Comments about ‘Utah Jazz: Wesley Matthews always confident he'd be NBA player’

I appreciate Matthews work ethic, confidence, and hustle play. It's great to see an undrafted rookie excel in the NBA. Best of luck in the rest of your NBA career, hopefully many more years with the Jazz.

He probably does not fit NY/PHO. He is with the Jazz because he plays defense and because he does not play like a typical rookie.

He is just as efficient a Brewer (just checked the stats) but shoots the 3 much better. He lags Brewer in steals but is improving rapidly. He tends to have to many TOs and PFs but he plays hard and is improving. He could have more assists. You really can't ask much more from an undrafted rookie. On balance his numbers are a little better than CJs. CJ has been playing for 4 years and was a starter.

I think Mathews will make a big difference in the playoffs. He just keeps getting better with playing time and experience. He often has to guard the biggest names in the NBA.

Brewer did a lot of things well but his outside shooting allowed other teams to pack the paint and that had to change for the Jazz to have any chance this year.

They have a chance now. The ability to hit outside shots can offset a tall opposition line up.

If Mathews and CJ can improve enough the Jazz have a chance.

Matthews made the right decision by choosing to come and play for a team who values what he brings to the game.

The Jazz will resign him and for a lot more than he would have made as a rookie tied to a 3 year contract.

RARE is the rookie who comes into the NBA undrafted and ends up starting for an NBA team.

The Jazz are lucky to have found this diamond among the lumps of coal.

Matthews, keep on playing like you are. Us Jazz fans love to see those success stories that are as well deserved as yours. We love our defense and hustle, you're starting for a reason. Glad you're here in Utah and keep it up!

What a great young man Wesley Matthews is. Not just a good, solid basketball player, but a humble and dedicated person who is committed to two things: getting better all the time, and helping his team to win.

There are many reasons why the Jazz are playing so much better this year than last. Among them:

1. Carlos Boozer is having an outstanding season, consistently playing to the level that, previously, he did only sporadically. If all continues this way, it will be critical for the Jazz to re-sign him next summer. Of the three (Boozer, Okur, and AK), Boozer is far more important and hard to replace.

2. AK's having returned to the starting lineup has greatly strengthened the starts of the game. AK is also having the best year of his career, playing with more determination and focus than he has in the past.

3. The backup point. Price and Gaines still make mistakes, but they always try hard and usually run the team solidly. For the first time in four years, the Jazz actually have backup points that keep the team in the game when DWill sits.

For all this, however...

I think that Wesley Matthews has been the quiet linchpin behind the turnaround. If you watch the Jazz from the proverbial 50,000-foot level, it's not just that they're playing better - they're playing differently. There is a toughness to the whole team that, previously, we saw only in Matt Harpring. There is a we-can-win-no-matter-what spirit. The team hangs tough at the beginning, even when they fall behind, and they don't give up at the end of the game.

This all started, I think, in the early-season game in Philly when DWill was injured and Maynor and Matthews started. Through pure toughness, they wont that game and then almost beat Cleveland. Whether the rest of the team was infused with the same spirit or just embarrassed into performing better, I think that Matthews' attitude and spirit has helped the rest of the team to be better. There is a reason that the Jazz have performed so well when Matthews is in the starting lineup.

As Sloan says, no one player can win for a team-focused franchise like the Jazz. But the spirit he brings can. Go Wesley!

Absolutely no doubt Matthews would have been shipped out had Korver and Miles not got injured pre season.

This is an example of a player who gets it. I know it is his first year, but he is thinking like a veteran. You have a guy that is coachable, is mature, understands the game, and more. As he gets better, and he sticks around, you might just have another hall of famer down the road, as long as he improves, and stays grounded. I think he, along with Milsap, and Williams, and too an extent now, Kirilenko understand what it takes. Now we need some others to get it, and we could be real dangerous.

Anyone who intends to get this front office to lose some sleep, now, this is a guy who's on my side; that's the type of comitment i take to the front office as well. all in all, i agree with everyone who says we found a real diamond in the rough, a real nba player. i hope he's with the jazz for awhile, I have no problems with him, not one. except this, but its not his fault, korver should be starting, the rotation should feature fesenko as well. sloan could be starting korver, ideally, sloan would be starting fesenko and korver,and using memo as that spark off the bench, along with millsap, cj, price, as rotation regulars.
the habitually slow starting jazz need to do something different, eventually, these slow starts will catch up with this team, because of the slow starts, its as if the jazz are always playing from behind.
besides, sloan has never made korver a starter, its been three years, and you would've thought that korver would've started at some point, if not had been starting the whole time?
this makes it hard to think sloan is great.

just because they keep telling us how great he is dosent make it so.

Perhaps one reason he is here is Matt Harpring is no longer here. If Matt had been able to be rehabbed the Jazz would have way less need and the organization would have been lynched had they traded Harpring to keep Matthews.

The attitude of the Jazz has changed for whatever reason. Boozer and Williams always were tough to the end as they both wanted the ball when clock was winding down. Brewer, Korver and CJ turned into great passers at the games end.

The new Jazz are now relentless in the 4th quarter, they do not seem to care who they play, they are of the opinion and play like they can beat any opponent, which is refreshing for fans.

The team is cohesive and plays with comfort in their various roles and they do not choke or get uptight in the final minutes. The old team used to pack their bags and emotionally leave when they got behind. This team seems to play like they can beat any team in 4 quarters and if for some reason they don't give them the 5th quarter and they would win.

Go Jazz

This just in.....Matthews agent is asking for a contract in the 6-8 million range, the price for a starting two guard in the league. Just kidding....

But you have to ask yourself, is Matthews going to come that much cheaper than Brewer if he keeps playing like this? especially if he has a good playoff run! will it be 3? 4? 5 million per?

he`s a little Millsap,a hard worker who WILL get better,because he`ll work hard everyday.He has Korver to push him who also is a typical tough minded Jazz type player.Matthews will be here for years to come.GO JAZZ

What sports have you ever played to make a comment like that? Very sarcastic and juvenile(maybe thats what you are), on your behalf. How's the rest of your life? Doesn't anyone love you? It's no wonder why!

First let me say Matthews is awesome and as a WHOLE is better than Brewer because he does everything well enough (obviously not the athlete Brewer was) but he can be a threat from deep and that is HUGE come playoff time.

BUCKS GAME TONIGHT!!!

Who is the #1 defense in the NBA over the last 10 games?

The Milwaukee Bucks!!...and it is not even close. Over the last 10 games they are allowing 5 ppg LESS/100 possessions than any other team in the NBA.

The average NBA margin of victory is 3 points.
They are holding teams to under 90 points!!

Now:

Over the last 10 games who is the #1 OFFENSE in the NBA?

The Utah Jazz.

I have been saying it for two weeks now. Our offense has gotten so good the Jazz have not needed to play defense. This is DANGEROUS!!

Tonight we will see what happens. We will see whether the Jazz can flip the switch and play defense or whether they will be able to simply outscore a good defensive team.

The Bucks are 10-2 recently beating Cleveland and Boston.

We are running into a HOT HOT team on the ROAD!!

Even if Miles/Korver were healthy this season the Jazz would have signed Matthews for the season. They did not have to sign a 14th player, but with Harpring not being able to play they needed one player to be available if someone gets injured.

Matthews is great. Right now I see him as a Russel/Bowen player. He just knows how to play without the ball. His spacing is great. You don't have to run anything offensively and he plays great defense.

This is a positive and negative. The positive is he really compliments the Boozer offense. A lot of low post past where he can cut and get the ball or stand in the corner when the pick and role collapses and hit open corner shots. This is Bowen. He was asked to play off the ball and then focus on Defense.

The Motion offense, the Jazz never pass the ball in the post. This was the reason Sloan wanted AK to come off the bench last season. Our Korver, Miles, Millsap, Okur are running it perfectly the last couple games. I really believe this is the better offense, but we are playing it less.

You've hit the nail on every point. Keep contributing on this board.

Bet Matthews is in heaven right now. Starting as an undrafted rookie on a top NBA team, and his Marquette team is winning in its conference over ranked teams. How sweet it is, Wesley!

This kid is solid. He may make mistakes here and there, but his pluses more than make up for them. It's easy to see why Sloan starts Matthews.

Matthews is not the same type of player as Brewer, but he does hit the trey better, which makes me think with Matthews the team is better off than with Brewer. Don't get me wrong, I like Brewer, but was disappointed in his lack of progress in trey shooting progress.

It's fun to see NBA vets he defends take it real personally that Matthews can defend them as well as he does. Some lately, have even gotten flustered. Fun stuff!

Being good at everything, and not a specialist at one thing (except maybe defense), is one reason he fits so well in the Jazz scheme. Kind of like AK, in that respect.

I love his not-satisfied attitude. Keep it forever!

The Jazz better take care of him in the off season.

Matthews is the MAN!

I was sad to see Brewer go...as he was so fun to watch, but I believe Matthews is a keeper. He plays great and should only get better. It looks like we have really put a good team together...and will be pooible contenders for a title in the future.(If our young team keeps getting better) Go Jazz!