Bits from Dennis Lindsey Interview, 1/25

Should Enes Kanter be getting more minutes?
We all get excited about the new guy. What’s the saying in football, you know, the backup quarterback’s the most popular guy in town until he plays and loses a game? So it’s, you know, look, we, Ty[rone Corbin] has to keep a veteran team in the locker room, and the way you keep veterans, you know, in your group cohesive, is you gotta give them their time and minutes.

And I think overall Ty’s done a superior job of balancing, you know, the need to, for Al [Jefferson] and Paul [Millsap] to be our leaders, and yet Derrick [Favors] and Enes to get time to develop on a consistent basis.

Would it be better that Enes’ minutes move up from 15* to 20? In one sense, it would, but I don’t think those five minutes are going to, you know, hold Enes back next year, let’s say, or two years from now.

And the other thing I’d say to you two guys, and I think we spoke a little bit to this, you know, raising young players in the NBA, especially Enes, he’s 20. Derrick Favors is 21. It’s a little bit like raising a child.

And I just love the old stories that, you know, of Coach Layden and Coach Sloan*** didn’t start John Stockton, you know, until his third year in the league.** You know, John earned his way. And so, you know, the young players, once they’ve become more of a focal point, I think they, you know, ’cause they’re good kids, in time will have a greater appreciation ’cause they earned it instead of, you know, it being given to ’em.

Notes:
* Enes is averaging 12 MPG in the month of January.

** When Stockton first signed with the Jazz, he was playing behind an All-Star, Rickey Green. Stockton started 38 games in his second season even though Green was healthy. Green came off the bench behind Stockton in Stockton’s fourth season.

*** Jerry was coaching in the CBA during Stockton’s rookie year. He joined the Jazz as an assistant coach in Stockton’s second season.

Big picture at the halfway point
I think Ty, again, has done a really good job of adjusting on the fly in a couple of different manners. One, with the loss of Mo Williams, in integrating Alec Burks into the lineup. I also think Ty’s done a really good job of riding the hot hand, of guys, either starters or on the bench, that, you know, gets the feeling that someone’s playing well and has a rhythm, extending those minutes.

And really, it’s a credit to our guys, our play of late, that Ty’s been able to, you know, maybe use our depth a little bit situationally like a baseball manager would use his bullpen. And so, you know, the players, you know, when that happens, guys, they have to humble themselves because, you know, the minutes may be a little less consistent than what they’re used to under normal rotations.

On social media and the wonderfulness of Tyrone Corbin
You know, I’m not sure, you know, any of us want our family business out there. You know, we all have our moments that we’re not proud of, and you know, we say things in a lot of anger, frustration, and, you know, and certainly, you don’t want it tweeted about or Facebooked or you know, talked about on sports radio.

But you know, that’s the world we live in, and really, it’s a credit to, you know, I’ll speak to us, in our chemistry…Really, Kevin [O’Connor] has done a superior job over the years that, at getting really good people, you know, and, but we’ve had our moments, and, but, and this year, again to Ty’s credit, you know, I really think that the players internally see that Ty is a really good man that has their best interests at heart.

That, you know, almost by definition, Ty doesn’t have a doghouse. I think, you know, he would be incapable, you know, putting someone in the proverbial coaching doghouse. He just doesn’t think that way, and you know, I think that’s, you know, he’s leading our group and I think that’s why we do have good chemistry.

On the Jazz’s penchant for losing big leads
Yeah, you know, I’m not sure about every time and you know, I hear a lot of people talking about our consistency, and whatnot, guys. I, you know, I, it irritates me a little bit, the word. “We lack consistency.” You know, consistency in my opinion is the result of underlying issues.

You know, Kevin and I talk about this all the time, you know, ’cause Kevin’s a big golfer, and I’m a poor one. And you know, me and my golf swing by definition are gonna be inconsistent because, you know, it’s not a very good swing.

You know, and again, you know, consistency’s the result of that. So you know, slow starts, you know, letting teams back into play, ability to play when we’re down, ability to, you know, handle a lead, you know–in my mind, those are all results of the, you know, that, you know, we’ve got to improve our playing habits, and you know, we need to understand time [management] situation better, and it’s the result of, you know, trying to integrate a bunch of young players simultaneously while we’re trying to win.

So, you know, Ty’s got a tough job. We all have a tough job, you know, Kevin and I, from a personnel standpoint, in looking at what we can do to improve, and then Ty, you know, in organizing the group.

On Gordon Hayward’s improvement
I think he and Jeff [Horncaek], all the coaches really, but you know, Jeff’s his positional coach, for good reason as you guys could imagine, and they’ve really–we try to be real specific on some development issues–Gordon receiving the ball, you know, with his hips down, and his weight down, you know, so he doesn’t catch it and then have to get into a ready position. I think that’s clearly, his readiness on the court has been much better.

I think, you know, Gordon’s a little bit of a grinder, in a good way. You know, he’s developed, you know, development has really been step-by-step, and so I think now that we’re in the meat of the season and that early-season anxiety of him wanting to do good, he’s passed that. He’s taken his deep breath and he’s in a really good rhythm, and you know, he still has some things that, you know, he needs to do better.

He needs to finish, you know, in and around the rim, what I call “long layups,” push shots, you know, over-helping bigs, you know, he’s got an array of moves to get there, but he’s gotta complete those, finish at a higher rate.

But we’re really pleased, you know, and I think he’s also showing signs as a young leader. I don’t think he’s ready to, you know, take the team over, you know, totally, but he’s done a good job of, you know, following Al and Paul and Mo, and then yet, you know, taking time to lead the group that he comes in with, with the second unit.

On Jamaal Tinsley
Jamaal gives us an extension to Ty, a mind for the team, if you will, and while, you know, his foot speed, you know, maybe at this stage isn’t in the top 10 percent of the league, you know, his ability to make quick decisions, advance the ball up to the pass.

And I think we have a team, and again, this is a credit to David Fredman and Walt Perrin, our scouts, and Kevin O’Connor in signing Jamaal last year out of the D-League, I think our team’s really set up nice, our system, one, for a pure point guard, you know, John [Stockton], and Deron [Williams], and now Jamaal even, if it’s, you know, in the backup role to Mo.

But the other thing I’d say, two, is usually when Jamaal’s on the court, he is playing with four other guys that can either finish or shoot, and so his ability just to play without an agenda, and make sure other guys get their, get the ball in the spots, is something that really is important to our group, you know, because Randy [Foye] can make a shot…Marvin [Williams] can make a shot, and then clearly Al and Paul are real threats to create an offensive situation.

So I think Jamaal really enhances all of our starters’ abilities to make plays. (1280)