Utah Jazz Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Clippers Notes: Austin Rivers, D-League, Ingles

April 16th, 2017 at 12:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

Austin Rivers will miss at least one more game of the playoff series with the Jazz because of a left hamstring strain that he suffered late in the season, tweets Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times. His father and coach, Doc Rivers, said Austin went through a shooting session Saturday for the first time since the injury. He also did some light sprints and dribbling drills as the workout went better than a previous attempt. “I was on the court three or four days ago,” Austin Rivers told Bill Oram of The Orange County Register, “and it didn’t really go as I planned. Didn’t feel good and they took me off and waited a couple more days, with a little treatment and stuff like that. Today we tried it again and it worked.” He is aiming to be ready for Game 3 Friday night in Utah.

There’s more today out of Los Angeles:

The Clippers are hoping to add a D-League franchise next season, reports Adam Johnson of D-League Digest. The original plan was to have a team in place for 2018/19, but the organization decided it doesn’t want to wait that long. Ontario, California, is the preferred location, and the Clippers are awaiting league approval for that site. If that doesn’t work out, Johnson suggests Bakersfield as an alternative. The city hosted the Bakersfield Jam before that franchise was purchased by the Suns and moved to Northern Arizona. The new team would be the 26th in the D-League and the fourth to join next season.
The Clippers are facing Utah’s Joe Ingles in the playoffs three years after waiving him. Doc Rivers says the move was necessary because of another contract that the Clippers were obligated to keep, tweets Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune. That contract belonged to Jared Cunningham, who only spent 19 games in L.A., according to Dan Woike of DanWoikeSports (Twitter link). Ingles was waived by the Clippers on October 25th, 2014, and claimed by the Jazz two days later.
The Clippers should have been more inspired in Game 1 considering that their long-term future is at stake, writes Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin can both opt out this summer, and the core of the team could be broken up with another early playoff exit.

Joe Johnson Thriving In Mentor Role For Jazz

April 14th, 2017 at 4:08pm CST by Luke Adams

After being relied on as a top scoring threat for years, Joe Johnson has thrived this year in a reduced role and as a veteran mentor for the Jazz, writes Kareem Copeland of The Associated Press. Johnson remains under contract for one more year.

Rudy Gobert Talks DPOY, Utah, Hayward

April 11th, 2017 at 8:59am CST by Luke Adams

With the 2016/17 regular season nearing its conclusion, Jazz center Rudy Gobert is receiving serious consideration for this year’s Defensive Player of the Year award, despite the fact that Utah often flies under the radar in discussions about the NBA’s contenders and stars. Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype spoke to several players around the league, including Myles Turner, Elfrid Payton, and Willie Reed, who said Gobert deserves the award, with Reed calling him a “game-changer.”

Gobert himself also spoke to Kennedy about what it would mean to be named Defensive Player of the Year, as well as several other subjects, including the idea that he’s overlooked a little in Utah and the possibility of an All-Star teammate re-signing with the Jazz this summer. The whole piece is worth checking out, but here are a few of the notable quotes from Gobert:

On the possibility of winning Defensive Player of the Year:

“It would be great. Obviously, I play to win games, but you make history with those kind of things. It would be great to make history. I’d be the second French player to win it after Joakim Noah. It would be great for me, great for my country. It would just be great.”

On the Jazz, a top-five seed in the West, flying under the radar:

“We talk about it sometimes [as a team]. I’ve been here for four years now and Gordon [Hayward] has been here for seven years, so we understand it. We understand that it’s about the market, so we have to do more than other teams to get that respect. We also understand that we have to win games. At the end of the day, if we win games, we’re going to get the recognition that we deserve. That’s why we just focus on winning and getting better.”

On how he’ll try to convince Hayward to stick with the Jazz in free agency:

“I’m just going to ask him, ‘Do you want to win a championship?’ I feel like with the way we’ve improved the last few years, since Quin [Snyder] got here, I don’t think it’d be a great decision to leave now. At the same time, I know sometimes there are personal decisions and I can’t really control any of that. But I know he likes to win. I know he likes it here in Utah, and his wife and kids like it here too. If he doesn’t want to live here anymore or there’s another city he wants to live in or he feels like he has a better chance to win a championship somewhere else, it’s his decision. But I’m going to remind him that I really want to win a championship and I think we can do it.”

On whether Gobert can picture himself spending his entire career in Utah:

“Yeah, why not? I obviously love living [in Utah] and I want to win, like I said. So if the goal is to win a championship very soon, there’s no reason to leave. I love my coach, I love the fans, I love the organization. There’s no reason for me to think about leaving.”

Jazz Notes: Favors, Neto, Stayward

April 9th, 2017 at 6:15pm CST by Austin Kent

After missing an entire month with a knee injury, Jazz big man Derrick Favors returned to the court Friday and looked excellent in his debut. Tim MacMahon of ESPN said that the 25-year-old’s play was extremely encouraging.

It’s been a relative down year for Favors, at least compared to the last two seasons, but lingering knee issues could be to blame for the statistical downfall. Now Favors is back with an explosiveness that MacMahon notes he’s lacked in 2016/17.

Favors added 13 points and 5 rebounds in his 17 minute return to action on Friday and averages 9.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game on the season. If the forward continues to play free of knee woes, we could see those averages climb higher come playoff time.

There’s more from the Jazz:

Backup Jazz point guard Raul Neto injured his left ankle Saturday and was forced to miss the remainder of the contest, an Associated Press report says. Neto was playing in his first game back after a five-game absence related to a groin injury.
The Jazz formally clinched the Northwest Division Friday, the team said on its official website. This is their first division title since 2007/08.
Fans are pulling out all the stops to keep Gordon Hayward in Utah. A billboard with the phrase “Stayward” emblazoned across it has been installed locally as the Jazz small forward nears free agency. “Will it have any influence? Of course it will have influence,” Hayward told Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune. “It’s always nice to be loved.”
The Jazz deserve credit for how they’ve managed to contend despite the rash of injuries they’ve endured this season, writes Randy Hollis of the Deseret News.

Potential 2017 RFAs Whose Qualifying Offers Will Be Impacted By Starter Criteria

April 7th, 2017 at 11:22am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement, which will go into effect on July 1, 2017, includes a number of changes to the free agent process, including some that apply specifically to restricted free agents. However, one aspect of restricted free agency unaffected by the new CBA is what’s referred to as the “starter criteria,” which can affect how much an RFA’s qualifying offer will be worth.

Here’s how the starter criteria works: A player who is eligible for restricted free agency is considered to have met the starter criteria if he plays at least 2,000 minutes or starts 41 games in the season before he reaches free agency. A player can also meet the criteria if he averages either of those marks in the two seasons prior to his restricted free agency. For instance, if a player started 50 games in 2015/16 and 35 in 2016/17, he’d meet the starter criteria, since his average number of starts over the last two seasons exceeds 41.

A player’s ability or inability to meet the starter criteria can affect the value of the qualifying offer he receives as a restricted free agent, as follows:

A top-14 pick who does not meet the starter criteria will receive a qualifying offer equal to the amount the 15th overall pick would receive if he signed for 120% of the rookie scale.
A player picked between 10th and 30th who meets the criteria will receive a qualifying offer equal to the amount the ninth overall pick would receive if he signed for 120% of the rookie scale.
A second-round pick or undrafted player who meets the criteria will receive a qualifying offer equal to the amount the 21st overall pick would receive if he signed for 100% of the rookie scale.
For all other RFAs, the standard criteria determine the amounts of their qualifying offers.

Extending a qualifying offer to a player ensures that a team has the right of first refusal if he signs an offer sheet, and gives the player the option of signing that one-year QO. Generally, the value of a restricted free agent’s qualifying offer isn’t hugely important, since very few RFAs accept those offers outright. Still, those QOs can have an impact on a team’s salary cap outlook during July’s free agent period, so it’s worth checking in to see which potential RFAs will be eligible for higher or lower qualifying offers this summer.

Listed below are the top-14 picks on track for restricted free agency who have not met the starter criteria. These players will be eligible for qualifying offers worth $4,187,598.

Alex Len (Suns)
Nerlens Noel (Mavericks)
Trey Burke (Wizards)
Michael Carter-Williams (Bulls)
Kelly Olynyk (Celtics)
Shabazz Muhammad (Timberwolves)

Len and Noel had the worst QO luck this season. As the fifth and sixth overall picks in 2013, they would have been in line for qualifying offers worth about $6.4MM and $5.85MM, respectively. Instead, their QOs will be worth less than $4.2MM. Both players were very close to meeting the starter criteria too — they’ve started 77 games apiece in the past two years, so they’ll fall just short of the 82 required.

The players listed below are non-lottery first-round picks who will meet the starter criteria. That will make each of them eligible for a qualifying offer worth $4,588,840.

Tony Snell (Bucks)
Mason Plumlee (Nuggets)
Tim Hardaway (Hawks)
Andre Roberson (Thunder)

All four of these players were selected in the 20-26 range in the 2013 draft, and their QOs would’ve ranged from about $3.39MM to $3.22MM if they hadn’t met the starter criteria.

Here are the rest of the RFAs whose qualifying offers won’t necessarily be determined by the standard criteria:

Undrafted power forward JaMychal Green (Grizzlies) has met the starter criteria, putting him in line for a QO worth $2,820,497 instead of the more modest amount he would’ve received as a minimum-salary player.
Two players – Joe Ingles (Jazz) and Ben McLemore (Kings) – still have a chance to meet the starter criteria depending on how the season’s last four days play out. Ingles has played 1,848 minutes this season, meaning he would have to average about 38 MPG in Utah’s last four contests to reach 2,000, which is a tall order. McLemore may fall just short as well, as he currently sits at 79 starts over the last two seasons. He’ll need to start three of the Kings’ last four games in order to average 41 starts per year, but he has only been in Sacramento’s starting lineup twice since the start of March. (End-of-season update: Neither Ingles nor McLemore met the starter criteria.)

Northwest Notes: Nurkic, Nuggets, Favors, Wolves

April 1st, 2017 at 9:47pm CST by Arthur Hill

Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic suffered the fracture in his right leg Tuesday against the Nuggets, tweets Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. He played 32 minutes in Thursday’s game before the injury was discovered on Friday. Nurkic will be out of action for at least two weeks, and Portland is hoping he can be ready for the playoffs. “It just depends how I feel,” Nurkic said. “The doctor said, ‘He’s tough,’ and if it doesn’t hurt I’m going to be back.” (Twitter link). Blazers coach Terry Stotts plans to use a “committee” approach at center while Nurkic is out, with Meyers Leonard getting the start tonight (Twitter link).

There’s more from the Northwest Division:

After losing three straight and falling two games behind Portland in the race for the final playoff spot, Nuggets coach Michael Malone wants his team to close out the season “the right way,” relays Christopher Dempsey on NBA.com. “If we do finish the right way, maybe other things happen and we give ourselves a chance,” Malone said. “I want to find guys that when everything looks bleak, who is going to go out there and play anyway. … Going forward, I will find a group of five guys, vets or young guys, whoever it may be, to go out there and play and play as hard as possible.” Denver has to overcome injury problems as it tries to save its season. Will Barton, Darrell Arthur and Jameer Nelson are all questionable for Sunday’s game at Miami and possibly beyond.
The Jazz are hoping injured forward Derrick Favors can return before the end of the regular season, according to Jody Genessy of The Deseret News. A bone bruise in his left knee has kept Favors sidelined since March 6th, but coach Quin Snyder said Friday that he is “hopeful” about Favors coming back.
Despite having some of the most exciting young players in the league, attendance remains a problem for the Timberwolves, notes Kent Youngblood of The Star Tribune. Even though the crowds have been trending upward, Minnesota is last in the NBA with an average of 14,584 fans per night. The Wolves are getting about 4% larger crowds than they did last season, but it will take success on the court for that number to increase significantly.

Rudy Gobert Criticizes Teammates, Apologizes

March 30th, 2017 at 3:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Following a weekend loss to the Clippers, Jazz center Rudy Gobert unloaded some frustrations in his post-game comments, suggesting that “some of us don’t compete” and “just thinking about scoring” (link via Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com). Gobert later backed off those comments, apologizing to his teammates and vowing to be a better leader, per Jody Genessy of The Deseret News. Utah has since won back-to-back games.

Gordon Hayward Expected To Be "Fine" After Knee Injury

March 25th, 2017 at 10:58pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Gordon Hayward left tonight’s game against the Clippers with a knee injury, but the X-rays came back negative, Mike Sorensen of the Deseret News reports. Coach Quin Snyder said that the team’s All-Star will be “fine.” The Jazz currently own the fourth seed in the Western Conference, though Los Angeles sits just 0.5 games back of that spot.

Will Gordon Hayward Stay In Utah Beyond 2016/17?

March 17th, 2017 at 3:44pm CST by Luke Adams

Becoming one of those six All-NBA forwards won’t be an easy task for Hayward, given his competition. But the situation creates an interesting predicament for the Jazz. Would they want Hayward to earn an All-NBA spot and become eligible for that more expensive extension? It would likely increase their chances of keeping him, but it would also mean potentially tying up a ton of money in a player who is probably one or two tiers below the NBA’s top superstars.

Van Gundy Impressed With Joe Johnson

March 16th, 2017 at 10:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy believes the Jazz’s signing of veteran swingman Joe Johnson was one of the most underrated moves of the past offseason. Johnson, who inked a two-year, $22MM contract as a free agent, is averaging 8.6 PPG, 3.0 RPG and 1.7 APG while shooting over 40% from long range in 22.9 MPG. “I think they made a great acquisition with Joe Johnson,” Van Gundy said. “A lot of people thought Joe was really on the decline and he’s really bounced back.”