Jazz Will Pursue Scorer In Free Agency
- Paul George got nearly all A’s in his first season with the Thunder from Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman. George received high marks for deportment, stamina, defense and 3-point shooting, but only a D in ball security and a C for his performance in the playoffs. George was outstanding against the Jazz in Games 1 and 5, but shot a disastrous 2-of-16 with six turnovers as OKC was eliminated in Game 6.
- The Jazz will be looking for another scorer this summer to complement Donovan Mitchell, writes Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune. Utah could have $17MM to spend, depending on what it does with free agent Derrick Favors and the non-guaranteed contracts of Thabo Sefolosha, Ekpe Udoh and Jonas Jerebko.
- Elijah Bryant of Brigham Young, who worked out for the Jazz today, is trying to prove he can carve out a place in the NBA, relays Kyle Goon of The Salt Lake Tribune. The Cougars’ leading scorer last season, Bryant is considered a long shot to be drafted but left school a year early because he wants to get started on a pro career at age 23. The first step is matching up with higher-regarded prospects at workouts. “So you come into a situation like that and you’re used to being the main guy on the team, but now everyone’s playing well, right?” Bryant said. “So I think being assertive and being able to communicate on this level is a different thing than being at BYU. Being able to show you’re in shape and show you can hit shots when you’re tired. Those are things that I’ve been able to show throughout this process.”
Derrick Favors Will Have Options In Free Agency
- Jazz big man Derrick Favors spoke about his time in Utah in the past tense while cleaning out his locker this week but he wasn’t necessarily shutting the door on a return this summer, Mike Sorensen of the Deseret News writes. Favors will have plenty of suitors in free agency and he is ready for the experience. “We’ll see how it goes,” he said. “There will be a lot of things to think about this summer, but I can wait for that.”
Jazz Notes: Exum, Favors, Harden, Offseason
Dante Exum was drafted in 2014 as the fifth overall pick and is still a work in progress. Given that Exum missed his entire sophomore campaign with a torn ACL, he essentially lost a year-and-a-half of development. Coming off his best season as he enters restricted free agency, it would be a “major upset” if Exum does not return to Utah, Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune opines.
Exum, 22, averaged a career-best 8.1 PPG and 3.1 APG for the Jazz during the season. However, he still has not developed a consistent jumper, his midrange game is virtually nonexistent, and he was dominated at times during the postseason, Jones writes. While there is more development needed, Exum and Jazz seem to have a mutual interest in him returning next season.
“In fact, it will be a major upset if Exum isn’t wearing a Jazz uniform next season,” Jones writes. “Utah covets his size and athleticism. The front office, led by general manager Dennis Lindsey, maintained through the postseason they would be patient with Exum and his development.”
Check out more Jazz notes below:
- Eight-year NBA veteran Derrick Favors will hit unrestricted free agency this summer coming off a season in which he posted solid totals of 12.3 PPG and 7.2 RPG in 77 games, Frank Urbina of HoopsHype looks at four possible destinations for Favors, including the Wizards, Bucks, Warriors, and a return to Utah.
- After the Rockets completed their postseason series win over the Jazz, James Harden spoke highly of the team and believes there are even brighter days ahead, Eric Woodyard of The Deseret News writes. “Unbelievable,” Harden said. “Especially when nobody expected them to be in the situation they’re in right now. The sky is the limit for them.”
- In a separate story, Brad Rock of The Deseret News writes about the end of Utah’s season, with Jae Crowder — who was acquired at the deadline from the Cavaliers — suggesting that this year was just the start of good things to come. “I think it’s the beginning of an era,” Crowder said.
- Brad Rock of the Deseret News writes in a separate story that the Jazz cannot stand pat this summer, arguing that the team’s ability to keep improving will be limited without a few roster changes.
Abudushalamu Abudurexiti Worked Out For Jazz
- Chinese forward Abudushalamu Abudurexiti has already worked out for eight NBA teams this spring, according to Michael Scotto of The Athletic, who identifies the Nets, Mavericks, Lakers, Bucks, Suns, and Jazz as clubs that have taken a look at the youngster. Scotto’s piece is worth checking out in full for a closer look at the under-the-radar prospect.
Jazz Notes: Favors, Sefolosha, Jerebko, Udoh
A summer decision on Derrick Favors will shape the Jazz roster going forward, writes Bobby Marks of ESPN. Favors, who has spent more than seven years in Utah, will be an unrestricted free agent after earning $12MM this season. The team received offers for him at the trade deadline, according to Marks, but never came close to pulling the trigger.
Favors played 77 games this year after battling injuries the past two seasons and raised his numbers in points, rebounds and blocks. He was an effective fill-in for Rudy Gobert while the starting center missed 26 games with knee injuries.
The market may work against Favors, Marks cautions, because few teams have significant money to spend and the draft appears to be loaded with big men. He sees a compromise that would keep Favors in Utah for $45MM over three seasons with a 2020/21 player option. Marks notes that would allow the Jazz to use their full mid-level exception on another player – or players – without going over the luxury tax.
There’s more from Utah on the first day of the offseason:
- The Jazz also face decisions on three non-guaranteed contracts, Marks adds in the same story. After free agent Gordon Hayward left for Boston last summer, Utah signed three veterans — Thabo Sefolosha, Jonas Jerebko and Ekpe Udoh — without the guarantee of a second season. Marks states that their fates will be determined by the free agency pool at their positions, the need to open roster spots and the anticipated cost of keeping Favors. Jerebko and Udoh were barely used in the playoffs, while Sefolosha missed the end of the season with a knee injury and will start next year with a five-game suspension.
- After becoming a surprising Rookie of the Year candidate, “nonstop work” is on Donovan Mitchell‘s agenda for the summer, relays Christopher Kamrani of The Salt Lake Tribune. Mitchell had his left foot in a walking boot during today’s exit interview, a result of an injury that forced him out of Tuesday’s closeout game with the Rockets. “He’s special because he has that look in him that he wants to be the best,” teammate Ricky Rubio said. “You either have it or you don’t have it. He has something. We can enjoy it.”
- The Jazz plan to use their system as a selling point to free agents this summer, according to Royce Young and Tim MacMahon of ESPN. The pitch will be that players will be put into a role where they can excel, just as Joe Ingles has.
- Links to today’s exit interviews are available on the Jazz website.
Northwest Notes: Thibodeau, Exum, Hood, George
Timberwolves coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau shook up his coaching staff Monday by cutting ties with three assistants, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic reports. The most notable of the cuts is player development coach Vince Legarza, who worked closely with center Karl-Anthony Towns. Shooting coach Peter Patton and assistant video coordinator Wes Bohn are the other coaches who will not return. Towns was not given prior notice of Legarza’s departure, Krawczynski continues. Thibodeau may not replace all of those coaches since he has told some people that he’d like to downsize, Krawczynski adds.
In other notable developments around the Northwest Division:
- Jazz point guard Dante Exum has a strained left hamstring and his status for the remainder of the series against the Rockets is uncertain, Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports tweets. Exum underwent an MRI and further evaluation Monday after he suffered the injury in Game 4. Exum and Ricky Rubio, who also has a hamstring injury, will not play in Game 5 on Tuesday, the team tweets.
- There’s no chance guard Rodney Hood will return to the Jazz as a free agent, Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune tweets. Hood will be a restricted free agent if he receives a $3.47MM qualifying offer from the Cavaliers. Otherwise, he’ll be unrestricted.
- The Thunder are willing to pay the steep cost of retaining free agent Paul George, according to Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman. George will likely sign a max contract in free agency this summer. The team wants to remain competitive, even if it means footing the bill for $260MM in salary and luxury-tax penalties, Dawson adds.
Ricky Rubio Will Not Play For Jazz In Game 4
4:00pm: Rubio will not be available for the Jazz against the Rockets for Game 4 tonight, the Jazz announced (via Twitter).
8:52am: The Jazz are hopeful that Ricky Rubio will be back on the court for today’s Game 4 against the Rockets, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
Rubio missed the first three games of the conference semifinals with a strained left hamstring he suffered nine days ago in the closeout game with the Thunder. He will get treatment on the hamstring this morning, and the Jazz will decide on his availability based on how he responds.
With Rubio sidelined, point guard duties have fallen to Donovan Mitchell, whose numbers across the board have fallen off as he tries to handle an unfamiliar role. He’s shooting just 32.2% from the field against Houston while averaging 16 points, 6.3 assists and 3.3 turnovers per game.
“We’re asking Donovan right now to be a point guard, and it’s different,” Utah coach Quin Snyder said. “There’s a lot of things when you take someone out of your lineup as instrumental as Ricky that you have to adjust.”
Rubio is officially listed as questionable for tonight’s contest, as is power forward Derrick Favors, who left Game 3 with a sprained left ankle. Favors has been a strong frontcourt presence in the playoffs, averaging 10.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per night.
Quin Snyder Proving His Intelligence In Postseason
- Brad Rock of The Deseret News writes that Jazz coach Quin Snyder is further cementing his case as one of the NBA’s smartest coaches as Utah spars with the Rockets in the second round of the playoffs.
Ricky Rubio May Miss 10 Days With Injury
The hamstring injury that forced Ricky Rubio to leave Friday’s game in the first quarter may keep him sidelined as long as 10 days, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Sources add that Rubio could come back sooner, depending how he responds to rehab.
Rubio exited the series-clinching win against Oklahoma City after straining his left hamstring on a behind-the-back pass. It’s a recurring problem for Rubio, who missed a few late-season games with the same issue.
The news is a potentially devastating blow for the Jazz, who open a Western Conference semifinal series with the top-seeded Rockets tomorrow afternoon. Game 2 is set for Wednesday, but the schedule for the rest of the series hasn’t been finalized, so it’s not clear how many games Rubio might miss, even if he’s out for the full 10 days.
Playing in his first-ever postseason series, Rubio was stellar for Utah through five games, averaging 16.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 7.8 assists. He posted a triple-double with 26/11/10 in Game 3.
Community Shootaround: Game 6 Predictions
After the Pelicans, Rockets, Warriors, and Sixers won their respective opening-round series in either four or five games, the first Game 6 of this year’s postseason took place on Thursday night, with the Bucks holding home court against the Celtics to push their series to a Game 7.
On Friday night, three more series will play a Game 6, so we want to hear your thoughts and predictions on tonight’s matchups.
In the East, the Cavaliers will look to close out the Pacers in Indiana to advance to the second round. The series has been a back-and-forth affair, featuring several close games and each team picking up a win in the other club’s building. Cleveland’s supporting cast has been somewhat underwhelming and George Hill remains questionable with a back injury, but if LeBron James keeps playing like he did in Game 5 (44 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists), it might not matter.
It’ll be interesting to see if Victor Oladipo can bounce back from an underwhelming Game 5. Since he scored 32 points in the series opener, Oladipo has seen his scoring output decline in each game, all the way down to 12 points in Game 5. His field-goal percentage has dipped in every game too, culminating in a 2-for-15 showing on Wednesday.
Elsewhere in the East, the Wizards will host the Raptors and look to avoid elimination in D.C. The home team has won every game in this series, so the fact that this one takes place in Washington bodes well for a Game 7, but this is another matchup that has been fairly even throughout the first round. Otto Porter is questionable to play in this game for the Wizards, while Fred VanVleet remains questionable for Toronto.
A Game 6 win would be a good sign for the Raptors, who have yet to pick up a statement victory in these playoffs. As long as the Raps keep winning at home, they could theoretically advance to the NBA Finals, since they’re the East’s No. 1 seed, but a solid road win would make them look like a much more formidable opponent heading into round two.
Over in the West, the road team is in a much tougher spot than the Cavs or Raptors — the Thunder trail 3-2 in their series with the Jazz, meaning they’ll need to win tonight in Utah just to keep their season alive. Oklahoma City looked all but dead in the third quarter of Game 5, but stormed back from a 25-point deficit behind huge games from Russell Westbrook and Paul George.
The Westbrook/George duo combined for 79 points in Game 5, with OKC’s next-highest scorer (Carmelo Anthony) scoring just seven. That’s a storyline worth watching in Game 6 — the Thunder probably can’t keep relying solely on the heroics of Westbrook and George, so someone else will need to step up. It’s not clear if Anthony will be that player, as the club looked better when he wasn’t on the court in Game 5.
What do you think? How will tonight’s games play out? Will the three teams in the driver’s seat be able to take care of business and advance to the next round, or can we look forward to another Game 7 or two on Sunday?