The Year Of The Doe? - The Downbeat - #634

The record seems to skip every year as we start talking about CJ Miles. Could this finally be the year where production equals potential? While his work ethic and determination has never been in question, his on court performance has. He's capable of putting up forty points and carrying the team. But we've also see 1-10 performances. Consistency is what Jazz fans have been yearning for the past five seasons.

For 2011, offensive numbers -- particularly shooting percentages-- were down. However, he posted career high in PER of 14.4 primarily because his rebounding numbers were up as well as his free-throw shooting attempts and makes. With PER, 15 is considered an average player.

The biggest question with CJ, and with Jazz fans, is what would be considered a successful season? 45% shooting? 40% from the arc? He came close to those number in the 2008 season when he shot 48% from the field while shooting 39% on threes. I think that the following season is when most people started feeling a bit let down despite CJ putting up solid numbers again.

So now we enter CJ's free-agent year when he'll become an unrestricted free agent. Will the team benefit from a free-agent bump? If so, does it price CJ out of Utah? The summer of 2012 will feature teams with lots of cash to spend. So just when fans may become satisfied with CJ's play, they may see him take those talents elsewhere next season.

So what in your mind, constitutes a successful season for CJ Miles?

The Associated Press has a great feature on Tyrone Corbin. One of the quotes was Sloan-esque

"You've got to be ready coming out of it because no one's going to feel sorry for you so you can't feel sorry for yourself," he said.

As I wrote earlier, Coach Corbin is one of the things I'm most looking forward to for this season. He has the respect of the players and other coaches. He's got a three-year deal which should set his mind at ease a bit yet he won't become complacent. This is his big shot after waiting patiently for years after getting turned down for other head coach opportunities. I'm expecting big (relative) things.

Oh, really?

Not one, but two stretches. With a hugely compressed season and the complexity of not only scheduling the season but dealing with other arena events, this shouldn't be too surprising. That won't make it an easier for those teams of course. What will those last two games be like though?

Free agency and training camp won't officially open until this Friday, team executives and coaches can begin speaking with players starting today. There are a couple of caveats though. From ESPN,

Sources say the league, though, is still telling teams the restrictions in place since Wednesday -- which stipulate that no oral or written agreements can be struck with free agents -- remain in place because the lockout is still technically in effect.

Sources say coaches likewise can't supervise on-court workouts before camp begins Friday but teams are allowed to give physical exams to free agents.

The lockout is set to be officially lifted on Wednesday once the finer points of the CBA have been hammered out and the players and owners vote on. Once that's done, teams would be able to make official offers though they wouldn't be official until Friday.

Can you imagine if the league had locked out its players either a year earlier or a year later? We would have been spared The Decision first of all. This free-agent frenzy is going to crazy enough and they're really aren't any marquee names. Imagine having just this week essentially to try and speak with Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, or Deron Williams if the league locked out its players after the last year of the previous CBA instead of this one. What if Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, and LeBron James had been drafted a year later and 2011 was their year of free-agency instead of 2010? The Internet may have exploded.

Monday poll... Ronnie Price has expressed his desire to stay with the team. Should be be back?