2017 Playoff bound!!!

[Xiao Yao You]

Ready or not!

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http://purpleandblues.com/2017/04/13...rove-playoffs/

one valid concern that exists is that at Hill’s high points, perhaps he’s been almost too good and he may end up costing more than the Jazz feel comfortable spending.

His injuries may end up costing him too?

the thought of having both he and Hayward on max contracts would make it hard to afford the additional help that Utah will certainly need if they hope to leapfrog the likes of the Spurs or Warriors in the Western Conference.

Not necessarily. Hayward at 30-35% of the cap is the scariest thing to me and not one I've heard mentioned anywhere. Everyone seems to to think they can keep him because of that but it would be similar to AK's killer contract on the team.

he had flashes of utter brilliance this season, two things that were often called into question were his durability and his consistency.

His consistency was related to his toe as far as I can tell. He's been durable most of his career. He is getting older though so it is something to consider. Healthy Hill has been better than Hayward as far as I'm concerned.

even if Hill is less than stunning in the playoffs, it’s a near-guarantee that there will be plenty of teams desperate enough out there that will be willing to throw massive amounts of money at the much-improved point guard. And based on how well or poorly Hill performs in the playoffs, the Jazz could potentially be in an extremely difficult situation when deciding whether or not to match any offers

Don't think they will necessarily have to match offers. I can't see him going to a crappy team even if it's for more money. He's a winner. He wants to play in meaningful games and no one has utilized him as well as the Jazz. If Hayward stays I think he'd want to stay unless another top team wants him and I'm not sure how many of them will have the money? If Hayward leaves I'm not sure the Jazz would want to keep him or Ingles or would he want to stay but I would hope they would for the right price of course. I think they can win without Hayward. Gobert is the key to it all.

I’d like to believe that the competitor in him would be willing to take at least some degree of a pay cut to stay with a Utah team where he has fit so well

You would hope that for all of them. Parker, Ginobli and Duncan all played for less than market value to win championships. That's what they need here. Rudy has committed to that already. Who's next?

one of Utah’s most pleasant surprises this season has been Joe Ingles. If someone had told me prior to this season’s start that the Jazz may have a hard time retaining Joe this offseason, I probably would have just laughed. Sure, he had been a nice compliment off the bench and a good glue guy in the past, but a reliable and crucial contributor? On a nightly basis? I honestly did not see that coming.

He's been great down the stretch the past two seasons so I certainly knew he could play it was just a matter of doing it from the get go and he has. I certainly thought he could be in the mix this year despite their depth but of course he has exceeded that as their 4th most important player and his value has only went up recently as he has seemed to have became the primary playmaker as long as their secondary defensive stopper and main threat from deep. Definitely the ultimate glue guy!

let’s make one thing very clear, Joe Ingles is in fact a restricted free agent, therefore Utah has complete power to retain him if they wish to do so. Other teams can extend offers to him, but if he accepts any of those, the Jazz will still have the opportunity to match and keep him on board.

that can go both ways. Sometimes those guys don't get offers because they expect the team to match and they don't want to waste their time or have their money tied up while they wait. And sometimes guys get ridiculous offers because they don't want the team to match.

With the Jazz having Hayward and Hill ahead of Ingles on their priority list and Ingles being a great fit anywhere I imagine he will get some big offers. I could definitely see him taking less to stay here especially since him and Hayward are close and he seems to be close to the coach as well.

the most important of the three players is without a doubt Gordon Hayward

I think there's doubt. Right now my money would be on a healthy Hill. You have to decide if you think Hayward can be a leader like Hill when he is the same age I guess. Right now I'd rather have a healthy Hill. I think Ingles could be more important too depending on the price tags.

perhaps the highest stake the Jazz have this postseason is doing enough as a team to convince him to stay in Utah, if they haven’t done so already.

Hayward has shown plenty of signs that he is indeed committed to staying, so hopefully an impressive showing on his part in the postseason leading to an incredible performance from the rest of his team will help lock him down long-term.

I think Hayward has to show he can step up and I have my doubts. If he doesn't how much do you want to pay him? And from his perspective I could see him wanting to go to somewhere like Boston where he wouldn't be the go to guy which I think would be a better role for him.

Don't forget Mack and Withey! If Hill goes they need to sign another vet. You would hope someone that's a better fit than Mack but considering how he's played for them he could definitely still be in the mix.

If they are able to trade Favors, which I think will have to wait until next season in the hope of him returning to form and increasing his value, than Withey could still be in the mix but ideally I think they have to look for someone that fits better.

Also after they let Diaw's option expire they may look to bring him back on a much cheaper deal. I wouldn't mind him at the end of the bench. Not in the rotation though!

The big unknown right now is how the legacy deal may affect rather they go into luxury tax territory or not. The money is all supposed to go back into the team so I'd think it's a possibility that they will be a tax team to some extent anyway

[Xiao Yao You]

http://purpleandblues.com/2017/04/13...rth-utah-jazz/

Should Derrick Favors come off the bench? Which backup point guard can defend Chris Paul and/or Austin Rivers the best?

Don't forget Neto outplayed Paul in a game last year. He will be missed at least early in the series.

These questions along with others can be answered in the first two games of the series. Having relatively low expectations lets the Jazz find out the best strategy for them to earn a series win without feeling the dread if they were to drop a home game.

There's high expectations regardless. The Clippers have the same road and home splits as the Jazz and until recently the Jazz had played better on the road. But I can't see being 5th seed better in any way especially with an inexperienced team like this one.

[Xiao Yao You]

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/5174907...azz-now-seek-a

Hayward was particularly overwhelmed. He played 123 minutes in the four games, averaging 7.3 points. He took 33 shots and made six. He went 1-for-12 on deep balls, and, in total, hit just 18 percent from the floor. Favors was a bit better, making 41 percent of his attempts and hauling 38 boards. Burks played a minor role.

Hayward's came a long ways since then and hopefully Hill can take some of the load off and he'll play well but I'm doubtful. Would sure take 10 boards a game from Favors now!

The Jazz back then had some promising young talent on their roster — Hayward was in his second year, Favors in his second, Enes Kanter was a rookie — but the team was dominated by a mishmash of veterans, such as Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, CJ Miles, Devin Harris, Jamaal Tinsley, and Raja Bell. It was as though the roster had been put together by the tipping of a junk drawer and gathering in the loose parts. The effectiveness of the group, the plan for its future seemed … jangled.

The biggest problem was that they were built around Jefferson instead of Millsap. Should have gotten a real center to play next to the future all-star not Jefferson. Harris could have been good off the bench like the role he plays now.

The Jazz face the Clippers with a collection of burgeoning talent, with a rock-steady future that, if they retain their key parts, will continue to ascend over the next five seasons.

Big if. This could be as good as it gets which is why I don't understand not being all in. Yes they are young. But they are about to get too expensive to keep everyone.

[Xiao Yao You]

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/8...e-learned.html

Rivers is very good against Utah, and he could miss at least part of the first round with a strained hamstring.

Some good news!

the Jazz played incredibly well and won this game by just six points. The Clippers just have so many players who can make shots, which is challenging for even a team that is as good defensively as Utah.

The biggest problem has been that the Clippers have came to play like it meant something which they have. The Jazz only showed up once.

[Xiao Yao You]

https://theundefeated.com/features/u...-the-playoffs/

Sounds a lot like Rudy except Rudy wouldn't have been backing up Smits!

Too bad we didn't get to see him in the NBA

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http://www.deseretnews.com/article/8...-is-asked.html

[QUOTE]Snyder hasn

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http://www.deseretnews.com/article/8...nd-Malone.html

[QUOTE]Gobert deserves some of the credit for opening things up for Hayward because of his offensive improvement. Lindsey pointed out the French player

[Xiao Yao You]

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/5178850...ave-home-court

"We've lost at home about every playoff series, or something like that," point guard Chris Paul said this week.

In 2012, the San Antonio Spurs won two in a row at Staples Center to bounce the Clippers from the second round of the playoffs. In 2014, the Oklahoma City Thunder celebrated a decisive Game 6 victory on the Clippers' home court.

Paul's teams have also suffered home playoff defeats to the Memphis Grizzlies in 2013, the Houston Rockets in 2015, and the Portland Trail Blazers last season.

Sounds good!

[Xiao Yao You]

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/5171437...on-hayward-and

"All the veterans can do at this point is try to lead by example," Hill said. "There's nothing we can tell them about. They are going to have to experience it for themselves and go through it."

Let's hope you set the example you did before you hurt your toe! They might actually have a chance.

"The first time around, it was all Paul and Al. Our offense was to throw it into the post and cut off those two.

It was actually just throw it into Al and count how many pump fakes before he put it up!

[Xiao Yao You]

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/5171350...snyder-to-test

Lindsey's biggest move since coming to Salt Lake City has arguably been the hire of Quin Snyder as his head coach. Snyder is the one who has taken the talent and molded it into a cohesive unit, managed egos, made difficult rotation decisions and developed the younger players.

Please! This is like those that try to give Jerry the credit for John and Karl's greatness. Again without Rudy he might be looking for a job again

Snyder will have a worthy adversary in Clippers coach Doc Rivers, a well-respected veteran in the profession who won a NBA title as Boston Celtics coach.

Another great example! Boston sucked in the east despite Pierce before Garnett and Allen arrived. Look at the talent he has now! They should be one of the top teams in the league not 4th seed.

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http://www.sltrib.com/sports/5168644...vors-thinks-he

Favors has hardly been himself. A year removed from All-Star consideration, when he was averaging better than 16 points and eight rebounds per game

all-star?

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http://www.sltrib.com/sports/5169653...ayoff-win-will

And then the Jazz were swept by the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals. The restructuring of the roster began that summer when Gordon Hayward was drafted and Boozer, Wesley Matthews and Kyle Korver left as free agents.

Imagine Matthew, Millsap and Demarre as part of their rebuild.

Hayward's avenue to an NBA title would be easier elsewhere than in the West, where the Jazz always will have to deal with Golden State.

Hayward logically needs some proof that the Jazz can compete with the Warriors in the coming years. The only way that will become apparent is if the Jazz beat the Clippers in the first round, then play well against Golden State in the West semifinals.

I think the question is can Hayward win a title as the go to guy. The answer is no so Boston as the #2 guy makes perfect sense

[Xiao Yao You]

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/5170233...nd-their-arena

One thing to watch will be Snyder's rotation. Often, coaches shorten their rotations in the playoffs, limiting them to somewhere around eight players. But a strength of the Jazz this season, as evidenced in the last week of the season with the win at Golden State, when three starters couldn't go, has been their depth. Contributions have come from nearly every corner. With the starters essentially healthy again, and with the usefulness of the backups evident, who sits now? Who will come off the bench and when, for how long?

He's already shortened it. Burks was benched. Only other move I see is hopefully Exum benched. He's not ready! They aren't deep!

[Xiao Yao You]

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/5168624...s-of-struggles

"Look, if I was in your seat, I couldn't do this," Lindsey recalled O'Connor telling him. "I couldn't intentionally rebuild. But I'm telling you it's the right thing to do."

We know Kevin!

"Rudy Gobert is not here today unless Kevin O'Connor is part of our organization," Lindsey said. "Greg and Steve Miller didn't know me and I was asking them to do something they had never done before because I really wanted the guy. Kevin was able to saddle up and explain the rationale why. Thank the Lord he was in the room."

Yay Kevin! The Miller's hired him. Why would they do that if they weren't confident in him doing the job?

It took the Hall of Fame point guard five seasons to become a starter in Utah

Was the 3rd I believe. Typical Jazz idiocy. First time I saw him I thought they should have traded Rickey Green. He had value. They ended up losing him in an expansion draft for nothing!

Lindsey sees some of the same things now in Hayward, whom Jazz officials threw into the fire four years ago and have watched emerge as an All-Star ready to lead his team into the playoffs.

"There's a similar path," Lindsey said.

Please! Stockton was awesome from day 1. Hayward was a good player from day 1.

I think the cool thing about us is guys have a lot of room to improve and we can still get a lot better. So that's the exciting part."

that was the case but now everyone needs to be paid

Snyder has helped turn the Jazz into one of NBA's stingiest defensive units (third-best overall), while helping transform Hayward and Gobert into All-NBA candidates. That, while dealing with an injury depleted squad for most of the season, should be enough to earn him some Coach of the Year votes.)

"Quin's done an unbelievable job to get us to 50 given what's happened," Lindsey said.

Given you didn't improve the team with the cap space or exception?

[QUOTE]This time last year, the lockers in Vivint Smart Home Arena had been cleared out, and Lindsey couldn't help but feel responsible.

The Jazz had missed out on the postseason, despite an injury-plagued season that saw Gobert, Favors and Alec Burks all miss substantial time.

"To be honest, last year was a disappointment," Lindsey said. "There were more wins on the table.