2019-2020 Predictions

Posted on July 29, 2019 by bshephe

Now that the dust has settled and every team has just about filled out their full roster, it is time to asses where everyone is at and make sure predictions for the 2019-2020 NBA season. I’m going to look at team accomplishments as well as individual awards. Let’s dive right in.

Eastern Conference Standings:

Milwaukee Bucks
Philadelphia 76ers
Brooklynn Nets
Indiana Pacers
Boston Celtics
Toronto Raptors
Miami Heat
Detroit Pistons

I believe that there are only three teams that can compete consistently in the Eastern Conference. Barring an injury, I think that the 76ers are going to be the champions of the conference.

Western Conference Standings:

Los Angeles Clippers
Utah Jazz
Houston Rockets
Golden State Warriors
Los Angeles Lakers
Portland Trailblazers
Denver Nuggets
San Antonio Spurs

Oh the drama of the Western Conference! The West is going to be incredibly fun to watch this season. I stirred over the order to place teams 2-8. Picking them out of a hat would be as accurate as you could get. It’s all up in the air. As it did this season, I believe that the seeding will come down to the last two or three games for each team. In what is going to be a dogfight of a post season for the conference, I believe that the Clippers are going to come out on top.

NBA Champion:

Philadelphia 76ers

If the 76ers are able to avoid major injuries to their two stars of Embiid and Simmons, I feel like the supporting case will be enough to get them past the Clippers in a tight championship series. If there is an injury to either of them, the title makes its way to Los Angeles.

Season Awards

Coach of the Year:

Doc Rivers – Los Angeles Clippers

How often does the man at the helm of the best team win coach of the year? Very often. Almost every year. Doc Rivers has always been a fantastic coach. He’s been gifted two of the top-five players in the game this summer. He’ll have a fantastic scheme built around them and his team will succeed in route to the best season the team has ever had.

Rookie of the Year:

Zion Williamson – New Orleans Pelicans

He has all of the skills. He was the clear favorite by every scout to be the best player coming out of this draft class. He’s gifted. His talents will take him as far as his mindset lets him. Other than a lack of focus, the only thing that will stop Zion from bringing the new hardware to his collection is an injury. I believe the other rookies will be fun to watch, but there is a reason he has been called “the next LeBron” for the last year.

Sixth Man:

Lou Williams – Los Angeles Clippers

If the Clippers are going to be as good as everyone seems to believe, then Williams is going to have to have a year just like last year. I believe he will. The players around him are much better. The driving lanes will be more open. He will have extra space to shoot from deep because the defensive focus will be on the two superstars the team added this summer.

Defensive Player of the Year:

Rudy Gobert – Utah Jazz

The way that I see this award is that this is Rudy’s award until he stops caring. His defensive statistics have been much better than anyone else in the league over his last two seasons. Those numbers will be no different this year. They will more than likely be better. He’ll continue to anchor the defense of the team and his numbers will back it up

Most Valuable Player:

Giannis Antetokounmpo – Milwaukee Bucks

There are a whole lot of options for this award. You’ve got four contenders in the city of Los Angeles alone. I believe that Giannis will continue to improve and that his jumpshot won’t make a massive amount of improvement, but that it will be enough that people notice the percentage bump. I also believe that he’ll benefit from three other things: playing in the East will allow him to pad his stats, he didn’t build a “super team” and his second fiddle is much less of a player than many others in the conversation, and I believe that his team will once again be the best team in the Eastern Conference.

Quick Tutorial on Jersey Swaps

Posted on July 28, 2019 by bshephe

This is a quick tutorial on doing a jersey swap with Photoshop.

These are the steps to follow:

Find and select 2 images that are similar sizes (Large files work best) and with players in similar poses
Use the Pen tool to trace out the jersey you will be placing on top of the original
Copy and paste it onto the original
Use the Transform and Warp tools to line up the jersey correctly
Use the Clipping Mask tool to place the second jersey on top of the original
Merge layers together

Jersey swaps are incredibly fun and this video is a VERY quick summary of how to do one. It is something that you will always get better at with experience.

If you have some awesome jersey swaps show me yours! I love seeing them!

Mudiay’s Unusual Route to SLC

Posted on July 26, 2019 by bshephe

Emmanuel Mudiay may be on his way to becoming this season’s Royce O’Neal for the Utah Jazz. Royce was always an underdog. He was not heavily recruited in high school. He played at a smaller school in the University of Denver, after that he transferred to Baylor for two years. He was undrafted following his senior year. Following the draft, he went the international route to try to make his way to the NBA. He spent two years playing collecting a paycheck playing in Europe. He received a summer league invite from the Jazz in 2017. It was all uphill from there. Royce worked his way into the rotation. He wasn’t just a benchwarmer. He became an integral part of the rotation. With injuries hitting some of his other teammates, Royce found his way into the starting lineup. He has consistently been the team’s sixth man since signing a long-term deal with the team in 2018.

As a player, Emmanuel Mudiay’s path to the NBA seems like it has been the opposite to what Royce went through. The backstory to Mudiay started in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He and his two brothers were left with one parent at a very early age when their father passed away due to a heart condition. Amid the country’s civil war, his mom was able to transplant the family to America where Mudiay became a basketball sensation.

As a high school basketball player in Texas he exploded onto the scene. The three bothers all were gifted on the court, but Emmanuel’s talent was going to carry him the farthest. He finished his senior year being the nation’s fifth-highest ranked recruit according to ESPN and the number one recruit by many other sites. He originally committed to play basketball at SMU in Texas. He later withdrew his commitment to the university and signed a one-year $1.2 million deal with Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association.

While playing in China, Mudiay started to see his draft stock fall. He suffered from a leg injury early on that affected him for the rest of the season. He was still taken as a lottery pick in the 2015 NBA draft. The Denver Nuggets selected him with the 7^th overall pick. He was immediately thrown into the starting rotation and it did not work out very well for him. His statistics weren’t very good for a lottery pick. In three years with Denver he averaged 10.8 points, 4.2 assists, and 3 rebounds per game.

In February of his third season he was traded to the dumpster fire that is the New York Knicks. The organization was trying to acquire a better starting point guard than what they had. The issue for Mudiay was that he was expected to become a star for them. Trading for him was only a small portion of what the Knicks needed to do to turn things around. All the pressure though was put onto Mudiay as if he was the solution. The Knicks had been through a handful of coaching staffs through the previous five years. They had continuously struck out on signing any marquee free agents to put them back in the NBA spotlight. They were consistently at the bottom of the league instead of the top. And they had done a bad job of drafting and developing talent. It didn’t seem fair to have the pressure of being the solution for the organization all thrown onto Mudiay. After two semi-promising seasons with the Knicks, he averaged 11.8 points, 3.9 assists, 3 rebounds per game while trying to carry the team. The numbers weren’t what stuck out to teams around the league. The game finally looked like it was slowing down for him. Mudiay was finding his groove.

This summer his contract with the Knicks expired and he signed a one-year deal with the Utah Jazz. The Jazz are a team that many around the NBA view as having one of the best developmental staffs. They’ve taken many subpar players and turned them into role players. They turned Gordon Hayward into a household name. They helped Rudy Gobert turn into a two-time Defensive Player of the Year. And they’ve been right at Donovan Mitchell’s side at he’s made his ascendance to stardom.

Mudiay’s agent BJ Armstrong played a major role in getting him to Salt Lake City. Armstrong thinks highly of the Utah’s development staff and believe that with the guidance of Quin Schneider his client will be able to turn into the player he was projected to become as a high school athlete.

It’s way too early to project where Mudiay’s career with the Jazz will take him, but the team needed to add depth at the point guard position and Mudiay was the best player available. His upside gives the Jazz hope to what he can become with the right amount of coaching and a stable situation around him.

Subtraction by Addition

Posted on July 25, 2019 by bshephe

As I have mentioned many times before, the Utah Jazz made some major changes to their roster over the last few weeks. There have been so many additions that fans, current members of the team, and even analysts from the likes of ESPN and Fox Sports Network are talking about this team being in the top tier of teams that can compete for it all this season. The additions make everyone excited.

There have however, been a lot of subtraction that have given the team the freedom to get the new players. I’m going to take a look at the players that are gone and the impact their absence will have on the team. To view these players on an even field I am going to leave Derrick Favors off of this list because it is widely believed that his absence will be the one felt most by the team.

Thabo Sefolosha SF – Unsigned

A quintessential “3 and D” type of guy. The NBA is full of players like him, but it seems like every team will tell you that you can never have too many players that fit that mold on your roster. Thabo is 35 years old and may start ring-chasing for the last couple years of his career. He averaged less than 4 points per game last year. The impact that the team will feel with his departure though comes from his defensive prowess. He’s never shied away from defending whoever the team needs him to. He’s a player that would get in the space of opponents and make his way into their heads. Sefolosha knew exactly what his role was, and he did it near perfectly every night.

Raul Neto PG – Philadelphia 76ers

The underappreciated sparkplug to the team last year. Raul averaged 5.3 points per game, 2.5 assists, and 1.7 rebounds while shooting 33 percent from behind the 3-point line. His numbers don’t seem all that impressive from a back up point guard, but he always did exactly what head coach Quin Schneider needed him to. That’s what will be missed. He’s always been a scrappy player. He’d give the team 100 percent hustle every night he stepped onto the court. His willingness to outwork his opponent led to many extra possessions from the Jazz and many missed shots or turnovers for whoever Neto was lined up against.

Ekpe Udoh – Beijing Ducks

On the surface, Udoh’s numbers won’t excite you, and they may even lead you to wondering why he was on this list. He was arguably one of Utah’s most important bench players last season. Udoh was a pro’s pro. His role carried over from the previous season and it was understood clearly by him. He played just over 6 minutes per game, and his per game averages were 2.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, and less than 2 assists. He also averages less than 1 block per game at 0.6. So what gives? Why is he on this list? Udoh’s importance last year was that he was always available to play a few minutes here or there, and that he was as professional of a person as they come. Udoh played in 62 percent of the team’s games and got really important minutes during the games when Gobert or Favors were injured.

Final Verdict:

I believe that Raul Neto will be missed the most from the team next season. His energy he brings along with his great attitude will be missed, but the biggest part of his game that will be missed will be his availability. I understand that he has had injury issues, and as a third string point guard, it wouldn’t normally be that big of a deal. Neto had an interesting situation. He played behind the oft-injured Dante Exum. As a Jazz fan all we’ve ever heard about is how great Dante can be when things click for him. He’s spent so much time rehabbing injuries though, that Neto has become the team’s backup point guard. With Mike Conley’s age, and the uncertainty of the other two point guards on the roster, Jazz fans can feel uneasy about the point guard situation moving forward. Neto was a rock you could for the most part rely on to bring it every night and outwork his opponents at every opportunity. He’ll be missed, but hopefully for the Jazz’s sake, not too much.

Rookies or Gems?

Posted on July 20, 2019 by bshephe

When all was said and done with this off season’s NBA draft, the Utah Jazz selected 3 players with very late second round picks. The Jazz drafted Jarrell Brantley, Justin Wright-Foreman, and Miye Oni. These players may all turn out to be second round gems. They all took their opportunity in Summer League and really showcased their skillsets off. The Jazz also signed Nigel Williams-Goss, the team’s second round pick from 2017 this week. These four players all have legitimate potential to be on the roster for the first game of the 2019-2020 season. I’m going to take a look at them and state the case for each to make the final roster for the year.

Jarrell Brantley PF

This summer Brantley showed that he knows his way around the hoop. He wasn’t afraid to get into the paint and battle with everyone around him for the ball. In the Salt Lake Summer League, he averaged 13.5 points, 5 rebounds, while shooting 44 percent from the field. He was the Jazz’s second leading scorer behind Tony Bradley who was playing in his third summer league season. Brantley showed that he wasn’t going to let being undersized for his position stop him from showing that he belonged on the court. What he lacked in height he made up for in effort and toughness. Brantley used his muscle to fight through opposing player. If he can lean out his body and develop a little more touch from outside, he’ll make his way into the rotation and onto the court.

Justin Wright-Foreman PG

Comparing Wright-Foreman to players in the summer league at his same position isn’t fair to him. To put it bluntly, he’s short. Don’t let his size fool you though. He can flat out score. During his time at Hofstra, Wright-Foreman put on a show. He was the Colonial Athletic Conference’s player of the year in 2018 and 2019, as well as an honorable mention All-American. During the Salt Lake Summer League, he averaged a respectable 13 points and 3.5 assists while hitting 41 percent of his shots. He had moments where he was able to show off his above-average athleticism. The part of his play that really impressed me though was that he led the team in shots. The shortest guy on the roster showed that no matter what, he was going to take his share of the shots and not be intimidated. He shot the ball well too. He shot it with touch. He wasn’t just throwing up prayers and hoping they would drop. A scorer that’s willing to take shots, slash, and attack the defense is an extra weapon the Jazz will always welcome.

Miye Oni SG

The Jazz are a team that has spent the last five years with defense as their identity. Players like Rudy Gobert, Jae Crowder, and Joe Ingles have been the defensive backbone of the team. Oni could fit right into that same mold. He’s a player with length. His ability to irritate defender and jump passing lanes are exactly what the Jazz look for in a player. In the Salt Lake Summer League he was the best defender on the Jazz squad. Oni has a long wirey frame that he uses to his advantage. He averaged 2 steals, 1.5 blocks, and a respectable 9.5 points per game. Like Wright-Foreman, he shot the ball nicely from 3-point land. In a league that is shifting towards ‘positionless’ basketball, the type of player that every team is looking for is what Oni showed flashes of. If he can consistently be a “three-and-D” type of player, the Jazz will be forced to give him playing. He could take the exact same path with the Jazz as Royce O’Neal.

Nigel Williams-Goss PG

Williams-Goss has got one thing going for him that the other three players listed with him don’t have. Experience. He is older than the three. He was drafted two year ago in the 2017 NBA draft. He had a stint in the summer with the team participating in games just like the others. After the summer ended, Williams-Goss made the decision to leave the team and sign with a European team. He’s spent the last two years playing professionally oversees. He has fine tuned his game and is expected to have a legitimate shot at stealing someone else’s minutes. He was already a very smart player coming out of Gonzaga in 2017. Now, with the extra experience, the game has slowed down for him. He has a better feel and he won’t try to force things. There is a relatively wide-open race for the back up point guard position with the team. If things the things around him fall into place, don’t be surprised to see Williams-Goss getting minutes with the second unit for large stretches of the game. His ability to control the game is something that can’t be overstated in the required skillset of a successful NBA backup point guard.

Every one of these players has potential to be the next steal of the draft. They’ve all been overlooked for one reason or another, they all have a chip on their shoulder, and they all have the skills and abilities to play in the NBA.

If I had to pick which one of these guys that is most likely to make the cut and play spend get the most playing time, I’d choose Jarrett Brantley. That’s not an easy chose though. I honest think that all of them could make their way into the league. The thing that I believe puts Brantley on a higher tier than the others, is his physical gifts. He’s already built like an NBA player, and he know how to throw his weight around to get to where he needs to. Don’t be surprise though if you see more than one of these guys getting playing time this upcoming season. They’re all realistically one injury away from it happening.

Thank You Favs!

Posted on July 19, 2019 by bshephe

Lost in all of the excitement that has happened this summer, the Jazz made a trade that sent away one of the best players the franchise has ever had. The moves that were made led the team to a point that many fans saw coming, but they didn’t want to admit it was about to happen. The team had to trade Derrick Favors to clear up salary space for all of the players they signed this summer.

Derrick Favors has always been a fantastic basketball player and moving forward, NBA fans should expect nothing less from the 28-year old veteran. In 2009 he was ranked by many as the number one college basketball recruit in the nation. He was NBA ready. He had a frame of 6’10” and weighed 245 lbs. If not for the one-and-done rule that forces high school prospects to wait one year after graduating to join the NBA, Favors could have easily made the jump straight to the league.

After one year at Georgia Tech averaging 12.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, he entered the NBA draft as was selected with the 3^rd overall pick by the then New Jersey Nets. Favors was the youngest player ever to play for the Nets. He made an immediate difference on a team that needed help in every way. In just his third game he recorded his first career triple-double – his first of many.

He was viewed by many within the Nets organization as a foundational piece for their future. In February of 2011 the plans of the Nets changed. Drama struck as one of the NBA’s longest tenured coaches abruptly resigned due to an ongoing dispute with the team’s star player. On February 10^th Jerry Sloan announced his resignation as the coach of the Utah Jazz and the team made the player that was involved in the incident that led to his resignation immediately available. Deron Williams was arguably one of the best point guards in the league. He was an established player and was in the middle of his prime. His spat with the newly resigned former coach, forced the organization to decide they didn’t want him in their locker room moving forward. The Nets viewed Williams as a way to speed up their rebuild. On February 24^th the two teams agreed on the trade. Williams became a Net and Favors joined the Jazz.

Derrick spent nine and a half seasons with the Jazz. He was always a pro’s pro. He was viewed by many in the organization as the team’s hardest worker. He was for years the team’s muscle. Derrick was a double-double threat every game. His size and strength allowed him to push his way through the paint to score or grab a rebound. The team never spoke poorly of him, and you never heard a complaint or negative statement from him or those close to him.

AP Photo/Rick Bowmer

As a Jazz lifelong fan, nobody, and I mean absolutely nobody, was a better representation of the team during his Jazz career than Favors. I wanted him here for life. He seemed to do no wrong. He always said the right thing. He always had a smile on his face. He was what every fan wanted on their team. He was the example that helped Rudy Gobert turn into the player he is today. He took Rudy under his wing as a rookie. He showed him how to work hard and compete on every play.

Derrick had many highlight plays. From playoff series game winning shots, to massive blocks, not mention a all of the huge dunks, Favors has become a special piece of this community. It only seems right for the Jazz to give him the proper send off and do everything they could to take care of him on his way out. As reported by Tony Jones of The Athletic, New Orleans was where he wanted to go. The Jazz got him there.

The team, this community, and the whole Jazz fan base owe Derrick a giant thank you. He gave everything he could for the Jazz. We’ll always appreciate him and we wish him the best. Thank you Favors! Once a Jazz man always a Jazz man!

Conley’s Journey and Reflection

Posted on July 18, 2019 by bshephe

The Utah Jazz made arguably their biggest move of the offseason well before other teams had done more than setup plans for how they were going to fill their needs. On July 19th the team agreed to terms with Memphis to acquire their long-time starting point guard. That isn’t where the story of Conley’s journey to Utah begins though. This was a deal that was in the making for months.

Conley recently joined Adrian “Woj” Wojnarowski on The Woj Pod and shared more details of how he wound up on the Wasatch Front.

There were rumors of the trade happening as far back as January. The two teams almost struck a deal at the trade deadline. Conley spoke of a conversation he had with Grizzlies owner Robert Pera around the trade deadline. Pera let him know that the two pillars of the organization (Conley and Mark Gasol) were being place on the trade market and that the team was looking to rebuild and be younger around budding star Jaren Jackson Jr. He reflected on his mindset after the conversation. Conley said,

“We could sense it. The direction of the franchise, the last few seasons wasn’t the way we wanted it to go. We were fortunate enough to get a good young talented guy like Jaren in the draft. When you start to see those building blocks, you kind of see the writing on the walls.”

On the podcast he reflected on the difficulties he went through as the trade deadline came and went and the team went through an overhaul. He talked about how it felt like half of the team was gone and it made him feel like he was “left in an empty room” as he watched so many of his teammates get traded.

He did talk about how there were positives to not being traded. He reflected on being soak it all in in Memphis. As a response to a question from Woj about being given the extra time with the organization he said,

“The last month and a half was about taking it all in. It was an opportunity for me to say ‘goodbye.’ I just wanted to really put a closure on that chapter. I really wanted to have fun for those last few months.”

Woj talked to him about the organic growth of the Grizzlies and Conley’s growth with the organization. He talked about how Conley was there with his teammates for years – some a decade. Woj asked him how he felt about the league now with the way it’s changing, with players teaming up to play together. He asked Conley if he felt like young players would have the type of relationship that he and Mark Gasol had. Conley reflected on the 10 years they spent together and said,

“I really doubt it. I think today’s game, the players, they’ve seen the options in front of them. They understand they have the ability to move and they have the power to move. They can team up wherever they want to. And it’s ‘OK.’ For us, twelve years ago, there wasn’t any of that going on. There was Kobe and those guys to look up to. Tim Duncan, Manu, Tony it was normal for us to look and those guys and say ‘they’ve stuck together. That’s what we’re going to do.’ I’m not sure if the same example is set now for the younger generation.”

Woj then turned the conversation to what lies ahead. He wanted to talk to Conley about his feelings towards his new home. Conley called his new team “a little shot in the arm.”

“Knowing what I’m coming into, the organization, the culture, the players – we have a really deep team. And the city is excited to have me. Salt Lake City has embraced me since the trade happened. It’s a fun time for me. I feel revitalized. I have a lot of energy and I’m just anxious to get started.”

It’s been a long six months that Conley has had to wait to know where he was landing. There’s been uncertainty and questions. But now that he’s settled in Salt Lake City, the teams, fans, and organization are ready to see where he and this team can go. Jazz fans are just as excited as Conley for the upcoming season. With there being no obvious favorite in the West, conference is wide open and the Jazz are primed and ready to take the open spot at the top.

Ed Davis: The Glue to it All

Posted on July 14, 2019 by bshephe

The Utah Jazz have had a fantastic offseason. They have done an overhaul on their roster, and the changes have turned them into a team that should be competing for a spot in the Western Conference Finals next season. Big names have come to Utah and the addition of those names has led to much higher expectations than last year.

There is one name that I feel is not getting the credit and recognition that he deserves. The guy that could absolutely be a make or break player for next season is Ed Davis. I think that he is the perfect addition to the roster based on all of the other moves the team has made.

Ed Davis has been a journeyman throughout his career. Utah will be his sixth organization that he’s played for sense entering the league in 2010. In my opinion he’s deserved better. Each team he’s been with has either signed him to a short-term deal (outside of his guaranteed rookie deal), or they’ve traded him. He hasn’t had the consistency and closure that he deserved, and for now, the Jazz have treated him in a similar way. Ed signed with the Jazz on a two year, $10 million deal. The situation seems perfect for him and Jazz have given him a real shot to prove himself. They paid him for more than double what many teams would have. The veteran minimum for a player with his tenure in the NBA would have been a one year $2.6 million deal.

Because of the opportunity in front of him to prove himself and earn playing time, he’s going to come hungry to show what he’s got in every practice and every game. He’s a sparkplug type of guy. He’ll most likely be coming off the bench, which I think is the perfect roll for him. He’s going to bring energy to Utah’s second unit. Davis will be filling in the role of back up center for the Jazz. There were a lot of questions marks around who would be taking those minutes once the Jazz traded away Derrick Favors to make room for all of their new additions. Davis fits the build. Not only does he have a solid 6’10” 225-pound frame that will allow him to bang with the bigs on other teams, but he’ll be able to use his pure athleticism to outjump his opponents night in and night out.

Davis’ impact will be as much on the court as it is off the court. He’s a great locker room guy. You don’t hear complaints by him or about him. Every organization that he’s played for has loved to be around him.

AP Photo/Michael Owen Baker

Two former teammates of his in Portland raved about him after he moved on from their team by signing a one year deal with Brooklyn Nets. Trailblazers’ superstar Damian Lillard was a teammate with him for three years, and he wanted him to never leave Portland.

“No B.S. to him,” Lillard said, describing Davis as humble guy. “If it was up to me, me and Ed would be teammates for my entire career.”

Another former teammate, Evan Turner was asked about how he is a teammate on and off the court. He referred to Davis as a “consummate pro” who was “really, really, really invaluable” to the locker room.

I believe that his energy that he will bring along with his maturity will make this signing the most underrated move any team made this off season. He’s going to help blend this team of old and new teammate together. His willingness to accept a bench role, know his job, and bring energy and physicality every night will be the difference the propels that Jazz to greater heights and more success this season.

Welcome to the team, Ed. We’re happy to have you.

Welcome Mike Conley!

Posted on July 13, 2019 by bshephe

Last season that Jazz had one major issue that kept rearing its ugly head game after game. The issue was magnified as the regular season concluded and the Jazz were trounced in the playoffs by the Houston Rockets. The reoccurring theme was that the team needed to upgrade at the point guard position badly. Ricky Rubio is a nice player. He can direct and control an offense. He can get players the ball to score. And he excels at controlling the pass of a game. The issue that he caused for the team was that he was not a consistent threat to score. It allowed defenses to give Rubio space because they knew he wasn’t going didn’t have the ability to consistently put the ball in the basket, and they knew they could focus more on the scorers around him. Rubio’s contract expired when Utah’s season ended and he and the team were both able to go their separate ways.

The Missing Piece

On June 19th the Utah Jazz completed a trade that had been in the rumor mill for the previous six months. It happened. The team was able to get one of the leagues most consistent point guards of the last decade for backup players, a rookie, and a couple of late first-round draft picks.

Grizzlies Receive:

Kyle Korver
Jae Crowder
Grayson Allen
2019 First-round pick
2020 First-round pick

Jazz Receive:

Mike Conley

Even though this was a trade that was rumored to have been in the works since the middle of January, the news of it still shock through the NBA world. Almost all NBA analysts and sports news agency raved about the move. They talked about how this was the move the Jazz needed to make.

Mike Conley’s reputation as one of the best teammates in the league precedes him. He’s a great locker room guy. He’s not a complainer. And he’s a ‘team first’ player. He’s not concerned about his numbers – even though he leaves Memphis as the organization’s leader in games, points, assists, and steals.

“I definitely feel he makes them a better basketball team, because he is one of the better point guards in the league. I think he is underrated as far as a lot of point guards that you talk about. He’s a gut that can get others involved. But Mike can also score. That’s something Ricky Rubio couldn’t do on a consistent basis. I like what the Utah Jazz did with this trade. I like Mike Conley a lot.”

Mike Conley is the spark the Jazz have needed at the point guard position since the team traded away Deron Williams in February of 2011. He’ll help the young team continue to grow and mature. He’ll help take the pressure to score off of players like Donovan Mitchell, Joe Ingles, and Rudy Gobert. And most important, he’ll help the Jazz win a lot of basketball games.

What Does Bojan Bring?

Posted on July 8, 2019 by bshephe

WOW WOW WOOOOOW! That was a wild way to start free agency. On June 6th at 6:00 pm EST the mandatory moratorium for the NBA ended and the first couple of hours were full of league shaking announcements.

For those that need a small refresher, the NBA has a mandatory moratorium when the season ends. That means that there is around a 20 day period each season where teams aren’t allowed to talk with players – other than those currently under contract with them. They aren’t allowed to make trades. They aren’t allowed to offer new contracts. The players are given a break.

It’s too bad that this year more than ever showed that those rules aren’t being followed by every team in the league. It was proven because right at the stroke of 6:00 pm ESPN was breaking news on all kinds of deals. Within the first 20 minutes we had major stars announcing that they were changing teams. The Jazz were able to slide in, grab some great talent, and make some roster moves that are finally getting the organization the attention and respect that they deserve.

We’re gonna take a deeper look into a player the guys at SportSource talked about in the above video and see just how good the Jazz can be next year with his addition.

Bojan Bogdanovic SF – 4 years / $73 Million

Utah Jazz announced the signing of Bojan Bogdanovic on 7/7 via the team’s Twitter

Bojan was a steal for the Jazz. He is exactly what the Jazz needed and, in my opinion, is the best fit at the position for the team. Bojan spent last season with the Indiana Pacers, and he earned himself this contract. He was the primary offensive facilitator and scorer for the Pacers for the latter half of the season. The teams primary offensive weapon was Victor Oladipo. He got injured on January 23rd against the Toronto Raptors. From that game on, the offense of the team belongs to Bojan. He spent a majority of remainder of the season has a primary ball handler and the offense very often was initiated by him.

Bojan’s statistics in this role flourished. This season, he averaged 18 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2 assists, while shooting 49.7% from the field and 42.5% from behind the three point line. Those numbers alone won’t warrant a $73 million dollar contract in some people’s eyes, but it’s the information hidden deeper in the statistics that will show why he’s worth the money. In EVERY offensive statistic compared to his career numbers but one he increased in a positive way. The lone stat that didn’t jump up was his free throw percentage. That’s not a huge shock though. It’s not necessarily a big surprise that a player’s free throw percentage stays in relatively the same spot throughout their career.

When you stop and admire the increase in all of those statistics, you will really appreciate that Bojan put up those number while facing the opposing team’s best defender every game.

Bojan is a great ball handler and shooter, but the part of his game that will make him fit the best with his new team is his basketball IQ. He knows how to play. Bojan hasn’t been on a team as good as the Jazz. He hasn’t had players around him like he has now. He gets to play in a system that will get him more open shots, and allow him to showcase his ability to make plays for his teammates better than ever.

The Jazz ever been able to spread the floor like almost every other team in the league. They now can. The additions of Bojan and Mike Conley give the Jazz a threat from three at all shooting positions. This will give Rudy Gobert a ton of room to work under the hoop.

The Jazz offense is going to flow better than ever. It’s going to have more open shots and driving lanes than they did last year – two categories that they already led the league in during last season. This team will let it fly, get powerful dunks, and win a lot of teams. Get ready for the new look Utah Jazz, NBA fans. They’re not going to surprise anyone in 2019. In Utah it’s “championship or bust.”

Jazz Fans

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