No team in the Association needed a Kyle Korver more than the Utah Jazz. Entering Monday, the Jazz was hitting a league-low 3.7 3-pointers per game, well below most of the other contenders in the West. Golden State, Phoenix and San Antonio are all ranked in the top four and in the 8-9 range per night, and in today's NBA, you need to hit shots from deep to win. Utah wasn't doing that.
Enter Korver, a fan favorite in Philly who certainly brings the Jazz a much-needed 3-point threat. Fantasy owners in ESPN leagues made Korver the No. 25 shooting guard in average live drafts, meaning he wasn't picked in near every league, and even after he was picked he was soon dropped. Korver didn't get off to a good start to the season, and missing two weeks in November didn't endear himself to fantasy owners either.
He's healthy, however, and now we see Korver as one of the top pickups in ESPN leagues, even before he makes his Jazz debut against the streaking Trail Blazers on New Year's eve. So which Korver should we expect, the one who has struggled with his shot this season, or the one who tied Quentin Richardson for the NBA lead in 2004-05 with 226 threes, then finished fifth the season after? There's a big difference, you know.
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Eric Karabell
