2014 pre-season!

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Mark Murphy: Source: Celtics still holding to see if Will Bynum trade is possible, though chances slim. More likely he's waived by end of week. Twitter @Murf56 -

I wouldn't mind him.

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“I think I’m still feeling a little bit rusty, so I just need to take that hop and just keep playing like I used to play,” Kanter said. “I just keep getting in more shape and more focused. I’m just trying to get my shot right and get in better shape because I didn’t play the whole summer because of the surgery. It’s not an excuse, but this is a step to take.”

And despite that he's still showed more improvement than Favors.

The win moves Utah to 5-2 this preseason, snapping a two-game losing streak and sending depleted Oklahoma City to its fourth-straight loss.

Kanter got the Jazz off to a fast start, too.

He scored 16 points in the first half — eight points in each quarter — to give Utah a 58-50 lead at halftime. He even capped the half by making a basket as the buzzer sounded to end the second quarter.

“He came to play tonight,” Jazz forward Gordon Hayward said. “He stepped back and knocked down some 3's. Even if he doesn’t knock them down, just his ability to space the floor makes him a threat out there. The defense has to react to that, has to respect that, and that helps out the spacing for everybody. He played extremely well tonight. We need more nights like that.”

What makes it more impressive is he did his damage mostly against Ibaka, an NBA All-Defensive Team player last season and the league's leading shot blocker.

Favors and him certainly appeared to have outplayed Adams and Ibaka.

“We know he can score,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. “I thought he really competed defensively.

1st time we've heard that!

Ibaka’s a really tough cover for anybody, particularly for someone Enes’ size. It was good to see him compete.

“It came together tonight and he’s just got to keep building off of it.”

Oklahoma City was without reigning MVP Kevin Durant, who suffered a Jones fracture in his foot earlier this preseason. The Thunder also did not play Reggie Jackson, Jeremy Lamb, Kendrick Perkins, Grant Jerrett or first-round pick Mitch McGary due to various injuries.

But point guard Russell Westbrook was in the lineup, scoring 14 points and dishing out 11 assists in 27 minutes. Perry Jones led the way with 20 points off the bench, while Ibaka scored 14 and grabbed five rebounds. None of Oklahoma City’s starters played the final quarter.

“You know, it’s preseason,” Snyder said. “This is (a) team that will contend for the whole thing. Their approach to the preseason is different than ours. We’re trying to find out who we are. They’re a team that’s proven. They know who they are, and who they are is really, really good and well-coached. We’re trying to figure out how to stay consistent and get better.”

Kanter’s play was a good sign in that regard, especially with the other Jazz starters following suit.

Point guard Trey Burke returned to the lineup after resting against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, scoring 23 points in 28 minutes.

It was Burke who stopped the final Oklahoma City push, making a 3-pointer with 6:08 remaining that put the Jazz up 92-76. On the next possession, he stole the ball from Sebastian Telfair and went the length of the floor for a layup.

Alec Burks added 15 points, Hayward scored 14, and Derrick Favors finished with a double-double behind 12 points and 15 rebounds.

It was a sign of cohesiveness for the starting unit, which helped push Utah’s lead to as much as 21.

“Those guys are really finding a groove together,” Snyder said. “I think having Alec come back last game and we only had a quarter where all of those guys played together last game. Tonight, I think they got a feel for each other and that’s what we were hoping.”

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Exum recently found out that he and Oklahoma City Thunder rookie forward Josh Huestis are third cousins through their parents.

While Exum is well known as Utah

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[QUOTE]Again, the story of the night was Utah

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[QUOTE]The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has waived forward Jack Cooley and guard Dahntay Jones. Following the moves, Utah

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American guard Dee Bost is signing a one-year deal with Turkish team Trabzonspor, source told Sportando. Sportando

no Idaho. Plenty of reason to have Ian/Exum spend some time down there.

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I think it's pretty clear that the three main guys are going to be Trey Burke, Gordon Hayward, and Derrick Favors.

It is? Burks and Kanter should be two of the top 3 scorers on the team. Burks has been out and Kanter was rehabbing in the summer again so it's a little early to say what is clear. Obviously Favors and G will be getting huge minutes because of their contracts.

Not surprisingly this will be our best ball handler, best wing player, and best bigmen.

All that is debatable as well.

This is balance that our roster hasn't had a change to experience in a while. (Man, remember when it could be argued that three of our top four players were bigmen?) It's going to be a year predicated by balance. Balance between offense and defense. Balance between talent that starts and a hungry bench.

I don't see that balance like the past 3 years or so. The bench looks like it could be brutal!

Balance between the roster itself. If you want the split hairs the Jazz are imbalanced when it comes to their age and experience. But hey, you gotta start somewhere. Getting good vets will come automatically when the program becomes attractive again.

Getting good vets could happen now if they wanted it to. They are well under the salary cap with roster space and exceptions. They are tanking.

I'm relieved that as for right now there's no debate about the pecking order at point guard.

There should be. You put Neto and Tomic in the mix and the team starts to look pretty interesting.

And really, it never should have been some sort of zero-sum issue at the 1 for this team. It isn't Trey Burke or Dante Exum, it's going to be Trey Burke and Dante Exum. If not on the floor together, then at least in co-operation with what former point guard Quin Snyder is asking from them.

G and Burks are a big part of the equation there as well.

Trey is the starter and has earned it

I wish he had earned it over Neto and a vet personally. He was given the job last year.

with his concentration on the court and precision play. His assist to turn over ratio is astounding, as usual. He has deep range, and is likely to continue showing his leadership ability as his comfort level rises. Dante can flat out do more on the court, but do it at a lower overall level than Trey.

He looked like the best player on the team in the first half of the one game. He isn't ready to bring it consistently yet but it looks like it could just be a matter of time.

Exum appears to have a higher defensive IQ, better over-all instincts with the ball, and is able to finish from almost anywhere on the court, on the run or not. His abilities are better suited as a wildcard off the bench who can mix well with what some of the starters are doing, or be turned on to help take control of a bench unit that needs direction.

Looks like some time in the D-League might be warranted.

I think that's why Trey looks horrible playing with scrubs, but Dante looks so promising. Trey is at his best when playing with people at his level.

He shouldn't have been starting last year.

Dante is naturally talented and shines wherever, and can be a focal point for a five man unit with his mix of athleticism and floor vision.

So it's not Dante or Trey to start the season, at least. It's both of them, both doing their thing.

It's not really.

Backing them up will be the strange combination of three guys who grew up playing shooting guard: Ian Clark, Toure' Murry, and Alec Burks. Clark gets a look here because he's just a short shooting guard, but has leadership ability as we saw back in the Las Vegas Summer League two summers ago. He hasn't had a shot in the NBA, but his performance in the NBA-DL indicates that he's more than just a shooter. He set guys up there frequently.

So this was written before pre-season? He's looked pretty good. Not sure he shouldn't be in the D-league as well though.

Alec Burks actually got his first start in the NBA at point guard, and out of all of these guys, is the closest we have to an actual defender at the position. (Remember that open court elimination of a Ricky Rubio possible game changer during crunch time, last year?) He's not really able to set people up though.

He is. He's just better off on the wing.

Playing him at point guard is like running the Wildcat formation in the NFL. You get the ball in the hands of someone who has a lot of moves earlier, but we all know that no one else is going to be able to get the ball where they can do something with it. And that brings us to Murry, who is listed as a point guard because that's what he played with the New York Knicks last year. Murry was actually a shooting guard who was tasked with distributing a little more in the NBA-DL. He's 6'5, and he's here now. If you add it up they probably do turn into 1.38 point guards though, which is the Jazz average.

He could be gone in two months if he doesn't show them something in practice or the D-league.

You have many looks at point guard with these five players, however the vast majority of the minutes will go to Trey and Dante. As they should.

The vast majority should go to Trey and Burks ideally. Exum and Clark haven't looked like they are ready to bring it every night like you need. The idea that there wasn't room for Neto looks ridiculous right now.

Wingmen:

Big money bags Gordon Hayward is the leader of this pack, and his running mate is the absolutely amazing Alec Burks. We've actually WANTED them to start for a while, but you know, Josh Howard, Randy Foye, Marvin Williams, and Richard Jefferson happened.

The need for shooters happened and still looks like a big question mark with the current line-up.

We've been waiting for them to be paired up for so long you could basically just call them Mulder & Scully -- they don't even kiss (in a non-Bermuda triangle episode that takes place on a Nazi boarded cruise ship) until season 7, if I remember correctly. Back in Utah you're going to see a lot more action between these two young guys, and sooner. Both can handle the ball, drive the ball, pass the ball, hit spot up jumpers, and have the respect of the referees. Alec Burks is faster, finishes crazier, and gets to the line. Gordon is nearly perfect in his form, bigger, and has clutch instincts. Both also have some warts, Alec has trouble when suffocated in the paint and Gordon isn't as good at making shots as he looks taking them.

Regardless, I don't think many other teams in the NBA would complain if they started Gordon and Alec.

Pretty sure they would. Need shooters. Hayward and Burks games are too similar.

It's the bench for the Jazz that's going to be interesting. Rodney Hood can drive, dish, score off the bounce, or spotting up from deep.

Another guy that doesn't look ready to bring it every night yet. D-league.

In this way he's a natural for what the Jazz will be doing with Gordon and Alec on the floor. He's just not as adept on defense right now, but that's a rookie thing more than anything else. He can play the two and the three, and personally, I'd love it if he took Steve Novak's minutes at the four too. But that may not happen. BEYOND Hood there's a drop off.

Novak appears to be out of the rotation as their 5 or 6th big right now right where he should be. Would like to see G play some 4 and Hood when he's ready.

Ian Clark is a combo guard, like Burks, and Dante Exum is a tall point guard. Both Clark and Exum will get some looks at the two this season. So will Gordon Hayward, but he's going to be Wing1 for this team anyway, I don't think he needs to be Wing4 as well. Exum can make threes, and is a headache to match up with. If he can consistently play back up PG / back up SG equally well then we're going to be very happy.

He's already shown he's not ready.

Clark is a more natural shooter

Supposedly anyway. He hasn't looked like that great of a shooter. D-league.

, but he did not have a very convincing rookie year. After that you get Carrick Felix, who played even fewer minutes than Clark did last year (Clark played 172, Felix only 38). Felix is athletic and could be a defender with three point range. We don't know because there's so little data on him in the NBA.

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The fact that he was a high 2nd round pick makes me think he has some talent. Being hurt hasn't helped him. D-league.

Last, but also least, is Brock Motum. He's a bigman, but I'm listing him here to go with that 3 - 6 - 6 breakdown. It's either him or Steve Novak, and I went with which guy is more capable to defend wing players right now.

Motum is ready to defend the 3? Evans maybe? If not they need to look to trade him. Their front court they have some depth. Everywhere else they are young and thin.

If the Jazz do envision Novak as a 3/4 then, well, it isn't going to be the end of the world. Hayward, Burks, and Hood will take the majority of the 96 minutes at the wing spot.

Hard to say right now. I'd say who ever is going best out of Exum, Clark and Hood should get those minutes and if they aren't getting it done give some one else a look. It's not looking good anyway you slice it. Again Neto would sure make this whole thing look a lot better. He could have gotten Clark's minutes at the very least.

There isn't going to be a lot left after Clark and Exum get some reps in at the two. And Novak IS the best shooter on the team. I can see some situations where putting him in at the three is a good thing. But they are situations, not sequences.

Bigmen:

Derrick Favors is the man. He's a double double machine who can send shots back and, when he remembers, completely humiliate players when he uses his full range of basketball skills and Olympian like athleticism. He headlines the bigmen for this team, and there's no big secret why. Favors is just really, really good.

What am I missing? I like him ok but I just don't see it.

Who he plays with on the floor will go a long way towards determining what the Coach will ask of Favors. (And I think this is backwards. They didn't make Karl Malone do different things on the floor if he was on the floor with Mark Eaton or Greg Ostertag or Danny Manning. He was always Karl Malone and asked to do Karl Malone things.)

Favors isn't Karl Malone for starters!

Paired up with Enes Kanter means that Favors' paint dominance is someone relinquished

paint dominance?

, as Kanter is a 20/20 threat when he is rolling. Paired up with Trevor Booker means that Derrick is more in charge of clearing the glass and outlet-ing the ball. Booker is Mr. Hustle and has an outside shot. Favors is more traditional here. And last, paired up with Rudy Gobert moves Derrick to the four, and then becomes the primary inside scoring option.

Gobert has probably looked as good as Favors around the rim. He should be on the move regardless of who he is playing with. His spot up and pick and roll are where he can be successful.

The changing demands on Derrick will be something to watch this season.

The Kanter / Booker / Gobert discussion will be on that goes beyond their conjugate ability with Favors, though. I think we like all three of them, and know that they are vastly different players. Kanter is more like Malone than anyone else on our team in terms of being an actual offensive finisher from 20 feet and in. He works on the glass and defensive effort vacillates from game to game though. When he is "on" he does play like a #3 draft pick. He's just not "on" as much as we'd want.

Same could be said of their other #3 pick who we just gushed over. Kanter is the better shooter with more range. A better post player. His passing game and ability to put the ball on the floor are much improved and after the last game he was actually praised for his work at the other end. The difference I see is Kanter continues to get better, is younger with a lot more upside. Favors is basically the player he will always be.

If Kanter is a flawed version of Karl Malone than Booker is a flawed version of Paul Millsap. But a hybrid Millsap, the hustle and energy of his first two season coupled with the shooting range of the current Millsap version.

He's hit some 3's let's not put him up with Paul. Again why did they let Paul go?

He brings toughness to a group of guys who were conditioned not to express toughness (but we've seen episodes where Favors of Kanter did not back down during games. Let's see more of it!). Trevor is going to push people around in the paint, and in practice. I don't see how he's anything more than the fourth big on this team though.

He's been the first big off the bench. Rudy has looked good but it's still pre-season. Let's not get ahead of ourselves yet.

Rudy Gobert is just so amazing I don't know where to begin. He's perfect off the bench because he gives the bench guards a Big Brother on defense to help them, and is a huge target on offense who cleans up any messes around the rim, or is a perfect recipient for a dump-off pass. He's big. He's agile. He finishes well around the basket. And he's not horrible at free throws.

He has been. Let's see if he can continue to shoot as well once the actual season starts as he has in the pre-season.

It's not crazy to believe that he could start at some point during this season. It's crazy to believe that he didn't deserve much more playing time last year as Brandon Rush did. (But that happened)

He deserved more D-league time. He wasn't ready offensively last year. Appears like he can pull his weight at both ends now. We'll see.

The Jazz have two specialists left in their deep bigman rotation: Steve Novak and Jeremy Evans.

Jeremy showed he was more than a specialist last year. Trade him!

Both are pure finishers. Evans is a great finisher near the basket. And Novak is a great finisher on spot up jumpers. Novak spreads the floor but can't play a lick of defense and doesn't rebound. But he's the best shooter on the entire team. He's the most experienced (in age), but has been little more in his NBA career than someone to throw a few change-ups on the floor. Evans can defend, but isn't a threat at all to make jumpers.

He's not? He doesn't have 3 point range but he was hitting open 20 footers all year.

He did last year, but we haven't seen a lot of it this preseason. Dude can't get on the floor, which is so ironic because his leaping ability means he doesn't spend much time actually on the floor when he's in the game either. Both players are in a numbers crunch as bigmen behind a very deep foursome. If they can steal some minutes at the three they may actually see 10 minutes in a game now and then. Neither is capable of defending the three though.

They need help at the 3. Who has depth at the 1,2, or 3 and needs a big like Jeremy?

I think Brock Motum is slightly better equipped, but he's a face up four / hustle guy hybrid too, in reality. It's likely that he's going to spend more of his time in Idaho than Utah, though.

Still could be cut.

I could be wrong.

You have been on most counts!

Maybe he's the Australian version of Dirk Nowitzki? Probably not though.

Impressions:

It's hard not to look at this squad and be amazed by how young they are, or how inexperienced they are. But the Jazz brass are determined not to skip any steps this time -- for reals. And that means it's a learning process for the players, coaches, front office, and fans too. There are going to be good nights, great nights, and forgettable ones too. But this roster is one that's going to compete most nights against playoff teams, and not back down.

The starting it should. The bench looks like it could have a lot of trouble competing.

It's a team you can root for. A team that will play an exciting style of basketball that takes advantage of the skills and talents of the players up make up the roster.

Trey Burke, Gordon Hayward, and Derrick Favors are going to straight up ball this year. And the rest of the team will follow. Alec Burks could be our leading scorer. Enes Kanter could start to reach the surface of his potential.

But they aren't part of the big 3?

Dante Exum could be facing off against Trey in the Rookie/Soph game.

Not looking likely.

Rodney Hood is already regarded as the steal of the draft.

By who? He hasn't been looking very good.

Trevor Booker is a freight train. Steve Novak is hilarious. And man, Rudy Gobert. Dude is going to get some 6MOY, MIP, and DPOY votes if he stays healthy and gets a shot.

DPOTY and MIP off the bench?

You're going to love this team. You're going to love this team because they are bringing the Jazz back to Utah basketball.

I'd love it more if that mixed in some vets and had a bench and were trying to win games but than they wouldn't be able to draft another big man with upside next year.

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Jones' release is somewhat surprising, considering the 6-foot-6, 225-pounder played in six of the Jazz's first seven preseason games. The 33-year-old, trying to get back into the NBA after a year away, averaged 3.2 points and 1.0 rebounds in 11.8 minutes for the Jazz.

He didn't play when Clark, Hood and Burks were healthy. Would have been nice to have had another vet around but certainly not surprising looking at their roster.

Cooley only saw limited action in two exhibition games, as the bulky 6-9 big man averaged 3.5 points and 3.0 boards.

The Jazz, who won at Oklahoma City on Tuesday to improve to 5-2, wrap up their eight-game preseason schedule Friday night at home against the Phoenix Suns. The game won't be televised, but the team will stream it live at utahjazz.com within a 75-mile radius of EnergySolutions Arena.

EMAIL: jody@desnews.com

TWITTER: DJJazzyJody

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[QUOTE]If Snyder wants to clean up a specific area between now and the real thing, it

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All expectations are the Jazz will open the season with a 15-man roster.

We'll see. Obviously they would make a good trade partner with roster and cap space. I'm sure they could make a move if someone they like becomes available too. Their roster is certainly unbalanced.

[QUOTE]Jones, a 10-year NBA veteran, played a considerable amount for the Jazz in the preseason. He came with a reputation as a solid defensive player and it showed in the preseason. Cooley got limited action in preseason games, but played well throughout camp. Cooley, who played collegiately at Notre Dame, will be property of the Idaho Stampede in the D-League if he plays D-League.

If the roster holds at these 15 players, the final roster spots will have been earned by Toure

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[QUOTE]Clark was a summer league revelation in 2013, impressing so much that several teams were clamoring for his services. Utah won the bid, but Clark received minimal playing time. After a summer league where his main skill

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[QUOTE]Another of Booker

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[QUOTE]It