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Utah Jazz: Free agency looms large in '09

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Madrybeg | 12:19 a.m. July 7, 2008

Plaisted..YOU ARE A MORON!

Go J.C. Best of luck in making an NBA roster this year!!!!

Re: Madrybeg | 6:08 a.m. July 7, 2008

Ahhhh namecalling. The sure sign of a persons maturity level.

sob | 7:07 a.m. July 7, 2008

its a cougar fans way of showing scorn for being rejected.

Comments continue below

Josh | 10:35 a.m. July 7, 2008

They need to keep Boozer, Williams, probably Okur, Korver, and Price. Jason Hart did pretty much nothing this season, probably never will as long as Price keeps it up.

Madrybeg's lame | 10:44 a.m. July 7, 2008

That's odd. I don't seem to recall Plaisted being mentioned in this article.... Perhaps the rude individual is suffering from a severe case of Plaisted anxiety or Plaisted Turrets Syndrome...

@Lame | 11:22 a.m. July 7, 2008

Click on page 2.

Re: sob | 11:27 a.m. July 7, 2008

The cougar fan comment is ï¿½off topicï¿½ and should be removed from this Forum.

Needless | 11:36 a.m. July 7, 2008

What a waste of time this article is. It starts out basically rehashing an ESPN article. And who are these 3 (or 4) free agents? Miles and Koufos? Uhhh, whatever.....

Korver | 12:47 p.m. July 7, 2008

Korver will not be a free agent. He is under contract for the next 3 seasons and won't be a free agent until 2011.

Anonymous | 1:10 p.m. July 7, 2008

"Included in that group, as listed by ESPN.com, will be unrestricted free agents-to-be Carlos Boozer (player option), Jarron Collins, Ronnie Price and Jason Hart. On top of that, Mehmet Okur and Kyle Korver both have early termination options, the Jazz hold a team option on Kyrylo Fesenko, and Paul Millsap will be a restricted free agent"

*Keep Boozer, Price, Memo, Korver and Millsap...The rest should be dumped

Anonymous | 2:01 p.m. July 7, 2008

@Korver: He could be a FA next year because there's an ETO (Early Termination Option) in his contract. Click on the hyperlink to ESPN in the article.

@Needless: Your comment was a waste and I wonder if you even finished reading the article. If you don't care about free agency then don't bother to read or comment about it.

Korver | 2:08 p.m. July 7, 2008

According to ESPN there is an ETO for Korver in his contract. They fail to mention whether it's at the player or team option for the ETO. However, HoopsHype.com does not show that Korver has an ETO in his contract.

Mike B. | 2:18 p.m. July 7, 2008

The jazz will do nothing this summer and fall as far as free agent pick ups. Maybe next summer when we have a bunch of guys contracts up. Nobody wants 2 or 3 of the players that have contracts expireing next year, and Deron Williams contract will eat up all the money this summer rightly so. Please Larry get someone to take via trade if you can this year Jason Hart, Jarron Collins,and sweeten the pot alittle with a draft pick thrown in. These guys are'nt even good D-league players. We don't have a chance again of getting Corey Maggette, because we have no money to offer. The Jazz again this season will be probably make it to the second round again and be done. They just don't have enough athletic big people to make that next step, and know this draft will not help them this year.

Jargon | 2:23 p.m. July 7, 2008

What this fails to mention is the possibility of what may happen next year.

Millsap was retained for another year so that if Boozer happens to go somewhere next year then we can then sign Millsap to a large contract and have some backups in those we picked up from the draft.

Fez is being groomed to be the main backup for Okur and if Okur decides to leave then we can bring up Kosta to take his spot.

Then the Jazz still have the main core of the group together even if ther are some changes in the startes you will still have players who have played with each other starting and still have a good bench.

Henry Drummond | 4:30 p.m. July 7, 2008

My predictions:

In the strange math of salary cap trading, expiring contracts are very valuable. Jason Hart and probably Jaron Collins will get traded probably by New Years.

I doubt Korver will exercise his ETO at what he is getting paid. (I'm not sure he's even got one by the way).

My guess is Memo won't opt out. He's really overpaid for what he does. If he does, I doubt Utah will resign him for more.

Boozer will opt out and there is a 50% chance he'll resign with the team depending on how crazy the market gets. There are probably family issues as well.

magnus | 4:52 p.m. July 7, 2008

@ Jargon

I see what you are saying, but if you honestly think that Boozer and Okur can leave and everything will be just fine for the Jazz even if they don't sign anybody else you are fooling yourself.

If the situation you describe actually hapens and the Jazz don't make a major free agent aquisition then you are looking at a solid 2-5 years before the Jazz are legitimate title contenders again. and that is only if the young guys develop into top shelf NBA starters, which is a HUGE "if". In all likelyhood only one or two of the Jazz young guys will ever be regular starters in the NBA.

Brewer needs to work on his shooting.

Millsap needs work on his post moves and get a mid range jumper.

CJ needs to learn how to be more consistent on both ends and he needs to get stronger.

Fes, Almond, and Kosta are all total unknowns, for all we know they could all be playing in europe in two years.

The Jazz will be legitimate title contenders again this year but I just dont see them getting it done without adding a proven PF/C, like Kurt Thomas.

Anonymous | 7:30 p.m. July 7, 2008

hopefully okur does opt out because we can't win with a 3 point shooting center and possibly land amare stoudemire

Dream On | 9:36 p.m. July 7, 2008

You people and your trades and new players are nothing but fantasy world dreamers. Stoudemire or any one like him is not coming here for two resons-his present team will not let players like that leave and for those that think Kurt Thomas is a fix, you too are up in the night. But dream on I think that is what the NOW generation is all about(thats you 40 and under wonders) lifes are all about.

Anonymous | 9:56 p.m. July 7, 2008

Let Booze and Okur walk and use the money from them leaving to get a better inside presence at center and someone to back up Millsap at PF. We're eventually going to go back to being horrible for a few years anyway so why not get it over with sooner rather than later. Booze and Okur have both proven the last 2 years that they will pull a disappearing act in the postseason. I believe in the series against San Antonio in last year's playoffs Okur was referred to as a "Petrified Puppy" by an ESPN analyst which would describe him again in this year's playoff and Booze looked out of place for the most part this year and last year in the playoffs. Keep D-Will and build around him and work with Korver on his defense and Brewer with his shooting and use them at the 2 spot and let Millsap start which is the only way he'll continue to get better and play smarter defense down low

Rich | 10:48 p.m. July 7, 2008

Mike B., You're not going to improve by trading Collins and Hart for anybody. Anonymous, Okur is one of the better centers in the league; we can't give him up unless we get somebody better in return -- extremely unlikely. We need Okur until (and if) our young centers prove themselves. That will probably be two or three years at least. As for Boozer, he helps the team, but I think he hurts the Jazz, too. I would be all for trading him for a journeyman post-up player who is an excellent defender, even if he's little more than adequate as a scorer. Boozer is the weak link in the chain of defense. He has the physical skills to improve, but I wonder if he will.

Chase | 9:26 a.m. July 8, 2008

what the jazz need is to free up some salary cap space by getting rid of AK. He's the highest paid player on the team and we could get another player of his caliber for half the price. Idealy, a player that can play better on the ball defense rather then only weak-side D. How about someone like Shawn Marion? Deng (chicago) or even another back up gaurd or off-gaurd like Ben Gordon. lets make a move! we have to if we want a legit shot.

How to fix the problem! | 2:37 p.m. July 8, 2008

Assuming that DWill signs a new max contract extention, he is the only indespensible player on the team. Now looking at the rest: Boozer may have dissappeared in the playoffs, but the season before he was quality, and all year he was getting double-doubles. That's a more than sufficient return from your PF. Kirilenko is overpayed (everyone knows that) but getting rid of that contract is tough. Having said that he is a top defender and probably our most athletic player. If we can trade him for Marion or better then great, otherwise work with him. This leaves Okur as the only starter that we could and should deal. Yes his 3 point shooting is a nice option for a Center, but the truth is it's low low down on your list of priorities at that position. A center needs size, inside scoring, shot-blocking and post-presence... none of which Okur has. Now with Koufos coming in (a much younger version of Okur) we should trade Okur for a more-atheletic big man with post-presence. Then bring in Koufos as a different option to stretch the opposition. I'm thinking Okur, Hart, Collins and Draft picks for Okafor/J O'neal/etc

Marty | 6:57 p.m. July 8, 2008

The idea that having a center that can shoot a three makes some sense depending on the PF that is working the paint. A 3 shooting Center with Malone, Stock and Horny would likely have led to at least 2 championships due to the defense rules in play at the time and Malone's strength in the post. With the current rules, the problem that the Jazz seemed to have this year was that the Center stayed home with Boozer and he was unable to exploit the match-up like he did with Yao last year. Certainly they can't double down on him with Okur outside. While Okur's ability to go outside frees up Booze inside, I am not sure that Booze's mid-range jumper frees up Okur in the same manner to go inside. It makes me wonder what would happen if KK (the new) can play both in and out moving Memo to the 4 at times. I tend to think that both KK (the new) and Okur have the capacity to play in the paint.

nyjazzfan | 12:47 p.m. July 9, 2008

Trade AK? you guys are crazy, didnt you see what he can do at the end of the last utah v laker game? Blocked a couple of shots, hit a couple of threes and put utah into position to with - he should have taken the last shot... Utah should have easily defeated if Sloan would have taken out the ineffective boozer and had Memo guarding Gasol, AK on Odom (he always dominates Odom) and Harpring or Korver on Radmonic.. left Brewer and Miles to guard Koby and Deron on Fisher.. AK can guard all 5 spots on the floor. He had a great shooting percentage this year.. Trade Boozer for an shot blocking post up big and let Memo, AK, and Milsap to share time at 4.. hows that?

Trade Memo! | 2:54 p.m. July 9, 2008

Why is everyone looking for ways to keep Memo in the strating roation. He is physically weaker than Boozer, he has a worse mid-range game, and has abysmal ball-handling skills. The Jazz should trade Memo and get the post presence they are lacking. Ignoring salary cap arguements against for now (you can work around it... like the Celtics/Spurs/Detroit), imagine a Jazz team with D Williams, AK, Boozer and a top center they have ALWAYS lacked (D.Howard, Yao, Okafor, Ilgauskas, Dalambert, Biedrins.... even Shaq). Of course some of those are better than others, and some would come and some wouldnt... but the point is GET RID OF MEHMET OKUR AND BRING IN A DOMINANT BIG MAN.

nyjazzfan | 3:40 p.m. July 9, 2008

I would definitely trade Memo for Shaq, Dalambert or Yao.. not too sure about the rest.. Just as important as getting a big - big man - someone needs to teach Boozer how to play D.. move your feet man!!

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