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The Purple & Blues Mailbag: Edition No. 2

By Greg Foster

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Mar 28, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz forward Trevor Booker (33) defends against Oklahoma City Thunder center Enes Kanter (34) during the first quarter at EnergySolutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to the The J Notes Mailbag: Edition No. 2! My coffee mug is filled to the brim, my mind is racing and my fingers are properly stretched and ready to fire. Got a question you’ve been itching to get off your mind? Hit me up on Twitter.

Today, we’ll be covering parade routes, Rudy Gobert‘s role, cage matches and more.

My guess is on the corner of GetThe%#@!OuttaHere Street and NeverGonnaHappen Boulevard. Let’s not kid ourselves, the Utah Jazz aren’t winning a title next season. But if they did, the entire state of Utah would lose its mind.

The only logical street to host the victory parade would be I-15. Close the entire freeway down, start the parade up in Ogden and keep the party going until it reached St. George. The pit-stop/pep rally in Beaver would be something to behold. THE WORLD’S BEST WATER FOR EVERYONE!!!

Would there be health issues? Sure. I could imagine Joe Ingles guzzling a little too much victory champagne and catching some nasty dehydration while walking those 500 miles.

There would be cramps, everyone would be tired, feet would be blistered, Quin Snyder‘s face would end up looking like an old catchers mitt, but who cares? These guys are professional athletes, they’re built for it.

There is only one right answer to this question. If you said anything other than John Stockton‘s shot over Charles Barkley to ice the 1997 Western Conference Finals and send the “Utah Jazz to the NBA Finals,” go stand in a corner for the next three hours. Afterwards, write “I am a stupid idiot and I don’t know anything” 500 times on the blackboard.

Best moment: The swish. That shot didn’t even nick the rim. All net, all wet. Stockton showed every one of us that he played his entire career with liquid nitrogen in his veins and balls so big they should be national monuments.

Second best moment: Bill Walton saying, “uh oh!” LOL, Bill, you supreme weirdo.

Third best moment: Watching that play with my Mom and hearing her scream at the top of her lungs. She’d never screamed like that watching the Jazz before. It was incredible.

Fourth best moment: Karl Malone‘s illegal screen.

Thinking about it. NFL teams should show that Malone screen to their tight ends as an example of how to pass block. Thinking more about it, imagine Malone as a tight end. He would’ve been incredible—six-foot-nine, 260 pounds, incredible strength and conditioning, quick feet, great hands, aggressiveness, runs like a spooked deer, etc.

Good luck trying to cover that guy on a goal line fade route, or any other route for that matter.

I think it’s stupid. I’m sure the coach has a perfectly logical reason as to why Dante Exum‘s role is so limited. I’m also sure that reason is total crap. Let the kid play; he’s pretty damn good.

Maybe his ankle still isn’t 100 percent? I’ve blown out both of mine and they take forever to fully heal. Any other reason than that is dumb.

Me: “Hey Quin, with the ENORMOUS lineup you trotted out tonight, what was your defensive strategy?”
Quin: “Well…..”
*Warning NSFW language*

Holy crap, the shortest person in that lineup is six-foot-seven. That’s so much length. LOL @ trying to get a shot up.

As far as the scoring, I’m not sure how I feel about Derrick Favors defending small forwards or Rudy guarding power forwards—those guys are getting buckets.

On the other hand, Derrick Favors and Gordon Hayward bullying smaller guys would mean a lot of points. And Pleiss can shoot, right? I mean, that’s what the scouting report says. Rudy Gobert will clean up the boards and get some garbage points. If Exum can play like he did in his lone summer league game, he’ll get a handful of buckets.

So yeah, the Jazz would score, but I don’t think it would be pretty.

The UnderKanter vs Booker T. Put this on PPV and I will literally give you all my money.

Trevor Booker is quicker, has better hands and is far superior athletically. On the other hand, Enes Kanter has size, strength and better footwork in his corner.

Trevor Booker can do stuff like this:

Enes can do stuff like this:

Here’s my full breakdown:
– This one boils down to heart. Enes Kanter is the Tin Man. Trevor Booker is the Grinch when carving the Roast Beast.
– Booker looks like he would take your lunch money and shoes when he plays. Kanter looks like he’s never thrown a punch in his life.
– Kanter is going to have a tough time defending himself, because Kanter couldn’t defend a mop inside of a broom closet.
– Kanter is going to have to rely on brute strength. That’ll do some damage, but Booker’s too quick to let that be the defining factor of the fight.
– Booker is relentless and won’t let up one bit.
– Booker’s rapid fire trash talk will only add insult to injury.
– The UnderKanter is simply going to absorb too much punishment to survive. He’s a good rebounder, but he won’t be able to bounce back this time.

Winner: Trevor Booker.

Remember, The Golden State Warriors won 78 games with Andrew Bogut as their starting center. It wasn’t until Game 3 of the NBA Finals that he was benched in favor of an ultra small-ball lineup.

Also, consider the Warriors’ NBA Finals opponent, the Cavaliers, were at their best when they went small—with Lebron at the four—while keeping Timofey Mozgov on the floor.

Bottom line: even in the small-ball era, a defensive-minded center who can disrupt, rebound and get easy buckets is an invaluable asset.

In regards to Rudy’s ceiling, I think he can be an All-Star. He’s that talented and does so many things that can’t be quantified on a stat sheet. How many times last season did we see opponents’ drives thwarted before they started because Rudy Gobert was patrolling the paint?

If Rudy wants to reach that All-Star level, he’s got to acquire some semblance of an offensive game. Derrick Favors is continuing to expand his range, allowing for better spacing and ball movement with Rudy cementing himself around the hoop. This is paramount in Quin Snyder’s offense.

If Rudy could expand his range to say, 10 feet, while adding a couple of go-to moves in the post—hook shot, drop step, etc.—that will help things tremendously.

Another thing I hope is happening this offseason, is that Rudy and Derrick are spending a boat load of time in the film room watching how Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph run things down in Memphis.

Alright, that was fun, but once again, lunch is calling. Cheers.

Next: Video: Gordon Hayward's Offseason Workout

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