Just some thoughts....

As a Jazz Fan....

  Over the last couple of weeks I have been asking myself a number of questions as a Jazz fan.  Somethings that left me a bit perplexed and others that down right frustrated me.  It left me wondering if I am the only one seeing and feeling these things.  So I am going to put it out there, what are your thoughts?

  Offensive concepts....the Jazz run the FLEX as much if not more than the pick and roll.  They seem to run the FLEX to exhaustion.  They don't seem to take advantage of the first good shot available.  We know how the Jazz suffer with pace of play and this could help alleviate some of that.  Versus the Warriors, there were a number of opportunities for Kanter, Favors and Evans to shoot that 17 footer, the Warriors just packed it in.  The Jazz never eve looked at the shot as an option.  You have to take it to make it and even if you don't make it the team has to honor that shot as an option and will then open up the floor.

  I think the casual fan could tell that Alec Burks is ELITE with the ball in his hands attacking the basket. Really has been since he has come in to the league. Granted there has been some development in that process, but why has it taken 2 1/2 years for this staff to put him in position to succeed or be a force?

  I think the same can be said with all of our bigs. Favors and Kanter demand double teams simply because of their size, but the Jazz are content to let guys CHUCK JUMPERS! It is the staffs responsibility to teach these young players and make the game easier for them. If you want to chuck jumpers fine, but at least make it easier for those shooting the jumpers. That starts inside out. Make teams double the bigs, teach the bigs to kick it out for the OPEN jumper.  While all of this sounds nice, I am not so sure the Jazz have the shot makers to make this happen?

  I have been watching Trey really closely in the P & R not sure why his first instinct isn't to attack the basket! WHY? If Trey attacks it puts pressure on the D, rotations need to be made, players are caught out of position and our offense gets easier. I have been so obsessed with this that I have been trying to chase down Trey's college shot chart to see where the majority of his offense came from in college. I was surprised to find out that Trey's 2pt attempts to 3 pt attempts was better than 2/1. I also found that on average Trey went to the free-throw line 4.3 times a game. If you look at these #'s (and they are an inexact science) Trey has regressed in this offense. He shoots primarily 3's (what the offense seems to give him) and he never, and I mean NEVER goes to the line! This is disconcerting.

If the Jazz continue on this path for the next X amount of time, they will be the Atlanta hawks, "always the bridesmaid, never the bride" mired in mediocrity for years to come and playoff fodder.....

So many questions....Not a lot of answers.

  The last 2 weeks have had their ups and downs for the Utah Jazz.  There have been wins, there have been losses.  Good games by Enes Kanter, Alec Burks.  Struggles for Gordon Hayward and Trey Burke, and injuries to the cornerstone Derrick Favors as well as Jeremy Evans.  The vets Richard Jefferson and Marvin Williams continue to battle through their own nicks and dings.  But one question remains, who are the Utah Jazz?

  We are better than half way through the season and I rack my brain game after game, trying to identify what this Jazz team hangs their hat on.  General Manager Dennis Lindsey stated at the first of the season and he wanted to see this young team develop, see what pieces he had to build with.  He also mentioned the need to build a top caliber defense.  At this point, can Dennis Lindsey say that the Jazz have accomplished either of these goals?  Only he can answer that question....

  As I watch the Jazz, I can't put my finger on one thing that this team is.  Are they a post team?  A transition team?  A 3pt shooting team?  A defensive team?  Night in and night out the Jazz have been any of these, but they are never consistently one.  And there in lies the problem....

  This is a young team that needs direction, guidelines and roles.  Just saying that we are going to compete every night is great, but young players need something to focus on, a role, something that the are going to focus on and execute.

  So what are those roles?  Do the players have them?  Do they know and understand what they are?  How were those roles chosen and do they put the player or players in the best position to be successful?  While I am not at practice and don't know what Coach Corbin and the staff go over with the players, watching the games leaves me wondering if the players know their roles.

  David Locke, radio voice for the Utah Jazz, made mention on his Tipoff podcast the fact that Alec Burks has an elite skill as an attacker/penatrator and score and the fact that that is a building block for a player and an offense.  This has lead me to think about the young core and their skills or things that are valuable or valued on this team.  What are they?  How can the Jazz build off of them?  Lets take a look....

  Derrick Favors, in my opinion, his elite skill would be a defender or rim protector.  Enes Kanter, would have to be an offensive rebounder.  Rudy Gobert, very similar to Favors as a defender and rim protector.  Trey Burke, his elite skill would have to be the mid-range game, a lost art in the NBA game.  Four players that have elite skills or talents.

  Are they being put in a position to use those skills and be successful?  I am not so sure.  For all the talk of Kanter and Favors can or can't play together (depends on which side of the fence you are on) I believe they can.  Both players have elite skills that offset each other.  While Kanter struggles on defense and his rotations he is a much better offensive rebounder than Favors.  Because the Jazz have change their philosophy on defense and the fact that they want to stop transition, they are missing out on second chance points and thus negating Kanters skill.  So why not play Favors and Kanter together?  Make Kanters role that of an offensive rebounder and hitting the offensive glass hard.  Make Derrick Favors the rim protector and defender.  He has the responsibility to get back in transition and protect the basket.  The same philosophy could be used with Gobert instead of Favors.  Or if you are going to play Favors and Gobert together, have Derrick crash the boards.  The options are there and they should be looked at a lot more than they are,


  So that leaves us with Gordon Hayward and Jeremy Evans.  What are their elite skills or talents?  While Jeremy Evans will never be a starter in the league and likely not a 6th man in the league, he can be a valuable contributor off the bench.  If you were to ask me what Jeremy's elite skill COULD be, I would tell you that I believe he could be an elite weak-side/help defender.  Jeremy is long and extremely athletic.  The prefect combination for a help defender.  I hate to say it but I don't think this skill has been developed very well for Jeremy.  One other aspect Jeremy's game that is over-looked is his energy/motor.  He plays hard all the time.  Sports Illustrated Seth Davis wrote a fantastic piece about talent in college basket ball and the need for a new definition for players other than just measurables.  If you haven't read it I would strongly suggest it, here is the link  http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college-basketball/news/20140203/hoop-thoughts-talent/?eref=sihp

  So what is Gordon Hayward's elite skill?  He is a good passer, a good defender, a good shooter, good from 3pt range, an average rebounder.  What is Gordon's elite skill?  While Gordon is good in a lot of areas and valuable because of this, I am not sure he has an elite skill.  He is not a great 3pt shooter.  He is good in the pick and roll but his handle tends to be loose from time to time and can be turnover prone.  The skill that I would say would be closest to elite would be defense.  He has good lateral quickness, sneaky athletic and is long.  He has the ability to defend multiple positions as well as being a good help defender.  With that being said, is Gordon focusing too much on his offense?  Has he been put in a position to enhance that skill?

You decide...

  For the Jazz, the All-star break is just around the corner.  I would hope the Jazz get some good rest, come back healthy, refreshed and focused.  I hope they have a renewed interest and effort in finding out their elite skills and identity as a team.

Jazz fans....#2 is in the books. Jazz down Bulls!

The Utah Jazz played a full 48 plus some tonight, beating the Chicago Bulls 89-83 in over-time.  They really needed a game like this.  It shows this young team that if they work hard and put in the effort, they can be in games and give themselves a chance to win games.  This was a total team effort.  Love the way this team fought....

• Only going to discuss the positives tonight...
• Great ball movement on the pick and roll early with Hayward and Favors, ends with Favs getting an "and 1"
• Trey Burke is going to be a good defender in the league.  
• Favors played like a man tonight!
• Great defense in the first quarter, Jazz were physical.
• Jazz won the first quarter 23-18
• Jazz cut hard and set some really good screens.
• Rudy Gobert is a game changer. Length and energy.  He runs the floor hard for a big.
• Evans and Gobert did a great job attacking the defensive glass.
• Jazz executed the offense and stuck with it.
• Balanced first half on offense for the Jazz.
• Jazz lead at half 40-32 only the 4th game this year that has happened.
• Jazz defense in the 3rd quarter was great.  Rotations were really good.
• Jazz really fought down the stretch.
• Trey Burke is not afraid of the big moment.  Hit a huge three.
• Jefferson had enough left in the tank down the stretch.
• Jeremy Evans played tough in the 4th and OT....did not let the bigger players push him around.  Was not intimidated and equal to the moment.
• Richard Jeffersons defense on Deng was fantastic!  That was the difference in the game.

  This game showed a lot of different things from a number of different players.  Again, staying as positive as possible, the Jazz tried to give it away but stuck with it.  To be honest, its really nice to be able to stick it to a guy like Boozer.  Jazz did lose the battle of the boards but it was only by 4 boards.  They did really well at the foul line shooting 16-19 84.2%.  This is the kind of game that this young team can build from.  They had to grind and fight.  They never quit!  This is was JAZZ FANS WANT!  Well done Jazz, well done!

http://www.nba.com/games/20131125/CHIUTA/gameinfo.html?ls=slt

Jazz back home tonight, going to need a lift from the fans!

  The Jazz are on the second night of a back to back.  The Jazz got blown out last nigh in Oklahoma City.  This was an all around poor effort across the board.  No reason to "beat a dead horse" time to move on.
I want to look at tonight's game from a different perspective.  Let's look at some things to watch both from a team perspective and individually.

1. Team rebounding.  This is a big deal.  Early in the season the Jazz were in the top 5 in rebounding.  Currently ranked 27th!  Getting 40.3 boards a game.  There is no reason this team should not be in the top 5.  The have size, length and athleticism to be a great rebounding team.  Simply put, rebounding is about effort and we can clearly see where the Jazz effort has been recently.
2. Gordon Haywards aggressiveness.  I think its clear that Hayward may not be a #1 option, the unfortunate thing for him is, he has been thrust in to that role.  While he may not have all the intangibles to be that #1, he is slated as that option, he needs to be as efficient as possible.  Gordon has been turning the ball over 3.5 times a game.  When the team's offense slides, Gordon starts to force the issue, driving to the basket and the defense collapses and knocks the ball away.  Last 4 games look like this...6, 5, 1, 6.  The one game he had 1 turnover was versus the Pelicans.  He let the game come to him and finished with 11 assists.  Gordon needs to be aggressive, this is a given.  He needs to pick his spots and in my opinion, needs to start his offense with aggressive drives to the basket.
3. Post/Paint presence.  The Jazz desperately need this on both ends of the court.  Favors and Kanter must be more physical and deter the opponent from getting easy buckets inside.  If they are going to foul, make it a hard foul.  Make sure the opponent feels it.  It will make the opponent think twice about driving to the basket.  On offense, the Jazz need to throw the ball in to these two more often.  Kanter has relied upon that mid-range jumper too much this year.  He needs to get back inside and bang, use those good post moves he has.  I think he is too worried about getting his shot blocked.  If he is concerned about that, he needs to be going into the body of the big every time, trying to draw as much contact as possible, putting the onus on the officials.  Favors post game has improved.  Most teams are double both Jazz big men as soon as the start to dribble.  This means that there is someone open.  Also, if the bigs go early (make a move as soon as they catch in the post) its going to take away the effectiveness of the double.  Teams will then be forced to foul Favors and Kanter.  I would also like to see more of Jeremy Evans and Rudy Gobert in the rotation.  Jeremy Evans starts fast and plays with a lot of energy.  Its hard to keep him off the court.  Gobert is constantly improving.  If you are not getting the defense at the rim like you would like, put this guy in.  He changes shots.
4. Transition/Fast break.  The Jazz are getting next to nothing from this part of the game.  When they do run the floor, they don't do it with any sort of purpose.  Where the Jazz can not shoot right now, there is not a better fix that than fast break, transition basketball.  This is another area that is dictated by effort.  You either want to or you don't.  If the Jazz choose to play uptempo and be aggressive, Ty and the staff can not get upset or frustrated with a few bad shots in transition.  I would rather have bad shots in transition as is show an effort to get some easy buckets.
5. Turnover and free-throws.  These to come down to concentration and execution.  The Jazz turnovers have come down some from the start of the season, where they were averaging 19 a game.  They have cut that down to 17 but that is still too many.  Again its not so much just the turnovers, but where they make those turnovers.  The majority of the turnovers are coming from the foul line extended, giving the defense a free run in transition for an easy basket.  This kills the Jazz, due to the fact that the only guys back are your guards.  No bigs there to protect the rim.  As for Free-throws, this is simply about reps.  The schedule has not been kind to the Jazz and has not given them much time to get in the gym and practice.  But that is no excuse.  There are plenty of stories of great players, great shooters having an off night from the the field or the line, being on the road and asking the arena to stay open or lights on for a while after the game so that player can get some reps in.  If the Jazz want to get out of the shooting slump they are in and want to reach their potential, these are the kinds of things that need to be done.

  Tonight the Chicago Bulls will be with out their MVP Derrick Rose.  He tore his meniscus in his right knee a couple of nights ago and under went surgery this morning.  His season is now over.  Sad to see such an incredible player have such bad luck.  Here's to a speedy recovery for the former MVP.  That being said, the Jazz will still need to give 48 minutes of effort.  As Jazz fans, that's all they want.  They don't expect them to win every game.  They just expect them to COMPETE EVERY GAME! 

24 minutes too late....Jazz fall....

  The Utah Jazz waited for the second half to start playing tonight in Dallas.  The Mavericks get the win 103-93.  Jazz record now sits at 1-13.  The second half was a completely different game for the Jazz as they actually battled and looked like they thought they could get back in the game and get a win.  Let's take a look....

• Getting this stuff out of the way early.....
• This was the worst officiated game so far this year.
• Mav's got "Vet calls" early and often.
• 8:40 mark in the 4th quarter, Dirk drove to the basket, whistle was blown before there was any contact....laughable.
• 3 minute mark in the 4th, Dirk posting, whistle blown on Alec before contact again and got the continuation.  Game over....
• This team does not start well at all.
• Jazz start struggling and Ty starts making subs searching for a spark with no rhyme or reason.
• Jazz opponents are playing 5 on 4 when it comes to defense.  No one guards John Lucas.
• The Mavericks ball movement is unreal!  
• The difference in the game tonight was youth versus experience.
• Jeremy Evans is playing with a lot of energy and shooting the ball really well.
• Marvin Williams continues to play strong.  May be the Jazz mid-level exception this summer.
• Derrick Favors total defense is improving.  Broke up a number of passes finished with 3 steals.
• 6'3" Monta Ellis was guarding 6'8" Gordon Hayward....Jazz did not take advantage.
• Not even the officials respect Ty.  Watched them more or less laugh off Ty's argument more than once.  This is Ty's own fault.
• Trey Burke hates to lose!  I think he is going to be a really good point guard.
• Jazz bench was really good tonight.
• Jazz do not take advantage of mismatches. They don't seem to look for them or exploit them.
• 7 minute mark in the 3rd, Jazz finally take advantage of mismatch, Jefferson in the post, scores on Ellis.
• Jazz cut the lead to 10 with a lineup of Garret, Burks, Evans, Kanter and Williams.
• This may have been the last game that John Lucas starts.  Got a feeling Trey is the guy Sunday night.
• Shawn Marion has the ugliest shot in the game!  I have no idea how he makes a single jumper.
• Ty is willing to try all of these different lineups 6 minutes in to the game and the Jazz already down 12.  Time to look at shaking up the starting lineup.  
• It shouldn't take getting your butt whipped for a team to show a little fight.
• Jazz had cut the lead to 5, Mav's scored the next 8 points.  Game over.

  

If the games were played just in the second half the Utah Jazz would be a plus .500 team.  Radio voice of the Utah Jazz, David Locke, made a good point this morning on his Tipoff Podcast.  He mentioned if this is the "season of discovery" that we need to do some "radical" things.  Try some new stuff.  Unheard of stuff.  Maybe you stumble on to something that is very good or effective, changes or revolutionizes the game.  It something that this team needs to look at closely....it can't hurt.....right?