The Jazz are now past the half way mark of the season and and if we were to be honest in rating the first half, they have been disappointing at best. So, with that in mind, I think that there are a three key issues to keep an eye on. In order of importance, this is what to watch for from the Jazz.
How are we going to play on the road?
The road record is horrible at 7-15; if they could have won 50% of the road games they would be sitting at 28-14 and leading the division by 3 games with the third best record in the conference. They have 19 road games left and to be considered as even a minor contender they need to win at least 12 of those games which would give them a 19-22 road reccord for the season. Of those 20 games 6 are against Seattle, Minnesota, Memphis and the Clippers and should be guaranteed wins. They need 3 of the other 13 against decent competition and we will be OK. Its really not too much to ask.
How long will J-Slo stick with his current rotation?
I know that questioning Sloan's coaching ability is viewed in only two ways. You either hate the guy and nothing he does is good or he is in line to be the next prophet. I am starting to think that the old man has lost it. Why does he keep playing Jason Hart and Jarron Collins? I really want to know the answer to this. I am possitive that letting AK or Brewer run the point for the 4 minutes a half that Derron is on the bench is a better option that having Hart in the game. Its 8 freaking minutes per and Jason Hart sucks for each second of them. Hell, a lineup of Memo, Boozer, Millsap, Collins and Fesenko couldn't do worse; it's that bad. Speaking of Fesenko, Get him up here and give him all of Collins' minutes. He is a better defender and we need the comic relief in post game interviews. I actually miss having Gordan (the state fair MVP) around just for the post game comedy. It's time to shorten up the rotation to the starting 5 with Harpring, Millsap and Korver coming off the bench.
Is there one more trade to out there?
If possible we need to get a defensive minded big man (although I think Fesenko could fill this void for 10 to 15 minutes per night if given the chance) and a real back up point guard. I am pretty sure we will not be getting the big man because teams don't trade big guys who can play defense. As a back-up PG, maybe we could get Jason Williams from the Heat for some sort of poo-poo platter. I think that CJ Miles, Morris Almond, Ronnie Price, Jarron Collins and Jason Hart are all expendable at this point. There is no way Miles and Almond are going to crack the Korver, Brewer combo so lets get something for them while we can, they are certainly our best trade chips right now. If we can get someone who knows how to get the ball to Boozer for 8 minutes per game we will be a lot better.
Random stat of the year that sums up the Jazz:
The Jazz are currently 28th in the league in receiving technical fouls with a grand total of 6 for the year. What the hell Jazz, show some emotion and feel free to get T'd up once in awhile. A well timed outburst and technical foul can really change the flow of the game. Sloan used to know how to do this and Malone was great at it, in the 2000-2001 season he had 21 by himself. Williams and Boozer need to step it up and make a goal for 10 each over the last 40 games. I think that we may be looking at a bunch of cinderellas on this team which explains the 4th quarter collapses that they have been having on the road. It's time to start demanding a little respect fellas.
How are we going to play on the road?
The road record is horrible at 7-15; if they could have won 50% of the road games they would be sitting at 28-14 and leading the division by 3 games with the third best record in the conference. They have 19 road games left and to be considered as even a minor contender they need to win at least 12 of those games which would give them a 19-22 road reccord for the season. Of those 20 games 6 are against Seattle, Minnesota, Memphis and the Clippers and should be guaranteed wins. They need 3 of the other 13 against decent competition and we will be OK. Its really not too much to ask.
How long will J-Slo stick with his current rotation?
I know that questioning Sloan's coaching ability is viewed in only two ways. You either hate the guy and nothing he does is good or he is in line to be the next prophet. I am starting to think that the old man has lost it. Why does he keep playing Jason Hart and Jarron Collins? I really want to know the answer to this. I am possitive that letting AK or Brewer run the point for the 4 minutes a half that Derron is on the bench is a better option that having Hart in the game. Its 8 freaking minutes per and Jason Hart sucks for each second of them. Hell, a lineup of Memo, Boozer, Millsap, Collins and Fesenko couldn't do worse; it's that bad. Speaking of Fesenko, Get him up here and give him all of Collins' minutes. He is a better defender and we need the comic relief in post game interviews. I actually miss having Gordan (the state fair MVP) around just for the post game comedy. It's time to shorten up the rotation to the starting 5 with Harpring, Millsap and Korver coming off the bench.
Is there one more trade to out there?
If possible we need to get a defensive minded big man (although I think Fesenko could fill this void for 10 to 15 minutes per night if given the chance) and a real back up point guard. I am pretty sure we will not be getting the big man because teams don't trade big guys who can play defense. As a back-up PG, maybe we could get Jason Williams from the Heat for some sort of poo-poo platter. I think that CJ Miles, Morris Almond, Ronnie Price, Jarron Collins and Jason Hart are all expendable at this point. There is no way Miles and Almond are going to crack the Korver, Brewer combo so lets get something for them while we can, they are certainly our best trade chips right now. If we can get someone who knows how to get the ball to Boozer for 8 minutes per game we will be a lot better.
Random stat of the year that sums up the Jazz:
The Jazz are currently 28th in the league in receiving technical fouls with a grand total of 6 for the year. What the hell Jazz, show some emotion and feel free to get T'd up once in awhile. A well timed outburst and technical foul can really change the flow of the game. Sloan used to know how to do this and Malone was great at it, in the 2000-2001 season he had 21 by himself. Williams and Boozer need to step it up and make a goal for 10 each over the last 40 games. I think that we may be looking at a bunch of cinderellas on this team which explains the 4th quarter collapses that they have been having on the road. It's time to start demanding a little respect fellas.
