The Jazz have been hit the hardest with the changes in officiating out of any other team in the NBA. With that said, I want to say one last thing. With this world of play and all, Jerry is going to have to do some adjusting. I don't think we will actually turn all the way around trying to play like we used to. Now it is more of a scoring game and the physical stops of the past aren't going to happen. Andrei's game is perfect for this type of play but how to do the other defensive stops I am not sure, but Jerry needs to look at all options including zones. I know he was a hard nose player and is a hard nose coach but the game changed and the coaching has to change with it. I am not saying dump Jerry, but Jerry needs to look at reviewing the system as much as trying to make the current players play in the old one.

Mark Larsen

Gig Harbor, Wash.

---

Time for Sloan to hang it up

I think it might be time for Sloan to hang it up. I watched the Cavs game from right behind Jerry. He seemed uninterested. The guys that got him the big first-half lead sat most of the second half. He put a rookie on LeBron in the fourth and left him there until we were firmly behind. Some of the Jazz big men shouldn't even be in the NBA, let alone starting over Okur.

The Jazz should hang it up for the year. Shoot for that first rounder. And look for a new inspired coach.

D.R. Barrett

Orem, Utah

---

Defense is killing the Jazz

The Jazz's problems this season boil down to one thing: defense.

Last season, Utah's opponents' field goal percentage was 43 percent. So far this season, it is 46 percent. Last season, Utah's opponents' points per game average was 89.9. So far this season, it is 98.7. Giving up almost nine more points per game than last year means losing a lot more games than last year.

Sure, the rules changes have limited the ability of all teams to play tough defense; sure, the Jazz system may have been hurt more than other teams because of the way the Jazz play, shall we say, aggressive "hands-on" defense. But the new rules are here to stay, and the Jazz have to be able to adjust. The help defense from the weak side has been atrocious all year, especially with Kirilenko out with a knee injury. Even with Kirilenko back, Jazz defenders simply cannot continue to rely on him to bail them out with a block when they are beaten off the dribble. The perimeter defense has also been poor. Maybe trading Carlos Arroyo sent enough of a message to the remaining perimeter players that defense matters, so they will improve. We'll see.

And the small guys aren't the only problem — Carlos Boozer (though I love his offensive game) and Mehmet Okur (though he is coming along better and better) both need to step up their defensive intensity. Regardless of who is to blame or why the Jazz have not played adequate defense, the bottom line is that Jazz must get better defensive effort out of their players. Either that or the Jazz must get different players who will provide that defensive effort.

Kevin B. Huff

Alexandria, Va.

---

Winning comes with experience