The New Utah Jazz Culture: The Downbeat #1676

You can feel it. Optimism. Hope. Direction. I felt it last year, I think we all did. However, I couldn't get that one thought out of the back of my mind. Will we get better? Are we going to keep it going next year? Are the Jazz going to move forward? Yes. Yes we are. Dennis Lindsey and Quin Snyder have rebuilt a culture that was non-existant for a period of time. For the first time in maybe 10 years, we are building a team/system that exists both on and off the court. Players are held accountable, and the expectations are very clear. It's fun to watch.

Six of our thirteen contract players are from/born outside of the United States. This reminds me of a Greg Popovich interview a few years ago. San Antonio Spurs may be doing something right by drafting international athletes - ESPN The Magazine The San Antonio Spurs are doing something right, writes Seth Wickersham in ESPN The Magazine. What if that something is avoiding American players?

Consider Pop's brutal assessment that foreign players are "fundamentally harder working than most American kids," and it's no wonder the Spurs want to avoid the fate of so many NBA teams, which are, as Buford says, "the end of the road for the developmental habits that are built in the less-structured environment in the U.S."

...and when Pop looks at American talent he sees many players who "have been coddled since eighth, ninth, 10th grade by various factions or groups of people. But the foreign kids don't live with that. So they don't feel entitled," he says, noting how many clubs work on fundamentals in two-a-day practices, each lasting up to three hours. "Now, you can't paint it with too wide of a brush, but in general, that's a fact."

It's easier to teach a person who is willing to learn. For the most part, we have a group of guys that are willing to learn. It will be fun watching them succeed together. I don't think the Utah Jazz are avoiding American players, but they are definitley signing guys that fit into their mold.

Jazz officially re-sign Joe Ingles to reported 2-year, $4.5M deal | theScore

We knew this was coming, but this move, along with Booker staying shows that the Jazz are comitted to the chemistry of the team.

Ingles isn't much of a scorer, but he's a team-first swingman who will always look to make the right play. Ingles boasted a hilariously low 12.9 usage rate in 79 games with the Jazz last season and averaged five points and 2.3 assists per game.

Where the Dallas Mavericks fall, the Utah Jazz can emerge - Hardwood Paroxysm The Dallas Mavericks' misfortune may turn out to be the Utah Jazz's gain

Utah’s ceiling is still pliable while their trajectory continues upward. They’re short an obvious generational talent, but they’ve excavated their way out of bottom-feeder territory with no signs of stopping – the hardest part of it all. Now, they face breaking into the playoffs.

.This was written before the Deron Williams deal was complete, but it looks like a four team race at the bottom of the West.  See Below 2014-2015

2013-2014

Dallas, Phoenix, New Orleans and Utah will be fighting for Portland's spot at the 7/8 seed. I see two of those four tems getting in.

Speaking of trajectory and future success. Nothing shows future succes like past success. So, without going into a crazy analysis, if the Utah Jazz stay the course and add 10 or so wins this next season, that will put next years wint total at 48. I don't know where the cutoff for the playoffs will be, but the Jazz should be knocking on that door.

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The Gif that keeps on giving. NBA Logos evolving over time. You may have to watch this thirty times, but it is well worth it.