Sleepless in Salt Lake - A Utah Jazz Association

[JazzMan]

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BREAKING NEWS: Utah Jazz resign head Coach Ty Corbin

Ty Corbin has been resigned by the Utah Jazz to a 2 year, $1.50M deal to return as the head coach. Corbin lead the Jazz to the playoffs in the lockout-shortened season, but failed to reach the playoffs this past year.

[JazzMan]

NBA Draft!

After the Magic selected point guard Tyronn Wilson out of Arizona State, the Kings began to panic, as they couldn't find the right man to draft. They instead decided to trade away the pick to the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets gave up Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, the 22nd pick, and next year's 1st round pick for the 2nd overall pick and power forward Jason Thompson. They used the pick on PF/C LeSean Thompson out of UConn.

NBA Draft - Round 1 Recap
Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Ht	Wt
1	Orlando Magic	Tyronn Wilson	PG	6'1"	171 lbs
2	Brooklyn Nets (via Kings)	LeSean Thompson	PF	6'10"	257 lbs
3	Charlotte Bobcats	Alan Baxter	C	6'11"	258 lbs
4	Cleveland Cavaliers	Monte Christopher	SG	6'2"	189 lbs
5	Phoenix Suns	George Bryan	PF	7'0"	227 lbs
6	New Orleans Hornets	Omar Little	SG	6'5"	208 lbs
7	Washington Wizards	Eric Cross	SG	6'7"	203 lbs
8	Detroit Pistons	Danny Petersen	SF	6'6"	218 lbs
9	Minnesota Timberwolves	Gordon Elliot	PG	6'3"	201 lbs
10	Portland Trail Blazers	Stephon Ryan	SF	6'9"	220 lbs
11	Philadelphia 76ers	Dirk Andersson	C	7'0"	280 lbs
12	Toronto Raptors	Lester Falls	PG	6'3"	166 lbs
13	Dallas Mavericks	Julian Young	PG	6'0"	177 lbs
14	Utah Jazz	Adam McCarty	PG	6'1"	175 lbs
15	Milwaukee Bucks	Joshua Newman	SF	6'8"	213 lbs
16	Boston Celtics	Jay Johnson	C	7'0"	266 lbs
17	Atlanta Hawks	Barney Swanson	SF	6'10"	224 lbs
18	Los Angeles Lakers	Vlado Tomasevic	PG	6'3"	192 lbs
19	Chicago Bulls	Jalen Andrews	SG	6'4"	198 lbs
20	Houston Rockets	Freddy Dailey	C	7'1"	234 lbs
21	Golden State Warriors	Fidel Rivera	PG	5'11"	183 lbs
22	Sacramento Kings (via Nets)	Felix Dean	SG	6'6"	189 lbs
23	Indiana Pacers	Ruben Carson	PF	6'8"	295 lbs
24	New York Knicks	Wayne Harvey	PG	6'4"	185 lbs
25	Memphis Grizzlies	Dustin Rogers	SG	6'8"	202 lbs
26	Los Angeles Clippers	Rudolph Stanley	SG	6'6"	204 lbs
27	Denver Nuggets	Rodney Wilcox	PF	6'10"	243 lbs
28	San Antonio Spurs	Terrance Davis	PF	6'9"	254 lbs
29	Oklahoma City Thunder	Dan Carney	SF	6'10"	228 lbs
30	Miami Heat	Celso Smalls	SF	6'9"	224 lbs

[JazzMan]

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Utah Jazz Offseason Recap

The Utah Jazz had quite the busy offseason as they try to recover from missing the playoffs last year. Longtime Jazzman Paul Millsap has left Utah for cash that the Jazz would not be willing to pay, but Al Jefferson makes his surprising return.

Departing Players:
Marvin Williams, Paul Millsap, Demarre Carroll, Jamaal Tinsley, Jerel McNeal

Returning Players:
Al Jefferson, Gordon Hayward, Alec Burks, Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, Mo Williams, Earl Watson, Kevin Murphy, Randy Foye, Jeremy Evans

Arriving Players:
Adam McCarty, Renaldo Balkman, Elton Brand

Coach Ty Corbin is returning to the Jazz, as well.

[JazzMan]

Season Preview: NBA Power Rankings

It's that time of the year again! The preseason is finally over, rosters are getting set in stone, and the rookie hazing is at an alarmingly new high. The returning champion Miami Heat retained most of their pieces in the offseason and look tough to dethrone, as they've won two straight NBA titles. Will a team like the Thunder or the Nuggets finally be able to claim a championship? Time will tell. In the meantime, we have Week 1 Power Rankings!

The Great

Spoiler

1. Miami Heat - Three-peat alert? LeBron James won yet another MVP award, his fourth in 5 years, on his way to a second NBA championship. Remember those jokes about LeBron not having a ring? Well, they just kinda fizzled out now. Dwyane Wade returns after a regressing season, but you can't choose a much better second option than him. Chris Bosh will once again assume the center role, but don't expect him to make much of an impact defensively and on the boards. But hey! He can score, and he meshes perfectly with James and Wade. With returning sharpshooter Ray Allen, Miami could have the first 3-peat since Kobe and Shaq's Lakers.

2. Denver Nuggets - The Nuggets made a surprising run for the NBA championship last season, but failed to defeat the dominant Heat, as they lost in 5 games. However, they successfully resigned All-Star Andre Iguodala, and they remain to be one of the most athletic teams in the league. Ty Lawson could make the next big step of his career, and Andre Miller continues to be the Iron Man of the NBA, as he didn't miss a game last season at 37 years old. Danilo Gallinari had a bit of a run-in with the front office in the offseason, but I'd expect things to smooth out over the season. Denver still boasts one of the best benches in the league, and can beat any team by a wide margin.

3. San Antonio Spurs - These guys again? Tim Duncan's knees must be jell-o by now. The 37 year old had one of his best seasons of recent years last year, as he averaged more points, minutes, blocks, and rebounds than he did the 2 years prior. Tony Parker is entering his 13th year in the league, but is just 31 years old. He was garnering some serious MVP consideration before LeBron showcased that ridiculous shooting stretch. The Spurs were able to resign veteran sixth-man Manu Ginobili, Danny Green, and Brazilian Tiago Splitter. Kawhi Leonard looks to have a breakout year, and new forward Nick Young will back him up. Are these Spurs really as old as we think they are? Only 4 players are over 30 years old (Duncan, Parker, Ginobili, Bonner). Either way, this team could definitely contend for a championship.

4. Oklahoma City Thunder - After getting upset by the upstart Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals, Kevin Durant reportedly wanted out of OKC. He quickly denied these as just rumors, and with a 3 year $53.67M contract with him, I think he's staying put. After all, he has one of the most athletic guards with him in Russell Westbrook, and Serge Ibaka keeps on improving. Sure, the James Harden trade came back to haunt them, but there was a high chance that the Thunder wouldn't have been able to resign him anyway. Kevin Martin returns to OKC, and you can definitely do worse for a sixth-man. The question for OKC is will they have enough depth to finally win a championship? Their frontcourt off the bench consists of Nick Collison (a solid backup), Perry Jones, Hasheem Thabeet, and Daniel Orton. Ouch. Look for OKC to play some small-ball this year with Durant at the 4 to catch up with Miami.

5. Atlanta Hawks - Props to the Atlanta Hawks front office for pulling this one together: Not only did Atlanta resign forward Josh Smith, point guard Jeff Teague, and shooting guard Kyle Korver, but they managed to sign one of the best centers in the league in Andrew Bynum. Bynum did not play a single game last season for the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Bynum era in Philly was over before it happened. After a rigorous offseason in rehab for his knees, Bynum is finally healthy and ready to play. The acquisition of Bynum moves Al Horford over to his natural 4 position and Josh Smith to the 3. With Lou Williams and Gilbert Arenas coming off the bench, this Hawks team is loaded for a championship. The question: Can they (Bynum) stay healthy?

6. Los Angeles Lakers - Ladies and gentlemen, the Black Mamba is back. After tearing his achilles to close the season, Kobe Bryant was forced to sit out of the playoffs. The result: a loss in 5 games to the Spurs in Round 1. Kobe will definitely not be the same player he once was, but if he can become a scorer that plays off the ball more than he did so in the past, this Laker team will be DANGEROUS. Dwight Howard resigned for 4 years (with a player option), Pau Gasol is back, and Jose Calderon replaces the retired Steve Nash. Lamar Odom also makes his return to the Lakers, but will he be the Odom of old? Probably not. Either way, the Lakers are dangerous, as long as Kobe Bryant realizes it's Dwight's team now.

The Good

Spoiler

7. Chicago Bulls - After Derrick Rose decided to not return in the playoffs, the Bulls gave up against Brooklyn, as they lost in 5 games. The bright side? He's back. The former league MVP looks set to be faster, better, and stronger than he was before. With a very familiar supporting cast, he looks like he could guide Chicago to the Finals in a very wide-open Eastern Conference. New addition Tony Allen replaces Rip Hamilton as the starting shooting guard, but it's just a matter of time before Jimmy Butler gets his time. Luol Deng and Joakim Noah continue to be 2 of the most underrated players in the league. The loss of Nate Robinson could hurt, but Kirk Hinrich and that Rose kid should help a little. #TheReturn.

8. Los Angeles Clippers - The CP3 show is here to stay! After testing the free agent waters, Chris Paul finally decided to return to LA and help build a dynasty with the Clippers. Batman (CP3) and his sidekick, Robin (Blake Griffin), are looking to finally become true contenders as they enter their 3rd year together. Batgirl (DeAndre Jordan) has improved his game and should know his role well. Jamal Crawford received numerous Sixth-Man of the Year votes, but came up short to the Knicks' J.R. Smith. Look for Crawford to again prove his worth at 33 years old. For the Clips, it's "Win Now" time. Crawford, Chauncey Billups, Raja Bell, Caron Butler, Matt Barnes, and Samuel Dalembert are all 30+ years of age. However, with the amount of youth on the roster (Griffin, Jordan, Andray Blatche, Eric Bledsoe), this team should be just fine. But will they need to make a move before the deadline for frontcourt depth? It'd be wise.

9. Memphis Grizzlies - Memphis was once again defeated in the first round by the LA Clippers, but expect this Grizzly team to come back swinging. With one of the best frontcourt duos in the league in Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, this team will pound you inside and kill you all game on the boards. However, the loss of vocal leader and defensive stalwart Tony Allen may wind up haunting them. To compensate for the loss of Allen, the Grizz signed Marco Belinelli and drafted Dustin Rogers from South Carolina. With Mike Conley and Jerryd Bayless returning to man the point, this Grizzly team has plenty of firepower in the backcourt.

10. Indiana Pacers - One of the toughest teams in the league, the Pacers finally have a star in Paul George. George is one of the lengthiest 2 guards in the league, standing at a staggering 6'10", and is a star on both the offensive and defensive ends. If George can continue to improve his game, the Pacers may end up with a perennial All-Star. Danny Granger, George's mentor and 'big brother', is finally healthy after a year of nagging injuries, which caused him to miss most of the season and the playoffs. The Pacers are hoping that center Roy Hibbert finally plays up to his big contract, and that David West continues his strong play after averaging 17.1 points per game last year. With plenty of depth all around the roster, this Pacers team can go far.

11. Brooklyn Nets - In one of the most surprising trades of the offseason, the Brooklyn Nets traded Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, and 2 first round picks for the Kings' 2nd overall pick, which turned out to be power forward LeSean Thompson. Thompson is a rebounding mission a la Zach Randolph, and can immediately help Brooklyn dominate inside. The loss of Crash could hurt, but Demarre Carroll and Marshon Brooks should do a splendid job of filling in. Nate Robinson is on the move yet again, as he is now the back up to Deron Williams in Brooklyn. And with Deron Williams on your roster, what can go wrong?

12.Golden State Warriors - The Warriors made the playoffs for the first time since 2007, and they for the most part kept their roster intact. Stephen Curry keeps on getting better and better, and with the players surrounding him, they have plenty of tools to make a run in the playoffs. Klay Thompson is improving, as is Harrison Barnes. David Lee is coming fresh off an All-Star year, and Andrew Bogut is starting the season off healthy. The main problem for this Warrior team? The departure of sixth-man of the year candidate Jarrett Jack. Though they drafted Fidel Rivera out of Argentina, the loss of Jack could prove to be fatal to the Warriors' playoff chances this year. However, I think they'll be just fine.

13. New York Knicks - With 4 Knicks players retiring in the offseason, the Knicks had to reload quickly. They ended up signing a 34 year old Tracy McGrady, a 35 year old Jermaine O'Neal, and a 38 year old Allen Iverson. So much for getting younger. J.R. Smith left for cash, and Iman Shumpert is looking to bounce back from a disappointing season. The Knicks still boast one of the best frontcourts in the league, when healthy, in Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Tyson Chandler. The veteran talent on this team should help them be a force in the East, but without J.R. Smith, this Knicks bench will struggle to score.

The Average

Spoiler

14. Boston Celtics - After suffering a Torn ACL midway through the season, Rajon Rondo began to rehab his knee furiously. After months of rehab, Rondo has been cleared for liftoff in the season opener. He returns to a Celtics team that was tired and got pummeled in the first round by the Knicks. With Rondo returning, this Celtics team is ready for one last run. Paul Pierce is in the final year of his contract, Kevin Garnett is 37 years old, and Jason Terry is disgusted with the organization and wants out. However, the Celtics were able to resign Jeff Green, who looks to be the successor to Pierce. Avery Bradley is arguably the best perimeter defender in the league, and this Celtics team has plenty of firepower to make a run. The question is, will it be enough?

15. Houston Rockets - With a slightly improved roster, this Rockets team should be able to make some noise if they can make the playoffs. James Harden and his sidekick Jeremy Lin come back for Round II of their adventures, and Thomas Robinson gets to experience his first full year with the organization. The incredibly underrated Chandler Parsons continues to get better, and new additions Trevor Booker and Anthony Morrow could help get Houston over the first round hump. As long as James Harden continues to fill it up and be the scorer that the world knows he is, this Rockets team will be successful.

16. Utah Jazz - After a busy offseason, the Jazz return with a very similar roster to last year. Al Jefferson is back, but rumors are going around that the Jazz are shopping him. Could the Jazz actually score more than 90 points without Jefferson? Gordon Hayward is quietly becoming a star in Utah, and Derrick Favors finally is getting his chance to start now that Paul Millsap is out of Salt Lake. Mo Williams returns to assume the point guard role, and he will take first round pick Adam McCarty under his wing. One question: Will Ty Corbin be able to find minutes for Alec Burks and Enes Kanter? Is Kanter perhaps on his way out of Utah now that Al Jefferson is back? Still quite a few decisions left for Utah to make, but they should be a pretty solid team this year, yet again.

17. Dallas Mavericks - After seemingly resigning every expiring contract to a one year deal, with the exception of Chris Kaman, the Mavs just look to be stocking up for a big free agency next year. Dirk is in the final year of his contract, and it will be interesting to see where both Nowitzki and the Mavs go from there. Will Dirk look to go be the final piece to a championship team? Or will he stay faithful to Dallas and help them get back on track? Or will Mark Cuban even decide to resign Dirk? Who knows. This team is good enough to be a 6th seed in the West, as long as they learn how to play together and Dirk can play like he did at the end of the season. If not, then it'll be a long year for Mavs fans.

18. Washington Wizards - When John Wall came back last year, the Wizards were a changed team. They began to share the ball, play team defense, and even won around/over 50% of their games. Just goes to show how much Wall has been improving over the years. Bradley Beal is primed for a great year, providing that he can stay injury-free, and without Trevor Booker, Jan Vesely may finally get a shot at playing time behind Nene. Number 7 overall pick Eric Cross is a great replacement for Martell Webster, as the kid can shoot the lights out. It's a great thing that the Wizards are doing: surrounding John Wall with a bunch of shooters. I like it.

19. Philadelphia 76ers - It's hard to gauge what Philly is primed to be right now. They just gave up half of their team for a center that didn't play a game for them, then refused to resign him, and spent the money on J.R. Smith and Rip Hamilton. Smith was the Sixth-Man of the Year, and Hamilton averaged 9.8 points for the Bulls last season. The drafting of center Dirk Andersson from Germany gives them hope for a dominant, rebounding big man; one that they had in Nikola Vucevic, before they traded him to Orlando in that dreaded Bynum deal. Though this team may not make the playoffs in the weak East, they will certainly be a fun team to watch, especially with All-Star Jrue Holiday at the helm.

20. Minnesota Timberwolves - Finally, they're healthy!.. for now. Kevin Love suffered a rough year last year, as he only played 18 games for the Wolves. Brandon Roy only played 5 games. Chase Budinger only played 23. Ricky Rubio was rehabbing a Torn ACL before he returned midway through the season. This Wolves team has a problem with health, but when they are healthy, they have potential to be a 5 seed in the West. Andrei Kirilenko is back for his second year in Minnesota, Nikola Pekovic has resigned a 4 year deal, and rookie Gordon Elliot could help shore up Minnesota's defensive woes.

21. Portland Trailblazers - With Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Nicolas Batum, the Blazers actually have a solid Big 3 going on in Portland. Wes Matthews and J.J. Hickson are perfect additions to the starting lineup, as well. So what's the problem here? Portland once again boasts arguably the worst bench in the league. Though the addition of rookie Stephon Ryan should help, the Blazers just simply don't have much depth. If one of the Big 3, or even Matthews or Hickson, goes down with an injury, it's going to be a rough ride for Portland. A ride straight to the lottery.

The Bad

Spoiler

22. Milwaukee Bucks - The Bucks successfully retained Brandon Jennings, but is he worth a 5 year $51.04M contract? Well, him, Monta Ellis, and Larry Sanders are certainly fun to watch play together, so why not? Speaking of Larry Sanders, the dude was robbed of a Most Improved Player award. After a mediocre season where he averaged 3.6 points per game, 3.1 rebounds per game, and 1.5 blocks per game, Sanders had a breakout year, averaging 9.8 points per game, 9.5 rebounds per game, and 2.8 blocks per game in just 27.3 minutes. J.J. Redick is here for his first full season as a Buck, and Ersan Ilyasova is primed for another solid year. Perhaps this team is rated too low, but I'll wait for them to prove me wrong.

23. Cleveland Cavaliers - Kyrie Irving. 'Nuff said. Irving has been spectacular since Day One in Cleveland, and he just keeps getting better, as he's coming off an All-Star season. This time, Kyrie at least has a little bit of help, now that Varajao is back to health and new additions Jarrett Jack and Monte Christopher can help shoulder the load at the point. With tremendous depth at the wings, the Cavs actually have a chance at the 8th seed in the East. It won't be an easy path, but they certainly have the talent to do so. After Byron Scott was let go in the offseason, the Cavs turned to former college coach Hugh Young. If Young can get this team to play together, they have a shot at playoffs.

24. New Orleans Hornets - The Pelican name change was scrapped, but the 'Brow is ready for his sophomore season in New Orleans. After a somewhat disappointing year, Anthony Davis is ready for a strong year. New Orleans has actually been shopping Eric Gordon around since the offseason began, and even drafted Shooting Guard Omar Little with the 6th pick. It'll be interesting to see what NOLA chooses to do with Gordon and Little. Greivis Vasquez was very close to winning Most Improved Player of the Year honors, but he eventually lost to the Pacers' Paul George. Unless the Hornets themselves can improve, they are primed for another lottery pick next year.

25. Sacremento Kings - The Kings made a very, very bold trade on Draft Day with the Nets that landed them Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, and 2 first round picks, one of which turned into shooting guard Felix Dean with the 22nd pick. Not a bad return for the 2nd overall pick, considering that the Kings needed a top-flight wing player, which the draft just kinda lacked. They resigned Tyreke Evans to a 1 year deal, and Boogie Cousins has one year left on his contract, though it's a restricted deal. Depth in the frontcourt could kill this team, as they also traded away forward Jason Thompson, but Wallace and Humphries should make them somewhat relevant for a little while.

26. Toronto Raptors - This is a team that should be fun to watch. With Rudy Gay, Demar DeRozan, Terrence Ross, and Kyle Lowry at point guard, the dunks should come in bunches for this squad. Defensively, this team will be absolutely terrible. With little to no frontcourt depth, this Raptors team will be playing a lot of small ball this year. Will Andrea Bargnani be traded? He had an abysmal year last year, and unless he can turn it around in the early goings, he may be done in Toronto. The development of 12th pick point guard Lester Falls could be interesting, as well.

27. Detroit Pistons - This is actually a very solid team... on paper. Greg Monroe is fantastic, and Andre Drummond in the starting lineup is a great decision. But with the small starting backcourt of Devin Harris and Brandon Knight, this Piston team could be in serious trouble against a team with length, like the division rival Pacers. Rodney Stuckey should be fantastic off the bench, but with rookie Danny Petersen starting at small forward, they don't have much else on the wings. That could prove to be fatal to their playoff hopes.

The Awful

Spoiler

28. Phoenix Suns - Well, they have Marcin Gortat and Goran Dragic. The Morris Twins are kinda cool to watch. Other than that, this team is just anxiously waiting for the rest of these contracts to expire. Luis Scola is 33 and may not last much longer, but rookie George Bryan, 5th overall, is a great stretch big man that can space the floor for guys like Dragic to penetrate. The Michael Beasley experiment has greatly failed, and Shannon Brown is too inconsistent to be a number one option off the bench. It's okay, Phoenix, you only have 2 more years of Michael Beasley...

29. Charlotte Bobcats - This ain't your momma's Bobcats! Michael Jordan's kids will play fast and play hard... and lose. It will be fun to see how many points Paul Millsap can score on his own, and Kemba Walker will help him get open looks. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will be a force on defense, but other than that, the only bright spot seems to be 3rd overall pick Alan Baxter out of Kentucky. About the Michael Beasley contract: Tyrus Thomas kills that contract. Ouch.

30. Orlando Magic And now... your Orlando Magic!! The Magic received the 1st overall pick and drafted point guard Tyronn Wilson. Wilson is a scorer, so it will be interesting to see if he will fit in with Orlando's system, which includes players standing and waiting for the ball to come to them. All jokes aside, Nikola Vucevic will inevitably get the offensive rebound for every possession and score on about half of 'em. Unless Big Baby Davis stands in his way.

[cgalligan]

Great work... what's wrong with my Cavaliers

[JazzMan]

Quote: Originally Posted by cgalligan

Great work... what's wrong with my Cavaliers

Haha don't worry man, they're on their way! They beat Boston in their season opener than lost to Indiana a night later

[JazzMan]

Jazz season update coming tonight

[JazzMan]

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Jefferson being shopped?

Al Jefferson, the skilled big man in Utah, is reportedly on the trade block. Jefferson signed a 4 year $55.60M contract in the offseason with the Jazz, and it appears that the Jazz are looking to move him. This is most likely to get young stud Enes Kanter in the starting lineup, as he's been overachieving to begin the year.

4 games into the season, Jefferson is averaging 17.5 PPG, 9.5 RPG, and is shooting 65.1% from the field.

Rumored trade partners: Thunder, Celtics, Hornets, Spurs, Trail Blazers