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Is it Time to Raise the White Flag?
Posted by: Danny Hansen on March 8th, 2011
The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of the Utah Jazz.
I am going to say it. The word we don’t want to hear or believe, but I am still going to say it: Rebuilding. Whether we, or mostly just I, want to say it’s true, it seems to be fact. The Jazz are in full rebuilding mode. They have talented players and are somewhat competitive, but let’s be real. They haven’t won back to back games since mid-January. The Jazz traded their star player for a good player and a lot of future talent. They are rebuilding. So the question now is, do the Jazz raise the white flag on this season and prepare for the future?
Let me clarify what I mean when I say the Jazz should raise the white flag. I don’t mean the Jazz should tank games for a better draft pick. This late in the season it would only be the difference between the 13th pick and the 12th pick. What I do mean is that we give our young players more playing time to develop, namely 19-year old Derrick Favors and 20-year old Gordon Hayward. With a shot at a title run out of the picture, it is time to play our young players without worrying about the outcome of the game.
For the first time in years, the Jazz have top ten talent on this team. The Jazz currently have 3 players that were selected in the top ten of their respective drafts, Harris, Favors, and Hayward. With New Jersey’s draft pick next year, the Jazz will have 4 players on their roster drafted in the top ten. The last time the Jazz had at least 3 players on their roster drafted in the top ten was 2000-01 season, (Danny Manning, Donyell Marshall, and Olden Polynice) and those players were in the twilight of their careers. The Jazz now have, and will have, promising young talent. The time to develop them is now in this lame-duck season.
One look at a team like the Oklahoma City Thunder, should get Jazz fans excited. True the Jazz don’t have a superstar like Kevin Durant, but they have a chance to do what the Thunder did and let their young guns play and learn on the floor. Now the Thunder are a threat in the West. In two years the Jazz can have similar success. Plus with a possible lockout looming next season, now may be the only time to get them on the floor.
Look at the possible talent that the Jazz will have in two years. First there are players like Big Al, Harris, and Millsap. Second, the Jazz have young talent in Favors and Hayward. The Jazz also have foreign talent in Ante Tomic, currently playing extremely well in Europe. Add on top of that the pick the Jazz will get from the Nets, which currently is number 6. ESPN.com and NBADraft.net have this pick to be freshman phenom Harrison Barnes from North Carolina. And if the Jazz have their own pick this season, it is projected to be, per NBAdraft.net, athletic swingman Marcus Morris from Kansas, or per ESPN.com, one Jimmer Fredette. BYU Jazz fans would empty all BYU Creamery stores over this. Also, don’t forget we get Golden State’s draft pick in 2012.
The point is, the Jazz are going through a youth movement. And as youth do, they fall as they learn. The Jazz need to let them fall to help them grow. So though it may seem the Jazz are giving up on the season, they are doing what is best for the franchise in the long run. Imagine a lineup of Harris, Barnes, Hayward, Favors, and Al Jefferson or other possible lineups that could involve Tomic, Millsap, Kirilenko, Jimmer Fredette,or CJ Miles. The future of the Jazz is bright. It is time to start living it.
Replies: 17
Views: 1453
17 Responses
I agree. Let the youngins work on their game. Last night Favors was pretty dominant. I would like putting him as a starter for a few games with Jefferson or Millsap along side him. I think putting CJ and Hayward along with them would help them improve their game!
I’d like to see a great deal of Favors, Hayward, Evans, and Miles(since this is a contract year)from here on out.We already know what the rest of the older players can or can’t do. Besides, I really don’t want to see us get worked over in the first round by a superior team.
I’ve mentioned its a rebuilding year in former posts. When Sloan left I felt it was his time and he saw that the team needed to rebuild. So he allowed it to rebuild under a new coach that will be there when its back to all of its glory and not retiring.
So we have new coach, new PG and favours, we expect AK back but maybe he will go somewhere with big money (maybe Portland? they have a history at doing that to us), we still don’t know if we will get Okur back, 3 top level draft picks in the next two years. To think we are not rebuilding is just living in a state of denial.
Play the young guns. Let them get expierence, We all saw how much Fez improved when he started getting playing time. Although going from a 1 to a 2 on a scale of 1-10 isn’t much… Gordon needs confidence, let him drop bombs for a bit. He can’t be any worse then Bell has been. Harris is a really good PG, you can’t expect him to come in on the first night and learn the flex system and put up Dwills’ numbers, who has been here for how many years?
Players only get better when they play, you can practice all day but without testing it in front of an arena full of fans and haters as well as very opposing teams vs. your locker room buddy, you won’t know if you can handle the pressures.
It feels kind of nice when you seperate yourself from the loyalty of loving players that have been here awhile to know that as we get more youth, we will lose older players. Not that I want to see Bell or Okur go, but the injuries and back spasms and yadda yadda yadda. It’ll be nice to be healthy for a change. I hope.
I dont see it as waving the white flag, as much as preparing for next season and saving already battle worn Milsap and AK from more injury.. Since making it to the finals is more than trying to lasso the moon, I agree, its time to continue working for next yr. Improving and Building..
I hear a lot about two yrs down the road (maybe due to lock out), but I can see things coming together as early as next season. Heck, Harris and Favors are still learning the system. Hayward, Favors, and Evans are all young rookies still growing into their bodies. Okur has been out all season for the most part. AK and Milsap are banged up..
Now after using the few games we have left to develop our rookies, get some time in for our new guys, and letting our wounded heal, can you imagine next yr. Just like they said above, with everyone healthy, more experienced, and some new talent (tossing those who are loafers aside), we will be a good team. With the contracts we already have and will have, we should be set for yrs to come. Winning teams who have chemistry dont have players run off to other teams..
We just need to work on Perimeter Defense, 3 point shooting, and getting experienced.. We can do much of that in a yr.. Maybe we will land a couple draft picks who can shoot 3’s. Okur bakc and healthy, can add to that, off the bench hopefully..
I hate to agree but your right, the future of the Jazz organization looks bright and i hate to see this season slip but we are going through growing pains. Its hard to believe this team was 27-13 and was 3rd in the west and now they are competing for the 8th spot.
They do not need another big man, they need a consistenet SG and a great PG. Bell and Devin can come off the bench once they find there future players trade CJ and Price for a SG and use the pick for a PG or draft a player and trade for a PG.
I agree. Making the playoffs this year would be a minor miracle and even if it happened the Jazz would likely be swept in the first round by the Spurs. It’s time to get the rooks on the floor for starter minutes. That’s not to say Ty should start them all, but he should definitely have them on the floor the majority of the time. I would love to see Favors get 30-35 minutes and be the focal point of the offense at times. He has plenty of game and will only get better. Hayward needs minutes and touches to get his confidence up. Play both of them 30+ a night and see what they become. What do we have to lose? If you ask me, an 8th seed in the playoffs and getting swept by the Spurs isn’t much.
I definitely agree about getting some more minutes logged for our rookies. I don’t agree about next year being too bright though. The rookies are going to need to gain a lot of playing time and experience before we see too much improvement. We will have to be patient with the team for a year or two. They need some veteran experience to add to the mix and we won’t have hardly any money under the cap to spend on anyone. We will need a star wing player (SF or SG) that can shoot the lights out. We can’t hit the broaside of a barn this year. I don’t see that coming from the draft without waiting for them to get time before starting to shine. I think it may be a couple of years before we are somewhat competitive again.
I would like to see them look for trades this summer. Try to dump CJ and Millsap or someone else to try to pick up some shooting and hopefully some real toughness. We have no toughness what-so-ever this year.
Like I’ve said, I’d like to see the Jazz address the wing position very first. Draft an awesome SG, but try to trade for an established one as well. Try to unload dead weight if possible. I’d be ecstatic for Iguodala, if that was possible. Awesome perimeter defender and great shooter (altho pricey). Get a good backup for him with our Nets pick, and this could be a great squad as it stands.
Getting rid of Milsap, unless your getting a great SG, doing away with Milsap will be a problem. Milsap, if surpassed by Favors, will still be a good backup. Until we get another center, Al is the man.. Okur should come in as a back up.. Okur would be the one to do away with out of the two.. His expiring contract may attract some offers.. Right now Al, Milsap, and Favors trio is a solid post..
The thoughts about a few yrs before we get compeditive again. Well that depends upon the SG and perimeter pick ups that we receive. With a healthy team, gains of knowledge, and time to gel together we may see the playoffs as soon as next year. The right draft and or trades, we can go much further. We shall see by this time next season.
Rebuilding hurts. Real bad. But it’s got to be done.
Sloan was a legend and he is missed dearly.
http://sloanshirts.spreadshirt.com/that-s-a-foul-C86485
It is my opinion that as a Player, Coach, GM, and Owner you should always respect the integrity of the game and that means respecting the competitive spirit of the game. I understand that teams tank every year for Draft position, but I want to believe that the Utah Jazz would never do that. They owe me better.
If any of you think that the rooks will help win games then great. All of them have earned more minutes, they have been improving. But it has to be in the interest of the team winning more games. By that I mean now, not later.
The OP stated in the post that he wasn’t in favor of tanking the season, but maybe just looking to the future. There isn’t anything wrong with that from the perspective of a fan, or a GM. But a Coach should always be putting his team in the best position to win.
Consider the effort that Al Jefferson has been putting in. This guy wants the playoffs, and wants them real bad. Making rotational decisions on anything other than that goal (playoffs and up) is an insult to what he has been doing. How would you react to that if you are Big Al?
How about Corbin and his staff? Does anybody that writes on here think for one second that those guys would give even a fraction of an inch of advantage in ANY GAME in order to simply develop? To get a pick?? Not knowing any of these men personally, I would still guess that their response would be an impulse to punch the questioner in the face.
Also, in my opinion, having a nice run towards the end of the season would benefit the Jazz Organization, and Nation, much more than one more pick, or additional experience for the young’ns.
Our success is never going to be predicated on having overwhelming talent against the rest of the NBA, but rather upon a culture of belief in the system set up by the coaches. That means the players have to buy in, and Corbin & Co. would be helped immensely by a run of good things happening towards the end of the season.
So, yea, play the rooks if they help us win, but never take the eye off the prize. Ever.
I say 100% raise the white flag. Rest the starters and give the rookies minutes and let them develop. Bomb the rest of the season and lets get the best lotto pick we can get. We need all we can get.
If our pick ISN’T a lotto pick, than Minnesota gets it.
Almost agree with you Shockwave, but, there are other considerations. Would you have them play injured just to make the playoffs knowing that we are too beat up to make it past the first round? How about risk further injury to a player if it meant winning? We lost Okur not only for the playoffs last season, but most of this season and who knows about the future.. I never said to let the guys cruise. But if we can get some valuable exp time for our rookies, evaluate the guys with contracts coming up toward the end of this season, and do our best to win dont we serve many tasks as well as improve for our future. I am all for balancing things. One playoff round isnt worth hurting a player any more than they already are in my opinion. If it were for the last playoff game looking at a ring, I may say suck it up, but we all know that wont happen this season.
When they say raise the white flag, I think they only mean to stop the risk taking, and doing the extreme. To lower the starters minutes a bit and give some other guys a chance to step up, get experience and work hard still trying for that win.. Let the injured heal. Maybe play with some different looks to see whats can work better for us, but still going hard every night trying for the win, not just jogging through the motions.. If that is what they mean, then by all means raise the flag.
If they mean sit the vets, and let the rooks have it, just so we may end the season with a lower lottery pick, heck no.. But I doubt thats what any is saying.
Thanks for the post Danny. Even after the Toronto win, John Hollinger’s Playoff Odds still have us sitting a 5.8% chance of making the postseason. I think we should still make a push for it, as winning always helps/breeds improvement. I think we can do that, while give substantial minutes to Gordon and Derrick (and giving Evans 10-15 per). This might help not only their progress, but a Playoff run!
@Danny: nice post. Given the state of the team’s health, we may have no choice but to play the younger guys even as we push for the postseason. I agree with David that we need to do everything we can to make the playoffs…Jefferson has never been there and you want guys like him, Hayward, and Favors getting some playoff experience, even if it’s in the form of a difficult first round matchup against a #1 seed.