Daily Babble: Just How Much of a Cancer Is Gordan Giricek?

by Steve Weinman on Dec 29, 2007 11:51 PM EST in NBA Articles

That has to be a major question in Utah these days. Particularly since getting Giricek out of town required a future first-round selection.

The Jazz and Sixers consummated a deal Saturday afternoon that will send the disgruntled Giricek to Philadelphia along with a conditional first-rounder in exchange for guard Kyle Korver. The draft pick will be available for Philadelphia's use between 2009 and 2014, with different stipulations applied regarding Utah's protection of the pick from year to year. Korver has $19.8 million left on his contract between now and 2011, and Giricek's $4 million deal expires at the end of this season.

The deal makes perfect sense for the rebuilding Sixers. They dump an underachiever, clear cap room and obtain a draft pick, fulfilling the three basic goals of rebuilding (Memo to Zeke: It's that simple!). Well done, Ed Stefanski.

On the other side, there appear to be two approaches to evaluating this move for the Jazz:

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The first is the cynical one: Whatever happened between Giricek and coach Jerry Sloan thus far this season made the guard enough of a pariah that Utah was desperate to dump him and wound up making a foolish move in the process. Korver is a somewhat more productive player than Giricek, but he plays a similar game, liking to shoot and doing little else. Once upon a time, he was expected to amount to a bigger part of the Sixers' future than he ever did while he was there, and now he moves to a team where he will play back-up minutes at the two-guard spot (where Ronnie Brewer continues to emerge) and fail to provide the defense the team so desperately needs at that position. He represents a major fiscal downgrade from Utah's situation with Giricek, and just to bring him to town, the Jazz had to concede a future first-round pick as well. To be truthful, this sounds like a very steep price to pay simply to dump a falling-out-of-the-rotation player with little clubhouse influence who feuded with his coach. Especially with that player's contract coming off the books at season's end. Undoubtedly, the Jazz have been cold as of late and probably felt like some sort of shake-up was in order, but Kyle Korver doesn't ring a real bell as the type of guy who makes enough of an impact to help right the ship.

All that said, however, it is worth remembering that this Utah organization is one of the classiest in sports. From owner Larry Miller's handling of the Derek Fisher situation this summer to Jerry Sloan's coaching history to the days of Stockton and Malone, this Utah franchise has a reputation as a unit that takes care of its own and places a premium on chemistry and loyalty. The Jazz have garnered much success by relying on those values and removing any possible distractions over the years. In the eyes of the leadership in Utah, Giricek had turned into a counterproductive piece of the puzzle and one who threatened to harm the preservation of those values within the team, and as such, he had to go. Perhaps, to management, the acquisition of Korver and the loss of the pick were simply necessary prices to pay inherent in sticking to the team's guiding principles that have proved fairly successful over the years. Should that be the case, this team deserves plenty of credit for sticking to its guns, disregarding the money and making what should be the best move for all involved over the long term.

What is actually to be the case in Utah clealry remains to be seen. While the former argument would seem to be the more logical one, there is something about this Utah team that simply comes across as unorthodox and unique. And given the success of Coach Sloan over the years, perhaps we should indeed trust the judgment in the City of the Salt Lake.

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Comments

I think Korver is a decent player and I don’t think Giricek was giving the jazz anything this season. Also their first round pick will not be a lottery pick so it does not have huge value. They can always just buy Phoenix’s pick lol.

Also if Sloan were so set on getting rid of distractions, he would’ve shipped AK47 by now, evidentally no one will give him a decent deal I guess.

by orrzor on Dec 30, 2007 1:46 AM EST reply actions

Kyle Korver was the 50th pick in the 2003 draft who made an immediate impact in the league and has been a rotation player since his rookie season. How does this classify Korver as an underachiever? I’m wondering what you would consider those selected immediately before and after Korver in that draft….Paccelis Morlende, Remon Van de Hare, Tommy Smith, Nedzad Sinanovic and Rick Rickert….if a successful NBA player who was barely drafted is considered underachieving.

by HRB on Dec 30, 2007 2:11 AM EST reply actions

HRB,

A good point about Korver and where he was drafted. My comments had more to do with regard to what I perceived as raised expectations after his first couple of years in the league, when — unless I’m remembering this wholly incorrectly — there was at least some belief that he was primed to become a legitimate number two option in Philadelphia to AI and that he would develop into a more complete player. I wouldn’t say that he has done either of those two things, and his game leaves a lot to be desired aside from his shooting. Further, I think many thought he had the capability to become an even bigger deal than he did offensively, and he hasn’t done that over the past couple of years.

You’re right; all things considered regarding where he was projected coming into the league, he isn’t an underachiever, and I shouldn’t have used the term. But I’m not sold on his game, and I’m not sure how much he adds in Utah.

Thanks for writing in and keeping me honest.

-sw

by Steve Weinman on Dec 30, 2007 2:20 AM EST reply actions

Korver is not a great player by any means, but lets give him a chance. If he buys in with Sloan ‘effort and team’ ball, accepts his role, he will be fine with the Jazz.

Remember Jeff Hornacek? He didnt play much man defense, but he lit up the scoreboard and became a big part of the Jazz for a few years. 8)

by billysan on Dec 30, 2007 8:01 AM EST reply actions

Seems like a pretty steep price to pay when you could buy him out and send him home. Or simply inactivate him and then try to find a more favorable deal. Giving up a first round pick for just taking out the trash?

by Greg37 on Dec 30, 2007 8:39 AM EST reply actions

I have no idea where to start

Let’s start with Giricek. He’s one of the most infuriatingly inconsistent players in the whole league. His coaches have never known what he’s going to give them game today. He’s more likely to go 5 games without doing anything than putting two good games in a row together. This is why he has fallen out of every rotation on every team he has been on in this league. This isn’t new, it happened in Memphis and Orlando and has happened each year in Utah. You can’t play a guy when you don’t know what he’s going to give you. Just can’t. Kicks himself out of the rotation every time. He wants to play and he doesn’t deserve to play.

Giricek has a decent but incredibly streaky outside shot …. Korver is one of the league’s finest and purest shooters. No comparison.

Korver immediately addresses the Utah Jazz’s biggest weakness which is perimeter shooting. For the whole of last month and several times last season the Jazz have been greeted and beated by zone defenses. They’ve been absolutely killed by them. Korver is good enough to end a zone almost by himself. Utah only had two shooters – Deron and Okur, Korver is good enough to fill the gap. He also gives Boozer and Kirilenko more room to work with.

As for Brewer, this is really simple. He can’t shoot from outside. He plays in the exact same spaces as AK47 on offense so those two don’t function well together. They have the same weaknesses and are easily exploited. Korver complements them both and is big enough to play either swingman position to make it work.

As for his contract I have no problem at all with it. A few eye-brows were raised at the time … and rightly so he hadn’t really established himself. But he has grown into it, establishing himself as one of the leagues better 6th men (15ppg off the bench last year) and as one of the league’s best shooters. In a league short of both he is well worth his money. He’s making less than the mid-level. That’s fine for your best bench player.

He was never meant to be AI’s number two. He was meant to be a 6th man and maybe a starter if his defense improved. That was the highest expectations that came out of Phily and he made both but the team worked better with him off the bench because of his scoring so they asked him to go back to the bench.

This is a great trade for Utah. They still have some work defensively to do but they answered their biggest problem, and it was a huge problem[/u] on the other side of the court.

He also solidifies Utah’s bench. [u]Another huge problem solved for Utah this season. Jerry Sloan has been changing up his rotations and lineups all season to find something that works. The loss of Derek Fisher has thrown the bench into confusion. Now you go Korver, Harpring, Millsap (now back to his rightful place and arguably the best 8th man in the league), and Hart with Collins and Price situational players and youngsters in CJ Miles, Almond, and Fesenko all developing and coming along nicely.

This isn’t just a good trade for Utah. This is a great trade. and they solved all this for a guy who can’t be a rotation player and a highly protected first round pick that will likely come off a 50 win season …. and note they wouldn’t give up this years pick. Earliest is 2009. This draft is deep and Utah know they can get a player that fits a need (Brandon Rush).

3 huge problems solved – perimeter shooting, bench depth and rotations, how to make AK and Brewer work. Brilliant trade.

by Who on Dec 30, 2007 12:14 PM EST reply actions

As for Phily. This a wholly unimpressive trade. Korver has reportedly had huge interest in him across the league for years. Nobody in the league minds his contract, everyone is willing to pay it. Again, one of the best shooters and a strong 6th man, the price is right.

You don’t think San Antonio would have given up Finley’s expiring deal and a 1st, they would have jumped down Phily’s throats to get a shooter like Korver, and a young one at that, next to Duncan. Please …. every team in the league would have done this deal.

The fact that Stefanski couldn’t come away with anything more than an expiring contract and low first round pick is terrible. He either aimed too low, was too quick to pull the trigger looking to make his mark …. or and this is the part I fear …. is looking for a painful rebuilding process full of 50-60 loss seasons with no end in sight. That is where he’s going and it’s going to be nasty. Have fun teaching youngsters how to be pros and winners when you’re losing 60 games a season … and watch Iggy walk out that door quicksmart.

The cap room he got was limited. If he wanted cap room he should have traded Dalembert (maybe Seattle for Wally, they’re desperate for some interior D). Or Andre Miller. Both give him more cap room than Korver can.

Phily may be the only team with cap space now but it’s very unlikely they’ll remain the only team with the number of expiring contracts floating about and number of high salary teams that look like being in the lottery.

Cap room is completely over-rated. It’s only useful if you already have a star in place and Phily don’t. They are going to be forced into over-paying some C rate talent (Maggette anyone?) or taking a shot in the dark over a young player that might come good (think Gilbert and Boozer, now think Tim Thomas, now think Larry Hughes). No top star has moved in the last couple of years. All players can make more money by staying put with the difference in increases and the extra year. Now Phily is going out saying we have a 60 loss team would you please come here and waste 5 years of you career why I rebuild? Please ….. not going to happen. No top player has moved in recent times and certainly will never move to a crappy team.

So they need a young star? Will this trade help not at all. They’re not finding that player at the end of the first round. Chances of that are miniscule.

Does the trade help short term at all? No they are still atrocious in the paint and have a lack of bodies. Giricek either won’t play or will be in the way of their youngsters Carney and Young from getting minutes.

Stefanski definitely could have gotten more for Korver. He didn’t. And he’s going the long way with this rebuilding … and my lord will it be long. There is no end in sight. They are praying to win the lottery, that’s the only way out.

Great plan Ed. Why couldn’t they hire Gherardini?

by Who on Dec 30, 2007 12:24 PM EST reply actions