Noam Schiller precisely brings to light Utah Jazz Playoffs/Lottery dilemma at Hardwood Paroxysm

The 2011-2012 Utah Jazz were supposed to be either a little worse or a little better than the 2010-2011 Utah Jazz. Or at least, that was the conservative "tighten our belts" idea that many Utah Jazz fans expected. The season so far has been a series of ups and downs. The Jazz went 11-4 in January only to go 4-11 in February, for example. Now, with March all but over, the Jazz are competing for a playoff spot. This is remarkable because a lot of professional basketball analysts had the Jazz finishing last in their division, not second.

Winning is a happy feeling, especially when it's winning when we should be losing. It's like playing with the house's money. That said, no action exists in a vacuum. Winning this year may, in the long run, come back to bit us in the behind. None of this is new as all Jazz fans the last few weeks have been worried about things like the lottery, the playoffs, the draft pick that Golden State owes us, and the pick that we owe Minnesota.

If you have been reading about ball on the internet you've been reading Noam Schiller (@noamschiller ). He wrote something at Hardwood Paroxysm that clearly points out what we stand to gain (and lose) depending on the two situations. It may not be revolutionary to us, but it's nice that our little small market team is even being discussed.

I wouldn't be blogging if it wasn't for Noam, or Matt Moore (@HPBasketball), so when they speak I listen. Here's an excerpt:

Making the playoffs is always better than not making the playoffs, and developing young, promising players is the type of thing that NBA franchises are built on. So it’s pretty absurd to think that this could actually be detrimental to the franchise.

And yet, as you look at the roster that is inexplicably making this push for the Jazz, it’s hard to argue that this is a complete creation. Devin Harris probably isn’t the long term answer at point guard, Hayward and C.J. Miles leaves you with at least one wing too little no matter how optimistic you may be, and there’s still a very good chance Kanter and/or Favors don’t work out in the manner that Jazz fans may be hoping for.

There are still issues to be addressed, holes to be filled. And by making the playoffs, the Jazz are losing a prime way to do so.- N.Schiller

It is completely worth it to check out his entire piece. It is short. To the point. And very easy to understand. We all have our ideas about aiming for the playoffs or the lottery . . . it's good to read other people talk about it too. Read the full piece here.