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SALT LAKE CITY — It has been months since the first Jazz rumor hit regarding what the Jazz were going to do at the trade deadline. Dozens of rumors and injuries later have lead to this week and one rumor has sprung up to rule them all.
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Basically every trade rumor that came up involved the Jazz shipping off an expiring contract of either Paul Millsap or Al Jefferson to get a young point guard to go with the young core the Jazz have. Over the weekend ESPN dropped a rumor of that happening with the Jazz getting Eric Bledsoe from the Clippers.
The trade was reported by Ramona Shelburne and Marc Stein of ESPN. It would involve Bledsoe and Millsap being swapped along with another Clipper to make the numbers work.
Now it has people talking about it. Would this trade actually help or even work for either team?
Bledsoe is a 6'1" point guard from Kentucky who is in his third year. He has been on the radar for a lot of Jazz fans through this season. The Clippers were reportedly keeping Bledsoe off the table as insurance for Chris Paul, but now they have said that they will listen to offers.
Bradford Doolittle of Basketball Prospectus wrote about how well the trade would work for the Jazz.
We start with the Jazz, because if this deal is really on the table, it's a no-brainer from Utah's perspective. The move allows the Jazz to balance a frontcourt-heavy roster in the long term, while plugging a big hole at point guard.
–Bradford Doolittle
"We start with the Jazz, because if this deal is really on the table, it's a no-brainer from Utah's perspective. The move allows the Jazz to balance a frontcourt-heavy roster in the long term, while plugging a big hole at point guard."
A "no-brainer" is what Doolittle said about the trade for the Jazz. For all the hoopla surrounding him his numbers haven't been fantastic. In his career he has averaged 20 minutes, scored 6.8 points and had 3 assists per game.
But Doolittle thinks this could make the Jazz a contender. "For years, the Jazz have been accused of being willing to settle for a place in the league's upper middle class with winning records and playoff berths ensured but championships out of the realm of possibility. This is Utah's chance to escape that cycle."
Bledsoe has a nick-name of "Mini-LeBron" which has apparently stemmed for a few reasons. It started a few months ago, this was taken from Justin Verrier of one of ESPN.com's True Hoop blogs.
"In his third season with the Clips, the 22-year-old has surged statistically through eight games: 10.4 points a game (up from 3.3), with 2.9 assists, 1.6 steals and 2.4 rebounds," Verrier wrote. "The pace-adjusted numbers are even better: 22.18 player efficiency rating (PER), 23 points, 6.3 assists and 5.4 rebounds per 40 minutes. LeBron-like totals, one might say. And that's not to mention his ferocious on-the-ball defense, his real forte."
His calling card has been his defense. John Hollinger of ESPN wrote about his lack of offense compared to his ability to play defense in his ESPN player card.
"Basically, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more inefficient offensive player," Hollinger wrote. "Nonetheless, his suffocating defense gives him some value. He's an active, athletic defender with high rates of steals and rebounds, and despite standing 6-foot-1 he can guard many 2s effectively. There's a cost in fouls -- he had one every 7.5 minutes, which is extremely high for a point guard -- but the Clippers gave up 8.5 fewer points per 100 possessions with him on the court."
His numbers have gone up considerably in the past few weeks with him starting for an injured Chris Paul. "Since taking the helm of the Clippers' offense for nine games while Paul was out of the lineup," Ben Hernandez Jr. from Yahoo! Sports wrote. "Bledsoe averaged 15 points, 5.8 assists, 4.7 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game."
Over the last nine games Jamaal Tinsley, the Jazz's current starting point guard, has averaged 2.3 points, 4.3 assists and 1.7 rebounds per game.
A future line with Bledsoe, Alec Burks and Gordon Hayward would not lack for ball-handlers. Each player would be able to create their shot and for others. If the Jazz go forward with those three, Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter it could be a formidable line, especially on defense.
Jared Bray, writing for Yahoo!, wrote about why the trade would work for the Jazz, "This would be a great move for the Jazz for two reasons: 1) They could use another point guard, especially while Mo Williams recovers from a thumb injury, and 2) this would free up minutes for potential superstar Derrick Favors."
The trade deadline is just days away and there might be more rumors popping up, but for now this one should get Jazz fans talking and interested in the coming days.
