Utah Jazz: How New NBA Deal Affects the Jazz

How New NBA Deal Affects Jazz

Posted by Broox Anderson

RICHFIELD, UT — 10:55 a.m. — …And so it begins! Some interesting news surfaced yesterday, in which NBA teams will begin opening their training facilities, talking to agents, and setting the groundwork for trades before the actual December 9 free agency opening. In other words, the “gag-order” will be lifted as of tomorrow.

In other news, ESPN recently posted an article entitled, “How New CBA Affects Your Team.” Surfing through the analyses of different teams, I came across a disappointing section on the Jazz. More specifically, it explained that:

"How it helps:If the Jazz need the money, the new amnesty clause would help them get either Mehmet Okur or Al Jefferson off the books.How it hurts:The Jazz may be second-guessing themselves a little for trading Deron Williams. They got very good value for him from the Nets, but with extend-and-trade and sign-and-trade options now curtailed, you have to wonder whether Williams would have left the extra money and years on the table to bolt to another team. The new CBA would have made it harder for him to do so. The Jazz were also another small-market team that was hoping the new CBA would level the playing field a little more than it did. Revenue sharing will help, but the competitive balance in the league is still out of whack.Immediate impact (this season): Probably very little. They have one significant free agent, Andrei Kirilenko, whom they can probably afford to re-sign without incurring the luxury tax. Otherwise, the Jazz charted their future as a rebuilding club with the preemptive Deron deal in February. It’s tricky to do, but the team has had success with it in the past.Long-term impact (future seasons): The future of this team is Derrick Favors, Gordon Hayward, Enes Kanter and Alec Burks. The new rules for rookie contracts should protect them from losing any of them if they play up to their potential.(Courtesy of ESPN.com)"

I feel as if this was not an accurate foretelling of the Jazz’s future within a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. So, with all due respect to the analysts at ESPN, here is an accurate prediction of how the new NBA deal with affect our Utah Jazz:

• How it helps:The new CBA will help Utah immensely. Not only will the franchise be able to stop reporting significant financial losses thanks to the revenue split, they will be able to have fairer chances of competing in the league. It also provides “stretch” and “amnesty” clauses, which will enable the Jazz to cease an existing contract and clear cap space in order to sign free agents or participate in big trades. Likely candidates for amnesty include Mehmet Okur, Al Jefferson, and Paul Millsap. With their new player additions, the Jazz have become more athletic and defensively capable. Couple that with the ensuing luxury tax, and Utah has a much better chance of reaching contention status.

• How it hurts: In hindsight, it does look like ESPN got this one right: “The Jazz may be second-guessing themselves a little for trading Deron Williams. They got very good value for him from the Nets, but with extend-and-trade and sign-and-trade options now curtailed, you have to wonder whether Williams would have left the extra money and years on the table to bolt to another team. The new CBA would have made it harder for him to do so.” I will add, though, that playing a frantic 66-game season isn’t the best way to develop a young, inexperienced team.

• Immediate impact (this season): This season, contrary to popular belief, will not be an outwardly successful one for the Jazz. They will more than likely be implementing entirely new defensive and offensive schemes, with only a week of training camp to do so. Those facts can’t possibly add up well. Moreover, the Jazz are a rebuilding franchise; and, with all the phone calls we know GM Kevin O’Connor is getting from other teams, it might be tempting to swap a few pieces for immediate success. That, of course, would not be in the Jazz’s best interest. Experience is simply what Utah needs, and this year they won’t get much.

• Long-term impact (future seasons): The future looks a lot more optimistic for the Jazz in this new CBA. With a much stiffer luxury tax kicking-in during the 2013-14 season, the Jazz’s players will more than likely be reaching a peak in team chemistry, physical condition, and overall performance around the same time. Look for 2013-14 to be a great year for the up-and-coming Jazz. May I dare say, if they make the right moves along the way, they might contend for a title after the next few years? I believe so.

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Broox Anderson
Lead Editor/Writer
The J Notes | A Utah Jazz Site

Twitter: @BrooxAnderson
Facebook: The J Notes
Email: brxanderson@gmail.com
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