This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Jazz's defeat came in the 92nd hour of free agency, the NBA's equivalent of stoppage time.
Gordon Hayward's move to Boston was tough enough for the Jazz to absorb. His strategy of not deciding until late in the fourth day of the vigil made losing him hurt even more.
The Jazz, competing in a Western Conference that's only getting tougher, were left with few alternatives. This stuff happens quickly. Deals are done within the first few hours of July 1 every summer. And here were the Jazz, waiting until the evening of July 4 for his decision before they could pursue anyone else.
That's a killer. Mark Bartelstein, Hayward's agent, contends the exercise was as short as possible. Hayward could have entertained representatives of Miami, Boston and the Jazz in San Diego on the first day of free agency, though, rather than booking his own tour and creating the four-day ordeal.
Nothing guarantees the Jazz would have landed another top-tier player after losing him, but they undoubtedly wish they had a better shot at somebody. Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey's four-word veiled criticism of Hayward's process said a lot: "Timing has been problematic."
And now comes a bigger problem: keeping up with the rest of the West. The Jazz made a significant climb to tie for the fourth-best record in the conference (tied for sixth in the NBA) last season, going 51-31. They would have dropped off without Hayward anyway, but the way other teams in the West have strengthened themselves makes a Jazz playoff berth seem like even more of an achievement.
"There's nowhere to run, there's nowhere to hide, and we love the competition. … When you're good in the West, you know that you're the best," Lindsey said.
The talent differential between the West and East is striking. FiveThirtyEight's metrics, using a three-year rolling average, show that 22 of the NBA's top 30 players are in the West. That's an all-time high.
More subjectively, ESPN.com created two West All-Star teams and ranked the West's B team slightly above the East's A team. That's what happens when the likes of Paul George (Oklahoma City), Jimmy Butler (Minnesota) and Paul Millsap (Denver) move from East to West.
Hayward made the East team as a reserve. Jazz center Rudy Gobert and incoming point guard Ricky Rubio were named to the West B team.
That's consoling, but the Jazz still face a major challenge to make the playoffs. Four teams would have to leapfrog the Jazz to keep them out of the postseason. Denver, Minnesota, Oklahoma City and Portland appear capable of doing so. The Jazz might finish eighth, but what would be the fun of facing Golden State in the first round of the playoffs — a year after meeting the Warriors in the West semifinals?
The Clippers, who tied with the Jazz for fourth in the West, were weakened by the loss of Chris Paul to Houston. But they won't fall too far, having re-signed Blake Griffin and added Denver forward Danilo Gallinari and European point guard Milos Teodosic.
The Jazz couldn't find anything resembling a replacement for Hayward. They're due for better health this season, but they still need some depth. A sign-and-trade agreement to acquire Boston forward Jae Crowder would have softened the loss of Hayward, but the Celtics cleared their salary-cap space by trading guard Avery Bradley to Detroit.
The emergence of rookie guard Donovan Mitchell in three summer league games at the Huntsman Center was encouraging, though. The fan base needed some rejuvenation in the wake of Hayward's departure, and Mitchell delivered. Questions remain about his shooting ability (and shot selection), but he's athletic, tough and feisty — traits that will help this team.
Lindsey believes Rubio is coming to town from Minnesota with "something to prove," and that description should apply to the entire roster. Hayward's departure is a rejection of everybody in the organization, including all those recent teammates whom he didn't thank in his farewell letter.
Twitter: @tribkurt