez	10
Charlotte	K. Walker	9	G. Henderson	12	M. Kidd-Gilchrist	2	J. McRoberts	37	B. Biyombo	7
Chicago	N. Robinson	21	M. Belinelli	18	J. Butler	30	C. Boozer	36	J. Noah	9
Cleveland	K. Irving	1	W. Ellington	28	A. Gee	61	T. Thompson	4	T. Zeller	17
Dallas	M. James	61	O. Mayo	3	S. Marion	9	D. Nowitzki	9	C. Kaman	6
Denver	T. Lawson	18	E. Fournier	20	A. Iguodala	9	K. Faried	22	K. Koufos	23
Detroit	J. Calderon	61	B. Knight	8	K. Singler	33	G. Monroe	7	A. Drummond	9
Golden State	S. Curry	7	K. Thompson	11	H. Barnes	7	F. Ezeli	30	A. Bogut	1
Houston	J. Lin	61	P. Beverley	42	J. Harden	3	C. Parsons	38	O. Asik	36
Indiana	G. Hill	26	L. Stephenson	40	P. George	10	D. West	18	R. Hibbert	17
LA Clippers	C. Paul	4	C. Billups	3	C. Butler	10	B. Griffin	1	D. Jordan	35
LA Lakers	S. Nash	15	S. Blake	39	M. World Peace	16	P. Gasol	3	D. Howard	1
Memphis	M. Conley	4	T. Allen	25	T. Prince	23	Z. Randolph	19	M. Gasol	48
Miami	M. Chalmers	34	D. Wade	5	L. James	1	U. Haslem	61	C. Bosh	4
Milwaukee	B. Jennings	10	M. Ellis	40	L. Mbah a Moute	37	E. Ilyasova	36	L. Sanders	15
Minnesota	L. Ridnour	14	R. Rubio	5	M. Gelabale	48	D. Williams	2	N. Pekovic	31
New Orleans	G. Vasquez	28	E. Gordon	7	A. Aminu	8	A. Davis	1	R. Lopez	15
New York	R. Felton	5	P. Prigioni	61	I. Shumpert	17	C. Anthony	3	T. Chandler	2
Oklahoma City	R. Jackson	24	T. Sefolosha	13	K. Durant	2	S. Ibaka	24	K. Perkins	27
Orlando	B. Udrih	28	M. Harkless	15	T. Harris	19	A. Nicholson	19	N. Vucevic	16
Philadelphia	J. Holiday	17	D. Wilkins	61	E. Turner	2	T. Young	12	S. Hawes	10
Phoenix	G. Dragic	45	W. Johnson	4	P. Tucker	35	M. Morris	13	L. Scola	57
Portland	D. Lillard	6	W. Matthews	61	N. Batum	25	L. Aldridge	2	J. Hickson	19
Sacramento	I. Thomas	60	T. Evans	4	J. Salmons	26	J. Thompson	12	D. Cousins	5
San Antonio	T. Parker	28	D. Green	16	K. Leonard	15	T. Duncan	1	B. Diaw	21
Toronto	K. Lowry	24	D. DeRozan	9	R. Gay	8	A. Johnson	56	J. Valanciunas	5
Utah	M. Williams	48	R. Foye	7	G. Hayward	9	P. Millsap	47	A. Jefferson	15
Washington	J. Wall	1	G. Temple	61	M. Webster	6	N. Hilario	7	E. Okafor	2


				Breakdown from 1-10 draft picks currently starting
	Players Draft #	# starting		draft #	number starting
	1 to 10	64		1	8
	11 to 20	31		2	7
	20 to 30	21		3	7
	30 to 40	15		4	6
	>= 41	19		5	8
				6	3
				7	7
				8	3
				9	8
				10	7

I looked at the current starters for all 30 teams and what position the player was drafted. Thought it was useful info. If a player was undrafted I put in the draft position of 61.

Teams Starting Lineup
TEAM	PG	Draft #	SG	Draft #	SF	Draft #	PF	Draft #	C	Draft #
Atlanta	J. Teague	19	D. Harris	5	J. Smith	17	A. Horford	3	J. Petro	25
Boston	A. Bradley	19	P. Pierce	10	J. Green	5	B. Bass	33	K. Garnett	5
Brooklyn	D. Williams	3	J. Johnson	10	G. Wallace	25	R. Evans	61	B. Lopez	10
Charlotte	K. Walker	9	G. Henderson	12	M. Kidd-Gilchrist	2	J. McRoberts	37	B. Biyombo	7
Chicago	N. Robinson	21	M. Belinelli	18	J. Butler	30	C. Boozer	36	J. Noah	9
Cleveland	K. Irving	1	W. Ellington	28	A. Gee	61	T. Thompson	4	T. Zeller	17
Dallas	M. James	61	O. Mayo	3	S. Marion	9	D. Nowitzki	9	C. Kaman	6
Denver	T. Lawson	18	E. Fournier	20	A. Iguodala	9	K. Faried	22	K. Koufos	23
Detroit	J. Calderon	61	B. Knight	8	K. Singler	33	G. Monroe	7	A. Drummond	9
Golden State	S. Curry	7	K. Thompson	11	H. Barnes	7	F. Ezeli	30	A. Bogut	1
Houston	J. Lin	61	P. Beverley	42	J. Harden	3	C. Parsons	38	O. Asik	36
Indiana	G. Hill	26	L. Stephenson	40	P. George	10	D. West	18	R. Hibbert	17
LA Clippers	C. Paul	4	C. Billups	3	C. Butler	10	B. Griffin	1	D. Jordan	35
LA Lakers	S. Nash	15	S. Blake	39	M. World Peace	16	P. Gasol	3	D. Howard	1
Memphis	M. Conley	4	T. Allen	25	T. Prince	23	Z. Randolph	19	M. Gasol	48
Miami	M. Chalmers	34	D. Wade	5	L. James	1	U. Haslem	61	C. Bosh	4
Milwaukee	B. Jennings	10	M. Ellis	40	L. Mbah a Moute	37	E. Ilyasova	36	L. Sanders	15
Minnesota	L. Ridnour	14	R. Rubio	5	M. Gelabale	48	D. Williams	2	N. Pekovic	31
New Orleans	G. Vasquez	28	E. Gordon	7	A. Aminu	8	A. Davis	1	R. Lopez	15
New York	R. Felton	5	P. Prigioni	61	I. Shumpert	17	C. Anthony	3	T. Chandler	2
Oklahoma City	R. Jackson	24	T. Sefolosha	13	K. Durant	2	S. Ibaka	24	K. Perkins	27
Orlando	B. Udrih	28	M. Harkless	15	T. Harris	19	A. Nicholson	19	N. Vucevic	16
Philadelphia	J. Holiday	17	D. Wilkins	61	E. Turner	2	T. Young	12	S. Hawes	10
Phoenix	G. Dragic	45	W. Johnson	4	P. Tucker	35	M. Morris	13	L. Scola	57
Portland	D. Lillard	6	W. Matthews	61	N. Batum	25	L. Aldridge	2	J. Hickson	19
Sacramento	I. Thomas	60	T. Evans	4	J. Salmons	26	J. Thompson	12	D. Cousins	5
San Antonio	T. Parker	28	D. Green	16	K. Leonard	15	T. Duncan	1	B. Diaw	21
Toronto	K. Lowry	24	D. DeRozan	9	R. Gay	8	A. Johnson	56	J. Valanciunas	5
Utah	M. Williams	48	R. Foye	7	G. Hayward	9	P. Millsap	47	A. Jefferson	15
Washington	J. Wall	1	G. Temple	61	M. Webster	6	N. Hilario	7	E. Okafor	2


				Breakdown from 1-10 draft picks currently starting
	Players Draft #	# starting		draft #	number starting
	1 to 10	64		1	8
	11 to 20	31		2	7
	20 to 30	21		3	7
	30 to 40	15		4	6
	>= 41	19		5	8
				6	3
				7	7
				8	3
				9	8
				10	7

me again

2013-05-13T19:50:10Z

sorry but not that sorry cause i keep doing it, for yet another post

DL has been with the Spurs since 2007. So I decided I would look at the Jazz and the Spurs draft picks since 2007. Here ya go. My initial thoughts are that the Spurs have done alright for themselves considering their low draft pick numbers. Dragic, Splitter, George Hill, DeJuan Blair.

Year	Pick #	Spurs	Jazz	Pick #	Jazz
2012	59	Marcus Denmon	2012	47	Kevin Murphy
2011	29	Cory Joseph	2011	3	Enes Kanter
2011	59	Adam Hanga	2011	12	Alec Burks
2010	20	James Anderson	2010	9	Gordon Hayward
2010	49	Ryan Richards	2010	55	Jeremy Evans
2009	37	DeJuan Blair	2009	20	Eric Maynor
2009	51	Jack McClinton	2009	50	Goran Suton
2009	53	Nando De Colo	2008	23	Kosta Koufos
2008	26	George Hill	2008	44	Ante Tomic
2008	45	Goran Dragic	2008	53	Tadija Dragicevic
2008	57	James Gist	2007	25	Morris Almond
2007	28	Tiago Splitter	2007	55	Herbit Hill
2007	33	Marcus Williams
2007	58	Giorgos Printezis

sorry but not that sorry cause i keep doing it, for yet another post

Year	Pick #	Spurs	Jazz	Pick #	Jazz
2012	59	Marcus Denmon	2012	47	Kevin Murphy
2011	29	Cory Joseph	2011	3	Enes Kanter
2011	59	Adam Hanga	2011	12	Alec Burks
2010	20	James Anderson	2010	9	Gordon Hayward
2010	49	Ryan Richards	2010	55	Jeremy Evans
2009	37	DeJuan Blair	2009	20	Eric Maynor
2009	51	Jack McClinton	2009	50	Goran Suton
2009	53	Nando De Colo	2008	23	Kosta Koufos
2008	26	George Hill	2008	44	Ante Tomic
2008	45	Goran Dragic	2008	53	Tadija Dragicevic
2008	57	James Gist	2007	25	Morris Almond
2007	28	Tiago Splitter	2007	55	Herbit Hill
2007	33	Marcus Williams
2007	58	Giorgos Printezis

The number 14 and 21

2013-05-13T17:24:55Z

If someone already did this I apologize. Here is a spreadsheet that has the historical 14th and 21st pick going back 15 years. Just thought it was interesting. Interesting to see Rajon Rondo at 21 in 2006. I forgot about that. Anyways I just thought it was fun info

Year	Pick	Team	Postion	Person
2012	14	Mil	F	John Henson
2012	21	Bos	F	Jared Sullinger
2011	14	Hou	F	Marcus Morris
2011	21	Por	PG	Nolan Smith
2010	14	Hou	F	Patrick Patterson
2010	21	OKC	F	Craig Brackins
2009	14	Pho	F	Earl Clark
2009	21	NOH	PG	Darren Collison
2008	14	GSW	F	Anthony Randolph
2008	21	NJN	F	Ryan Anderson
2007	14	LAC	F	Al Thornton
2007	21	PHI	SG	Daequan Cook
2006	14	UTA	SG	Ronnie Brewer
2006	21	BOS	PG	Rajon Rondo
2005	14	MIN	SG	Rashad McCants
2005	21	PHO	PG	Nate Robinson
2004	14	UTA	PF	Kris Humpries
2004	21	UTA	PG	Pavel Podkolzin
2003	14	MIN	PG	Luke Ridnour
2003	21	ATL	F	Boris Diaw
2002	14	IND	SF	Fred Jones
2002	21	POR	SG/SF	Qyntel Woods
2001	14	GSW	PF	Troy Murphy
2001	21	BOS	PG/SG	Joseph Forte
2000	14	DET	PG	Mateen Cleaves
2000	21	PHI	SG/SF	Morris Peterson
1999	14	MIN	PG	William Avery
1999	21	GSW	C	Jeff Foster
1998	14	HOU	SG	Michael Dickerson
1998	21	CHH	SG	Ricky Davis
1997	14	LAC	F	Maurice Taylor
1997	21	NJN	SG/SF	Anthony Parker

Year	Pick	Team	Postion	Person
2012	14	Mil	F	John Henson
2012	21	Bos	F	Jared Sullinger
2011	14	Hou	F	Marcus Morris
2011	21	Por	PG	Nolan Smith
2010	14	Hou	F	Patrick Patterson
2010	21	OKC	F	Craig Brackins
2009	14	Pho	F	Earl Clark
2009	21	NOH	PG	Darren Collison
2008	14	GSW	F	Anthony Randolph
2008	21	NJN	F	Ryan Anderson
2007	14	LAC	F	Al Thornton
2007	21	PHI	SG	Daequan Cook
2006	14	UTA	SG	Ronnie Brewer
2006	21	BOS	PG	Rajon Rondo
2005	14	MIN	SG	Rashad McCants
2005	21	PHO	PG	Nate Robinson
2004	14	UTA	PF	Kris Humpries
2004	21	UTA	PG	Pavel Podkolzin
2003	14	MIN	PG	Luke Ridnour
2003	21	ATL	F	Boris Diaw
2002	14	IND	SF	Fred Jones
2002	21	POR	SG/SF	Qyntel Woods
2001	14	GSW	PF	Troy Murphy
2001	21	BOS	PG/SG	Joseph Forte
2000	14	DET	PG	Mateen Cleaves
2000	21	PHI	SG/SF	Morris Peterson
1999	14	MIN	PG	William Avery
1999	21	GSW	C	Jeff Foster
1998	14	HOU	SG	Michael Dickerson
1998	21	CHH	SG	Ricky Davis
1997	14	LAC	F	Maurice Taylor
1997	21	NJN	SG/SF	Anthony Parker

James Ennis #DRAFTENNIS

2013-05-10T23:17:29Z

James Ennis is a 6'7 Small (He isn't small btw) Forward from Long Beach State University in Long Beach, CA. This is the same college that produced near first round lock PG Casper Ware, who is killing it in Italy (Remember Kobe was here very early on in his career as well).

Here are some reasons to pick James Ennis:

1. His name is Ennis. Now when Ty yells at Enes to get back on the bench, he can kill two birds with one stone. Ty needs to save his voice to yell words of encouragement to the vets.

2. His career high is 29 against BYU-Hawaii. Do you know anyone else who has scored 29 against BYU Hawaii? Me neither.

3. Matt Harpring is getting tired of calling Enes Kanter "Enes the Menace". This will force him to step his game up and give Enes a Kanter related nickname. Or give Ennis a James related one. Like "James and the Giant Peach Basket" when he is on a scoring tear. Or King James when he becomes the best player in the world.

4. His twitter handle is @JamesDa_Truth. I think he will be a great addition to the Jazz Social Media team. Let's look at some of his best tweets:

James Ennis ‏@JamesDa_Truth

8 May

People make laugh

---He and Enes will be the two funniest players on the team. They could host a tv show: Enes the Mennis.

James Ennis ‏@JamesDa_Truth8 May

Shook the best player in the world hand today the black mamba #itstime

---James Ennis shook De'Anthony Thomas's hand today and called him the best player in the world. James is humble enough not to belittle others even when he knows he is better than them, which makes him a perfect candidate for Ty's doghouse.

James Ennis ‏@JamesDa_Truth6 May

Lets see if james is clutch!!!!!

---He writes about himself in the third person. Last Jazzman to do this? (Hint: rhymes with Borrowed Cologne).

James Ennis ‏@JamesDa_Truth6 May

Gave my puppy away :((( but it's going to be in good hands :))

-- He gave his puppy away so Derrick Favors wouldn't get jealous that his was way uglier.

5. According to twitter, he is "getting his weight up"

--Enes Kanter can help him with this by taking him to Turkey.

6. He is from Ventura, CA.

--I don't know any Jazz fans in Ventura, a vital market that the Jazz (for some strange reason) have yet to tap into.

7. Ventura is very close to Santa Barbara.

--- You all know what this means.. Ennis and Enes hitting on girls at UCSB.

8. James Ennis probably likes to bowl.

8.5 Our jumbotron will be an upgrade compared to this. Also, he will be on it all the time.

9. James Ennis is coachable

-- Enes Kanter will finally have someone who he can give fashion advice to. Ennis will quickly become the second best dressed player on the team (behind Ty).

10. Ennis went to Junior College.

Other superstars that went to Junior College include: Albert Pujols, Mike Piazza, Cam Newton, Walt Disney, Ben Chang.

11. Ennis is loyal.
---He proved this by returning for his sophomore season at Ventura College and not declaring for the draft.

12. Ennis is a senior.

---Recent NBA drafts have shown us that seniors (ex. Damian Lillard) are much better than younger players, who bust very often (ex. Kwame Brown).

13. Ennis is right handed.

---The best players in the world are right handed (Lebron, Kobe, Jordan). Left handed players are quickly losing their role in the league (CJ Miles.. don't know any others because they all busted).

14. Ennis was the Big West Player of the Year

---Michael Olowakandi was also BW player of the year in 1998. He was drafted 1st overall. We may have to trade up to get James Ennis.

15. Ennis is willing to do whatever it takes.

---Marvin Williams has desperately been searching for someone to watch Looney Tunes with him. James Ennis, though begrudgingly, will do this for him with a positive attitude (see: Lil B). Together, they will watch Marvin the Martian and friends, and maybe watch film too.

16. His name is James

Other famous James's include: James Franco, Lebron James, James Bond, St. James. Very good company he is in.

17. His name is Ennis

She must work out with Kanter.

18. His name rhymes with Dennis

---If we still have a pick after trading up to get Ennis, Dennis can draft Dennis Schroeder. Our starting lineup would be Dennis, Ennis, Hayward, Favors, Enes.

19. He is keeping his plans close to the vest.

---He has even diverted some of the attention away from the Jazz by retweeting someone saying he should come to the Wizards. KOC has already talked to him and told him to refrain from tweeting anything Jazz related so it will be more of a surprise for the fans when they draft him.

20. Look at this interview.

Q: What player in the NBA, if any, do you feel most resembles your game?

A: I would say Jimmy Butler. We are about the same size and have similar skill sets. I love his game. He can guard multiple positions on the floor. I think that working on defense and being solid in that area is the way to stay on the floor at the next level. Coaches love players that can defend.

Q: If I’m an NBA GM, tell me why I should draft you.

A: Because I’m willing to put in the work. I’m a gym rat. I love being in the gym. I’m very humble. I’m always trying to get better. I’m a team player. I have a good background and I stay out of trouble. And I’m just willing to do whatever is best to help out the team. Like I said before, I’m just blessed to have this opportunity and I don’t take that for granted.

---He says Jimmy Butler, implying he is ready to play 48 minutes a game. Every game. And is ready to defend Lebron on day 1. Lebron won't even be the best James in the league next year (most likely).

21. He is not scared of Ghosts

---One of his best friends is named Casper.

22. I haven't heard anything negative about him

Except his weaknesses page on nbadraft.net. And they gave Casper Ware a 0, so ... (hint: don't listen to them).

23. Dennis Lindsey hates the phrase "Core Four"

--- The addition of James Ennis will force Jazz fans to come up with a new nickname, maybe something our GM actually likes this time.

24. James Ennis will make Utah an attractive destination for superstars (Kyrylo Fesenko, for one).

---Because he is one himself. Also, Kobe even went out of his way to try to shake his hand. And he was nice enough to let him. Most humble superstar ever.

25. He probably asked his own AD to shorten his highlight video so he could really take the NBA by storm next year.

LBSU Basketball: James Ennis 2012-13 Highlight Reel (via lbsuathletics)

26. Dennis Lindsey is great at finding 2nd round gems.

Hopefully, he will find someone awesome to pair with our lotto pick of Ennis.

27. Opponent game planning would be impossible.

Spoelstra: How are we going to stop Ennis?

James: I'll take him

*Lebron starts guarding Kanter

*Joel Anthony on Ennis

*Ennis goes off for 50

*Lebron gets shut down, but Enes gives him a Turkish delight afterwards to cheer him up

28. He is training in LA. (aka learning the Lakers' secrets for us, and convincing Earl Clark to sign with us to be his backup, a role Clark would gladly accept).

James Ennis 2013 NBA Draft Workout - Big Time Athlete - Long Beach State (via CityLeagueHoopsTV)

29. Bryon Russell got his number retired at LBSU.

--He may finally come back to a Jazz game to see a fellow alum and superstar.

30. His flight to Utah yesterday was good. His workout will be even better. Dennis won't be able to resist. James Ennis will lead us back to the promised land. He will make the players around him better (but not as good as him).

If KOC drafts Ennis, he will stop having nightmares about letting Kyrylo Fesenko, Casper Ware and Mo Williams go. (Those must be some crazy nightmares)

Here are some reasons to pick James Ennis:

1. His name is Ennis. Now when Ty yells at Enes to get back on the bench, he can kill two birds with one stone. Ty needs to save his voice to yell words of encouragement to the vets.

2. His career high is 29 against BYU-Hawaii. Do you know anyone else who has scored 29 against BYU Hawaii? Me neither.

4. His twitter handle is @JamesDa_Truth. I think he will be a great addition to the Jazz Social Media team. Let's look at some of his best tweets:

James Ennis ‏@JamesDa_Truth

8 May

People make laugh

---He and Enes will be the two funniest players on the team. They could host a tv show: Enes the Mennis.

James Ennis ‏@JamesDa_Truth8 May

Shook the best player in the world hand today the black mamba #itstime

James Ennis ‏@JamesDa_Truth6 May

Lets see if james is clutch!!!!!

---He writes about himself in the third person. Last Jazzman to do this? (Hint: rhymes with Borrowed Cologne).

James Ennis ‏@JamesDa_Truth6 May

Gave my puppy away :((( but it's going to be in good hands :))

-- He gave his puppy away so Derrick Favors wouldn't get jealous that his was way uglier.

5. According to twitter, he is "getting his weight up"

--Enes Kanter can help him with this by taking him to Turkey.

6. He is from Ventura, CA.

--I don't know any Jazz fans in Ventura, a vital market that the Jazz (for some strange reason) have yet to tap into.

7. Ventura is very close to Santa Barbara.

--- You all know what this means.. Ennis and Enes hitting on girls at UCSB.

8. James Ennis probably likes to bowl.

8.5 Our jumbotron will be an upgrade compared to this. Also, he will be on it all the time.

9. James Ennis is coachable

-- Enes Kanter will finally have someone who he can give fashion advice to. Ennis will quickly become the second best dressed player on the team (behind Ty).

10. Ennis went to Junior College.

Other superstars that went to Junior College include: Albert Pujols, Mike Piazza, Cam Newton, Walt Disney, Ben Chang.

11. Ennis is loyal.
---He proved this by returning for his sophomore season at Ventura College and not declaring for the draft.

12. Ennis is a senior.

---Recent NBA drafts have shown us that seniors (ex. Damian Lillard) are much better than younger players, who bust very often (ex. Kwame Brown).

13. Ennis is right handed.

---The best players in the world are right handed (Lebron, Kobe, Jordan). Left handed players are quickly losing their role in the league (CJ Miles.. don't know any others because they all busted).

14. Ennis was the Big West Player of the Year

---Michael Olowakandi was also BW player of the year in 1998. He was drafted 1st overall. We may have to trade up to get James Ennis.

15. Ennis is willing to do whatever it takes.

16. His name is James

Other famous James's include: James Franco, Lebron James, James Bond, St. James. Very good company he is in.

17. His name is Ennis

She must work out with Kanter.

18. His name rhymes with Dennis

---If we still have a pick after trading up to get Ennis, Dennis can draft Dennis Schroeder. Our starting lineup would be Dennis, Ennis, Hayward, Favors, Enes.

19. He is keeping his plans close to the vest.

20. Look at this interview.

Q: What player in the NBA, if any, do you feel most resembles your game?

Q: If I’m an NBA GM, tell me why I should draft you.

---He says Jimmy Butler, implying he is ready to play 48 minutes a game. Every game. And is ready to defend Lebron on day 1. Lebron won't even be the best James in the league next year (most likely).

21. He is not scared of Ghosts

---One of his best friends is named Casper.

22. I haven't heard anything negative about him

Except his weaknesses page on nbadraft.net. And they gave Casper Ware a 0, so ... (hint: don't listen to them).

23. Dennis Lindsey hates the phrase "Core Four"

--- The addition of James Ennis will force Jazz fans to come up with a new nickname, maybe something our GM actually likes this time.

24. James Ennis will make Utah an attractive destination for superstars (Kyrylo Fesenko, for one).

---Because he is one himself. Also, Kobe even went out of his way to try to shake his hand. And he was nice enough to let him. Most humble superstar ever.

25. He probably asked his own AD to shorten his highlight video so he could really take the NBA by storm next year.

LBSU Basketball: James Ennis 2012-13 Highlight Reel (via lbsuathletics)

26. Dennis Lindsey is great at finding 2nd round gems.

Hopefully, he will find someone awesome to pair with our lotto pick of Ennis.

27. Opponent game planning would be impossible.

Spoelstra: How are we going to stop Ennis?

James: I'll take him

*Lebron starts guarding Kanter

*Joel Anthony on Ennis

*Ennis goes off for 50

*Lebron gets shut down, but Enes gives him a Turkish delight afterwards to cheer him up

28. He is training in LA. (aka learning the Lakers' secrets for us, and convincing Earl Clark to sign with us to be his backup, a role Clark would gladly accept).

James Ennis 2013 NBA Draft Workout - Big Time Athlete - Long Beach State (via CityLeagueHoopsTV)

29. Bryon Russell got his number retired at LBSU.

--He may finally come back to a Jazz game to see a fellow alum and superstar.

If KOC drafts Ennis, he will stop having nightmares about letting Kyrylo Fesenko, Casper Ware and Mo Williams go. (Those must be some crazy nightmares)

Poll

Should KOC draft Ennis?

1st Pre-Draft workout for the Jazz: May 11th

2013-05-10T21:44:08Z

So just to put this out there since I just heard about it.

the players are

Bigs: Jamelle Hagins and Colton Iverson

Guards: James Ennis, Mike Snaer, Nate Wolters, and the one and only Myck Kabongo.

personally it appears like our second round draft pick party, and mostly looking at guards and a couple token bigs

Yay for something in the off season!

you can get the official news here

http://www.nba.com/jazz/news/20130510-predraft-workouts.html

discuss...

So just to put this out there since I just heard about it.

the players are

Bigs: Jamelle Hagins and Colton Iverson

Guards: James Ennis, Mike Snaer, Nate Wolters, and the one and only Myck Kabongo.

personally it appears like our second round draft pick party, and mostly looking at guards and a couple token bigs

Yay for something in the off season!

you can get the official news here

http://www.nba.com/jazz/news/20130510-predraft-workouts.html

discuss...

GM for a day

2013-05-09T05:58:45Z

So I'm trying to fill some roster spots this offseason. I have 3 draft picks 14, 21, 47th??. I have let ALL of my PG's go and have Foye, Marvin, Evans and the Core 4 remaining. I'm looking to improve my defense and 3 point shooting this offseason.

My PRIORITY by Position

(Note - the players listed below are only guys I like. That's why over rated guys like MCW didn't make my list)

Priority 1 - PG (I need at least 2)

I target either Jack, Collison or Teague as free agents and pick up Schroeder or Kabongo with my 21st pick. Then I take either Larkin or Ray McCollum with my 2nd round pick

Priority 2 - C (I need 1)

Draft defensive minded Rudy Goobers

pay the price to buy out contract of previously drafted 1st Team Euro leaguer Ante Tomic

pick up Brandon Wright in FA for nothing

Priority 3 - PF (I can only pick 1)

D West - West is playing like a beast in the playoffs. His career numbers are almost identical to Millsap. Disadvantage is his age. Advantage is his size / strength

C Landry - has the best numbers of the 3

JJ Hickson - plays bigger than 6'9"

Since neither of the guys above are likely willing to come off the bench behind Favors, draft Tony Mitchell or Patric Young

Priority 4 - SG (3 point shooting)

Korver and Foye paired together will be the closest we will come to GS Curry / K Thompson duo but who would start?

Priority 5 - SF

Igoudala (if available for $10mil or less) is the highest profile small forward available. I wonder why he is opting out of Denver? I would then use Hayward as the 6th man

Would you be a happy Jazz fan if I put this either of these teams on the court this fall while still being in a "rebuild"?

PG - Jack / Shroeder / Larkin

SG - Foye / Burks

SF - Igoudala / Hayward / Marvin

PF - Favors / Landry or West / Evans

C - Kanter / Gobert

------------------------------------------------

PG - Jack / Burks / Shroeder

SG - Foye / Korver

SF - Hayward / Marvin

PF - Favors / Tomic / Evans

C - Kanter / Gobert

My PRIORITY by Position

(Note - the players listed below are only guys I like. That's why over rated guys like MCW didn't make my list)

Priority 1 - PG (I need at least 2)

I target either Jack, Collison or Teague as free agents and pick up Schroeder or Kabongo with my 21st pick. Then I take either Larkin or Ray McCollum with my 2nd round pick

Priority 2 - C (I need 1)

Draft defensive minded Rudy Goobers

pay the price to buy out contract of previously drafted 1st Team Euro leaguer Ante Tomic

pick up Brandon Wright in FA for nothing

Priority 3 - PF (I can only pick 1)

D West - West is playing like a beast in the playoffs. His career numbers are almost identical to Millsap. Disadvantage is his age. Advantage is his size / strength

C Landry - has the best numbers of the 3

JJ Hickson - plays bigger than 6'9"

Since neither of the guys above are likely willing to come off the bench behind Favors, draft Tony Mitchell or Patric Young

Priority 4 - SG (3 point shooting)

Korver and Foye paired together will be the closest we will come to GS Curry / K Thompson duo but who would start?

Priority 5 - SF

Igoudala (if available for $10mil or less) is the highest profile small forward available. I wonder why he is opting out of Denver? I would then use Hayward as the 6th man

Would you be a happy Jazz fan if I put this either of these teams on the court this fall while still being in a "rebuild"?

PG - Jack / Shroeder / Larkin

SG - Foye / Burks

SF - Igoudala / Hayward / Marvin

PF - Favors / Landry or West / Evans

C - Kanter / Gobert

------------------------------------------------

PG - Jack / Burks / Shroeder

SG - Foye / Korver

SF - Hayward / Marvin

PF - Favors / Tomic / Evans

C - Kanter / Gobert

Poll

Which combination of players would you most like to see added to the Jazz roster this offseason?

Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry

9 votes

Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver

16 votes

Darrin Collison and David West

6 votes

31 votes | Poll has closed

What do Jazz fans want the most?

2013-05-09T04:41:33Z

Hello all! Longtime lurker here who has finally made an effort to join the conversation, or in this case, start the conversation.

My question to you guys is, as Jazz fans, what do you want the most from the organization? I feel like the Jazz are one of the organizations that has been defined by their consistent performance, and specifically how they've been able to achieve success. For the past few seasons, however, I've felt that they team has lost it's identity. Obviously when you lose an iconic figure like Jerry Sloan things are going to change, but since his departure I've sensed that the Jazz have not only lost their identity as a team, but also failed to find a new identity.

The obvious answer is championships; the ultimate goal is always to win a championship. Then again, everyone wants championships, and the Jazz don't have any, so what makes us still love this team? This is where some variation happens. Is it because the team, for the most part, is always competing for something? Could it be that we have an attractive style of basketball? How about us simply having likable players and coaches?

This is where it gets interesting for me considering the team is at some for of crossroads at the moment. Yes, I am talking about the hottest topic on SLC Dunk: the vets versus the young guys. For the duration of the season, Ty Corbin and management seemed to heavily back the vets in order to stay competitive. That for me was the tagline of the season, "Competitive for 82 games". How important to you was that, and how important do you think that was for the Jazz fanbase as a whole?

From my perspective, the Jazz compromised the other two aforementioned factors (attractive basketball and favored players) in order to stay competitive. I believe that the general opinion of all Jazz fans is that the young players are more fun to watch and in turn are also the fan favorites. I think this becomes more and more accurate if you look at more hardcore fans as well.

The debate is whether or not we should just hand the franchise over to Gordon, Derrick, and Enes. The fans love these guys, they enjoy watching them play, and is almost certain to happen at some point or another. The counter to that argument is that the Jazz do run the chance of having a stinker of a season in 2013-2014. If the Jazz were to roll out with the core four and PG "X" next season there will inevitably be growing pains. Are Jazz fans willing to take a step back in order to take two steps forward? Or would the franchise be better off hovering with the hope of taking a step forward?

I've put in a little research and have come up a few data points. The Jazz haven't had many down years, so it's a little difficult to predict how the fanbase would react now. The team's only true down year was in the 2004-2005 season. The Jazz finished with an abysmal 26 wins that year. It's difficult to remember the general buzz about that team, but from attendance records, it appears that the opinion of the Jazz was just as high as the years prior and resulting seasons. Despite being one of the worst teams in the NBA that season, the organization ranked 8th in attendance. I compared that to other seasons, and found that 8th place was very typical. The Jazz have generally ranked from 4-7 in good years, and 8-10 less successful seasons. In fact, since moving into the Delta Center in 1991, the Jazz have never been outside of the top 10. That is, except for this most recent season in which they finished 13th. To repeat that, the Jazz had their worst attendance ranking ever since the opening of the Delta Center over two decades ago! Eye opening for me!

In conclusion, I don't think the need to be competitive each and every season is essential to appeasing the Utah Jazz fanbase. I think the fanbase is willing to take a down year as long as it does not become the norm. On the contrary, I feel that this "treading water" phase is bad for the organization. The fans have lost interest in this team, and it's not necessarily because the team isn't getting enough wins. The team has been heading in no apparent direction and the fans notice that.

If you've made it this far I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Hello all! Longtime lurker here who has finally made an effort to join the conversation, or in this case, start the conversation.

If you've made it this far I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Coach

2013-05-03T22:53:17Z

Sorry for all the Fanposts. I get a couple of free minutes and I can't help myself. I also love polls. I really don't like Mark Jackson so thought I'd post this just for fun. Also, while I get frustrated with, and voice those frustrations more often than I should, don't mind Corbin all that much. I know that quite a few people are more upset and vocal about Ty then I am....So a poll. Who would you like coaching the Jazz next year? Corbin or Mark Jackson.

Poll

Coach for the 13-14 season

Corbin

27 votes

Mark Jackson

23 votes

50 votes | Poll has closed