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I can't quite put my finger on it, but, I've been watching the same Jazz team for 20+ years now and they've always felt like the Jazz. Even when Stockton and Malone left. We still seemed to maintain our identiy. Whether it was Ak and Pilacio or Memo and Boozer it never seemed to make any difference. We were the same team.

Now, I don't really know who we are. We seem like we're lost out there. Sometimes lost and giving 100%. Enough to win some games. But, the cutting and passing machine I've grown so fond of seems broken. It seems like the fundamentals are missing.

I'm starting to wonder if Al Jefferson is fools gold after all.

6 games in...

I've had the same feeling as Jazzfan......

As Marc Stein put it in his Power Rankings, the Jazz miss Memo a lot more than a lor of people thought we would...... His shooting spaced the floor really well for Boozer.......

Once he gets back Jefferson and Millsap will get more room to operate down low...... And things will improve.......

And then Bell is not hitting outside shots right now, which isn't helping either...... CJ had two great performances, but he also had 4 pretty bad ones, which isn't helping.......

But it's only 6 games in, like Quantum pointed out, the Jazz still have plenty of time to figure things out......

The guardline is hurting us. I mentioned this before...and as a Bell fan it pains me to say it, but Raja is over the hill. That injury and his age have done him in as a starting quality player. We miss Wesley Matthews alot. And Deron Williams does not have the focus/drive/passion that we are accustomed to seeing. That, and I am wondering what happened to his outside shot. Without outside shooting, there is only so much Sap and Jeff can do down low....

in other news, d-wills trade stock couldn't be higher. /almost green font. his temper does seem unbecoming for this kind of team. he needs to tone it down. actions speak louder than words....especially on the court.

but i think i agree. this team does seem a little different. they seem to be focusing more on remembering the plays and how to run them, than simply playing the game the way jazz are supposed to play: boxing out, setting hard picks, running back on defense, jumping and stretching for rebounds, and just playing scrappy, blue-collar basketball.

I have to agree that this team feels completely different than any other team. With that said, we've got 7 new guys on the team who are trying to adapt to a very new system. We only have 6 guys who were here last year that are active, meaning the majority of the team is new to the system.

We've also had a tough schedule so far with OKC, Denver, Golden State all being tough opponents, with Phoenix being pretty solid, and the Raps and the Clipps being fodder. 3-3 isn't exactly a terrible record right now.

Lets get Evans back and active, lets let Hayward start to adapt a little more, and lets see if Watson starts to show more signs of what he can do. Mix that with Memo's eventual return and I think the Jazz will be just fine.

I agree it has seemed weird, but this is a brand new squad. D-will has to step up and be a better leader.He has already shown he is willing to do this. When memo comes back teams will not be able to pack the paint and the offense will open right up. Its going to make a huge difference when memo comes back. Just look at when CJ is hitting his 3 ball. Our offense goes to work. CJ is not even close to as "money" as Memo so i look foward to #13 joining the party. we may actually just be a 500 team before he comes in. I'm happy going 2 and 2 on this road thip coming up! We might go 1 and 3. Heat and Magic back to back will show what kind of fight this young team has.

gojazzmjsucks wrote:CJ is not even close to as "money" as Memo so i look foward to #13 joining the party.

Memo rarely takes an ill-advised 3-pointer. In addition his form is very consistent. He's always squared to the basket and his "jump" is the same each time.

Perhaps Miles's athleticism makes him think he can hit turnaround/fading threes consistently. Whatever the case he seems to take a lot of ill-advised or ill-executed threes.

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This is all anecdotal on my part -- I'd love for someone with access to Synergy Sports to prove me right/wrong.

There are a bunch of guys who have not found their role on this team yet... until that happens there is no identity. My guess is 20 games before we start clicking.

It's inconsistent for sure, but when the team is clicking (ie, OKC/Raptors), it looks very much like solid Jazz Basketball. Jefferson and Hayward have both displayed tremendous potential if their games can stay consistent. The team just needs a good couple of weeks to get their groove goin'. We've got a pretty long stretch of home games coming after this Southeast road trip-- it'll be their opportunity to gain momentum. Hopefully it'll keep up.

I just think that expectations for this year need to be tempered a bit. A lot of people felt that the Jazz where a playoff first or second round exit at best this year before preseason. The the Jazz went undefeted in expectations blew up.

Teams are defending the Jazz differently in the regular season. In the laker games Jefferson rarely got double teamed but is seeing double teams a lot now. He needs to learn to hit the baseline cutter. If you watch he is forcing a shot or passing to the top of the key when the double team comes. Sap and others are open on the baseline but for some reason he cannot see that pass. He is a better quality big than I expected to get after Boozer left but he has some growing to do. (He has still played 6 more games than Booz this year.)

I agree the team looks way different and doesn't seem to gel. First thing I notice we run a lot more isolations with Jefferson then we ever have with anyone else. Also, their has not been much pick and rolls in any of the games. I saw 2 ran against the Clippers both were turn overs as the timing was way off.

Usually you see a lot more movement in the offense off the ball then I have seen so far this year. Everyone gets to their spot then you see one move, then the next, etc... but hardly are they moving in a cohesive offense. AK and Sap have both been running but the passing lanes get clogged if the other 2 are not moving to pull the defenders.

CJ ... wow... the way he is playing, he thinks he is Michael Jordan, without the finish or the shot. More airballs then makes. When he is off he is WAY off. He is more a black hole then Jefferson.

QuantumMacgyver wrote:6 games in...

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Relax. Be patient for once in your life.

it is all the new faces, give them time.
I think Big Al just needs to relax and let it come to him instead of pushing for it.
Greg Anthony said it best on yahoo, he picks Utah as a sleeper team that will be really good once things click. I look for them to be scary good by the end of December.

I can see your POV, but think you are drastically missing a lot of key points.

First, the offense has fundamentally changed with Al instead of Boozer. Their games are so different, there is no way the team could look the same. Al is adjusting to a new team where he actually has to think to do well, and it's been a slow, but steady process so far. If that push shot starts falling, expect 30+ point nights regularly. His defensive intensity, particularly on the boards, really needs to improve, and he can be every bit the rebounder Boozer was, and more. Millsap is a beast on the O boards, but has always struggled pulling down boards on the other end of the court, in general terms of course.

Second, our backcourt is struggling right now because Deron is shouldering the whole load himself. You say Raja is too old, but I am pretty sure he is going to need some time to come back from his injuries and inactivity to get a fair shot at showing us what's left in his tank. It really isn't fair to judge his game so harshly when he has been away from it for so long. At least he knows where his game should stop and start, and that's on the defensive end, where he will get more to his beastly self as his body catches up to his mind.

Memo is a huge part of this team, and for any of us to think we would be good without him is silly. This team is above average at best without him, but could be really good with him. I really hope he can return to form when he comes back.

AK and Sap have both played great. If they keep doing what they have been doing, this team will really be going strong when Al has picked things up, Raja has shaken off the cobwebs, and Memo brings back the money. Deron is starting to follow suit and be solid consistently, outside of some turnover issues. His assists will skyrocket when Raja and Al start finding their shots.

Finally, the huge wild card, CJ. This kid still has a hard time figuring it out. How many times does he need to see that when he comes in and starts jacking up 3s it only hurts his game. He has GOT to get it started playing hard defense and getting to the rim. There have been a few times this season where he has been passed the ball with no time left on the clock from downtown and had to jack up a 3, and it pisses me off every time it happens, at least if he hasn't warmed up yet. Deron and the rest of the team need to realize that's not how he works.

The team is far from being an anomaly of a Jazz team, they just simply need some time. Us fans have very high expectations, considering all the changes that have gone on here...

remember last year! The Jazz played poorly until the second half of the season. Unfortunately, it seems to be happening again but with a twist. The Jazz are playing much better defense than last year but the offense is struggling which may improve as players get used to playing together. This team is better than last years team but lacks a Korver shooter which will be a problem all year long.

Its tough to be patient with a team even though i know its alot of new players! I thought we were going to the finals in 08, not really 09 but this year i thought we would come out hot. This road trip will make me relize this is a mini rebuilding year!

They felt pretty damn right tonight... dbags... Let's see how fast you can jump ship next time they lose a few games...

Because our PF shooting 3 three pointers is so very Jazz-esque?

Don't forget Jefferson's dissapearing act.

It was a tremendous, tremendous comeback. But, it didn't show me that the Jazz are back to their cutting, passing, pick setting ways.