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Jazz notes: Giricek, Sloan clash on bench

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Aus Jazz Fan | 5:48 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
Time to bite the bullet, trade Giri, Collins & if the trade is right Memo as well , we are too soft in the paint def wise , get a centre or C / pf too assist Booz and devlop Fes, Millsap has already proved his worth with hustle & passion. Kirilenko has been good , but more consitency please
Jimmy's Sneakers | 7:01 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
Sam Mitchell coaches the Raptors, Sam Vincent coaches the Bobcats...

...Will someone please tell Jimmy what was said in the exchange between Giri and Jerry?
Kevin | 7:19 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
It is time for Sloan to go... His inability to adjust to a changing game and players will get in the way of the good things that he does. Larry Millar's loyalty and backing will allow the next coach to have the same power that Sloan has and hopefully he will pick a coach with the ability to communicate and adjust on the fly. Move on Jerry your day has passed... enjoy life and let the Jazz do the same
Comments continue below
cdawg | 7:45 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
I became a jazz because of stockton and malone. I've stayed a jazz fan because of sloan. Having said that, its hard to think the jazz need a different direction, but sloan definitely seems tired, or his players are tired of him, or there's mental fatigue existing maybe even some team chemistry issues for some reason. They seem sluggish for lack of a better word. Since I'm not an insider, its tough to know for certain. Hopefully time will tell whats going on but somethings got to change, I'd say by at the allstar break or shortly after. How can a potential championship team be .500 and losing to NY, CHA, ATL, and CLE, etc.? Thats unacceptable for a team with that much offensive potential no matter how bad your defense is.
el ninho | 7:45 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
Sloan is a bad coach!!! That's it!
rodan32 | 7:47 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
Kevin, how many times have we heard that and been proven wrong? Which coach in the league would you pick to replace Sloan with? Go home, study basketball, and come back when you make sense.
last month | 8:10 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
It was just last month that everyone was saying how great a coach Sloan is. How short minded you all are. Sloan is a top 5 coach in this league. Any replacement would take two to three years to prepare. With our luck the replacement would be Scott Layden and we can see what he did as a gm to the Knicks.
Curtiss | 8:17 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
It is very obvious how important Fisher was to the Jazz. He had the experience to finish off a win. This team needed another year with him to complete this very important lesson.

Finally, put a package deal together with Giri & Collins and get an experience game closer.
FAIRWEATHER FANS NEED NOT APPLY | 8:21 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
Every time the Jazz lose a couple of games, people (idiots) start calling for Sloan's head.

These are the same people who would've broken up the Jazz team that went to 2 NBA finals and probably would've come away with a championship if not for MJ.

These are the same people that were calling for Boozer trades, lusting after Chris Paul and criticizing Deron Williams two years ago.

These are the same TYPE of people that were Nets fans a couple of years ago and Cleveland fans last year.

If you fire Sloan, who are going to go with? People talk about firing Sloan, but I've never heard ANYONE name a replacement. You'd pick up a guy that a team fired trying to get a coach like Sloan. THERE IS NOT A COACH IN THE COUNTRY THAT COULD REPLACE SLOAN. I challenge anyone to name a guy that could do a better job. Byron Scott? Doc Rivers? Mike Brown? Think again people.

These kind of Jazz fans are just FAIRWEATHER, plain and simple and make up about 75% of the fanbase unfortunately. It is the Utah plague. Utah just has bad fans. Sorry folks. That's the way it is.
re rodan32 | 8:23 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
I would replace him with popovich,jackson or mcmillan
Coach | 8:29 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
Yeah let's fire Sloan. The guy who has stayed with the small market Jazz for 20 years and fought through the hard times and good times. Yeah it was Sloan's fault that Jordan stole the ball from Malone in '98. It is Sloan's fault that players don't want to play in SLC. Blame it all on Sloan. When will you Sloan haters realize that it isn't Sloan? Do you see his players complaining about him? I will be the first to admit that his treatment of Giri is confusing. But that's about it.

In my mind, the problem right now is tired legs. 15 of 21 on the road. Three guys (Memo, Andrei, Deron) who are important to our success have been playing basketball for over a year straight now with summer teams. The body can only go for so long. In my opinion, playing on these summer teams for their countries is killing the Jazz.
RE: re rodan32 | 8:34 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
I don't think either of those three are going to be on the streets looking for work any time soon. Try again.
Anonymous | 8:37 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
You can't package Giri & Collins and get anything in return. If you trade trash, you will get trash back.
CHUCK BARKLEY | 8:40 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
The Jazz have just been playing Te-rrible basketball plain and simple. There Te-rrible. They run the same offense to jam the ball in the middle, but every Te-rrible team like portland, sacramento,Atlanta, Bobcats. Have figured out how to beat these Te-rrible Jazz. Plus solan plays his fab 5 to much he needs to lighten up and play Harpring, Price, Miles, And Gira more. Thats just Te-rrible he lets these players rot on the bench. Brewer has proved he is the starter but he should not be playing more than 20 minutes, and not at the end of the game. The Jazz play Te-rrible Defense too. Kenny the bottomline is the Jazz have turned into a Te-rrible Te-rrible Te-rrible Te-rrible Team that has good players. There just Te-rrible
C L | 8:42 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
Get real, people. Sloan irreplaceable??? Come on... Phil Johnson is one of the best basketball coaches around. He has been a very good assistant coach, and would be an excellent head coach. I'm not advocating getting rid of Sloan, but if they did, Phil would do a great job as the coach, so saying there is no adequate way to replace Sloan is just not reaslistic. Phil could step in and do a wonderful job, without any disruption of the team's routine at all. I don't know when the right time for Sloan to hang it up is, but when he does, Phil should definitely be his replacement.
Anonymous | 8:47 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
Chuck take that stupid Charlotte jersey off!

Sloan needs to go.
Good Game | 8:53 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
When was the last time the Jazz played as a team. It was when Booz was on the sideline watching. Booz is a very talented player. However, the Jazz need to focus on their strength. They are very athletic and need to use that athleticism to compete. Holding on to the ball gives the defense an easy time. The teams that kill the Jazz are the ones who pass the ball rapidly around the perimeter. The Jazz could learn a lot from how other teams play them.
Re Curtiss | 8:55 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
Tell me when Fisher ever finished off a game...oh I guess he hit one three in game 2 of the GS series with the jazz already comfortably ahead and got a ton of credit for that.

Fisher was nearly worthless for the jazz last year. He couldn't defend the 2 (and that's not his fault), and he shot horribly all the time. His stupidity nearly cost the jazz the houston series.
OK | 8:59 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
(When hearing about their horrible style of play I pull a Stephen A Smith and walk off the set)

All you sloan supporters will be doin like wise when we go 14-53 by seasons end.
Sorry | 9:01 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
I meant 14-66. I bet everyone on here will agree we need to fire sloan after that. It's sheer stupidity not to blame the coach for some of this problem. You have to in order to keep some credibility.
All Sloan's fault | 9:09 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
Yeah, when Sloan missed that jumper and committed that dumb foul, I knew it was time to fire him.

What about the jazz and their 13-5 start? Should credit go to Sloan for that?

What about going to the conf finals last year? Should we give Sloan credit for that?

Say, why don't YOU coach the jazz! in the 80's Larry Miller got mad about a losing streak and decided to fire Layden and coach the jazz himself. Luckily, Checkets wouldn't let him, and Miller learned a lesson.

Luckily, you have nothing to do with the jazz except be a stupid fan.
GoodGuyGary | 9:12 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
If I remember right, both Giri and Collins are in the last year of their contracts. I am sure this combo will draw some interests from teams that have high payroll. Dallas, Knicks, and who else?
Amused | 9:17 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
Now do you people still wonder why players don't want to play in SLC? Get real peeps it's not all about the city.
RE: Okay, Sorry | 9:23 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
Try again, you're still 2 games short - there's 82 games in the regular season, so by your prediction, it would actually be 14-68.
Stan | 9:24 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
My opinion is that Sloan is exactly what they need. In order to win, they need to play defence. I don't care if Sloan wins another game or not, he is a throwback coach who can win if his players listen to him.
LNV | 9:39 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
Pick and Roll. Pick up your belongings and roll back to the FARM.
old-faithful | 9:58 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
Its time to hop back on the John Deer tractor and ride off into the sunset Sloan and never turn back!
bergstro | 10:06 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
1) Giri destroys our offense. Everytime he catches the ball, he pump-fakes and drives left when he should have just shot it or hit the next guy in the offensive rotation. He is good for one bad pass and one travelling call every game.

2) We cannot defend anyone off the dribble. It started against Sacramento, and now no one even runs an offense against us in the 4th. They just go one-on-one off the dribble to the foul line. Our help-out team defense is the worst in the league, and it starts with Boozer.

3) We cannot play against the a zone that packs the middle. Defenders play the passing lanes, taking us out of our offensive sets. We have no shooting guard to stretch the zone as a 3-pt threat to compliment Williams.

4) Kirilenko should never shoot a 3 early in the shot clock in the final with the game on the line. He is shooting 14% from 3. Monkies do better with thier eyes closed.

5) Our future rides on Memo and Harpring. If they hit open jumpers on offense and play tough D, it completely changes the way teams have to play us.
Curtiss supporter | 10:19 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
Curtiss is right on the money! Simply put, the Jazz lack the veteran leadership needed to finish, not to mention, the outside shooting. Everything went inside during crunch time and teams have been going into a zone defense clogging the middle (hence all the 4th quarter turnovers), however, I suspect that things will open up a little when Memo gets back (which is what Sloan diagnosed a few days ago). The starters are playing way too many minutes and are probably worn out in the 4th, which also contributes to their free throw shooting woes. We need desparately need outside shooting and a strong defensive effort from everyone. Oh yeah, our transition defense stinks the most.
CHUCK | 10:21 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
Sloan is Te-rrible he has never one coach of the year, but yet he is the third highest winning coach in NBA history. He's Te-rrible he coached a team from no playoffs to the 4th seed. He is just A te-rrible Te-rrible coach. I think it's Te-rrible players! That just want to shoot and make sure they get there points in. They are just a Te-rrible team. That runs a two man Boozer to Williams offense that Te-rrible teams have caught on to.
GoodGuyGary | 10:24 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
I don't get to see Jazz play alot, but every time I watch Giri play, he will have at least one to two travelling call like bergstro mentioned above. I wonder why.

Remember back then when Jazz only have Stockton and Malone and Jazz still get to the finals. Pick and roll don't work, and Sloan should pack? Come on, be fair.
rsfarmerjd | 10:42 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
If Sloan is so smart why did he let the team go from a 12 point lead to a six point deficit without calling a timeout? I maintain he doesn't have a clue how to play against a zone--since it is against his belief that a shot outside the paint is against the rules. It is obvious that he wants to win with Boozer scoring all 110 points! No one dares shoot for fear of being set down. Barkely said it best when he said Sloan shelf life has past. The game has simply left him behind. The 3 point shot is legal!!!!
Wake up LHM | 10:58 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
Sloan has had 20 years to bring us a ring. It will never happen and is about as hopeless as T-MAC making it out of the first round of the playoffs.

Fire sloan before he runs Williams and Boozer off.

To save the platoon you need to kill the commanding officer.

wake up jazz fans | 11:05 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
Ha Ha Ha Sloan just signed a 1 year extension so take that Sloan haters.
Lee | 11:10 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
These guys that come over from Europe to play in the NBA don't want to play the physical defense that is necessary in this league. To them, defense is half heartedly putting a hand up in a guys face to try and alter his shot. They don't like physical play, that is the problem with guys like Giricek and Okur and this is what riles Sloan up. Kirilenko is not a physical player either, he is lanky and athletic but does not play a physical game. Even Boozer and Williams who are strong players at their positions are soft on the defensive end. The only guy on this team who plays physical basketball and is not afraid to bang bodies is Millsap. Sloan may be stubborn and set in his ways, he's not the greatest coach but until the Jazz start playing more physical on the defensive end and put their bodies on people the losses will keep piling up. Other teams have them figured out now. And while they're at it, the Jazz better get a rebounder and defensive enforcer to play the center position. Okur is nothing, why do you think Detroit was happy to let him go?
Anonymous | 11:11 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
rsfarmerjd:
I'm not a Jazz fan, but it makes sense that they don't shoot a lot of threes. It's based on their personell. Sloan correctly wants Williams to be a playmaker and a slasher, instead of shooting too many threes. Kirilenko can't hit a 3 to save his life, so obviously you don't want him taking a lot of threes. Okur takes 3.4 threes per game, which is pretty high, considering the fact that he's a center.

If they had a decent shooting guard I'm sure they would shoot more threes. But they don't and that's been their problem for years. Brewer has a lot of potential as a player, but three point shooting just isn't his thing. I sure hope you don't want Harpring or Millsap to start launching threes.

And Giricek is a joke. He deserves to be benched, the Jazz don't need any softies who can't play defense. Yes he can shoot threes, but only if he's wide open and someone hits him with a perfect pass.
kelly | 11:30 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
wow some of you guys make me feel better, saying things are going to get better and be alright when Memo comes back. So now you think Memo is the answer!!! How funny!!! We are desperate to think a guy that hasnt done anything for almost a year is going to save our season! I think Memo's greatest value for us is in a trade.
WOW...not Sloan's fault | 11:34 a.m. Dec. 20, 2007
Jerry Sloan is not the reason for this Jazz slide, it's the soft roster the front office has put together. Sloan doesn't have players that will play the game hard, or play defense. This team needs a major overhaul. The Jazz will NEVER win anything with the current roster. Roll the dice, mix it up, and see what happens. Bring in some guys that will play hard, play defense, and play for Jerry. What do the Jazz have to lose? They're an average playoff team. Larry H. Miller needs to grow a pair and let O'Conner try to fix this crap before it's too late. But he won't, and the Jazz will limp into the playoffs as a 7, or 8 seed. If they make the playoffs at all.
Mike W | 12:06 p.m. Dec. 20, 2007
This team is incredibly young, let's not forget that. Last year things fell perfectly into place and they advanced further than they should have. Interviews with players I hear seem to reflect a group that thinks they're better than maybe they really are. They're not sneaking up on anybody anymore.

Jason Hart and Ronnie Price cannot (thus far) adequately replace Deron Williams, so far both of those signings have been flops.

The 2 Guard is clogged and someone needs to go, either Giricek or Miles.

The defense, and the team as a whole really, are too soft... they don't intimidate anyone! Maybe Boozer or Fesenko need to knock someone on their butts with some hard fouls (I'm thinking Ginobili) and put at least some element of fear into opponents the way Malone did.

Sloan is not the problem, anyone who thinks so hasn't paid attention the last 20 years.
Tough but true | 12:37 p.m. Dec. 20, 2007
I have been a Jazz fan my entire life and although I hate to say it...it is time for Sloan to go. Think of all of the talent he has coached and count the number of championships he has...ZERO. I've seen the same thing with High school and collegiate coaches...after so much time it is incredibly hard to keep your passion and keep new ideas flowing. Sloan is still coaching like his players are in their late 30's not early 20's...when was the last time you saw some real pressure on the ball? Why don't they run the court more?
When it comes down to it for some reason Sloan does not have what it takes to win a championship. He seems more worried about what his "professional" players SHOULD know or SHOULD do that he forgets that they may need reminding or some motivation. He has stated over and over that their motivation should be their paycheck, but anyone who is an athlete knows the coach can make all the difference regardless of the talent or salary of the player.
I nominate Hornacek for the job!
At this point, I'd take Corbin or Jackson
Dump dead weight | 12:41 p.m. Dec. 20, 2007
Giricek, Miles, Collins and Harpring are all considered to be dead weight at this point. Giricek could never carry his own and has always been a liability. Miles will never have the mental toughness to be consistent. Collins is a charge taker and has no other basketball skills. Harpring is effective when played but is only good for 10 minutes when he does. Don't even get me started on our worthless offseason.

We need to wake up and get a bench. Millsap is the only one around that can provide some form of relief.

As far as the Sloan haters, I'm not willing to pin this one solely on him. Sure, he has to take some blame, but the blame falls on everyone here. This season is starting to look more and more like the 26 win season from a few years ago.
Soupe from MD | 12:52 p.m. Dec. 20, 2007
We need to get ride of Hart and replace with almost any PG in the league. Hart cant pass, cant shoot cant play D. He is the worst PG I have seen in Jazz history.

Collins: He is so invisible on the offense that the opponent doesnt even know he is playing. Thats why they run into him and 'CHARGE'. But starting him... is not a good idea.

Giri: He can knock 3s and jump shots. I think he should be backup SF. He is called for his bad D. Look at Harpring, the worst D ever. Giri should do fine guarding SF. I think Sloan-Giri problem is off-court and personal.
RE: wake up jazz fans | 12:53 p.m. Dec. 20, 2007
So your telling me you would rather have sloan coaching us than an NBA championship?
Sandman | 12:56 p.m. Dec. 20, 2007
Make a trade... Giricek, Miles, Collins and maybe even Memo. The Jazz need some AGGRESIVE players that know how to play deffense. Even the offense needs help. Make a trade, what have you got to loose?
RE: All Sloans Fault | 12:58 p.m. Dec. 20, 2007
So when the jazz fired Frank Layden it was completley different.

They Werent at the WCF the previous year.

They were making free throws.

They werent as talent then as they were last season.

LHM dupes you | 1:04 p.m. Dec. 20, 2007
LHM has duped you sloan lovers that he's god's gift to basketball. We need somebody who can relate to the players more and who isnt stubborn enough to switch up the offense when things arent going well.
Sloan is only part | 1:18 p.m. Dec. 20, 2007
Yeah Sloan is loosing his touch but I don't think a coaching change will fix the problem. They have two big names in Williams and Boozer but neither is great at defense. If these two are the ones to build the team around, then we need to pack the other positions with better defenders to make up for their bad D. I know San Antonio won't give him up but a Bruce Bowen type player would really help at the 2. I'd look at Porland's first pick in the draft, yeah he's hurt but he's got potential for next year. Something that can provide this team with some defensive presence.
Shoot First Sit by Sloan Later | 1:48 p.m. Dec. 20, 2007
Current problems with Jazz.....need a shooter(s) to break the zone.....need a post defender......best players (Williams and Boozer) need to play more than Ole' defense and we need a coach that people want to play for. Giricek is not a punk and it's hard to blame him for this streak while he's been riding the bench. Bottom line is other teams have learned how to defend current Jazz line-up and Sloan is too inflexible to adjust and play the shooters when the defense is packing it in.
to fairweather | 1:56 p.m. Dec. 20, 2007
losing 7 of 8 is not a couple of games. Keep in mind Utah is now 3rd in the division, behind Portland. Golden State now has a better record. The team just can't play defense and looks like a chicken without a head against the zone. A coach can say all the right things, but the players still have to take action. It's sad that coaches take all the blame, except for Isiah of course, he deserves most of the crap he is getting, although his players have pretty much given up on him. But the Jazz can still pull through. Maybe we can send Giri & Collins to Washington for Haywood, ha.
TYLER | 1:58 p.m. Dec. 20, 2007
"FAIRWEATHER FANS NEED NOT APPLY" is right! Some of our fans are rediculous! And whoever thinks that Phil Jackson is a better coach than Sloan knows nothing about basketball. The man wa literally thrown every superstar he had! Jordan, Shaq, Kobe, they're all in a league of the best of the best! And look at where the Lakers are now! Wow! Frankly the players are just not executing at the free throw line, if you watch these games, that's what it comes down to. The free throws have been terrible and that's an individual thing, not a coach thing.

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