The Downbeat #2005 - Injuries, and Tune Ups

After a weekend off we’re back, Utah Jazz fans. And man, there’s a lot going on.

So the preseason is 67% over, with two games remaining. And then the Utah Jazz take the court for reals. Gordon Hayward is going to be out for a while. Alec Burks has yet to play this year. And Derrick Favors is missing preseason games. Any good news? Well, Rodney Hood is still out -- but he’s not down for the count.

With four rotation guys currently out that is rarely something to champion. But the silver lining is that the team is deep enough to handle that. And secondly, the primary beneficiaries of all of them being out need as many reps as possible in Quin Snyder’s system. There are kinks in the system, and guys like Boris Diaw (for Favors), Joe Johnson (for Hayward), and Dante Exum (getting more and more time at shooting guard for Alec Burks and Rodney Hood) need game time in order to fix them.

Also, you really can’t keep Joe Ingles off the floor. The wing injuries gives us more and more time to appreciate what he does do out there.

We already love him for what he does off the court, as it is.

Speaking of the last two preseason games, Joe Coles had a shot and took it with the Deseret News. And this is a clear hit. Read it!

Excerpts for the lazy? Sure:

With one week remaining in the preseason schedule, the focus for Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder during the final two preseason games will be tuning up and preparing for the regular season.

“We’re trying to play combinations, trying to work on things we need to work on,” Snyder said.

Snyder noted that he treats preseason games differently than regular-season games in terms of lineup combinations and rest.

“You don’t want to play the preseason game like you would a regular-season game, so however you prepare for that — that’s different for every team,” Snyder said. “Some teams may rest their guys their last game, some teams are kind of building to a crescendo. We’ve been doing a little bit of both.”

Joseph Coles, Deseret News, 2016

And

New Jazzman Boris Diaw said the focus for the last games of the preseason will be fine-tuning.

“Fine-tuning a little bit of everything, the group that we put together — a lot of guys were already here, but there’s also a lot of new players — so keep on getting to know each other, and we’re still going to get better during the season, as the season goes along,” Diaw said. “Definitely using that time as much as possible so we are as ready as possible when the regular season starts.”

Joseph Coles, Deseret News, 2016

Great job Joe. I look forward to reading more and more of your work over this entire season!

This is very random, but I thought that I would share:

I hope all of our former Jazzmen have good years, from big pieces like Paul Millsap with the Atlanta Hawks to journey men like Jeremy Evans with the Indiana Pacers. (If need be, I can do a run-down post on where everyone is right now.) I think Trey Burke, and the Washington Wizards, could be a nice fit. But, of course, who’s to say that he’s not going to be 3rd on the depth chart if Tomas Satoransky doesn’t finish this season strong?

It worries me. But I do think most of the guys who pass through Utah have some level of talent that made them someone our brain trust wanted. Even guys like Enes Kanter, who could get a bunch of double doubles with the Oklahoma City Thunder this year, aren’t inherently bad guys. But as fans it’s our job to forget that and boo everyone who isn’t one of us.

So . . . if Derrick Favors isn’t able to go when the games do start (and there’s no indication that suggests that he will not be ready), who starts at the four? Trey Lyles or Derrick Favors?

Just so everyone knows, Blue Edwards has a twitter account.

Also, more importantly, wear blue to the home opener.

Blue Edwards is going to be there.

It’s going to be great! Man, the season is really getting close! GET HYPE / STAY HYPED!