The Downbeat #1388: The Coaches Are Set Edition

While pretty much everything about the Draft is uncertain, we do know who the Jazz's coaching staff will be next season (via DJJazzyJody):

Brad Jones and Alex Jensen will be retained by the Utah Jazz, as has been reported. Both have also received promotions, with Jones moving up into the lead assistant position, and Jensen, the former University of Utah standout, becoming a full-time assistant, according to sources.

Ex-Duke basketball player Antonio Lang will round out Snyder's bench staff. He has vast overseas experience, including his most recent stints as the head coach of Japan's national team and the Mitsubishi Diamond Dolphins.

Former Ute guard Johnnie Bryant will also remain with the Jazz as a player development coach. Mike Wells, who's coming to Utah from Toledo, will join Bryant on that behind-the-scenes development staff.

This gives the Jazz an interesting mix of flavors. Jones, Jensen and Bryant have all been valuable contributors to the Jazz organization in smaller roles, and their promotions are validations of their hard work. (Some may also draw conclusions from the fact that these three were retained, while the rest of Ty Corbin's staff was let go.) Jones, Jensen and Bryant are also known for player development, like Quin Snyder himself. And they all have strong ties to the state of Utah.

The other wrinkle is that almost everyone on the new Jazz staff has international experience. Alex Jensen spent most of his playing career overseas. Bryant played in Germany for a year. Wells was an international scout for Team USA. Lang coached Japan's national team. And we already know about Snyder's time with CSKA Moscow.

I'm not saying this guarantees that the Jazz will be looking at more international players...but small-market teams like ours need to find hidden gems wherever they can. This coaching staff seems well equipped to deal with the international game. And let's not forget that we still have two foreign prospects out there in Ante Tomic and Raul Neto. Coaches with international experience might help ease the transition for them.

Just speculation on my part. I'd actually be curious to see how many NBA coaches and assistants have international experience; maybe this is nothing unusual. Perhaps I'll do some research for a later Downbeat.

via www.awesomelyluvvie.com

We've spent a couple of days discussing the rumored trade proposal with the Cleveland Cavaliers, in which the Jazz would give up #5, #23, Derrick Favors and possibly Alec Burks in exchange for the #1 overall pick. Turns out, that's not the only iron Cleveland's got in the fire:

Sources: Cavs have some interest in the Magic's offer of Afflalo, No. 4 & No. 12 pick for No. 1 http://t.co/vkpjuqT2z4

— Chad Ford (@chadfordinsider) June 24, 2014

I don't really have anything else to say, other than to say that I'm not sure how much I believe any of these rumors. I mean, obviously, all the teams are talking. They'd be stupid not to. But I really doubt anything ends up happening.

What do you think? Is Orlando's offer better than Utah's? Did anyone even make an offer? ARE THESE THE BIGGEST SCREENS THAT EVER SMOKED?!

FanPosts!

Forget trading up -- let's talk trading down, says JRN5150. And he's even got a scenario that involves Orlando:

Jazz send #5 to Orlando Magic for Aaron Afflalo and #12.

This scenario is my favorite. Afflalo is possibly the 4th best shooting guard in the league right now and is underpaid at about 2yrs/$16 million. He scored 18 pts a game last year and added 3 assist and 3 rbs a night. He shot an incredible 43% from 3pt last year. He is also a very attractive trade asset for later if we so choose. As with all other prospects mentioned above, I like Adrien Payne at 12. He is a solid stretch-4 that would be ranked much higher if not for his age (senior). He is rumored to have had mono at the end of last year while still being very impressive in the tournament. He is a very big and physical inside presence to boot. Would look great next to Favors.

That's only one of several proposals, so click through to see them all.

Next, JuMu wonders what Dennis Lindsey's master plan is:

Dennis Lindsey has now been GM for the Jazz for 2 NBA seasons. However, I believe starting from the time that Corbin's contract ran out last month, that he finally has the reigns and is no longer bogged down by the less than desirable scenario that KOC left behind.

I did some digging to see what Lindsey has done prior to his time as GM for the Jazz. Below is a summary.

Not here below, though. Like, below in the actual post.

Finally, TB!@# has started a draft predictions thread. Plenty of interesting comments in there, so go check it out.

At Grantland, Ryen Rusillo has posted another roundup of scout comments on a trio of players: Dante Exum, Noah Vonleh and Aaron Gordon. Surprisingly (or perhaps not, depending on how cagey the scouts were being), they're somewhat negative on all of them. All the scouts sounded scared to death of Exum, they liked Vonleh but projected him as only a third- or fourth-best player (and liked Randle more), and had this to say about Aaron Gordon:

Offensively, his game is he's going to get fouled, he's an attacker. But he has to start making his free throws. Today it's a joke. He shot 3s in college. He thought it was part of his game. It isn't.

There are two things you usually get better at in our league: shooting and getting stronger. I think he will do both. He's a worker, so I think he gets better. But his ceiling is probably [as] an adequate shooter.

What position does he play in the NBA? The body of a 3, the game of a 4. Does he know who he is? He was billed as an SF, and he just isn't right now.

The position thing really concerns me. He'll guard 3s - that means chasing guys through screens. But you can't play him defensively against the bigger guys. They are going to torture him in the paint.

I've said all along that Gordon is my guy if I'm picking at #5. The position thing does concern me, but it concerns me less if Derrick Favors is backing Gordon up. Rusillo's next comment, however, is relevant:

The best way I can describe Gordon is that if you decide that you don't like him before you evaluate him, you won't. If you want to be positive and talk yourself into him, you will.

Welp. I'm clearly in the latter camp. How about you?

via collegetimes.com

You may have seen this already, but I don't think it's been in a Downbeat: Trey Burke explains his ink.

Happy Draft Eve, everyone. Shums out.