The Downbeat #1224 - Tis the Trade Season Edition

The trade season officially began yesterday. Yes, trades could happen before yesterday (see: Rudy Gay, et al.), but yesterday marked the day that players signed in the summer can be traded. This is the time when players that haven't panned out are shopped, and teams looking for a push or performing above expectations start making moves.

What does this mean for the Jazz? The following players are now eligible to be traded:

Richard Jefferson

Brandon Rush

Andris Biedrins

Along with trade season, comes the barrage of trade ideas from the insane to the completely sensible. SBN is no exception, so be on the lookout for some great content centered on player movement, in the next few days.

As a quick reminder, here are some helpful tips on creating trade proposals that make sense, my Quick Guide to Being a Fan GM.

Who should the Jazz [realistically] target? The correct answer is young, promising players that fill needs that will soon be vacant (the players mentioned above) and picks.

As you all have read, the Jazz sent Rudy Gobert and Ian Clark to the Jam. Bravo Zulu to the Jazz for sending the two friends together. Not only  will they get to see some action, against stiff competition, it always makes it easier to adjust to a new setting when you have a familiar face around.

Both guys played significant minutes on Sunday. Ian struggled with his shot a little bit (5-16 FG, 2-6 3FG), but managed to haul in 6 boards and chip in 2 assists. Rudy was flat out fantastic. He went 7-10, had 16 points, 14 boards (9 offensive!!), an amazing 6 blocks, and only 1 turnover.

You can root for the two lovable Jazz men every game, by tuning in to the Bakersfield Jam's YouTube channel. The next game is Wednesday, vs. the Idaho Stampede.

Today kicks off the annual (brutal) Southeast road trip, with a game in South Beach. Look for the game preview later this afternoon. Remember, its an early game (5:30 mt tip). What are your expectations for this road trip? I tweeted this before the Denver game, after looking ahead to the end of the [calendar] year:

Oof. Jazz could very well be 5-30 before New Years.

— Dustin LaMarr (@prodigal_punk) December 14, 2013

Of course, the Jazz played great in Denver and got the Dub, but looking ahead, they could be very close to that. Lets hope they can pull off a couple of wins (looking at Orlando and Charlotte).

Just in time for the Downbeat, SBN's Tom Ziller looks at the dreaded mid-range jumpshot. Tom points out this,  in the article:

Five other teams are in that gross little zone in which they take mid-range shots more frequently than league average but shoot them worse than league average: the Grizzlies (No. 20 offense), Bulls (No. 28),Bucks (No. 30), Nets (No. 21) and Jazz (No. 25). So, again: the seven teams who take lots of mid-range shots, but shot them worse than 39 percent (league average) are all in the bottom 10 in offense.

Go check it out.

As always, when the Jazz are in town GO TO THE GAMES. Its not about disagreements in doctrine and personnel, its about supporting the team as a whole. GO JAZZ!