2014 pre-season!

[Xiao Yao You]

Stability comes from the head coach, and the Jazz org love to preserve stability. However, current Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey is shaking things up, and that's both a good and necessary change.

We'll see if it was good. Necessary to get the new GM's guy I guess.

Richard Jefferson made the most money last season on the team, over $11 million, played 2,213 minutes, his "on court%" was 5th best on the team, playing over 56% of his available minutes, and was both 6th on the team in FGA per game and his "On court FGA%". (I know, I have stats in my spread sheets that no other Jazz blogger has. But hey, that's just to blind my haters. Or something.) He was a big part of what we did last year, and if you forgot, what we did was win 25 games. He's gone.

tank failed! They look like they've set themselves up to fail even better this year though!

Marvin Williams made the third most money on the team, played 1,674 minutes, but had he been uninjured he would have gone past the 2k minutes barrier last year as well. His "on court%" was also above 50% (52.84%), and was 7th best on the team. He was also 7th in on court FGA% and FGA per game. I love Marvin Williams, but seeing him go to a playoff team is for his best interest.

Best interests of the Jazz certainly!

Andris Biedrins made the second most money on the team, a whopping $9 million which gladly came off our cap so our team could match the max offer for Gordon Hayward. So in a way, this was his biggest assist of the season. In a box score way, though, he had no assists last season, but still made $9 million dollars.

I thought he could have helped them. When Kanter got benched though he was out of the equation.

I am only including Brandon Rush and John Lucas III here as significant moves because they help complete the picture of what a regime change the team is going though. Rush had an entirely forgettable season, but still made the 6th most on the team. John Lucas III was shoe horned into a starters spot as Trey Burke sustained an injury in preseason, which is more than any third stringer should ever be pressed into. If you break down his numbers he was a frequent enough shooter to bounce up the 'big deal' rankings on this team. He did not play a lot, but still managed to be an NBA point guard for nearly 30% of all the available point guard minutes the team had last year. So, yeah. Wow.

Should have never been expected to be a back-up which was the case.

Out with the old, and in with the new. And there's a lot of novelty here. A new head coach in Quin Snyder; two new rookie 1st rounders in Dante Exum and Rodney Hood; and effectively a new bench in Trevor Booker, Dahntay Jones, and Steve Novak. Novak is better suited to being a stretch four than Marvin Williams is, so in a way this is technically an upgrade.

In the fact that he's not in the rotation yes it's an upgrade to Marvin starting.

Booker is likely to play in more than 6 games for the Jazz this year, and is an upgrade over Beans as well. Jones wasn't even in the league last year -- but then again, neither was Brandon Rush.

Obviously RJ is better than rookie guard/forward Rodney Hood, but Dante Exum is light years ahead of Lucas.

Is he light years ahead of Garrett though? Not yet.

If you add this to the fact that there are eight returning players who are under the age of 25 then you see that perhaps the most significant off-season addition was that everyone got one year older and more experienced. Another ring around the trunk will mean a lot for this young club.

Except that overall they got a lot younger.

In the interest of full disclosure here, though, many fans are curious about the absence of these two additions:

Not bringing over Ante Tomic and Raul Neto are significant off-season moves as well because a 25 win team shouldn't be too proud to shoo away the talented assets they own; especially not after their successful Euroleague and FIBA play. Regardless, all of the huge changes with the roster will make a huge difference with how the team plays on the court, and fans will be able to see that.

With those two the Jazz rotation would look pretty good. Right now it's looking ugly!

[QUOTE]What are the Jazz' biggest strengths?

The overriding perception of the Jazz right now is that they are a bad team that will be stuck in the lottery once again, despite collecting and cashing in for multiple lotto picks in the last few seasons; picks that have resulted in players that are overlooked in their respective draft classes if you pay attention to online polls from big media (ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Slam Magazine, etc). I do not share in that opinion, in fact, I see Utah as being far from hapless. Furthermore, the greatest strength I see in this team

[Xiao Yao You]

[QUOTE]I don

[Xiao Yao You]

Other teams don't wait until the rookie contract is up before a) trying to improve raw players, and/or b) trying to get a return on the risk/investment by having them do good things for the team by being in the damn game. He was a #3 pick, remember? Sheesh!

And he's been playing since he was a rookie. Giving guys time just because is a joke! Obviously they will be doing that this year because they have no other choice because of the young roster.

Stop me if you heard this before, but I think the third major goal should be discipline with this team. They are young, and you don't want them learning bad habits (on or off the court), or feeling entitled to being in the NBA.

You just said they should be playing regardless. That's not entitlement?

Bringing in a bunch of hungry NBA DL guys to training camp will push our young core more than a bunch of one-and-done mercenaries who have 'buddy buddy' deals with a cronyism-centric coaching staffs.

Disagree. Vets are important to have around. Something they are certainly lacking now.

So I guess the main goals for this Utah Jazz team are the same ones that they had last year. Evidence of improvement needs to be seen.

The main goal appears to be tanking.

Why should you be excited for this lotto team?

Sure, last season the team was specifically built for the NBA draft lottery. And that includes all the fun and games of going out there 82 nights in a season, and nearly having the worst season in franchise history. The team reported a home attendance average of about 18,176 people in the stands, but that just didn't pass the eye-ball test at all. The team last year didn't have any imagination on offense, were astoundingly poor on defense, and played at such a slow pace it only seemed to make the season seem longer than it was. It wasn't a fun team to watch, yet there were some die hards. Props to them for sure, but if there ever was a Utah Jazz era to be concerned customers about it was the previous era.

The new era promises much more for fans. For starters, get this, the team will attempt to score buckets in transition this year. They'll also try to fit the offense to the talents of the players, and not shoe-horn Derrick Favors or Enes Kanter in Al Jefferson's old playbook. This Jazz team has a point guard who can dunk -- and finish Alley-oops, not just throw them. The bigmen will be allowed to expand their range. And the pull quotes from practice this year are more likely to be informative and constructive, instead of the "get better / be better / young guys / you know" mantra. (It's no "Hare Krishna / Hare Rama," but it's a start Ty. Tybots could meet you at the gate in airports and try to sell you stuff. You have to be really old to get this reference.)

The most important reason is the simplest. This era will return Jazz style back to the Jazz franchise. The team is filled with hip athletes who get along and want to play with one another. The coach is bringing in an offense that flows, swings, jives, and jams. It's going to be the offense that Pistol Pete Maravich would have been perfect for, but instead we get to see Gordon Hayward and his clean cut looks in that role. (Floppy socks not included) The players will be smiling on the court, and getting fans out of their seats -- and not out of a desire to beat the traffic out of the arena after another blowout loss at home.

Good times will be back, even if the winning may not be. This is the perfect storm for this fanbase though, this season and the seasons after it will make a new generation fall in love with the Jazz for the right reasons, reasons beyond geographic convenience. When the team moved to Utah the fans had to wait a few years to see good basketball. But when they did, man. Organic growth of the team, the franchise, the players, and the fans developed a special bond in Utah. This season is the start of that next flowering. New coach. Young guys. Threes, dunks, and giving it all out on the floor.

Pathetic attempts to make the playoffs at the cost of your soul (bringing in non-Jazz players, playing a non-Jazzy style) robbed us of some crucial developmental years recently. The front office eventually saw what us SLC Dunkers saw, and everything we asked for has happened. (Get coach who wanted to teach, not scrounge for wins; no mercs; feature the youth; play a style that fits the talent the front office drafted) Now all that's left is the easy part for us fans.

Fall in love with Jazz again, fall in love with Jazz basketball again.

[Xiao Yao You]

1. This Utah Jazz team is the youngest Jazz team ever.

This is the natural benefit of having a number of draft picks over the years,

Too many young guys!. Shouldn't have more than 3 D-league talents and I count 6.

and Utah will reap the rewards this season. Of the 15 players still under contract 12 of them are 25 years old or younger; 8 of those 12 are under 24; and 5 of those 8 are under 23 still. The average age is 24.12 years old by October 31st (the traditional idea of when the NBA season starts); and a huge part of that is Steve Novak. Novak, at 31.41 years old, is the only guy over 30 on the team.

Utah Jazz 2014 2014 Roster - Player Age Table

Crazier still is the fact that our two YOUNGEST players are our two point guards. Furthermore, among the 10 normative rotation players a whopping eight are the youngest eight players on the roster. If you charted the age groupings you don't get a standard distribution.

Utah Jazz 2014 2014 Roster - Player Age Chart

And the Novak stands alone . . .

Green. Very green. Eleven of the players are 25 or younger. No one has an excuse to be tired, and this is a team that can play at a quick pace for a long period of time. And that's precisely one of the foundations of Quin Snyder's offensive game plan as well. Re-tool the defense, get stops, then get out and run.

Some people think youth is a hindrance. But not these guys. These guys are too young to even know fear. And as a group of fearless kids with everything to prove this is going to be a really fun team to watch and root for.

It's just so sad to look at that first table and do the math and recognize just how many of the Jazz players I am old enough to be the father of. (Which compounds just how awkward it is for a dude 12 years older than me trying to pal around with these guys, like they are buds.)

.

2. This team is almost explicitly the Jazz model of roster balance

During the free agency period I talked a bit about my own roster balance model (...which puts a lot of trust in the bigmen by going with only five PFs or Cs in a 15 man roster, and going for four full time ball handlers . . . just in case of disaster). A few days back I actually looked at the last 16 Jazz rosters, broke down the season-to-season turn over, and figured out what their roster philosophy actually is. TL;DR -- the Jazz usually go with 3 point guards, 6 wings, and 6 bigs.

What's the deal with this season's squad? It's almost exactly the actual averages.

Utah Jazz 2014 2014 Roster - Posotion Breakdown Chart

Spooky

(N.B. The second string of numbers, 3.38, 5.94, 5.75, is the actual averages from the last 16 seasons.) Yes, too many bigmen by 4%. Too few guards, but it's 93%, 98% and 104%. That's very impressive and most likely just a co-incidence with how the last 16 seasons went (with injuries and so forth). If Brock Motum is cut then the bigmen group goes to 100%, but we'll adjust that when it happens.

This point isn't that interesting, I get it. But let's move on . . .

.

3. This Jazz team is a strange mix of players from the South, Midwest, and outside the country

Among the places I grew up in, I've lived in both Los Angeles, and under the New York media bubble. The coasts thing that they are the only important part of the continent. And that's a shame. This Jazz club has zero representation from those self-aggrandizing regions.

Utah Jazz 2014 2014 Roster - Player Home Regions

Yes, I draw the lines a little different from other places, but I will never, ever put Kentucky in the Midwest.

Utah Jazz 2014 2014 Roster - Region Breakdown Map

People from NYC think they are the best players in the world. People form Cali do as well. People from Seattle / Portland have a chip on their shoulder and expect to be able to play against anyone. The Jazz didn't bring any of those people to the locker room this year.

Utah is traditionally a tough sell, or it used to be before people had wireless internet and DVR's to entertain them at home. It was hard to keep good talent because Salt Lake City was unattractive. As a result the Jazz had to either go with players from a specific genetic phenotype or European dudes. And yes, this year's Jazz squad does have four guys from outside the US, but two of them are technically Oceanic, another is Muslim, and the 'real' European dude is a black guy. (In your face, preconceived notions!)

Stocking up on guys from the South is a smart move, especially the smaller town guys. Guys like Rodney Hood grew up in so much obscurity that being regarded and loved as a Jazz player in a medium sized city (and smaller market) will go a long way. Having a shared culture helps, and with the majority of the team being from the South you can tell the camaraderie in the locker room is already there.

The next largest region is the midwest, but that's just a lot of states. Though, Trey and G-Time are both born and raised in the same neck of the woods. Steve Novak is a little bit more north, but he's not going to shy away form the Utah winter.

And speaking of that, Carrick Felix has basically lived his entire life in this Mountain time zone / environment, by being from Nevada, going to high school in Arizona, and then college in Idaho and Arizona.

This is an interesting mix of players from 'chip on the shoulder' parts of the nation where players are often overlooked. And they are already building chemistry together through their shared cultural heritage, and can adapt to what Utah has to bring quite easily. Heck, Derrick Favors -- a guy born and raised in Atlanta -- already lives in Utah 12 months of the year. This is really crazy.

.

4. Their player name anagrams are ridiculous

Most normal people sleep. I don't. As a result I had to figure out what their names can spell out.

Utah Jazz 2014 2014 Roster - Player Name Anagrams

Dante Exum is sweet music, so obviously, he's a maxed tune. Trey Burke is still fighting his last coach, so, he's gonna rebuke t(r)y. What about Tourre' Murry? I guess somewhere in his family tree he has some Genghis in him.

But seriously, Gordon Hayward as Hardwood Angry? (Is this some high concept Blacksploitation film with a Caucasian guy in the lead?) Alec Burks and Bra Suckle? I get it. We've all seen his tongue action. I also appreciate Ian Clark as "Air Clank" like "Air Jordan", but missing a shot. If you've seen him shoot this is obviously an ironic nickname. If you've seen the ladies he likes, Barbi dolls, it makes sense to call Enes Kanter "Eastern Ken". I don't know what to make with Acrid Fervors though. Those are two words I know, but just not in conjunction with one another.

By far the best on is Jeremy Evans . . . the former dunk champ naturally makes "Jam seers envy" him.

Are you also a crazy person? What are your anagrams?

.

5. No Jazz team has had this much talent on it

The best Utah Jazz teams in franchise history were built around a #13 and #16 draft pick. The third best player was a second rounder. I'm talking about Karl Malone, John Stockton, and Jeff Hornacek. The romanticized Jazz team was usually a collection of players who fit the system, and were able to become something greater than their own flawed parts. Jerry Sloan became a legend the season he took Andrei Kirilenko, Matt Harpring, and Raja Bell to a 42-40 season. Jazz teams 'made do' with obvious limits.

This team seems to have no limit. There are three Top 5 picks, six Lotto picks, and nine 1st rounders on this team. It's never been this stacked.

How many stars? How many NBA caliber players?

Utah Jazz 2014 2014 Roster - Player Draft Position Table

There are three undrafted players (Toure' Murry, Ian Clark, and Brock Motum). There are three second rounders (Steve Novak, Carrick Felix, and Jeremy Evans). And then everyone else is a 1st rounder. This may be normal for other teams, but completely novel for the Jazz -- a team that ALWAYS made the playoffs and were usually picking at #27 or lower every year.

If you group the players by draft position you get this:

Utah Jazz 2014 2014 Roster - Player Draft Position Chart 1

That is a nice balance between draft positions, but if you group the players by cumulative draft position you get this:

Utah Jazz 2014 2014 Roster - Player Draft Position Chart 2

If you look at the information the majority of the Jazz' rotation will be not just 1st rounders, but lottery picks. Trey Burke, Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, Alec Burks, Enes Kanter, and Dante Exum should play the most minutes this season. They'll be shored up by Trevor Booker, Rudy Gobert, and Rodney Hood.

I still can't believe at just how crazy this team is, as the 15 man roster which includes three undrafted players, has an average draft position of 27.8. There were some times when Jerry Sloan took a team that had 9 players who were second rounders or went undrafted to the playoffs. The hand Quin Snyder has been given -- though young and untested -- has so much potential it's hard not to get excited about it.

This season the Jazzz will bring a Top 5 pick off the bench, because the entire starting lineup of Lottery picks under the age of 25 are better than the rookie.

Let that sink in.

This is a crazy roster and a crazy year. A young, hungry, somewhat chip on their shoulder-y roster of overlooked players from smaller markets . . . that are your Utah Jazz this year.

So even if the traditional media overlooks the Jazz, Jazz fans are in for a treat this year.

[Xiao Yao You]

Given those shooting struggles, it may seem strange that the Charlotte Hornets signed Hayward to a max offer sheet this summer, and that the Utah Jazz matched that contract, retaining him.

it sucks!

[QUOTE]But Hayward has a diverse array of offensive skills and, perhaps more importantly for a Jazz team without many standout players, he

[Xiao Yao You]

[QUOTE]While what the 76ers are doing, namely, tearing down a roster and abandoning any chance at winning now to stock talent for the future through lofty picks

[Xiao Yao You]

[QUOTE] Jazz are still trying to figure out what they want to do with their final spot, and have looked into the waiver wire. Currently, power forward Brock Motum is thought to be the 15th player on the roster. And while the Aussie has played well, he

[Xiao Yao You]

[QUOTE]Now, with Jeff Hornacek

[Xiao Yao You]

[QUOTE]Hood

[Xiao Yao You]

[QUOTE]This year's power rankings from ESPN are likewise unkind to the Jazz. ESPN predicts Utah will win 26 games

[Xiao Yao You]

[QUOTE]Jazz center Derrick Favors was asked about Bovada projections about him averaging 14.5 points and 9.5 rebounds this season. His prediction:

[Xiao Yao You]

David Locke: Derrick Favors sore left knee will not play tonight Twitter @Lockedonsports

Rudy!

[Xiao Yao You]

The Utah Jazz announced via press release Friday they have exercised the third-year options on guard Trey Burke and center Rudy Gobert. Deseret News

[Xiao Yao You]

[QUOTE]For the first time in the pre-season the Jazz transition defense broke down. The Jazz allowed 20 fast break points and in the 3rd

It feels like Gordon Hayward is a different player. He went to the rim hard for another vicious jam and then a few possessions later went right back to the rim again. He is faster, stronger and more powerful in the air then he has ever been. Will be exciting to watch him play with this new found strength throughout the season. He did have two disappointing turnovers late in the game.

The Jazz didn

[Xiao Yao You]

[QUOTE] They went 5-3, and in the end had the 12th ranked offense (at 100.37 points per 100 possessions) and the 2nd ranked defense (allowing 92.12 points per 100 possessions) of all preseason teams. That