The sure to be epic 2013 Jazz off-season!

Kanter has rehabbed well from his spring shoulder surgery and should be able to fully participate in camp, which begins Tuesday morning with two-a-days. Rookie big man Rudy Gobert is also expected to go after having a foot procedure this summer.

[QUOTE]The youth movement is among the boldest reorganizations the Jazz franchise has ever made. Hayward is the oldest among the four players at 23, and when 20-year-old Burke is added to the mix, the projected starting lineup has an average age barely above the legal drinking limit.

The one question mark may be Burks. If the Jazz were looking for a candidate to bring off the bench

Dennis Lindsey, General Manager of the Utah Jazz, applauded the offseason work of all the Jazz players, but none more than Alec Burks

Alec Burks has been just very consistent with plugging in to team related activities. He's starting to maximize, you'll notice his body. That's what everybody says. They say, "Oh my gosh he's becoming a man!" He's much more athletic than he was when we got him two years ago. He's more balanced. He had what we call an upper body sway that impacted a some of his lateral movements. So if he's moving to his right putting his foot down and changing direction back to the left, his upper body would move more like a noodle. We wanted it to be a little more over his hips. Hopefully, we have helped his contain defense, in theory.

We know that Alec Burks has been putting in some serious work at P3. As reported by Scott Stevens at SaltCityHoops.com, P3's Dr. Elliot declared Alec Burks "the biggest winner". Alec Burks put on 11 lbs this offseason and increased his vertical height by 6 inches. With what we know about P3 and Dennis Lindsey, Alec Burks has increased his max vert, his muscle mass, his balance, and has put in extra work to #getbetter. Impressive.

Alec Burks had one of the funniest responses to a question during media day. When asked by David Locke what he should call Alec during the game because of the impending dilemma of two Burk(es) on the court at the same time Alec Burks quickly retorted this.

Just call me by my government name, Alec.

Nobody tell him that the government is shut down. NOBODY. Let this be the day that #CornerPimp is forever accompanied by #GovernmentName.

Alec Burks may be quiet in interviews about himself but he will stick up for his teammates. Alec Burks was asked about Trey Burke and his struggles during Summer League. This was his response.

People seen him struggle a little bit, but they weren't there for the practices where he was making some pretty amazing things happen. I've been working out with him a lot this summer. With him being in Spokane and P3, he's a great player and going to bring a lot to the team with a bright future.

This will be a recurring theme with 3 of the 4 Core 4. They all keep close to the vest what they have improved upon in the offseason. Alec Burks is no different. While he doesn't share many of the specifics of his offseason workouts and stays humble about his improvement, he is quick to highlight his fellow teammates who are excelling and doing well. I must say I'm impressed by the leadership that the members of the Core 4 are displaying on the first day of training camp. Alec Burks is the guy on this team that needs to be a brother to Trey Burke. It appears he has already accepted this role with open arms.

[QUOTE]ESPN.com ranked Trey Burke as the #161 best player in the NBA. Pretty high honors for a rookie point guard who has not logged a single NBA minute.

Trey Burke told the media on Monday that he learned a lot of things from Stockton. One of which was how to handle the screen. In this conversation with David Locke, Trey Burke glowed about John Stockton.

"It was an honor, first and foremost, to have the opportunity to meet him. ... He's such a basketball genius. He wants to stop you ... he wants to teach you. ... He taught me a lot about patience, ball screen, shot selection, different reads out of the pick and roll. He taught me a lot. Really. In the two, three days I was with him, I tried to soak it in and apply it. There was so much coming at me, I tried to take the important points he was teaching me. and take it in. The main thing he tried to tell me was that we were both small guards. When you're small you have to be smarter than the other guys. You gotta play at your own pace, you have to understand angles and spots on the court.

I'm impressed by Trey Burke's reverence towards John Stockton. Not only that, but his attention to everything that John Stockton was teaching him. He was a very attentive listener. He was a very willing learner. If he is willing to put that much skin into the game and pay the price with work while furthering his learning by listening to greats like Stockton, he is going to be an amazing addition to the Utah Jazz.

Trey was floated a hypothetical situation from David Locke. In the 3rd quarter on October 30th against OKC he calls for the screen. Russell Westbrook decides to go below the pick and roll. What is Trey Burke's next move? This is his response. Pay attention to what Trey Burke has already learned from John Stockton.

Burke: I'm going to call for the rescreen. Then come of the screen and it's going to be a good pocket pass or 5 foot jumpshot.

Locke: So you're not just banging the minute ...

Burke: Maybe before Spokane I would have done that. John, he told me, he told me he didn't like to start out the game shooting a lot of threes. If he missed a couple his percentage would drop.

Trey Burke has already shown that he has learned from Stockton patience in this whole process.

In addition to Stockton helping Burke become a better playmaker, Stockton shared with Burke the secret to becoming a better shooter. In true John Stockton fashion it had nothing to do with shooting.

He said something that stuck with me: 'The better passer you are, the better scorer you are going to be. Guys expect you to pass - a lot of times you are going to be open when you come off that pick-and-roll.

John Stockton sharing his secret. The secret to shooting better is distributing better. Classic John. John Stockton does have a point. If the point guard is seen as a multiple threat, meaning that any person on the floor is about to score at a moment's notice, rather than a singular threat then he is harder to guard and given more space to work with. Kudos, John. Kudos.

Count John Lucas III as a member of the Trey Burke bandwagon. He has been impressed by Trey Burke already just through their interactions during open gym and P3.

John Lucas III on Trey Burke: "Trey, he's going to develop into a wonderful player. He

[QUOTE]This was one of my favorite exchanges between Hayward and any media member. This one happened to be with David Locke. Gordon Hayward's attitude has always been that winning is the most important thing above all, not individual accolades. Which makes him the perfect lens through which the Jazz can look through. If Hayward can establish this type of mindset throughout the whole team as a vet then the Jazz will be building a very fundamental building block for a championship winning team.

Locke: Wowed some people with some numbers in Santa Barbara this summer. Care to share?

Hayward: Uh ... I think there were a lot of other numbers I could have done a lot better at. So ... I don't know about the wowing factor.

Locke: Didn't you go to Santa Barbara last weekend, did some testing, how'd it go?

Hayward: It was good. Solid. Had a good offseason.

Locke: Take over. He's giving me nothing you go. *laughs* *Motions to Ron Boone to take over*

Ron Boone: Why did you have a good offseason. What'd you do?

Hayward: I think ... uh ... I was able to ... uh ... with this offseason, obviously, with the disappointing season we had last year ... um ... took about a month off. Didn't do anything. Didn't think about basketball. Um ... Indianapolis, the Pacers, had a good run in the playoffs, which pissed me off. And I got right back to work. Was doing two-a-days, three-a-days before Vegas. I was able to spend, about a month and a half, every single day, 5 days a week straight of doing weights in the morning and basketball in the afternoon. I got kinda got in a groove of working and getting better.

Boone: So you had some numbers at the end of last season. Where are those numbers now?

Hayward: They're better. They're not where they need to be.
This is why Hayward continues to be my favorite on the Utah Jazz. He is a humble guy, but, beyond that, he knows what is most important. He doesn't need to gloat about how great his offseason work is. He just works. That's the price one pays to get better and improve. Those are things a guy just does to get better.

I like the fire he had to see his hometown Pacers with a semi young team make the playoffs and have a deep run. Hayward must have seen how they relied upon their defense to get there. Something last year's Utah Jazz lacked. This is the Gordon Hayward Coach K was glowing about during Team USA scrimmages. He has the right mindset.

The biggest challenge facing Gordon Hayward (and Derrick Favors) is their ability to vocally lead the Utah Jazz. This is what Gordon Hayward had to say about that.

[Author's Note: I had to turn up the volume all the way just to hear what Gordon Hayward was saying about being vocal as a leader.]

David Locke: What's going to be the hardest part [about leading this team]?

Gordon Hayward: Vocally. We're both quiet guys, Fave even more than I am. So ... if something happens, if something doesn't go our way, somebody is not doing their job, it's part of our responsibility, our job, to make sure that we ... you don't have to yell at the person, you don't have to do anything crazy like that. To be motivators a little bit. Hold people accountable, hold ourselves accountable, and make sure the next time they get the job done.

There are different types of leaders. There are vocal leaders. There are motivators. There are those that just do the work and expect others to follow. In either situation, in order to lead, a leader has to be extraordinary in one of those areas. If they are going to be a vocal leader they need to speak up consistently and be the voice people expect to hear. If they are a motivator, they must be their consistently to pick their teammates up and be a force for good. If they are going to show by example their example must be so consistently high so that no one can mistake where the bar is set. I'm very interested to see what type of leaders Gordon Hayward, and Derrick Favors, become this year.

While Trey Burke and Alec Burks glowed about John Stockton and Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter left impressed and inspired by Karl Malone, Gordon Hayward seemed to be motivated by something different. Himself. While these other players may need at this point in their careers some mentorship by a Hall of Fame player or a standard to aspire to, Gordon seems to constantly be driven by wanting to win.

Gordon Hayward: "I'm focused on being a better leader this year, being a better basketball player and helping us win games" #JazzMediaDay

This seemed to be the most interesting quote from Favors all day.

Locke: My favorite moment [was Karl Malone], "WHAT'S YOUR GO TO MOVE? WHAT'S YOUR GO TO MOVE?!"

Favors: I mean, I tell everybody, a go to move to me is just scoring the ball, really. I know a lot of people might say, the sky hook, or Big Al, the one hand hook shot, whatever. I think my game, until I work on it a little bit more, and just figure out something, it's just scoring the basketball right now.

Locke: It seemed like his point, though, was he wanted you to have something to build off of?

Favors: Yeah just something to just have a foundation with and to have something to build off of. So that when they take that away that I have a countermove to that, tho.

Upon the first reading it is very easy to think that Favors just doesn't understand the gravity of working with Malone. He says, "A go to move is just scoring the basketball," which is not what Malone had in mind. But then, remember, that Favors is the guy who requested, begged even, to work with Karl Malone. He wasn't just going to throw this opportunity away.

When going through Hayward's quotes, however, Hayward seemed like he was keeping a lot of things close to the vest as though he had a really good poker hand. For the time being, the same can be assumed for Derrick Favors. What good would working with Karl Malone be, learning his secrets, and getting better if Favors just blabbermouthed to the entire league how to guard him now? What he's better at? Favors' development is a huge unknown to opposing teams' scouts and coaching staffs. Good on Favors to be as vague as possible and keep opposing defenses guessing for a little time longer.

Derrick Favors has a message to all those who believe that he's too shy to lead.

Boom. RT @JazzGameNight: Favors-I'm not quiet y'all think I am.

[QUOTE]General manager Dennis Lindsey says the Jazz’s No. 1 priority heading into the season is improving their defense.

Utah allowed 98.1 points a game last season. Opponents shot 45.8 percent from the field. By comparison, the NBA champion Miami Heat allowed 90.7 points and 43.6 percent shooting.

"Real simply," Lindsey said, "we want to develop a defensive foundation. I don’t think anything great is accomplished in this league unless you can get stops. ... The No. 1 goal is to build a championship-caliber defense."[/QUOTE]

They should be better defensively.

[QUOTE]Coach Tyrone Corbin and 19 players will start training camp with two practices on Tuesday. They will also practice twice on Wednesday, once on Thursday and twice on Friday.
The Jazz will hold an open scrimmage at 4 p.m. on Saturday at EnergySolutions Arena.

"It’s exciting to have this group of guys ready to go into battle," Corbin said. "... Seeing how it all comes together, it’s just exciting."

Corbin’s goal for the rebuilt Jazz this season: "... To compete every night we step on the floor."

Asked if it’s difficult working with so many players at the same time -- the Jazz will likely carry 13 or 14 during the regular season -- Corbin shook his head.

"Everybody that’s in this camp is here for a reason," he said. "They are going to help us, from where we are right now. There will be a lot of focus on the young guys, but everybody on the roster has a chance to get some time on the floor."[/QUOTE]

I thought they had 20? Not counting Rush or Marvin who are still rehabbing? Carry only 13 or 14? They are below the cap. I think they should have guys down in the D-League if they aren't getting time on the big club.

[QUOTE]Generally speaking, Jazz president Randy Rigby reported ticket sales for the coming season are "good" and corporate sponsorships are "great." He was not more specific.

According to Rigby, $15 million worth of offseason renovations have helped transform 22-year-old EnergySolutions Arena into one of the best venues in the country for fans to "... consume NBA basketball."
— Bill Oram and Steve Luhm[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE]Enes Kanter talked to David Locke about how Karl Malone helped him improve.

It was so much fun. He's a really fun guy. Just not about basketball, but it's fun to be around him, his family, cuz he's really such a nice guy, and his family is also, too. And we had a lot of hard practices. And besides basketball, we went a fishing.

Most of the summer we worked on the balance and leg strength. He said if your legs aren't strong you're going to get pushed around. And, ya know, he talked about when he was playing how he treated his teammates, how he treated his coaches. So, he helped me a lot. When you listen to a legend like that, he helped me a lot.[/QUOTE]

Karl threw his teammates under the bus.

[QUOTE]It's interesting to compare Kanter's experience with Karl Malone with Derrick Favors' experience. Favors' seemed more inclined to keep what he learned close to the vest. While Kanter is doing the same, Kanter seems to have grown immensely from being around Malone and his family. He grew up. But Kanter won't share everything he learned.

Kanter on Malone: "Even when he talks you understand why he's a legend...He taught me some secrets I can't say on here." #JazzMediaDay

[QUOTE]When the Jazz decided to let Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap leave last summer via free agency, the message was clear.

The team has big plans for young power forward Derrick Favors.

The situation is similar to one that evolved in 1986, after the Jazz traded All-Star Adrian Dantley to create more opportunities for an emerging Karl Malone.
[/QUOTE]

Difference being A.D. was traded because he and the coach had a disagreement. Jazz blew it by choosing Layden over A.D. A.D. could play in the high post. He could pass. He hit the offensive boards, which was never Karl's strong suit. He and Karl were close He had mentored him much like Al has Kanter. They could have definitely played successfully together.

Karl had a big rookie year as a starter on a playoff team too. It was easy to envision building around him. Favors and Kanted still with a lot to prove.

[QUOTE]Going into his second year, Malone made the most of coach Frank Layden