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Earl Watson committed to sign with Jazz…
Posted by: Adam Mason on September 20th, 2010
The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of the Utah Jazz.According to Marc Spears from Yahoo! Sports, Earl Watson has comitted to sign with the Utah Jazz.
http://twitter.com/SpearsNBAYahoo
Earl Watson usually plays the point guard position. He was waived the Thunder in July 2009 and would later sign with the Pacers. He moved ahead of T.J. Ford as the starting point guard for the Pacers. He is 31 years old and graduated from UCLA. He actually played along side Baron Davis back in 2000-2001 season.
Earl is 6′ 1″ and weighs in at 195 lbs. Last year he averaged 7.8 points per game, 5.1 assists, and shot about 43% in about 29 minutes per game. So he could provide some minutes for Deron and is more of a traditional PG than Ronnie Price. So depending on matchups he could the first backup behind D-Will. I wonder what this means for Sundiata Gaines. I know Watson can play some SG after watching him with the Thunder. He played along with Westbrook for a little while as Westbrook was growing into his role.
What do you think of this add Jazz fans? At this point I think it’s a decent add, but obviously it doesn’t give us the big block shot man we need. I don’t know much about him, so those who do, let’s hear your take.
Replies: 30
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30 Responses
Anything to protect D-Will, his minutes and his health. If Watson or Price can maintain the flow of what D-Will was doing in the game it would be gteat. Also if D-Will misses a couple of games it won’t kill us. If they do sign him I would agree that Gaines is gone.
I like this addition. As much as I love price I couldn’t help but cringe every time he attempted anything other than a dunk. Hopefully this will supply some stability off the bench. The Jazz are becoming quite a deep team.
Man, this is great news! I think this signing probably completes our backcourt. I think the depth chart looks like this after the Watson signing:
PG: Deron, Watson, Price (Waive Gaines
SG: Raja, Ronnie P, Hayward and CJ
SF: AK, CJ, Hayward, Evans
PF: Sap, AK, possibly Evans and Okur when he returns
C: Big Al, Fes if he re-signs, Elson, and Okur when he returns
The big move I think this lets us do is have Ronnie Price come in as an off-the-ball energy guy, which he is very good at. The move to bring in Watson will do wonders for our second unit, who don’t really have a leader. I think this guy will shine under Sloan. I remember last year thinking that we should have signed him before OKC did, and look now we have him!
One more thing, although a little unrelated, I think that Okur should be a backup big man when he comes back and Jerry should stick with a starting front line of Big Al and Sap.
I think this is really awesome. But I’d like to say, that as much as I like Price, I think he should be waived over Gaines. Gaines may not do much, but he has tremendous potential for being a great point guard. If Jerry took a genuine interest in him, he could be the next Fisher, if not a Deron-type player. Price, on the other hand, already has a developed game, and let’s face facts, he’s no great PG. The guard is meant to set up everything. Ronnie kinda looks like a kid playing schoolyard ball on the court. I think that if we have Watson, Deron could take some rest without much guilt, and we’d be able to work on Gaines, so that he’d be the next backup for Deron without a huge gap in our game. Not to mention the fact that Gaines made a huge impression on the NBA, and from a social standpoint, we’d be looked down on for ditching him.
Dude, the only things Gaines and Price have in common is that they look eerily similar, and they both played for the Jazz at one point. Notice I said playED, Gaines is a good as gone . . . shoulda found a way to keep Maynor, dude was good.
This is a great pickup however, if you’ve watched this team and Gaines much I don’t see how you waive him over Price. I love Price but his contract is worth more than Gaines and he’s outta position. We pay Gaines the minimum and the dude could be a perfect back up PG. This will be very interesting to see what the Jazz do. If we do get Watson that put’s our roster at 14 right? If I understand correctly we can carry 15 if we want so we may keep him and let he and let Watson and Sundi battle it out and let Ronnie play the two. At all costs this is what we need to do. Unless the have news that Fez is out. Either way Jazz fans this shakes things up.
I think it would be nice to have Watson, Price, and Gaines as backups, but using Price more at the 2.
And if we do that, I would rather waive Jeffers since he also has an non-guaranteed contract like Gaines.
Loose the most athletic player on the team? NO! I Agree with Arnie on this one? Yes, Maynor was b** a**! wish we would have kept him. Price is a pimp, I would hate to loose such a talent! PLEASE DON’T TRADE AK!!!!
Waiving Jeffers is probably a better idea than waiving gaines. I think Ronnie is a good backup, and provides a dimension off the bench that we really need in those games we sometimes fall asleep in.
I’m pleased with this acquisition. Though Watson is no world beater, he’s clearly an upgrade over Price or Gaines. I really like the fact that the Jazz are making a conscious effort to bring in veterans (Bell, Elson, Watson). Experience is a great asset in the NBA. Championship teams are usually loaded with veteran players who have been through the wars over the years. Price will likely move to third string on the point guard chart, and see very limited minutes at the two-spot on occasion (Bell, AK, Miles, and Hayward can all swing between the small forward and shooting guard). It’s pretty much riding the end of the bench for Ronnie. Likely, now, Gaines and camp hopeful Thompson have little or no shot of making the squad. The Jazz like roster flexibility, and with the luxury tax also being an issue, probably won’t carry 15 players. I expect they will keep the league minimum of 13, though they might elect to carry 14.
Possible Roster:
Deron Williams
Raja Bell
Andrei Kirilenko
Paul Millsap
Al Jefferson
Memo Okur
Gordon Hayward
C.J. Miles
Earl Watson
Franciso Elson
Ronnie Price
Krylo Fesenko (assuming he re-signs)
Jeremy Evans (the Jazz coaches seem very high on him)
Jeffers maybe, if they elect to keep 14 guys. If not, he’s probably on his way out with Gaines and Thompson.
I meant Francisco Elson and Kyrylo Fesenko…not a good thing to misspell names. And for the record…it’s Carmelo Anthony…not Carmello Anthony…LOL.
This is GREAT news!
Nice, now if we can get Fes to sign, we’ll be in business. I would like one more SG to come into training camp though
Why oh why is everyone happy about this signing? Yes, Watson is an upgrade over Price, but both guys are way worse than Gaines. Watson is a free-shooting point guard with an absolutely terrible stroke and the awful FG% that accompanies that, both short range and long – in the past two seasons he has come in and jacked up threes at just over a 26% rate of success. He does have some skill to drive and generate contact, but not enough to make up for his abhorrent shooting and poor decision-making. Gaines has already proven more productive in his short time on the floor, and is only getting better at his age while Watson and Price are declining. I would strongly prefer to see us using the money we’re wasting on Watson to get a big man like Dampier, sweeten Fes’s deal, or find a legitimate wing so we’ll have depth there in case Bell turns out to just be too old and a bust. Get Gaines in there!
And yes, it’s a bit of a stretch to say Ronnie is declining. He is in his prime at 27 but on average players in the NBA reach their highest peak at 26. At this point he might level out but he’s more likely to decline than improve; we can’t really expect much more development from him.
Gaines struggled to run the offense in Summer League, he reverted to his NY street style offense and didn’t impress me at all. Don’t let one shot earn him a pass. Watson plays D, hits free-throws, distributes, and … can hit FT’s. Gaines cannot, does not, and will not.
Price is an energy guy, I get that. I think he hit his ceiling though; spotty FG%, and riding a rollercoaster in regards to his decision making ability on the floor has been a wild ride that I’m ready to get off of.
As for Fes … I’m fine with letting the goofball walk.
Well, I still agree with you on Watson DEFINITELY being an upgrade over Price. Still, Yatta is a guy that can make his own shot and create for others, and has the strength to finish through contact. He does need to stay away from threes since he still hasn’t developed that range, but he’s otherwise a big plus on offense and is actually quite an able defender, a guy with strength and quick hands who defends capably and doesn’t foul much. There is a motherlode of upside there and I hope we’re still the ones to mine it out of him. Maybe they’ll surprise us and release Price instead; that would be awesome.
Gains performance per NBA.COM
2010 Playoffs Statistics
PPG2.2 RPG0.40 APG0.0 EFF+ 2.00
Earl Watson performance per NBA.COM
2009-10 Statistics
PPG7.8 RPG3.00 APG5.1 EFF+ 10.80
finally we get a decent back up piont guard. hopefully he works out for us
I’d take the possibilities of Yata over another veteran. On the plus, Watson is a very efficient backup. Does this mean our backup crew will play small ball? I assume sloan will still play price, plus hayward, plus CJ..
I like this move, and like many others on here, I’d rather see them waive Price than Gaines. I’ve never really been a huge fan of Ronnie’s game, he can jump out of the gym and hustles like nobody’s business (no denying that) but rarely do those things outweigh his lack luster decision making and poor shooting percentage. I agree with JC also, Gaines shouldn’t be given a free pass just because he made one big shot nor should Price be given a free pass because he played college ball in Provo. Gaines has the bigger upside and has shown much more potential. Keep the guy that’s still on the up in his career as opposed to the guy who will likely be declining.
Let’s not get too excited, what if he has a non-guaranteed deal?
via ESPN: “Back-up battle: Ronnie Price is guaranteed for $1.3 million next season,” he tweeted. “Gaines has a non-guaranteed deal. Still a shot Gaines makes the team, though. Watson’s deal could be one where it only becomes guaranteed if/when he makes final roster. If Watson’s signing with Jazz is finalized, terms of contract will directly affect Gaines’ future with the team.”
For some reason I thought Price was non-guaranteed. Yuck!
Everytime Gaines took the floor in the Summer league I wanted to change the channell. He may have potential but his lack of showing there is probably what may have him in the hot seat now. A buzzer beater over the Cavs doesnt save you a roster spot. He may have potential, but he has to learn hes the one pushing the ball and making plays for other guys. Not missing layups or constantly getting rejected under the rim.
Maynor was our answer but unfortunatly we had to let him go. We won’t see someone like him come around again for awhile i’m afraid.
I agree his performance in the summer league was severely lacking. However, when he got PT last season he showed he is capable of running the offense, setting guys up, and knocking down open jumpers. The point I was trying to make was that he and Price should both have to prove they’re worth keeping. Gaines shouldn’t be handed a roster spot just because he made one big shot just as Price shouldn’t be handed a roster spot just because he played at UVU. Price is a great guy and brings energy but not much else. Hustle only gets you and your team so far, you also have to be able to make quality plays at the right time and Price just doesn’t do that on a consistent basis. I really wouldn’t mind seeing them both back on the roster this season. I do think Price can be a spark plug off the bench I just think he would be better utilized as a wing player.
Seriously, look at the numbers for Gaines in BIG LEAGUE play, in the NBA. We only used him sparingly, but his numbers per 36 minutes:
17.6 points / 6.5 Assists / 4.8 Rebounds / 2.3 Turnovers / .463 FG% / .09 Win Shares
Earl Watson’s numbers, per 36 minutes:
9.6 points / 6.2 Assists / 3.7 Rebounds / 2.7 Turnovers / .426 FG% / .04 Win Shares
Ronnie Price’s numbers, per 36 minutes:
11.4 points / 2.1 Assists (2.1! LOL) / 3.3 Rebounds / 2.5 Turnovers / .405 FG% / .04 Win Shares
Sure, Yatta may have had an uneven summer league and needs to get a bit more focused, but he has shown a legitimate capability to produce at the NBA level, and not just in the Cavs game. He’s extremely quick, and also surprisingly strong considering the thin 6′1″ frame. Looking at all 3 in a per-minute comparison (not per-game, which is ridiculously skewed when one played 30 min a game and another played 7), Gaines stands out as the class of the bunch by A COMFORTABLE MILE. We are wasting this kid and it’s a real shame. Gaines absolutely tore up the D-League and came to the Jazz with a chip on his shoulder, and proved his worth on the court repeatedly (he was key in three close victories: over the Cavs, Suns, and Kings, and otherwise performed very well including keeping us in the game in a close loss to the Hawks in Salt Lake when seemingly everyone else was cold). Yet somehow Yatta ended up almost erased from the rotation for the postseason, and then not given any offseason motivation or reason to believe he had a future with this team. All we’ve done is reinforce that throughout the summer. Can you blame the guy for taking a big dump in Summer League? What reason does he have to try?
Anyway, I hope we keep him on for camp and he shows up and plays to even his current value. Never mind his potential, considering at his age he should only be getting better! If he even plays the same way he played when he was ON THE NBA COURT last season, he completely outclasses Watson, Price, and quite a few current NBA point guards.
I REALLY don’t want Gaines to go and honestly don’t think the Jazz have the intent to get rid of him. I don’t see why they would. he is young,cheap and a great player. He has proven his worth to us.
Waive Jeffers. have 3 back ups with one at the swingman.
gaines is a must. His numbers are too good for the time he has played. Getting rid of Yada is a stupid….stupid move.
I don’t know about you guys but it seems like the Jazz are just one additional player away from being special. That player to me is someone on the wing. We need a guy that we can go to at the end of the game (rather than Deron) we need an elight wing. I love Cj and our other wings and if they don’t step it up this year and prove to be studs than Utah must make a move, especially if we’re going to keep D-will
Here’s what I’m hoping that Utah is thinking with this pick up. Now Ronnie P will be able to play his natural positin…the 2. Now with our second unti Ronnie can play to his strengths whils Watson runs the point. This is a great move…Our second unit just got significantly better
Chris you cannot compare the D-league to the NBA. Almond tore up the D-league, I though Koufus tore up the D-league, how they turn out?
being the best out of a small league of a bunch of players that can’t make it on an NBA team does not compare to actual NBA professionals.
As long as Gaines realizes hes making the plays for everyone else I think he can become a really good guard. It seemed like during the summer league he wanted to do everything. He is not that type of guard, at least not yet. He needs to pass to the real scoring options and faciliate the ball that way. Summer league is also hard to compare to the NBA, but if thats the way hes gonna play no thanks. If he actually works the system and gets the ball to a wing or big man. Then maybe he is the answer over Price.