No roster makeover for the Utah Jazz.
Rather than spend time and money trying to make a splash by bringing in a high-profile free agent Authentic Richard Rodgers Jersey , the Jazz are banking on continued internal development and continuity to boost a team that finished the 2017-18 season on a tear.
That approach is reflected in the team’s decision to bring back free agents Derrick Favors, Dante Exum, and Raul Neto under new multi-year contracts.
”Chemistry is a hard thing,” Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey said at a press conference on Friday announcing the three free-agent signings. ”It’s a hard thing to predict. You can get five great people in the room and have it just not click for whatever reason, so we didn’t want to overthink that.”
Terms of the contracts were not disclosed.
Keeping Utah’s roster virtually intact going into the 2018-19 season appears to be a sound move given how the Jazz finished this past NBA season. Utah earned the fifth seed in the West with a 48-34 record, going 29-6 over their final 35 games, and advanced to the conference semifinals for the second straight year.
Utah became the first team since the 2004-05 New Jersey Nets to end the regular season with a winning record after being nine games below .500 on Jan. 22. The Jazz were 19-28 before their season-changing turnaround began.
That strong finish helped convince Favors to return to Utah rather than seek a larger role elsewhere.
”It was very important,” Favors said. ”I saw what we had and what we could accomplish in a full season when everyone’s healthy.”
Bringing back Favors became a top priority for the Jazz front office. Last season, Favors became just the 12th player to appear in at least 500 career games for Utah and returned to form after enduring a spate of injuries in the previous two seasons. He appeared in 77 games, his most since the 2012-13 season, and averaged 12.3 points and 7.2 rebounds in averaging 28.0 minutes, posting 15 double-doubles and scoring 20 or more points six times.
Lindsey acknowledged that the veteran forward played an indispensable role in getting the Jazz out of the first round in each of the last two seasons.
The team’s continued loyalty has made an impact on Favors.
”They stuck by me through the ups and downs,” he said. ”They believed in me. When Kevin (O’ Connor) traded for me in 2011 Customized New Orleans Saints Jerseys , he told me from day one he wanted me here for the long run. He wanted me to retire as a Jazz man. Hopefully, it happens.”
Despite injuries that have robbed Exum of nearly two full seasons (a torn ACL forced him to miss 2015-16), continued belief in his skills and potential made bringing him back another priority. The 22-year-old point guard out of Australia made an impact off the bench last season in a limited role after undergoing preseason surgery on his left shoulder. He averaged 8.1 points, 3.1 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 14 games.
Now, with a new contract and better health in this offseason, he feels like he’s in a good place.
”With the ACL year, I didn’t get the opportunity to play at the end of the season and connect with the team,” said Exum, who was selected fifth overall in the 2014 NBA draft. ”I got that opportunity this last season, and I got film to go off of where I can get better, but it’s the same mentality – trying to get better in every aspect of the game.
”I need to keep improving on the stuff I’m already good at.”
Neto has spent three seasons with the Jazz as their No. 3 point guard. He played in 41 games last season and averaged 4.5 points, 1.8 assists and 1.2 boards while averaging 12.1 minutes.
For Neto, coming back to a team where he’s comfortable and familiar with his role felt like a no-brainer.
”I’m always going to be ready to play Michael Dickson Color Rush Jersey , if it’s one minute or 20,” Neto said.
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Though Eric Wood can finally say he's retired, the now-former Buffalo Bills center is unaccustomed to discussing his career in the past tense.
On Monday, for example, Wood was still referring to this spring as "the offseason," while attending Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly's charitable foundation golf tournament outside of Buffalo.
"It's so funny. I find myself referring to it as the offseason and we're making travel plans that aren't slotted for just the five weeks off in the summer," Wood said, referring to the break players traditionally get between the final spring practice and the start of training camp.
"It's different for sure," he added, while discussing his retirement for the first time since being diagnosed with a career-ending neck injury in January.
"I feel great," Wood said, noting he's already dropped about 55 pounds from his 310-pound playing weight.
"The body feels good. Can't play ball, which stinks. And I miss it DaeSean Hamilton Jersey Broncos ," he added. "There's been a lot of times this spring where I've seen pictures posted and you think, 'Well, that's my team.'
"But, it's all good."
Wood never envisioned his playing days would end so abruptly nine seasons into his NFL career, and after signing a two-year contract extension last summer.
Instead, team doctors ruled he would never be allowed to play again after end-of-season tests revealed Wood had two disks being dangerously close to his spinal cord. Wood received the news while he was in the delivery room with his wife, and about an hour before the birth of his second child, a son.
"It was shocking," he said, noting his first reaction was to seek a second opinion. "But ultimately there was no scenario for return to play."
Wood revealed the severity of the injury during a news conference in January. He was not, however, allowed to say he was officially retiring due to contractual issues that could have prevented Wood from retaining his bonus money until the Bills finally released the 32-year-old on Thursday.
He hasn't yet laid out any future plans, though Wood will always be a Bills fan after being selected by Buffalo in the first round of the 2009 draft out of Louisville.
Wood is following the team online and in social media. He laughed over the uproar on Twitter amid reports rookie first-round draft pick Josh Allen threw an interception during practice last week.
A respected team leader Buccaneers Alex Cappa Jersey , one thing Wood will miss is mentoring younger players.
He also expressed concern regarding good friend and former teammate Richie Incognito, who has had a tumultuous offseason. Incognito abruptly retired by posting a note on Twitter before the Bills granted his request to be released to potentially sign with another team weeks later.
Then, Incognito spent three days in a Florida mental hospital after he allegedly threw weights and tennis balls at gym employees and another patron and told police officers the government was spying on him two weeks ago.
"He's going through a tough time right now," Wood said. "We're praying for him, and I know he'll come out of this a good man."
On the bright side, Wood has come to terms with how his career ended and the consolation that it happened after a season in which the Bills snapped a 17-year playoff drought. His final game was a 10-3 loss to Jacksonville in an AFC wild-card playoff on Jan. 7.
"Yeah, that playoff berth was very sweet," Wood said. "It would've been very tough my career ending and not ever making the playoffs up here."
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