Tim LaComb | Utah Jazz Draft Prep | NBA Finals Continue W/Celtics Up 2-0
you know what’s coming your daily deep dive into everything you T Jazz it’s time all season long and even in the off seon it’s Jazz da with JJ and Alex on your exclusive home of Utah Jazz basketball 975 the KSL Sports Zone basketball give me give me give me the ball because I’m going to D basketball give me give me give me the B because I’m going to everybody welcome back it is JJ and Alex 975 the KSL Sport Zone Alex cury Jeremiah Jensen thanks for being with us on the program everybody uh our show is always brought to you by G2G bars all natural ingredients and no preservatives make the G2G bar perfect for anybody who needs a quick tasty and nutritious boost G2G bar.com you can also just go to Costco holiday oil Maverick Associated Foods and many other fine groceries uh where you can find them in the refrigerated section because they use no preservatives uh joining us on the program right now he’s the coach Tim lome jumping in on the program here with us Tim what’s going on man how are you I’m doing good man how are you we’re good uh obviously probably heard the news today about the passing of Steve KY what an awful thing for our community to have to go through today oh my gosh I uh you know I’m I’m what they call a P1 back in the day I listen I listen all day man and I was out running errands today and heard the announcement from Scotty and Hance um and it’s just one of those that you know that that one knocks you down uh I I go way way back with Steve when I first got into in an around radio was actually while I was a college student and did some intern work and you know clowy was the biggest thing going he had a show and uh obviously was doing the bees and um took his time always you know to make me feel uh welcome and good uh Through The Years you know seeing him when we play Weber State uh and always talking with him for half an hour of catching up uh it just it’s absolutely mind-bending to me that something like this happen and I I can’t you know can’t put into words the type of guy he was other than saying you know he’s one of those guys that I’ll always remember he made an indelible indelible imprint on my life we’re gonna miss the puns we’re gonna miss the stories um and just the knowledge that he had about sports and everything that he he gathered in his many travels um now that you were on the side of the business you’ve been in the media for a long time do you have a greater appreciation for what it takes to be great at at broadcasting great at play-by-play because he certainly was able to figure out that and and and had a legendary career yeah man I could I mean that’s a guy that you could you could really get comfortable and cozy up to the radio and listen to his call I mean his you know his voice and the way he called the game was a throwback to kind of yester year um but again like honestly all the things we do here you know you you saw it with Bill Walton dude was a you know one of the arguably one of the greatest college players to ever play the game obviously went on to have a incredible NBA career you know hampered by injury but still made a huge impact um and then went into broadcasting but it wasn’t any of that that people talk about it’s what they were as a person you know it was the time they took and you know the the way that Twitter flooded the day that bill died of people with pictures of him um you know I I’m seeing it today with Steve he he you know when you take the time and are authentic and you’re not just out chasing your own um people take not notice of that and and this is this hurts a lot of people here in our community there’s no doubt about it um I was gonna say to Tim like I mean well I think I I think that people who are in this business uh one I think BEC the reason I think that all of us are taking so much time to talk about him I think that’s an indicator right like you know when you have a passing of somebody like that in the community everybody has a story about how Steve took some time and and and told them stories for me it was when we used to do the Smith’s uh family night at the ballparks when I was working at KSL News radio he let my boys come up into the booth and check out kind of how things were you know those are my two my two oldest and and you know they remember that stuff they they’ll remember that forever and guess what he did he treated him like any little kid who loves Sports wanted to be treated he was nice to him and they’re like that’s the guy in the radio and my kids always be like hey that’s that guy we met and it’s like yes and you know we they met him again one time I think when we went back and threw a first pitch and uh if you’re a bees if you’re a bees fan it’s not just the bees fans it’s not just the Weber State fans but people who intersected with him crazy stories that he always had and and and and they were fun and and like I said earlier in the program like you know you say that about people who passes is a guy like Steve they forget more about about the sport they cover than you probably know but in his case he never forgot anything so he just remembered every freaking detail from everything over the years about people that you would have NE You’ heard about once and then you’d forget about he never forgot some of those people so uh it’s a tragic loss for our community but uh it was confirmed that it was an autop pedestrian accident uh by the city of Sandy uh happened last night and then uh he ended up passing away early this morning so we’re uh Hearts go out to his family as as well today so Tim we uh have been doing this all day where we have to you know relive some of the the sadness of that but also be able to kind of go on and do our jobs and talk a little bit about some of the things that happening in the World of Sports has have these NBA Finals gone about the way that you thought they would go um did you think maybe there would have been a split there in Boston or are these Celtics really proving that this is the reason why everybody talked about him is kind of the deao Eastern Conference Champs and maybe one of those favorites to win the uh the NBA title this year well I think the the Celtics obviously have the experience you know the playoffs last year uh I think that they they’ve been building this for a while um but really they held serve they held serve at home the games were you know the first one particularly was lopsided the second one was a couple of plays away from really being interesting as they cut that thing down to to five um you know and really the block the block by Derek white chase down block was really pivotal but I I think you I I made the mistake this year of overreacting when Minnesota went to Denver and you know and beat them I I thought that thing would be a sweep you know I really did um so so much can change I think that Boston’s done a great job at dealing with the problem that that Dallas uh repeatedly gave Minnesota and that was just those two guards getting where they want to it will and particularly in the paint um you know the if you watch the way that the Boston’s guarding and switching is really creative it’s caused Dallas some issues Kyrie’s yet to really get on track Luca is playing hurt but playing like a warrior uh so really to me as I said Boston sered and they played really well um most of the time you know they shared the ball they were on attack um I thought Tatum was a little bit iffy last game and and maybe a little bit of what Jason kid came out and talked about on the RA in the media about you know calling Jaylen Brown their best player all fair All is fair and L and War and the playoffs and you know he he actually kind of went psychological there and I I think it might have impacted Tatum a little bit but bottom line Dallas has got to win a game uh they’ve just got to win a game to get it on track but I fully expect Boston to win the series um I think Dallas will put up a a huge fight and you know hearing the injury of Luca but also porzingis is dealing with something and is questionable for game three he’s certainly been huge in the first two is there adjustments the Mavs could make or is this simply the fact that the Celtics won 14 more games in the regular season and they have more Talent well I think there are some adjustments there’s always adjustments and the one thing Jason kit has shown in his time as a coach I I think early on I he he was certainly cutting his teeth but I think he’s now a guy who has a real command uh of his team and and what they can do well we saw that up close in personal in in some series here with the Jazz a couple years ago but he’s really grown as a coach and it will take a couple of of tweaks you know they the way that Boston switching is kind of unorthodox they’re actually switching off the weak side um as ball screens happen and and actually switching an off ball Defender onto the ball um trying to just keep gaps keep the the floor as tight as possible and really making those guys have to either score at themselves uh over length or or kick out and really rely on some guys that haven’t been necessarily tested in this Arena but I there’s always you know there’s always things can be done there’s always counters the greatest thing in the playoffs though guys is momentum um and all you have to do is just get a teeny bit of that I I thought Dallas found some in the second half in the fourth quarter even the way they kind of came back in that game but certainly it all hinge on you know Luca being right Kyrie playing better and I think that you know what they have to do is figure out how to um get inside the the walls of that defense get into the middle of it the length is causing them so much issue and they’ve got to figure out a way to break that down uh if they’re going to have a chance Tim lome the coach joining us here on JJ and Alex as we talk about these NBA playoffs and as you watch uh right now and as you as you kind of break these things down Through The Eyes of somebody who’s analyzed the game for a long long time and coached this you know this game for a long time uh how good is the talent on the floor at any given time in the NBA finals this year compared to other years that you’ve covered and and is this like I mean are are we at a really really sweet spot in in in basketball Talent level because the West is like an impossible Mountain climb it seems like every year we were talking about how Dallas could struggle in these finals and maybe never make it back that’s how good the West is that’s how hard it is to get to the finals in the first place uh where’s the talent level in the NBA right now because we we’ve had a lot of talk in these offseasons about you know Superstar teams and who the superstars are and it’s certainly been the young man’s uh playoffs this year yeah yeah it has I me I think we’re in a little bit of a transition as a league I think you’re starting to see a major certainly more of an emphasis on team and you know having everybody out there be really important um you spoke to the uh you know just the depth of talent in the NBA and I think it’s it’s pretty evident you know when you sit and watch a guy like for instance Boston you know they they bring pton Pritchard Off the Bench and he’s just a guy that I love because he’s so so competitive and as coach Rose would say he’s a guy that always knows the score you know he made that long shot at the end of the third quarter the other night to kind of give Boston a shot in the arm but you know he was turning around not bringing the glory to himself he’s turned to his bench saying guys this is our night we just let’s finish this thing off and and so I think we’re starting to see a little Bend uh from you know give it to the best player ISO him out mono on Mano and he goes and makes a play you know really precise Five Guys playing that the game together and when basketball is at its best when the ball movement the player movement the screening you know all those things that you talk about in a vacuum when all those things are evident out on the floor and you see Five Guys really kind of playing as one it’s impossible to guard that you know I think that when a team plays like that and we see that I I think sometimes that’s a nature of where we got to as a league the balls movement was so good and and scores went through the roof and I think the the refs have adjusted a little bit not calling all the Ticky teac stuff I feel like the the the game itself is more enjoyable to watch when it’s a team game um and so yeah depth is important and you know we’re going into a window and and I’m studying it uh like crazy right now because I’ve got another year with the Jazz doing the draft this year on the 26th um so I’m I’m really trying to immerse myself in the new Talent that’s coming into the league uh and I think that that’s the cycle that’s really interesting you you see all this Talent come in but as Talent comes in talent’s pushed out um and so I think it’s it’s really interesting to watch the trends to watch what skills are very important um but you know this this year is labeled as a down draft but there’s still a heck of a lot of talent um and the NBA is a in my mind there’s there is a a total um you know the teams have a luxury of talent there’s a lot of really good players it’s just how do we how do we fit them together and how do we get them play together and to be the best that we can be before we pick your brain about the draft I have one more finals question for you you know Alex mentioned the fact that there this young talent in the league is taken over yet the best player You could argue in this finals is 33 years old and it’s Drew holiday what what is it about him in these moments that allows him to to play the way he has and become a leader at the most important moments well I think it goes back to what I was talking about he’s a you know he’s a glue guy and you have to have those guys they you know they may not be the guy at the end of the night is the shiny star and talking to the media all the time but I can guarantee you that both coaches in their locker rooms afterwards you know when they’re just talking to their staff that’s a name a guy like that name comes up all the time um he he’s a guy that really in my mind appreciates how simple the game can be um you know he really thrives on making simple plays on the offensive side and defensively he Relentless you know he’s a guy who is like literal V velcro um you know a guy who getting over a ball screen in this league with these Giants setting them is if you just watch that fast in the the NBA it’s it’s fascinating you learn a lot about guys the way they they navigate those ball screens holiday you just watch them I mean he he is he might be as good as you get you know navigating and dealing with the physicality of the game but never complains um never talks about his shots how many shots he’s getting dude just wants to win and I think that as you pick guys there’s so many things to consider but I think that that is a big one um you know somebody that understands who they are um doesn’t overinflate we we all want the best deal for ourselves but I think the the authentic player that understands what they are and what they aren’t uh and really lean into what they are let’s chat a little bit about a draft that’s two and a half weeks away the mock drafts all the things that walk up to it I’m always interested to see what though what the what the teams get out of the personal workouts we we don’t get to hear anything about them anymore and what these uh individual you know when they invite guys to come in and they get a look at them up close and personal after the combine what is it that they’re looking at and looking for and like what what would actually put somebody above uh you know uh from one pick to the next you know from a a possible 10th pick to a 15th pick based off of what you’re working out with them and watching them do face to face well it’s like I said I think there’s so many variables that play in the draft and each team is slotted in a spot and you know there may be a player that has heads and shoulders in theory above another player but they don’t fit your roster and you know I think we’ve seen that through the years with the Jazz um I think uh there’s a lot of times where there were you know certain people that were were identified as targets for the Jazz and when it came right down to it wasn’t even close because of all the things you learned in the process and I think you’re trying to analyze a lot of things first and foremost can they play um and they understand how to play this game uh but you go deep into character you go deep into uh want to you know I talked to Danny a during the season um one night and I just you know when I get him I just try to throw little things at him um to pick up some wisdom and I said to him you know when you’re when you’re going through the draft like what is the one thing you would say to somebody who’s really digging in he said you have to watch you know hundreds and hundreds thousands of hours of film on a guy it can’t be you know you can’t cheat you gotta really dig in to see what these guys do because to me it’s it’s what happens in between the cuts you know you can watch a game that’s all cut up but how how hard does the the guy screen to get a play a teammate open on an out of bounds play you know how hard do they run the floor when it’s necessarily not for them you know I think there’s so many things you can learn in tape that is not just making baskets and and you know doing all the things that you certainly want guys to be able to do but I think you’re trying to really craft what you need first and foremost and then you have your you have the things that really stand out as you know to your organization and I would say one with the jazz is I think they want guys that are going to compete Above All Else you know guys that are winners that want to win um will give a little bit of themselves to the team in order to be successful um and I think you look at a guy like Lowry Markin and you know he’s the poster child for a guy like that so when when your best player has that mindset I think it’s easier but man there’s so many things to consider and it is a it is just a massive amount of information as you’ve done your draft preparation is there two or three guys that have really stood out that you like and the draft where a lot of people are saying this is not a great draft it’s it seems like a great opportunity to go grab somebody that you really like is who stands out to you yeah it’s it it is interesting and and I would tell you I’m you know I’m probably 25 30 guys deep you know on a fairly Deep dive um so I I’ve seen a pretty good amount uh and I will tell you the guys that stand out to me you know I love the clinging kid from Yukon um just think that you know when you see what uh you know a skilled guy who can move his feet you know guy who’s 72 with a 7677 wingspan um again some of those things that we talk about with winning coming off two years of being in a situation where plays weren’t just run for him you know he was part of the system but they had to win so um he’s intriguing to me and I think he’s a guy that that continues to gain momentum um I also love his running mate uh castle and I think that he is a he’s a guy that makes me salivate when you talk about 65 66 um wingspan of about 69 you the knock on him can’t shoot the three or doesn’t shoot the three well and I just remind people you know our scouting report on kawh Leonard every time we played him at San Diego State was let him shoot but but but you better rebound it because that’s where he kills you um you know not a great three-point shooter but did so many other things I look at Castle similarly I just talked about holiday his relentlessness in in ball screens his relentlessness to be in the right spot and that’s a dude that stands out to me as well um I just think those dudes are really well coached they understand how to play the game um you know there are a couple guys that you know have been mentioned and I’m I’m still you know digging in on him but I really like the just the size and per perhaps upside of Cody Williams from Colorado another guy at 66 67 with a 71 wingspan and when you talk about this league how important it is to get stops to guard your position you know to have a helps side length that’s something that’s really intriguing to me and also his brother um you Jaylen Williams playing at Oklahoma City so he’s got some good lineage as as well so um just a couple guys right now that that stand out I’ll throw a kind of a this is my Dark Horse a guy that I’ve kind of fallen in love in watching tape again a got 6263 but 69 wing span out of uh Providence Devin Carter he averaged 19 points shot 38% from three um got eight rebounds a game as a 6-2 guard um and three and a half assists so like you look at every single facet of the game this dude impacts it um very very impressive to me a guy that um you know I didn’t know a ton about but as I started to watch he’s really gained a ton of attention from me Mark it down that’s what we’re going to do we’re going to put it right in the rundown here got picks 29 and 32 that could be that could be one of them that’s nice and normally will be like but like you were saying I think people would kind of wince at the 6’2 number right because we’ve seen the small guard situation before yeah but the but the length kind of negates that especially if you’re looking to get a guy who could come in and learn to be an NBA Defender well it’s funny because I saw the Jazz you know they brought in Avery Bradley I went back to training camp in Boston with the BYU staff one year and Avery was just acquired there um and Danny was talking to us about you know about Avery and he just said look at the dude’s arms like that’s what people Miss on the guy um you know he’s he’s 62 63 but he’s got like 68 69 wingspan and you know what a killer he was as a player um so as I watch The League every night I mean I think the Jazz wants somebody can make a play you know can can shoot the ball and make a positive contribution um but I think there are a lot of the factors that play and a lot of names that you know the one thing mock drafts do is they slot guys in certain C spots but you know as that that draft night starts you know everybody’s got their favorites and that thing gets juggled pretty quick Tim lome he is of course the coach we love having you on Tim we appreciate your breakdowns as usual and uh man we’re getting close to that I can’t believe how quickly I can’t believe how quickly the draft is on top of us so we’ll of course be abusing your knowledge over the next few weeks man it sounds great it’s good to be with you and uh again all the the prayers that we can muster for the clowy family um just tragic tragic news but you know if you’re GNA if you’re going to leave a legacy I would imagine Steve would be so proud of the one that he left and his family you know so my thoughts and prayers are with them today appreciate it Tim we’ll uh take the break here we’ll come back we got more to go around the corner and uh when we do we’ve got our final time to uh to qualify somebody for our US Open you into golf giveaway that’s coming up in just a little bit so we’ll do that right around the corner here stay with us 975 the KSL Sports Zone
JJ & Alex are joined by a radio analyst for the Utah Jazz with Tim LaComb to talk some NBA Finals and what is interesting as the Celtics look to win this series with a 2-0 lead.
