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Utah Jazz: Is Igor Kokoskov Our Big Free Agent Signing?

By Ryan Aston

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Utah Jazz assistant coach Igor Kokoskov.

With NBA free agency in full effect, visions of Draymond Green, Khris Middleton and Danny Green are rooting around the brains of Utah Jazz fans. Nonetheless, the team’s only move to date has been to add Igor Kokoskov to Quin Snyder’s coaching staff.

While this doesn’t really inspire fans or make a splash in the headlines, it does reaffirm the organization’s confidence in its current direction. For the past several seasons, the team has espoused a very specific philosophy. One that highlights player development (and not player movement) as the primary key to future success.

Given last season’s defensive evolution and the team’s ability to win 38 games with an injury-depleted and inexperienced roster, it’s hard to argue with their logic. Growth from within has been the credo and the team’s decision makers continue to operate with that in mind.

Again, it’s not exciting. The blogosphere isn’t abuzz with talk of the great Kokoskov acquisition and how it will springboard the team into the NBA Playoffs. Many in Jazz Nation find themselves yearning for what they can’t get as opposed to appreciating what they already have.

The problem with this is that what they have is pretty darn good.

There’s a real chance that most or even all of the team’s player acquisitions this summer will be existing properties from within the program. We’re talking Tibor Pleiss and Raul Neto. Trevor Booker, Joe Ingles, Elijah Millsap and Bryce Cotton also come into play here.

Even among the most stable of NBA franchises, this is a whole new level of roster continuity. Still, it could just be the right play for a team on the rise.

Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey has said on multiple occasions that their big move will be re-incorporating Alec Burks into the lineup. The ongoing development of players like Rodney Hood and Dante Exum play an equally large role in the team’s decision to forego the splashier, sexier moves.

So here we sit, two days into one of the craziest free agent negotiation periods in recent memory and the big word out of Jazzland is that we have a new assistant coach. In a vacuum, for fans expecting Wesley Matthews or Paul Millsap to come back home again, this is a ho-hum move. A disappointment.

But if you’re hip to the plan, fully on-board with the team’s strategy, there’s reason to be excited. Kokoskov is a respected coach and has history with Snyder at Missouri. He was also a part of the Detroit Pistons’ championship run in 2004 and has an impressive international resume.

More importantly, he comes to a team where the key pieces are already in place and the future appears to be bright.

He may not a Millsap, a Green or a Middleton, but he’s someone who could help in the development of the Millsaps, Greens and Middletons already in place.

Next: Breakout Season on Tap for Dante Exum

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