In almost a quarter century I don't think I've even seen

[jazzfan1971]

The Jazz play this poor of defense.

I can hardly believe this is a Jerry Sloan coached team.

[de2nd]

Has nothing to do with Sloan. I dislike Sloan's style and coaching methods, but in this instance you can't blame him.

1) The Jazz don't care if they get the #1 seed. They are just interested in coasting into the playoffs. Their play in crucial games has shown us as much.

2) When AK doesn't get touches or involved in the offense, he doesn't play defense. Memo is always concentrated on offense and always shys away from contact because he wants to stay in the game. All you really see Memo ever do is raise his hand in someones face. Boozer simply doesn't move his feet or rotate on defense, and usually commits horrible touch fouls when someone gets past him. The desire to play defense and put the effort forth just isn't there. I've seen when the desire is there and the pressure is on and every single person on the floor is dedicated to stopping a team on a possesion. When they want to, they can play amazing defense. But they don't. They simply rely on their offense. Boozer and Memo both know Sloan cant sit them and punish them because especially at this point in the season and the way things are shaping up, Sloan needs them on the floor to score.

The passion isn't there. Do I think it will pickup in the playoffs? Absolutely. But it might be too late since we'll likely be on the road and in a very tough situation.

What's amazing to me is how soft Sloan has become though. I rarely see him yell at Boozer or Memo for being soft or not working. I know a few years ago had we been playing this bad of defense, Sloan would have called them out in so many ways. I think the whole AK/Giricek thing has got to him, or his "meeting" he had with LHM to be more player friendly before the season has really messed with him and it's affected the team in a negative way.

[jazzfan1971]

Nice post de2nd.

Maybe your best post ever. Probalby not, but, it's gotta be top 10.

[Duiz]

Good post... Sheik and I tend to disagree in who is really to blame on the defensive effort. Sheik says Kirilenko because he doesn't defend his man, and neither anybody elses. I say that Kirilenko is so busy trying to guard 3 or 4 players that he can't guard anyone, and that is because Boozer and Okur don't give a crap about defense.

[jozef]

I think if we cannot get the defensive presence from PF/C position then we need athletic youngsters to create defensive pressure.
Brewer, Millsap and Miles have catlike moving and can get hand on the ball here and there. Nothing predictable but it's up there in the air when they are on the floor that they will beat up opponent for loose ball or rotate in time to force tough shot.

[erudite23]

It has reached epic proportions, to be honest. Its amazing to me, because I've seen this same group of guys play lock-down D when they were fully involved in the game, and feeling challenged on a personal level.

I don't know that you can blame Sloan so much, because we know that he preaches defense from sun up to sun down. He always has. This group of guys just seems so cock-sure in their offensive prowess that they don't seem to feel like defense matters.

You hear them talk about it all the time. Boozer especially is continually referencing how they need to keep playing tough D....blahblahblah, but you hardly ever see it.

To me, the rest of the season doesn't matter. This team has shown me what they are for this season (at least this regular season), and that is a very good group of players that doesn't have the discipline and drive to be great. A team that has all that it takes to whip any team in the league, and the lack of passion to lose to any team as well. A team that is content to be "among the best", and isn't hell bent on getting the #1 seed.

We will win 50 games, probably even 54 or 55. We will make the playoffs, and we will be playing on the road in game 1 again, just like last year.

I expect the team to transform a little once the playoffs begin, but I doubt we have all that it takes to go all the way. What a waste.

[d-will8]

I can't argue with anything that's been said so far. We've shown flashes of being a solid defensive team this year, but these flashes have been mixed in with long periods of defensive ineptitude. It's partly because of youthful mistakes, partly because some of our players lack athleticism, but mostly because of a lack of passion and effort, for which Boozer is the poster boy. He's got the strength and quickness to be a good 1 on 1 defender and an enforcer when guards drive into the paint, but he rarely is either of those things.

[Neon Black]

We should start a fan protest or something. If you don't have the willpower to even show up, then stop wasting our time and money; i wonder if they think nobody notices that their defense is horrible? And then sometimes I wonder if they notice.

I'm sick of seeing the team with the most talent acrossed the board HANDS DOWN continue to settle for the 4th seed. How many teams boast 4+ players with all-star potential? How many teams have such diversity in what they can physically do? Talent-wise, this team is completely stacked.

We have solid bench play, a complete starting 5, hustle players, one of the best inside-outside games, etc. etc. The Jazz players collectively make more than ANY other team in this league...and for what? So that we can see Korver block more shots than Boozer? So Memo can sag off his man every night? So AK can coninute to be the most fickle, childish player on the team, only playing somewhat to his potential when he gets what he wants first?

Tell me, how does an injury-plagued team with an overrated "superstar" in Tracy McGrady and a bunch of role players win 22 games in a row with a better record than the Jazz?

Simply, it's because they give a ****, and it shows up in their defense. Apathy might just keep this team from ever winning a title.

[Duiz]

We should do that, we should pick a saturday to go, and do like a paperbag protest, and get as close as we can without getting kicked out to the Jazz bench and hold signs protesting against Boozer, Okur, and Kirilenko defense... or defense throughout the whole team. If we could get at least 10 people then it might make an impact.

If it is a saturday, count on me.

[d-will8]

I don't understand why the Jazz don't seem more determined to get a higher seed. If they remain the fourth seed and don't have the fourth best record, which is getting closer and closer to being a certainty, there's a pretty good chance they'll be facing the Spurs in the first round without homecourt advantage. I don't need to tell you how daunting that would be. Phoenix is streaking, and Houston and Dallas are slumping, so, as of right now, I don't see any of those teams ending up in the fifth spot. That leaves us with San Antonio, although the race is so close that things could easily change drastically within the next week. Another possibility is that the Lakers fall behind Phoenix and San Antonio because of the injuries to Gasol and Bynum, which is definitely not something we want to happen.

[The Sheik]

I think if we cannot get the defensive presence from PF/C position then we need athletic youngsters to create defensive pressure.
Brewer, Millsap and Miles have catlike moving and can get hand on the ball here and there. Nothing predictable but it's up there in the air when they are on the floor that they will beat up opponent for loose ball or rotate in time to force tough shot.

I completely agree with you. Are team would benefit more from a shot blocking presence in the paint, but if we never get that we need laterally quick athletes that can stay in front of players and play pressure D that you see from Houston, SAS and Boston.

As far as protesting why dont you flood the radio stations and newspapers with emails. The only thing that sucks about the utah media is that 1320 is in LHMs pocket so they will never radically criticize the team, a player or the organization and 1280 just sucks sans Jake and Jim(occasionally).

If a bunch of people email with concerns on the team D Im sure Ross Siler would write about it, he is about the only decent writer in Utah.

[Phenom415]

Unnghh.. Jake and Jim?! Fooooo-CHUCK is unintelligible and unintelligent! BOO Jake and Jim!

[GP]

I would agree with you guys, the defense of the jazz at times is pathetic. However, the jazz have shown that they elevate or lower their game according to the situation. They simply play to the level of their competition. This years team is better than last years team overall, IMO. Sorry, but a protest at this point in the season is idiotic. What would be the goal of such a protest? I would understand if this were before the trade deadline, where the GM could do something, but this late in the season? Just ride with this team and see how far they'll go this year.

[The Sheik]

Unnghh.. Jake and Jim?! Fooooo-CHUCK is unintelligible and unintelligent! BOO Jake and Jim!

I never claimed either is intelligent(and they are not for that matter),however, they are much funnier then A game with the zoob and botox fox.

[seejaydeja]

I don't know if a protest will do much at this point. I think that booz has been questioned enough about his D that he knows it's not the greatest.

Yeah, the team is young, but I would expect a Sloan coached team to play with the same intensity each night, rather than playing to the level of competition. It's extremely frustrating.

[Jefff]

I doubt we'll never be a pure defensive team like SA, we don't have enough intimidation in the middle. However, we're coasting on defense, especially the starters (Brewer excluded).
Maybe they're taking some rest before the playoffs, and Sloan is leaving some "freedom" for the veterans (truth is, he doesn't have so many good replacements). Last year we arrived into the post season with some conditiong and psicological problems, now some players seem enough confident to wait the right time to "pull the trigger".
Risky tactic, two weeks and we'll have the answer.