Comments about ‘Utah Jazz: Okur feeling better, expects to return to action tonight’

just play the combinations that will win. Keep the right combos on the floor at all times. There is no sense in playing CJ or Korver back into shape. If they can play the position better and fit in with the other players then play them. If not then let them prove in practice they should be out there.

Nothing against CJ or Korver but why play someone when they are not in a position to help win.

Play whoever is playing best and matches up best each night. I am sure both can help but if Mathews/Maynor is hot ride him if not then sub someone who is.

The Maynor/DWill combo makes this team very good at times.

What are the teams gonna do when jazz get healthy? I like this lineup dwill, Matthews, miles, booz, and okur! 4 of the 5 can hit 3's no team would dare play zone against the jazz with that lineup. That gives booz room to operate in the post! Danger cuz they can't stop it and dwill Matthews and miles can all drive also.... does anyone agree this could be the lineup???? Lets hear some opinions people!

i think matthews deserves to be a starter even when miles returned. he's a scrappier player, both offensively and defensively, and can hit 3s better. i don't hate CJ but, after 4 years(?) with the jazz, he is still an inconsistent player. i hope the jazz players keep their focus this coming games. a 10-game winning streak is very much possible with the current schedule that they have. better take advantage of it. a long streak would give them a good cushion for when the schedule gets tougher.

Fesenko returning to the bench? Yeah, probably. But I sure hope that he'll still have a place in the rotation, because good things happen for Utah when he's on the floor. At least 11 minutes a game as Okur's principal reserve will go a long way to giving Utah the size it needs to get an edge on its opponents in stretches of any given game.

Peace out from the Jazz Oracle!

offensive wise is not a problem, remeber it came from the jazz players too that what they really need is how to stop the opponents.

Hope everybody will be healthy soon...

We need to keep big Fez in the middle! His big presence is setting the tone on defense for the Jazz. If Memo steps straight back in we will lose some of this chemistry that has helped improve their play.

Better to play it safe Memo, sit out for another game or 10..

The current lineup has completely transformed the Jazz. The team is as solid as it has been in years. So keep it that way! Wesley Matthews has provided a great spark on defense at the start of games, and all of the other starters have played better around him. And that gives us an incredibly strong bench/finishing squad, with AK, Millsap, Maynor, and (soon) Korver. The ball-movement inside has periodically been terrific, and the defense is more solid than it has been in a long time. Keep a good thing going!

when CJ and Korver are ready. His biggest problem is deciding who to play against which teams. He has a lot of good options at 2/3 which include playing Brewer at 3 and CJ/Korver/Mathews at 2.

He can add outside shooting whenever he wants/needs and he can add defense. If the perimeter defense is better it takes pressure off of the interior and there are fewer fouls.

It means Sloan will have to coach instead of revert to autopilot rotations.

Having Okur back is good. Sloan's biggest problem is finding minutes for Millsap. The biggest problem is pairing Okur/Boozer with enough defense. Boozer plays the 5 well enough against many teams that he is more effective there than 4 some nights.

Sloan has a lot of options and what really matters is that he plays the best and most effective combos given the other teams style of play and the players they have on the court.

Sloan is more worried about the number of minutes each player plays but so far he has done a decent job of playing the right combos.

He should rest some players for back to backs.

when they have enough energy and intensity especially in the 4th Q. However, if they played with enough energy and intensity in the late 3rd Q and early 4th Q they would not have to pull games out at the end.

Getting every one back and maybe getting better offense out of Fez and Koufos give the Jazz enough depth to play hard and well all night long every night, on the road, on back to backs.

If the Jazz do that they will win a lot of games. It is not just talent that wins games. It is execution and desire to win.

How many times last year did we see the Jazz just go thru the motions until the last 8 minutes? If they were down a lot then they did not try in the last 8.

The Jazz also have to control pace. That is easier with both Maynor and DWill in the game.

Sloan has the specialists this year to win a lot of games, if he uses them instead of reverting to auto pilot rotations.

It is time for Sloan to fix his poor game management skills. He needs to really coach this year.

Jerry's biggest problem is not using the bench enough to keep his stars fresh for the 4th quarter.

He needs to limit Okur to 30 minutes a night.

He needs to limit Dwill to 36 a night.

He needs to limit Boozer to 34 a night.

One of the reasons these guys don't play defense is they are conserving energy because Jerry overplays them. We have plenty of bench when CJ and Korver come back to rest players during the 3rd and start of 4th quarter.

And Please Jerry don't let Korver end the game on the floor. His defense is horrible.

And I guess you think that C.J's defense is good? How about his nothing rebounding also? He is nothing more than a streaky shooter also so it limits his playing time. He would get playing time however and if he plays soft, he would be buried on the bench if I were coaching. That same thing goes for every player this year however, now that we have some depth!

Matthews miller metric number is awful. He might be the most over hyped rookie player that jazz fans have fallen in love with in a long time. Even Brewer, not Matthews, has been finishing the games lately which has worked because AK is hitting some 3's. Hopefully, Kover and Miles won't come back at the same time and mess up the rotations and chemistry. Look for Jerry to return to predictible patterns with rotations. I'm interested to see if Jerry starts Memo with Booz tonight which would be a very forgetable defensive lineup. Go AK!

Just a small point about Korver... We need him on the court at the end of close games when it becomes a free throw contest because he is easily our best free throw shooter.

Sloans comments:

"For the most part I've given guys, when they've been hurt or sick, (their former role back) when they come back," Sloan said Monday.

"But guys that have been out as long as C.J. and Kyle, I've got to go on.

"We've got to see these guys play when they come back, and see what kind of shape they're in, and try to adjust to what we think is best for the team."

It clear Sloan has seen what a player like Matthews WHO PLAYS DEFENSE adds to the team vs. CJ who just basically filler for minutes.

Sloan appears to be preparing the fragile CJ for the inevitable and here is the message "you better step it up you pansie Miles because somebody else has shown up who will play defense and shoots as good or better than you."

I have man-love for Sloan.

re: Miles...I like Korver too but he is not the best 3 point shooter on the team. OKUR ranks in the top 10 in NBA, Kyle does not make it in the top 50. As far as percentage Deron who has to create his own shots has a higher percentage.

Kyle has his moments but it is not when the Jazz are behind or the game is on the line, he then becomes a glorified passer. Check last year against the Lakers, neither he nor Brewer could hit a shot.

The AK we have this year is dramatic for our defense. While on the floor our team stops the other teams, his individual numbers are not outstanding but the team excels defensively while he is on the floor.

That's why you are not the coach. You want your ourside defenders rebounding.

If CJ is playing defense on an outside player, he is not in a position to rebound. If he is playing defense on his man, he should be outside, unlike Korver who is always getting beat to the basket and finds himself near the basket on every shot.

How is Matthew's rebounding stats? Not so hot because that is not his job.

Learn the game, then comment.

CJ: 2008-09 season averaged 2.3 rebounds in 22.5 minute of playing time.

Matthews: Averages 1.2 rebounds in 21.1 minutes of playing time.

Hummmmmmm So does that make Matthews a "One trick Pony"? CJ doubles Matthews rebounding.

@Miles
You said...
"If CJ is playing defense on an outside player, he is not in a position to rebound. If he is playing defense on his man, he should be outside, unlike Korver who is always getting beat to the basket and finds himself near the basket on every shot"

So if Matthew's rebounding is even worse than CJ's it must mean that he is playing better defense on his man?

You can take any stat you want and contort it to make any point you want.

(im re: miles by the way)
I didnt say he was the best 3 point shooter i said hes the best free throw shooter, which he is. I said that in response to Miles who said we should keep him out at the end of the game, sometimes its very necessary to have a good free throw shooter on the floor at the end of the game.

CJ is not always guarding his man, because Jerry has everyone with one foot in the paint on defense every time someone drives to the hoop. Hence the 3 bomb dropping on the Jazz from the outside. Miles you will have an opportunity to get your revenge if CJ comes out of the gate fast and shows everyone what kind of player you think he is. Right now AK is tearing it up! His form on his shot looks so much better than Booz or even D-will at this point. Credit to Horny for working on his form! Hopefully CJ will be able to do some damage cause we need all the outside shooting we can get. Matthews is over-rated. Watch him get cut.....