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Downbeat #1737: The "He Knows What He's Doing" Edition

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By Yucca Man
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He knows what he's doing. So nice to say that about a coach.
He knows what he's doing. So nice to say that about a coach.
Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

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My first introduction to the team this year was Quin Snyder's responses on Media day. He said a lot of really interesting things, but this one stood out. Replying to a question about the catchphrase of the year, Quin said this (quoted from the transcription on Moni's blog):

Disruptive. You know, disciplined disruption. I think I’d like to see that for our team defensively.

I really like how much Snyder just seems to "get it." Of all the defensive four factors, the Jazz were weakest at forcing turnovers ... and it wasn't close. I can't say enough how much I like how well Quin Snyder seems to understand where the team is now and what they need to work on next. I felt this last year ... that he was able to let somethings just slide because they needed to focus on other things. And now this year, I get the same feeling. Quin Snyder's telling us all:

It also made me wonder what AK-47 would have been like could we time-warp him from 2004 to playing for Snyder in 2015.

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Speaking of guys who "get it", I also love this quote from Dennis Lindsey on Media day (transcript again from Moni's blog):

We have $7 million under the cap. We’ve built up an asset base. If the point guard position or frankly any of the other positions can’t handle — if the internal improvement isn’t fast enough relative to the team, then we’ll go look outside. But we think that’s premature at this stage.

There is a time to seek out a better player, a better fit, a better whatever.

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More evidence that Quin Snyder really gets stuff: he mentioned in yesterday's post-workout time that he's happy with what Alec Burks has been showing so far (from Jody Genessey at the DNews):

"He [Burks] looks healthy physically. He’s got that pop in his body that he has. Alec is a dynamic player," Snyder said. "I think he’s really focused, particularly off the ball defensively, which is something that we’ve really pushed him on."

Now, I don't know if Snyder's been spoon-fed the topics to talk about, but I don't think he is. He seems to be talking about exactly the stuff that we all know needs to improve.

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Jazz play the Lakers on Sunday, of course. The game's in Hawaii, and it's apparently already sold out. Former Trib writer Bill Oram explains why:

I just wish I could be there, in person, to see Sloppy Joe's new physique. Seriously, with all the drooling over bodies we get from Dennis Lindsey and Randy Rigby, why doesn't Joe Ingles' body get some love?

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Much has been said about a couple of things:

  1. Who's gonna be the PG?
  2. Will Hood or Burks start?

SL Trib's Aaron Falk gives us this quote regarding Burks vs. Hood:

Again, Quin's response gives some hope that some genuinely fun experimentation will be going on regarding the wings ... experimenting on how to use them as often and effectively as possible. I also like that he feels that Burks and Hood trust him. At this point, I do.

And really, if Rodney Hood and Alec Burks can both maximize their potential, it won't matter who starts. We'll all be eating ourselves some whatevs at that point.

Regarding the PG situation, Kragthorpe at the Trib writes that Bryce Cotton is excited for the opportunity:

"Going through the D-League, it taught me a lot and I learned a lot from my experiences there," Cotton said, "so I'm definitely appreciative of everything that I'm getting at this level."

Again, it's refreshing to believe that Cotton really does have a genuine chance: that if he proves to be a good option, he's going to play.

But personally, neither of these spots are what interest me the most.

I'm totally into the backup bigs lineup. Trevor Booker, Jeff Withey, Tibor Pleiß, Trey Lyles. I harbor this crazy hope that Lyles and Pleiß win out ... not that I'm cheering for them above others, but it would be really awesome if the skills they were brought to the team for were advanced enough that they can be productive players (ball-handling, passing, and versatility for Lyles; shooting and defense for Tibor).

But whatever. As long as we got these two, we're good:

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