Comments about ‘Utah Jazz: Part of new holiday tradition?’

Hopefully this game isn't a turkey. If you look at the differential box score stats, certain problems stare out at you.

The Jazz are 28th in 3 points made, 28th in attempts and 23th in %. This team is not designed for the 3 and not good at it. Only the TWolves and Grizzlys are worse (OUCH). Sloan should have designed this team to shoot the 3 when the inside game fails. This is one Sloan bias that is killing this team.

They are 25th in blocked shots. (Fez/Koufos are shot blockers who do not play). This is an anemic interior defense team with bad 3 defense. Again poor player selection, poor defense by design.

They are 18th in steals. Slow poor defense.

They are 5th in TOs. Not much of a surprise. Is it the players or the style of offense?

On the bright side they are 4th in assists, 8th in FG % and 8th in TOT rebounding.

Everything else is pretty much a wash.

The big problems seems to be Sloan biases and poor player selection. The Jazz could have a much better offensive and defensive team. Sloan/KOC have not built winner (continuity).

Sloan/Johnson need to design about a dozen 3 point plays for this team to bust a zone and also break up the pack in the paint.

Up till now any 3 point shots are ad lib shots coming out of broken plays or because the opponent's defense has closed everything else off.

Designed plays will boost the 3 point percentage made and will also position defenders to stop fast break points on missed shots. They should improve the offensive rebounds.

Sloan/Johnson are fully capable of creating such plays. The Jazz losing is squarely on the stubborn coaches who refuse to design and run plays that are needed to win.

In the longer run the Jazz have to have wings who can shoot. That means trades. However, designed plays could improve the situation a lot. AK, Mathews, CJ and Korver may be good enough if they have the right plays.

If the coaches won't adjust then follow NO lead. Scott was a good coach who refused to use the talent he had and refused to make changes that had to be made. His Vet bias got him fired.

Novel idea.

I agree, Collison and Bobby Brown are 2 examples of real talent that just sat around not getting opportunities. Scott I agree cost himself the way New Orleans caved in last year was shocking

Get a coach!

Get some players. If an analysis is made of the Jazz roster viz a vie every other roster in the league, then any rational observer will conclude the Jazz are on the cusp of not making the playoffs; as in lottery my friends. This turkey day team will be a turkey vs the Bulls today. I don't see any better than a 41-41 season. Can anyone disipute this conclusion? None of the players on this club would make the starting lineup of the serious contenders; maybe five or six teams total.

Please quit talking about Sloan and O'Connor. They are not the problem. It's the location. No one wants to live and play NBA in Utah that would make a difference. Just because a player on the jazz is doing what Boozer and Williams are doing stat wize is no indication as to their relative worth vs the elite players/allstars, etc. around the league on other clubs.

The Jazz are entertainment.....enjoy!

Get a life: ah, must be a Cougar fan.

Quit with the persecution complex, will ya. That whole, poor Utah, nobody wants to play here, we're so persecuted attitude is garbage. Deron Williams is here. Resigned here. And I heard him discussed as one of the top 3 PG's in the league and as one of the top 6 guards overall in the league yesterday on a national sports talk show.

Are the Jazz going to sign LeBron James? Of course not. But most NBA players will go where they can get money, playing time, money, where they can win, and money. NBA players are not persecuting the entire state of Utah.

If you could go back to watching the Cougars and talking about how much hatred all their opponents have for them, that would be great.

talking about SL as a wasteland. Nobody wants to live in OKC and they have an improving team. SA is not much better as a place for an NBA player.

Utah can get the talent they need. They have just choosen the wrong players or combination of players and then insist on not trying to make improvements.

It is the last part, insisting on not improving that is the biggest problem.

Sloan first and OKC second are the major problems. They are the ones who put this team together and insist on keeping it together knowing it is flawed and knowing the approach they are using is flawed.

If they just keep on doing what they are doing, pretty soon 1/2 of the fans, at least the intelligent ones will quit. Why play this insane game of Charlie Brown football anymore?

The Jazz are always going to be teasing pretenders until they make the changes they have to make to become contenders.

They CAN make those changes, but they WON'T.

Quit using the "small market" and "Salt Lake is not attractive" lines. They are lame.

Ty Thomas and Glen Davis both said they would jump at SL.

Agreed! To say the Jazz can never win a title because they play in Utah is an excuse for failure that is not supported by the facts.

The Jazz have always had superstar players on the roster but have always come up short. "Quit"is on the money, they will always be pretenders until the necessary changes are made..and you all know what they are!

Even with two of the greatest of all time - that fit the Sloan system to a tee - they still only made it to the finals twice. The NBA has well and truly evolved since then, our coach unfortunately has not.

How bout facing up to the obvious. Maybe, just maybe, after 20 plus years of trying, its time to go in a different direction. With Sloan the Jazz have ZERO chance of ever winning a title.

ask REAL SALT LAKE PLAYERS about how dreary and bad it is to play in Utah?

I somehow doubt Kreis, Beckerman, a southern Californian RImando a family man, etc etc

They do not seem to "cringe" or mind living in Utah or a big city guy like Mathis

They all love playing here

SMall Market excuse is "GARBAGO"

The Jazz system of basketball is boring. Push it inside to Boozer or whoever is the power forward. Let's get our perimeter shooters some plays. Break it up a little, surprise the opposing teams! Bring some life to the game of basketball in Utah. The game would be a lot more exciting and the fans would love it. Enough of the constant pick and roll.