Alec Burks Update: NBA Execs Unhappy With Extension

Feb 4, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz guard Alec Burks (10) on the court during warm-ups prior to the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at EnergySolutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Alec Burks was supposed to be one of those core members of the Utah Jazz starting unit going forward this year. Then suddenly he was out for the season. What was a surprise for many of us was a long time coming for the explosive 6’6″ shooting guard with a 6’10” wingspan that many of us have forgotten about in the midst of the Jazz’s amazing post-All-Star Break run.

More from The J-Notes

"“I’ll have a 100 percent shoulder finally,” he said.Asked how long it had been since he could say that, Burks smiled.“I was in my teens,” he said.Burks would not go into the details of the injury to his left shoulder, a malady that has plagued him since his college days, saying only “I had a really bad shoulder.”The injury started to get worse in October, was aggravated seriously when he was fouled hard by Nuggets guard Arron Afflalo in early December and finally reached a point where surgery was required last month.By the end, Burks said his ability to play was limited and he “really couldn’t finish with my left hand because I couldn’t lift my arm over my shoulder.”“I don’t think I was healthy all year,” he said. “It just finally came to a point where I had to get it fixed. … It was going to happen eventually, but when it happened, it was disappointing. I just couldn’t play on the shoulder anymore. It gave out.”–Aaron Falk, Salt Lake Tribune, January 17, 2015"

And Alec Burks had just gotten paid, no less, to the tune of four years and $42 million, something that at least a few NBA executives didn’t take kindly to, surmising that Burks’ payday screwed up their free agency leverage.

"NEW YORK: Lost in the flurry of a record 39 players traded among 17 teams on Thursday’s NBA deadline day was this: Five players from the first round of the 2011 draft class have been dealt in the past two months. While the Jazz were negotiating an extension that ultimately will pay Burks $42 million for the next four seasons, at least a handful of league executives believe it skewed negotiations for everyone elseIncluded in that figure is Iman Shumpert, who the New York Knicks essentially gave to the Cavs last month. Shumpert and J.R. Smith make their return to Madison Square Garden on Sunday, when the Cavs play the Knicks. Those two and Timofey Mozgov are what helped turn around this once-floundering season. Perhaps none of it would’ve been possible without an assist from Alec Burks and the Utah Jazz.The players drafted in 2011 are exiting their rookie contracts; none of the five traded recently came to agreements on extensions before last fall’s deadline. That’s primarily why all five were moved, but the reasons they weren’t extended vary. The Cavs owe at least partial credit to Burks and the Jazz for hijacking the class.While the Jazz were negotiating an extension that ultimately will pay Burks $42 million for the next four seasons, at least a handful of league executives believe it skewed negotiations for everyone else. Burks, selected 12th overall, had started just 12 NBA games and averaged 9.8 points when he signed the extension.–Jason Lloyd, Ohio.com , February 21, 2015"

#FreeAlecBurks indeed.

Jazz rookie Rodney Hood, who many — myself included — were really high on coming into the season, was slated to replace Burks in the starting lineup when he went down for several weeks himself, leaving Quin Snyder starting Aussie veteran Joe Ingles.

Many jaws dropped and eyebrows shot up when it was announced by Quin Snyder that Rodney Hood would start in place of Ingles against the Houston Rockets, but Snyder was only being consistent in the long-standing Utah Jazz franchise policy that a starter can’t lose his starting job due to injury.

"Under Jerry Sloan, a Jazz player couldn’t lose their starting spot due to injury. It remains to be seen if the same policy — seemingly a franchise-wide one in years past — is still in place under new management and coaching that come from an entirely different tree.–The J Notes, Enes Kanter Trade Bait With Emergence Of Gobert? January 8, 2015"

It was true for Enes Kanter. Will this still hold true for Alec Burks?

David Locke seems to believe that the starting lineup we saw here — Dante Exum, Rodney Hood, Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert — will be the future starting five for five-plus years for the Utah Jazz.

"“What we saw last night, I think, frankly, is the starting lineup for, y’know, five years to come. The Jazz are debuting this lineup that is insanely long. and athletic.”"

Alec Burks has been out of sight, out of Utah Jazz fans’ mind since surgery to repair his shoulder

Two things Alec Burks also is.

"“It’s a really fabulous equation for the future. You have three players that can run a pick-and-roll, you have two shooters…and you have a right-handed pick-and-roll player and a left-handed pick-and-roll player, and Quin implements those type of things.”–David Locke, DJ & PK, 1280/97.5 The Zone"

Ah, yes. Alec Burks isn’t quite that, with a high usage rate and a tendency to hang onto the ball when he gets it, often taking a pass in the corner to drive baseline, attempting to make something happen at the rim — something NBA scouts figured out about him early this season, largely shutting it down.

Snyder was only being consistent in the long-standing Utah Jazz franchise policy that a starter can’t lose his starting job due to injury

Those tendencies may have also contributed to his shoulder ailments. With a game similar to a young Dwyane Wade, who was famous for getting knocked down recurrently on hard-to-finish circus drives at the rim, Burks’ preference when he gets the ball has been to drive like a demon and see what happens.

Quin Snyder has been quizzing Alec Burks, though, who has in turn never abandoned his team, teammates, or quest to get better at the game, even if he’s been out of sight, out of mind for Jazz fans, despite the fervor of now distant campaigns in his favor.

"“It’s really good that he’s here, that he’s with us,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. “He wants to be with us. He’s in the film sessions.”He eats dinner with the team and spends time helping out at practice, even if just shagging balls while teammates shoot.And that’s not all. His coach makes sure to keep him involved in other ways, too.“I ask him questions,” Snyder said, cracking a smile. “I brought him out in a walk-through the other day, surprised him a little bit. He’s good. Alec knows what’s going on. It’s tough to surprise him.”“So you want people to be vested in spite of that, vested in their teammates.”Burks is no longer wearing the protective sling on his shoulder. He’s expected to make a full recovery by the time his fifth season begins and his four-year contract kicks in.–Jody Genessy, Deseret News, February 28, 2015"

In the Rockets pregame on March 12, Locke reported that Alec Burks was dunking and shooting with the team in the pregame shoot-around — with his not-injured right hand, mind you — and Andy Larsen captured this gem:

When Alec Burks is healthy is when it gets really interesting for Quin Snyder and the Jazz. Will Burks interrupt the rhythm they’ve had while reintegrating? Will he be relegated to the bench? Would he accept such a role without rocking the boat?

We won’t find out for many moons yet. But in the meantime, Alec Burks has been a model teammate, working his way back toward helping his team get to the next level next season whatever role that may entail.