Crescendo: A Utah Jazz MyLeague

[JazzMan]

Re: Crescendo: A Utah Jazz MyLeague

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WEEK 11 RECAP (17-19)

Can these Jazz get some consistency? After going 1-3 last week against mediocre to terrible opponents, the Jazz faced 4 of the league's best and finished the week with a 3-1 record, the only loss coming on a back-to-back during a Texas road trip. Regardless, the Jazz deserve props for the stellar week of basketball that they played. They beat Houston Monday night in SLC, then took on the Spurs in San Antonio Wednesday and got the nail-biter win off of Gordon Hayward's career-high 39 points, then lost to the Rockets in Houston after scrapping with the Spurs the night before. And finally, they closed the week out last night with a convincing 25-point win over the Heat at home. Not too shabby.

Let's start with Monday's game against Houston at home. The team combined for 13 blocks, as the Jazz got the 96 to 85 victory over the James Harden-less Rockets. Gordon Hayward had 21, 4, and 5, Derrick Favors had 19, 11, and 4, and Rudy Gobert had 13, 20, and 6 blocks. Great game by the Big Three, who could not be contained.

Against San Antonio, it was all Gordon Hayward's game. Hayward shot the ball 27 times, making 14 shots, and shot 6 for 7 from behind the arc to put up 39 points, 7 boards, 5 assists, 3 steals, and a block. All this being done against one of the league's best defenders in Kawhi Leonard. The Jazz only shot 42% to San Antonio's 57% from the floor, but the free throw margin was huge; Utah shot 26/35 free throws, while San Antonio shot 14/17, as the Jazz got the 98-97 victory over the 26-12 Spurs. Trey Burke sprained his ankle during the game and only finished with 5 minutes played.

The next night in Houston, the Jazz were visibly tired. They were sluggish on offense, and it showed in their shooting percentage: they shot just 26/83, 31% on the night. Alec Burks led the way with 22 points, but Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors combined to shoot just 7 for 25 on the night in the 91 to 75 loss.

However, the Jazz prevailed last night against a strong Miami Heat squad. Alec Burks again led the way with 21 points off an efficient 6-11 shooting. Derrick Favors had 20 points and 7 boards, Gordon Hayward had a near-triple-double, finishing with 14 points, 9 boards, and 8 assists, as well as 3 steals and 2 blocks. Utah shot 21/26 from the free throw line in the 106 to 81 win.

This week is when the schedule begins to soften up. The Jazz play the Lakers tonight, then go to Portland for a date with the Blazers on Wednesday, head home to play Sacramento on Thursday, and close out the week with a home game against the Lakers on Saturday.

Utah Jazz Stats - 15-16
Player	GP	MIN	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3PT%
Gordon Hayward	36	34.8	19.9	5.2	5.2	1.5	0.8	44.8%	34.9%
Derrick Favors	36	30.9	16.1	8.9	1.4	0.9	1.5	47.7%	0.0%
Alec Burks	36	24.8	13.4	3.3	3.2	0.9	0.4	47.4%	34.8%
Rodney Hood	28	24.4	9.5	3.0	2.2	0.6	0.3	43.3%	37.1%
Rudy Gobert	36	31.1	9.3	12.8	1.4	0.6	2.3	61.9%	0.0%
Trey Burke	34	20.6	8.0	1.5	3.2	0.9	0.1	37.4%	31.6%
Shelvin Mack	40	17.5	7.1	1.9	3.0	0.7	0.0	44.8%	45.7%
Trey Lyles	36	12.6	5.2	3.3	0.7	0.3	0.4	48.3%	14.3%
Joe Ingles	36	10.8	3.9	1.3	1.2	0.4	0.4	40.7%	38.8%
Raul Neto	25	21.3	3.7	1.2	4.0	0.9	0.5	26.4%	24.3%
Trevor Booker	24	10.9	3.4	3.5	0.8	0.3	0.4	37.5%	22.2%
Jeff Withey	35	11.7	2.8	3.1	0.2	0.2	0.5	44.2%	0.0%
Tibor Pleiss	4	3.3	2.0	1.5	0.0	0.0	0.3	42.9%	0.0%
Terran Petteway	15	6.3	1.7	0.9	0.7	0.2	0.1	23.7%	15.4%
Dante Exum	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0%	0.0%

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NBA Standings - Updated: Jan 10, 2016
EAST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Miami Heat	26	11	--	4-3	17-6
Cleveland Cavaliers	24	10	0.5	4-1	17-7
Atlanta Hawks	25	13	1.5	4-2	17-6
Indiana Pacers	23	13	2.5	6-3	15-7
Chicago Bulls	20	15	5.0	3-4	13-9
New York Knicks	20	18	6.5	5-0	13-13
Toronto Raptors	20	19	7.0	3-3	12-12
Charlotte Hornets	18	18	7.5	2-5	10-11
Milwaukee Bucks	16	22	10.5	1-6	8-14
Detroit Pistons	15	22	11.0	4-4	10-12
Orlando Magic	15	23	11.5	5-2	10-13
Boston Celtics	12	24	13.5	6-2	9-17
Brooklyn Nets	12	25	14.0	1-6	7-17
Washington Wizards	9	26	16.0	3-6	8-14
Philadelphia 76ers	9	30	18.0	2-6	7-15
WEST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Oklahoma City Thunder	28	9	--	4-2	16-5
Los Angeles Clippers	27	10	1.0	5-2	18-6
San Antonio Spurs	26	12	2.5	2-4	14-7
Minnesota Timberwolves	23	14	5.0	6-1	12-6
Houston Rockets	23	14	5.0	4-4	14-10
Memphis Grizzlies	21	17	7.5	2-5	11-12
New Orleans Pelicans	19	16	8.0	6-2	13-10
Phoenix Suns	20	19	9.0	4-4	12-14
Dallas Mavericks	19	18	9.0	5-4	12-10
Sacramento Kings	18	19	10.0	7-3	11-12
Utah Jazz	17	19	10.5	3-5	9-14
Golden State Warriors	16	21	12.0	4-6	9-15
Portland Trail Blazers	16	23	13.0	3-5	12-16
Los Angeles Lakers	10	28	18.5	1-6	6-16
Denver Nuggets	9	28	19.0	4-7	7-23

The Thunder just keep rolling, even without Russell Westbrook. Kevin Durant and company have been able to reproduce some of the offense that was lost when Westbrook went down, and the defense is just as tight as ever, as they are in the top 10 in scoring defense.

The Timberwolves keep leaping up the Western Conference standings. They have now won 6 straight games and are 4th in the West with a 23-14 record. Karl-Anthony Towns has been the biggest reason for their surprising record, as he is averaging 18 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks a night.

The Nets have made star big man Brook Lopez available. A number of teams have sent in trade proposals, but the Nets are adamant on receiving at least 2 draft picks for the talented center. They are also interested in Philadelphia big man Joel Embiid, who has not played an NBA game yet in his career.

[trekfan]

Re: Crescendo: A Utah Jazz MyLeague

Nice bounce-back week. Good wins all around (surprised you lost to the Rockets, but it was a back-to-back, so no biggie).

Looks like you got an easy schedule this week -- look out for the Blazers, though, that screams trap game to me. Never underestimate a division rival. If you go 3-1 like last week, you'll be right at .500.

Jazz got this.

[JazzMan]

Re: Crescendo: A Utah Jazz MyLeague

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Jazz Drop Lakers in 120-115 Shootout

Well, that was certainly a change in pace for the Utah Jazz. Usually, this year's Jazz team has been a lumbering, grind-it-out defensive lockdown squad that puts tons of pressure on defense, but slows it down on offense to break down mismatches due to the team's size. However, tonight was a far cry from the usual Jazz style of play that we've seen this season. Utah shot the lights out at 54% from the floor, but they needed to. The Lakers dropped 115 points on the defensive powerhouse Jazz. LA shot 47% from the floor, and 37% from three as they nearly stole the victory from Utah.

With no Kobe Bryant (hyperextended knee), the Lakers' offense was humming. D'Angelo Russell finished with 21 points, 5 boards, and 5 assists, while Lou Williams had 18 points and 6 assists himself. A number of role players for the Lakers also had decent games, as Tarik Black had 11 points in 13 minutes off of 4-4 shooting.

However, it was the Jazz who got the last laugh. The Jazz shot a super-efficient 86% from the free throw line, and most of the credit can be given to Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert. Favors had 9 free throw attempts and made 8 of them. Gobert shot 8 free throws and made 7. Alec Burks and Gordon Hayward combined for 10 free throws and made all 10.

This was a really great showing for a Jazz team whose offense has been pretty mediocre all year. Hayward had 34 points, 4 boards, and 6 assists. Derrick Favors had 28 points, 9 boards, and 4 assists. Rodney Hood had 21 points and 4 assists. The entire Jazz team combined for a staggering 33 assists on the night. However, the defensive effort was concerning tonight. This Lakers team, even without inefficient Kobe Bryant, should not hang 115 points on anybody, let alone a Jazz team who is 3rd in scoring defense. Regardless, the Jazz got the W, and that's all that matters. On to the next one.

Utah plays in Portland on Wednesday night, then returns home the next night to play Sacramento in SLC. They then have another date with the Lakers on Saturday in SLC.

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[JazzMan]

Re: Crescendo: A Utah Jazz MyLeague

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WEEK 12 RECAP (20-20)

Now that's more like it. Utah went 3-1 again this week, scrapping their way back to .500 after an up-and-down (and back up) first half of the season. Utah just hasn't been able to put many wins together, but the past 2 weeks is a great start, as the Jazz have gone 7-2 in their past 9 games.

Sunday night's win against the Lakers was a little closer than it needed to be, but the Jazz got it done. Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, and Rodney Hood combined for 83 points in the road win, while Rudy Gobert had 15 points, 22 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks on the night. The Jazz had a season-high 120 points and 33 assists, but the defense allowed 115 points. Regardless, a win is a win.

Wednesday night, Utah went into Portland and got a 31-point victory, as they trampled the Blazers 117-86. Utah shot a season-high 59% from the floor, and outrebounded the Blazers 48 to 35 in a dominating win. Alec Burks had 32 points off of the bench in just 22 minutes, shooting 11-15 from the floor. Derrick Favors had 26 points and 13 boards off of 12-16 shooting. Gordon Hayward had 22, 4, and 7 off of 7-12 shooting. Gobert finished with 13 points, 17 boards, and 3 blocks.

Trey Burke returned after a sprained toe injury the next night against Sacramento at home. Though Burke played well (10 points, 4-6 shooting), the Jazz lost to the Kings in overtime, losing 107 to 102. Derrick Favors continued his great offensive play, putting up 31 points, 9 boards, and 3 assists, while shooting 14-19 from the floor. He also had 4 blocks on the night. Hayward had 23 points, 9 boards, and 7 assists, but shot just 8 for 23 on the night. DeMarcus Cousins left the game in the 4th quarter due to a strained groin injury, and he will miss at least 2 weeks with the injury.

Last night, the Jazz played the Lakers yet again, and this time, the game was much less competitive. Utah held LA to just 78 points on the night, as they got the 102 to 78 victory. Hayward had 26 points off of 8-18 shooting, while Alec Burks pitched in 21 points in 21 minutes off a blistering 8-10 showing from the field. Rudy Gobert had 5 blocks in the win.

With a relatively soft schedule all the way until the All-Star Break, the Jazz should be able to continue to string games together and fight their way back into the playoff picture. Here's the schedule for the next 4 weeks:

Home Games In Bold
January 18 - @ Charlotte Hornets (19-21)
January 20 - @ New York Knicks (22-20)
January 22 - @ Brooklyn Nets (15-26)
January 23 - @ Washington Wizards (12-27)

January 25 - Detroit Pistons (17-23)
January 27 - Charlotte Hornets (19-21)
January 29 - Minnesota Timberwolves (26-15)

February 1 - Chicago Bulls (24-15)
February 3 - Denver Nuggets (10-30)
February 5 - Milwaukee Bucks (19-24)
February 6 - @ Phoenix Suns (22-20)

February 9 - @ Dallas Mavericks (21-20)
February 10 - @ New Orleans Pelicans (21-18)

All of these games are very winnable. However, there are a few games where the Jazz will be challenged greatly. During the 4 game road trip, a game against New York on the 20th will be tough. The Knicks are playing great basketball and beat on the Jazz earlier this season. A trip to Charlotte on the 18th to play the Hornets will also be a big challenge for the Jazz. Since trading away Al Jefferson, the Hornets have gone 15-12 without the former Jazzman.

January 29th's date with the Timberwolves will be a great challenge for Utah. The Wolves are 5th in the conference and have the likely ROTY winner and MVP candidate Karl-Anthony Towns. Earlier this season, the Wolves beat the Jazz 83 to 68 in a defensive battle in December.

If the Jazz can go 8-5 in these 13 games going into the All-Star Break, I think that can give them enough momentum moving forward to really make a playoff push.

Utah Jazz Stats - 15-16
Player	GP	MIN	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TPG	FPG
Gordon Hayward	40	34.9	20.5	5.2	5.3	1.5	0.8	45.1%	36.7%
Derrick Favors	40	31.3	17.0	9.1	1.5	0.9	1.5	50.0%	0.0%
Alec Burks	40	24.6	13.9	3.2	3.1	0.9	0.4	49.0%	37.0%
Rodney Hood	32	24.6	9.7	3.0	2.4	0.6	0.3	42.0%	34.8%
Rudy Gobert	40	31.2	9.6	13.0	1.4	0.6	2.3	60.5%	0.0%
Trey Burke	36	20.5	8.1	1.4	3.2	0.9	0.1	38.1%	33.3%
Shelvin Mack	44	17.7	6.7	1.9	3.0	0.7	0.0	43.7%	44.8%
Trey Lyles	40	12.7	5.1	3.2	0.7	0.3	0.4	47.6%	14.3%
Raul Neto	29	21.6	3.7	1.2	4.2	0.8	0.4	28.4%	23.1%
Joe Ingles	40	10.5	3.6	1.3	1.2	0.4	0.3	38.6%	37.7%
Trevor Booker	25	10.5	3.3	3.3	0.8	0.3	0.4	37.5%	22.2%
Jeff Withey	39	12.1	2.7	3.3	0.3	0.3	0.5	41.9%	0.0%
Tibor Pleiss	4	3.3	2.0	1.5	0.0	0.0	0.3	42.9%	0.0%
Terran Petteway	16	6.2	1.9	0.9	0.6	0.2	0.1	28.6%	15.4%
Dante Exum	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0%	0.0%

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NBA Standings - Updated: Jan 17, 2016
EAST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Miami Heat	28	12	--	4-3	17-6
Cleveland Cavaliers	26	12	1.0	4-1	18-7
Atlanta Hawks	26	15	2.5	5-2	18-8
Indiana Pacers	25	15	3.0	6-3	16-8
Chicago Bulls	24	15	3.5	4-4	16-9
New York Knicks	22	20	7.0	6-1	14-15
Toronto Raptors	20	20	8.0	3-3	12-13
Charlotte Hornets	19	21	9.0	2-6	10-13
Milwaukee Bucks	19	24	10.5	1-7	11-16
Detroit Pistons	17	23	11.0	4-4	10-12
Orlando Magic	16	23	11.5	5-2	11-13
Brooklyn Nets	15	26	13.5	2-6	9-17
Boston Celtics	13	28	15.5	6-3	9-20
Washington Wizards	12	27	15.5	3-6	11-15
Philadelphia 76ers	10	32	19.0	2-6	7-17
WEST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Los Angeles Clippers	30	10	--	6-2	20-6
Oklahoma City Thunder	30	11	0.5	6-3	18-7
San Antonio Spurs	28	13	2.5	2-4	14-7
Houston Rockets	26	15	4.5	5-4	15-11
Minnesota Timberwolves	26	16	5.0	7-2	15-8
New Orleans Pelicans	21	18	8.5	6-2	15-11
Phoenix Suns	22	20	9.0	4-4	13-14
Dallas Mavericks	21	20	9.5	5-4	13-11
Memphis Grizzlies	21	21	10.0	2-6	11-13
Utah Jazz	20	20	10.0	4-5	12-15
Sacramento Kings	19	21	11.0	7-4	12-14
Golden State Warriors	18	23	12.5	5-6	11-15
Portland Trail Blazers	16	27	15.5	3-7	12-18
Denver Nuggets	10	30	20.0	4-7	7-24
Los Angeles Lakers	10	32	21.0	1-7	6-20

Is LeBron James starting to fall off? After a phenomenal Finals showing last season against the Golden State Warriors where LBJ put the Cavs on his back, it appears that James is nowhere near the same player that he once was. LeBron is averaging just 22 points a night off of 42% shooting from the floor and 26% shooting from behind the arc. His rebounding and assist numbers are still up, but is it time to give the scoring load to Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love?

Speaking of Kevin Love, the Cavs' rangey big man is having an excellent bounce back season. He's averaging 19.5 points, 10.5 boards, and 2.1 assists off of 46% shooting and 40% shooting from three. However, is it possible that the Cavs are looking to trade the talented power forward? Numerous reporters in Cleveland have been claiming that the Cavs are interested in acquiring Brook Lopez from the Nets, and in order to do so, Love would most likely be traded away. This trade would bring in a talented center in Lopez, and would also put Tristan Thompson into the starting lineup. Thompson is averaging 9.6 points and 9.6 boards off of the bench, and is shooting almost 60% from the floor. There's no doubt that Lopez would help improve the Cavs defense, but is Kevin Love to steep of a price to pay for the 27-year-old center?

The Hawks are slowly losing momentum after numerous injuries to their big men, notably Al Horford and Tiago Splitter. With Splitter now returning to lineup, putting Mitch McGary on the bench, can Atlanta regain some steam?

The Nets have now won three straight games, including a 150(!!) to 116 win over the Hawks last night, improving their record to 15-26. Is it possible for the lowly Nets to make a playoff push in the weak East? They are just 4.5 games out of the 8th seed, which Charlotte currently holds with a 19-21 record. Brook Lopez has been playing outstanding basketball, and Jarret Jack has flipped a switch his last two games. Brooklyn is now 5-1 in their last 6 games.

The Clippers continue rolling, having won 8 of their last 10, but the Thunder are right on their tail. OKC is half a game out of 1st place in the West despite having Russell Westbrook on the sidelines with a torn tricep. Kevin Durant is clearly the MVP frontrunner at the moment, as he's averaging 26.4 points, 6.8 boards, 6.7 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.5 blocks a night.

[JazzMan]

Re: Crescendo: A Utah Jazz MyLeague

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Favors Drops 41 & 11 in 98-92 Win

What a game for Mr. Favors. Utah's Derrick Favors shattered his career-high for points by 10, as he finished with 41 points, 11 boards, 2 assists, and 6 blocks with 15-22 shooting from the floor and 11-14 shooting from the free throw line. Favors played 37 minutes tonight, a team high, and scored nearly half of Utah's points. He just could not be stopped. He was hitting mid range jumpers off picks, he was posting up and hitting hook shots, fadeaways, drop steps, he was dunking in transition, he was cleaning up the offensive glass and getting put back fouls... but maybe most of all, he was getting to the line. Favors shot 11-14 from the free throw line tonight.

The Jazz held Charlotte to just 39% shooting on the night. Kemba Walker had 21 points off of 8-23 shooting, Marvin Williams had 15 off of 5-12 shooting, and Nic Batum had 10 points off of 4-8 shooting. If not for turnovers committed by the Jazz, this game could have been a runaway game the way the Hornets were missing.

The Jazz have now improved to 21-20 on the season, and have won 8 of their last 10. Utah takes on the Knicks in New York on Wednesday, followed by a back-to-back trip against Brooklyn and Washington to close out the 4-game road trip.

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[trekfan]

Re: Crescendo: A Utah Jazz MyLeague

There we go, a winning record! Utah making its way up the playoff ladder. Really good win against the Hornets (they have quite the rotation of big men) and the rest of the schedule for the next couple of weeks looks very much in the Jazz's favor.

Let's grab some easy wins ... let's also get more from Burks and Burke (cause that's not gonna fly, those single-digit points).

[JazzMan]

Re: Crescendo: A Utah Jazz MyLeague

There we go, a winning record! Utah making its way up the playoff ladder. Really good win against the Hornets (they have quite the rotation of big men) and the rest of the schedule for the next couple of weeks looks very much in the Jazz's favor.

Let's grab some easy wins ... let's also get more from Burks and Burke (cause that's not gonna fly, those single-digit points).

Don't know what's up with Burke this season. This was his year to step up with Exum injured and prove his worth, but he's shooting under 40% yet again and his scoring is down altogether.

Burks has been terrific all season, so I'll give him a pass for a bad game or two. He's third on the team in scoring and he's in 6MOY contention.

[AC]

Re: Crescendo: A Utah Jazz MyLeague

Really great so far. Following.

[JazzMan]

Re: Crescendo: A Utah Jazz MyLeague

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BREAKING: Conley Traded To Milwaukee

Woah. I did not see that one coming.

The Grizzlies are losers of 7 straight games and are now at a sub-.500 record of 21-24. While this coincided with the ankle injury of Mike Conley that kept him out of action for 19 games, the Grizzlies front office has decided to part ways with the upcoming free agent. While Conley has been a key cog in Memphis' success the past few years, you can't deny that the haul that they got in for him is worth it.

Milwaukee is sending journeyman point guard and former Grizzlie Greivis Vasquez, rookie Rashad Vaughn, a 2016 1st round pick, and a 2018 1st round pick to Memphis for the 28-year-old point guard. Conley will bring experience, leadership, playmaking, and tough-nosed defense to the table for Milwaukee, who is sitting in 9th place in the East with a 19-27 record.

Trading for Conley is a bit of a gamble for the Bucks, as Conley will be a free agent at the end of the year. But the Bucks front office is very optimistic about being able to resign Conley at the end of the season. The point guard will almost certainly receive a max contract, and Milwaukee will have to spend up in order to retain him.

Memphis is also sending Jarnell Stokes, a prospect big man, and a 2nd round pick to Milwaukee. Their return of 2 1st round picks and a former 1st round pick in Rashad Vaughn should help them cope with the loss of Mike Conley.

Now that their star point guard is gone, what does Memphis do from here? Do they dare trade Marc Gasol or Zach Randolph? What about Tony Allen, Courtney Lee, and Jeff Green? The Grizzlies look they could be a major player going into the trade deadline now that they appear to be setting up for a rebuild.

[vinaa23]

Re: Crescendo: A Utah Jazz MyLeague

Really loving your work thus far. The presentation is really nice with those images, box scores etc.
Man, you should have traded for Conley hahaha. I think he would fit really nice in this Jazz team (I won't even tell how many hours I already spent in that friggin ESPN trade machine bringing up possible scenarios to send him to SLC).

Hoping you make the playoffs. This young team could use the experience, just like IRL. I'll be following.

[JazzMan]

Re: Crescendo: A Utah Jazz MyLeague

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WEEK 13 RECAP (23-21)

Yet another 3-1 week for Utah as the Jazz start to pick up a little bit of rhythm. Utah is now 10-3 in January with 3 more games left in the month. A fun fact for this stretch: the Jazz's only losses the past 13 games have come on the 2nd game of a back-to-back. Eliminate those games and Utah could be going on a pretty big run. But alas, everybody has to play back-to-backs in the NBA.

Monday night saw the Jazz drop Charlotte on the road behind the huge efforts of Derrick Favors. Favors had a career-high and Jazz season-high of 41 points, while also adding a stellar 11 rebounds and 6 blocks. There was just simply nobody that could guard Favors, and it's starting to seem like that's becoming the theme here the past week or 2. Over the last 9 games, Favors is averaging 25.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks off of 74% shooting. Those are MVP-like numbers. Obviously the shooting percetnage is going to dip off, but imagine if Favors can sustain those numbers the rest of the season.

Wednesday night saw another win for the Jazz, this time coming in New York against the Knicks. Utah got the 101 to 77 victory through the play of Derrick Favors, Gordon Hayward, and Rudy Gobert. The defense held New York to just 36% shooting from the floor, while the team outrebounded the Knicks 50 to 42.

Staying in NYC, the Jazz went to Brooklyn to play the Nets and came away with a 124 to 111 win Friday night. Hayward and Favors combined for 63 points, and Alec Burks and Trey Lyles combined for 30 off of the bench. Utah shot a blistering 61% from the floor in the win.

However, last night on the 2nd game of a back-to-back, the Jazz traveled to Washington to take on the 13-28 Wizards. The Wizards were 6-4 in their last 10, and had been playing improved basketball under the watch of Kevin McHale. However, this was a game that the Jazz should have won. John Wall shot a porous 5-14 from the floor and mustered just 14 points, 12 assists, and 5 turnovers, but Jared Dudley's heroics off the bench (15 points in 22 minutes) did the Jazz in in a 98 to 93 loss. Favors had just 16 points on the night as the Jazz were led by Hayward with 19 points.

Now the Jazz have a 6-game homestand where they can really put some wins together. They play Detroit, Charlotte, and Minnesota this week, then Chicago, Denver, Milwaukee, and Phoenix next week. None of these games are guaranteed wins, but Utah should be able to come away with a 4-2 record at the very least.

Utah Jazz Stats - 15-16
Player	GP	MIN	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3PT%
Gordon Hayward	44	34.9	20.6	5.3	5.1	1.5	0.8	46.0%	38.3%
Derrick Favors	44	31.4	18.0	9.0	1.4	0.9	1.7	51.6%	0.0%
Alec Burks	44	24.3	13.6	3.0	3.1	0.9	0.3	48.8%	35.5%
Rudy Gobert	44	31.4	9.3	13.0	1.4	0.6	2.3	59.4%	0.0%
Rodney Hood	36	24.5	9.3	3.0	2.4	0.6	0.2	41.1%	35.0%
Trey Burke	40	20.2	8.1	1.5	3.2	0.9	0.1	37.8%	33.9%
Shelvin Mack	48	17.8	6.5	1.8	3.1	0.7	0.0	43.7%	43.6%
Trey Lyles	44	12.7	5.3	3.3	0.7	0.3	0.4	47.9%	25.0%
Joe Ingles	44	10.2	3.6	1.4	1.2	0.4	0.4	39.3%	37.5%
Raul Neto	33	21.1	3.6	1.2	4.3	0.9	0.5	28.7%	24.4%
Trevor Booker	25	10.5	3.3	3.3	0.8	0.3	0.4	37.5%	22.2%
Jeff Withey	43	12.3	2.8	3.4	0.3	0.2	0.5	44.3%	0.0%
Tibor Pleiss	4	3.3	2.0	1.5	0.0	0.0	0.3	42.9%	0.0%
Terran Petteway	16	6.2	1.9	0.9	0.6	0.2	0.1	28.6%	15.4%
Dante Exum	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0%	0.0%

-----------------------------

NBA Standings - Updated: Jan 24, 2016
EAST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Cleveland Cavaliers	30	12	--	5-1	20-7
Miami Heat	30	14	1.0	4-4	18-8
Chicago Bulls	27	16	3.5	5-5	18-10
Atlanta Hawks	27	18	4.5	5-3	18-9
Indiana Pacers	26	18	5.0	6-3	16-8
New York Knicks	25	21	7.0	7-1	16-15
Toronto Raptors	22	21	8.5	4-4	14-14
Orlando Magic	19	23	11.0	7-2	14-13
Charlotte Hornets	19	25	12.0	2-7	10-15
Milwaukee Bucks	19	27	13.0	1-7	11-17
Detroit Pistons	18	26	13.0	4-5	10-13
Brooklyn Nets	16	28	15.0	3-6	10-18
Washington Wizards	14	28	16.0	4-6	12-15
Boston Celtics	13	32	18.5	6-5	9-23
Philadelphia 76ers	11	34	20.5	3-7	8-19
WEST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Oklahoma City Thunder	32	13	--	7-3	19-8
Los Angeles Clippers	31	12	--	6-2	21-6
San Antonio Spurs	30	14	1.5	3-4	16-8
Houston Rockets	29	16	3.0	5-4	16-12
Minnesota Timberwolves	28	17	4.0	7-2	17-9
Dallas Mavericks	24	21	8.0	5-5	15-12
New Orleans Pelicans	23	20	8.0	7-2	16-12
Utah Jazz	23	21	8.5	4-5	12-15
Phoenix Suns	23	22	9.0	4-4	13-15
Sacramento Kings	22	21	9.0	8-4	13-14
Memphis Grizzlies	21	24	11.0	2-7	11-16
Golden State Warriors	19	25	12.5	5-6	11-15
Portland Trail Blazers	17	29	15.5	3-7	12-19
Denver Nuggets	13	31	18.5	4-8	8-25
Los Angeles Lakers	12	34	20.5	1-8	8-22

Obviously the big story this week is the Mike Conley trade. Conley was traded last night to Milwaukee for Rashad Vaughn, Greivis Vasquez, and two 1st round picks. Sources around the league are saying that this move will likely start a rebuild for the Grizzlies, who have an aging roster and have had their championship window abruptly close. One source close within with Grizzlies camp stated that Memphis is very likely to make another trade or two before the trade deadline.

Marc Gasol is reportedly not happy with the Grizzlies front office after the move. Gasol commented, "Mike was like a little brother to me. We've grown up together, we've competed together, we've bled and cried together. It sucks losing him... I feel like we lost the heart of our team. I feel so deflated right now." Is it possible that the long-time Grizzlie is on his way out of Memphis? He signed a big contract in the offseason to stay, but will he accept going through a rebuild?

Golden State just continues to suffer injuries. Draymond Green suffered a high ankle sprain and is expected to miss up to a month of action. Should the Warriors just shut down their stars since Steph Curry is likely out for the year? It would benefit them to get a high draft pick this summer.

How about those Wizards? After firing Randy Wittman, the Wiz looked helpless, lost, and hopeless. However, the hire of former Rockets head man Kevin McHale has started a revolution of sorts in DC. The Wizards have won 7 of their last 9 and are slowly climbing back up the Eastern Conference standings.

The Bucks could make a push for the playoffs now that they have acquired Mike Conley from Memphis. However, with Greg Monroe out yet again with another injury, their depth on the frontline will be a bit thin with John Henson and Jabari Parker starting up front.

Some officials within the 76ers front office actually believe that the team is winning too many games. They're considering trading or shutting down JJ Barea for the year to compensate. Barea joined the Sixers earlier this season from a trade. He's averaging over 10 points and 5 assists a game this season, nearly career-highs for the 31-year-old veteran.

Trade talk between the Sixers and the Nets has picked up. Brooklyn is looking to acquire injured big man Joel Embiid, but is looking for a team to dump Brook Lopez on.

[JazzMan]

Re: Crescendo: A Utah Jazz MyLeague

Really loving your work thus far. The presentation is really nice with those images, box scores etc.
Man, you should have traded for Conley hahaha. I think he would fit really nice in this Jazz team (I won't even tell how many hours I already spent in that friggin ESPN trade machine bringing up possible scenarios to send him to SLC).

Hoping you make the playoffs. This young team could use the experience, just like IRL. I'll be following.

I'd have liked to get Conley, but with the team playing so well and Exum coming back late this season/next season, I don't really wanna ruin any of the growth for my young team.

[JazzMan]

Re: Crescendo: A Utah Jazz MyLeague

NBA 2K16_20160118143027.jpg

Burke Hits Game-Winning Three In OT

What a game.

Trey Burke stepped up late to score 11 points in the overtime period, including 3 three-pointers. With 4 seconds left in the game, Burke hit a three right in Zach LaVine's face to take a 104 to 101 lead, which would eventually end up being the final score of the game. But let's rewind a bit.

The Wolves came into this game riding a 29-18 record, which, let's face it, is pretty remarkable and unexpected for this young bunch. Karl-Anthony Towns is legit. Andrew Wiggins is a stud. Ricky Rubio is an improved player. LaVine is coming into his own. And they have a core of young and old guys surrounding them. They're truly a well-built team and will wreck havok on the league for years to come.

But tonight was simply the Jazz's night. Utah had lost three straight games; Saturday night against Washington, Monday night against Detroit, and Wednesday night against Charlotte. This losing streak came immediately after the Jazz went on a 10-3 stretch which got them over .500 for the first time since November. Morale was down, especially after dropping the last two games at home to start a six-game homestand, but the team did not give up. Tonight was a team effort. Everybody contributed in one way or another.

Gordon Hayward started the night out shooting very poorly, and up until the fourth, he didn't contribute much on the offensive end. But then he came alive in the fourth quarter, scoring 15 points and sinking 3 three-pointers, including one to take the lead late in the quarter. However, Zach LaVine answered back, sending the game to overtime. Hayward fouled out in the first minute of overtime, forcing the Jazz to bring in Trey Burke, who wound up being the hero that the Jazz needed to win the game.

Derrick Favors finished with a stuffed statsheet. He had 19 points, 11 boards, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 4 blocks while shooting 50% from the floor. However, he shot just 5-9 from the line, which proved costly late for the team. Fellow big man Rudy Gobert finished with quite the statsheet himself, going for 9 points, 11 boards, 4 assists, and 4 blocks.

But it was the heroics of Alec Burks and Trey Burke off of the bench that were key in the win. Burke had 16 points off of the bench, including 11 in overtime, while shooting 6-12 and 3-5 from three. Burks finished with 15 points, 5 boards, and 3 assists while shooting 7-10 from the floor. It was a great night for Burke and Burks, or "The Lawfirm," as some Jazz fans have dubbed the backcourt bench duo.

With three more games left in the homestand followed by a three game roadtrip, the Jazz have a good chance of going into the All-Star Break with a winning record.

NBA 2K16_20160118143711.jpg

NBA 2K16_20160118143716.jpg

NBA 2K16_20160118145340.jpg

[JazzMan]

Re: Crescendo: A Utah Jazz MyLeague

zach-randolph_bi0lgsaaa8pc1op4t52h9006d.jpg

Jazz Make Move, Acquire Injured Z-Bo

This is a bit of a risky move.

The Jazz are making a splash in the trade pool today by trading for injured Memphis big man Zach Randolph. Randolph is currently nursing a spinal injury and should be out for at least 2 more months, but should he return come playoff time, he should be a huge pickup for Utah. His experience and leadership alone will be a big pickup, but he can still get it done on the court when healthy, too.

Z-Bo suffered the injury in the first game of the season after playing just 13 minutes. In those 13 minutes, he got 8 points, 10 boards, 1 assist, and 1 steal. Z-Bo should be able to provide good scoring and rebounding off of the bench behind Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert.

The Jazz traded away forward Trevor Booker, a 2017 1st (Warriors), 2016 2nd (Warriors), and 2017 2nd (Pistons). Booker has fallen out of the rotation in favor of Trey Lyles and Jeff Withey, but he should get considerable playing time in Memphis next to Marc Gasol.

For Memphis, this is a no brainer. They shed Z-Bo's 2 year, $20M contract in favor of Trevor Booker's 1 year, $4.78M contract, and they also get a few picks in compensation.

[JazzMan]

Re: Crescendo: A Utah Jazz MyLeague

NBA 2K16_20160118142058.jpg

WEEK 14 RECAP (24-23)

Well, the week could have gone better, but at least we were treated to a win to end the week. Aside from games, we also got ourselves some interesting Jazz news all week. First and foremost is the trade for Zach Randolph. Randolph brings toughness, leadership, experience, scoring, and rebounding to the team, and he can be a very valuable mentor for the young big guys like Favors, Gobert, and Lyles. Great pick up for the Jazz, even if Z-Bo can't play for another couple months due to injury.

This trade sent Trevor Booker out of Utah. While Booker was never the most consistent or most skilled player, players, coaches, and fans all loved his grit, hustle, and grind. He played with passion, fire, and a competitive drive to win. He was definitely a fan favorite here in Utah and he will be missed.

The trade also sent away a few picks that the Jazz picked up in previous trades, notably 2 picks from the Warriors (2017 1st, 2016 2nd), and Pistons (2017 2nd). Utah still maintains their 2017 pick as well as still having a stockpile of 2nd rounders on their hands.

Dante Exum also got cleared to start doing light physical workouts and basketball related activities. Team doctors still say that he may not return this year, but at the very least this is great news for the young Jazz point guard. Exum tore his ACL last summer and has been out of action all year. Being able to do workouts and light practices will help Exum get back on his feet and start working towards returning.

Now, a recap of the games. Monday night saw the Jazz get blown out at home by the Pistons. This is definitely a result that we don't want to see, as the Pistons are undermanned (no Drummond). Brandon Jennings had a big game, scoring 21 points in 25 minutes. Derrick Favors had 18 points on the night.

Wednesday saw a rematch with the Hornets, in which Charlotte got the win on the road 95 to 88. Trey Burke scored 18 points in 19 minutes, and also grabbed 7 boards. Favors and Hayward just had 15 points each, and Rodney Hood pitched in 12, 7, and 3. Turnovers did the Jazz in, as they turned it over 22 times to Charlotte's 10. Despite Utah shooting 55% from the floor and the Hornets shooting 39%, Charlotte was able to make a 4th quarter comeback and get the 7 point win.

Friday night was when the Jazz were able to get off of the three-game skid as they got a win over the tough Timberwolves in overtime. Trey Burke hit a beautiful game-winning three pointer with 4 seconds left to knock of the 5th seed in the West.

This week sees the Jazz play the 29-16 Bulls at home, the 15-33 Nuggets at home, the 19-30 Bucks at home, and the 24-24 Suns the next night in Phoenix.

Utah Jazz Stats - 15-16
Player	GP	MIN	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3PT%
Gordon Hayward	47	34.9	20.3	5.3	5.1	1.5	0.8	45.3%	37.8%
Derrick Favors	47	31.5	17.9	8.9	1.5	0.9	1.7	51.3%	0.0%
Alec Burks	47	24.3	13.5	3.0	3.1	1.0	0.3	48.9%	35.2%
Rodney Hood	39	24.6	9.3	3.2	2.4	0.6	0.2	41.5%	35.9%
Rudy Gobert	47	31.5	9.1	12.9	1.5	0.6	2.3	59.8%	0.0%
Trey Burke	43	20.1	8.4	1.7	3.1	0.9	0.1	39.4%	36.0%
Zach Randolph	1	13.0	8.0	10.0	1.0	1.0	0.0	50.0%	0.0%
Shelvin Mack	51	17.7	6.4	1.8	3.1	0.7	0.0	44.0%	43.4%
Trey Lyles	47	12.7	5.1	3.3	0.7	0.3	0.4	47.8%	22.2%
Raul Neto	36	21.0	3.7	1.1	4.2	0.9	0.4	29.7%	26.7%
Joe Ingles	47	10.1	3.6	1.3	1.2	0.4	0.4	39.3%	37.9%
Jeff Withey	46	12.4	2.8	3.3	0.3	0.2	0.5	45.1%	0.0%
Tibor Pleiss	4	3.3	2.0	1.5	0.0	0.0	0.3	42.9%	0.0%
Terran Petteway	16	6.2	1.9	0.9	0.6	0.2	0.1	28.6%	15.4%
Dante Exum	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0%	0.0%

------------------------------

NBA Standings - Updated: Jan 31, 2016
EAST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Cleveland Cavaliers	33	13	--	5-2	20-8
Miami Heat	32	15	1.5	4-4	20-9
Chicago Bulls	29	16	3.5	5-5	19-10
Atlanta Hawks	30	18	4.0	5-3	19-9
Indiana Pacers	26	21	7.5	6-3	16-9
New York Knicks	26	23	8.5	8-1	17-15
Toronto Raptors	23	24	10.5	4-5	15-16
Charlotte Hornets	22	25	11.5	2-7	10-15
Orlando Magic	20	25	12.5	7-2	15-14
Detroit Pistons	21	27	13.0	5-5	12-14
Brooklyn Nets	19	29	15.0	3-6	10-19
Milwaukee Bucks	19	30	15.5	1-7	11-19
Boston Celtics	16	32	18.0	6-5	11-23
Washington Wizards	15	31	18.0	4-6	13-16
Philadelphia 76ers	12	36	22.0	3-7	8-20
WEST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Los Angeles Clippers	34	13	--	7-2	22-6
Oklahoma City Thunder	33	16	2.0	7-4	19-10
San Antonio Spurs	31	16	3.0	4-4	17-9
Houston Rockets	32	18	3.5	6-6	18-14
Minnesota Timberwolves	29	19	5.5	8-3	18-10
Dallas Mavericks	26	23	9.0	6-5	17-13
New Orleans Pelicans	24	22	9.5	7-3	17-13
Utah Jazz	24	23	10.0	5-5	13-15
Phoenix Suns	24	24	10.5	4-4	13-15
Sacramento Kings	23	24	11.0	8-4	14-16
Memphis Grizzlies	23	25	11.5	2-7	11-17
Golden State Warriors	21	26	13.0	5-6	12-16
Portland Trail Blazers	18	30	16.5	3-7	13-19
Denver Nuggets	15	33	19.5	4-8	8-25
Los Angeles Lakers	13	36	22.0	1-9	9-23

Last week, the Grizzlies made headlines by trading away star point guard Mike Conley to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Grizzlies find themselves in headlines yet again this week after trading big man Zach Randolph to the Utah Jazz. Although Randolph is injured and has only played 13 minutes this season, he's still a very capable player when healthy. He could be a big factor for the Jazz if they end up making the playoffs.

After the Conley trade, Memphis proceeded to win two straight games without him, as they beat the Magic 107 to 101 behind Gasol's 28, 13, and 6. They then beat Conley himself as the Bucks came into town. Memphis got the 111 to 102 win, but Conley had himself a good game, putting up 21 and 4 off of 9-14 shooting. Conley received a standing ovation during the starting lineups in Memphis.

The Bucks are 0-3 with Conley at the helm, but that's hardly his fault. He's averaging 21.7 points and 6.7 assists off of 54.5% shooting. The lack of a low-post presence with Greg Monroe out is hurting Milwaukee significantly, although John Henson is quietly putting up 13 points a night as the starting center. So with the Bucks being losers of 6 straight despite trading for Conley, is Jason Kidd now on the hot seat?

Sources say that Brooklyn is bound and determined to get either their 2016 or 2017 1st round pick back from the Celtics. They are reportedly offering Brook Lopez for either of the picks, but that would mean that they'd more than likely have to take David Lee in return.

All-Star Participants have been chosen!! Here is the roster for both teams:

Eastern Conference All-Stars Stats - 2016
Player	GP	MIN	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3PT%
G: John Wall, WAS	46	32.4	19.0	4.7	8.3	1.6	1.2	44.0%	40.0%
G: Kyrie Irving, CLE	28	34.4	20.9	2.8	7.1	2.5	0.5	48.1%	36.5%
F: LeBron James, CLE	33	35.7	23.0	7.6	7.0	1.9	1.7	43.8%	27.9%
F: Carmelo Anthony, NYK	49	33.4	21.5	8.2	5.9	1.2	0.9	42.8%	27.9%
C: Pau Gasol, CHI	45	25.9	15.7	10.8	4.0	0.6	1.9	53.3%	16.7%
Reggie Jackson, DET	48	29.2	16.7	3.9	7.5	1.6	0.3	40.9%	33.8%
Jimmy Butler, CHI	45	35.5	20.7	6.2	4.8	1.8	1.0	41.2%	37.3%
Paul George, IND	47	34.7	19.6	9.2	2.8	0.9	1.0	44.1%	34.0%
Paul Millsap, ATL	48	31.9	19.6	9.6	3.9	0.9	1.8	43.4%	30.0%
Jahlil Okafor, PHI	48	28.7	16.5	10.0	3.0	0.4	1.5	47.8%	14.3%
Chris Bosh, MIA	47	31.4	20.7	8.6	2.8	1.0	1.0	45.8%	34.9%
Nicolas Batum, CHA	47	33.9	19.0	6.4	4.8	1.1	1.1	42.7%	37.5%
Nikola Vucevic, ORL	43	31.3	17.0	12.7	1.8	0.4	1.6	51.8%	0.0%

Western Conference All-Stars Stats - 2016
Player	GP	MIN	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3PT%
G: Chris Paul, LAC	47	32.3	17.3	5.0	8.9	1.8	0.3	48.8%	32.8%
G: James Harden, HOU	36	33.6	20.3	6.1	7.6	1.3	0.8	40.1%	32.4%
F: Kevin Durant, OKC	44	34.4	26.5	7.2	6.6	1.3	1.6	51.3%	39.4%
F: Anthony Davis, NOP	46	32.3	23.1	12.1	2.4	0.8	3.5	49.2%	0.5%
C: Marc Gasol, MEM	48	34.4	20.8	10.5	5.8	0.3	1.9	49.8%	22.2%
Damian Lillard, POR	48	35.1	23.1	4.5	9.2	2.0	0.2	41.3%	32.2%
Klay Thompson, GSW	35	32.3	21.6	3.1	4.3	1.7	0.9	41.0%	35.6%
Rudy Gay, SAC	47	31.8	20.9	5.8	4.3	1.5	1.1	48.9%	38.3%
Blake Griffin, LAC	46	29.8	19.7	8.8	5.4	0.8	1.4	51.2%	13.6%
Karl-Anthony Towns, MIN	47	32.7	17.3	12.5	2.0	0.7	2.0	46.0%	29.4%
Brandon Knight, PHX	48	36.4	20.1	4.3	7.5	1.7	0.4	38.4%	29.5%
Eric Bledsoe, PHX	47	32.0	15.9	4.9	7.2	2.3	1.0	40.1%	30.6%
Gordon Hayward, UTA	47	34.9	20.3	5.3	5.1	1.5	0.8	45.3%	37.8%

From the looks of it, notable snubs look to be:

Isaiah Thomas, Boston - 18.4 PPG, 4.9 APG
Derrick Rose, Chicago - 17.6 PPG, 7.4 APG, 1.9 SPG, 46.6% FG
Demar DeRozan, Toronto - 20.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 4.5 APG, 45% FG
Kevin Love, Cleveland - 19.3 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 45% FG
DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento - 18.6 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 4.3 APG, 48% FG
Brook Lopez, Brooklyn - 17.4 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 2.5 BPG, 48% FG
Derrick Favors, Utah - 17.9 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 1.7 BPG, 51% FG
DeAndre Jordan, Los Angeles - 10.5 PPG, 15.7 RPG, 2.7 BPG

9 players will be making their All-Star game debut, including: Gordon Hayward, Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight, Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gay, Nikola Vucevic, Nicolas Batum, Jahlil Okafor, and Reggie Jackson.