Sadly, only on Pace for 66 wins this season. Let’s see what we can do to get back on Pace in January.
The Lakers are on a mission now. They will win it all this June. Just watch.
Not true at all. There is an active Jazz scene in Utah. Someone has yet to point out an actual lake in Los Angelas.
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra has someone from Utah, though transplanted to Vegas before landing in New York.
My wife’s cousin - and he also does band work for Sesame Street.
He alone comes in under the six degrees of separation rule that lets us have “Jazz Roots.” 
I think I just broke the internet again.
We have reservoirs with water stolen from Lake Owens in the Central Valley. That must count for something.
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Hey, it’s basically reclaimed desert. Like Salt Lake. Except we don’t have a huge dead, saline lake nearby (that people generally avoid).
WTF does the Salton Sea fall under…category-wise?
It ain’t a sea…don’t care what the SoCals and LoCals say. It’s a big stinky salty lake.
You folks do realize that the name “Lakers”, came with the team when they moved from Minneapolis (Minnesota, know as the “Land of Lakes”), to Los Angeles. In the same way, the Utah Jazz retained the name when the team moved from New Orleans, known for it’s (primarily Dixieland) Jazz.
I’ve never understood why teams retain a meaningless name when they move to a new market.
Sorry, if this was already obvious and I missed the point of the thread…
The Jazz need to trade the name to New Orleans for players and/or picks. That would be the greatest trade in sports history. The name is worth a ton to NOLA, so they could come out ahead in the long term.
I remember (jokingly) thinking they should have changed the name “Jazz” to “Choir”, when the Jazz came to SLC. No one thought it was funny, and probably still won’t.
Ironically, had the Jazz come with the other New Orleans professional team name (“Saints”), that might have worked 
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I remember when the Jazz came to SLC. The names Pioneers and Gulls were discussed, but I don’t think Sam Battistone ever considered giving up the Jazz name. Rockies might have worked back in the 70s. The MLB team came along in 1991, I think.
Come on people. The obvious trade would be the “Jazz” name to New Orleans in exchange for the “Saints” name. I can’t believe I have to explain this.
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Happy for Kuzma. He was the one guy they didn’t ship off for Davis, and now he gets a ring.
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At the highest level of hoops (outside the Olympic dream team), Kuzma is still finding ways to be relevant. That’s pretty impressive, as he’s not an athletic freak. Limited touches, makes the most of them.
His versatility for the Utes stood out - shoot, pass, rebound, contest - and I thought he could make an NBA roster. But getting significant minutes in the Finals?.. he’s still way above & beyond what people could see.
He’ll have stories to tell about playing with James, AD, Howard, Caruso, Rondo… probably some funny things to say about J.R. Smith, too. Basketball at this level is a completely different game.
I think Kuz will end up being like his mentor when he was a young guy in Flint - helping kids, pushing them to be more than they can see in themselves.
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Right now, the all time team from players who played college ball in The state of Utah is Lillard, Miller, Van Horn, Chambers, Bogut. (Modern era only, meaning 90s or later, players judged by their peak and not be their career.) Kuzma could end up replacing one of the forwards if he continues to improve.
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Kuz has been somewhat spastic on the floor. He does show signs he can take it to another level. My favorite photo from last night is the Heat putting Robinson against Lebron in a lopsided match up and Kuz in the background calling for the ball as if anyone wants Lebron to not take that to Robinson.
I see a couple of things going on with Kuzma at this level:
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The game at this level is about dominant athletes and dominant personalities. Kuz is really still a kid. He’s not a physical freak like LJ, or AD or Butler or Rondo. So, he needs to fill the gaps, take what he can get. He’s not a dominant defensive stopper because he’s not at the same level of athletic explosiveness others are. He seems to be fine defending bigs and guards, but if he’s matched up against somebody like Butler… it’s “bully ball”, as Van Gundy puts it, like the photo of Duncan Robinson attempting to stop James.
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The Lakers have been searching for a solid 3rd scoring option behind James and AD, and Kuzma hasn’t risen to indisputably be that guy. He’s scoring a little higher than the rest of the coalition of guys that take turns being the 3rd offensive presence - Caruso, Rondo, Caldwell-Pope, Morris.
I think more than anything Kuz is absorbing how different things are at this level of the playoffs, and he may find ways to add value. He’s not as lost as Bam Adebayo, and he’s patient and mostly doesn’t try to do too much - James wouldn’t allow that, and Kuz knows that’s not his role. It’s not about learning how to be the next LeBron - that ain’t happening. But there’s a lot of little things to learn, and I think he’s picking up on things, just like he has at every other level of basketball.
Just being on an NBA roster is an accomplishment. Being in the Finals and contributing? That’s a serious accomplishment.
I think being with Lebron and Rondo is a blessing. Those two guys are two players who know the game better than most. I think two years from now Kuzma will step into the roll we hope. He has the build to be a solid NBA starter.
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