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Thoughts on @Blazers pre-season game
Posted by: KCJones on October 23rd, 2012
The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of the Utah Jazz.We got whooped. The final score, 120-114, doesn’t really tell the story of this game. Here are my thoughts, in easy-to-read list form:
- We looked good. At least up until we scored point #12. Then, not so good.
- Damian Lillard is a baller. Notice how our biggest weakness from last year–good starting PGs who run the pick and roll and are a three-point threat–reared its ugly head again tonight.
- Millsap looks like he has no lift. Favors looks less explosive than I remember. On the other hand, Portland’s bigs looked full of energy. JJ Hickson, Jared Jeffries, Meyers Leonard, Joel Freeland were all very active.
- Kanter looked good. Again. He’s had a heck of a pre-season and deserves regular season minutes. IMO, over Favors and/or Millsap.
- Mo Williams took it on to stop Damian Lillard from getting to the paint when he came back after the half and did a pretty decent job of it.
- I like Kevin Murphy. Really good stroke, has a handle on the ball. I’m kind of thinking he’ll be what we hoped CJ Miles would be, but actually get there.
- Our outside shooting is improved over last year, but tonight was a down night
- Gordon needs to not let calls get to him. He was playing timid after a few calls didn’t go his way and struggled.
- Again, I don’t know why our guys don’t start their defense on their man, especially those who can hit the 3-ball. Why are we running out to guard them AFTER they get the pass and are shooting over us? You have to respect guys who can shoot that.
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I tuned in at halftime, and from what I could see, the starters looked really sluggish. Millsap looked like he had bricks in his shoes, Al looked lazy but for a few flashes of heart, Gordon looked like he was intimidated by the Blazers, etc. It was a very sloppy game.
However, when Corbin put in the young guns, they looked to be full of fire. They played quite a few minutes with Lillard, Batum and Wesley still on the floor, and ran circles around them. Kanter is going to be extraordinary, and when Favors gets his confidence and drive, our front court will be unstoppable.
Through the whole game, I was complaining about not getting ahold of Lillard somehow. Kid’s going to be something special, and he would have fit perfectly with the Jazz’s system, with his offensive ability and passing prowess. I’m excited to see what he can do.
I dont like Foye’s game so far… He seems like another CJ´s cancer… and Im thinking on giving serious minutes to Kanter… not 15, but 25 plus.
The problem is the same as it was last year. There is not a high energy guy in the starting lineup. There is a reason guys like Sefolosha start. Their defensive energy is contagious and because of that everyone else picks it up. Now since Mo is the best PG, Hayward and Marvin are a great 2-3 combo the only way to change this is to get Favors into the game.
Your last point goes with point above. They ran P&R after P&R. They just pounded us with it (like i said all off season people would) and we could not stop it. Joel Freeland was eating Al up. Hickson and Jeffries were scoring over Paul like he was not there. That is a serious problem. As soon as Favors came in the game he got a block!! If the wing players have got to cave in because of poor interior defense or bad P&R defense boom all of a sudden the three point shooters are open. The defense has got to start in the middle not on the perimeter. We could have the three best defensive wing players and they could still not make up for the lack of interior defense we have.
Favors is improving and getting better every game. That cross over last night!? You do not see that move from a 6′11 PF.
- totally agree with Dallan, our pick and roll defense is a problem … our inferior interior defense with Al and Millsap on the floor … Kanter is ready for minutes, same with Favors … Corbin needs to figure out a way to play them.
Like I’ve been saying since last season. Kanter + Favors = elite defense. Plus they can run the floor quickly. Al is just to slow on the Pick and pop.
Totally agree with everyone!!!
Burks didnt enter the game until under 5 minutes in the 2nd quarter?!! What!! NO ONE can honestly say Foye has out played Burks. Come on Corbin, really?!
I like Tinsley, but not as our 2nd string PG. Lillard completely overwhelmed Tinsley. Tinsley is the perfect 3rd string PG, but no. The Blazer gave him NO respect ib his shot, that really made hard for Kanter and Favors.
The line up of Millsap and Al is just NOT good. I repeat, NOT GOOD! They gave up 25 points in like 7 minutes!!! Favors enters and gets a block, and the team gets 3 straight turnovers.
Corbin wants to run….well how about you play your two best defending frontcourt players that can also rebound. How about Corbin plays his best froncourt defenders WITH out best backcourt defenders (Hayward and Mo).
Corbin is really setting a bad example just like last year: play hard–who cares; earning minutes–ya right; he has started the same line up every game (Millsap wasnt there otherwise hed start). Corbin has already determined his starts and 1st guard rotation.
I hate doubting the Jazz, but Corbin looks like he hasnt made the next step. The good thing is KOC dump a lot of trash so Corbin has less options to mess up. But come on, Kanter has won the starting center position, hands down. And no way Millsap should take minutes from Carroll at the backup SF. Foye none of Burks minutes. So only questions should be how do Favors, Millsap, and Al split 48 PF minutes? Who gets the back up PG minutes: Tinsley or Foye. Thats it!!
Sometimes it’s good to get blown out of a game. Shows us where we still need improvement. Portland beat us at our own game. Super fast paced offense, murdered us with corner 3s (Batum looked like Durant last night), forced lots of turnovers and did a great job defending the paint.
Damian Lillard made our starting point guard look like a geezer. (If Lillard keeps playing like this he’ll be rookie of the year).
Tinsley was obviously still getting over the wisdom tooth. He was not himself.
Last night was by far our worst defensive showing of the preseason. Absolute garbage defense until the 3rd quarter.
The more I watch Millsap and Jefferson play together the more painfully obvious it becomes that together they are a huge defensive liability that any good team can exploit.
Paul Millsap is a better all-round player than Al Jefferson and Derrick Favors, but he’s just too small to have much of an impact. Bigger 4s can easily shoot over him; and he can’t sdhoot over them.
Derrick Favors needs to be in the starting lineup. Not because of his offense–he has none–solely because of his defense. He is a natural defender.
Still, I’ve lost some confidence in Favors. It’s almost like the guy doesn’t know how to score. There’s just something about his offensive game that’s missing. I think we’ll be extremely lucky if Favors averages 15 points a game as a starter. His offensive game reminds me of Shawn Marrion (in other words, it’s TERRIBLE).
How many open dunks and layups has Favors blown during this pre-season? By my count, he misses at 2-3 easily makeable (by NBA standards) buckets from INSIDE the restricted zone. He’ll hit the bottom of the rim or bounce it off the glass with alarming regulatirty. Even after he’s gotten the jump on his defender, he still can’t finish the play.
For Favors to have any effect on the offensive side of the court, we need to run the pick and roll. Sadly, our team has gone from being THE pick and roll team in the NBA to the only NON pick and roll team in the NBA.
Corbin needs to implement the pick and roll. It’s the most effective play in the game of basketball.
We need to start Favors on the floor for defense, especially if we’re going to keep Big Al as our starting center. Millsap is an above average defensive and offensive player, and Jefferson is significantly below average on defense.Even though his defense has improved, it still doesn’t make the grade. I’d rather have Favors protect the paint and have Jefferson concentrate on offense.
The rest of the offense will have to come from the Williamses and Hayward.
@Nick I think Favors biggest problem is he tries to go over people in the paint and create a highlight every time. He has to learn some craftiness to get around them not barrel through them. Him first shot the other night he tried to go over someone and the ball got knocked out of his hands on the way up which is more then often the case.
I almost wonder this and it is becoming more and more a reality as I watch the games. Favors worked on his game. I see different things I did not see last year but we all think he needs a go to move (which is correct) but right now he is trying 10 moves. Give it time. Because I almost feel like he is testing out what works now in actual games. He is seeing if he is ready for this or that or what not. There has been some good moves I just think he is trying to many moves right now.
I do not know if you noticed us run like 3 P&R plays with Mo and Favors and they worked every time with either a foul or bucket. And then we went away from it. I think our biggest weakness this year is the back up point. We have 3rd string guys trying to be our 2nd sting. We have done this for far to long. The only good 2nd string PG we have had was Maynor and we traded him away…
Within the last 8-10 years on the PG
It’s looking like a major problem is the frontcourt defense when Al and Millsap are both in. A slow center and an undersized power forward. I almost feel like Corbin will need to split them up and insert Kanter or Favors with Al instead of Millsap.
Or better yet, make a trade with Millsap. He’s probably the better trade chip, looks like he wants out of here as he refused to sign the extension, and is probably leaving as a free agent anyway after this year.
@KC we shall see but to me Millsap seems disengaged. It could just be he is struggling right now but maybe he is not happy with the role he is going to get and honestly as great as he has been if he is going to be like that then he needs to go.
Locke says guys will not say anything or cause problems with no playing time or low playing time but did anyone last year say Raja was going to freak out? Now we do not know what he freaked out about but at the first of the season I am sure no one said Raja is going to do the things he did
Even if you don’t believe Burks is the future PG of the Jazz, the way the roster is built, Burks is our best choice for backup PG. Burks is better than Foye. Foye is not playing the PG well. Tinsely cannot defend fast athletic point guards and teams do not honor his shot. Plus I think Burks is a better on the ball defender than he his running through screens and chasing guards. He is showing he can hit the 3, so I think right now its a no brainer for Burks to be the backup PG.
How many games did the Jazz play last year???? How many of those games did the tandem of Millsap and Al start??? They two lead the team in minutes so they were on the court a lot together, so……..IT DOES NOT WORK!!!!! I REPEAT. IT DOES NOT WORK. Are we waiting for Al and Millsap to develop??? I just don’t get it. If your car has a check engine light, do you go on a cross country road trip, without fixing it??? We are about to start an 82 game season, and yet we are the playing the same starting front court from last year, that couldn’t defend that didn’t work. AND they are both in last year of contract!! Soooo maybe we should fix it or something. Just a suggestion.