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SALT LAKE CITY — Jimmer, this is the state of Utah. Utah, this is Jimmer. Oh, you've met?
For those who might not know, Jimmer Fredette played at BYU and now plays for the Sacramento Kings. In his first two seasons he hasn't played a lot and there have been multiple rumors about a return to the state where he made his name.
Once again, the stars have aligned with supply and demand such that this requires at least a discussion. The injury to Trey Burke creates the need, and the Kings' surplus at guard is the supply.
ESPN Insider's Joe Kaiser talked about Fredette's value and called the Jazz “the perfect trade partner.”
Ticket Sales
The Jazz want to sell tickets. Jimmer's addition wouldn't be the biggest splash ever, but it would give some fans incentive to buy. When the Jazz played the Kings the last two years fans packed EnergySolutions Arena. The first Jimmer game sold out at 19,911. The next two games had 18,000 and more than 17,000.
The Kings were terrible.
In the Oklahoma City Thunder's two trips to Salt Lake the Jazz drew just over 19,000 and more than 18,000. Even Deron Williams coming back with a good Brooklyn Nets team only sold 18,500 seats or so.
The Jazz wouldn't sell 18,000 every game just because of the "Jimmer effect," but an extra 500 to 1,000 per game to see the local icon isn't out of the realm of possibility. That could be a lot of money over the course of 41 games.
The Jazz wouldn't sell 18,000 every game just because of the “Jimmer effect,” but an extra 500 to 1,000 per game to see the local icon isn't out of the realm of possibility. That could be a lot of money over the course of 41 games.
Not to mention, there would also be a lot of jerseys sold. The Fredette jerseys were all over at Kings games, and new jerseys with the local fans would create a lot of sales.
Of course, if the Jazz bring Fredette in, it would be about his play, not just his name.
His role
Exactly how Fredette would be used is a big question for the fans. Fredette won't be the starting point guard with Burke as the future at the position.
His role wouldn't be what he did at BYU, but what the NBA requires of him — scoring. Put Fredette in the second unit with Alec Burks and let them score.
Burks would be the go-to player in the second unit, but Fredette could add scoring to a unit that lacks scorers. Even last year, the second unit had Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter and occasionally Gordon Hayward and they had a hard time scoring.
Burks and Fredette are playing back-ups. Burks can handle the ball and let Fredette shoot when teams collapse defensively, or just let Fredette go and prove whether he can still do his Jimmer thing.
Kaiser wrote, “Fredette would not only be a big box office draw in Utah, where he took the nation by storm at BYU, he'd also have the opportunity to play a huge role on a Jazz team that is currently very thin at both guard spots, especially while Trey Burke is out with the broken finger.”
Is Fredette better than John Lucas III or Lester Husdon?
#poll
In a preseason game against the Suns last week Jimmer had 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting going 5-of-7 from 3-point range.
Fredette would have to prove that he can become consistent, not great.
His defensive issues
It's no secret Fredette can't play defense. He could be one of the worst defenders in the league, but he isn't guarding the top players.
Maybe Brandon Rush, Marvin Williams and Rudy Gobert play with Fredette and Burks to stop the bleeding on defense a little. Williams is an underrated defender and Gobert's length is amazing.
Rush is a good defender and Burks has the athletic tools to stop any backup. Can the Jazz hide Fredette to make it worthwhile?
Maybe a change of venue could help his defense. Chances are he will still be a liability, even if he improves a lot.
There is no quick fix or way to make Fredette look like a good defender. It is about the risk and reward.
The mania
The other big issue is the “Tim Tebow effect.” Will the crowd overreact because Jimmer is back, both with cheers and boos? Tebow, the religious NFL quarterback, was so polarizing that the only way the Denver Broncos could get rid of him without a riot was to acquire one of the greatest of all time in Peyton Manning. Of course, it wasn't the only reason the Broncos got Manning.
While this is the same reason tickets would be sold, it can't influence playing time and needs to keep the team together. The reason it could work is that the crowd is already getting what they want with the “Core 4.”
Will fans clamor for Fredette to get playing time when Burke, Burks, Hayward, Favors and Kanter are in play? Most of last season the fans were hoping for those guys to play.
Fredette would still be the odd-man-out. When the game is on the line he would be on the bench, but he'd be getting a lot more playing time than the Kings are giving him. If he gets to play meaningful minutes, but doesn't take away from the time those five get, it will appease all fans.
Why do the Jazz trade for Jimmer?
First off they need another body until Burke gets healthy. Fredette can play two positions, but his defensive problems exist at both. The Jazz need his greatest asset at either position.
He will sell tickets and jerseys, which the Jazz front office would love. He won't add much to the win total, so if the Jazz are trying to get a high draft pick he won't detract from those goals.
This season is about evaluating players for the Jazz, and Fredette could be evaluated just like the rest. He is in the last year of his contract (there is a team option next year), and so he won't hurt the team's coveted cap flexibility.
Maybe Fredette becomes the next Steve Kerr. That name doesn't sound to glamorous, but Kerr was a specialist who hit shots for championship teams.
Why not?
Well, it still depends on how much it costs. If the Kings wanted a first-round pick for Fredette, which seems like a Kings thing to do, the Jazz should laugh and walk away. If the Jazz can throw a future second-round pick to the Kings and maybe a player to make dollars work, it is very cheap for a lottery pick from two years ago.
He is in the last year of his deal so the Jazz could just wait for him to hit free agency and scoop him up.
Fredette is bound to bring some sort of circus. When he played in Utah fans would cheer and boo every time he would touch the ball.
There could be no upside as well. If the Jazz believe he is what his numbers show, there is no reason to bring him over. His player efficiency rating is less than average.
All in, it seems like a low-risk gamble that could help a team with a healing point guard. Kaiser said it pretty well with this, “It's safe to say, though, that many NBA enthusiasts would enjoy seeing what Fredette could do in extended minutes a lot more than receiving DNP-CDs at the end of the Kings' bench.”
Really, it would be fun to see, if Fredette can become Jimmer in Utah, again.
