December 7th, 2022
The Charlotte Hornets, sitting in last in the Eastern Conference at 6-18, granted Gordon Hayward his trade wishes swiftly, as the veteran forward was sent packing back to his home state of Indiana to play for the Indiana Pacers. Indiana is sending back vet big man Daniel Theis, Cleveland's 2023 lottery-protected 1st, and their own 2024 1st round pick with top 10 protection. The Pacers are sitting at 12-12 currently, good enough for 7th in the East for now, and they're hoping that the change of scenery for Hayward and some competitive basketball will turn his season around as he becomes a key contributor to this young but stout squad.
Hayward is averaging 11.6 PPG this year, his lowest mark since his comeback season in 2018-19 after he broke his leg the year prior in Boston. With his shooting marks at just 36.1/29.7/78.0, there is plenty of room for improvement in Indiana for Gordon. While on the surface the 2 draft picks seem pricey for his current production, Indiana is banking on Hayward bouncing back to his former self as he helps them push for a playoff run.
The Hornets were strongly considering offers from both Miami and Dallas, but Indiana's willingness to include an extra pick was enough to win Charlotte over. The Heat and Mavericks, along with the Lakers, continue their search in the trade market.
December 7th, 2022
The Charlotte Hornets, sitting in last in the Eastern Conference at 6-18, granted Gordon Hayward his trade wishes swiftly, as the veteran forward was sent packing back to his home state of Indiana to play for the Indiana Pacers. Indiana is sending back vet big man Daniel Theis, Cleveland's 2023 lottery-protected 1st, and their own 2024 1st round pick with top 10 protection. The Pacers are sitting at 12-12 currently, good enough for 7th in the East for now, and they're hoping that the change of scenery for Hayward and some competitive basketball will turn his season around as he becomes a key contributor to this young but stout squad.
Hayward is averaging 11.6 PPG this year, his lowest mark since his comeback season in 2018-19 after he broke his leg the year prior in Boston. With his shooting marks at just 36.1/29.7/78.0, there is plenty of room for improvement in Indiana for Gordon. While on the surface the 2 draft picks seem pricey for his current production, Indiana is banking on Hayward bouncing back to his former self as he helps them push for a playoff run.
The Hornets were strongly considering offers from both Miami and Dallas, but Indiana's willingness to include an extra pick was enough to win Charlotte over. The Heat and Mavericks, along with the Lakers, continue their search in the trade market.
The Jazz are a nice choice, I'm curious to see how to use the many picks you have available today. Hayward came away a bit expensive, even if protected two first picks are a lot.
Re: Structured Improvisation - Utah Jazz 2k23 MyNBA
Quote:
Originally Posted by LoSpecialOne
The Jazz are a nice choice, I'm curious to see how to use the many picks you have available today. Hayward came away a bit expensive, even if protected two first picks are a lot.
Markkanen can we get him to ASG?
Yeah a lot of it is contingent on how the Wolves and Cavs end up doing in the coming years lol. If they are less than great picks, I could always try packaging some together to either make a move in the draft or trade for a disgruntled star; I'd lean toward building through the draft first and foremost though.
And yeah, on the surface 2 picks + Theis feels like a lot for Hayward, but in my narrative I'm figuring that Dallas and Miami both were pushing for him, as well as Indiana, and Indiana just had the picks to spare. It's likely the Cavs pick will end up being a mid to late 20s pick this season anyway
Markkanen definitely has the efficiency angle going for him for the ASG, 22 and 8 off 50/40/90 splits is borderline elite lol. Lots of volume guys at the 3 and 4 though so it'll be tough, but I think he'll get in if he keeps up this level of play
December 9th, 2022
It was an emotional return for former Jazz center Rudy Gobert, who spent 9 years with the Jazz, essentially growing up from a kid to a grown man with the team. Gobert was presented with a tribute video before the game started, and he repaid the Jazz with a classic Gobert showcase, putting up 13 points, 16 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal, and a block while being dominant defensively. The Jazz struggled shooting in the paint with Gobert on the floor, and that in turn allowed Minnesota's guards to hound the perimeter defensively, leading to just 32% shooting from three for the Jazz.
Anthony Edwards had 36 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 steals for Minnesota, as well, shooting 12 for 23 from the floor and 8 for 9 from the charity stripe. While the Jazz were playing hard defensively, Edwards just proved to be too much to handle, putting the game to bed in the 2nd half.
For Utah, Lauri Markkanen led the way with 24 points and 8 rebounds off 8-15 shooting. Malik Beasley had a solid game against his former squad, putting up 17, 4, and 4 with 3 steals, making 5 of his 10 three point attempts on the night. Walker Kessler and Kelly Olynyk both struggled to handle the Wolves size in the paint, as the pair combined for just 4 points and 16 rebounds in 36 minutes.
The Jazz continue to slip down the West, falling to 12-16. They have a chance for redemption tomorrow night against the Denver Nuggets on the road; Denver sits at 13-12 on the year. Minnesota, meanwhile, improves to 16-9, as they are 3rd in the Western Conference.
December 7th: Loss vs Golden State, 100-107 December 9th: Loss vs Minnesota, 103-112 December 10th:Win @ Denver, 109-107 December 13th: Loss vs New Orleans, 100-128 December 15th: Loss vs New Orleans, 101-129
December 16th, 2022
The Utah Jazz continue to struggle, going just 1-4 in their last 5 games. With the Bucks on deck tomorrow night, it won't get much easier either.
While they had been losing more and more the past couple weeks, the Jazz were for the most part still competing every night, losing to Golden State by just 7 points, as Steph Curry and Jordan Poole went off once again, combing for 58 points off 41 shots. Klay Thompson was back for this one, scoring 19 points off 20 shots, but also filling the stat sheet with 7 boards, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. Lauri had an inefficient night, but still finished with a team-high 27 points for the Jazz off 10-24 shooting. Collin Sexton led the bench with 19 points, 6 boards, and 4 assists, providing a nice spark in the 2nd unit. Malik Beasley struggled with just 10 points off 3-16 shooting.
After the Jazz's loss to Minnesota on Friday night, they had their 2nd game of a back-to-back, on the road in Denver, and they managed to come away with a 109 to 107 victory. Jordan Clarkson was sensational, putting up 25 points and 5 boards off 9-18 shooting. 7 total Jazzmen were in double figures; Clarkson 25, Conley 13, Markkanen 13, Beasley 11, Alexander-Walker 11, Sexton 10, Olynyk 10. Walker Kessler was one bucket shy at 8 points.
While the team had been fairly competitive, that came to a halt the past 3 days with a quick 2 game series with the Pelicans, who beat them by 28 twice. Brandon Ingram had his way with the Jazz in their 2 games on Tuesday and Thursday this week. Ingram had 31, 3, and 5 in their first game, where the Pels won 128-100. In the second matchup, BI one-upped himself, putting up 36, 5, and 6 in a 129-101 victory. Malik Beasley led the way for the Jazz in the second matchup with a team-high 28 points; redeeming himself from an awful 2-13 performance on Tuesday.
Sitting at 13-18 now on the year, it might be time for the Jazz to abandon ship and abort the mission; this Eastern Conference road trip against the Bucks, Cavs, and Pistons, which will see the Jazz play Donovan Mitchell in Cleveland for the first time, could end up determining how the Jazz approach the rest of the season. With the halfway mark of the season fast approaching, it's time for the Jazz to make a decision; win or lose out?
Around the League
NBA Standings - Updated: Dec 16, 2022
EAST PLAYOFF RACE
W
L
GB
DIV
CONF
BOS Celtics
25
5
--
3-1
16-4
CHI Bulls
20
8
4.0
1-2
12-6
Milwaukee Bucks
19
9
5.0
4-1
10-5
PHI 76ers
18
10
6.0
4-1
11-8
ATL Hawks
17
13
8.0
5-1
12-10
CLE Cavaliers
17
13
8.0
3-3
11-8
BKN Nets
15
15
10.0
3-4
12-8
IND Pacers
15
15
10.0
1-2
10-7
DET Pistons
14
17
11.5
2-3
7-10
TOR Raptors
13
16
11.5
3-4
8-13
NY Knicks
13
16
11.5
0-3
6-11
MIA Heat
13
17
12.0
3-3
7-10
ORL Magic
11
19
14.0
1-4
7-14
CHA Hornets
10
19
14.5
3-6
8-13
WAS Wizards
7
22
17.5
4-2
5-15
WEST PLAYOFF RACE
W
L
GB
DIV
CONF
LA Clippers
26
5
--
5-2
19-3
GS Warriors
19
11
6.5
4-3
12-5
POR Trail Blazers
17
12
8.0
3-3
12-8
PHX Suns
17
12
8.0
3-3
13-9
DAL Mavericks
17
12
8.0
3-0
7-8
MIN Timberwolves
17
12
8.0
5-3
11-8
DEN Nuggets
15
13
9.5
4-4
11-10
MEM Grizzlies
15
13
9.5
4-1
9-5
LA Lakers
14
14
10.5
2-3
9-8
NO Pelicans
13
15
11.5
2-4
8-11
UTA Jazz
13
18
13.0
3-4
9-15
SAC Kings
9
19
15.5
2-5
5-6
SA Spurs
8
20
16.5
1-3
4-16
OKC Thunder
6
23
19.0
3-4
6-10
HOU Rockets
4
24
20.5
1-3
3-16
- The Kings have lost the plot, losing 12 straight games after a 9-7 start. Domantas Sabonis has been struggling thus far, averaging just 12 points and 10 rebounds with 6 assists per game, and shooting 43/25/68 splits.
- The Clippers and Celtics each have commanding leads thus far in their respective conferences; Clippers are winners of 4 straight and 8 of their last 10. Boston, meanwhile, has been red hot as well, winning 9 of their last 10.
- Robert Williams III, however, has torn his left achilles, and is OUT for the rest of the season. It's a huge blow to the Celtics, as the 5th year big man has been a defensive stalwart all year long, averaging a career-high 2.3 blocks per game. The Celtics are expected to target a center in the trade market to try and bolster the position, as Al Horford has struggled thus far, Luke Kornet has played limited minutes in garbage time, and Blake Griffin and Noah Vonleh have yet to see the floor this year.
- Philadelphia's Tyrese Maxey tore his right patellar tendon, and will also miss the rest of the season. The 22 year old guard was having another solid season, building on his breakout year last year with 15.8 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 3.9 APG, and 1 SPG while shooting 47/47/82.
- Andrew Wiggins has dislocated his left patella, and will miss at least 3 months of action for the Warriors. Wiggins has struggled this season, battling minor injuries for most of the season. With the wear and tear accumulating, Golden State is in no rush to bring him back; expect him to be possibly be ruled out for the rest of the year for recovery.
- San Antonio's Devin Vassell will miss at least 2 to 4 months with a broken vertebrae. Vassell is another young talent that has been hit by the harsh injury bug that's swept the league this past week.
- Chicago's Ayo Dosunmu is out for at least 2 months with a broken foot; with Coby White still on the sidelines with his back injury, Chicago might need to make a move for a guard to shore up the thinning backcourt.
- Steph Curry is the first player to break 50 points on the year, putting up a masterclass 52 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals against the Milwaukee Bucks on the road on Tuesday. Curry shot 17-26 from the floor, 7-7 from the FT line, and a staggering 11-16 from three in a 117-99 win.
- Gordon Hayward has been awesome for the Pacers in his first 6 games for Indiana. Although they've gone just 3-3 over this stretch of games, they've played some tough competition during it and have been competitive in the losses. Hayward is averaging 18.7 PPG, 6 RPG, and 4 APG, while shooting 49.4% from the floor, 42.4% from three, and 100% from the free throw line as a Pacer.
- Charlotte, on the other hand, has been playing inspired basketball since dealing Hayward, as it's almost as if a negative energy was lifted from their spirits. They shell-shocked the Nets by 50 points the day of the trade, then beat the Knicks by 16 two nights later. They then upset the Sixers on the road with a 5 point win, then defended home court from the Pistons in a 119-100 win. A loss to the Hawks tonight ends their streak, but the Hornets are suddenly back in the play-in discussion after dealing Gordon Hayward.
December 17th, 2022
In a game that was too close for regulation, the Jazz were able to upset the Bucks on the road in overtime, despite being down 3 rotation players. Kelly Olynyk missed his 2nd straight game with a vague knee injury, while Mike Conley and Rudy Gay were out for rest tonight.
Collin Sexton got the start in Conley's place, and he delivered, putting up 11 points, 6 rebounds, 12 assists, and 2 steals. Although he shot just 3-9 from the field, Sexton was a floor general tonight, as he only had 2 turnovers accrued on his stat sheet.
Lauri Markkanen led the way again offensively for the Jazz, while also being the primary defender on former MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. Markkanen won the head to head matchup, putting up 32 points, 16 boards, and 2 assists off 13-24 shooting, while Giannis recorded a still great 22 points, 13 boards, 6 assists, and 3 blocks off 8-16 shooting from the floor and 6-8 from the charity stripe.
The Jazz bench stepped up tonight, as they outscored Milwaukee's 2nd unit 30 to 15. Every Jazz player on the floor tonight scored at least 4 points in what was a total team effort. Leandro Bolmaro made his season debut in his first official game with the Jazz, and he surpassed expectations, putting up 7 points and 6 assists in 22 minutes.
Utah travels to Cleveland for their first game against former Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell on Monday. The Jazz improve to 14-18 with the win, while Milwaukee falls to 19-10.
01-25-2023, 04:13 AM
