is that just urban myth? (highlights on last season): I heard that said a lot after last season. But I didn't watch many, if any, Utah games and never checked it. The narrative sure seemed like one that fit the evolving NBA. But looking at the numbers his minutes have actually gone up in the playoffs the last 2 seasons, and in 3 out of the last 4 playoffs. He scores 1.3 pts. more while grabbing 0.5 less rebounds. His production and efficiency metrics fall off a bit but that makes sense since the overall competition is much better and Utah has a lower winning percentage in the playoffs the biggest drop-offs I see are in defensive rebounding and blocks. Which I guess goes to the point as I'd imagine teams are running offensive plays designed to drag Gobert out of the paint more often. He can't be grabbing rebound and swatting shots if's he's switched out on a perimeter player
So the DPOY first needs offensive players to help him create because he lacks that dimension, but he secondly needs a roster surrounding him with plus perimeter defenders in the postseason? Then I question just how great his defense is. Sure you could win with Gobert if he is surrounded with many amazing teammates, just like the Blazers could win with CJ. But the question is can you win with these guys as one of your best players? Its hard to have a roster surround those guys with plus defenders who provide some value on offense when Rudy or CJ are taking $30-40million of your cap. Postseason opponents have exploited a consistent strategy of going small and putting Rudy in space or on the perimeter. Its been a huge factor in multiple playoff series losses. Rudy has been great in the regular season, but his teams have totally failed in the playoffs for 5+ years. Sound familiar?
sounds too simple to actually be true. If all you had to do to beat the Jazz is put 5 guards on the court, why don’t teams just do it in the regular season? There’s probably more to it than that. Like who was guarding Kawhi and George when they both averaged nearly 30 a night? Bojan Bogdanovic? Or was that Rudy’s fault too?
The Blazers could also trade way Bledsoe, Hart, Winslow, rookie contracts, or others to get additional cap space. Who knows maybe Nurk agrees with another team, which would be unfortunate, but it would clear out his cap hold or allow a sign and trade. But I think most likely the team just resigns Simons+Nurk, stay above the cap, keeps their TPE, keeps Ingels cap hold. Probably the best free agent available is TJ Warren, and I wouldn't want to give him more than MLE.
Teams don't have time to prepare in the regular season. Teams don't want to change their offensive schemes for 1 regular season game. Kawhi was out with an injury when the Clippers beat the Jazz in the playoffs.
Zach Lowe on one of these deadline recap pods this week said there was apparently a deal in place to send Claxton to Toronto, with Covington going to BK, and a first rounder going to either POR or LAC (timeline wasn't mentioned, nor were salary fillers). But it fell through last minute.
Yes Kawhi played when the Clips lost games and the Jazz got a lead in the series. Then Kawhi was injured with the Jazz up 20 points in game 6, somehow losing the series. How does Kawhi being on the court prevent Rudy from playing well the last two games when Kawhi sat, as you previously posted? Mann was Rudy assignment, because the Clippers would play all guards and force Rudy to guard Mann or another one of them. Rudy couldn't defend mediocre talents like Mann, and the entire Jazz defense broke down because now the rim protector was one of their guards. Opponents never try strategies like this in the regular season, so the Jazz rack up wins, but as the Clippers did last year, and Rockets two other postseasons prior, they can be exploited when the games matter most. It sounds like you didn't watch any of those playoff last year.
complete bullshit, Marcus Morris averaged 33 minutes a game in that series and you want me to believe Rudy’s assignment was Terrence Mann?
I don't care what you believe. Bottom line is Rudy gets exposed when the opponent goes small and forces him to move in space. That was a huge reason Utah has lost in multiple years of playoffs. Thats why you can't build a contending team around Rudy, he can get played off the floor.
Maybe my new ideal off season has us making the playoffs and Ant's value skyrocketing. The Pelicans pick conveying and being like between 5th and 8th. Us engaging in talks with Boston and Ant's people and agreeing in principal to a sign and trade of Ant and the Pelicans pick (that we would choose for Boston) for Jaylen Brown. Having made the playoffs and our pick going to the Bulls, all of our future firsts would be freed up. So we trade our 2023 and 2025 first rounders to Detroit for Jerami Grant whose salary is absorbed by the TPE... that would need to be done draft night or before because as of the new NBA fiscal year Grant's salary will no longer fit into our TPE. We re-sign Nurk and our RFAs. We sign a good backup PG with the full MLE. We would draft a backup big with our second rounder. We would pick up Hart's option for next season. Dame, MLE PG Hart, Keon, Elijah Brown, Nas, Elleby, Dido Grant, Trendon, GB3 Nurk, Second Rounder I think that group is a contender.
Per Spotrac, Grant's 22-23 salary is less than 100K more than the TPE, so he could fit into it even after July 1st. In that plan (which I like, BTW), I think I'd rather use the MLE on someone like Boucher. Also, I'd want to keep Winslow around.
"played off the floor".... last season, Gobert averaged 2.0 more minutes in the playoffs than he did in the regular season. Against the Clippers he averaged 3.5 more minutes than the regular season the season before that, he averaged 7.8 more minute in the playoffs than in the regular season
True enough-- he played over 40 min in each of their two final games. Of course, he was -24 in a 12-point loss to end the series, so perhaps he should have come off the floor...
Totally forgot about Justise, so we'd probably just let Elijah walk. Justise is under contract so I don't see any reason why he wouldn't be on the roster. We would still need a backup PG though but I'm a Boucher fan.
maybe...that's another debate though that pivots on how much you gauge plus/minus for individual games for that series, Gobert led the Jazz in TS% and eFG%; he was 2nd on the team in both defensive rating & offensive rating. He was 2nd on the team in net differential at +11. Royce O'Neal was +5; Donovan Mitchell was -9; Bogdanovic was -12; Clarkson was -13 sure looks like the failure was on the perimeter, except for Ingles. Oh, and Favors was -31
Billups wants more length and athleticism at center I’m throwing everything outside Simons to land Jaren Jackson Jr — both top-10 picks+
