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David Locke - Dec 11, 2011 7:50:49 PM
Saturday Kevin O’Connor came down to the media room at Zions Bank Center and held an informal 30 minute chat with the media. Some of the conversation went off the record or for background so I can’t post the audio. Here are the highlights from the conversation that was attended by 1320, K-Fan, The Tribune, Standard Examiner, Deseret News and AP.
• Jazz will add two more players to the roster they are waiting for FIBA approval before they can practice with the team, hopefully Monday.
• None of those contracts will be guaranteed and neither player has played in the NBA
• Jamaal Tinsley worked out with the Jazz last year, they watched him in the D-League. He has to earn a spot. He has had bumps in the road and you have to be cautious. KOC gave credit to his agents for looking for a team that has three point guards historically.
• Tinsley has already had 16 two a days in the D-League
• KOC said that Tinsley is a guy that can get you in an offense and pass the ball
• KOC on Earl Watson “he is everything that is good about the NBA, his biggest thing is about winning. We signed him on what he brings to the team, he competes every night, he is a total professional. He is one of those guys when you walk in the gym you smile because he is in there taking care of his business.”
• On Raja “he came in great shape. He is a pro. He knows there is an opportunity here.
• We have a little more ammunition then we had last year
• On Memo “you are going to presuppose he is where he was a year and half ago, that is the timeline on Achilles historically. We saw the tape on him in Turkey. It is going to be on the defensive end that he has to be ready. He can still shot the ball and he rebounded well in Turkey.”
• KOC was an assistant at UCLA when new Jazz coach Mike Sanders was a sophomore at UCLA, they lost in the Finals to Darrell Griffith and Lousiville.
• Sanders at 6’6 played power forward in the NBA and center at UCLA.
• Is he too short to coach big man, KOC asked would Adrian Dantley be able to coach post play.
• On Kanter “this is going to be great for him, we explained it is a jounry, there is a destination and there are going to be lots of stops along the way. He is willing to work and that is the important thing. Everytime you turned the lights on Kanter has done pretty good.”
• On Burks “he played two years of college basketball. Thad Boyle did a great job with him, defensively he has to learn how to play every play. Just watch him from beginning of freshman year to end of freshman year to beginning of sophomore year to end of sophomore year to now, the shooting has improved the ball handling has improved, he has gotten bigger so you know he worked, these are the things you like to see.
• We played by the rules, I don’t know anything on our kid workouts
• On Deron Trade “I felt like having been being in the league and looking at the landscape, and looking at the deal that someone is not going to get … , I looked at it the number of games that was going to be played before some possible public announcement was about 20 or 25 games at most with lockout and trade deadline, etc we just felt that we were in a situation we could get something we could build on.”
• This was not easy for Greg Miller to trade a marquee player and an all-star who had not been asked to be traded but we felt we couldn’t run that risk
• Haven’t made an official offer to Josh Howard. We have talked.
• On Gordon “ I was happy to see him physically, the minute I saw Gordon I knew I would see Jeremy within 20 feet.”
• No one came into shape over weight, everyone came into shape.
• Al – he looks terrific. He worked hard in Santa Barbara
• On Gordon last yaer – His nature is cautious, he was looking to see what not to do instead of what to do as he got more time he became less afraid to make a mistake because he done two or three things well earlier.
• On Derrick Favors “last year – all he dealt with is I’m going to be traded, I’m going to traded, more and more – then he thinks he is not getting traded and gets traded. We explained to him we want you, find a place to live, dig in, expect to be here. He never unpacked his bags at Georgia Tech and then he got drafted and immediately was in trade rumors. This is his first
• Jazz will add two more players to the roster they are waiting for FIBA approval before they can practice with the team, hopefully Monday.
• None of those contracts will be guaranteed and neither player has played in the NBA
• Jamaal Tinsley worked out with the Jazz last year, they watched him in the D-League. He has to earn a spot. He has had bumps in the road and you have to be cautious. KOC gave credit to his agents for looking for a team that has three point guards historically.
• Tinsley has already had 16 two a days in the D-League
• KOC said that Tinsley is a guy that can get you in an offense and pass the ball
• KOC on Earl Watson “he is everything that is good about the NBA, his biggest thing is about winning. We signed him on what he brings to the team, he competes every night, he is a total professional. He is one of those guys when you walk in the gym you smile because he is in there taking care of his business.”
• On Raja “he came in great shape. He is a pro. He knows there is an opportunity here.
• We have a little more ammunition then we had last year
• On Memo “you are going to presuppose he is where he was a year and half ago, that is the timeline on Achilles historically. We saw the tape on him in Turkey. It is going to be on the defensive end that he has to be ready. He can still shot the ball and he rebounded well in Turkey.”
• KOC was an assistant at UCLA when new Jazz coach Mike Sanders was a sophomore at UCLA, they lost in the Finals to Darrell Griffith and Lousiville.
• Sanders at 6’6 played power forward in the NBA and center at UCLA.
• Is he too short to coach big man, KOC asked would Adrian Dantley be able to coach post play.
• On Kanter “this is going to be great for him, we explained it is a jounry, there is a destination and there are going to be lots of stops along the way. He is willing to work and that is the important thing. Everytime you turned the lights on Kanter has done pretty good.”
• On Burks “he played two years of college basketball. Thad Boyle did a great job with him, defensively he has to learn how to play every play. Just watch him from beginning of freshman year to end of freshman year to beginning of sophomore year to end of sophomore year to now, the shooting has improved the ball handling has improved, he has gotten bigger so you know he worked, these are the things you like to see.
• We played by the rules, I don’t know anything on our kid workouts
• On Deron Trade “I felt like having been being in the league and looking at the landscape, and looking at the deal that someone is not going to get … , I looked at it the number of games that was going to be played before some possible public announcement was about 20 or 25 games at most with lockout and trade deadline, etc we just felt that we were in a situation we could get something we could build on.”
• This was not easy for Greg Miller to trade a marquee player and an all-star who had not been asked to be traded but we felt we couldn’t run that risk
• Haven’t made an official offer to Josh Howard. We have talked.
• On Gordon “ I was happy to see him physically, the minute I saw Gordon I knew I would see Jeremy within 20 feet.”
• No one came into shape over weight, everyone came into shape.
• Al – he looks terrific. He worked hard in Santa Barbara
• On Gordon last yaer – His nature is cautious, he was looking to see what not to do instead of what to do as he got more time he became less afraid to make a mistake because he done two or three things well earlier.
• On Derrick Favors “last year – all he dealt with is I’m going to be traded, I’m going to traded, more and more – then he thinks he is not getting traded and gets traded. We explained to him we want you, find a place to live, dig in, expect to be here. He never unpacked his bags at Georgia Tech and then he got drafted and immediately was in trade rumors. This is his first
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