Defensive collapses wear on Jazz coach

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — As the Jazz wheel through a revolving door of starting shooting guards this season, each with defensive liabilities of one sort or another that prompt coach Jerry Sloan to keep making switches, and as Utah continues to watch a merry-go-round of perimeter players score 50-plus point against them, Washington's Gilbert Arenas on Monday joining Michael Redd, Kobe Bryant and Ray Allen, perhaps there is a lesson to be learned by flipping through the ol' history book.

Jeff Hornacek, who hobbled through the late stages of his seven-season Jazz career on a bum knee whose cartilage was so worn that bone rubbed on bone, wasn't exactly the greatest defender in NBA history.

"But very few people got by him," Sloan said, recalling his starting off-guard from Utah glory days of the mid-to-late 1990s.

How did Hornacek see to that?

Sloan doesn't have to close his eyes to see the vision and picture his foot-speed-challenged sharpshooter finding other means for getting the job done on the defensive end of the floor.

"He always kept his body between his man and the basket — with one leg," the Jazz coach said.

"He had great technique," Sloan added. "He knew how to use his hands. If a guy was dribbling the ball with his right hand, he'd have his hand down there and try to stop him. Or at least make him turn."

Standing in an arena hallway in Washington, where Arenas' Wizards beat the Jazz 114-111 to send Utah to the Detroit area for tonight's meeting with the Pistons riding a four-game losing streak, Sloan shows the motions.

He does so with passionate animation, so much so he practically knocks the notebook and tape recorder out of a reporter's hand.

"Say you're dribbling toward me," Sloan said. "(Most defenders), they've got their hand up. And all (the ball-handlers) do is dribble under your arm."

So simply put it down, Sloan instructs.

"We work on that and talk about it a great deal every day in practice," he added, "but we have a difficult time to get guy to be able to challenge the basketball, see if they can get a piece of the basketball."

If Sloan can get at least that much from one of his shooting guards — forget, for the time being, actually knocking down shots — perhaps he can finally settle on a starter.