(Player Profile): Brandon Rush. Utah Jazz SG/SF (#25...Most Likely)

   When the news came out that the Jazz were going to be taking a salary dump from the Golden State Warriors there was a lot of disapproval from Jazz Nation. Though they eventually grew to the idea of gaining future assets, the one bright spot most people found was the acquisition of Brandon Rush, the brother of fellow NBA counterpart Kareem Rush, who now plays in the ABA. B. Rush missed the last 80 games of last season due to an ACL injury, and Jazz fans will be hoping he can come back as strong or stronger than he was the last season he played before his injury. The 2011-12 season was great statistically for Rush totalling his highest averages in Blocks, Free Throw Percentage, 3Pt. Percentage, Field Goal Percentage, Points Per Game, and tying his highest average in Assists.



   Brandon Rush almost made his jump to the pros when the 2005 NBA Draft came around, as you were still allowed to enter straight from high school, but decided to get started on his degree and up his draft stock. He did just that in his first season becoming the first Freshman to make the First Team All-Big 12, as well as being the Freshman of the Year in the conference. The next season had a lot of expectations placed on him as he was a preseason All-American and preseason Co-Player of the Year in the Big 12. He was then eventually placed on the All-Big 12 Tournament Team at seasons end. After the terrific season, Brandon announced he would be entering the 2007 NBA Draft. It was before the draft took place that Rush tore his ACL during a pickup game that was involved in a scandal with the Knicks organization. Nothing happened with Rush in the scandal, but due to the fact that he had not hired an agent, he was able to rejoin the Kansas basketball team.


   Rush's decision to go back to Kansas proved to be a good one because his play led him to become the Big 12 Tournament MVP and helped Kansas win the 2008 NCAA Championship. After that season, he finally declared for the 2008 NBA Draft and was picked 13th overall by Portland, but then traded to Indiana. Indiana later traded him to Golden State, and Golden State traded him to Utah. He has been traded from every team he has been on.

   With Utah getting Rush in the trade, that meant Randy Foye was not returning. In my opinion, Brandon Rush is a taller, stronger, more athletic, more defensive, better shooting Foye. Randy tremendously improved the Jazz shooting last year and if B. Rush can continue the shooting he had in his season before the injury, it will improve more. One of the only problems he has is that he is injury prone. Brandon Rush has torn his ACL twice, and has only played a full NBA season once. If he can stay healthy, and do just as well as the 11-12 season, then he will be a huge factor for the Jazz next year. As always there is a highlight video below, a link to the video if you are on a mobile device, as well as a Wikipedia link. Thanks for reading!

 

You Can View The Video Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S92jlL6a9g
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandon_Rush
 

(Player Profile): Andrew Wiggins. Kansas SF #22

  For the projected 2014 NBA 1st Overall Pick, having two brothers playing college ball, a father who played in the NBA, and a mother who was an Olympic track-and-field sprinter, is a blessing. The hype that surrounds 18 year old Andrew Wiggins is something we haven't seen since the high school days of Lebron James. Already receiving comparisons to King James, Wiggins has managed to be pretty calm throughout the whole situation. Time will tell what happens when he hits the pros, but with this much potential and expectations on his back he will need the help of his family to push him through. Pro sports have seen many #1 picks become busts over the years such as Kwame Brown, Jamarcus Russell, Ryan Leaf, Darko Milicic, LaRue Martin, and even the likes of Freddy Adu. Andrew, however, has one thing many of these top picks didn't have. Experience. Even though he himself hasn't dealt with the likes of college, pro life, media, etc., his family has witnessed and felt the pressure first hand and I'm sure they will be the ones transitioning him from a social media hype beast, into one of the best basketball players in the world.

  As you can tell from his interviews, Wiggy is extremely humble and has a good character, as described by teammates, coaches, and opponents at the Nike Hoops Summit. They describe him as a down to earth kid, but once he hits the floor, it all changes. The Canadian transforms on the court and has drawn huge crowds into a small high school gym to see him play. Andrew received all sorts of awards for being the best high school player in the nation for his fantastic play this year, ultimately leading him to sign his NLI with Kansas.

  Wiggins has yet to play a real game with the Jayhawks, considering the season doesn't start until November, but did slam home a dunk on his first touch of the ball during a scrimmage with the team. A lot is to be expected from him this season and most believe he is a one and done, hence the talk of NBA teams having the motto: Tank For Wiggins. Many teams have joined that list already, but Wiggins has said he would like to play for his hometown Raptors. We will have to see what happens during the lottery.

  Being a Jazz fan I, like many other teams and fans, can only hope that we drop enough to get him. This would be great for Utah, even if Trey Burke ends up being shaky in his first season. The starting 5 could be a team with the most potential in the NBA, especially with a guy who is believed to have so much untapped potential. With Wiggy, Alec Burks could slide to PG, and Gordon could go back to the 2. The starters would be as follows: Burks, Hayward, Wiggins, Favors, Kanter.
If Trey Burke does work out, Alec could also be a great 6th man and could tremendously improve the second team, making the Jazz instant playoff contenders. Of course as chemistry builds, the team would get stronger. Teams need superstars, and with the excitement that has surrounded this guy, and coming from a place like Canada, I could see him staying in Utah his whole career. This is a player that only comes around once every ten years and I don't know of anyone who wouldn't want him on their team. Just my 2(2) cents.

  As you can tell in the highlight video below, Wiggins is a FREAK athlete. Everytime he goes for a dunk, his head is almost always above the rim. He is a great overall player with amazing hops and blocking skills. He can drive through the lane with ease and is a mediocre 3pt shooter. Though you can hardly tell in the video, Andrew has amazing speed and quickness, per Jabari Parker. In a link provided, you can see an interview with people from the Nike Hoops Summit, including Jabari Parker. There will also be a link to his NBA Draft profile, listing his strengths and weaknesses as well as other videos and other information. As always a Wikipedia link is provided and a YouTube link to the highlight video if you are on a mobile device.

You Can View The Video Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLsK-ZoL9sY
Nike Hoops Summit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnJB7a89Tkk
NBA Draft:  http://nbadraft.net/players/andrew-wiggins
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Wiggins

(Player Profile): Stevan Jovetić. Man City ST (# TBD)

 

  News broke out Thursday that coveted young striker, Stevan Jovetić, has been sold by club Fiorentina to EPL powerhouse, Manchester City. The fee is rumored to be around £28mil, which is roughly $42.6mil US Dollars. Arsenal supposedly had great interest in Jovetić, but nothing transpired. Manchester City were rumored to interested in signing Jovetić's Serie A counterpart Edison Cavani, but Stevan was the cheaper of the two. No one is quite sure how this move will work for Manchester City due to the fact they already have loads of offensive firepower. This move doesn't bode well for Agüero, especially after Manager Manuel Pelligrini told Edin Džeko he would play a big part in the team this year. Though Jovetić could still end up being on the short end of the stick.

Stevan began his career at the age of 16, playing for FK Partizan. At age 17, Jovetić tallied a hat trick in a UEFA Cup qualifier. It was later this year that he was rumored to be sought after by several top clubs like Real Madrid and Manchester United. At age 18, he became the clubs youngest captain, surpassing Partizan legend Albert Nađ. At seasons end, Stevan was sold for $12mil US Dollars to Fiorentina. Jovetić had a very average first two years even though he totaled his highest amount of assists in a season in year two. An injury kept him out his third year, but when he returned for his fourth he was ready for a challenge scoring his highest amount of goals ever with 14. He received much interest from top clubs again, but returned to Fiorentina. The 2012-13 season proved to be just as successful for young Stevan netting 13 league goals, even winning Man of the Match 3 times, and again receiving interest from top clubs.

  Jovetić's strengths are mainly long shots, dribbling, and passing. Jojo, as he is often called, completed 931 out of 1184 passes last year for the Viola, that is 78.6%. His only weakness seems to be crossing as he is usually not on the wing to cross anyway, only starting there twice last year. Stevan is considered a major threat on a counter attack, so the d-line usually doesn't cheat. You can tell he doesn't like the wing because he likes to make cuts inside when he is playing that position. Jojo is known for his long shot taking and ability, and it is fairly obvious because he only averaged 3.6 shots per game and a lot are from behind the 18. Also due to his big frame he tends to get fouled a lot. You can see more of him in the highlight video below, as well as learn more about him in the several links provided.

 

You Can View The Video Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzpE7G4lcR

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevan_Joveti%C4%87

Injuries & Other:  http://www.transfermarkt.com/en/stevan-jovetic/profil/spieler_46104.html

Tendencies/In-Depth Stats: http://www.whoscored.com/Players/29072

More Stats & Bio: http://www.goal.com/en-us/people/montenegro/19343/stevan-jovetic

 

(Player Profile): Trey Burke. Jazz PG #3

With the 9th pick of the 2013 NBA Draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves select: Trey Burke, from the University of Michigan. Thus began the professional career of Point Guard, Trey Burke. His first day being apart of the league showed him that the NBA is truly a business, being traded from the T'Wolves to the PG-less Utah Jazz. This was quite a surprise for Trey considering he never had a workout with the Jazz (though did have an interview), but is proving to be a good fit for him as the Jazz are starting an all-youth movement.

    Trey grew up with a competitive edge, winning attitude, and great leadership abilities thus leading him to have a very successful youth career. At age 5, his youth league had to change the rules so that he could not steal the ball as much as he did, not allowing him to full-court press. At age 9, Benji Burke, his dad and agent, made TB3 do everything with his left hand to obtain ambidexterity. It was at this same age that he met his best friend, future teammate, and future NBA colleague, Jared Sullinger.

     Trey and Jared's bond grew as they became high school teammates under Jared's father. They weren't allowed to play AAU ball together due to the age difference, but Trey's U15 squad did advance to the championship game, a game in which his team fell. Trey did, however, bounce back the next time around and won the National Championship game. In Trey's sophomore year, he and Jared led the team all the way to the finals and won the State Championship by a score of 60-58. In his junior year, Northland High School beat the top two teams in the nation and advanced to the Regional Finals, which they did end up losing to put a damp on what was a terrific season, being ranked #1 in the nation before that.

  Due to the fact that Jared and fellow teammate J.D. Weatherspoon left for Ohio State, it was Burke's team. He was able to lead his team to a 26-2 record, finishing #45th in the nation. Trey's efforts led him to become  Ohio Mr. Basketball.. It was before this season started that Burke announced he would be signing his NLI with the Michigan Wolverines, rivals of his hometown Ohio State Buckeyes that did not offer him a scholarship, where his best friend/former teammate happened to play. Trey ended his season with a 4 star rating on Scout and a 3 star rating on Rivals.

     During his freshman season at Michigan, he notched 7 total Freshman of the Week awards.  His play eventually helped the Wolverines grab a share of the Big Ten regular season title. After the stellar season he was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year by the Big Ten media, also being added to the All-Big Ten 2nd Team. As his sophomore season began he was suspended for the first exhibition game of the year for a "violation of team standards." Burke rebounded with very successful play which led to his team becoming the #1 team in the nation, the first time since the Fab Five did it in 1992.

     When the NCAA Tournament came around many people doubted the 4-seeded Michigan, but they were out to prove everyone wrong. Trey is known for having a chip on his shoulder and the doubters fueled him. In a sweet sixteen game against top-seeded Kansas, Burke single-handily brought the Wolverines back from a huge deficit with 23 points coming in the second half and in OT, which was only possible thanks to a clutch TB3 3-Pointer with only 4.2 seconds remaining.  UofM would fight all the way into the National Championship game where they lost to Louisville.

      After another fantastic season Burke was named Big Ten Player of the Year, as well as getting the Naismith Award, naming Trey the top player in the nation. Trey also received the Bob Cousy Award, Oscar Robinson Trophy, and the John R. Wooden Award. Just like that his amateur days were finished as he announced he would declare for the NBA Draft., where he ends up with the Jazz.

  Based on the stats at the top of the screen you can see that he has improved in every category except, barely, rebounds. This isn't just impressive because it was a tremendous leap, but he also did it averaging less minutes. As you can see in the highlight video below, Burke isn't a very athletic player which could be difficult for him in the point guard age of the NBA. Size is also a factor as he isn't near the average height for a point guard, and could spell trouble for him in the lane.

    He has attended one of Chris Paul's camps and could use that to his advantage and become a similar player in this league. He does have great leadership, but also respect for his teammates, which can also show a sure sign of maturity. Based on his ask.fm you could say otherwise however #EASTAFRICANWOMEN. He is usually a very decent shooter, but struggled in his first NBA action during Summer League shooting 24% from the field, 1 - 19 from three.  If he has to rely on his shooting he could very well end up like a Jerryd Bayless, but if he can master the game of the undersized ballhandler and put all of his talent and hard work to use, he could easily become the next CP3 in the next few years to come. They do call him TB3 for a reason...

You can view the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hs8hjC3mkiI
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trey_Burke

(Player Profile): Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - "The Amazing Spider-Man"

As a big time Mario Götze supporter, it was hard for me to see him leave Borussia Dortmund and join such a big time club and a rival. I will always like Götze no matter where he plays, but it seemed hard for me to continue the passion I had for BVB with him playing for Bayern Munich. That is where Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang comes in. Aubameyang played for St. Etienne in the French Ligue 1 last season netting the second most goals in league play (19), only behind the great Zlatan Ibrahimovic, also adding 9 assists. P-E's success last season led St. Etienne to win the Coupe de la Ligue, granting an automatic birth into the UEFA Europa League. However, because of this great play he was on many teams list to buy this transfer window. That is where UEFA Champions League Runners Up, BVB, comes in with a $17mil transfer for the Gabonese international. Pierre-Emerick was very excited to join the club saying they were one of the greatest clubs in Europe, also signing a 5 year contract. With his dazzling speed combined with his great ability to finish, he is a nightmare for defenders and goalkeepers as he can quickly get behind the opposition. BVB says he recorded a faster time over 30m than world record holder, Usain Bolt, only by .08 seconds and is part of the reason why I love this guy.  I started to become a fan of his during my several career modes in FIFA 12 and 13, I would make sure I always got him on my team because I love fast, technical strikers. Now that he plays for BVB, my love for them will be rekindled as another favorite player joins their ranks.

P-E claims he was surprised by the amount of support he received in his first friendly.

As you can see in his highlight video below, he is called by some "The Amazing Spider-Man" because of a celebration in which he pulled out a mask and started pretending to shoot webs (shown above). Some don't like this nickname because Newcastle midfielder, Jonás Gutiérrez, has already done a similar celebration before. I personally like the nickname because it compliments his style of play of being very speedy and agile. Hopefully Spidey's skill transfers over to the very fast paced Bundesliga, only time will tell.

You Can Also Watch HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiUDujzuCg8&feature=player_embedded
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre-Emerick_Aubameyang
Injuries & Other: http://www.transfermarkt.com/en/pierre-emerick-aubameyang/profil/spieler_58864.html
Tendencies/In-Depth Stats: http://www.whoscored.com/Players/44120
More Stats & Bio:  http://www.goal.com/en-us/people/gabon/31603/pierre-emerick-aubameyang

John Lucas III To Sign W/ Utah

        Some Free Agency news finally hit the Jazz as John Lucas III told all other suitors that he intends to sign with Utah. The Jazz and Lucas plan to have a deal agreed on by the end of the week. This signing is a surprise to most fans as they were expecting Dennis Lindsey & Co. to resign Jamaal Tinsley to be the mentor for Trey Burke. All signs also point towards the Jazz not resigning him, especially after this signing. S.L. Tribune writer Bill Oram also tweeted that the Jazz had stopped all talks with JT and have moved on. The news of the signing comes a week after Utah was rumored to be interested in Lucas when the front office was huddled up with him during the Orlando Summer League. Lucas looked to be the second option for the Jazz with talks going around that they were looking for a trade partner for another salary dump. It seems as though they couldn't find a team willing to give up as much picks and assets as they were looking for, but the Jazz did get a 30 year old PG with only 6 years of NBA experience. A very undersized PG, (5'11''), John Lucas III didn't have a great year last year, and did miss 1/4 of the season. He shot about 38% from the field which seems bad to most Jazz fans, but is better than Tinsley (36%), and Earl Watson (30%). He does seem to fit a Trey Burke-esque mold, an undersized PG that struggles to shoot, but JL3 has shown over the years that he can get in the lane and get a shot off which is what he will need to teach TB3. In my opinion, this is great signing for the Jazz, especially for a backup.

JL3 Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lucas_III