Lin Ragner

Taylorsville, Utah

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Sloan underutilizes Okur

Mehmet Okur has been worth every penny. Why Sloan starts stiffs like Jarron Collins and Curtis Borchardt over him is beyond my comprehension. Carlos Boozer is lost on defense, so his ALMOST average of a double-double is voided simply because the guys he defends do better. Harsh? Yes, but true.

Cory Hansen

St. George

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Lopez is big Jazz mistake

Why are the Jazz so in love with Raul Lopez? Defensively, he could not guard a parked car and offensively he has no lift and can do nothing but shoot 3-pointers. We gave up Mo Williams to keep Lopez, and Williams is 10 times the athlete Lopez is. Ask yourself this question: If the Jazz tried to trade Lopez, who would want him? Obviously, the blame for this season cannot be placed solely on Lopez, but his continued presence on the Jazz is the best example of poor decisionmaking in the front office. Rather than admit they were wrong to draft him where they did they keep him on the roster taking up a spot that someone with more skills and athleticism could fill. He is no more "the next John Stockton" than I am the next Jack Nicklaus.

Reed Kimball

Salt Lake City

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Players must adapt to Sloan

Memo Okur and Carlos Boozer, while nice additions offensively, have proven a liability on the defense end, and often don't show up on the stat sheet on offense either. Inconsistency seems to be the biggest problem, and an unwillingness to work at both ends. Jerry Sloan is a fantastic coach, and these and other players need to learn to adapt to his style of play. Sloan's style is one of execution, not athleticism, and these guys sometimes believe they can go one on one rather than executing tested fundamental basketball. Fast breaks are often a comedy of errors with poor spacing and missed opportunities.