Kevin O'Connor Knows More Than You

Kevin O’Conner equated the idea of preferring a lottery pick over the playoffs with ‘sacrilege’.

This statement is telling on so many levels.

First, in case it wasn’t clear before, Kevin O’Conner is passionate about winning. Trading away Deron Williams in Feb. 2011 was a gamble. At the time, I thought it was a wise move after seeing what Denver went through with unloading Carmelo Anthony. Deron wasn’t happy about his current situation and so the Jazz franchise decided to move on. Finishing what started as a promising season at 8-20 was not easy for anyone invested in the Utah Jazz. Expectations for this season were low and the Jazz were seen by almost everyone outside of their organization as a team in “rebuilding” mode. Everyone on the inside, including O’Conner was intent on winning.

One note about the Deron trade is the key role Devin Harris played from the viewpoint of the Jazz. Losing the centerpiece of your basketball strategy would not be something easily overcome. By adding Devin Harris, O’Conner was looking to stay afloat—to not completely tank. It took a while for Harris to find his groove and play at a high level. However, the facts are clear: Devin Harris has had the best season of his career from the standpoint of shooting percentages. His resurgence, particularly from behind the arc, has been key in the Jazz’ success. While Favors and the draft pick (which Utah turned into promising big Enes Kanter) were seen as the premium parts of the Deron trade, Harris has turned the trade into one of the most one-sided deals in history. Thank you New Jersey/Brooklyn.

On that note, are there any two franchises in the league who are more polar opposite in the direction they are heading than the Nets and the Jazz? The Nets will likely not secure the #1 pick in the 2012 draft. They are relocating the whole franchise. That blockbuster trade they made in 2011? Well, their plan completely and utterly backfired and there is little doubt Deron Williams will be on his way out before the Barclay’s Center floor is even finished. The talent on that team is lackluster and their biggest draw for free agents is that Jay-Z owns a 1% share of the franchise. Always a bridesmaid: Linsanity, Woodsanity, and now the pending playoffs have shown that the Knicks will always be the #1 show in town, regardless of the shortcomings of their management team.

The Nets are the sick man of the NBA. On the other hand, the Jazz are looking forward to a bright future. While there will be personnel changes, the core, the coach, and the GM are strong. Some of the key veterans will leave the team, which will make way for the younger players to prove their worth as full time starters. The early returns on Burks, Hayward, and Favors are positive. In 2 years Kanter will be a key part of that mix.

The Jazz took a one year sabbatical from the playoffs. In the process they completely overhauled their franchise and set a solid foundation. The culture of winning and making the playoffs has been re-established. It didn’t take 5 years and multiple lottery picks. It took a GM and owner willing to trade away a discontented star player, the hiring of the right coach, a commitment to winning, and of course, a little bit of good fortune. Good fortune that Favors has progressed to become a dominant defensive force with an evolving offensive game. That Devin Harris found his game and genuinely seems to enjoy playing here now and intent on playing here in the future. That Enes Kanter was able to produce anything this season. That Alec Burks progressed and became a solid contributor. The list goes on…

The list goes on indeed. Picking up Josh Howard and Jamaal Tinsley off the garbage heap of the NBA and watching them become valuable contributors. Re-signing Earl Watson, whose leadership and tutelage of the young players was key. Standing pat at the trading deadline when all forces seemed to be pulling for a move to be made. Pulling Demaree Carroll out of a hat with him turning into a starter at the most crucial juncture of the season. And finally, Gordon Hayward, he who was booed when announced as the Jazz’s 2010 draft pick, becoming perhaps the most versatile player on the team, on both sides of the floor. Holy crap.

It is also worth noting how great the chemistry is within the Utah Jazz locker room. If you have followed the team with even a passing interest, you have likely noticed that these players actually might like each other. The only blips on the radar came from Raja Bell and Earl Watson who, both injured at the time, began to publicly question their role. At one point, Raja was sent home by Coach Corbin and the situation never escalated beyond that (a timely injury certainly helped quell the uprising). An injury also dispelled and displeasure from Watson. The locker room stayed strong throughout the season and at no point was that more evident than when Millsap and Jefferson embraced after defeating the Suns and securing the playoff spot. More praise for recruiting a group of players that knew their role is deserved by O'Conner.

In sum, Kevin O’Conner knows more than me about basketball and he knows more than you. Just about every move he has made in the past 15 months has been brilliant. The Jazz franchise is on a solid footing, as solid as it has been since the Stockton and Malone era or at least since 2007 after the Deron Williams-led Jazz made it to the Western Conference Finals. He should be executive of the year, but it is tough for the small market Jazz to be noticed on a national level. More important than any personal award., the Jazz are in the playoffs and all indications point to that being an annual occurrence.

Draft Pick or the Playoffs

As the Jazz fight for one of the coveted Western Conference playoff spots, each win and loss has brought the same argument: which is more beneficial, a playoff berth or a spot in the NBA Draft Lottery?

I hold firmly on the side of the playoffs being the better option. The experience gained in the playoffs by the younger players is invaluable. They need to learn what it is like to play in the 7-game series format. The quicker a team can get past the “we’re just happy to be here” phase the better. Consistent appearance and success in the playoffs breed more success. The most likely scenario for the Jazz this season is a 6,7,8 seed. They will likely get bounced in the first round to a more seasoned team and may only win one game. That one win will mean that they played 5 playoff games. Steal an extra game at home and they will have played 6. Understanding, appreciating and then basking in the playoff atmosphere are part of the progression for any team. The Jazz need not waste another year sitting on the sidelines in May.

In addition to an argument in favor of the playoffs, I would like to poke holes in the argument supporting a lottery pick over the playoffs. Having a top 3 pick means that either you were terrible or you made a blockbuster move to position your franchise there. A team with a top 3 pick never has the discussion explaining the merits of a playoff berth over a lottery pick or vise-versa. Frankly, a team with a top 10 pick seldom has that discussion. If you hold pick 11-14 though, that discussion likely took place.

In all honesty, how much is pick 13 worth? At that point in the draft, the likelihood of your team securing an all-star, let alone a starter are very slim. While it is true that the Jazz brass have a solid resume of quality draft picks, the NBA draft still is a crap shoot. For every Gordon Hayward there are multiple Kirk Snyders, Luther Wrights, and Kyrylo Fesenkos. With Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, Alec Burks, Enes Kanter being considered the future, they need to be involved this year in that which will be the measuring stick for their success: the playoffs.

By Deron Williams, the Utah Jazz essentially rebuilt the roster over-night. While this team is far from the level of a seasoned playoff team, hard work from both players and coaches has planted the Jazz firmly in the playoff race rather than dreaming about next year. Playoffs or not this year, the expectation next year is not just the playoffs but, barring injury, homecourt advantage in the first round. This team has the talent, now, it just needs the experience.

The Last Few Games...

If you look at the Western Conference Standings, as of April 12^th, the Utah Jazz sit 1.5 games out of the playoffs and the 6^th seed currently held by the defending champion Dallas Mavericks (whom the Jazz will face Monday, April 16^th at home).

There will be a lot of scoreboard watching, tie-breaker discussion, and possible matchup prognostication. While those are legitimate discussions, they are discussions that belong in the realm of the various sports media outlets, not the huddle or the locker room. If I am Ty Corbin, my message to the Jazz is simple: Win

This weekend, the Jazz will play their final back to back of this lockout shortened season against New Orleans (April 13^th) and Memphis (April 14^th). The Jazz HAVE TO win one of those games. Beating the Rockets on the road made a 1 win, 1 loss weekend an acceptable proposition. Neither of these games are going to be easy. Eric Gordon is finally back for the Hornets and producing and the Grizzlies are much improved and jockeying for position in the playoffs. If the Jazz play like they did last night in Houston, they win both of those games. Will the back-to-back sweep happen? I’m not counting on it. The more important game comes Monday, at home, against the defending champions.

As the defending champs, Dallas has the right to be confident coming into Energy Solutions Arena. The Jazz need to beat that confidence into submission. On first glance, this upcoming game against Dallas is the classic script for a Jazz loss. Dallas has struggled this year but has players that can finish close games. I remember not too long ago watching Dirk Nowitzki smashing all sorts of records by scoring 29 points in the 4^th quarter against the Jazz. In a game earlier this year (another close loss for the Jazz), young Jazz big man Derek Favors got kicked out after losing his cool and throwing the ball into the stands. Dirk was on his game that night as well (with only Earl Watson willing to challenge his dominance). Simply put, in the types of close games that the Jazz are used to playing in this season, the advantage goes to Dallas. That needs to change. The Jazz need to clutch up, be aggressive in the fourth quarter and not let the Mavs championship mystique cause them to second-guess themselves.

For a young team like the Jazz, it seems like each night brings its own “defining moment”.  Young players and old players alike have risen to the occasion and performed masterfully at different times. For a team trying to establish itself, a win against Dallas at home can be another defining moment. Call it a “passing of the torch.” The Mavs as currently constituted are not a championship team. While they will reload (likely adding ex-Jazzman Deron Williams) beating those veteran teams is an important step for a young team like Utah. I remember watching a young Nowitzki and Steve Nash doing the same thing to an aging Jazz team led by Hall of Famers John Stockton and Karl Malone. It is the natural selection for the NBA.

After a road game at Portland two days later on April 18^th, the Jazz finish with 3 straight at home against Orlando, Phoenix, and Portland. Before that stretch even starts, we will have a pretty good idea of the playoff fate of the Utah Jazz. Split this weekend against Memphis and New Orleans and then beat Dallas and there’s a good possibility that the Jazz will be in a situation in which they control their own destiny. Translation: just win baby.

The Push for the Playoffs

Here are a few of my thoughts about Kurt Kragthorpe's article in the Salt Lake Tribune discussing Corbin's grade as head coach of the Utah Jazz.

"Clashes" with veteran players like Bell and Watson need to be dealt with in the manner that reflects their importance. Both feel that they can still contribute, which is true. The clash is the extent to which they can contribute. I think the season has shown that Bell and Watson are not the surefire answer to producing the most wins for the Jazz. Bell's and Watson's desires to prove they still got it need to play second fiddle to winning. Simple as that.

I trust that Corbin will do what is best for the team. I think that his focus for the whole year has been on winning and not stroking egos.

The one thing I haven't been able to figure out is the usage of the big men. I think we all agree that this is the Jazz's strength. Yet, the only consistent thing regarding Favors and Kanter has been the inconsistency in the amount of minutes they've played--particularly in blowouts like last night's game against the Clippers. Both Kanter and Favors have very unpolished offensive games compared to Millsap and Jefferson, but I think they need more time out on the court in competitive games if they are to continue progressing at their already impressive rate.

Overall, I think Corbin has done a great job of continuing the culture of "playing hard" that was established by Sloan. Most importantly, he has carried on the winning tradition that is a defining attribute of the Utah Jazz organization. At this point, anything short of the playoffs this year would be a disappointment.