According to numerous reports, including the official team site, the Deseret News and the Salt Lake Tribune, the Jazz have signed third-year guard Ronnie Price to a multi-year deal.
Price played the last two years for the Sacramento Kings, averaging 3.3 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 9.7 minutes per game. He dropped a career-high 16 points against the Jazz last November, including a thunderous dunk on Carlos Boozer. He’s something of a combo guard, much more of a shooter/scorer than a distributor, though he only stands 6′2″ (but with crazy hops and athleticism).
I like Price’s talent — I watched him frequently when he played locally at Utah Valley State College — and this move seems to be part of a general trend toward the Jazz improving overall team athleticism (adding to the team youth movement as well). It should serve to guarantee that the Jazz will have no shortage of scorers on the roster. Doesn’t necessarily seem like Jerry Sloan’s type of player, though. Could the Jazz front office be readying for Sloan’s retirement in the coming years by stockpiling young, athletic talent?
The biggest immediate effect this might have on the Jazz is that we may be saying farewell to former Illinois guard Dee “Shorty” Brown. The crowd favorite played decently in the Rocky Mountain Revue but didn’t sparkle, and although the Jazz tendered a qualifying offer to him to preserve his restricted free agent status, no further action has been taken. The Price signing means that the Jazz now have the following back-court players under contract or as possible re-signees: Deron Williams, Ronnie Price, Jason Hart, Gordan Giricek, Morris Almond, and Ronnie Brewer, with Matt Harpring sometimes playing the 2, and Brown’s and C.J. Miles’ status still uncertain. That’s NINE players for two positions. Suffice it to say, not all of these players are going to be wearing Jazz blue come November.
Regardless, I’m glad to see that Kevin O’Connor isn’t afraid to tinker with the roster, even after quite a successful season. But something bigger may be coming.
UPDATE: AOL FanHouse has taken notice of the Ronnie Price signing and points out the nightmare that awaits C-Booz every day in practice, facing off against the kid who posterized him. They also astutely observe that Price will be battling (beating out?) Jason Hart for minutes, the same as he did in Sacramento (which was part of the reason Hart was so despondent there). Will the rivalry continue? Tracking….
July 26th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
Not sure how I feel about this one, as I haven’t watched him play at all.
I do think this spells the end for Dee Brown. I think the Jazz would like to go with a bit more experience at backup point, and don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing. I suspect we might see the Jazz rescind their qualifying offer to Brown some time soon.
July 26th, 2007 at 4:29 pm
I too see this as being the end for Shorty in Utah. Good or bad… I’m not sure.
I surprised with this move, only because there seemed to be no talk of it for quite some time.
But hey… if he can play, I’m all for it.
Another nickname is now needed though.
July 26th, 2007 at 4:46 pm
What is this move all about? The only thing that I can figure is that the Jazz have a deal in the works. This move doesn’t make the Jazz any better and I am very worried that with the departure of Derek Fisher we have regressed during this off season instead of progressing. I am trying to remain positive but looking at this Jazz team in relation to the other teams in the west I am not sure that their record will even be as good as it was this season and can’t see us returing to the WCF.
July 26th, 2007 at 6:38 pm
Hopefully the team didn’t pay too much for Price…he doesn’t seem to have a point-guard mentality, and while Jazz fans will appreciate the athleticism, Ronnie Price is essentially a replacement for Dee Brown. While we can only wait to see what Kevin O’Connor has in mind, the Jazz wouldn’t have signed both Price and Jason Hart.
While receptive to the fact that Price went to UVSC, we’ll see how he fits in a Jazz uniform. Although he could quickly be a fan favorite, I’m curious how Jason Hart and Ronnie Price will function together on the same team again.
July 26th, 2007 at 6:52 pm
I don’t really understand this move either. I think that Dee Brown is going to be a good player in the league some day, not to mention I think having him in Utah keeps Deron happy. I certainly don’t think that Ronnie Price is an upgrade. Obviously there is more going on behind the scenes that we don’t know.
I certainly don’t believe that the Jazz have regressed during the off season however. The team is so young that just playing another year together without doing anything will make them better.
Derek Fisher came to Utah for his playoff experience and leadership. He served his purpose this last season making big shots in big playoff games and keeping the team level headed at crucial times. But his playoff leadership will be much less valuable this season since the young players have now been there. At the end of the day, he did not play very well for the Jazz during the season. He may have been the most expensive 38% shooter in the league. Great guy, but I think he did us a favor in the long run. I am excited for Morris Almond, and would much rather see him at the 2 than Fisher in the coming years.
July 27th, 2007 at 2:14 am
I agree, really disappointed if this means Dee Brown isn’t coming back. They deperately need to hang on to Deron and having Dee Brown playing on the same team is one reason he may choose to stay in Utah.
I think the few games he played in the playoffs showed that he had improved tremendously throughout the season and in a few years time could definitely be the guy to backup Deron. If I thought that Ronnie Price was a huge upgrade that could make a real difference to the team immediately, then I could understand getting him on the team, but this move is a little confusing to me, and I really think it could have negative consequences down the track….
July 27th, 2007 at 9:13 am
This is my take on the subject. Dee will stay put, they i’m sure are doing a sign and trade, but not necessarily with just Ronnie Price, or even ronnie price at all. I Think we will see Giri gone before the the season opener. They may package him with either Collins, Price, Hart, AK, Miles, Brewer, or even Memo. (really anyone but Booz and Williams) I think something a bit bigger will develop from this deal and i trust Kevin O’Conner knows what he is doing. The reason i don’t really see Dee leaving is as many of you have already said, having him makes Deron happy. Deron is our future, and our franchise, we want him happy, and the front office knows that. Not to mention, Dee will with the help of Sloan become a fine player in the NBA. IF we do keep Price, our athleticism will go way up, IF he can learn Defense from Sloan, he will be an excellent back up PG to split minutes with Dee. Now we just wait and see what the Brain does…
July 27th, 2007 at 9:51 am
Hart and Price can’t be traded until mid-December or something.
After you sign them to a contract, you have to wait a couple of months or something before you trade them (I don’t know the exact rule, but I know it exists).
July 27th, 2007 at 9:55 am
Oh, and for what it’s worth…
http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/47349/20070727/price_a_sign_that_brown_is_leaving/
It seems that Shorty is gone, as soon as Price passes his physical.
July 27th, 2007 at 1:38 pm
Are you sure on that? Cause what about the sign and trade? I don’t know too many of the rules when it comes to trades and things.
July 27th, 2007 at 6:48 pm
http://www.nbpa.com/cba_articles/article-VII_8.php
(d) Except as set forth in Section 8(e) below: (1) no player who signs a Contract as a Free Agent may be traded before the later of (i) three (3) months following the date on which such Contract was signed or (ii) the December 15 of the Salary Cap Year in which such Contract was signed; and (2) no Draft Rookie who signs a Player Contract may be traded before thirty (30) days following the date on which the Contract is signed.
(e)
(1) A Veteran Free Agent and his Prior Team may enter into a Player Contract pursuant to an agreement between the Prior Team and another Team concerning the signing and subsequent trade of such Contract, but only if (i) the Contract is for three (3) or more Seasons (excluding any Option Year), (ii) the Contract is not signed pursuant to the Mid-Level Salary Exception or the Disabled Player Exception, (iii) the first Season of the Contract is fully protected for lack of skill, and (iv) the acquiring Team has Room for the player’s Salary plus any Unlikely Bonuses provided for in the first Season of the Contract.
(2) A player and his Team may amend a Player Contract (including by entering into an Extension) pursuant to an agreement between such Team and another Team concerning the signing of the amendment and subsequent trade of the amended Contract; provided, however, that no such agreement may be made during the period from the last day of the last Regular Season covered by the Contract (or the last day of any Regular Season that could be the last Regular Season covered by the Contract based upon the exercise or non-exercise of an Option or ETO) through the following June 30.
July 28th, 2007 at 7:32 pm
I disagree with Jazzman. I don’t see how the Jazz can seriously bring Dee back at this point. Obviously, they feel that Price is an upgrade as the third point, and they may be right. He certainly brings greater scoring potential than Brown.
Like many of the other posters, I’m still a bit lukewarm about this move, but I don’t believe it’s a step backward. Dee Brown may become a serviceable Jacque Vaughn type pro in the league, but it’s not like the Jazz have given up Mo Williams here. My guess is that Price ends up being as valuable, if not more valuable, than Dee Brown was last year.
As per a previous post, I’m not convinced that losing Fisher was a bad thing, especially in the long term. For all his heroics and experience, Fisher had a very mediocre year, especially for a shooting guard. Jason Hart, more of Ronnie Brewer and Morris Almond (let alone a potential return of CJ Miles) should more than make up for the loss of Fish as a player, and let’s hope that Boozer and D-Will make up for the experience end, the leaders end of the equation.
I certainly don’t agree that the Jazz have taken a step backward this summer. My own feeling is that so far, they are as good as they were at the end of last season, and probably a little better overall, and certainly a lot more athletic. If Almond provides some solid shooting off the bench, that would add a lot as well. The real problem is not where the Jazz are relative to last year, but where their competitors are. Houston and Denver seem to have clearly improved. San Antonio is the same, though age could slip them a bit. Dallas could slip a bit, and it remains to be seen what Phoenix does with the rest of the summer, and whether GS makes another major move. Windows of opportunity in the NBA are relatively short, and while the Jazz have a good looking package, I’m sure I’m not the only one looking over towards Portland worried about what is 2-3 years away. Portland is no threat this year, but my feeling is the Jazz need to make a jump this year or next or that window to the finals might slam shut pretty quickly.
I do agree that more movement may be on the way. Hopefully it involves Giricek.
July 29th, 2007 at 5:06 pm
My initial thought upon hearing this was, “what about Shorty?” In concert with a lot of the comments on this post, I am a bit worried about what that means in the long term about Deron Williams. Afterall, they are best friends.
Then I thought back about an interview that Larry Miller did recently on 1280, a week or so before the draft. He spoke about how much he liked Araujo and CJ and that he wanted them back. He then spoke a lot about Dee Brown and how he really liked the guy and that it was obvious to him, and others in the Jazz organization, that he had real NBA talent and proved it during the playoffs.
Then Monson made a comment about how Dee and Deron were best friends and Miller made a really interesting statement. He said something to the point of, “that can be a good thing or a bad thing. Deron is married and Dee is not, and that can lead to some interesting problems.”
My thought is, the Jazz wanted to have Dee around in the worst case scenario that they were not able to pick anybody else up. But when Ronnie Price became available at the right price, the Jazz made the decision to let Dee go.
I would be shocked, I mean absolutely shocked, if Deron did not sign off on this in one way or another. Otherwise, it would make absolutely no sense at all to make Deron angry over a player that is not an upgrade from Shorty. Connect those dots, and it makes a lot of sense.
July 30th, 2007 at 9:42 am
Good point McSean. I don’t think Larry is that dumb to make a move like this with out first consenting with Deron, and Boozer. They both made it clear that they want a championship soon, therefore i’m sure they have been in on a lot of the off-season moves. But i still think we will see some sort of trade for Giri. I don’t think that we are done yet. I still hope Dee somehow manages to stick around, but if not… i wish him the best.
By the way, what is the deal with C.J. and Arujo? Why haven’t they been signed yet? Arujo wants to be here and he is showing a lot of promise. I want players that want to be here, and it doesn’t seem to me that C.J. really does. I bet C.j. turns out to be a pretty good player, but probably with someone else.
July 30th, 2007 at 2:07 pm
I think the Jazz are having second thoughts with Araujo. He hustles like crazy and provides a lot of toughness, but he does not rebound exceptionally well and does not block shots - two things that the Jazz are in desperate need of from that position.
Meanwhile, Krylo Fasenko showed a lot of promise on both of those fronts, especially in the blocked shots department. Considering that they both need development, Krylo makes a lot more sense… at least to me.
In my perfect world, the Jazz figure out a way to package Giri and Collins and bring in Rafa and Krylo. In my opinion, Rafa is way more valuable than Collins. I just don’t see a scenario where the Jazz keep four centers.
We will see what happens.
July 30th, 2007 at 6:53 pm
The thing that I found really frustrating last season was that Hoffa didn’t get the minutes he deserved last year. He’s no Shaq, but he would at least make a difference when he was out on the floor. Sometimes it wouldn’t work out and he would pick up a lot of (hard) fouls, but just having him on the court would change things. Think about what a difference he made when he was playing against Duncan.
One thing about Jarron Collins is that when he is on court, sure he was more consistent, but he could play for 20 minutes and you wouldn’t even realise he was there. I would rather have the guy that has an impact when he was out there, even if sometimes it doesnt work.
July 31st, 2007 at 8:04 am
The problem with Araujo is the thing that came out very clearly in the RMR.
When he’s backing in… it’s way too easy to strip the ball away from him.
He goes across the paint slowly, allowing others to swipe at the ball.
And he doesn’t work on protecting the ball.
His “power-move” inside isn’t really powerful.
If he wants to stick, he’ll need to improve on that immediately.
The Jazz commit too many turnovers as is. They don’t need another TO machine.
July 31st, 2007 at 3:07 pm
The Jazz should just field a team of combo guards and centers. Play super small ball with Dee Brown, Ronnie Price, Deron Williams, Jason Hart and Ronnie Brewer and really run with the Suns/Warriors. Or go HUGE with Memot, Boozer, Araujo, Collins and Fesenko and pound the Pistons/Spurs into a quivering pile of goo.
The Jazz would of course keep CJ Miles in the middle, just to give Jerry Sloan someone to beat up on.
August 1st, 2007 at 11:28 am
I am going to miss shorty. He is a great athlete. I think the Jazz made this move just to add talent at the two guard spot. They are going to try everyone, all six guys, and see what sticks best.
Is CJ coming back or what? What is his agent waiting for? I can not imagine that any team is going to give him more than the qualifying offer that the Jazz have offered. I also think the Jazz will match any offer given to him… assuming that it is not outrageous.
I don’t understand why this is not being talked about more. CJ is money.
August 2nd, 2007 at 8:40 am
It looks like the Jazz think Price will be a lock-down defender at the 2-guard.
http://www.sltrib.com/jazz/ci_6523288
Great… another 6′3 shoot-first PG guarding the 6′6/6′7 stars of the league.
I’m willing to give Price a shot… but if he jumps Almond and Brewer at the 2-guard spot, something is seriously wrong.
August 2nd, 2007 at 1:33 pm
since there isn’t a post on the schedule yet, just thought I’d break down teams playing nationally televised games this year.
Team Televised games
L.A. Lakers 15
Miami 15
Phoenix 15
Cleveland 14
Dallas 14
San Antonio 13
Chicago 12
Denver 11
Detroit 11
Houston 8
Boston 7
Washington 7
Golden State 6
Portland 6
L.A. Clippers 4
New Jersey 4
Seattle 4
Utah 4
New York 2
Charlotte 1
Milwaukee 1
Minnesota 1
New Orleans 1
Orlando 1
Sacramento 1
Toronto 1
Atlanta 0
Indiana 0
Philadelphia 0
Memphis 0
Now if Kobe leaves LA, that would be a compelling 15 games.
August 8th, 2007 at 1:39 am
The Ronnie Price signing made a lot of sense to me - how many Jazz players did you see dunk last year? Of those, how many weren’t wide open standing next to the rim? I’m sure you’ve all seen that YouTube video of Price throwing down on Boozer by now, that was incredible! Athleticism like that really brings the crowd into the game, increasing ratings, ticket sales, national TV appearances, etc. I have been a big Jazz fan for over a decade now, and while I’ve always loved their “fundamental” style of play, I am excited about this movement toward more “athletic” players. When Deron dunks on someone, it’s like “Dang! Stock couldn’t do THAT!”
As for Dee, he was fun to watch and should stick around the league as a journeyman, eventually returning to the Jazz a la Ostertag. However, he is short and inexperienced. Right now the Jazz need taller guards capable of putting the ball through the hoop (am I the only one who thought Dee’s 3-pointers seemed waaaay off?) and guarding big guards. Price and Almond should be better at that. As for C.J., I only saw him play once against the Warriors in the last game from 2005-06, and he seemed incredible! I wish I could see him play more often to determine if he’s worth saving a roster spot for - ’cause if he doesn’t want to be there, they should keep Dee. Also, can’t they send Dee to the D-League (ha ha) and hold on to him without using an active roster spot?