Bulls-Wizards Playoff Preview

With the playoffs underway, here are some matchups to watch in the Bulls-Wizards  series.

5.) Bulls bench vs. Wizards bench

The Bulls bench features 6^th man of the year contender Taj Gibson and D.J. Augustin, who will both be in the crunch time lineup. Gibson’s athleticism could give the Wizards some trouble, and defensively he will be very important in managing the Marcin Gortat and Nene. Augustin must have a big series offensively, as he has been the Bulls leading scorer since the Luol Deng trade. However, outside of that, the Bulls lack any sort of depth, with Tony Snell and Jimmer Fredette completely unproven and Nazr Mohammed proven to be average at his best.

The Wizards have trade deadline acquisition Andre Miller, who will pose issues in the post if the Bulls try to guard him with Augustin. Trevor Booker does not match up well, as the Bulls defense gets that much tougher when a non-scorer is on the floor (i.e. Gerald Wallace and Reggie Evans last playoffs for the Nets). Martell Webster provides some decent shooting, but not much else.

Overall, the Bulls have the best player coming off the bench, but the Wizards use a deeper rotation. It’s hard to give an edge to one group, but the Bulls definitely need Gibson and Augustin to be consistent contributors, because there are no other options.

4.) Carlos Boozer vs. Carlos Boozer

Everyone who has watched the Bulls this season knows he is now a first and third quarter player. Yet, the Bulls will need at least a few good efforts from Boozer, because the team simply doesn’t have enough offensive weapons. If he can get going early offensively, it will be a serious boost to the Bulls. If he doesn’t, the margin of error for Chicago goes down drastically.

3.) Randy Wittman vs. Tom Thibodeau

Wittman’s scheme of drive and kick plays right into the hands of Thibodeau’s defense, as the Bulls help off shooters less than any team in the league. The Wizards small forwards often stand around and wait for John Wall to get them looks. It’s hard to get shots against the Bulls without movement away from the ball. Can Wittman adjust and get some looks for his team?

2.) Chicago bigs vs. Wizards bigs

Joakim Noah is the most important player for the Bulls, and he’s going to need to be at his best for them to make any noise this postseason. But Gortat is one of the few centers bulky and cunning enough in the post to give Noah problems. And, if Nene is healthy, the Washington big men could be the deciding factor against the great Bulls defense. Both Nene and Gortat can move the ball well and score in one-on-one matchups, and they’ll need to do just that to take some pressure off wall.

On the other side of the court, it’ll be interesting to see how the Wizards try to take away Noah’s playmaking. If Washington attempts to force him to be a scorer, Noah has the quickness to give Gortat and Nene some trouble.

If Nene isn’t 100%, the Bulls can wear the Wizards down. The Bulls demolished the Wizards the last time the two teams played by outworking them mentally and physically, but that’s more difficult with the heady and talented Nene now back in the fold.

1.) John Wall vs. the Bulls defense

It’s unlikely Wittman tweaks the offense much, even if he should. That puts this series in the hands of Wall, who will need to be the best player on the floor for the Wizards to pull off the win. Wall has to force the Bulls hand, and if he can use his speed to get by Kirk Hinrich or Augustin, and force the Bulls to use Jimmy Butler on him early and often, it can create mismatches on the other side of the floor. He will certainly get a lot of attention from the Bulls big men, who will try to corral him on pick and rolls, forcing him into a slew of midrange jumpers. If Wall spends the series taking contested jumpers, the Bulls will win. If he gets to the rim, draws fouls, and can get his teammates corner threes (which he did better than anyone in the regular season, but not against Chicago), the Wizards should be able to pull out the series.

Why the Eastern Conference playoffs matter (even if the Heat and Pacers kill everyone)

With the season-ending injury to Derrick Rose and the absolutely atrocious basketball currently being played in New York City, it seems a foregone conclusion that the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat are on a collision course for a Eastern Conference Finals rematch. The following circumstances are the only things that could prevent this highly anticipated series, arranged in descending order of likelihood.

1. A major injury happens to one or more player on the Pacers or Heat.

2. A major trade happens with one of the Eastern Conference teams acquiring a superstar

3. Derrick Rose, after a visit to Germany, returns with some child's knees as replacements

4. Bradley Beal is actually as good as I picture him in my dreams/on our podcast

5. Michael Jordan convinces the league to allow him out of retirement, and, after a visit to Germany, he drops 35 PPG and leads the Bobcats to the Finals.

6. The Apocalypse happens, thus preventing the Eastern Conference Finals from happening

7.The Nets or Knicks rebound and are actually good

All sarcasm aside, it seems as if the collective mentality about the playoffs in the Leastern Conference is that they should be ignored until the conference finals. This makes sense, as much of the basketball will not be playoff-quality, and the Pacers and Heat are the two best teams in the conference by far. At the very least, the national audience will probably ignore most series that do not feature one of these two teams.

However, even if the Pacers and Heat dominate the conference as much as is anticipated, it would be foolish to ignore the benefits other teams can gain from playoff victories long term.

It may seem like a narrative spun by journalists that teams gain valuable experience by postseason runs that end short of a title, but it is true. Of the last 10 NBA champions, only 2 did not advance to the conference semifinals the year before. One of these teams was the 2010-11 Dallas Mavericks, whose core group had been through several playoff runs, but were upset as the 1 seed the year before Dirk Nowitzki led them to the title. The other team was the 2007-08 Boston Celtics, who were a team led by three veterans, two of whom were acquired just before the season and had playoff experience of their own. In short, teams that win championships have core players that have been through the process before.

There are a few explanations for this, but most boil down to the fact that the playoffs are very different than the regular season. Playing a team in seven straight games leads to adjustments on a level not seen in the regular season. Teams know each others tendencies like never before. Rotations are handled differently. There are no back-to-backs, and every game will be against a competent team.

Also, no matter how conditioned players are, a championship run requires more mental and physical durability than any regular season. Players on a championship team play between 16 and 28 extra games, and the intensity of these games is unmatched during the regular season. The best way to prepare for the rigors of a postseason is to have been through it before.

With this in mind, there are a few teams that would really benefit from making the playoffs and winning a series.

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cavaliers are currently 6 games under .500, and look like a wreck on both sides of the ball. But if the Cavs can rebound and make good on Dan Gilbert's guarantee of making the playoffs, the team would undoubtedly gain valuable experience. Cleveland is a young team, and most of its key players haven't experienced any postseason success. And another trip to the lottery would mark a third straight year that Kyrie Irving didn't make the playoffs to start his career. Eventually, a superstar has to at least carry his team to the top half of the league, and this year would be a good time for Irving to do it in the lowly Eastern Conference.

Detroit Pistons The Pistons are another team that hasn't seen the playoffs in a while. It has been four years since the Pistons have played a postseason game and this new-look team could use a playoff series to determine if it can win as currently constructed. Teams will have time to adjust to the Pistons ultra-big lineup in the playoffs, and it remains to be seen if that offense can be successful. A trip to the playoffs can go a long way in showing which direction this team needs to go in to improve.

Charlotte Bobcats Don't look now, but the Bobcats are currently in 8^th place in the standings. Although it is unlikely that the team retains its spot, the Bobcats could start to change its reputation as the league's laughingstock by making the playoffs and competing hard in them. If the team did the unthinkable and somehow won a playoff series or even just went to six or seven games in the first round, the team would surely buy in even more to Steve Clifford's defensive approach, and it might attract some fans. It's unlikely it'll ever be a free agent hotspot, but maybe players would stop avoiding Charlotte like its the plague.

Brooklyn Nets If the Nets make the playoffs, Mikhail Prokhorov may decide to not execute Jason Kidd. Kidd would probably still be exiled to Siberia, but it's still a step up from the alternative.

Washington Wizards The Wizards are a young and upcoming team, and, after a rough start, have surged up to 5^th place in the conference. John Wall and Bradley Beal would benefit from having defenses key on them for a series, and Washington wouldn't lose face after a win-now move sending their protected first-rounder to Phoenix. The worst thing that could happen to the Wizards is to just miss the playoffs, and owe its pick to Phoenix with nothing to show for their season. If Washington can continue its hot play (the team has won 7 of 10), it could be in for a valuable playoff run.

The Cavaliers and the team that could have been

The Cavaliers front office isn't afraid to make bold moves, and this is a good thing. In an NBA where there is too much group-think, the Cavs choose to make every move on how they evaluate players, not on how other teams do.

However, when a team goes out on a limb in three straight drafts, that team leaves itself open for criticism if the moves don't work out. And in the Cavaliers case, this is especially true. It is not that the team now has no options; there will be cap room going forward and the Cavaliers have a star in Kyrie Irving. Nonetheless, it's hard not to imagine how exciting the team would be in Cleveland if the Cavaliers handled a few things differently.

To be fair, the Cavaliers got the most important decision right: taking Kyrie Irving over Derrick Williams. It is easy to forget, but, with Irving coming off an injury-plagued season at Duke, some thought Williams was the better pick. Irving looks like he'll be a superstar for years, and Williams has been mostly a bust. So give the front office in Cleveland credit for this.

However, imagine if the Cavaliers made the following moves, all plausible ideas at the time (and not just revisionist history...

Take Jonas Valanciunas instead of Tristan Thompson It is hard to fault the Cavaliers too much for reaching on Thompson. He has turned into a valuable role player, as a high-motor player with a good feel for the game. However, Cleveland passed on Valanciunas, who is a legit 7-footer with ball skills and court vision. When Andrew Bynum isn't playing, the Cavaliers are an undersized team up front. Having Valanciunas would certainly solve that problem, and would remove a player from the logjam Cleveland has at power forward

Take Harrison Barnes instead of Dion Waiters This may be the hardest call on the list. Cleveland certainly reached on Waiters, but the consensus pick at the time would have been Thomas Robinson, who has not worked out so far either. Without Thompson on the team, it's certainly a possibility Cleveland would take Robinson with the fourth pick. However, the thinking here is that the Cavaliers saw that a team with Irving (who is still an awful defender) would need a good defender on the perimeter. That, plus better shooting than Waiters offers, would have been enough for the Cavs to reach slightly on Barnes, who has turned into a fine player for the Warriors with tremendous upside.

Take Victor Oladipo instead of Anthony Bennett It's still too early to call Bennett a bust, but he has been awful so far and doesn't look ready to contribute this year. The Cavaliers have sworn that they will make the playoffs this year, and the NBA-ready Oladipo would have combined with Barnes to form an excellent perimeter defending pair. He also moves well without the ball for a rookie, and the Cavaliers desperately need more movement from their guards when Kyrie has the ball.

Keep Shaun Livingston and don't sign Jarrett Jack Jack is a nice player, but he doesn't exactly fit on a team with a ball-dominator like Irving. Livingston has been a great player for the Nets so far, and is a much cheaper option.

Instead of signing Andrew Bynum, overpay slightly for Paul Millsap The Bynum signing was a good gamble by the Cavaliers, but Millsap might have been the steal of the offseason. With Valanciunas in the fold and no logjam at power forward anymore, the Cavaliers could have offered Millsap a lot more money than the Hawks gave him in exchange for a team option in year two. A two-year, $25 million deal with a team option in year two maintains flexibility and gives the Cavaliers a scorer currently averaging 15.8 PPG on 53% shooting.

Use the savings on the Jarrett Jack contract to sign a shooter The Cavaliers would still have plenty of cap room due to the discount Livingston provides. A shooter off the bench would make this team even better. Coincidentally, the Jack contract was very similar to the contract given to Kyle Korver. Maybe Korver would leave Atlanta to play with this exciting team for the same amount of money. If that didn't work, one of the other cheaper shooters on the market would have helped.

So let's compare the two Cavaliers teams...

Current team                         

PG Kyrie Irving                    

SG C.J. Miles

SF Earl Clark

PF Tristan Thompson

C Andrew Bynum

Bench Jarrett Jack

Bench Dion Waiters

Bench Alonzo Gee

Bench Anderson Varejao

Bench Anthony Bennett

Hypothetical team

PG Kyrie Irving

SG Victor Oladipo

SF Harrison Barnes

PF Paul Millsap

C Jonas Valanciunas

Bench Shaun Livingston

Bench C.J. Miles

Bench Alonzo Gee

Bench Anderson Varejao

Bench Kyle Korver

The hypothetical team certainly needs another big, and would have to find a veteran willing to play for the minimum or play Tyler Zeller a decent amount of minutes. But the starters fit much better together, with an excellent blend of offense and defense. Nobody needs the ball in their hands other than Irving, but the other players are all capable scorers. Also, four of the starters are young players who should only improve. There is also the potential for a deadly offensive small-ball lineup when Millsap rests, with Barnes at the four and Korver at the three.

The Cavaliers are fine going forward, and will have plenty of cap room to try and improve. However, it is difficult to not imagine how easily this could have been the most exciting up and coming team in the league.

Podcast 2

Donnie and Drew share their thoughts on the start of the NBA season, and what we can take away from the small sample size.

Will Minnesota make the playoffs?

By: Drew Marion

The Timberwolves have missed the postseason every year since 2004, and the rebuilding efforts have not proven worthwhile up to this point. There is no doubt that Minnesota has talented players, but they have not yet been able to piece together a full season to creep into the playoffs.

This year that changes. It's early, but the T-Wolves have played well enough to warrant a closer look as a playoff contender. While they lack the talent and attention that Golden State, Oklahoma City, and the Los Angeles Clippers have and most likely won't be in the conversation for championship contention, Minnesota certainly looks like a quality playoff team.

While Minnesota did lose by 13 to Golden State on Nov. 6, their only other loss was by 1 point at Cleveland on the second night of a back-to-back. Interestingly, these are also the only two games that Minnesota failed to score 100 points. Normally, it would be a concern if a team has to score 100 points to have a chance to win the game, but in the West, 8 of the 15 teams are averaging over 100 points against. There are only 2 teams in the entire conference giving up less than 96. Most teams are running high-temp offenses focused on piling on points. Minnesota fits in very well with this style of play, and has the scorers to keep pace with just about any team in the league. They lead the West in point differential, at +7.1 per game. Scoring is not a problem for the Timberwolves this season.

Currently, the T-Wolves are 5-2 and have the 3rd best record in the Western Conference. Chances are this won’t be where they end up at the end of the regular season, though, and that ranking could drop in the coming weeks. At the end of November and beginning of December, Minnesota will play a 7 game stretch that includes matchups with Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Miami, Houston, Dallas, and Indiana; all teams with winning records.

However, Utah and Denver have each yet to be played, meaning there are 8 games left against opponents who thus far have a combined 1 win. There are winnable games left on the schedule for the Timberwolves, despite the depth of the Western Conference.

The key to Minnesota’s success will be their health. Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love have yet to play a full season together, but each appear to be healed from their previous injuries. Love’s twice-fractured right hand is not bothering him anymore, and Rubio came back from ACL surgery last December after injuring it near the end of the 2011-2012 season.

While their two stars are healthy, injuries to backup center Ronny Turiaf and projected starting small forward Chase Budinger have already occurred. Budinger had arthroscopic knee surgery at the beginning of October, and hasn’t been given a timetable for a return. Turiaf fractured his right elbow going up for a rebound against Oklahoma City earlier this month, and, like Budinger, has no timetable for a return.

Injuries are never good news for a team, but, in this case, the T-Wolves are deep enough at these spots to afford them. Corey Brewer has stepped in for Budinger and has reached double digit points in each game this year. Starting center Nikola Pekovic has played well given his increase in minutes, though his shooting percentage is nearly 12 points lower than it was last year. Derrick Williams has provided enough flexibility to comfortably play either forward position with Love playing well as a center for extended periods of time.

If the Timberwolves are able to weather through these injuries like they have already, they would be in a great position once these players are able to return.

The reason this team has been able to get off to such a hot start is simple. They have two starters named Kevin, and each have played tremendously well to start the year.

Minnesota knew it needed a second scorer to complement Love on offense, so they signed Kevin Martin during the offseason. Martin ranks 6th in the league in scoring at 23.9 points per game, and his 3-point percentage of 57% is tops among all players with at least 5 attempts per game. His value as a reliable scoring option is critical as teams are no longer capable of focusing on just Kevin Love anymore, and Love is certainly reaping the benefits.

Kevin Love is having an MVP-caliber year. Over the weekend, he barely missed out on a triple-double against Dallas last Friday (35 points, 15 rebounds and 8 assists) only to have Rubio reach that mark against the Lakers two days later (12-10-14). Rubio’s efforts could be a sign of things to come, but his play this year is largely overshadowed by what Love is doing.

Love leads the league in rebounding at 14.4 per game, and is second in scoring at 26.9 per game. He also leads all power forwards with 4.7 assists per game. In fact, that's even more than Jeremy Lin and Derrick Rose both have this season. Love’s shooting percentage is at 47%, the highest in his career, and is making contributions all over the floor. Not surprisingly, he again is leading the league in double-doubles, and has gotten one in each game this year.

Love's PER of 29.96 would be the highest for any player not named LeBron James since the end of the 2010 season. Obviously, the MVP award is LeBron’s to lose, but given Minnesota’s run of mediocrity over the past decade, Love should garner serious consideration for the award at the end of the year for the award.

His case for MVP will only be strengthened by Minnesota reaching the playoffs. It’s hard to dethrone King James any season, and if Paul George can lead Indiana to the number 1 overall seed, he could steal some votes away. But if Love is able to lead the Timberwolves to the playoffs for the first time since 2004, and plays at or near this level for the remainder of the season, the award should be his.

The Next Step: How Paul George becomes a top 10 player

Anyone who didn't know about Paul George was probably surprised to see a third-year player go toe-to-toe with LeBron James in the conference finals. George and the Pacers ultimately fell short against the Heat, and any chance of dethroning the champs this year may hinge on George, the team's best player, taking another step.

But George isn't sneaking up on anyone this year. And, after taking a decisive step forward last season and moving from #75 to #13 in ESPN's NBA rank, can George actually get much better?

While it may seem like George has peaked, there is still room for significant growth on the offensive end. Specifically, if George can be a much more efficient player, he could become one of the ten best players in the league.

George's defense has grown to the point where he is one of the premier perimeter defenders in the league. While George was playing small forward, opposing small forwards only had a 12.0 PER, according to 82games.com. (An average PER is 15.0, and 12.0 is worse than the top 42 qualifying small forwards in the league). His height, length and athleticism cause problems for any small forward, and it's his size and instincts that make him the prototype defender for James and Kevin Durant.

As he gets more experience, George should be able to be more disciplined on the defensive end as well. George tied with Matt Barnes for the second most fouls per game by small forwards last season at 2.9 (Carmelo Anthony led this category at 3.1, and this was a result of playing a ton of power forward as well). With Danny Granger's health still an uncertainty, the Pacers will continue to rely on George as much as last year. He must trust his defensive instincts and resist from the unnecessary reaching fouls he picks up from time to time.

He should lower his foul total from last season, but George's defensive improvement will be incremental. Where he must make more drastic improvement is on the offensive end.

His raw numbers look decent enough, as he averaged 17.4 points per game and 4.1 assists per game last year. However, George was not very efficient offensively.

With Granger missing almost the entire season, George was asked to be a high usage player for the first time in his career. And, like most players in their first high-usage season, George had some problems with turnovers. He was fourth among small forwards in turnovers per game last season, and two of the players ahead of him (Durant and James) have a significantly higher usage rate.

George had a big problem with decision-making in the pick and roll early on in the season. George tried to split the double team too often, and, according to an article by Zach Lowe, Pacers coach Frank Vogel almost scrapped all pick and roll sets for George during his turnover prone first few months.

Fortunately for Indiana, George improved in the pick and roll and his turnover rate went down as the season went on. However, he still forced the issue too much when Indiana went into a scoring rut. The Pacers went through bouts of inconsistency on offense, and George would often respond by trying to handle too much of a scoring load by himself. He must continue to trust the offense, and this, coupled with the natural progression of a player in his second year as a main option, should reduce his turnover rate this season.

Another area that George needs to improve is his shooting percentage. George ranked 19^th out of 25 qualifying small forwards in field goal percentage. His 42.7% shooting pales in comparison to other elite small forwards. Even with their high usage ratings, LeBron James and Kevin Durant shot 56.5% and 51.0%, respectively. Even Carmelo Anthony shot 44.9%.

For a player who shot a lot from the outside, George shot a respectable 36.2% from 3 last season. But George had issues inside the arc, shooting only 45.7%. For a shotmaker like George, this number has to be higher.

Part of George's issues came from his shot selection. As mentioned before, George sometimes had problems forcing the action. This was especially true when he got offensive rebounds. Often, George felt the need to a force up a difficult shot, as his eFG% after he grabbed an offensive rebound was only 41.0%, according to nbawowy.com. This was the lowest among all qualifying Pacers.

George also didn't perform as well as expected around the basket. He tended to fade away on too many shots near the rim, and, as a result, didn't draw enough contact.

George only averaged 3.5 free throws per game last year, half the number of James and much less than Durant's 9.3. All elite perimeter players can get to the rim when their shots aren't falling, and this is an ability George hasn't shown consistently enough.

It may not seem like a big deal, but getting to the free throw line is a crucial part of most superstars' games. 9 of the top 10 players in free throws attempted last season were All-Stars. Paul George must learn to get more contact in the lane, and get to the line more often. If he can, not only will he get more high percentage looks at the line, but some of those missed two point attempts in the lane will go away as well. His shooting percentage and points per game would both receive a bump, giving him a significant spike in efficiency.

The early returns on George this season are very good. Obviously, it has been only three games, but George has shown a conscious effort to get to the line, averaging over 7 free throws a game so far. While it is doubtful that will average 25.7 all season, if he can continue to be efficient, George could finally become a top 10 player in the league.

UTAH JAZZ ARE PLACING THEIR BETS, AND THE GAMBLES ARE WORTH IT

By: Drew Marion

Don’t expect Utah to compete for the title this year. In fact, don’t expect them to compete for a playoff spot either. However, this does not mean you should be ignoring what the front office is doing right now.

The Jazz recently signed Derrick Favors to an extension, as his rookie contract expires after this year. The terms of the contract are for 4 years and $47.7 million dollars. In addition, they have until 11:59 PM on Halloween night to sign Gordon Hayward to an extension before the deadline. The two sides are in talks, and all signs indicate that Hayward could end up with more money than Favors.

Why are they paying for such unproven commodities? Hayward couldn’t start over Jamaal Tinsley and Randy Foye last year, and Favors has 17 starts over the past two seasons. Well, these gambles could end up paying huge dividends for the Jazz in the coming years. First, let’s look at how Utah's salary cap would be affected.

If we assume that Hayward gets 4 years for around $14 million a year, the Jazz have set up their roster with plenty of flexibility once the season ends. The only guaranteed deals they’ll have for next season are Hayward, Favors, Trey Burke, Rudy Gobert, Jeremy Evans, and the recently extended Enes Kanter and Alec Burks. If Hayward is extended at the anticipated price, the Jazz would only have $40.5 million in player salaries. With the salary cap expected to rise from $58.6 million to over $60 million next year, Utah has plenty of space to sign a quality free agent as well as both 2014 first-round picks.

So, Utah provided themselves with cap room. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean anything if the players on the roster don’t perform. Fortunately, the players Utah has singled out here have a great chance to outperform these contracts.

With Trey Burke out for up to 3 months due to a broken finger, Hayward will have even a bigger role on offense for the Jazz to start the year. He is a terrific 3-point shooter at over 41% last season, but also has the size to post up smaller defenders. His pick-and-roll ability is improving, something that can also be said about Derrick Favors.

Hayward averaged 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists off the bench last year, while also providing quality defense. He is 6’-8”, and has the quickness to defend multiple positions. Just last season Hayward held opposing shooting guards and small forwards to PERs of 13.6 and 12.4. Obviously, some credit must be given to the overall structure of the team last season, but those numbers indicate Hayward is an above average, versatile defender.

It’s difficult to have an opinion on a contract that isn’t signed, or might not be signed at all given how close we are to the deadline. But looking at the extensions given last year to first rounders from 2009, it’s clear that 4 years for $14 million isn’t farfetched. James Harden received his 5 year, $60 million deal while DeMar DeRozan got 4 years for $38 million. Hayward is not the offensive presence that Harden is, though he was 11th among shooting guards in points per 48 minutes with 23.2 last year.

Hayward will certainly get more than DeRozan given his abilities on both ends of the floor. Not only is he a better defender, but Hayward shoots much better from beyond the arc. His ability to spread defenses out and go inside and use his size is certainly worth $14 million a year.

It might seem risky, but Hayward is a terrific two way player who’s likely to get larger offers this offseason due to his athleticism and offensive skillset.

Derrick Favors signed his extension already, and it is a steal. Even though he has yet to be a full time starter, Favors has all the tools to be a dominant big man. His defense is excellent already: Favors blocked 3.5 shots per 48 minutes last year, and altered countless more. With Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson gone, Favors will be looked to be more than a rim protector this year, though.

Derrick Favors is my pick for Most Improved Player this season. With the chance to start, Favors should put up very good numbers. Looking at his per 48 minute averages last season, Favors piled up 19.5 points and 14.7 rebounds. While that was as a backup for the most part, those are still impressive figures for a third-year player.

Given the state of free agents this offseason and next, it’s certain that a team looks at Favors’ potential and numbers and offers a max-level contract. If teams know they have no chance getting LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony next offseason, putting that money towards a quality defensive big man with a solid offensive game to boot would not be a mistake. Also, consider the likelihood that Favors is able to put his offensive game together, and approaches those averages per game. A max deal would be in the mix if his contract were to run out.

Comparing Favors' deal to the contract Serge Ibaka signed last year around this time with Oklahoma City makes the deal look even better. While Ibaka is another rim protector and defensive force, Favors has much more potential on offense. Ibaka will receive $12.3 million per year, so Favors will be paid less while providing much more value on both ends of the floor.

Even if Favors doesn’t become the type of player the the Jazz hope him to be, the extension still won't be crippling to the team. Surprisingly, $12 million a year still isn’t really overpaying for him. Again, looking at last year’s extensions given to first-round draft picks, Taj Gibson’s contract stands out. Another solid defensive big man, although his offensive prowess leaves him as a backup for the Bulls.

Gibson had per 48 minute averages of 17 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks. His contract is also for about $8.5 million a year. If Favors only plays as well as he did last year, he will outperform Gibson on the floor while getting about $3.5 million more a year. Add into this the rising salary cap for next year, and if Favors is considered overpaid, it would only be very slightly.

Both moves by the Jazz front office are terrific bets. Not only does Utah solidify their core on young talent with very high potential, but there is still room left in the cap to add free agents alongside next years draft picks. While Utah might not compete with the top teams in the West this year, they are building a foundation of great players on very team-friendly contracts.