Jazz 2-0!

The Jazz are 2-0 so far and haven't looked great but wins are wins, especially in the early going where anything can happen and the Jazz have had a history of starting slowly. Boozer has been the primary offensive focus and he has been aggressive and effective with 2 strong double doubles. Usually taller players give him a hard time but he is just two quick for anyone on the Clips to guard him and nobody on Denver plays defense except Camby and now he is on the Clips. I've always thought someone like Camby would be a perfect fit for the Jazz and seeing as how cheaply he went for in the off season, I wonder if the Jazz could have worked something out. He would be their answer to the Hornets Tyson Chandler, a big guy that could block shots, grab boards and occasionally take some shots. Camby can dominate a game defensively and he would be really effective going against a team like the Lakers.
AK - AK looked good so far in the two games but I wish he would get more than 9 shots a game. He needs to be more aggressive and have his teammates convey to him that it is ok to be more aggressive. He is a guy that needs touches for him to feel like he is being effective and last season he took 7 measly shots a game and by the end of the season was only playing 25 minutes a game. I like having him play the end of the first and thirds and all of the second and fourth, he should end up with 32 minutes a game and if he would take at least 10-11 shots I think all of his numbers would be up without shooting a worse percentage, getting more blocks, steals and rebounds.
Team Minutes - Brewer is so good around the basket and just from the couple of shots he took, his J looks improved, or at least his confidence in it is improved. They need to find him more minutes, not just the 1st and 3d quarters. He is too good of a scorer without the ball for him not to get 30 minutes a game. Same goes with Milsap when he is not in foul trouble. Both are energetic, play active defense and don't need plays called for them. It seems like every time Milsap gets extended minutes he puts up great numbers and his per minute averages of blocks and steals are also excellent for a team that needs interior defense. The problem is that Korver needs minutes too and now that you gave CJ all this money he needs minutes too. Good thing that Collins and Harpring are injured or Sloan would put them into the game. Those guys get minutes because they know the system and play hard defense, not necessarily good defense but hard defense. Brewer and Milsap have been here long enough to know the system and play hard enough that they should take their minutes this season. Milsap might have to play more back up center to get his minutes.
I don't think it benefits the Jazz long term to be playing more than 10 players a night. There are a young team that needs to time to develop and giving minutes to guys that are well past their primes is not thinking long term. Collins should never see another minute on this team, let alone in the league. Harpring should should sign on to a NFL team that needs a linebacker. Fesenko or Koufos should get all of Collins minutes this season.
Morris Almond - I'm not sure what to think about Almond and not reupping his contract. He looks like he has enough talent to stay in the league because he shoots well and there is always a place for a shooter. Almond will probably be a specialist, a three point shooter who gets 10-15 minutes a game to space the floor. The Jazz in the past always needed a guy like that but now they have Korver and Korver is bigger and probably the better shooter anyway. Oh, and he is white and that earns points with the Jazz since they are historically the whitest team in the NBA. Looking back at the 2007 draft, the only player that was drafted after Almond that I wished they would have picked would be Marc Gasol. I remember watching the draft that year and thinking that Gasol was a steal at that low and with good NBA genes, why he wasn't more highly regarded. This year on the Grizzlies, he is easily going to get 10-10 and starters minutes.
Back to Almond, the Jazz basically are going to have to package him or lose him for nothing. I suspect they trade him for rights to a future late one or early two.
Price and Knight. Knight was always a perfect guy for the Jazz system. He doesn't like to shoot and can pass well, how many other point guards are like that? That is why a guy like Jacque Vaughn stuck around here so long and a guy like Carlos Arroyo was booted out of here despite having a lot more talent. Ronnie Price is a fun player to watch but he has to understand his role on this team. He has lots of guys who can score and so he shouldn't be going 2-8. If he is going to have a bad shooting night he needs to be 0-4 with 6 assists. If he wants to stick on this team, he is going to learn to discipline himself and also needs to shoot the 3 at a higher percentage.