NBA Free Agency: Jamaal Tinsley to return to Utah Jazz, according to HOOPSWORLD's Alex Kennedy

By AllThatAmar@AllThatAmar Oct 24, 2013, 2:51pm MDT

The Utah Jazz traded two first rounders (2013 #14 Shabazz Muhammad, and 2013 #21 Gorgui Dieng) to move up and get potential Rookie of the Year point guard Trey Burke. Then Trey got injured, and he's at LEAST a few weeks away from getting medically cleared. In the off-season the Jazz signed one free agent point guard, John Lucas III. Lucas has not set the world on fire, or set the table for the rest of the starting unit. But as the rumors over the last few weeks have alluded to, help may very well be on the way.

HOOPSWORLD writer Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) has been following this news, and while this information has not been Woj-bombed or confirmed by the Utah Jazz just yet -- I do think that this could very well be a done deal.

Two days ago:

The Utah Jazz continue to express interest in free agent Jamaal Tinsley, per sources. Trey Burke's injury opened the door for him to return.
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) October 22, 2013

Yesterday:

Free agent PG Jamaal Tinsley returning to the Utah Jazz is very likely. Deal between the two sides could be completed in the next few days.
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) October 24, 2013

Jamaal Tinsley has reached an agreement with the Utah Jazz. The veteran point guard will join the Jazz in L.A. for their game on Friday.
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) October 24, 2013

Source says Utah Jazz will likely announce the Jamaal Tinsley signing once he officially signs the contract and passes his physical.
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) October 24, 2013

I like Jamaal Tinsley joining the Jazz. He is actually someone I would have brought back if I was doing things (if you looked at Peter's downbeat from weeks ago where we got a crack at the off-season you'll see that I had him coming back).

He immediately would become the starter until Trey gets back in my books. And while Jamaal can't hit threes, or defend as well as he used to, he has utility here. No, he doesn't make a huge difference in the win / loss record for our club; but he's capable of treading water at the point position for as long as we need. Moreover, his main utility here will be in getting the offense up and running. He can drive and dish, penetrate on his own, and knows the game very well. He's a pure point guard and will be effective in getting Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter the ball where they need it. We are investing a lot of money, time, and hope into those two players. A good running game needs a good offensive line in the NFL. In the NBA scoring bigmen almost ALWAYS need a point guard who can start them up.

Jamaal is precisely that guy to do it.

He'll help our bigs on the floor, and help mentor Trey Burke off of it.

Old Master

Morihei Ueshiba, founder of Aikido.

"What I learned today is that really old wizards don't get that way by being easy to kill."

—Black Mage, 8-Bit Theater

Don't let his age (or his size) fool you; the Old Master is a force to be reckoned with. Despite being at least sixty years old, he (or she) is a formidable fighter who can take on several younger opponents at a time, clean the floor with all of them and barely get winded. They may rely on years of training and deceptive strength, or cunning and Obfuscating Stupidity, but they get the job done. Break out the ^ sign on your calculator when this trope is applied to seasoned adventurers of any type; anyone who's managed to survive to a ripe old age while performing inherently dangerous work is obviously really damned good at it. The Old Master is often the sensei to one of the main characters, training them so they can pass on the torch to the new generation (and maybe earn themselves a break). To do so, the character typically prefers the Wax On, Wax Off approach to education and the When You Snatch the Pebble approach to final exams. Crueler Old Masters, on the other hand, function as the Drill Sergeant Nasty, and those who study under him had better be prepared for Training from Hell. Heavily overlaps with Hermit Guru and Stronger with Age. May double as The Obi-Wan. See also Badass Grandpa, When Elders Attack, and Weak, but Skilled. Retired Gunfighter is the western, weaponized version of this. Contrast with Older Is Better. In martial arts movies, especially, the Old Master tends to be a Magical Asian.

(Via TVTropes.org)

Solid move, hope it is true and not just a product of Alex Kennedy's sources. And yes, bringing Jamaal back is an SLC Dunk "narrative", but it appears that the Jazz front office and SLC Dunk feel the same way on this topic.

As an aside, Mychal (My_Lo) and I were just talking about this the other day. He said that it's just likely Jamaal, an old vet, is holding off on signing until training camp is over. It was all just a formality, but as an old vet with a resume that speaks for itself, sneaking out of training camp and all the two-a-days is the ultimate cagey vet move. (Like Senior skip day)