SB Nation - Brevin Knight

A Look at the Orlando Magic's Third-String Point Guard Options

Ben Q Rock — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:00:10 -0000

More photos » by Steve Yeater - AP

The Orlando Magic's search for a third-string point guard continues in earnest. The team must fill two roster spots to meet the league minimum of 13 players, and GM Otis Smith only has minimum deals at his disposal. Indeed, the Magic must now go bargain shopping after their early-summer spending spree, which included trading for Vince Carter's $16 million contract, matching Dallas' $5.8 million offer to Marcin Gortat, and splitting the mid-level exception on Brandon Bass and Matt Barnes.

C.J. Watson has the perfect combination of youth (he's 25), skills (a career 39% three-point shooter), and desire (he openly campaigned for the Magic to sign him), but the Magic's current financial state means they can't make him an offer Golden State wouldn't match. It's a bummer. Now, Smith has to dig deep. Remember, the Magic can only offer minimum deals. For comparison, the Magic used the $1.9 million bi-annual exception on Anthony Johnson last summer. Depending on the new point guard's NBA experience--minimum deals are based on years of NBA service--he could stand to make less than half of what Johnson does.

After consulting ESPN's list of this summer's free agents, I've come up with a handful of options, each with his own pros and cons. We'll take a look after the jump.

A brief note on methodology: first, I excluded D-League players, since Smith has never made a D-League call-up since taking over as Magic GM. (Orlando's last D-League call-ups were Desmond Penigar and Britton Johnsen, both in 2003/04). Second, I excluded Jason Hart and Mike Wilks, since their agent told the Orlando Sentinel the team has yet to express an interest in either of them.

I've listed these guys in alphabetical order. You can jump to a specific player's assessment by using the links below:

Carlos Arroyo:

The Good: Despite his less-than-stellar reputation in Orlando, which employed him from the 2006 trading deadline until last summer, Arroyo's a decent NBA point guard. He shot 34.5% on three-pointers in his only year under Stan Van Gundy, and is an above-average passer for a backup.
The Bad: He fell out of favor with Van Gundy late in the 2008 season, which resulted in his appearing in only 4 playoff games, for a total of 30 minutes. Losing the backup job to Keyon Dooling is nothing of which to be ashamed, but the abrupt manner in which it happened suggests that Van Gundy reached the end of his rope with Arroyo fairly quickly. Not much has changed, in terms of the offense, since Arroyo bolted for Israel last summer, which is to say the same challenges he faced two seasons ago are still in place.
The Verdict: Part of me thinks Arroyo would be a solid, safe choice. The other part of me recalls his at times poor decision-making--we're calling Hedo Turkoglu-esque levels of befuddlement here--and wonders if there's really a role for him in Orlando. After being top dog with Maccabi Tel Aviv for a year, would he happily settle into a backup role behind Jameer Nelson? And would Nelson react negatively to Arroyo's waiting in the wings? With Arroyo, there are more questions than answers, which leads me to believe Orlando would do well to look elsewhere.

Head back to the top.

Anthony Carter:

The Good: One of the best distributors and defenders on this list, even at age 34. He's heady and hardworking, and dished 4.7 assists to just 2 turnovers per game off Denver's bench last season. He'd also be willing to play for the minimum, which is the salary he earned last season.
The Bad: Expect to read the following sentiment often in this list - he's a bad three-point shooter, with a career conversion rate of 23.8%. About the best analagy I have for him is that he's like Anthony Johnson, without the range. And yes, it's totally reasonable for that sentence to turn you off a bit. We saw last season, particularly in the playoffs with Rafer Alston running the show, what happens to the Magic's offense when its point guard isn't a three-point threat. Carter, we think, would perhaps make the wiser play and drive the ball, rather than settle for the open trey--and thus play into the opposing defense's hands--as Alston frequently did.
The Verdict: There's something to be said for consistency, and Carter provides that. Orlando could do worse than to sign Carter, and all told he's probably the best option, poor shooting be darned.

Head back to the top.

Juan Dixon:

The Good: It's hard for me to get a read on him. His size (6'03", 164 pounds) indicates he's a point guard, but his career body of work suggests he's more of an off guard. Either way, about the best we can say for Dixon is that he's improved as a passer in each of the last two seasons, with assist rats of 23.3% and 22.7%. He's also a decent three-point shooter, with a career mark of 34.1%, and he shot 41.7% two years ago.
The Bad: Defense. A PER of 20.5 allowed to opposing point guards last season. As it is, his size makes him a liability on that end. Couple that with his declining athleticism--he'll turn 31 in training camp--and you have a small point guard who can't move laterally. A disaster defending the pick-and-roll.
The Verdict: Dixon doesn't bring much to the table, at least as far as the Magic are concerned. He was hardly good enough to take minutes away from Mike James in point guard-depleted Washington last season, which speaks volumes, given how bad James is. As I understand it, though, Dixon is a positive locker-room influence. So he has that in his favor too.

Head back to the top.

Royal Ivey:

The Good: Ivey's billed as a top-notch defensive specialist and a solid third-string point guard. He can also toss in the occasional three-pointer, with a career percentage of 33.6%, which is hardly great.
The Bad: It appears as though Ivey doesn't live up to his reputation. 82games says Ivey didn't even play 1% of Philadelphia's point guard minutes last season. Two years ago, with Milwaukee, he logged 22% of the Bucks' point guard minutes, and yielded a PER of 22.4 on 55.6% eFG%.
The Verdict: We know he isn't much of a passer. And if he's not a great shooter, and if he can't defend, then what does he bring to the table? Very little, which is why Ivey is little more than a last resort for many NBA teams.

Head back to the top.

Bobby Jackson:

The Good: Even after 12 seasons, Jackson has a little bit left in the tank. He averaged 7.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2 assists per game for Sacramento last season. His toughness has earned him respect throughout the league. An added bonus: his defensive rebounding rate of 12.5% would help him ignite fast breaks by himself. For comparison, Mickael Pietrus posted a DRebRate of 10.9% last season. And after spending last season in 17-win Sacramento, I'm sure he'd leap at the chance to join a contending team.
The Bad: It is entirely possible that Jackson's production would plummet. He'll turn 37 in March, and his respectable three-point shooting (35.4% career) took a huge dive last season (30.5%). As I said with Ivey: if he's not shooting, passing, or able to play defense, then there probably isn't a place for him in today's NBA. Then again, even with his poor shooting last season, he posted a Player Efficiency Rating of 12.4. Lowest of his career? Yup. Better than that of Anthony Johnson or Courtney Lee? Also yup.
The Verdict: If Smith is convinced that BJax has another productive season left in him, he'd be a nice addition to the end of Orlando's bench. There's very little risk involved with any minimum-salary player--not to put too fine a point on it, but they're only earning the minimum--but especially little with Jackson, given his track record.

Head back to the top.

Damon Jones:

The Good: An absolute assassin from long-range, Jones has connected on 39% of his triples, and is just one season removed from canning 41.7%. The man was born to shoot. And to wear goofy suits, apparently, but that's another matter.
The Bad: Jones isn't much of a passer or a defender, which would appear to relegate him to situational duty. That's what a third-stringer does anyway, sure, but he's such a defensive liability that coach Stan Van Gundy could ill-afford to play him for more than a few minutes at a time before other teams start running plays designed specifically to attack him. Another issue is Jones' ego, which may not let him accept a third-string role, even for a contender. It's a shame, since Boston's Eddie House has proven that scoring point guards can help championship teams, even if they don't play great defense.
The Verdict: Assuming Van Gundy--who coached Jones in Miami during the 2004/2005 season--could keep Jones' ego in check, he'd be a decent signing. Not great, or even good, but decent. Orlando's offense needs three-point shooting, and Jones can provide that above all else.

Head back to the top.

Brevin Knight:

The Good: Well, he can pass the ball on offense, and the can take it away on defense. His Pure Point Rating--John Hollinger's improved assist-to-turnover ratio stat--of 6.5 last season would have led the Magic.
The Bad: A complete and utter offensive zero. Here's Hollinger on Knight's 2007/08 season:

Knight led the league in the percentage of his shots that were long twos for a second straight season, with his total increasing from 62.0 percent last year to 69.2 percent this year.

Looked at another way, Knight was one of 10 players to take fewer than 30 percent of his shots from inside. The other nine all made at least 96 3-pointers -- Knight didn't make any. Layups and 3-pointers are the game's most rewarding shots, and he couldn't generate either, which helps explain his brutal TS% (which ranked 66th out of the league's 71 point guards).

Knight also rarely created shots -- he had the second lowest usage rate at his position. And while he ranked second in the NBA in assist ratio, it was largely because he couldn't create a shot for himself.

And if he's lost yet another step? Yikes.
The Verdict: If I'm going to discount Jones for being a defensive liability, I must also discount Knight for his offensive shortcomings. The idea of having arguably the best distributing backup point guard in the NBA might entice Otis Smith, but I'm not sure it'd be enough to offset Knight's inability to score. It's not like he's going to get hot from long range one night. In 729 career games--more than 18000 minutes--he's made exactly 16 three-pointers. What it boils down to is a calculated risk. Do you bank on Knight's veteran savvy compensating for his diminished physical skills? Or do you play it safer with another pass-first, shoot-second guard?

Head back to the top.

Tyronn Lue:

The Good: He spent half of last season on the Magic's sidelines, as Orlando acquired him two days after Nelson suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. Zach McCann says he's a good influence in Orlando's locker room, a sentiment with which I agree. Additionally, the man can shoot: 39.1% on three-pointers for his career, and he's getting better with age, connecting on 45.3% in his last two seasons combined.
The Bad: The Magic must not have seen much in Lue, as they traded for Rafer Alston at the deadline, thus relegating Lue to the end of the bench on most nights.
The Verdict: Apparently, the Magic don't think as highly of Lue as I do, as all signs here point to the Magic's letting him go. It's a shame, because his three-point shooting and intelligent play make him a better third-stringer than most, in my estimation.

Head back to the top.

Ronald "Flip" Murray

The Good: Murray just turned in his best professional season, scoring 12.2 points per game in a reserve role for the Atlanta Hawks. He matched franchise two-guard Joe Johnson in three-point shooting (36%, a career-high) and exceeded him in overall field-goal shooting (44.7%, also a career-high). And although he wasn't much of a playmaker for Atlanta (14% assist rate), he's just one year removed from a 27.5% assist rate in a season he split between Indiana and Detroit. Hooray for versatility.
The Bad: His percentages have "fluke" written all over them. Plus, after a great season in which he earned $1.5 million, he might seek a raise.
The Verdict: For the right price, he might be a decent pickup. Orlando could use some scoring off its bench.

Head back to the top.

Mike Taylor:

The Good: He's young (23) and athletic (dunk of the year). That athleticism helps him get into the lane, where he takes 42% of his shots, converting at a 45.9% clip while also getting blocked 14% of the time.
The Bad: Absolutely, positively, cannot shoot unless it's a layup. 32.5% on threes, 69.1% at the foul line, and a 41.2% mark from the field overall. His turnover rate of 19.4% would have been the worst mark on last year's Magic team by far, worse even than Johnson's 16.4% figure. And his playmaking ability leaves much to be desired.
The Verdict: Were it not for his age, we probably wouldn't even be discussing him right now. There's a chance that, with the proper guidance, he could turn into a fairly decent point guard. However, Orlando is in win-now mode, and doesn't have the time, in my estimation, to try to bring its third-string point guard up to speed.

Head back to the top.

Jamaal Tinsley:

The Good: He's a tremendous passer, with a career Pure Point Rating of 5.9 (Jameer Nelson's is 3.5). If nothing else, he can run an offense. And he's nothing if not in shape, having sat out all of last season as the Indiana Pacers, his then-current employer, banished him from the team and shipped the contents of his locker to his Atlanta home. He and the Pacers recently reached a buyout agreement, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent.
The Bad: Stop me if you've heard this before: he's a poor shooter, especially from three-point range. Although people who have seen him swear he's in great shape, sitting an entire year out, at age 31, means he might have some catching up to do in training camp no matter his destination.
The Verdict: If his character issues are indeed behind him--you'll recall his involvement in the 2004 Pacers/Pistons brawl, his participation in a barfight in downtown Indianapolis, and his being the target of a drive-by shooting (which in itself is not a crime)--if he's willing to play for the minimum, and if he's in shape, then he might be the best option on this list. You'll notice, though, the abundance of qualifiers attached to that statement. Smith is a risk-taker, sure, but he's yet to roll the dice by acquiring anyone with Tinsley's sort of reputation, which leads us to believe he won't start now. And he went on the record last year as saying Tinsley wasn't an option then.

Head back to the top.

Jacque Vaughn:

The Good: Vaughn is a tremendous passer with good offensive instincts, with a career assist rate of 24%, including 27.6% last year. And even at his advanced age--he'll turn 35 in February--he's a decent defender.
The Bad: He's coming off a season in which he shot 32% from the field in 292 total minutes. Even before that, he wasn't much of a scoring threat, as he's 8 years removed from his career-high scoring average of 6.6 points per game. The Spurs demoted him in favor of the rookie George Hill, which paid off fairly well.
The Verdict: He fits into the Carter mold as a pass-first, pass-second, shoot-third type. That San Antonio--an organization as worthy of emulation as any other in professional sports--essentially deemed him not worth playing much speaks volumes. Then again, he was last year what he'd be this year: an emergency point guard. He's not a great option for Orlando, but an okay one.

Head back to the top.

Jason Williams:

The Good: He was the starting point guard on the Miami Heat's 2006 championship team. And in spite of his reputation as a poor decision-maker--"too much French pastry," as Dick Vitale might say--he actually takes decent care of the ball.
The Bad: The man has practically nothing left to offer. I defer to Kelly Dwyer for more:

Don't try it, because I'm going to laugh in your face if you try to tell me he can make up for [his poor defense] on the other end, not when he's two years removed from shooting 38.4 percent from the floor. I'd love to see him try one more 45-foot bounce pass before riding off into the sunset, but the Knicks would be well-served to try the D-League first to round out their roster.

He's the most recognizable name on this list, sure. But if you didn't know it were him, but instead only knew that he'd turn 34 in November and that he can't shoot, you probably would dismiss him immediately.
The Verdict: With all that said, he's probably not the worst defender on this list, and is probably one of the better passers. Signing him to be the third-stringer wouldn't be an utter disaster, I don't think, but he's not the most attractive option.

Head back to the top.

It's become readily apparent that Smith won't find a perfect candidate. None of these guys is a home-run, even at a minimum salary. The ones who can shoot don't pass, the ones who can pass can't shoot, and very few of them play defense. Not a great situation, sure. Then again, Orlando's done quite well for itself this summer, and it's hardly the only team looking for point guard help. All Otis needs to do is to sign the one he feels is the best possible fit to a minimum deal. Then he can move on to that 14th roster spot, likely a big man, and call it a summer.

Why C.J. Watson is No Longer an Option for the Orlando Magic

Ben Q Rock — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 20:00:27 -0000

More photos » by Paul Connors - AP

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Not to rain on any Orlando Magic fan's parade after the all-but-official signing of small forward Matt Barnes, which you can discuss here, but we do need to explain how that signing eliminates the possibility of their signing point guard C.J. Watson to an offer sheet. An NBA source told Tania Ganguli of the Orlando Sentinel that the Magic will look at cheaper point guard options.

It is, as you might expect, a matter of money. A report by Tim Povtak of AOL FanHouse surfaced on Friday evening saying the Magic were preparing an offer sheet to tender to Watson, whose free-agent rights belong to the Golden State Warriors. Povtak said Watson could sign the offer sheet as early as the weekend, after which point the Warriors would have seven days to either match the offer, and thus retain him, or to let him join the Magic.

However, the Magic have chose Barnes over Watson, in essence. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports that Barnes' deal is worth $3.2 million dollars, split evenly across two seasons, with the second season at Barnes' option. The $1.6 million comes from the mid-level exception money left over from signing Brandon Bass to a four-year deal worth $16 million--an even $4 million per year, according to Marc Stein. Orlando now has a mere $254,000 of the mid-level left to offer a free agent. That's roughly $200,000 less than the minimum salary for a player with no prior NBA experience. In short, that money will go unused.

In theory, the Magic could offer Watson a contract starting at $825,497, which is the minimum salary for a two-year veteran. Watson earned $711,517 last season, and is understandably seeking a raise. According to Marcus Thompson II of the Oakland Tribune, he rejected a one-year deal from the Philadelphia 76ers worth $2.3 million, because he wants a longer-term deal of at least 3 years. Even if we assume he'll take a slightly lower annual salary than Philadelphia offered him in order to ink a three-year deal, he probably wouldn't accept anything less than $6 million. According to Larry Coon's Salary-Cap FAQ (scroll down to the chart, just above Question 20), players signed to minimum contracts can only receive pay increases commensurate with their level of experience in the league--as opposed to some other contracts, where raises are made on a percentage basis--and can only sign for a maximum of two seasons. Thus, Watson would earn $885,120 in his second year with Orlando, Add it up, and you'll see the most he would stand to earn with Orlando is $1,710,617 over two seasons, which is less than one-third of the money he conceivably earn elsewhere, with one fewer guaranteed year. It wouldn't make sense for a player of Watson's age (25) to take such a drastic pay cut, which is why he's out of the Magic's realm of possibility.

So Orlando will go back to the drawing board, likely looking at bargain-bin veterans such as Anthony Carter, Juan Dixon, Brevin Knight, Kevin Ollie, and Jacque Vaughn in order to fill their third point guard role. Nobody else has the sort of dazzling appeal Watson--a young, three-point-shooting, foul-drawing, ace--has. But either way, Magic GM Otis Smith has addressed two dire needs this offseason, as Barnes provides competent backup at both forward positions and Brandon Bass gives the Magic a young, bruising big man to help them tangle with beefier front lines. Count the upgrade Vince Carter provides over Hedo Turkoglu and you'll see Orlando can boast an offseason as good as any other team's, at least so far. All that's left on the shopping list is a third-string point guard.

Otis doin' work, indeed.

After the jump, a look at the Magic's salary commitments for next season, presented without comment.

2009/2010 Orlando Magic Salaries, as of July 21st, 2009
Rashard Lewis	$18,010,791
Vince Carter	$16,123,250
Dwight Howard	$15,202,590
Jameer Nelson	$7,700,000
Marcin Gortat	$5,854,000
Mickael Pietrus	$5,300,000
Brandon Bass	$4,000,000
J.J. Redick	$2,839,408
Anthony Johnson	$2,062,800
Matt Barnes	$1,600,000
Ryan Anderson	$1,317,120
TOTAL	$80,009,959

Liberty Links: Summer League, Salary Cap and Andre Miller

jsams — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:25:53 -0000

Wassup playas? Here are your 'Liberty Links' -- special July 9th edition.

The Las Vegas Summer League starts tomorrow, and as a struggling student at UNLV this is my one and only chance to see some quality basketball (sad, I know). Unfortunately, the Sixers bailed and formed a super-horrible team with the Nets ("The Scrapple") in the Orlando Summer League, but Jordan Sams will still be there.

This will mark the fourth or fifth (it's just one big blur of NBA ecstasy for me) straight year the Vegas Summer League will have a legend like myself in attendance. As always, I'll keep you guys in mind during my time in the musty-smelling Cox Pavillion. My laptop won't be present, but that won't stop me from "tweeting" all over the place. Follow my every move, starting tomorrow and running through next Sunday on Twitter. I fully expect this to be my Twitter-coming out party. (@LibertyBallers)

To get an idea of the quirky stuff that goes on during the Summer League, check out my SL post from my old blog.

Even the LVSL is feeling the effects of the economy. As TrueHoop pointed out this morning, fans will no longer be able to watch the games for free. Instead, you must pay a whopping price of 14.99 if you'd like the chance to watch all 55 games online -- yet another reason to rely on me to provide free coverage. Oh, and before I forget, I won't be the only SBNation blogger in attendance. Here are some more Twitters to follow: @phoenixstan, @brewhoop, @clippersteve, @BulletsForever, @canishoopus, and @RidiculousScott.

JUMP to feed the rest of your 'Liberty Links' hunger!

Let me ask again, why the Sixers didn't take a chance on this guy?

TrueHoop on "The Silver Lining of the Salary Cap Cloud". If I read this correctly, the Sixers, along with 23 other teams will receive somewhere north of 9 million dollars in cash by July 29.

The result, is a pretty good recession buster for the owners. At the moment there's nearly $205 million in the escrow account. $194 million of that, according to the memo, will be distributed equally to the 30 teams on July 29 -- meaning each team gets $6,467,847 in cash.

Plus

The other 23 teams, however, each get 1/30th of that money back, in cash. That means the 23 teams not listed above are each about to get $2,911,756, which is not a bad little shot in the arm.

What this means, I have no idea. I'm assuming it means nothing more than, each team will have 9+ million dollars in their pocket. Interesting, nonetheless.

Dionte Christmas and Aaron McKie

Kate Fagan does a good breakdown of the Andre Miller situation.

The 33-year-old Miller and his agent, Andy Miller, want a contract in the three-year, $30-million range, while the Sixers are thinking more in the one-year, $6-million range.

I'm with the Sixers on this one. I wouldn't be happy if Miller walked, but I'd be even less happy if they signed him to a 3 year, 30 million dollar deal.

"We're in a situation where we have a young nucleus of guys who have playoff experience, but we're going to grow with them," said Sixers general manager Ed Stefanski. "And to go long term on a contract with an older point guard, we don't see that as being a viable option."

You tell 'em Ed!

"We have made an offer to Andre and Andy Miller," Stefanski said. "But they're looking for a better offer from other places. And I'd say right now we're in the mode of if there is a sign-and-trade that makes sense for both parties."

As of right now, a sign-and-trade is the best case scenario. To who, and for who is the question.

"Lou Williams is going to have an opportunity here. We've been grooming him for four years," Stefanski said. "We gave him a contract last year to play basketball, so he'll have a great opportunity."

Stefanski said the Sixers would also look to see how first-round pick Jrue Holiday progresses, as well as "obviously going out and looking for a guy at that position, too."

Added Stefanski: "I think we'd look for a veteran who would help and compete for that starting position."

For those of you dreading the thought of Lou Williams starting at the one, it sounds like nothing is set in stone yet. If Miller and his agent continue to ask for an insane contract, I'd like to see the Sixers sign a veteran like John's boy, Brevin Knight.

Making A List (and Checking It Twice)

Jeff Clark — Fri, 29 May 2009 01:12:11 -0000

More photos » by Thearon Henderson - AP

One Grant Hill please.

Browse more photos »

Here's a very handy list of all the free agents that will be hitting the market in July. They even have a page sorted by position.

Why don't we pool our collective wisdom and start picking some favorites? As you make comments, I can update this list.

So far I've just tried to narrow the list down to guys that interest me and start lumping them into vague groupings.

(r = restricted | eto = early termination option)

We Want You Back!

Glen Davis
Leon Powe

Probably too rich for us:

Jason Kidd
Allen Iverson
Shawn Marion
Mike Bibby
Lamar Odom
Rasheed Wallace
Ron Artest
Ben Gordon
Paul Millsap - r
Carlos Boozer - eto
Hidayet Turkoglu - eto

Will He Take The MLE?

Trevor Ariza
Ramon Sessions - r
Marvin Williams - r
Raymond Felton - r
Charlie Villanueva - r
David Lee - r
Josh Childress - r

Already on the CelticsBlog most wanted list

Grant Hill
Chris Anderson
Marcin Gortat
Antoino McDyess

Hey, he sounds familiar - can he still play?

Andre Miller
Radoslav Nesterovic
Drew Gooden
Bobby Jackson
Chris Wilcox
Jason Collins
Desmond Mason
Joe Smith
Anthony Parker
Zaza Pachulia
Brevin Knight
Jason Hart
Rodney Carney
Juwan Howard
Jacque Vaughn
Quinton Ross
Donyell Marshall
Matt Barnes

He's Tall, That's Worth Something, Right?

Robert Swift - like a bad penny...
Shelden Williams
Jamaal Magloire
Jarron Collins
Calvin Booth
Jake Voskuhl
Michael Ruffin

Been There, Done That (no thanks)

Stephon Marbury
Gerald Green
Darius Miles
Patrick O'Bryant
Theo Ratliff
Wally Szczerbiak
Raef LaFrentz
Justin Reed
Mikki Moore
Chris Mihm

These guys are restricted - so who knows?

Channing Frye
Ike Diogu
Sean May
Rashad McCants
Joey Graham
Hakim Warrick
Nate Robinson
Jarrett Jack
Luther Head
Johan Petro
Linas Kleiza
Aaron Gray
Brandon Bass
Jamario Moon
Carlos Delfino

Who did I miss? What would you change? Talk to me.

(note: I left out most of the ETO guys)

Good Knight

Basketball John — Thu, 14 May 2009 20:56:51 -0000

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The post you've been waiting for all off-season, Brevin Knight.

Outside of Deron Williams re-signing with the the Jazz last summer, there wasn't much going on with the team. A little tweak came last July though when the Jazz swapped PGs with the Clippers.

The much maligned Jason Hart was sent back to LA from whence he came in exchange for the much traveled Brevin Knight.

For whatever reason, Hart never worked well in the Jazz system. That's weird because normally backup PGs have pretty decent seasons under Sloan. But his terrible shot clock management at the end of quarters, not to mention his terrible shot, drew the ire of many Jazz fans.

In comes Brev Brev. The Jazz would be his 9th team having lasted no more than three years with any one team in his 12-year career. It was a welcome trade because he was a solid vet that would compete with Ronnie Price for the backup position to Williams.

Shums was prophetic in his statement:

Seems like a wash

(unrelated, but from the same post comes clarkpojo's foresight )

When Deron went down in the pre-season, Sloan went with Price as the starter and Knight came off the bench. It was more of a platoon though as both averaged right around 20 minutes a game.

Once Deron came back, playing time slowly went to Knight over Price. By the end of the season, it was pretty much all Knight. Even in the months from Dec-Feb when Knight couldn't make a shot, at all, really. He went 0-18 at one point. And these were just normal, mid-range jumpers. Over those three months he put up a barely Mendoza-like .230 going 18/78.

So did we gain anything by trading Hart for Knight? Barely. Personality-wise, good guy-wise, and chemistry-wise we won hands down. As far as the stats go, well, it was pretty much sixes:

Brevin had a slight edge in PPG and he beat Hart pretty handily in assists and FG%. Okay, so we got the better of the deal, but at times during the season it seemed like Hart incarnate out there.

You can see that Price might have been the better option overall especially when the second team seemed to struggle on offense. We saw in the last game of the year against the Lakers what kind of spark Price could give us. Given Price's age, it seems like a no-brainer.

The Brevin Knight era in Utah has likely ended. I could see the Jazz re-signing Price and drafting a PG this summer as well as bringing in some other FA.

So good night, Mr. Knight. Someday you'll be a Jazz trivia question on a desktop calendar. Good luck on your next team:

View Brevin Knight in a larger map

Harris' Delayed Response and Birdman Goofiness

Steve Weinman — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 06:30:07 -0000

Boxed Out: A weekly look at statistical oddities around the NBA

Earlier this season, I criticized Devin Harris for his unneeded I-don't-know-how-I'll-respond rhetoric after getting upset with his justifiable benching by Lawrence Frank in a blowout loss to the Celtics. It's been a month since then, but this seems to be the week he picked to show us that he's doing just fine. The Nets' point guard and general Chris Andersen oddity highlight this week's edition of Boxed Out:

Devin Harris, Monday versus Philadelphia: 11-for-22 from the field, 5-for-9 on threes, 12-for-14 foul shooting, 39 points, 8 assists

That sounds like a pretty good night even before one remembers that he also hit the halfcourt three-pointer at the gun to give the Nets a 98-96 win.

Jarrett Jack, Monday at New York: 11-for-19 from the field, 3-for-5 on threes, 8-for-11 foul shooting, 33 points

This guy really enjoys playing the Knicks.

Troy Murphy, Monday at New York: 8-for-16 from the field, 19 points, 21 rebounds

Busy night for Troy.

Nate Robinson, Monday versus Indiana: 11-for-18 from the field, 4-for-6 on threes, 15-for-19 foul shooting, 41 points, 8 rebounds

Great game for the dunk champ.

Chris Paul, Monday at Sacramento: 11-for-19 from the field, 27 points, 13 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 turnovers

Just our obligatory weekly check-in with the league's best point guard.

Andrea Bargnani, Chris Bosh, Anthony Parker, Tuesday versus Minnesota: 28-for-44 from the field, 16-for-17 foul shooting, 76 points

These three sharpshooters missed 16 shots between them. Shawn Marion missed 10 of his 15 attempts.

Dwyane Wade, Tuesday versus Detroit: 11-for-20 from the field, 31 points, 16 assists, 6 turnovers

He continues to kill himself for a Miami team that remains on the second tier in the East.

Rafer Alston, Tuesday at Chicago: 4-for-12 from the field, 10 points, 5 assists, 4 turnovers, minus-10

Keep on killin' it, Skip!

Kevin Durant, Tuesday versus LA Lakers: 11-for-20 from the field, 32 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, 6 turnovers

He puts up one of these nights every week these days (when healthy). And that's the bare minimum lately.

Tony Parker, Tuesday versus Dallas: 15-for-32 from the field, 37 points, 12 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 turnovers

Tim who? Manu who?

Dallas Mavericks starters, Tuesday at San Antonio: 15-for-49 from the field, 45 points

The Mavs would be the one team in this game that wasn't playing without two of its top three players.

Boris Diaw, Tuesday at Phoenix: 10-for-12 from the field, 6-for-8 foul shooting, 27 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 turnovers

Returning to the desert in style! Former Sun Raja Bell chipped in with 23 points of his own.

Marc Gasol, Wednesday at Indiana: 9-for-12 from the field, 22 points, 15 boards

If only he could be bothered to guard anyone.

All five Philadelphia starters and Louis Williams off the bench, Wednesday at Washington: at least 10 field-goal attempts

No one took more than 13, five of the six scored in double-figures and the team won by eight. Also, as CB member Slick reminded me, Andre Iguodala threatened a quadruple-double in this game with 22 points, 11 assists, nine rebounds and seven turnovers.

Devin Harris, Wednesday versus Chicago: 14-for-23 from the field, 11-for-11 foul shooting, 42 points, 6 assists

Monday's performance apparently wasn't enough.

Dwight Howard, Wednesday at New York: 8-for-15 from the field, 8-for-9 foul shooting, 24 points, 21 rebounds, 4 blocks

Rule of thumb: Put up a 20-20 game, and you're likely to make an appearance in this space.

Chris Duhon, Wednesday versus Orlando: 0-for-6 from the field, 0 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 turnovers

This line just screams "Jason Kidd!" at me.

Kevin Love, Wednesday versus Utah: 10-for-12 from the field, 24 points, 15 rebounds (7 offensive)

Al Jefferson's unfortunate injury seems to be having quite an effect on the Rookie of the Year race.

Tyson Chandler, Wednesday versus Detroit: 5-for-9 from the field, 0-for-4 foul shooting, 10 points, 17 rebounds

"Really, Tyson, it was all money, nothing personal, we promise..."

Brandon Bass, Wednesday versus Milwaukee: 5-for-8 from the field, 8-for-8 foul shooting, 18 points, 11 rebounds, 4 blocks, minus-2

He played 30 minutes, and his team won by 20. Yet James Singleton managed to go plus-28 while posting two points and picking up five fouls in just 21 minutes.

Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge, Wednesday at San Antonio: 9-for-27 from the field, 27 points, 4 assists

The other team's point guard was Tony Parker. He went 17-for-27 by himself for 39 points and nine assists.

Chris Andersen, Wednesday versus Atlanta: 21 minutes, 3-for-7 from the field, 7 points, 12 rebounds (7 offensive), 5 blocks

Several players (Marvin Williams, Al Horford and Chauncey Billups) put up gaudy scoring or rebounding numbers in this game, but this particular line just seems weird all around for the Birdman. Nobody else on the Nuggets blocked a shot, and the Hawks swatted just four for the game.

LeBron James, Thursday at Houston: 7-for-21 from the field, 21 points, 1 rebound, 0 assists, 3 turnovers

That's his first time in 447 NBA games without an assist. It's also only his ninth outing with less than two rebounds.

Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom, Thursday versus Phoenix: 21-for-25 from the field, 45 points, 12 assists, 5 turnovers

The worst part is that neither played more than 32 minutes in a 132-106 rout for the purple and gold.

Rip Hamilton and Rodney Stuckey, Friday at Orlando: 20-for-33 from the field, 13-for-15 foul shooting, 53 points

Amazing what happens in Pistons' starting backcourt when one ingredient is removed.

Washington Wizards, Friday versus Chicago: 8 players in double figures

We're all for team scoring balance. In addition to Antawn Jamison's 27 points and 11 rebounds, the Wizards got between 10 and 14 points from Dominic McGuire, Darius Songaila, Caron Butler, Mike James, Andray Blatche, Nick Young and JaVale McGee.

Brad Miller, Friday at Washington: 23 minutes, 4-for-6 shooting, 9 points, 11 rebounds

Here's thinking he is glad to be back in the same zip code as a playoff race, albeit an ugly one. Fellow former King John Salmons chipped in with 25 points off the bench in this game as well.

Al Horford, Friday versus Miami: 8-for-14 from the field, 21 points, 22 rebounds

Again, get a 20-20, and you've got a spot reserved here.

Mike Bibby, Friday versus Miami: 19 minutes, 0-for-7 from the field, 0 points, 2 assists

Rondo is better.

Chris Paul, Friday versus Milwaukee: 4-for-12 from the field, 9 points, 7 rebounds, 20 assists, 2 turnovers

Probably even more of a Jason Kidd tribute game than the Chris Duhon performance mentioned earlier.

Jeff Green, Friday at Dallas: 28 points, 12 rebounds

Kevin Durant isn't the only young forward on this team who can play.

Dirk Nowitzki, Friday versus Oklahoma City: 16-for-30 from the field, 8-for-10 foul shooting, 41 points, 9 rebounds

And his team needed just about every one. The Mavs scratched out a two-point overtime victory against a Thunder team that played most of the way without an injured Kevin Durant.

Chris Andersen, Friday versus LA Lakers: 28 minutes, 3-for-4 from the field, 5-for-12 foul shooting, 11 points, 12 rebounds, 7 blocks, plus-27

More Bird! Another weird stat line for a goofy guy.

Shaquille O'Neal, Friday versus Toronto: 20-for-25 from the field, 45 points, 11 rebounds

Throwback night in Phoenix!

Louis Amundson, Friday versus Toronto: 9-for-11 from the field, 20 points, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks

Not such a throwback performance for Louis but impressive nonetheless.

Marco Belinelli and C.J. Watson, Friday versus Charlotte: 6-for-17 from the field, 17 points, 5 assists, 5 turnovers

No Jamal Crawford need apply!

Dwyane Wade, Saturday versus New York: 16-for-29 from the field, 2-for-3 on threes, 12-for-12 foul shooting, 46 points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists, 4 steals, 3 blocks

He outscored the Knicks by a count of 24-17 in the fourth quarter.

Thabo Sefolosha, Saturday at Memphis: 5-for-13 from the field, 15 points, 11 rebounds

The Thunder stormed through Memphis without Kevin Durant.

Ron Artest, Saturday at Chicago: 13-for-24 from the field, 6-for-12 on threes, 32 points, 6 rebounds

Too bad his team blew a 17-point fourth quarter lead on the road.

James Singleton, Sunday versus Toronto: 33 minutes, 12 points, 16 rebounds (8 offensive), plus-18

Apparently, he can do more than pick up fouls and mooch off his teammates to up his plus-minus figures.

Deron Williams, Sunday at Golden State: 42 minutes, 3-for-12 from the field, 6 points, 20 assists

He and Brevin Knight combined to play every second of this game at the point guard spot for Utah, and neither secured a single rebound. But the 22 assists between them matched Golden State's total for the game.

Shaquille O'Neal, Sunday versus LA Lakers: 13-for-18 from the field, 33 points

Maybe he wasn't kidding on Friday after all.

That will do it for this week's edition of Boxed Out. Feel free to remind us of anything we missed. In an unprecedented development, The Daily Babble will come your way this afternoon.

Catch ya on the flip side of the meridian.

Not another mid-season report card.

Basketball John — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 20:02:58 -0000

Can you believe the season is half way over? I won't give you another mid-season report card type story. There are plenty of those already. This year has been different anyway because the number of injuries we've had it really unprecedented with one team, especially for the Jazz.

Think back to your college days (which some are living right now), if you missed as many school days due to medical issues as the Jazz players have, you'd be applying for an incomplete in all of your classes. That would be my overall grade so far, incomplete.

So I thought I'd do something a bit different. In either my high school english class or in a college course, we had an assignment to write an article newspaper style. That was back in the day when newspapers' existences hadn't been threatened by the Internet.

The only thing that I remember from that was to write your article with all of the important stuff first because it was likely that your article would get chopped to save space in the paper. So you wanted your best stuff up front and trivial details at the end that didn't matter as much. Newspapers still have word limits but online it doesn't matter. That's why blogs like Siler's are good because there's a ton of information that you would never have been able to read in the paper.

Where I'm going with this is that I'm going to apply the same principle to the current Jazz roster. If you were an editor (GM) and had to start chopping off players, who would be the first ones to go?

We all know the players that are at the top and bottom of this list. The interesting thing will be to see when the axe falls for everyone inbetween.

There aren't really any rules set in stone that I'll go by. But I'll take into account things such as stats, salaries, chemistry, team need, and whatever else I come up with. For the sake of this column, we'll assume that everyone in the league has 15 players on their roster and that they're having to make the same cuts.

If rosters were suddenly cut to 7, who would you want? If rosters were 5, who would you want? And so on. 3. We'll also assume that everyone's healthy.

I'll also start running polls to see who you all think should be the first cut, the second, and so on.

So, let's start with the first 5 that get cut...

15 - Jarron Collins

No shocker here. You can't have good players 1-15. His one role seems to be just being a body Sloan can put out on the floor against a big man. I'm not sure if he's expected to do more than to just follow his guy around. He knows the Jazz system, he's cheap, and he's a good chaperone. And now that it appears that Fess & Koufos have jumped him in the depth chart, we're not losing anything here. Great guy but it will be interesting to see if he's on an NBA roster next year. Oh, and his +/- this year is -17.8.

14 - Morris Almond

This isn't because I don't think he's a good player. He just isn't going to fit in with the Jazz for whatever reason. He's had a few shots this year because of injuries and has failed to impress. He's shooting just 39% from the field and a woeful 25% from the arc. He's lit it up with the Flash in the D-League. They run the same offensive system in Orem that they do in the SLC, so I don't know why his game hasn't translated better to the NBA. No one expected him to put up 50+, but maybe the talent just isn't there. Not having his option picked up by the Jazz could have been a bit of a morale killer as well. He's not going to be back next year and could be moved at the deadline should the Jazz make a deal.

13 - Matt Harpring

His good play this month almost made me question putting him here. There are times when he makes some plays that get me to say, "Okay, no matter how bad he plays from here on out, I'll bite my tongue." And then he goes on to do something so poorly, I reneg on anything good that I've ever said about him. His defensive play is offensive. He'll hit jumpers from his two sweet spots and make a few more layups that he misses. In Sloan's system though if you're tough, then you'll be on the floor. No one questions Matt's work ethic or ability to bang in the post, I just question his knees and the rest of his body. They're not going to get any better. It's too bad he never took up football in his life because that would really suit his style. He becomes Matt Hapring's expiring contract starting in July.

12 - Brevin Knight

We knew he couldn't shoot. We knew we were getting a veteran backup that wouldn't turn the ball over. He had a decent November splitting time with Ronnie P while Deron was out. He shot 45% and 4.5 assists per game. He should now be banned from shooting ever again. He still has a 3:1 turnover ratio, but the past two months have seen him torch the nets for 24% shooting. I'd feel more comfortable with Fess jacking shots up from 30 feet. Knight will play out the rest of the year as Deron's backup and then ride off into the sunset. And as long as he doesn't even look at the hoop, I'm fine with that.

11 - Kyrylo Fesenko

It's hard not to love the guy. His recent play in the D-League and his play since he's got called back up has been encouraging. He still looks raw in a lot of ways though. Although he's improved since last year, I think Kosta Koufos has leapfrogged him. But check out Fesenko's per 36 this year, 12 PPG, 4.1 blocks, 66% FGP, & 10 rebounds. Plus, his turnovers and fouls are down. I'd like to see a little bit more of a sample size, but that's what I call progress. He's poised to make big leap for next year's list.

Up next, #10-#6. This was probably the hardest section.

Poll

Who should be the first Jazz player cut?

Jarron Collins

51 votes

Morris Almond

11 votes

Matt Harpring

10 votes

Brevin Knight

4 votes

Kyrylo Fesenko

6 votes

Other (leave message in notes)

3 votes

85 votes | Poll has closed

Recap - Phoenix Suns @ Utah Jazz - W 109-97 - If we could somehow harness this energy

Basketball John — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 19:33:58 -0000

Boxscore

Can someone tell me what's going on here? Honestly. Everyone has home-court advantage. Everyone's suppose to win at home. But the Jazz are a riDUNKulous 32-1 at home during the regular season since the Kyle Korver trade.

Is EnergySolutions secretly storing waste under the ESA? Is this the source of their power? Are their home jerseys lined with a super chemical? Think when they beat Boston @ Boston last year. The Jazz wore their home whites because the Celtics went green for St. Patty's. Is it because they're gettin' some at home? Do they have phobias of using unfamiliar toilets so they just hold it all the time? The ESA is their yellow sun and anywhere outside of Salt Lake is their kryptonite. Whatever it is, we need to bottle it, and take it with the on the road.

The Suns were coming off of big wins and built a first-quarter lead of nine. But when the Jazz went to the zone defense, they staged a comeback and led by three at the break. They traded baskets in the third quarter and entered the fourth up 83-77. That's when it turned into a highlight film of fast breaks, three-pointers, dunks, and two huge blocks by AK on Shaq that shook the roof (those two came after Millsap had rejected the Big Cactus).

The Jazz, showing more energy than the previous five games combined, took advantage of the Suns' foul trouble. Nash had 5 and maybe those of those were legit (but who's complaining?). Shaq had 4 and couldn't go at Boozer without drawing another. The Jazz turned those 28 fouls overall into a 36-27 free throw advantage, something that doesn't happen very often. See what happens when you get to the line more boys?

Boozer got off to a horrid start. And his first two free throws of the game looked like he was trying to learn some intricate video game method for shooting free throws. They both clanged off the rim. This led to "worst game of the year" comments in the game thread. And at that point, it was. But fortunately he turned it around and finished strong ending with 21 & 15.

C.J. Miles carried the Jazz in the first quarter matching Amare Stoudemire's 15 points. He was out of his mind, nailing everything that he threw up. It earned him a little more PT. He had 21 points in 25 minutes. Of course he could be getting more minutes if Harp would retire, but that will have to do for now. Brewer is barely getting his 30 minutes a game as a starter. I don't expect CJ to start getting more. It's great to see him coming along. Hopefully he'll make that 3.7 MM per start looking like a bargain.

As opposed to the $6MM that Harp is stealing right now. Matt has a lot of heart and he plays hard. You can't accuse him of taking plays off. But even with all of that, he's just barely getting by. Sure, he can still knock down a J from one of his contractual spots on the floor, but he's a huge liability on defense. If you look at his +/-, it looks great. But that's a small sample size and the Jazz have to go to a zone when he's on the floor to compensate. The zone worked well last night, but even Sloan has admitted that you only go to a zone when you have someone that can't play D. Harp, a great guy, but he is physically past being even semi-effective.

Come next spring when everyone's analyzing what trades helped teams the most, they're going to forget about the Hart/Knight swap. Knight has been above solid all year while Price has struggled, especially with his shot. Price will be a fine backup (if Knight doesn't overtake him), but Knight right now is better at running the first unit. His shooting has been icing on the cake. He was 6/7 last night with 6 assists.

Millsap and AK were quite the force on the inside last night. Both took it to the hoop strong. And they combined for a DDOS attack on Shaq. Millsap denied Shaq on a would-be dunk. Then AK followed up the humiliation with back-to-back swats; the second more emphatic than the first. Those swats set the tone for the rest of the fourth quarter. The Suns were never able to get momentum back on their side and never threatened after that. Kirilenko finished with 19 points, 7 boards, 3 assists, and those two blocks. Millsap had 11 & 9 to go along with the Shaq rejection.

And Shaq had to stand on Nash just to get this one to go down,

He had absolutely nothing tonight. He finished with just one board and couldn't jump at all.

Andrew Bogut and the Bucks will come into the ESA on Wednesday to be shot and tagged. Deer season may over in Utah, but I don't think the Fish and Game will mind a little poaching.

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Recap - Portland Trail Blazers @ Utah Jazz - OK, Call it a comeback

Basketball John — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:45:05 -0000

Another game, another comeback.

Boxscore

Man, these are great if you win. But I don't know why the Jazz keep putting the fans through this.

Despite shooting 53% in the first half, the Jazz found themselves down 7 at the break. Portland rained threes down from all over the court. And when their other shots didn't fall, they were getting seemingly every offensive board for anther shot.

Once again, the Jazz methodically plugged away in the third, led by Mehmet Okur and Carlos Boozer. And in the fourth, every time the Jazz would start to put the game away, Portland would answer back with another three or a Brandon Roy drive to the hoop. The drama finally ended when pretty boy Rudy Fernandez clanked a potential game-tying three from the corner. The Jazz corralled the rebound and all that was left were the free throws.

Speaking of free throws, you would look at the finally tally and see Portland had a slight edge, 27-22. But the Jazz had only 5 FT attempts through the third quarter. The Jazz were getting pounded on the inside and could not get a call. Boozer's layup at the end of the game that pushed the Jazz lead to 3 was a flip on the glass with his left hand as he was being pushed under the basket on the right side. I don't think it was a shot that any other PF in the league could have made given Boozer's ambedextric moves around the hoop.

via d.yimg.com

But when the Jazz started going to the free throw line, they made them count. Only AK missed at the line all night, and he was still 7-8. The Jazz are now shooting nearly 78% as a team from the stripe so far. Without that, the Jazz are probably 2-2 right now.

Memo might be finally feeling it. He was 9-14 including his first three-pointer of the year. He finished with 22 & 9 to go along with Boozer's 20 & 8.

Ronnie Brewere continues his early-season dominance shooting 6/12 for 16 & 6. The two plays that stood out for RonnieB was his baseline reverse jam and posting up Blake for a layup and a three-point play. I love seeing him post up. We'll see how he does against the likes of Kobe and other defensive two-guards. But that extra muslcle he's put on has been the biggest reason for his improvement this year.

via d.yimg.com

And what a treat it's been to have Brevin Knight in the fold. Suddenly the guy can shoot in addition to handling the ball. While RonnieP has struggles to find the bottom of the net (24%), Knight has been a valuable insurance policy with Deron out. I think RonnieP will right the ship once Deron returns and he goes back to his normal role, but don't think for a second that Sloan would hesitate putting Knight in over Price.

I don't know what more can be said about AK's play so far this year. He's arguably on his way to having the best season of his career. Check out his per 36. His blocks are down, but his stats are nearly the same as his heyday. I don't know what his win share is or anything like that, but his role now has had to have accounted for at couple of the wins so far.

The ESA has always been a tough place to play. And I'm sure there are a lot of factors including the fans, the altitude, etc. I'm not sure what to make of the Jazz second-half comebacks. Are the opponents really that tired or winded from being in the higher altitude? I would like to think that the Jazz have finally turned a corner and have finally figured out how to close out opponents. They did the same on the road against the Clippers. We'll find out a lot more once the Jazz hit their eastern road swing next week.

Speaking of the high altitude, aren't there simulators for this? Couldn't all teams practice in them all the time? Then it wouldn't matter where they played at.

I would love to see a commercial or marketing campaign from the Jazz that shows an opponent fearing coming to play in the SLC. Something to do with the crowd noise, suddenly not being able to breathe, and entering a Mad Max type arena when he walked onto the floor. That's better than the life off, game on commercials, right?

Other notes

Deron looks a little too comfy on the sidelines in a suit.
#999 for Sloan with one team. Could get 1,000 on Friday.
I want to see what these teams do to each other with everyone full strength.

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Utah Jazz 2008-09 Season Preview

Basketball John — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 05:15:14 -0000

It's the Jazz bloggers turn in the CelticsBlog's now annual NBA blogger preview. Catch more at CelticsBlog.

This was written of course before Deron went down with his ankle injury on Saturday. So the win/loss will be affected a bit depending on how long Deron is out. And it was also before learning that Kirilenko will come off the bench. But the rest of the preview will hold true.

Team Name - Utah Jazz
Last Years Record: 54-28
Key Losses: Jason Hart (G, Trade)
Key Additions: Kosta Koufos (C, Draft), Brevin Knight (G, Trade)

1. What significant moves were made during the offseason?

After last year's offseason drama with Andrei Kirilenko and Derek Fisher, this relatively quiet offseason was welcomed.

The Jazz did make one tweak and that was to send Jason Hart back to the Clippers for journeyman Brevin Knight. Hart never really picked up the Jazz offense and lost his backup position to Ronnie Price midway through the season. And Hart's arrival came after the departure of fan-favorite Dee Brown. He didn't do anything to gain favor with the fans either. From a fan's perspective, not even a Jarron Collins trade could top Hart leaving. We get a solid backup PG in Knight that will give a few minutes where needed and distribute the ball effectively.

The drafting of Kosta Koufos was the continual effort of the Jazz to find a suitable backup center. Koufos was probably the best of what was available at #23. His work ethic has already earned Sloan's praises. He'll push last year's center pick, Kyrylo Fesenko, for playing time. He'll likely start the year out in the D-League.

2. What are the team's biggest strengths?

The Jazz have the most effective offense in the league. Led by Deron Williams, the Utah averaged 106 points per game. They have a lot of players that can beat you. Williams has the all-around inside/outside game. Carlos Boozer has someof the best post moves in the league and can finish with his right or left. Mehmet Okur is a marksman from behind the arc but can also post up. Ronnie Brewer loves to roam the baseline and move without the ball. He's added on 13 lbs. of muscle over the offseason to give him an advantage when finishing at the rim. The best part about the offense is that it's scalable. It's made for a the half-court game and also when the Jazz need to pick up the tempo a bit.

Playing at the Energy Solutions Arena has always been an advantage for the Jazz. Last year was no exception. They tied the franchise mark with 19 straight wins at home. The fans sit right on top of the action. No team wants to come into the ESA. Their record at home after the Kyle Korver trade was an astounding 27-1.

And their final strength is their deep bench. Paul Millsap is an all-world rebounder and energy guy. Korver gives the Jazz the deep threat that spreads the floor. Ronnie Price throws the opponent a change of pace with his quickness and explosiveness around the basket. And CJ Miles is an athletic swingman that has improved his stats each year in the league.

3. What are the team's biggest weaknesses?

Of course the glaring weakness for this team is their defense. They really need an inside presence that can alter shots and be a last line of defense. As John Hollinger pointed out, the Jazz love to hack. A lot. I don't have the stats to back this up, but it seems like that many of them occur when the defender is already beat to the basket. So instead of conceding the shot, the Jazz player will put a forearm in the back of the shooter or take a flimsy swipe in a failed attempt to block the shot. So instead of giving up two point, they add a foul shot to go along with it. Having one of the best offenses in the league doesn't mean squat if you can't stay on the floor because of foul trouble.

The other potential weakness for the Jazz is playing on the road. They started out the year misereably. But once again, it was Kyle Korver to the rescue (or so it would seem). The Jazz played .500 (11-11) on the road since KK came to town. But in order to challenge for the best record in the West, they'll definitely have to improve here.

4. What are the goals for this team?

To improve their seeding for the playoffs. For two years in a row now they've been the fourth seed in the West but have had to open on the road in Houston. They've been able to overcome both of those first round series, but if the Jazz are to advance deep into the playoffs, they have to have home-court advantage. They haven't had that veteran experience yet where they can win on the road consistently. Until they do, they'll need to play their series at the ESA.

The Jazz have as much talent as any other team in the league. There is no reason that they can't contend for the title. They have the offense, the drive, and the youth to match up against any team. But a defensive stopper would be nice.

5. What effect will Deron William's injury have on the Jazz (I made a last-minute change with this question)?

I changed this one up to deal with Deron's recent ankle sprain. The part that concerns me the most with this injury is that they haven't said much about it yet. The x-ray's were negative. The MRI is scheduled for Monday, so we'll know more then. Deron is likely out for the first few games of the season. He could miss up to a month though. While I'm confident that he'll be fine, a couple of losses because of the games he misses could mean the difference between a 1 or 2 seed and the 4 or 5 seed. The good news is that Utah's schedule starting the season is relatively easy. They could escape this with only an extra loss or so had Williams been running the show. But if there's anything more significant with his injury, we could see the suicide rate in Salt Lake climb.

Predicted Record: 56-26 (prior to Williams' injury)