2015 training camp!

[Xiao Yao You]

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/3002457...son?fullpage=1

Those three are clearly now its faces.

as clearly as Trey being he 3rd face a year ago? I think he has been since they took new pictures yesterday. During summer league they were still trying to sell tix with Trey's face.










"I don't know if we necessarily have a 'Big

Three,'" Hayward said after the phrase had been thrown out by a reporter, "but we're definitely three keys for us."


"A lot of teams are going to be keying in on us three," Favors acknowledged before adding, "We're not like the Big Three (of LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade) that was in Miami."


No, expectations aren't that high for this Jazz team and a franchise that hasn't won a playoff game since April 2010. But the Jazz have worked themselves back into the public consciousness on a level they haven't occupied since Jerry Sloan traded the locker room for the farm and Deron Williams simply got himself traded. Following a tear-down of its last playoff team, it has been a slow creep back toward respectability, mapped out by General Manager Dennis Lindsey, shaped by second-year coach Quin Snyder, and realized on the floor thanks in large part to steady maturation of Hayward and Favors and the revelatory talent of Gobert.

mostly Rudy though
[QUOTE]The Jazz flirted with a .500 record last year with a late-season surge that saw them transform into the league's top defense after the All-Star break. They closed out the year winning 19 of their final 29 games and, over the course of the offseason, they've gone from a sleeper pick to make the playoffs to a trendy one.


"We understand the hype that everybody got on us," Favors said.
Jazz officials on Monday tried to temper expectations. The NBA reality that exists outside the pomp and circumstance of media day, when every coach is optimistic, every player is in the best shape of his life and every team is absolutely, positively, 100-percent committed to defense, is harsh

[Xiao Yao You]

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/3005481...urke-play-time

"I'm approaching this much more serious now," he says. "I'm starting to feel more like a professional.

wow thanks for the commitment man. Can't believe he's even on the team and they're writing articles about him?

When I came in, I felt like I could just play basketball, always play basketball. But now, I've learned the ins and outs, eating right, sleeping. It's funny because I'm getting to bed around 11, 11:30. I've never ever done that. I feel so much better in the morning. Like right now, I have so much energy. It's incredible. So I think those little things go a long way, especially in an 82-game season. They play a big part in how you play and how your body holds up."


Yes, yes. Go on.


"It was me, the things that I was doing off the court holding me back.

Had nothing to do with the way you approached the game on the court? Really?

[QUOTE]I just had to sit back and realize, sit back and make decisions on what type of player I wanted to be, and ask myself what sacrifices I wanted to make. A lot of those things had to be like food and had to be certain activities, certain

[Xiao Yao You]

http://www.sltrib.com/blogs/jazznote...to-be-a-closer

At the high end, he could even be at number five, depending on how you feel about Carmelo Anthony and Paul George.

Would anyone seriously take Carmelo over Maxi G?

Indeed, last year was a career one for Utah's 6-foot-8 leader. Not many guys in the league are good for 20 points, five rebounds and five assists a night. And yet Hayward was awfully close, at 19-4-4.



So this season for Hayward individually is all about taking that breakout year and expanding upon it. How does he do that? By becoming a better closer at the end of games.



s




The elite teams are able to do that. It's






common knowledge in the NBA that general offense only takes you so far. The teams that win titles - or at least compete for them - are the ones who have guys who can go and get buckets down the stretch. Golden State has Steph Curry. Obviously, Cleveland has LeBron. Even San Antonio - probably the best ball-movement oriented team in the league - has Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli.

Aldridge?

It's a skill that not many have, and one that can launch Hayward even further up the ladder if he can acquire it.



"Learning how to close is huge in the NBA," Hayward said. "As Favs (Derrick Favors) and I get more experience, it will become easier and easier. Last year it was good to gain those experiences. So this is another good test for us this year to learn how to do that."


As a group, the Jazz probably have more potential "closers" than one would think. Obviously, Hayward is the big potential answer. Favors is the one guy who can draw a double-team in the post with his back to the basket.

You'd be crazy to double him in the post!

But Alec Burks and Rodney Hood are probably two guys who could one day get to that level. Why? Well, Burks is one of the better players in the NBA at getting to the free-throw line. Hood's all-around offensive package is immense. He can score from 3-point range, from mid-range and at the basket. He just has to stay healthy.



But most of this responsibility undeniably lies with Hayward. If he can take his game to one more level, he will certainly be worthy of all-star consideration. And in a league full of wing talent, Hayward is close to being elite. And at 25, he's still got a ceiling for improvement.



Tony Jones

Better improve because he's got some young talent coming behind him.

[Xiao Yao You]

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/3002361...les-once-again

He's a valued member of Quin Snyder's rotation

He was. We'll see.
[QUOTE], a newly crowned husband and, with Dante Exum's injury absence, now the only active Australian on the team.

Ingles vowed to represent his country in Exum's stead on media day. And then

[Xiao Yao You]

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/3002312...er-sticking-to

[QUOTE]Basically ignoring his team's record proved to be sound strategy in Jazz coach Quin Snyder's first season, especially when he absorbed a nine-game losing streak early in the year.


The approach worked, beyond serving as the coach's defense mechanism. The Jazz kept improving, producing a 21-11 finish that gave them a 38-44 record

[Xiao Yao You]

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/7...ew-season.html

Bryce Cotton had a strong Summer League

nothing special other than one game

, Raul Neto signed his deal after playing overseas, and then theres Trey Burke, who very well could return to form after a stressful sophomore slump.

Form? That was it!

[QUOTE]Utah also brought in German center Tibor Pleiss over the offseason, and retained a pair of veteran leaders in Trevor Booker and Joe Ingles.

How did Utah succeed at the end of last year? Through defense and theres optimism that wont change. Theres plenty of hope with a clean slate across the league.


In this week's episode, hear what Utah Jazz front office members, coaches and players have to say about the new season, the return of a healthy Alec Burks and more, including the state of chemistry on the team.


"I think our team is really special. Its a great group of guys to be around and one of the only teams Ive been around that everyone is so close, everyone gets along really well and happy to hang out with each other even though we spend so much time together. Even going out to catch up to eat in Salt Lake and the time we dont have to be around, we still spend a lot of time together. Its a really exciting environment to be in," Ingles says.


Jazz forward Gordon Hayward and center Derrick Favors also talk about becoming parents.


"Having a baby girl changes your perspective on life," Hayward says. "(Its) definitely a game-changer. (Its) pretty fun, there are times where its not so fun

[Xiao Yao You]

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/8...ning-camp.html

a noticeable upper-body gain by center Rudy Gobert.

great!
[QUOTE] (Gordon Hayward even complimented the Stifle Tower for putting on the most good weight, jokingly adding,

[Xiao Yao You]

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/8...offseason.html

[QUOTE]Lindsey didn

[Xiao Yao You]

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/8...azz-guard.html

[QUOTE]SALT LAKE CITY

[Xiao Yao You]

http://www.slcdunk.com/2015/9/29/941...s-6-trey-burke

does he deserve it?

deserves more. He sucks!

I had high expectations despite all the reports stating how raw he was.

reports were right

That's okay though, he was a raw teenage rookie straight out of high school.

not alright should have been in Idaho

I would have projected Exum to be about our 5th or 6th best player this season.

not in the top 8. after that debatable

he'd be the worst shooting point guard in the league.

in a word he is

He came into the league as a bright spot on our team as a rookie much greater than any other point guard on our roster (John Lucas III, Diante Garrett).

Lucas is a 3rd pg/fringe player. Burke hasn't even proven that. Garrett is certainly a better fit for the team. He had length, could shoot and play D.

He then bounced back for the rest of his rookie year, to have a very passable good season for a rookie point guard.

on a tanking team in a weak rookie class maybe

by some metrics he even played worse as a sophomore than as a rookie.

most metrics

jungle ball in the 2013-14 season. Burke was able to get pretty good stats for a rookie even though our team was not essentially getting any wins.

He was the main reason they weren't winning.

All signs point to Trey overthinking things a bit too much last season and his performance suffered a bit because of it.

He sure shoots a lot for a guy with no confidence

I have some reasons to be cautiously optimistic about Burke's play this season.

Can it get worse?

the stars have been aligned for Burke to thrive in a role much more similar to what he had his rookie season compared to last year.

better not! He can bring the ball up court spot up and try to play D. That's it!

4. We are going to be winning more games this year, there are few things that bring more confidence for players than winning

might not win if he's playing

Some may see this as a gross overrating of Burke as our 6th best player next season.

It's a joke. I'd have him 20th

Not more than a player or 2 off the bench will be averaging more points than Burke.

Almost everyone should

It's unlikely that anyone but Hayward gets more assists than him.

many guys should. he shouldn't have the ball

Burke's shooting will not get worse if he continues his role of starting floor general with us.

there's a prediction. He won't get worse than 37%!

If I am wrong, you can be reassured that Burke will lose his role. But Burke is completely capable of being in our starting unit on our long-awaited return to the playoffs.

And furthermore, that Burke will be able to rise up a few notches in the very strong starting point guard pecking order in the NBA.

He needs to be trying to impress someone just to be a 3rd pg.

it would make most sense for the Jazz to look into alternative options for starting point guards to better align our roster for when our team peaks and is ready to make some deep playoff runs.

It made most sense last year. What are thy thinking?

Since Kevin O'Connor, Corbin, and Kanter have been jettisoned from their former positions with the Jazz,

O'Conner stepped down.

Burke is a Jazzman through and through

No he's not. He's selfish

Chances of him being with the team in the 2016-2017 season:
70%

Not much chance. We'll have a better idea in the next month

[Xiao Yao You]

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/8...Utah-Jazz.html

[QUOTE]While it

[Xiao Yao You]

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/8...ger-start.html

[QUOTE]SALT LAKE CITY

[Xiao Yao You]

http://www.sltrib.com/blogs/jazznote...ng-to-increase

Playing with pace. And part of that is coach Quin Snyder and his love with the phrase.

and it got old long ago

But it's true. The best offensive teams in this league are the ones who figure out how to get easy shots early in the shot clock.
This is one of the places where the Jazz largely failed last season. Consistently, they were a team that faced late clock scenarios. They were a team that consistently saw people like Gordon Hayward and Trey Burke and Derrick Favors forcing looks against set defenses with their possessions at stake.










Tuesday's training camp practice focused on


that issue to a degree. The players know it's a problem and so does the coaching staff.



"It's tough to play against set defenses all the time," Hayward said.
So how can the Jazz combat that this year?



1. Health - It seems simple, but this may be the most important thing. Alec Burks loves to get to the rim and quickly. So having him back is big. And having health means having depth. And having depth means having fresh bodies. And having fresh bodies means having fresh legs at the end of games. All of that equates to pace of play.



2. Pushing the ball - The point guards need to push the ball off makes and misses. Getting the ball up the floor means having more time to run offense.

and anyone but Trey will help there

3. Hayward/Favors/Burks/Hood - Those four are the best playmakers for the Utah Jazz, the guys who should decide the bulk of the possessions this year. Getting them the ball early and often and letting them do their thing is a big key for the Jazz in 2015. They can all break down defenses and all can do so in their own unique way. They should rightfully be the decision makers this season.



The Jazz were one of the slowest teams in the league when it came to pace last season. That's not how Snyder wants to play, ideally. So the Jazz would love to speed themselves up offensively, while playing the same great defense that they exhibited in the second half of last year.



Tony Jones

How does Trey fit in to that?

[Xiao Yao You]

https://jazzfanatical.wordpress.com/...ennis-lindsey/

[QUOTE]He

[Xiao Yao You]

https://jazzfanatical.wordpress.com/...5-quin-snyder/
[QUOTE]On his snazzy suit

A little Euro look.


What one aspect of the game did you think the most about this off-season?


Switching defenses. It