Welcome To The Very First Purple And Blues Mailbag

Welcome to the inaugural The J Notes Mailbag! Every now and then, I will sit isolated in some secluded, dimly lit sliver of the globe and do my best Karl Malone impression. I will consistently deliver, in the form of answering your questions—about life, love, the terrible decisions we all make, the pursuit of happiness and most importantly, the Utah Jazz. Got something you want to get off your chest? Hit me up on Twitter.

Today, we’ll be discussing Trey Lyles, Dante Exum, the life of David Benoit and other spine-tingling topics about our boys in blue.

There are actually two answers to this question. I’ll explain.

Answer 1) The Jazz just so happen to have this super beast of a young man known to the world as Derrick Favors. He also happens to be very good at basketball, and was mentioned in discussions about playing in last year’s All-Star game and deserving an All-NBA team selection. Derrick made neither, but being mentioned shows how much he’s grown as a player. And he’s only 24-years-old.

Favors was my Utah Jazz co-MVP along with Gordon Hayward last year. His contributions were just as important. He posted the third highest PER for a power forward—trailing only Anthony Davis and Blake Griffin. He and Rudy Gobert have formed one of the most formidable young front courts in the league—especially defensively. If the Jazz want to take the next step and enter the playoffs, a big share of that load will land squarely on Derrick’s broad shoulders.

Want more of an explanation? Read this.

Answer 2)  Dante Exum and Trey Burke, the Jazz point guard tandem, ranked 29th out of 30 NBA teams last year. Exum showed obvious growing pains in his first year and was all but banished to the left corner on offense for large parts of the season. Burke is a “scorer” who is shooting 37% for his career and struggles mightily on defense. Yikes.

Good news is that Dante looked fantastic in his one summer league game against the Celtics before spraining his ankle. He looked bigger—his butt is huge—and stronger while playing more aggressively and physically. Hopefully this is a sign of good things to come. If Exum could post similar stats to say, Patrick Beverley—10 points, 3.5 assists and 4 boards, which isn’t too much to ask of your starting point guard— next year, the Jazz would be in great shape.

Trey has to shoot better and play at least mediocre defense to be considered a decent backup.

Speaking of Trey Burke:

For the record, I do not advocate gun violence and/or threats.

Pros:

1) He has remained relatively healthy throughout his career. Durability is a solid attribute.

2) He has intricate tattoos and takes good selfies. That resonates with today’s youth culture and makes him very cool. This could lead to a spike in ticket sales and apparel purchases.

3) USA Basketball liked him enough to invite him to play.

4) He asks the

hard-hitting questions

.

5) Sometimes, he does this:

Cons:
1) He takes dirty pictures of himself that end up on social media.
2) He is not particularly big, fast or strong.
3) He is shooting 37 percent for his career.
4) His defense will probably always be a work in progress.
5) His in-game celebrations do not include screaming and full-body spasms like Russell Westbrook.

And here’s a little something about Dante Exum, too:

You’re damn right I do. It was only four days ago that Dante celebrated his 20th birthday. He’s a little more than 100 hours removed from his teens and he’s already 1 of only 150 starting NBA players in the world.

His one summer league game gave me a lot of hope for the future. He was confident, physical and looked like a totally different player than the whipped puppy he portrayed throughout his rookie season. If he can continue to grow mentally and physically—which is crazy, because he’s already 6’6″—while playing more aggressivenely, the league is going to have a problem on its hands.

Keep in mind that he’s already a monster defensively, but we’ve got to be patient while his offense and playmaking ability catches up.

He’s also hungry and is proving to be a student of the game. That should be enough to give everyone hope.

A quick google search showed me that after David Benoit bid adieu to the NBA, he won a Chinese League Championship with Yao Ming and the Shanghai Sharks in 2002. In 2009, he was named head coach of the Kyoto Hannaryz in Japan and was subsequently fired after 40 games.

The Hannaryz went 14-26 during his tenure.

Benoit is only 47-years-old and presumably has a lot of life left. I assume he still lives overseas. So what does a millionaire former NBA player do with all that time and money? I can only guess:

1) Drinking sake on a Suzuki in Osaka Bay (shouts to Cam’ron).
2) Reenacting his two-handed windmill from the ‘93 dunk contest on some crowded court in Tokyo.
3) Preparing for the grand opening of the Stockton-to-Benoit Toyota dealership.
4) Still playing tough defense as a security guard at Tokyo Disneyland.
5) Calling Greg Ostertag daily to remind him that he won a ring playing with a better center.

This is 100% contingent on how Trey Lyles plays. Quin Snyder has shown no reservations about playing his rookies for big minutes—see Exum, Dante and Hood, Rodney. However, Trevor Booker is a proven player that the Jazz can rely on and a fan favorite. He was the off-the-bench spark plug the Jazz needed last year. Rookies are almost always more of the “box of chocolates” variety.

Simply put, whoever helps the Jazz win more games will play. Right now I think that’s Trevor Booker.

Lyles did show some nice things during summer league. He has a high basketball IQ, can initiate an offense, knock down shots and he appears fundamentally sound on defense. I think he will be a contributor right away, which is why the Jazz drafted him in the first place, but he’s nowhere close to being polished. If I’m Quin, I’d go with the sure thing in Booker, until Lyles proves he’s better.

The Jazz also have a loaded front court, with Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors gobbling up most of the minutes. And we still have to throw in Tibor Pleiss. It’s going to get tricky.

To answer your question, I think Trevor Booker will end up getting more minutes come season’s end. But I’d bet the farm that Trey Lyles ends up as the better player.

Isn’t it cute when your little brother sends you questions? At least it’s a good one. Way to go, kid.

He’ll make it better. Point blank. Alec Burks is one of the few Jazz players that can create his own shot, get to the hole, score in bunches and draw fouls. He’s a playmaker, especially on the offensive end. The Jazz missed his play a ton last year—none more than the 14 points he averaged.

In the 27 games Alec did play in 2014, he shot 38% from behind the arc. If that can continue, the Jazz will have not only a long-range shooter, but a guy that can stretch the floor and allow Hayward and Favors to work their magic—something Quin Snyder has wanted for a long time.

Oh man, I hope it’s soon. I also hope it includes more than Gordon Hayward and the rest of the crew donning those old, patriotic uniforms. I hope Rudy Gobert jumps center wearing an afro wig with matching sideburns. I hope the warmup pants are bell bottoms and Bryce Cotton is forced to play in those platform shoes that have the little goldfish in the heels.

Hell, let’s not stop there. Let’s have the remaining members of the 1971 Utah Stars championship team play a wheelchair game—you know, because they’re old—at halftime. Nothing would warm my heart more than seeing Ron Boone steal the ball at half court only to floor the pedal on his Jazzy scooter and finish a fast break lefty layup. That would be the best.

(Editor’s note: It still sticks in my craw that it was the Clippers wearing Stars unis when the league celebrated the ABA a couple of years ago.)

That was fun, guys. Let’s do it again soon, okay? Cool. I need some lunch.

Next: Joe Ingles Will Sell You a Mattress!