The Utah Jazz aren't done making moves, and but more importantly, the stars of the Jazz aren't quite done nesting yet. It's hard not to love what this team is doing, and it's fun to speculate on what they can do together if they stick together. Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, and Rudy Gobert are a legit big three. And all three of them can be historically important players for the franchise, and help the team ascend in the tough Western Conference. Today we look at each of those three players in a different way, and also check out what former Jazz CEO Greg Miller is up to. There was a minor change in the pecking order with the Jazz coaching staff that we didn't cover either. Be sure to click on the links and give your best to the online content creators who entertain us all year long -- including players and their families. All this and more!
First of all, congrats to Derrick Favors and Shivolli DaSilva on their twins! Woo! Jazzbabies!
via Instagram!
Their kids will grow up with Gordon Hayward 's kids like John Stockton and Karl Malone 's kids did! So COOL!
As for Favors, there's a reason he was picked #3 in the 2010 NBA draft, and it wasn't just that the other dude was a headcase, and teams passed on him because of it. Derrick is still under the radar, but I feel bad for the league. Other players know how good he is even if the opposing fans or talking heads on TV do not. There seems to be a bump in production for Jazzmen after their kids are born. (Probably a relief that the pregnancy went well, and that their loved ones are safe and happy.) I think Derrick has a chance to not just be a double double guy every night, but depending on how the offense evolves, could average 17 points a game, easily.
Once again, congrats to Derrick, and Shiv. You guys rock!
.
.
Some housekeeping -- I don't think we covered this here yet but . . . some changes to keep mind of:
Jazz promotions/title changes: Mark McKown will be director of sports science. Isaiah Wright named as head strength & conditioning coach.
— Aaron Falk (@tribjazz) August 20, 2015
So this is really promoting people over their position / role, kind of like how Kevin O'Connor can't be fired, but he's got a job where his job is to be in an office and play pinball.exe on his Windows Vista desktop for a few hours a day, then go home. Personally, more power to him.
.
.
Wow, this is what happens when you search for Utah Jazz, sorted by newest, in YouTube. Former Jazz CEO Greg Miller talks to people for over an hour. Enjoy!
N.B. I didn't watch this. But he's talking to people in Preston, Idaho. So expect some potato zingers thrown in there.
.
.
The Jazz have someone really special on their hands with Rudy Gobert. He could be more efficient on offense than Mehmet Okur, while providing a more mobile defensive presence than Mark Eaton. It's really nice that other people are noticing this as well:
@utahjazz’s Rudy Gobert is ascending like we’ve never seen before http://t.co/78pfpjXwMO pic.twitter.com/QepWJEDRU1
— Bleacher Report NBA (@BR_NBA) August 25, 2015
Also, speaking of historical Jazz centers . . . you gotta love Kyrylo Fesenko is the face of his nation's basketball team:
.@KyryloFesenko стал самым эффективным в сборной Украины на турнире в Словении. 3 победы и 13,7 п и 11,3 о, 21,3 эфф pic.twitter.com/fnDF3yfpds
— PBC LOKOMOTIV KUBAN (@lokobasket) August 24, 2015
And this is Rafael Araujo picture posted without commentary:
#históriaNBB Na seção dos jogadores históricos do #NBB, o pivô @RBabby66, campeão da 1ª edição pelo @Flamengo! pic.twitter.com/xVAmSy2EG2
— NBB (@NBB_Oficial) August 25, 2015
Oh, guess what? All of those guys are foreign. Why have the Jazz not drawn in talented American centers? Just random, I guess.
.
.
Trivia! We all know that John Stockton is the assist king of not just the Utah Jazz franchise, but the NBA in general. If you add up his regular season assists with his playoff assists he stands at the top of the mountain with 17,645 dimes. Over his combined 1,686 games that's a rate of 10.47 helpers per game. But do you know who the next most prolific assist men are in Jazz history, after John? It may just surprise you:
-
Karl Malone (5,632) - forward
-
Deron Williams (4,425) - guard
-
Rickey Green (4,410) - guard
-
Ron Boone (Stars + Jazz) (2,344) - guard
-
Jeff Hornacek (2,235) - guard
-
Andrei Kirilenko (2,014) - forward
-
Pete Maravich (1,844) - guard
-
Adrian Dantley (1,768) - forward
-
Darrell Griffith (1,704) - guard
-
Howard Eisley (1,688) - guard
- Rich Kelley (1,273) - center
- Gordon Hayward (1,226) - forward
- Thurl Bailey (1,222) - forward
- Carlos Boozer (1,137) - forward
- Jim McElroy (1,112) - guard
That's a nice core sample of New Orleans / Utah Jazz history. McElroy was Pistol Pete's back court mate in the bad old days. Booz, Bailey, and AD aren't known for being passers, but played long enough, and had the ball in their hands long enough, to make this list. Rich Kelley is, statistically, one of the best centers in Jazz history -- and is one of the few guys to play for them in New Orleans and later on in Utah during his career.
The only current Jazz player on the list, G-Time, averages about 245 assists per season. Let's round that up to about 300 -- that means if he plays about the same number of games as normal, he can rise up this list pretty quickly. In three seasons he should be able to surpass Andrei Kirilenko on this list, which is no small feat. At the end of his career, where will he be on the All-Time Jazz franchise total assists chart?