07/14/2010 - 16:04
Head West, Young Al
by
Devon Jeffreys
Al Jefferson is heading to Utah with a legitimate chance at an NBA Championship finally within his grasp.
Big Al was traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Utah Jazz on Tuesday, placing Al on a playoff stalwart for the first time in his career.
"What we feel like is that we really added a premium player to our team," Utah general manager Kevin O’Connor told the Salt Lake Tribune. "If you had put him in free agency this year with that crop that they had out there even yet, I think he’d be pretty highly rated, and that’s how we look at him."
Thanks to the fans of Minnesota, and hello to those in Utah (Getty Images).
Ross Siler of the Salt Lake Tribune described what the acquisition of Al means to the perennial playoff contending Jazz:
Given the departures of Carlos Boozer and Kyle Korver in free agency, Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor wasn’t about to describe the acquisition of Al Jefferson as the second coming of the trade that delivered Pau Gasol to the Lakers in 2008.
At the same time, O’Connor couldn’t help but herald the arrival of a player in Jefferson who he billed as one of the best low-post players in basketball, following a trade in which the Jazz seemingly gave up remarkably little in return.
The Jazz completed their deal for Jefferson on Tuesday, sending two future first-round draft picks and center Kosta Koufos to Minnesota while absorbing Jefferson’s $13 million salary thanks to the trade exception they acquired last week for Boozer.
Al averaged 17.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game last season, most of the year compromised by his return from reconstructive knee surgery after suffering a torn ACL in February of 2009. But even as he recovered from the knee injury, Al played in all but six of Minnesota's games last season.
"We expect him to be even better next year than he was this year," O' Connor said.
By the time he joins Utah this fall, the rust from the surgery should be long gone and Al can get back to fulfilling his standing as one of the top scoring big men in the league.
"Al is motivated to have a career-defining season, and I recognize the Jazz will be the recipients of that, not us. I expect him to help Utah immensely," Timberwolves general manager David Kahn said in a statement.
Over three seasons with the Wolves, Big Al was a force on the block averaging a double-double with over 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. In Utah, he'll replace Carlos Boozer, who departed for the Chicago Bulls in free agency.
"Talking to him tonight, he’s anxious to get on a team that he feels that there’s some consistency and some continuity and some direction as far as age goes," O’Connor said. "We’re excited to have him."
For Al, the ability to play for a championship contender and make his first trip to the postseason since his rookie year in Boston outweighs all else. Over his six-year professional career, Al has been a part of teams that combined to go 163-329. The year following his trade from Boston to Minnesota, the Celtics were crowned NBA champions.
Losing so much has had an effect on him, but he's turned the team failures into individual motivation.
"He’s ready and he’s hungry to really compete at the highest level," Mark Madsen, who played with Jefferson in Minnesota and now coaches Utah's developmental league team to the Tribune. "The bottom line is I think Utah’s a great situation for him, a great situation.
"In terms of scoring the basketball on the block, Al Jefferson may be the best in the entire NBA," Madsen said. "That’s how good he is, and that is one of the hardest skills out there."
In Utah, Jefferson will also benefit from being coached by one of the game's greats in Jerry Sloan and he'll be getting dimes from one of the best point guards in the league in Deron Williams. Kelly Dwyer of Yahoo! Sports NBA blog Ball Don't Lie believes the Jazz have the ingredients to do something special if Al is willing to buy in.
It takes a massive leap of faith, trust in your own abilities and trust in the mugs that observe this game. Because while Al Jefferson could be quite successful heading to that low block and working as usual, he and his team could be incredibly successful if he finds a way to work up top, flash away from the ball, make Deron Williams more dangerous and in turn open up myriad offensive opportunities for his teammates.
That's what the two-man game does, after all. At its best, it makes for great options for five guys at a time, even if just one guy touches the ball for the entire play.
For his part, Big Al is pleased, as O'Connor relayed to the Salt Lake Tribune:
Jefferson told O’Connor that he was looking forward to the opportunity in Utah, respected the way the Jazz played and noted the success that Boozer and Karl Malone had in Sloan’s offense.
"If I was a player that had the size that he had, the hands that he had, the moves that he had and I had Deron Williams, I’d be pretty happy, too," O’Connor said.
RELATED STORIES
The Utah Jazz trade for Al Jefferson (Ball Don't Lie, July 14, 2010)
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/The-Utah-Jazz-trade-...
Jazz finalize deal for Jefferson (Salt Lake Tribune, July 14, 2010)
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/jazz/49921724-87/jefferson-jazz-connor-minn...
T-Wolves GM David Kahn at it again, ships away Al Jefferson (FanHouse, July 13, 2010)
http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/07/13/david-kahn-at-it-again-ships-jefferso...
Bookmark/Search this post with:
Printer-friendly version
Send to friend
