2017 NBA Offseason

[FinsUp1214]

Yeah, I still really don't feel like there was any ill intent on Hayward's part, even as upset as I am about where the Jazz are now. I just think it was a poorly handled situation with some unfortunate timing on many ends, and hey, we humans do that sometimes. It doesn't mean Hayward's a bad guy all of a sudden, it just means the guy's human and these things can happen.

 

Sure, if he did know already where he was going from the very start weeks or days ago, it would have been nice to have this put to bed early so the Jazz could have a chance to make moves to fill the gap instead of being left to dry with basically no options. Or if he truly did decide on Boston just yesterday morning, it would have been nice to just chuck the Player's Tribune thing when the news broke and release a short statement a lot sooner so the fanbase didn't get their hearts ripped out twice (as well as Boston get led on), and so the Jazz could still adequately make a play for Otto Porter or something. (For those thinking the Jazz could've just made calls anyways in the meantime, remember that Jazz Pres Steve Starks confirmed that they did NOT know of his plans in the meantime, so there wasn't much way of knowing how to proceed. It's bad form to make a bunch of calls only to possibly have take them all back if Hayward decides to stay. They were not left in a good position.)

 

But, that all said, it is what it is now and I truly don't think Hayward meant for this to blow up so bad. It's his first rodeo with this sort of thing and it didn't get handled very well at all, but that's not a mark on his character either in my eyes. It's just how things happened, and who's to say any one of us wouldn't have handled it the same way. I give him credit for at least trying to alleviate the situation, even if the mode of doing so may have been a bit more harmful than healing overall to most fans. 

 

I'm deeply dissapointed and really upset about where this leaves the Jazz, but I just can't bring myself to be mad at the guy and will not be burning his jersey by any means. The best thing to do now is wish him the best and move forward, however gloomy the place we're moving forward to seems to be.

[FiddySicks]

2 hours ago, Lee Noire said:

Is it ever really that deep though? This man ain't paying your bills and you aren't paying his. He gave y'all 7 years and you mad because he didn't want to be there anymore? Y'all gotta stop trying to dictate how these players live and the decisions make. It's weird.

 

I'm not mad at all, and I'm not a Jazz fan. My team was the beneficiary of one of these "Love y'all but your town is a s**thole" pieces just last year. I'm just saying these huge essays trying to contextualize why you're leaving in hopes of calming people down are usually more counterintuitive than anything else. People are gonna be mad either way. Might as well not make it worse by trying to explain it all in detail.

[Lee Noire]

4 hours ago, DG_Now said:

The Players Tribune may be hokey, but it did give us these two gems:

 

1. Kobe Bryant can detect a rim off by a quarter inch: https://www.theplayerstribune.com/gerald-henderson-guarding-kobe-bryant/

 

2. Dion Waiters legitimately moving piece about his life: https://www.theplayerstribune.com/dion-waiters-miami-heat-nba-is-lucky/

 

I think we've long since discovered TPB won't be transplanting ESPN any time soon, so I'm happy for what it is when it provides neat stuff.

I think it's a good place for players to control their own narrative. PR driven or not, as a player I'd much rather go that route than leave it to a reporter with an agenda. I think that's what irks these reporters that have railed against it to be honest.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

Warriors fans are going to love Swaggy P so much.

[BBTV]

3 hours ago, DG_Now said:

Warriors fans are going to love Swaggy P so much.

 

I love how he refers to himself as Swaggy P.  Brett Brown even referred to him as that during interviews.  Too bad he wasn't really that good.

[FinsUp1214]

Hayward-for-Crowder Sign and Trade talks brewing.

 

No guarantees this could get anywhere yet, but if it's got a chance, I'll take it with open arms. It'd be a better outcome than anything left in free agency, and certainly better than nothing.

 

[DG_ThenNowForever]

3 minutes ago, FinsUp1214 said:

Hayward-for-Crowder Sign and Trade talks brewing.

 

No guarantees this could get anywhere yet, but if it's got a chance, I'll take it with open arms. It'd be a better outcome than anything left in free agency, and certainly better than nothing.

 

 

That'd be great for Jazz. People seem to be down on Crowder, but he's really good and plays hard. The Jazz won't easily replace Hayward's scoring, but Crowder is a solid NBA player.

 

I'm not sure where Rudy Gay is supposed to go, but Utah's probably a good a place as anywhere.

[FinsUp1214]

4 minutes ago, DG_Now said:

 

That'd be great for Jazz. People seem to be down on Crowder, but he's really good and plays hard. The Jazz won't easily replace Hayward's scoring, but Crowder is a solid NBA player.

 

I'm not sure where Rudy Gay is supposed to go, but Utah's probably a good a place as anywhere.

 

Yeah, I've always really liked Crowder. He's got a great motor and has more talent than he's given credit for. He won't drop 21 a night like Gordon did, but he'd still provide great value and I'd be more than happy to have him.

 

As for Gay, the one thing that really worries me is his Achilles. We've been decimated by injuries so often that the prospect of signing someone who's already a little hobbled gets me nervous. However, if healthy, he too could provide a great spark. If it comes to it, I'll take him too.

 

 

[FiddySicks]

Yeah, Lebron is as gone as gone can be after this season. Dan Gilbert is a moron. 

 

http://deadspin.com/report-just-some-more-evidence-that-dan-gilbert-is-tru-1796666461

[Digby]

14 hours ago, DG_Now said:

 

That'd be great for Jazz. People seem to be down on Crowder, but he's really good and plays hard. The Jazz won't easily replace Hayward's scoring, but Crowder is a solid NBA player.

 

I'm not sure where Rudy Gay is supposed to go, but Utah's probably a good a place as anywhere.

 

Crowder's been pretty well beloved during his time in Boston, leaving aside the loudly vocal group of detractors. He is frustratingly inconsistent at times, which is why it's tough to have him as a playoff starter as we saw this year. But yeah -- plays hard, great motor sounds right to me, a two-way player that fit the Brad Stevens vision very well. Getting him in exchange for selling high on Rondo is one of Ainge's lowkey best moves of recent years. I'm gonna miss the guy even if Hayward is a clear upgrade.

[rams80]

On 7/4/2017 at 8:02 AM, BringBackTheVet said:

moves like that should be illegal.  It makes a mockery of the salary cap (not that the NBA cap isn't a complete cluster f of loopholes and jargon) and only makes it harder for the "have nots" to compete, because they're not going to get the discount.

 

If you support this move, but trash The Process, then you're a hypocrite.  Would any other free agent take significantly less to sign with a team like the Sixers or Bucks or some other crap team?  Nope.  Hence the need for a process.

 

Pre-process Sixers?  It depends.  Philly was a desirable place to play before Hinkie displayed absolutely no ambition to win ever.

[Lights Out]

 

$6 mil a year is dirt-cheap for someone who has widely been considered the best international player not in the NBA. Nice work by our front office! Just hope we can re-sign him if he plays well.

[KittSmith_95]

If Teosodic works out in LA, the Clippers could be a playoff team. I just hope that he can play defense, as that's one of his main cracks against him. 

[Dynasty]

17 hours ago, Bucfan56 said:

Yeah, Lebron is as gone as gone can be after this season. Dan Gilbert is a moron. 

 

http://deadspin.com/report-just-some-more-evidence-that-dan-gilbert-is-tru-1796666461

 

LeBron is the very reason why the Cleveland Cavaliers have been relevant. Once he's gone, this franchise will parish under the reigns of Dan "This is my team first" Gilbert.

[BlackBolt3]

I really do love what the Kings have done this offseason. They won't make the playoffs, but I'm really interested in what they become.

[FiddySicks]

I don't care what denzelfreakingwashingtonabel says, the Kings are gonna be FUN next season  

[DG_ThenNowForever]

1 hour ago, Kaz said:

Legit the weirdest signing yet this summer:

Gay must be one of the least Spursy guys in the league; now watch as Pop turns him into an efficient two-way threat.  $17.2 mil for 2 years could be a steal if Pop can work his magic and Rudy stays healthy.

 

If he stays healthy that's an amazing signing. Gay will get you 15-20 points per game for a team that has had trouble finding reliable second and third scoring options.

[FinsUp1214]

Jazz/Celtics sign and trade talks have apparently halted. Boston must not be hearing the value back that they want; which if they're asking for Hood to go along with Hayward (who sorta only half counts since he's intending to go there anyways), I imagine that won't happen. My very best and uninformed guess is Utah's offering a pick and/or Raul Neto or Joel Bolomboy. It's a safer move for Utah, but I can see where Boston would get shut off by it.

 

It could eventually come down to Boston needing to get Hayward's deal going but not hearing good enough offers, and so they just dump off Crowder or whomever because they have to, value returned or not. In that case, if there's no better option, they may as well send Crowder here. But I wouldn't be suprised either if a deal works out somewhere else before it comes to that. 

 

The free agent well is really parched dry now. Unless talks pick back up with Boston - which again, could still happen - the Jazz are completely cooked as far as acquisition options.

 

 

EDIT: But hey, positive thinking and silver lining? Donovan Mitchell can play. 

[BlackBolt3]

Now I'm not entirely sure this year's Celtic team is gonna be better than last year. Bradley is one of the best guard defenders in the league, and with Cleveland and Golden State having elite point guards, you've lost a key piece in trying to get up to their level. Morris is not good enough of a return, in my opinion.

[FinsUp1214]

Welp, no Crowder for sure now.

 

 

I guess this leaves us with the only option we have left now: what we've already got. That means Ingles most likely will need to start instead of being the sneaky good sixth man, or Joe Johnson if he can take the extra load and doesn't mind going from the 4 to 3. No doubt he can still play, but there's a lot of mileage there. Either option really puts a dent in the depth, though, as both were most valuable keeping the motor running off the bench. I don't know what else they can do, though.

 

I apologize too for the constant Jazz rants, guys. This is just the most frustrating and nightmarish off-season I can remember as a fan. At least we scored Rubio to replace Hill, and Mitchell looks like a steal, but the rest has been a disaster. And through no fault of the front office whatsoever; they've been as proactive as they could be given the circumstances. It's just the way the cookie crumbled.