Turning Points In Recent Utah Jazz History

Some have been microcosms, other macrocosms, but here are a few critical turning points in recent Utah Jazz history.

Karl Malone Mentors Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter

Jazz fans had long wanted to see more involvement from the franchise legends. When Jazz CEO Greg Miller famously buried the hatchet with Hall of Fame’r Karl Malone, asking him to come back to help out the team it opened doors, plural.

A vocal contingent of Jazz fans had wanted to see Karl Malone — who has plied for a few high profile jobs, including a Twitter rant plea to be the new Athletic Director at his alma mater, Louisiana Tech — be hired as a Jazz coach in some capacity. They got their wish in the summer of 2013 when the Jazz brought Malone in to work out their young big men prospects Favors and Kanter.

A source inside the Jazz organization told me “Derrick’s face lit up into a huge smile when he saw Karl waiting in the gym. He had no idea Malone was going to be there when they asked him to come in for a workout. Karl worked him hard, until he was clearly worn out.”

Favors had been maligned as not having a go-to post move, or much of a passable offense to speak of at all, aside from his natural athleticism, which he relied on for putbacks and when he found the ball in his hands.

His, and Kanter’s offensive games have come a long way since.

"“He taught me some secrets that I cannot say,” Kanter said.–Brad Rock, Deseret News"

In 2012, Favors put up a career high 9.4 points and 7.1 rebounds. After the summer of 2013, and the workout with the Jazz legend, those numbers vaulted to 13.3 and 8.7.

This year he’s posting 16.9 and 8.3, while putting up the best passing numbers and free throw percentage of his career, a shade under a respectable 70%, a trait he shares with Malone, both beginning their careers as horrific free throw shooters.

Kanter is a legitimate threat to score every time he touches the basketball now, be it inside or outside, with an array of moves on the block seemingly gleaned a parcel at a time from the Hall of Fame, or stepping out for a three, as his Turkish Jazz predecessor Mehmet Okur made a living off of.

Gordon Hayward Gets Paid

Left swinging in the breeze in a way last year, like a forgotten token hanging from a deadwood in a spaghetti western, Gordon Hayward had an enormous weight placed on his back in a contract year. The Jazz wanted to see what they had, and Hayward, likewise, was hungry to prove himself.

The unfortunate result, in a system ill-designed to accommodate such a set of circumstances, was Hayward proving he could still put up some downright solid all-around stats and team contributions, even as he often found himself holding a hot potato with a dwindling shot clock, leading to a poor field goal percentage.

This year, Gordon Hayward has looked like he fits the part of All-Star in all but a handful of quarters of basketball, gaining a new confidence by  the Jazz showing theirs in him in a nw max contract. Surely, playing with many of his peers for USA Basketball last summer, making more cuts than he had ever before, helped raise his belief in himself that he could hang with the best the game has to offer.

And then he got paid by Jazz brass on a matched offer tendered by Michael Jordan and the Charlotte Hornets, which won’t hurt your head any, or your wallet, for that matter. Hayward said that the Jazz matching the offer was important to him, that it relieved pressure he’d felt the season before, and would respond accordingly.

In the Jazz’s little corner of the internet there was a fair amount of skepticism spewed by cynical fans who felt Hayward had been paid far too much and couldn’t possibly live up to it. The leader of the young squad felt differently.

"I’m really happy that the Jazz believed in me, and were able to match the offer. It really means a lot to me because they didn’t have to do that, but they chose to.I actually had my yearly camp in Utah right in the middle of contract negotiations, and going into the camp, I had just signed the offer sheet with Charlotte. A lot of fans don’t necessarily understand how the contract situations work. I thought it would be kind of awkward to have kids and fans be there, and that maybe some people would want to leave, or be rude toward me.But right when I got to Utah, I had somebody come up to me at the airport and say, “Hey, just wanted to let you know congratulations on the contract offer. Whether or not you stay, I’m just so happy for you.”Not one person came up to me and said something bad.–Gordon Hayward, GordonHayward20.com"

So far, aside from a couple of nights when he played while ill, Gordon Hayward has been killin’ it on the court, easily living up to expectations. Hayward is currently one of only four players in 2014-15 with at least 18 points per game, five rebounds per game, and four assists per game while shooting at least 47% FGs. He’s keeping fine company this year.

Trey Burke Busts Slump

Pundits and fans worried about Trey Burke’s ability to shoot the basketball right from the start. He hit 33% of 336 threes his rookie season, not terrible, but a couple-three percentage points lower than you’d like to see from him.

Then Burke nailed 16-30 three-pointers in the 2014-15 preseason, appearing ready to make a sophomore season leap. It never materialized as he started the regular season unable to hit a garage door with a water balloon from a few paces, going 10-46 from beyond the arc, an abysmal .217 through the Jazz’s first nine games. The slump was real and long lasting.

Until New York happened, Burke breaking out in the biggest way.

A shot like that can change a season and a team.

Since the infamous game winner in Madison Square Garden against Carmelo Anthony and including game against the New York Knicks, Burke has hit 6-14 threes, and been averaging 7.7 assists over the last six games.

Quin Snyder Goes Nova

Losing to an Oklahoma City Thunder skeleton crew by double digits, Quin Snyder had seen enough, exploding off the bench to garner the first technical foul of his career as an NBA head coach. Somehow I suspect will be far from the last from the fiery Snyder. This dude is truly frightening when he’s bent.

Thanks to PopcornMachine.net we can see the Jazz went on a 13-1 run, never looking back and going on to win by the same margin they had trailed by, 17 points, after Quin Snyder went nova.

Alec Burks Might Be Next

Keep and eye on Alec Burks. He began the season struggling a bit, after also receiving a new contract from Utah, but has posted double-doubles in two of his last three games with a career high 14 rebounds to go with 20 points the aforementioned OKC game after being called out by Quin for playing soft on the glass.