Andrei's return can't save Jazz
Young Utah can't seem to make right plays to win games
The Memphis Grizzlies beat the Jazz 110-94 Saturday night, putting the Jazz to bed early in the fourth quarter with a 23-4 run. Explosive applause welcomed Andrei Kirilenko back from his two-month hiatus.
Checking into the game with five minutes and 18 seconds to play in the first quarter, Kirilenko quickly caught a pass and drove in for a layup — with the foul to boot.
But a badly missed free throw, followed by two Jazz fouls at the other end, epitomized an uncoordinated return by Utah from a four-day layoff. In all, the Jazz shot a mind-numbing 61 percent from the free-throw line — 16 misses in all — and allowed the Grizzlies to weave, screen and blow their way past the lackluster home team. To many of the Jazz faithful, it looked like deja vu all over again.
The Jazz kept the game close for nearly three quarters, then let it get out of hand in the fourth. But not many expected it to get this far out of hand. When the Jazz weren't playing tip drills with themselves, they were doing a five-stooges routine with sloppy ballhandling two feet from the rim. It was enough to spoil an otherwise happy return by Kirilenko, who moved fairly well with his brace and defended and blocked shots the way we've all come to expect.
If it wasn't clear before, it certainly seems so now: young teams crave confidence, and confidence comes through consistency. If you keep the same lineup and keep winning ball games, you can keep confidence high, and the momentum swings upward. But the Jazz, the second-youngest team in the league, have seen several low lows to go with their high highs.
After suffering through so many injuries, lineup changes and now the Arroyo trade, it's evident the Jazz haven't been able to keep anything consistent. And after a confidence-building 6-1 start, they have floundered to their newfound home in the NBA's lottery.
The Phoenix Suns, the youngest team in the league, have seen the same thing happen in the desert, dropping six straight games after a 31-4 start with recent injuries to Steve Nash. It's no wonder Phoenix has traded three of its youngsters — 23-year-olds Casey Jacobsen and Jackson Vroman and 19-year-old Maciej Lampe — for 34-year-old vet Jim Jackson to steady the ship.
Kirilenko's return may be a resounding boost for the Jazz. There is still time to turn the season into a positive, building experience for next year. But it won't matter how much bang Kirilenko comes in with if the Jazz only whimper through the fourth.
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