Rewards of the tank:2014 off-season!

[Xiao Yao You]

[QUOTE]Millsap is definitely a Snyder advocate. A late addition to this week

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Atlanta became a high-assist team last season with Snyder as an assistant coach, "and that

[Xiao Yao You]

Back in 2008 the Utah Jazz used one of their second round picks on Croatian bigman Ante Tomic. The young man was supposed to be a Pau Gasol clone, what with his 7 foot stance, soft hands, solid fundamentals, and court vision. For the Utah Jazz he was supposed to be a rotation player by now. It's 2014 and the team has begun talking about using him as an asset in trades

He looks like an asset rather they want him or not.

or some other non-decisive on the record stance. He was drafted back when he played in the Adriatic league, and since that time has gone on to play in the top European league, and pretty much dominate on his way to team and individual awards. While guys like Tadija Dragićević even made it to the states for a closer inspection during summer league (he didn't play in any games though), Tomic has always been an ocean away.

Until this World Cup, I presume.

I don't expect many Utah Jazz fans to watch EuroLeague play, and pay only a little attention to EuroBasket tournaments. But this one, the FIBA world cup, is going to be on all kinds of TV and internet streams. And Tomic, at his peak, is most likely going to be a big part of what Croatia does. (N.B. Croatia is in training camp right now, but I don't assume Tomic will not make the team. But there are no confirmations that he has as of yet.)

Ante is still a 7'1 bigman with soft hands who scores with ease around the basket. Either in isolation, pick and roll, or crashing the glass. It's a skilled passer, even adding very odd looking, but effective, look-away passes to his post repertoire. Even though he has height, he has yet to demonstrate to me that if can be a shot blocker at higher competition levels. Furthermore, I am excited to see how he will deal with beefier guys being physical with him on offense and defense.

Sounds like the perfect fit for the Jazz. He was too skinny 4 years ago when I watched the FIBA.

It is a great litmus test, if nothing else, to see how someone like DeMarcus Cousins will fare against Topic, one of the best bigs on the planet who just happens to not be playing in the NBA.

Still, for Jazz fans watching him is going to be a funny feeling. I don't see him coming to Utah anytime soon. The Jazz also don't need him right now as they are focusing on Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, and Rudy Gobert. And as for a fit beyond on-court structure, off the court I don't see a guy at the top of his game, an MVP candidate, leaving all of his glory to come to Utah and come off the bench for a lotto team.

Bring him in and open up the competition. Kanter and Gobert both have lots to prove yet. As does Favors but he has already been paid so he's in.

He's good. Sometimes he's great. He's "our" guy because we drafted him. It's just going to be hard to cheer for him. If he's going to look good in the World Cup does that make it harder knowing that he's not going to be in a Jazz uniform for a long time, if ever?

It's a bitter sweet meeting this summer. We'll finally get to see our guy up close and personal, but at the end of the summer he's going back home. Will he forget us? Is this just a summer time fling? Or does he "like" like us?

I want him to do well. Croatia will be in Group B, where Argentina (minus Manu Ginobili), Greece, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Senegal await. They should be no lower than third there. So we may get to see him play the USA in later rounds.

Whatever happens it's going to be interesting. It's also going to be awful for Jazz fans to watch without getting mixed feelings. He's good. He has proven that to the world by now. But if he's great . . . that is a kick in the pants.

[Xiao Yao You]

Jody Genessy: Jazz guard Ian Clark's contract for the 2014-15 season will be guaranteed. The second-year player from Belmont will make about $800,000. The Jazz will have the opportunity to extend a qualifying offer to guard Ian Clark to make him a restricted free agent next offseason.

Twitter @DJJazzyJody

Must see something in him.

[Xiao Yao You]

The Knicks also may still re-sign Toure' Murry. The free agent guard has drawn interest from the Heat, Jazz and Clippers, according to a league source. ESPN.com

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David Locke: Some names for Jazz camp possible PG: Byrce Cotton (Providence) Jahii Carson (ASU) Deonte Burton (Nevada) DeAndre Kane (ISU) Aaron Craft Twitter

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Marc Stein: Players staying in as show of support for Paul George. USAB officials, meanwhile, still deliberating on how many players to take to Chicago. Team USA scheduled to resume practice Aug. 13 in CHI. USAB officials now deciding whether to keep 14, 15 or 16 from the 19 players available. USA Basketball still planning to make a few cuts before practices resume in Chicago, but there might be as few as three. Or as many as five. Twitter @ESPNSteinLine

G and Millsap didn't do much in the scrimmage but the injury should help them especially G.

[Xiao Yao You]

http://www.slcdunk.com/nba-free-agen...gun-aro-gbc-to

I don't have any contract info on how long this deal is.

Biggest problem I see is a buyout. He didn't have a buyout on his last deal which seems rare.

I am worried that we're going to eventually get nothing just like the Ante Tomic issue that is on-going. (Y'all know he was drafted the same year as Kosta Koufos right? The Koof is going into his 7th year in the NBA this season.)

Koufos was ready to play in the league. Tomic wasn't. Maybe still isn't but they need to do something with him. He's one of the top players not in the league. He has to have value.

I hope that the plan is still to bring him to the NBA, and more specifically the Utah Jazz. Another year in Spain isn't going to hurt. It will help way more than playing a year in Brazil, or some other league.

Maybe? Hard to say. Might get huge minutes in Brazil. Spain he might be on the bench?

I guess him playing for Murcia will eventually lead to him playing FOR a team in 'Murrica! Right?

We Utah Jazz fans will just have to admire him from afar for at least another year. We support you too Raul Neto, and will be with you during the good times and bad as well! There are just more of us! You are way prettier than Raul Lopez, who honestly, that was just a crush. And we are so-ho over it now.

[Xiao Yao You]

Michael Pointer: Coach K said Gordon Hayward was a strong candidate to get past first cut anyway, but got an even closer look after George's injury. Twitter @michaelpointer

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[QUOTE]Even before George broke his leg on the stanchion at Thomas & Mack Arena last Friday, Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward had a chance to make the team that will represent the country in the upcoming World Cup.

But with Coach K now needing guys who can play multiple positions, Hayward

[Xiao Yao You]

The yearly NBA rookie survery is out

Jazz players showed up in the following manners

Rodney Hood got a vote for Rookie of the Year and a vote for best career

Rodney Hood got a vote for best shooter.

Dante Exum was 4th for best playmaker, behind Tyler Ennis, Kyle Anderson and Marcus Smart

[Xiao Yao You]

[QUOTE]When looking at their team

[El Kabong]

http://grantland.com/features/the-nbas-bigs-problem/

Booker’s minutes fluctuated in Washington, and he’s the exact sort of player we’re talking about here; he’s listed at just 6-foot-7, and he’s made just one triple in four seasons. Consensus around the league is that the Jazz overpaid a bit, but this is a fine deal. Booker doesn’t do the sexy power forward things the league increasingly expects, but the Jazz are a bad team paying to see if he might be better than the league anticipates.

Booker is a bouncy dude who cuts hard to the rim and has shown flashes, both in college and Washington, of being an effective ball mover. He has a decent stroke, and a team with good player development might invest in teaching Booker the corner 3. In talking to coaches and GMs over the last month, it’s clear we’ll see more teams pushing the corner 3 on bigs — the Chris Bosh–Serge Ibaka route. There could be some surprising names experimenting with the corner 3 as early as this season.

[QUOTE]The Jazz were terrorized on defense when Marvin Williams played power forward, but their offense functioned well enough, and Williams can now put “stretch 4” on his r

[Xiao Yao You]

Will be interesting to see how the front court shakes out. Sounds like Kanter will be one of the guys shooting the corner 3 which will up his value. I'm sure Evans is working on extending his range. Obviously Novak but to me he's more of a situational guy than a regular rotation guy regardless of his shooting ability.

[Xiao Yao You]

[QUOTE]they can try to lock Kanter up to an extension that pays him anywhere from $8-12 million