Tres Llaves: 3 Keys to a Utah Victory over Arizona State

Today's tilt against the Arizona State Sun Devils will likely paint a nice picture for how the University of Utah Utes will fair their sophomore season in the Pac 12. The loss the Arizona State last year was the second loss of a brutal 4-game Pac 12 losing streak for Utah. A win today, on the road no less, would show marked improvement over that 2011 team. A loss would lead one to believe that matching last year's 4-5 Pac 12 record is more likely than not.

The 3 keys to a Utah win today in Tempe. (What's with the way people pronounce Tempe? Where is the accent supposed to go? I have heard it said in which the first syllable holds the accent and also in which the second receives the emphasis. Is this one of the those regional pride things?)

1. The Offensive Line. BYU has a good defense. Utah's offensive line held against the stalwart Cougar defense for most of the game. Yes, Jon Hays took some shots, but some of that can be attributed to his own actions (holding onto the ball too long, rolling out of the pocket, etc.). Sure, the running game was atrocious, but holes were opened up that a healthy John White IV may have been able to exploit. If the offensive line can improve upon their performance of last week against one of the best defenses in the country, it bodes well for Utah chances against a less-proven defensive side. This segues nicely to....

2. John White IV's health. Maybe I have not looked hard enough, but I cannot find a definitive answer as to whether he is playing or not against the Sun Devils. I suppose that with the recent ballyhoo over injury reports in the Pac 12, I shouldn't be surprised. Regardless, if he is able to play effectively, it is a boon for Utah. The inexperience of Jerrell Oliver, Lucky Radley, and Kelvin York showed against the BYU defense. I feel that a healthy John White would have been able to gain crucial yards in last week's Rivalry game, particularly when Utah was trying to close the game out. White was at his best in the fourth quarter of games last year. If White's work on the ground is able to force Arizona State to respect the run, that will take the pressure off of...

3. Jon "The Sweeper" Hays. I have already documented the high hopes I have for Jon Hays. His performance against BYU was a textbook "The Sweeper" performance. He made plays when needed to and overall his performance was overshadowed just enough for it to be a secondary topic of post-game discussions. Most importantly, he did not turn the ball over. This is what Utah needs Jon Hays to do. Clean up the occasional mess (a 3rd and long situation) and to not create any messes of his own (fumbles and interceptions). Jon Hays struggled mightily against the Sun Devils last year. His three interceptions were part of five total turnovers for Utah that day. Hays has come a long way since his first start as a FBS quarterback against ASU in 2011. If he plays mistake-free football and converts the occasional 3rd and long pass, I like Utah's chances.

Honorable Mention: The defensive front seven of Utah. If they are able to put pressure on ASU's sophomore quarterback Taylor Kelly early and often, it could create the all-important turnover. I truly feel that the ability to put pressure on the quarterback will be key for Utah success for the balance of the season. Look at what Stanford was able to do against then #2 USC when they applied pressure to then-Heisman-frontrunner Matt Barkley. Pressure the quarterback, win games.

It is interesting how one win can completely change the outlook of a season. Following the loss the Utah State, Utah was seemingly on life support. The win over the BYU changed that outlook simply because it showed that Utah's offensive line was improving, their QB situation is likely better with Jon Hays, and that their defense is about as good as advertised. If Utah is able to get production out of the running game going forward, the prognosis improves even more. Today's game is a significant barometer for expectations the rest of the season.

Prediction:

Utah - 28

ASU - 24

Tragedy and "The Sweeper": Jordan Wynn and Jon Hays

The tragedy of Jordan Wynn.

It has been so long since Jordan Wynn threw his way into our hearts with his MVP performance in the 2009 Poinsetta Bowl. Three shoulder surgeries (with a pending fourth), a top-ten ranking in 2010 (followed by an almost disastrous November), and an unforgettable hair-style later, Wynn is hanging up the cleats. Retirement comes sooner for some.

I am actually very proud of that introduction. At this point in the article, I would begin a narrative of the Jordan Wynn story from his humble beginnings as a 150-pound freshman to his last Napoleonic stand in Logan. Alas, though a player worthy of such an article, I do not wish to discuss Mr. Wynn any further. Instead I wish to focus on his predicted replacement, Jon Hays, a player who I feel has potential to approach legend status in the annals of Utah football and claim a spot in the Brett Ratliff wing of the Utah Football Hall of Fame (especially if he can direct Utah to a victory over BYU).

Jonathan Perry Hays. 6’0” 208 lbs. His story includes being in the situation not in which he was cut from the football team, but in which the football team was cut from him. After a stint at Butte College he anticipated playing for the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks football team. After receiving word that Nebraska-Omaha was exterminating its football program, Jon Hays began preparing for life without football. His football-less life was almost as short-lived as his time as the Nebraska-Omaha starting QB. It was not too long before he received a call from the man who was instrumental in three Heisman trophy campaigns, Norm Chow. Hays enrolled, thereafter, at the University of Utah.

How Norm Chow or anyone the Utah coaching staff discovered Jon Hays, I have no idea. He joined the team in the summer of 2011. Within a few games, and with very little preparation to be a Division-I quarterback, Hays was called upon to save Utah’s season after the aforementioned Wynn went down with a shoulder injury. A few games into the Jon Hays Era and things were looking bleak for Utah Football, particularly following a punch-less performance against the Cal Bears. Following that loss, Hays' performance improved, he cut down on the turnovers and as a coup de grace on the season, he delivered a bowl-game-saving performance against Georgia Tech. Many a Utah fan remembers the New Year's Eve 4th and 14 pass to Devonte Christopher.

Flash-forward to summer, 2012.

Bowl-game-saving performance aside, Jon Hays found himself in a familiar position--as an afterthought. With Jordan Wynn on the mend, and two new high-profile freshman recruits in the program, Jon Hays was relegated to 4th string. To the coaching staff, Hays had already produced above any expectation that could have been set for him. Like a college textbook, they used him for a semester but kept him on the shelf, just in case. Now, the idea was to keep the ball out of his hands. Here Jon, hold this clipboard. 

The quarterback job opened up considerably as September rolled around. But before the season even started, Chase Hansen went down with an injury and decided to go on an LDS mission. Jordan Wynn lasted almost six quarters before injuring his shoulder and calling it a career. That left Jon Hays, Travis Wilson, and Adam Schulz. Schulz is a walk-on from Wisconsin with little hope of ever entering a live game. Travis Wilson, as it stands, has no FBS starting experience. Jon Hays is a 6 wins and 3 losses Pac-12 quarterback. The case for Hays to take over is strong and the early returns in the loss to Utah State were positive. Yet again, Jon Hays' life took a familiar path to the buttocks of the starting center on the offensive live: from afterthought, hiss and a byword to hero.

If Jon Hays can pull this off again, meaning, go 6-3, it will be the stuff of legend. If he can go 6-3 over the next nine games, that will put Utah at 7-4 going into the pretend Rivalry Game with Colorado. Utah, much like in 2011, should be able to defeat Colorado. Assuming Utah wins in Boulder and improves to 8-4, they will stand one win better than 2011. No small feat. For Hays, he is once again taking the reigns of a wagon from which many have jumped off after proclamations of a 10-win season now seem unattainable. At this point, with injuries on both sides of the ball and an unexpectedly strong Pac-12 South Division, a 4-5 record for Utah in conference is optimistic. This is why I am advocating the bestowal of legend status if Jon Hays is able to surpass optimism and pull off a 6-3 record in 2012. This record would likely mean victories over Arizona, UCLA, BYU, and Arizona State.

If it happens, "it" being a 6-3 record over the next nine games, it will likely be without much fanfare or awarding of accolades for Hays. Each game that Hays runs onto the field for the first offensive series there will be a contingent clamoring for the 6'6" frame of Travis Wilson to be in that spot. The moment Hays makes an errant pass on 3rd down, that contingent will likely swell in number and voice. After each of the predicted three losses there will be calls for "looking toward the future" which is fan-speak for "start the freshman." Wins will be followed by an examination of Hays' limitations rather than his successful management of the game. It would be the most under-appreciated 6 wins in the history of football. Through it all, Hays would remain his unflappable and consistent self. 

When he left the program following this performance, precious few would mourn. The commencement of spring practice would bring no pining for the presence of Jon Hays. He came. He saw. He cleaned up. That's legend.

Now, if legend is too strong of a label to attach to Jon Hays, let me set up something else. A story told by a sales executive was conveyed to me recently. This successful sales executive explained that in many of his previous companies he employed someone called "The Sweeper." It was the job of "The Sweeper" to clean up a territory after the previous salesperson presiding over that territory had been relieved of duty. The Sweeper's job was not glamorous and he was not expected to out-perform the other salespeople in the company. His job was to clean up. Is not this an apropos description of one Jon Hays?

It will be interesting to see how the whole team responds to the suddenly lower expectations. The Sweeper may sweep but if the rest of the team is unable to shoulder their load, a below .500 record is not out of the question.

Though not the same in name, the Seinfeld clip below felt appropriate.

"Jon, this is Kyle."

"Yes?"

"We have a problem."

"I understand. I'll need the offensive line to open holes for John White IV and..."

"Jon, we'll do what we can. I can't exactly promise...."

"If I am curt, then I apologize."

Jon Hays, you're up.

 

Rasko's College Football Preview - University of Utah

I do not have the time or means to give a position by position or game by game breakdown of Utah football, version 2012. So, the following are a scramble of thoughts penned in stream of consciousness fashion.



http://img.ksl.com/slc/2495/249578/24957896.jpg

Utah’s final record will look a lot like last year. Bill Riley, voice of the Utes, put the over/under for wins at 8.5. A perfect number in my opinion. After all, they finished with 8 wins last year (including the Sun Bowl victory). Take away the unexpected loss at home to Colorado the day after Thanksgiving, and I suspect Utah would have finished with 9 victories (following a loss in the Pac-12 championship game and a bowl victory).

The question I asked myself as fall camp reared its head earlier this month was “what has changed?” On the surface I see a team with a solid foundation, with uncertainty at Quarterback, high expectations on defense, and new coordinators. In 2011, the cursory review of the team would have been very similar save for one important distinction: uncertainty at the running-back position. John White IV had an amazing year last year on so many levels. He broke school records for rushing yards, he approached 40 carries in a game more than once, and most impressively, he was durable. Save for his injury against Colorado, John White IV was available for duty. What does White IV have planned for an encore?

http://seeingred.sltrib.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/srMONT-UTAH-235-ss.jpg

When a player comes out of nowhere and performs Festivus-like feats of strength, I am hard pressed to put my money on a repeat performance. John White IV is a known quantity now. Defenses will be ready for him. Also, something that cannot be overstated is the loss to Tony Bergstrom and John Cullen along the offensive line. Great players can rise above these hurdles, something of which I feel John White is capable. That being said, the use and abuse of John White IV last year was the result of desperation. Luckily for Utah, the desperation bred greatness. With what is reportedly more RB depth, Utah is not planning on using John White IV as much. If John White IV can stay healthy, he will produce, just not as much as in 2011.

Jordan Wynn continues to be the most interesting man of fall camp. In 2009, it was his unbelievable weight gain. In 2010, it was talk of his returning from a fine freshman year finish and the opportunity to establish himself amongst the Utah QB greats. In 2011, there were the concerns surrounding his surgically-repaired shoulder and in response the coaching staff limited his throws in camp. In 2012, <see 2011>. That a bionic Jordan Wynn is still the best option for Utah at QB reflects somewhat negatively on the coaching staff recruitment of the position. Jon Hays, a player who had the Division II football program for which he was planning to play disband unexpectedly, was the starter for most of Utah’s inaugural season in the Pac12.  Clearly, Utah was unprepared at QB going into the Pac12. The feeling is that things are different this year. However, save for Travis Wilson (who will redshirt), the faces are the same. Jordan Wynn will start under center against Northern Colorado, but I suspect that Jon Hays will also get the opportunity to continue his Pac12 experience.

http://www.dailyutahchronicle.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/S-Brian-Johnson.jpg

With Brian Johnson, Utah has the youngest offensive coordinator in college football. I anticipate growing pains as Johnson adjusts to a more important role in the teams' performance. How will Brain Johnson's coming out party go? For a surprisingly relevant comparison, look south to Brandon Doman's experience at BYU as a first year offensive coordinator. A part of me wonders how much autonomy Johnson will be given. Clearly, Kyle Whittingham and the University think very highly of Brian Johnson and the skills that he brings to the table, otherwise they would not have invested so much money into his contract or given him such a high profile job. However, Whittingham runs a tight ship and I suspect that his voice will be heard, and his edicts followed, in offensive matters. While with health the passing game will improve thereby enhancing overall production, expect similar points-per-game as 2011.

Here is my quick, cold, uncalculated game-by-game predictions for the University of Utah football team:

2012-2013 SCHEDULE

	Opponent / Event		Time / Result
	vs. Northern Colorado		Win
	at Utah State		Win
	vs. Brigham Young		Win
	at Arizona State		Win
	vs. USC		Loss
	at UCLA		Win
	at Oregon State		Loss
	vs. California		Win
	vs. Washington State		Loss
	at Washington		Loss
	vs. Arizona		Win
	at Colorado		Win

8-4 is a solid sophomore season in the Pac12 for Utah and guarantees a solid bowl matchup. The one game I would like to comment on is the Washington State game, at home. Utah escaped Pullman with a win in OT in the snow last year. Wazzu was able to move the ball at will against the Utah defense, especially late in the contest. Though the scheme has changed with Mike Leach and his "surrender the booty" style, I can see the Wazzu game being an unexpected loss at home for Utah. 

Other predictions:

1. Jon Hays sees significant time under center for Utah.
2. John White does not break 1000 yards rushing.
3. Star Lotulelei lives up to his billing and dominates on the defensive line.
4. The coaching staff decides to not waste Travis Wilson's redshirt year.

The most discouraging thing about this blog is that BYU has only been mentioned once. Trust me, the rivalry game is still important. In the future, when fans are spending $300+ on season tickets and two of the six home games are against teams akin to Northern Colorado, the importance of the rivalry will come more to the forefront. As for this year, Utah over BYU, 30-21.

Dwight Howard to the Lakers: The Five Things You Need to Know

http://www.ballerstatus.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/dwighthoward.jpg

It finally happened. Orlando got fleeced, the Lakers came out the huge winners, and the rest of the league can only stand back and watch.

Here are my 5 quick points of analysis. Really, it's all you need to know.

1. Freaking Lakers. They did it again. Pulled off an amazingly beneficial trade (that wasn't vetoed by Commissioner David Stern) and seem to be set for the next potential dynasty. Some teams just do it better. The Lakers have a lot of non-basketball related advantages (The beach, Hollywood, the weather) and they do not waste them by attracting non-Hall of Fame players. Really, this is just another in a long list of impactful big man pickups in Lakers' history. Wilt Chamberlain, Shaq, Pau Gasol, and now Dwight Howard. Essentially, I am not surprised that the Lakers got this deal done and that they got it done in a fashion that changes the complexion of the Western Conference. This is what the Lakers do.

2. Dwight Howard will not be vilified like LeBron was in his post-"The Decision" NBA tour. Part of it has to do with the fact that LeBron is the best player in the world by a large margin. Simply put, LeBron makes waves that Dwight, as great as he is, cannot. Also, Dwight is moving to the franchise that is the most widely despised in the NBA. Sure, a player like Kobe can carry the villain torch as well as anyone no matter which jersey he puts on, but by merely being on the Lakers, your villain torch is lit. They are a consistently successful, championship contending franchise. The Lakers at this point don't need the stars to be hated, they just happen to always have the stars. The vitriol direct toward Dwight will be two-fold: First, because of his gold-medal performance in wishie-washiness, Second, because he is a Laker. The Heat are/were hated because LeBron was leading the way, LeBron was/is hated because of "The Decision."

http://blogs.seattleweekly.com/buzzerbeater/Lakers04.jpg

3. How much better will the Lakers be? Compared to last year's squad: a lot better. Nevertheless, this great gathering of superstars is not unprecedented in Lakers history. In 2003, the Lakers added veterans Karl Malone and Gary Payton. Their starting lineup that year: Shaq, Malone, Rick Fox, Kobe, and Gary Payton. A brief, unscientific match-up analysis: Shaq v. Dwight - I'll call this a wash. Both in their prime, both the best center in the league, both are atrocious at free-throw shooting. Malone v. Gasol - Offensively, I would give the nod to present-day Gasol over 03-04, 40-year old Karl Malone. Defensively, 40-year old Malone has the edge. The old man still had it. Fox v. Artest - who cares? A wash. Though Fox wasn't the elbow-to-your-dome risk that Artest is. Young Kobe v. Old Kobe - clearly Young Kobe. While Old Kobe has the edge in maturity, Young Kobe was borderline unstoppable. Payton v. Nash - The toughest matchup to predict. Both are/were old. Both play different styles and have different strengths. I'll give the slight edge to Nash simply because I think he could have a greater affect on the team than Payton had. Defensively though, advantage Glove.

The 03-04 team, of course, lost to the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals. Injuries and bad chemistry did no favors to that iteration of Lakers superstars.

The point is, there is no reason to crown the 12-13 Lakers as Western Conference champions yet. Oklahoma City still has the best scorer in the NBA, and a host of other Western Conference teams are improving. An injury to one of the Big 4 on the Lakers roster complicates everything. Also, the team will need time to gel.

4. The current LA experiment can only last 2 years, i.e. when Kobe's current contract runs out. After that, it's Dwight's team. After those two years, Gasol will likely be gone, Nash will be retired, and the experiment will have run its course. This is not the start of a 5 year dynasty. This is a last ditch effort by Lakers to get a couple more championships out of Kobe. All other Western Conference teams just need to weather the storm, not make reactionary moves and keep things together. There is a lot of talent in the Western Conference capable of beating the Lakers in a 7-game series.

5. From a Utah Jazz perspective this does not really bump the ultimate plan out of its lane. No one within or without the Jazz organization expects them to contend for a Western Conference title in the next 2 years. With Derrick Favors, Gordon Hayward, and Alec Burks the Jazz possess talent, potential, and a lot of youth. It is a team built with an eye on the future. The aim of the next two years is positive growth that must include winning and playoff berths. There are no title runs on the horizon. After the Lakers experiment is over though, the Utah Jazz had better be ready to make their move. The best case scenario for the Jazz in the next two years is to make the playoffs and give one of the higher seeds an awesome, hard-fought, 6-7 game series. If the Jazz can do that, I like their chances of becoming a player in the Western Conference, after the Lakers experiment. This, of course, depends on the extent to which the young Utah Jazz core is able to develop as well as the ability of Jazz management to make wise additions and subtractions to the roster.

This trade is not a sign of the times for the NBA Armageddon. Chemistry and injuries are still a part of the game and necessary components in a championship team. Playing 82 games and then winning 16 in the playoffs are the requirement to win the NBA Finals for the foreseeable future (until the next lockout-shortened season). The Lakers deserve credit for handling their business and assembling their team via trades and not free agency a la the Miami Heat. Some teams are just better at it than others. Some markets have advantages that others do not. That's life. That's the NBA. I still love the NBA. I still do not like the Lakers.

It's Not You, It's Me. The Cost of Breaking-up in a Time of College Football Conference Expansion

Another example of the excesses of college football comes in the form of the $7.5 million buyout which Syracuse paid to enable themselves to leave the Big East on July 1, 2013.

http://advancedmascotology.com/completed-team-pages/syracuse-orange/

Syracuse does not have a successful football program. The Big East as a whole has consistently been the least successful of the BCS conferences. The same cannot be said when it comes to basketball in the Big East. With Jim Boeheim at the helm for the past 30+ years, Syracuse has fielded one of the premier basketball programs in the country. The fact that they have played in what was widely considered the toughest basketball conference in the land made their consistent success even more impressive.

Nevertheless, if you need any proof of the pecking order that exists in college sports, look no further than the disintegration of the Big East. The changing landscape of college football was enough to motivate two of the founders of the Big East to bolt for a more secure football home in the ACC. Chatter about removing the Big East’s automatic BCS bowl bid has permeated throughout college football circles. The risk of being left out of the big-time college football money weighed more heavily on the collective mind of Pitt and Syracuse than anything they had built in the Big East basketball-wise.



(Granted, with North Carolina and Duke as their ACC welcoming party, there won’t be much if any drop-off in basketball competition for Syracuse in the new-look ACC.)



http://collegesportsinfo.com/2011/10/12/big-east-when-is-
enough-enough-and-how-cusa-can-help/



So, $7.5 million dollars. These buyouts have become so commonplace that they are reported on as a sort of rite of passage with no regard for what that money could have been used for instead of paying off a scorned conference. There is little if no outrage. Sure, it is a contractual requirement that the departing university must pay up. At least there is some sort of law when it comes to expansion. That being said, the departing university could just fulfill the terms of their contract and then depart for free and use that $7.5 million for something worthwhile. Or is $7.5 million just not that much money anymore? I understand that big-time universities like Syracuse receive millions of dollars from various sources and $7.5 million is not going to build a new business school building on campus. Nevertheless, it is still $7.5 million dollars wasted to pay off the Big East so that Syracuse could leave the Big East sinking ship a little early.



Excess = Success: College Football in 2012

In the wake of the Penn State scandal and tragedy is the all-too-obvious-truth-we-choose-to-avoid: college football is out of control. While we can only hope and pray that the specifics of the Penn State scandal are isolated, the root causes—win-at-all-costs coaches and administrators, excessive program buildup, and exorbitant spending—are evident from sea to shining sea. As consumers of college football, we have been all too willing to look the other way.

http://www.clubs.psu.edu/up/mensclubvolleyball/psulogo.JPG

While there has always been a separation between the have and have-nots in college football, this distinction was given a name as the BCS-era came to the forefront: BCS conference schools and non-BCS conference schools. This label increased in importance as the profile of college football grew to billion-dollar proportions. As television allegiances grew more lucrative, once obscure conference commissioners became power-brokers sent by university presidents to secure the most lucrative deal for their conference. The marriage of the SEC and CBS, the birth of the BigTen Network, and the ownership of almost all of the bowl games by ESPN are all just samples of these dealings. As non-BCS schools like Utah, TCU, and Boise State burst through their limitations and played in BCS games, these distinctions became even more important. The revenue discrepancy between BCS and non-BCS is laughable. While top programs like Utah and TCU (during the Mountain West Conference years) were pulling in a spartan $1 million per year from their TV contract, doormats in the SEC and Big Ten could anticipate upwards of $10 million flowing into their coffers. That being said, the lack of equity between non-BCS and BCS schools is not the problem with college football, it is the fact that programs see excessive spending as a necessity.

(It is worth mentioning that Utah and TCU abandoned the MWC for the Pac-12 and Big XII, respectively. Why? Because it was the best move for the program, i.e. money.)

State-of-the-art practice, study, film, and medical facilities are the standard now. Add to that bigger stadiums complete with high-tech locker rooms and press box facilities. College football suffers from a “keeping up with the Joneses” mentality. Take the University of Utah for example, the Pac-12’s newest member. The conference exodus and rebirth brought a lot of changes, one of which was the need for a $30 million practice/football facility. The Deseret News headline regarding the new building branded it as a "missing piece." To quote the article:

The new football facility, which will be attached to the Alex Smith Strength and Conditioning Room, is going to house state-of-the-art sports medicine and athletic training space, a multipurpose dining hall, a team locker room, offices for the coaches and support staff, equipment storage, a player lounge, a Hall of Fame, a team auditorium with space for 150 athletes and coaches, plus meeting rooms for each position group with enhanced video capabilities.

"Going into the Pac-12, it's an all-out arms race," Whittingham said. "Everybody is building the bigger and better buildings, and we've got to keep up with everybody."

The new facility, he added, was the selling point in recruiting this year. Football recruits are shown a building model and drawings of what is expected to be in place well before the 2012 season.

Clearly, there was no discussion within the athletic department whether the new facility was truly needed or not. If Utah wants to play with the big boys, they have to spend like them. It is worthy of note that Utah has not technically become a full-member of the Pac-12 from a TV revenue standpoint. In fact, just for the opportunity to play in the Pac-12, Utah was willing to forego receiving any Pac-12 television revenue in 2011 (50% will be allocated in 2012, 75% in 2013, and 100% in 2014). 

An astute Utah fan that points out that Utah made more revenue off of the Pac-12 championship game than what they ever made during a year as a member of the MWC is missing the point. Utah does not have the money, yet they are spending like they do. Why? Because the feeling is that if you want to have a successful football program, you must spend.
  
(In a statistics class I took, I ran a regression looking for the relationship between college football spending and number of wins based on teams' 2009 records. My analysis did not include coaches salaries or other expenses. I found that for every additional million dollars that a team spent on its football program in 2009, they achieved .243 extra wins. Essentially, that extra million a school poured into their football program helped them win one quarter of a football game. To say the least, while the relationship between spending and winning is positive, it is a fairly small positive. I don't think any rational human being would think that spending an extra million is worth that great 3rd quarter against UCLA.) 
 

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765582277/Utah-footballs-fancy-trailer-park.html?pg=all

Construction on that aforementioned practice facility will take a year. As we all know, college football does not take any days off--it's become a year-round affair. To accommodate the offseason day-to-day operations of the program, the University has set up a 26-trailer complex. Good old college football. I wonder what a temporary trailer park costs and what are the opportunity costs of a temporary trailer park? Was that even factored into the decision-making process when they discussed the idea of a building a small city?



During the 1999 NBA Lockout, Patrick Ewing infamously stated: "Sure, NBA players make a lot of money, but we spend a lot too." This pithy saying has, unintentionally, become the axiom by which athletic departments direct their college football programs. In order for college football programs to survive at their current spending trajectory, they have to make that much money. If college football programs were allowed to fail, the headlines would be riddled with stories of broke athletic departments and all of the foolish investments they made. Stories not unlike the headline grabbing tales of professional athletes excesses and their empty bank accounts.


Are we fine with this? 

http://bcsknowhow.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/ncaa-football-logo.jpg

Noted national columnists Dan Wetzel and Jason Whitlock have used the Penn St tragedy as a time to point out the foundational problems that exist in college football. Wetzel wrote of the hypocrisy of the NCAA that was embodied by the do-nothing regime of Graham Spanier, ex-President of Penn St. Spanier was quick to disgrace an athlete and agent for a $400 suit and willing sit on his hands as Jerry Sandusky preyed on defenseless children. Jason Whitlock explained how society has made college football into something that is "too big to fail." Bigger isn't necessarily better. We, as a society, have accepted that college football is all about the money. Meanwhile, the NCAA, college presidents, conference commissioners and athletic departments hide behind the guise of amateurism and the "student-athlete" even as they too have accepted that it is all about the money. As long as there are tax breaks to be had, this charade will be forced upon our national intelligence.




I love college football. I look forward to it each and every autumn. However, college football has a lot of problems and I cannot stand back, idly by, and watch while college football becomes "too big to fail." Change will not come unless it is, as Whitlock put it, "brought down to a manageable size". Even Whitlock admits, though, that he is "spitting into the wind...[and] There is no chance of college football dialing back." Even something as horrific as what took place at Penn St. will likely do little to alter the culture of college football. Coaches will still make too much money. Conference commissioners will still wield too much power. Football programs will still excessively spend millions of dollars. Bowl executives will still pull in six-figure incomes for doing relatively nothing. Programs will still operate in the red. Players and agents will still break arcane NCAA regulations. Fans will still show up in droves.

As presently constituted and constructed by society, I do not think there is any institution or group of people that can hold college football accountable. The paper tiger that is the NCAA has proven futile in enforcing any sort of order in the sport. I do not think I am the only one who thinks that big-time college coaches, athletic directors, and conference commissioners scoff whenever the NCAA  flexes its measly muscles. The only way fans could enforce their will is to stop showing up (that will never happen, unless there is a way for every team to start losing). As long as fans show up and revenue keeps rolling in, there is no incentive for anyone in a leadership position to impose order. The only way to fix college football is change its structure dramatically, i.e. number of games played, compensation, etc.


That all being said, if those in power truly used the interests of the student-athlete rather than money as their guiding principle, the change would come naturally. As for now and heretofore, Money wins.

Three Point Guards and a Center - Week One of the NBA Free Agency Period

This iteration of the NBA free agency period has already become a check-twitter-often-so-you-don't-miss-anything type of event. Steve Nash to the Lakers, Deron Williams staying put, and the ongoing (and annoying) Dwight Howard saga are just a few of the headlines. More big signings and deals are bound to appear on the timeline.

Steve Nash to the Lakers

http://www.sidelinestoriez.com

Steve Nash will be donning the purple and gold.

Though I am sure some in Phoenix and the areas surrounding would tend to disagree, this move does not seem to be dripping in betrayal. After all, it was Phoenix who pulled the trigger by trading the rights to Nash's services to the Lakers. Also, there is no indication of Nash pulling a Carmelo Anthony/Dwight Howard act in trying to force the franchise's hand while still under contract. Nash was a free agent, and Phoenix chose to sign-and-trade him away. Finally, Nash has given his blood and guts to the Phoenix Suns since he signed there in 2004. Multiple trips to the Western Conference Finals, 2 MVPs, and a whole lot of exciting games. Take away a terrible decision by the NBA, and there's a good chance you could have added an NBA Finals appearance to that list of accomplishments.

(Let's be realistic, the '07 Utah Jazz probably would have been able to dispatch the Cleveland Cavaliers in Lebron's first foray in the Finals. Assuming the Suns would have advanced past the Spurs had Stoudemire and Diaw not been suspended, and that they could have taken care of the Utah Jazz (a high probability they would have), they would have won the 2007 title. Man, those suspensions were unfortunate.)

With the Lakers, it is presumed that Nash will get one or two more realistic shots at a title. Even if the Lakers are unable to secure a trade to get Dwight Howard, they will still contend. Nash's presence should be a boon overall even if he won't have the freedom he had in the "7 seconds or less" offense that the Suns employed in their heyday. As a distributor, Nash will be able to create good looks and high percentage shots for the triumvirate of Kobe/Gasol/Bynum. As an excellent pick and roll point guard, the stature of Pau Gasol should be restored to some of its circa 2009-2010 luster. As an knock-down shooter, Nash will provide a deadly weapon on the perimeter. On paper, there are a lot of reasons why this will work.

In practice, there are some reasons why it won't. I'll avoid the whole "can Kobe cede some of the ball-control to Nash" discussion. I'd rather focus on the fact that both Kobe and Nash are old. Though almost 5 years his junior, Bryant is about 6000 minutes older than Nash in basketball years (6000 minutes translates to a little over 2 seasons of normal minute output for Kobe). There is a lot of wear and tear on both of their bodies. Give both of them credit for keeping themselves in such good shape and avoiding/playing through injury for the balance of their careers. That being said, age is the undisputed champion. It will catch up with them. Even though both of them could probably kick around the league for five or so more years, I venture to guess neither of them have more than two years left of high-level production. To wrestle the Western Conference crown from Oklahoma City, they will need high level production.

It is clear to me that the Lakers are making one last gasp at a championship before Kobe calls it a career. They can ill afford to keep their team together as presently constituted for too long (luxury tax penalties are stiffer under the new CBA). The two years of high-level Nash and Kobe are worth the pursuit of another ring. Even as a Jazz fan, I am interested to see how things will work out in La-La land.

Goran Dragic to the Suns

(AP Photo/Eric Gay)

You already know how I feel about Goran Dragic. To put it in perspective, I think Phoenix is better off at the point-guard position having brought Dragic back into the fold. While replacing a surefire Hall-of-Famer like Nash will be no easy task, Dragic brings a bright future to the franchise accustomed to elite point-guard play. If he stays engaged, works hard and plays like he owns the starting job as much as he says he does, Dragic will make an all-star team. Mark it down.

The draft picks that the Suns procured from the Lakers are curious. The stats do not lie, second round and even first round draft picks do not guarantee value (@Lockedonsports is always talking about this. I do not have time to do the research so I will refer you to his twitter feed). I think the Suns will look to trade away these picks and start setting themselves up for the future. While Suns management has not proved that they have an overall plan or direction (getting younger, clearing cap space, etc.), picking up Dragic is a step in the right direction to filling a need and setting a foundation.



Deron Williams stays in Brooklyn

One of the New Jersey Nets gambles (and probably their biggest one) paid off. From the jaws of irrelevance, they snatched a franchise player to open the Barclays Center in Brooklyn with next season. They were so close to losing Deron Williams, it is crazy that they were willing to take that risk. They sent Derrick Favors (who looks like he's on his way to becoming a defensive force of Dwight Howard proportions), a lottery pick (which turned into Enes Kanter, who showed promise in year 1), and Devin Harris (struggled a little bit at first in Utah, but seemed to catch fire at the end of 2012) for the mere chance to re-sign Deron Williams. All they wanted was an opportunity to sign him. Granted, they could offer him more money than anyone else when that time came, but as the 2012 season wore on, it seemed highly unlikely that Deron would follow the Nets to Brooklyn.

http://www.texassportnews.com

But wait. Hope. A well-timed birthday and the opportunity for the Nets to show Deron just how much they cared. While the larger-than-life birthday card may not have swayed Deron's decision. it is clear that by the time the Nets parked his birthday present in front of his house, Williams had extinguished the taste of a dismal 2012 season out of his mouth. The Nets were brutal last year. There is no other way to look at it. Forty-four losses and last in the league in attendance.

The Nets have made a lot of questionable decisions since Mikhail Prokhorov took over. They turned a cheap lottery-pick from what was felt to be a pretty deep draft into Gerald Wallace and his $40 million contract. They traded away a bunch of expiring contracts for the right to absorb Joe Johnson's $90 million. If they have their way, they will not have a draft pick until 2040 in order to get Dwight Howard. Through all of this, I suppose you have to give them credit. Deron Williams himself said that the acquisition Joe "the $90 million man" Johnson was a big factor in him sticking around. I wonder if Deron has considered that that $90 million, as well as the eight-figures he will make will hinder the Nets ability to make any significant moves, unless you can pay luxury tax in ruples.

With Deron Wiliams and Joe Johnson as their main pieces, I just do not see the Nets becoming anything more than mediocre. Maybe the Williams/Johnson dynamic will work better than I think, but in a conference with Miami, Boston, New York and an overrated Chicago team, the Nets will likely be a yearly eastern conference afterthought.

Roy Hibbert to the Blazers (pending Indiana's decision to match or not)

I know, Hibbert is not exactly a guy that moves the meter, but Portland is in Utah's division so it is worth mentioning.

Portland is doing what they do best. Offering a young, developing player that also happens to be a restricted free agent a bunch of money with Paul Allen's millions and hope that the player's current team does not match. They pull this move annually on the Utah Jazz (see Paul Millsap and Wesley Matthews. I wish they would have done this to CJ Miles and Kyrylo Fesenko, but I digress.).

Hibbert is a solid center and proof of the NBA theory that if you are a center and show any small shred of promise, you will get offered an enormous amount of money. He would make the Blazers better, but they have other issues to sort out before becoming any sort of force in the Western Conference (like getting a GM and a coach).

If I were Hibbert, I would hope to stay far away from Portland and their notoriously inept training staff.


For now, I will leave the Utah Jazz alone. I do not think they are done yet and it would seem apropos to evaluate the new roster additions once the 2012-2013 lineup has become more solidified.

Ray Allen just signed with the Heat. Got to keep my eye on that twitter feed...

Does College Football's new 4-team playoff change anything?

The fact that it is SEC commissioner Mike Slive that led the college football playoff charge gives me pause. Why? Because the SEC has won the past 6 National Championships. In fact, the SEC was guaranteed a National Championship in 2011 with both LSU and Alabama appearing in the Championship game. The BCS has been very good to the SEC—winning over half of the BCS Championships since its inception in 1998. Why would the SEC lead the way in changing the system from which they have benefited so much?

My guess is that Mike Slive saw the writing on the wall. The public has been clamoring for a playoff for years. in 2004 when Utah busted the BCS and undefeated Auburn was also left without a shot at the title, the playoff movement really began to gain steam. Death to the BCS, the seemingly annual ‘busting’ of the BCS by a non-BCS school, as well as the occasional BCS school feeling slighted has galvanized the movement. With the tide of public opinion going against the system that has been so favorable to your conference, why not be on the front lines of that very movement?

Of the all too-powerful conference commissioners, Mike Slive is the main player. His conference has a hold on the title, the biggest TV contract, and rabid fans willing to poison trees and face jail-time for the cause. He being the face of the playoff is all too convenient. I am not saying that the 4-team playoff will be rigged with Slive as its man-behind-the-curtain. I do think that Slive liked the idea of every year finishing up like 2011, with two SEC teams vying for the championship. He also realized the rarity of such an event. So, if the SEC was able to get two of its members in the now-defunct BCS Championship game, think of how much easier it will be to do that with 4 playoff spots up for grabs. If an SEC team finishes undefeated, and another SEC team finishes with one-loss, two spots will already be filled for the 4-team playoff. The rest of college football will be left to fight over the two remaining spots.

My analysis of this new 4-team playoff is that while there are technically 4 spots up for grabs, two of those spots already belong to the SEC most years (the SEC takes up three spots when the Ohio State Buckeyes manage to fight their way into the playoff) and two for the rest. In sum, it has gotten “easier” for more teams to get a shot at the national title, but only because they will not be competing with the SEC for the two remaining spots.

I want to make it clear that my tone is not meant to be one of a conspiracy theorist. My point is that Slive saw an opportunity. No conference has a greater chance of getting two teams in the 4-team playoff every year than the SEC. The 2011 BCS matchup between undefeated LSU and one-loss Alabama proved that. I am sure the SEC University Presidents will be more than pleased with the knowledge that their respective school no longer necessarily needs to win the conference every year to get a shot at the title. I repeat, a one-loss SEC team is almost guaranteed a spot in the 4-team playoff. With the playoff all but assured (pending University Presidents' approval) Slive becomes the face of change. Complaints lodged at the SEC may lose some of their venom now that the Father of the College Football Playoff is the one running the conference.

Truthfully, I am glad that a playoff is now a part of college football, even if, in practice, it remains the SEC-Invitational. It is not perfect playoff, but it is a playoff nonetheless and a step in the right direction. (That's right: just a step.)

I still think that playoff semi-final games belong on the campus of the higher seed. Think of all the dream matchups that would be born: Ohio State and Urban Meyer's traveling circus hitting the road for their matchup against Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium, USC hosting LSU on New Years Day (with the Rose Bowl being played the same day across town--another Carmegeddon), Oklahoma and Oregon meeting up on a wet day at Autzen Stadium. I fail to see how campuses hosting the games is an undesirable idea.

It will still be so easy for the playoff "committee" to exclude the non-BCS schools. With two spots almost guaranteed to the SEC, those last two will be split between the Pac 12, B1G, ACC and Big XII champions. There's no way they award one of those spots to even an undefeated Boise St. (the Big East is irrelevant at this point). Though BYU has tasted of National Championship glory before (the last team not from a BCS conference to do so) they will be excluded from any reasonable discussion of possible 4-team playoff participants. (Concerning Independents, I can see Notre Dame undeservedly getting in to the playoff once a decade.) As far as the inclusion of everyone, this new playoff frontier has made no progress, and I almost want to say has made the title even more exclusionary.

And so it goes with America's favorite passion. College football is still a mess despite this new way of deciding a champion. There are fundamental issues that need fixing with college football, issues for which a dissertation or thesis would probably be more appropriate rather than a blog and are problems that will require much more work to ameliorate than a playoff. Nevertheless, the pendulum has began to swing. Just five years ago, a college football playoff was a pipe dream, now it is a reality. There could be more reform on the way.


Though not completely related for those with a couple of hours to kill, listen to this debate titled Ban College Football. I trust that you will find it enlightening.

The LeBron Standard

LeBron James is the greatest basketball player in the world. As of June 2012, it's not even close.

Kevin Durant can score as well as (and most likely better than) LeBron, but he cannot match James' ability to create for his teammates nor his defensive intensity.

As Malcom Gladwell put it, Kobe Bryant's ideal teammate is a ball boy. Plus, he is old. (Though I will argue that even in his prime, Kobe was not ever the impactful force that LeBron is.)

Dwayne Wade has lost a lot of stock in my eyes. To me, it feels like Wade has decided that, since he is on the same team as the best player in the world, he can assume the role of the guy who can score, play no defense, and get the ball in the clutch. (His last-shot efforts in the Celtics series were dreadful. Turrible.) I cannot fail to mention his sudden penchant for cheapshots and taking guys out. He has been inconsistent during the playoffs and at times it has felt like the Heat have won in spite of Wade.
(Maybe all of those charges to the basket and trips the foul line have started to wear on Wade and is at least partial explanation for his shortcomings. To say the least, my opinion of him has soured as LeBron has willed the Heat into the Finals.)

I'll stop there as Dirk Nowitzki (old), Carmelo Anthony (don't make me laugh), Dwight Howard (does he even like playing basketball?), Chris Paul (needs a deep playoff run), Blake Griffin (52% free throw shooting this year), et al don't even belong in the discussion.

As the greatest player in the world, James is rightfully held to a different standard. We expect him to be great, and he has not disappointed. Look at the stats. Otherworldly. His per 48 minute Win Share of .233 essentially means that he has been responsible for one-quarter of his teams wins since he started playing in the NBA.

As the player who guaranteed a fistful of championships when he joined up with Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, he is held to even a completely different standard. In my opinion, the "Imperial March" through the NBA during the 2010-2011 season that culminated in a Finals loss to the Dallas Mavericks was enough of a penance for LeBron. He disappeared in many of the 4th quarters during that Finals and he felt the wrath of the media and fans alike. As the greatest player in the world, there was a lot of deserved criticism thrown James' way.

When a player fails, he is the first to know it. When a last second shot leaves the finger tips, the best players in the world can likely tell if that shot is going to go or not. The greatest player is hard on himself and constantly trying to improve. The greatest player understands that there will be criticism. The elite can move on from mistakes. When the Celtics and Lakers met up in '84, it was Magic Johnson's inability to get over a crunch-time mistake (combined with Kevin McHale leveling Kurt Rambis in Game 4) that turned the tide of that series. Magic learned to move on and his clutch "junior junior" hook in the Celtics/Lakers Finals of 1987 is the lasting memory from that Lakers' triumph.

It is very possible that LeBron James has learned his lesson. (First off, I need to say that the whole idea of the necessity of a the elite teams posessing a "closer" is one of the more overblown and annoying fads currently infecting the NBA. It probably will never go away.) With that said, LeBron has dominated this postseason. Based on his league best 30.8 points-per-game during the playoffs, you could argue that, coupled with Dwayne Wade's inconsistent play and the abdominal injury to Chris Bosh early in the Indiana series, that LeBron has carried the Heat into the finals. And I thought he left Cleveland because he no longer wanted to do that.

Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals was an all-time performance. The series was over once LeBron had scored 30 points in the first half. At that point, I just got the feeling that Boston had landed their last punch in Game 5--they would not recover from LeBron's first-half domination. Though they made it interesting for 3 quarters in Game 7, the writing was on the wall: the Heat would be back in the Finals. LeBron and the Heat put the series, and likely the Big Three/Four in Boston, away for good during that Game 7 fourth quarter.

Few players are able to cite a performance during their career to match what LeBron did in Game 6. He put Boston away. He didn't need 4th quarter theatrics, he only needed two quarters to say enough was enough. That's impressive. While I love a dramatic fourth quarter as much as any fan, nothing is more humbling as a fan as to watch one player on the other team put the team you cheer for away before the first half had even wrapped up. Though it will likely be forgotten due to the Lebron Standard, James' performance in Game 6 was one of the greatest individual performances in playoff history.

As it stands now, the Heat are up 2-1 against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals. Through 3 games, James has been on fire. He has gone to the free throw line 217 times, which is a little over 10 times a game. Clearly, he hasn't been settling for jumpers. He has played like a man on a mission. In his post-game interview with Doris Burke following Game 3, LeBron spoke like a player who had just played a hard 43 minutes. Winning it all could temper the criticism for an offseason, but unfortunately for LeBron, anything short of winning it all next year will be just the crack in the door the critics need to start all over again.

Free Agents in the Crosshairs for the Utah Jazz – Summer 2012 - Volume 2

Now, I know I promised to review Goran Dragic, Ray Allen and at least one other player. I have not yet decided who that 3rd player will be and decided to just unload this info on the two aforementioned players. I hope the 44 people who viewed my last post can forgive me.

Goran Dragic

Goran Dragic would be the ultimate pick up for the Utah Jazz. The roots of my Dragic fandom is three-fold: first, I remember him coming off the bench and blasting the Jazz a few years back to the tune of 32 points (which included 6/7 shooting from 3pt land), second, his tutelage under Steve Nash (through 4 years, his win shares is similar to Nash at the same point in his career), third, and perhaps most importantly, the contributions he made to my fantasy basketball team in 2012. When it was all said and done, I had run through my fantasy league like the 95-96 Bulls. The domination was not without intrigue and drama though. My point guards Ricky Rubio and Stephen Curry went down with injury and Dragic filled in magnificently, carrying my team to the championship.

(The extent to which people do not care about Fantasy Basketball compared to Fantasy Basketball is astounding. I love the myriad of statistics involved in Basketball and how no player is limited to which stats they can garner like in football. But I digress.)

At 26 years old, Dragic’s best years are ahead of him. He has primarily played as a backup throughout his career, so the amount of minutes on his legs is minimal. Plus, when given the opportunity to play, the results have been positive. When Kyle Lowry, an important part of what the Houston Rockets 2012 season, went down this year, Dragic stepped in and owned the job. He did not play like a backup holding down the fort, he played like a starter who had been starting since day 1. When Lowry was healthy enough to play, Rockets coach Kevin McHale was forced to keep Dragic in for extended minutes. Dragic was playing that well. (Pay attention to those last 25 games. Only once did he not score in double digits and only once did he get less than 6 assists.)

If Dragic were a stock, I would be buying up a hefty number of shares Facebook-IPO-style (though with different returns, hopefully). He has made his position going into this offseason is clear: he wants an opportunity to start. As a free agent he will have the flexibility to move. My guess is that there is a team out there willing to supply that opportunity.

Now, is Dragic a good fit for the Jazz? Why not? One issue I see here what do you do with Devin Harris? I like Devin Harris and his play at the end of the year was encouraging and I think more indicative of the player he can be. I am comfortable with him being the point guard for the Utah Jazz for the next 3-5 years. If the Jazz obtain Dragic, there’s no way they can keep Harris on the roster. Dragic wants to start and there’s no reason why that job should not be Harris’.  The two cannot coexist. Therefore, the only option is to trade Harris.

The caveat here is that I do not think Harris’ trade value is very high at this point. Though I feel confidence in Harris, I am guessing that most GMs around the league are unsettled by his terrible start to the 2012 season regardless of his strong finish. The chances of the Jazz receiving an impact player in exchange for Harris are slim. I could be wrong though. Harris is a proven commodity in a lot of ways and that could be enticing for a team looking for stability at the PG position.

I think Goran Dragic has the potential to become one of the best PGs in this NBA. To put it in perspective (or to show my apparent lack of perspective), I would be more excited about a move to get Dragic than Steve Nash. If the Jazz can figure out a way to get him, they should do it. Unfortunately, the odds are Dragic will be in a Rockets uniform next season as long as Kevin McHale remains the coach. The presumptive starter, Kyle Lowry, has an issue with McHale's coaching and has made the "him or me" ultimatum. The most likely scenario seems to be the Rockets moving Lowry (I can see the Lakers getting into the picture here--especially if they are trying to move Gasol) and Dragic taking over full-time starting duties. Good for Dragic, and good for the Rockets, and bad for every one else.

Ray Allen

After looking at his career stats, I have decided that Ray Allen is bound for the hall of fame. True, basketball’s Hall is a little easier to get in to simply because there are only 12-15 players per NBA team and not a whole lot of transcendent players fill out those rosters. Ray Allen has been a transcendent player.

Should the Jazz decide to pursue Ray Allen, the most important consideration involved in signing him is what role is he willing to play. Allen was supplanted somewhat by Avery Bradley this year, which forced him to the bench and a sixth man role. While he was certainly not thrilled about being the first of the Big 3 to see their role diminished, everything points to him handling it well. Now, with Avery Bradley in the driver’s seat as far as being the permanent solution at the 2-guard spot, it is almost certain that Ray Allen will be open to the possibility of leaving Bean Town. If securing a starting spot is Allen’s goal, landing in Utah may not be the best option since the starting spot cannot be guaranteed. Or can it?

Wing players that will for sure be in a Jazz uniform next season: Gordon Hayward, Alec Burks, DeMarre Carroll.

Wing players that for sure will NOT be in a Jazz uniform 2012-2013: Raja Bell, C.J. Miles.

Wing players that suited up for the Jazz in 2012 and might do so again next season: Josh Howard (my guess is the Jazz will make the move to try and re sign Howard), Jeremy Evans (less likely unless the offers to go elsewhere aren’t too strong and the Jazz can get him on the cheap).

So, let’s assume that the Jazz hold on to Josh Howard and let Jeremy Evans fly the roost. The wing position would rotate between Hayward and Howard (starter quality players) and Burks and Carroll (solid bench players). In this situation, Allen may not be able to fit in. The competition for minutes would be fierce seeing that the Jazz are invested in developing Burks and Hayward, both of whom seem more natural fits for the two-guard position. One possible solution would be for Allen to start at the SG spot and Hayward at the SF. Burks would be the first off the bench to reprieve Allen and Howard would backup Hayward. Carroll would play when needed. The rotation would not necessarily need to be stringent, i.e. Hayward could still play the two alongside Howard/Carroll and Burks and Hayward could team up. It could work but it might get messy. 

There are 96 minutes per game at the SG and SF. Since Hayward will be a 36 minute a night player next season, that leaves 60 minutes to split between the remaining players. Even if Allen accepts a bench role, that would just take away time from Alec Burks. Although if Allen does accept a role off the bench, maybe who is playing where would be less important than the fact that the best guys are on the floor.

Now, if the Jazz do not re sign Josh Howard or Jeremy Evans, the game changes a little bit. Splitting 96 minutes between Hayward, Allen, Burks, Carroll, plus someone else is a lot easier. That being said, and I could be completely wrong, I get the impression that the aim is for Hayward to lock-down the SG position. Bringing in Allen would move Hayward into the starting SF position and Hayward would rarely see time at the SG. Also, those four players do not exactly inspire a ton of confidence. I really think the Jazz need to hold on to Howard.

Enough of that. The most important question is does Ray Allen make the Jazz a better team? Yes. The Jazz did not have any consistent 3-point shooting last year. Three-point shooting is Ray Allen’s specialty. Making a strong argument for Allen being the greatest 3-point shooter in NBA history is pretty easy. In career attempts and 3-point field goals, he is number 1 all-time. Throwing Allen into the mix immediately gives the Jazz a weapon they haven’t had since #14 Jeff Hornacek was holding down the SG position. This added threat would clear up things in the paint for Derrick Favors, Paul Millsap, Al Jefferson, and Enes Kanter to ply their trade. Allen brings veteran leadership as well as a bevy of playoff experience to a team whose most recent playoff experience is limited to running into the buzz-saw that is the 2012 San Antonio Spurs. This move could be akin to bringing in Derek Fisher back when the Deron Williams/Carlos Boozer era was just getting under way. That team got to a Western Conference Finals (albeit a trip that was gift-wrapped by #1 seed Dallas losing to #8 seed Golden State in the first round).

Now, I do have one worry with signing Allen. How engaged will he be? Does he have the patience to go from a perennial contender in Boston, to a team that is trying to find its way? Would Ray Allen have the same issues with Tyrone Corbin that Raja had? While Raja Bell is not even half the player that Ray Allen is, the aging shooting guard who clearly feels like he deserves to start angle and thinks he knows better than coach is unsettling. Ray Allen is highly thought of and does not have a history of ever trying to pull a Mark Jackson. I would not be too worried about an insurrection. Anyway, if Allen is trying to prove the doubters that have relegated him to the bench, being a crucial piece in taking a team to the next level would be solid evidence.

From the Jazz standpoint if they are looking to get to that next level, adding a player of Allen’s caliber could be the missing piece.

Postscript 

The draft lottery is on Wednesday, May 30th. The word from ESPN is that the Warriors and the Jazz are in talks to make some sort of trade guaranteeing that, no matter how the lottery plays out, the Warriors will hold on to their lottery pick (which the Jazz own if it is out of the top 7). If a deal is made, this could alter the 2012 offseason and any potential player acquisitions that the Jazz will make. Or, it could  be a situation in which the Jazz get some cash or future draft pick considerations. At any rate, Kevin O'Connor is smarter than you and I am sure that whatever deal he secures will be good news for the Jazz.