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The Downbeat #1373 -- The "New Guy" Edition

This is Saturday's downbeat, -1 day early.

By AllThatAmar
Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

By now you've noticed that the Utah Jazz completed their coaching search and hired former Duke (NCAA), Missouri (NCAA), and Austin Toros (NBA-DL) head coach Quin Snyder. This is Snyder's first NBA coaching job as the Head Coach. He has previously been the head coach of teams for 11 different seasons. Some up, some down, but his general M.O. seems to be that he makes a big splash with a new club and galvanizes the parts that are already there for him. He's not much of a recruiter, but that's not his job as current Jazz General Manager Dennis Lindsey has the job of assembling together the players. It's Coach Snyder's job to get them to work together in line with the goals of the front office.

We've been covering him pretty thoroughly over the last 24 hours (on a weekend no less), so we may have to bump the info up during the week. You can catch all of the posts on him here.

The bottom line is that he's been around the game of competitive basketball for 30 years. When Jerry Sloan assumed the mantle of Utah Jazz head coach he had 31 years under his belt. (More on Snyder's coaching profile compared to former Jazz coaches here)

I am happy that the Jazz have a head coach, but I'm not going out of my mind. I think we all went out of our minds the last few seasons, so this is a good thing. I'm cautiously optimistic that he could be exactly what our franchise needs in the short term. With Tyrone Corbin I think he was quickly crushed by our hope that he would be great, so much so that when he was approaching being average we just couldn't take it anymore.

Personally, I do not want to do to Snyder what we did to Corbin. But I don't think we will need to be the 'bad cop' this time around. Snyder is a big boy who has coached as the head coach for 11 years before taking this job. He has faced criticism before both internally and in the media and done it without someone making excuses for him every step of the way. I hope that persists during his times with the Jazz, so we don't have to be the 'bad cop' and tell it like it is.

Sadly, I don't think I'm ever going to be over Tyrone Corbin. Now that he's not the Jazz head coach, and no longer a head ache, I can really speak a little more freely about the situation. I wish him all the best and feel a great bit of remorse over his head coaching career here. He's on my list with Morris Almond as another guy who should have been great here, but just didn't pan out.

I feel linked to him, as we both followed legends. And now he's moving on. Perhaps I should too? (After all, a popular twitter user once called me the 'Corb of Jazz bloggers') Also, seriously, Basketball John so so awesome he buys wedding gifts for Gordon Hayward.

And I am going to miss Corbin, the man. I will miss Corbin, the potential. For some reason I am reminded of the sequence in the movie "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes" (1972):

Db_1373_-_conquest_of_the_planet_of_the_apes_quote

Did we want Corbin out because he represented the aspects of ourselves that were making stupid mistakes day after day and being obstinate about it? Long live the King.

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So of the three big issues for the team this season getting a head coach is out of the way. That remains ahead of us is the NBA Draft, and then Free Agency. I think both are assisted by the fact that you have a head coach. The draft, not so much, because at this stage the Jazz have so many assets that we're too far behind to even look for guys to fit out coach. In free agency this could be a bigger thing. Veteran free agents looked to the Jazz under Corbin because he had built a reputation as a guy who will play over-the-hill guys and give them larger roles in contract years than other coaches would. What is Snyder's reputation around the league?

My sources told me that he has a name for himself, but it's not necessarily a big draw. If anything he is currently 'neutral-good' compared to 'neutral-poor'. Players do like him. So that's a plus.

Yes, both of those guys are free agents next summer, so start your rumor engines. (Personally I don't see either returning, but it could be fun. Carroll is one guy I was definitely wrong about.)

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As for the NBA draft -- expect a LOT of coverage about this in the next few hours. We have our coach, and free agency is a month away. So all power to the draft coverage here at SLC Dunk. I think the Jazz escape from New York with at least one wing capable player to be a rotation guy right away. The Jazz have recently worked out:

  • Glenn Robinson III - Michigan
  • Cleanthony Early - Wichita State
  • Aaron Gordon - Arizona
  • Jarnell Stokes - Tennessee
  • Jerami Grant - Syracuse
  • P.J. Hairston - NBA D-League
  • Adreian Payne - Michigan State (a stretch)
  • and Roy Devyn Marble - Iowa

I know dunks are exciting, but I don't think the Jazz are just going for dunks. I also don't think they are going to leave the draft with a guy at the #5. But that's just me. A thing that just isn't me is the fact that the Jazz brought in Roy Devyn Marble. I was impressed by his performance at the combine, and wasn't on any Jazz fans' lists. He was on mine. And he showed up in front of Jerry Sloan, who couldn't keep his eyes off of him.

I called it that he would be given a workout. And he was. Hmmm, I guess we don't suck at this basketball thing, here at SLC Dunk? I should make t-shirts "SLC Dunk -- People who aren't horrible."

Marble could be a steal, but I think the Jazz are looking way ahead of him on their draft boards right now. There's a chance to get a really good wing in this draft that's not Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker. I don't think Dennis Lindsey will settle for a bigman he wasn't in love with when he could get someone to fit a need more. Every single draft pick he was involved with last year was traded for someone he wanted more than what was left on the board.

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So this year the Miss USA 2014 pageant (the 63rd such one) is being held right nao in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (ProTip: Miss USA is selected to represent the USA at the Miss Universe pageant.) The finals are on at 7 pm on NBC. Why is this important? It's probably not in the big picture, except that Karl Malone, The Mailman, is one of the telecast judges. And yes, once Enes Kanter figures this out he's going to ask Karl to hook him up with some digits.



I can't wait to find out what question he asks, and will the buzzer sound for the first time in history for a judge taking too long when trying to get a question out?

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Sooooooo . . . John Lucas III and Brandon Rush were hanging out in Miami on Saturday night . . .


. . . and Mehmet Okur is hanging out with his kids on Sunday morning.


What a stark contrast, and yeah, guess who Jazz fans love.

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