Off Season Plans That Could Help The Utah Jazz
By Cody Powers
Apr 1, 2013; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz power forward Derrick Favors (15) shoots while defended by Portland Trail Blazers center Meyers Leonard (11) during the second half at EnergySolutions Arena. The Jazz won 112-102. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
This off season has the potential to be one that could alter the Utah Jazz future. With 2 first round draft picks and a ton of free cap space, the time to “rebuild” is now. The free agent market isn’t like it was a few years ago. There is no Lebron or DWade, but it does have players that can help your franchise out.
Jose Calderon may not be a player that you think of as an “elite” point guard, but his style of play fits in with what the Jazz need. He is a pass first point guard but can score if needed. For his career he has averaged 10.1 PPG and 7.2 APG. Not stellar numbers, but solid. Since Deron Williams left the organization, the Jazz haven’t had a point guard that has averaged 7 assists. Devin Harris was a scoring guard and the majority of games he played in and averaged 2-3 assists helped no one. Mo Williams was an upgrade from Devin, averaging 6.2 APG last season. but Mo missed 36 games. However, most would argue that Mo missing those games didn’t hurt the team. Jamal Tinsley filled in nicely in the starting role. Calderon would be a great pickup for the team. Not only could he be a nice fit as the starting point guard, he could be a great mentor for a young rookie point guard that could possibly be drafted in the first round. Shane Larkin?
Something the Jazz will have to address, is whether or not they re-sign Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson, whether they should re-sign one over the other, or whether they should sign-and-trade them away to another team. Big Al was a fantastic mentor the last 2 seasons to Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter, but being the focal point of the offense had its ups and downs. In late game situations, 9 times out of 10, Big Al was fantastic. He knew he was the leader and took the responsibility head on. However, a lot of times, he held the ball too long, didn’t kick the ball out of the double team, and forced bad shots. Millsap had ups and downs all year too. Defensively he was great for most the year. He is an undersized power forward with quick hands that frustrate opponents. Except, this year, Millsap seemed to be a missing person. Now the Jazz need to decide what to do. The Boston Celtics have reportedly been interested in both Millsap and Jefferson. In my opinion, here is what I think the Jazz should do. Re-sign Al Jefferson to a one year contract. Sign-and-trade Paul Millsap to the Boston Celtics. You need Big Al to not only be a leader on the court, but his mentoring skills is something the Jazz need for Favors and Kanter. Millsap has had a good run with the Jazz, but its time to move on and the talent the Jazz could get in return could help. The Celtics would trade Jeff Green and Jason Terry for Millsap. Good for the Celtics and great for the Jazz.
The Jazz will need a backup forward for Favors. There will be some options on the market. Unrestricted free agents that will be available include Elton Brand, Carl Landry (player option), Lamar Odom, Antawn Jamison, JJ Hickson, and Dejuan Blair. They’ll need to go after another guard since the team always carries at least 3 point guards. Possible free agents include Nate Robinson, Jarrett Jack, DJ Augustin, and possibly a return of Mo Williams, Jamal Tinsley, or Earl Watson. Other free agents that could help the team at there respected positions include JJ Reddick, Tony Allen, Earl Clark, Matt Barnes, and Kyle Korver.
There will be options for the Jazz this summer. What they do with those options is up to Dennis Lindsey and Kevin O’Conner. However things end up off season, the Jazz and there fans will have a lot to look forward to.