Reader comments
Mike Sorensen: Utah Jazz are in need of some new blood

Thanks a lot! | 9:02 a.m. June 29, 2009

Geez, Mike! Why didn't you turn your TV set off and watch a replay later? You have single handedly retarded the growth of soccer as a fan sport in the US for years to come. Or, at least until the next big upset....

The Jazz have | 9:08 a.m. June 29, 2009

a lot of options on replacing Boozer either this year or next year. If Okur has to be replaced that is also doable. This economy is going to stay bad and the Jazz will have great opportunities to get the right players. They just have to be patient and smart.

Don't over pay anyone! Develop the younger players (should have been done before) and wait for the right players via FA or trade. The Jazz can trade up to the trade deadline and there will be other teams dumping really good players.

Cummard will play in Europe. If he does well enough there he will get to the NBA.

the ty | 9:24 a.m. June 29, 2009

The NBA is for athletes. Nevil is not an athlete.

Comments continue below

Utah Products- No Way! | 9:24 a.m. June 29, 2009

Name just one Utah product other than Andre Miller that has cut it in the NBA the last 20 years? Don't give me Bo-guts or Van Horn or Doleac or Kite either!

reply | 9:37 a.m. June 29, 2009

tom chambers

Re: Utah Products- No Way! | 9:46 a.m. June 29, 2009

Ever heard of Tom Chambers? He was not only an all-star, but the all-star game's MVP.

re: Utah Products | 9:56 a.m. June 29, 2009

No offense, but you seem really not understand the game of basketball. As the Jazz team is currently constructed, Andrew Bogut would be the perfect fit at C. He can rebound, alter shots, play physical when needed, and has a decent back-to-the-basket game. Teaming him with either Boozer or Memo at the PF spot would be perfect.

Use your head, not your heart.

Jazz need new Blood? | 10:09 a.m. June 29, 2009

I have said that for 20 years. Get a new coach. Talk all you want about ways to "tweak" the roster. Until Jerry Sloan is gone, the team will finish 7th or 8th at best, and never win on the road. Please jerry, do the honest, ethical and morally correct thing and retire and let the franchise move on without you and your dark cloud of influence.

Fire Sloan and Bradley | 11:11 a.m. June 29, 2009

..all else will fall into place.

@Jazz need new Blood? | 11:26 a.m. June 29, 2009

"I have said that for 20 years. "

Really? Because if you were saying that back in 1996 you would have sounded pretty stupid.

Mistaken Mike | 11:32 a.m. June 29, 2009

Everyone keep proclaiming Brazil as THE team in world soccer, yet Brazil will tell you that winning the Confed Cup is a far cry from winning the World Cup. The defending World Cup champs from 2006 are the reigning kings of soccer until dethroned in a World Cup tourney, so Italy is king until Brazil can beat them in a World Cup. Soccer is a fickle sport dictated in large part by injuries and Italy has suffered many to key players. Let's not call Brazil THE team in world soccer until they officially dethrone Italy in a setting that counts. World Cup > Confed Cup

todd from santa ana | 11:43 a.m. June 29, 2009

Sloan undecided future is a large issue in this mess, Jerry please all you have to do is say "one more year" and we will leave you alone. Tomorrow could the biggest day in Jazz History

No pressure Kevin.

The world at least Utah will be watching.

Do the right thing.

todd from santa ana | 11:50 a.m. June 29, 2009

soccer is a great sport, the haters can keep opinions to themselves. It is upsetting we lost yesterday but a game plenty of chances, great goals and great saves.

I went to a soccer game once | 12:09 p.m. June 29, 2009

and that was enough. The score was 0-0 when I got there and the score was 0-0 when I left. They played the game for NO REASON AT ALL. No todd from Santa Ana, soccer is NOT a great sport as you say. It is however a great big waste of time.

Re: went to a soccer game | 12:27 p.m. June 29, 2009

If you like baseball you have NO room to talk. The second best thing in baseball? A no hitter. Whoopee! The best thing in baseball? A "perfect" game. No hits, no walks, no one on base, blah blah blahhhhh. That is BORING to me. But my bro in law loves it. To each their own. Soccer is a great game.

Soccer | 1:16 p.m. June 29, 2009

You don't even have to be athletic to play baseball! Ortiz is like 300 pounds and all he does is hit the ball. Soccer takes way more talent.

@ Utah Products- No Way! | 1:23 p.m. June 29, 2009

Danny Ainge. Dude has rings - and he earned 'em!

Re:@jazz need new blood | 1:35 p.m. June 29, 2009

Jerry Sloan had coached John and Karl for 8 years before they even got to the NBA finals. 2 out of the first 3 years jerry was the head coach, the jazz got knocked out in the first round with home court in both.

Jerry has never been a great coach, he got lucky and INHERITED stock and malone and underacheived with them. This franchise will never realize its full potential until Sloan is gone.

THEeyepatch | 2:24 p.m. June 29, 2009

Fire Jerry Sloan. He has coached to HOF's and still couldn't get a championship. Now you want him to bring in some new blood? What's he going to do with them? 20 years plus years and still waiting.................

To All No-Ways Commentors | 2:52 p.m. June 29, 2009

Can you people read? I said in the last 20 years! How many has it been for Chambers and Ainge since they were in college? What about Arnie Ferrin I suppose someone might say under the same scenario. Lately people lately.

Chadders | 2:57 p.m. June 29, 2009

I don't understand how this relates to RSL but oh well. Soccer haters need to try soccer at tht top level before writing it off. If your only experience with basketball was jr high basketball would you think it was a great sport? Of course not! No one who watched Barcelona play can doubt they are athletes or that soccer is a great sport.

Coach Sloan is incredible! Before he took over how many playoff series did we win? Before he took over was anyone talking about Stock or Malone as the best players ever at their positions? Once Booz leaves everyone will realize that Slaon made him seem like a much, much better player than he is. You can't make a cake without the right ingredients no matter how good of a cook you are. You can't win a championship without the right ingredients either, it doesn't mean you are a bad coach. If Karl Malone was the same in the 4th quarter that he was in the first 3 quarters, Sloan would have at least 2 rings if not more.

Searce | 3:12 p.m. June 29, 2009

Re: @ Jazz Need New Bolld

I love it! Good comment. Some need to be careful what they say. When a person posts in an emotional frame of mind, not having analyzed a stiuation, it comes out like the above noted poster!

Athletic to play soccer?? | 3:13 p.m. June 29, 2009

Hey if you can run you can play! This is why it is the worlds most popular sport. ANYONE CAN DO IT! Granted that baseball has certain positions that require little to no athleticism (Especially in the AL - the DH ie David Ortiz only has to hit) but having played both sports, In my experience baseball is much more difficult. I couldn't hit a breaking ball to save my life. And I guarantee that NONE of us(myself included) could hit a 100 mph fastball, 300 lbs or not.

If you know nothing about baseball then a no hitter would be boring. However...the game still does not end until there is a WINNER and a LOSER. Come back and argue Soccer when they do the same...

Gulp... | 3:17 p.m. June 29, 2009

..ESPN is airing all 65 games next year at the World Cup. Yesterday's game recieved a 2.74 rating. Son of a ......Soccer is catching on here in the States.

RE Re: Went to a soccer game | 3:19 p.m. June 29, 2009

Really? I share my first (and last) experience at a Soccer game and the only way you can defend your sport is by bashing baseball?
"well If you like baseball then..."

Thank you for making my point for me. lol!

Anyway, we shouldnt be disgracing the jAZZ with talk of soccer on their article. I am sorry to all you fans of a real sport that can't end in a scoreless tie.

todd to chadders | 3:46 p.m. June 29, 2009

I agree mostly with your last sentence. I thought I was the only who noticed, Karl had a lot of 4th quarters come up short. I remember the missed free throws end of 96 Seatlle Series, otherwise we could have been in 3 finals in a row maybe the 96 team wins a title-we will never know

Chadders | 4:04 p.m. June 29, 2009

Ok I did a little number crunching with Coach Sloan. He has coached us for about 21 seasons, his total win/loss % is 0.623. In the playoffs it is just a shade under 0.500. On average with Jerry as the coach the Jazz win 1.7 rounds of the playoffs. If you don't include the years the Jazz missed the playoffs though they win 2 rounds a year as an average. There has been 1 count it ONE losing season! Please stop saying we usually go out in the 1st round, that is not true. If we took out the worst Jazz year, where he had no chance at all of competing his w/l % is about 0.640! He usually wins about 2 out of every 3 games in the regular season and it is practically a toss up in the post season. There have certainly been some dissapointments in Jazz history but those that fault Sloan are kidding themselves. The reason the Jazz couldn't get it done during the Stock-to-Malone days is Malone was the biggest choker ever. He was a great HOF player no doubt but he chocked!!

Chadders | 4:32 p.m. June 29, 2009

Re: athletic at 3:13
Just because it is difficult to hit a breaking ball or a 100 mph pitch that doesn't mean it requires a lot of athleticism. It is incredibly difficult to make a 10 foot put or drive a golf ball 300 yards to a fairway, does that make golf more of a sport than baseball? I promise it is harder to play soccer at tht highest level than baseball at the highest level.
In soccer at the top level you have the best athletes from almost every country in the world. So let's estimate there is a pool of what 2 billion people? To be one of the top 100 players in the world in soccer you have to be better than 20 million people on average. Let's say there are 100 million baseball players (which seems high to me).
To be a top 100 player in the world you only have to be better than 1 million people at the same thing. So you have to be 20 times the athlete and beat out 20 times as many people to be an elite soccer player vs an elite baseball player.

soccer fan | 4:35 p.m. June 29, 2009

it doesn't happen very often if ever, but american football (nfl) can end in a scoreless tie in the regular season.

Jumbo Slice | 5:17 p.m. June 29, 2009

Hey Sor remember when the Jazz got beat by the Lakers?

@Chadders | 5:27 p.m. June 29, 2009

It was not just Malone fading in the 4th. It was also the fact that the Jazz just did not have enough overall talent in the collective role players. Stockton and Malone's max contracts and a couple of misguided overpaid mistakes sucked up all of the money for the needed talent.

The key question this year is will the Jazz ever learn from their past financial mistakes? They can rebuild at better team than the one they have now but they can't afford to pay more for average players like Boozer, Okur and Korver. Yes I know, Boozer is above average but he only plays 2/3s of the time and disappears against the best teams.

If Utah had Rodman instead of Chicago the Jazz would have won at least one ring. On the other hand, Miller would have never signed the freak and Sloan could not have coached him (not knocking Sloan).

It takes more than 2 great players. It takes enough of the right role players.

Give me some feedback | 5:30 p.m. June 29, 2009

on the idea of going after unrestricted FA Villanueva. He is a 6'11" PF who can shoot the 3, has 16 points and about 8 boards a year. He has 3 years of experience.

Is he a good fit for the Jazz? Can he replace Boozer? Okur? or Millsap? Does he play defense?

georg | 7:16 p.m. June 29, 2009

Love the Jazz, and do read about them and did watch many Jazz games last season, My question is why was this article on this site???? To all of you who hate soccer (1 or 2 people on this post) get used to it!!! its here to stay and there are more fans than you can, or ever will be able to understand.
As to the Jazz, I still think they need a dominant center to be succesful.

@ Give me some feedback | 8:59 p.m. June 29, 2009

16pts / 8brds a year is horrible.
How's that for feedback?

Majic happens | 10:42 p.m. June 29, 2009

you never know....the Jazz could get lucky and get rid of Boozer. Let Okur go to since he doesn't know how to play defense. develop the youngsters. we have time. cut a deal with toronto and get Chris Bosh.

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