Maggette to Utah

[OutletPass]

Jazz lure Maggette




Corey Maggette
By Phil Miller
(c)2003, The Salt Lake Tribune

The Jazz have convinced a free-agent guard from the Clippers to sign with Utah. Just not the one everybody expected.
Corey Maggette, a four-year veteran who averaged 16.8 points in 64 games for L.A. last season, has informed the Jazz he will sign an offer sheet with Utah on Wednesday, several NBA sources confirmed Sunday. Maggette's decision comes one day after his backcourt mate with the Clippers, Andre Miller, chose Denver over Utah.
Maggette's signature on a contract Wednesday, the first day free agents are allowed to switch teams, does not ensure he will ever wear a Jazz uniform, however. The 6-foot-6 Chicago native is a restricted free agent, meaning the Clippers have 15 days to match the offer.
The Jazz's offer is expected to be for the maximum six years, but it's not known how much Maggette will be paid. With John Stockton retired and Karl Malone agreeing to play for the Lakers, the Jazz are between $18-20 million under the salary cap.
Maggette's choice, like Miller's, apparently came down to Denver and Utah.
The 23-year-old guard -- he will turn 24 two weeks into the 2003-2004 season -- reinforces a shooting-guard position that the Jazz have had trouble filling consistently since Jeff Hornacek retired in 2000. Maggette's scoring has risen in each of his four seasons, from 8.4 points per game as a rookie with Orlando, to 10.0, 11.4 and 16.8 points in his three seasons with the Clippers.
Maggette, who left Duke to turn pro after his freshman season, is considered an explosive open-court player and a talented finisher. He even participated in the NBA's slam-dunk contest during the 2001 All-Star Weekend.
In three games against the Jazz last season, Maggette averaged 16.3 points and 5.7 rebounds, including a 23-point outing April 1.
If Maggette ends up in Salt Lake City, the Jazz are unlikely to bring back Calbert Cheaney, a free agent who started 74 games last season and averaged 8.6 points in his only season with Utah. The Jazz still have three-
year veteran DeShawn Stevenson and last month's first-round draft choice, Sasha Pavlovic, at the position.
Point guard is a little more uncertain, especially given Miller's commitment to Denver.
"I was really taken aback" by the former University of Utah All-American's apparently decision to spurn his college hometown, Jazz owner Larry Miller told KSL-TV on Sunday. Miller suggested that Andre Miller might have been reluctant to step into Stockton's old role. "I thought the money [the Jazz and Nuggets offered] was very similar."
The next step? "Now we'll have to go back to Plan B or C," Miller said.
One of those plans is Gilbert Arenas, though Miller said "the word is, he's planning on staying at Golden State." Still, Jazz vice president of basketball operations Kevin O'Connor spoke to Dan Fegan, Arenas' agent, on Sunday, though the Jazz owner wondered whether his team is being used to drive Arenas' price up elsewhere. "We may be getting used as a pawn," Miller said.
pmiller@sltrib.com

[MavKikiNYC]

Ouch.

Harpring, Kirilenko, Maggette.

Yet another division rival making significant talent upgrades.

[madape]

Nice signing if the Clips don't match (big if).

But is anyone REALLY threatened by this move? The Jazz will still struggle to make the playoffs IMO.

[MavsFanFinley]

Ouch.

Harpring, Kirilenko, Maggette.

Yet another division rival making significant talent upgrades.

That's what I was thinking. Can they collect anymore athletic guys? They definitely have their 2/3 positions shored up.

Now they need to find a big man or two up front. They have nothing there. Of course, they have some more money to spend on someone.

[MavKikiNYC]

Jazz may trip in a hole this year, clearly a transition year, on their way to the playoffs.

But if they're able to pull this signing off, one has to wonder why Miller can attract significant FAs to Salt Lake City and actually get them to sign an offer sheet, while Cuban has to go chasing around the country begging for autographs.

Okay, we know the answer is $$$. But then we have to confront a seemingly hopeless situation, and go back to rehashing the wisom of the Denver fiasco, I mean trade.

[Drbio]

I don't think Utah makes the playoffs this season, but they should for a long while if the CLips don't match. That is going to be one athletic team.

[superheadcat]

what had maggette done last season that impressed u guys?
jazz add maggette (perhaps), minus malone (definitly), and suddenly that is a "significant talent upgrade"?

[Blonde Bomber]

Originally posted by: superheadcat
what had maggette done last season that impressed u guys?
jazz add maggette (perhaps), minus malone (definitly), and suddenly that is a "significant talent upgrade"?

dont forget minus one John Stockton

[Nash13]

I agree with superheadcat and BB, simply b/c of the fact that those three guy's natural positions are all Small Forwards.

They need both a point guard, since Mark Jackson is also a free agent, and a Center, and they really need a power forward, unless they bump Andy up.

[MavKikiNYC]

Maggette averaged 16.8 ppg last year. I'm thinking that he's more of a replacement at the 2 for Calbert Cheaney, who averaged 8.6 for Utah last year. Gvien that Maggette is about 23-24 yo, and Cheaney is about 32-33, I'd say the Jazz have upgraded that position both in the long and the short term.

Signing Harpring as a FA last year, whom the Mavericks didn't even bother to pursue, gave the Jazz a starting point for retooling their offense away from Malone, who while still productive, is obviously not the dominant inside force that he used to be. Harpring should settle in nicely at the 3 spot, where he averaged 17.6 ppg last year. At 27 yo, he should be moving into the peak years of his career, and should be a very productive player for the next 3-5 years. Not going to argue that he's a better player than Malone at this point, but for the money and for his prospects over the next few year, he is probably better value.

Kiriklenko, in only his second year in the league, put up 12ppg/5.3rpg/2blx pg. At 22, he has already shown himself to be a productive player, and he still has room for improvement. He is already a better shot blocker than Malone ever was, and can probably be about as effective as Malone was on defense, albeit with speed and leaping ability, rather than strength and physicality.

In the course of 3 years, Utah has gone from a team reliant on fading superstars who were past 35, and who commanded the lion's share of the team's salary structure, to a younger, more athletic team. They have done so by drafting a player who they could develop (Kirilenko) and by focusing on signing solid FAs in each of the last two years, whom they had a solid chance of signing (Harpring and Maggette), instead of noisily chasing after pipe-dream, hype-scheme, razzle-dazzle max-money-superstar-wannabes. The Maggette thing could still fall through, but Utah played it right.

The local team could take note.

[Big Boy Laroux]

damn, kiki. nice post.

[MavsFanFinley]

The Jazz would benefit from not making the playoffs this year, imo. Why? They'd have a low enough draft pick next year to go after a pf or center.

How would you like to go into a transition period with 2 of the positions shored up? They have no worries at the 2 and 3 spots. Maggette, Stevenson, Pavlovic, Harpring, and Kirilenko.

If they could get a guy like Speedy Claxton or Travis Best to play the point they'd be ok there too. They drafted Mo Williams who could learn behind one of those guys. Any word on Raul Lopez?

I thought Ostertag was a free agent, but I guess he has one more year left. Next year, they'd be rid of him and can go even younger. Not sure what to expect with Jarron Collins and Curtis Borchardt.

Pf is an issue with Amaechi the only one signed.

Whose to say they can't sign Best or Claxton and a Derrick Coleman or Jerome Moiso?

[senorfrog]

You're absolutely right, MavKiki. The Jazz will not have to go through a pitiful few seasons, IMO in the same way that Cleveland, Miami and other not quite title-takers have done after their run for the championship. It should be interesting to see how they do.

[superheadcat]

it is easier to improve from a good team than from an elite team.

take harpring as an example, this playoff, with 31.2 minutes of playing time, he produced 14.8 pts, 5.4 rb, and 1 assists.
let's compare it with someone from an elite team, say mavs. how about raja bell?
in 17.9 minute, bell produced 5.7 pts, 3 rb, and 1.6 assists, which is equivelent to 10 pts, 5.2 rb, and 2.8 assists with harpring's playing time.

and harpring is hailed as a great fa signing, who may carry jazz into the future, and we are still discussing whether to re-sign bell or not.

probably that says more about how easy to improve jazz (or how difficult to improve mavs) than about how great jazz management is.

mavs management definitely needs improvement, but jazz is hardly a good example.

[Big Boy Laroux]

good question about raul lopez. before this guy's injury, he was considered one of the best PGs overseas. is he still rehabbing?