DEFENSE

[troy]

I decided to create a new topic to what should be in my mind the subject of all our talks this summer.

We all know that DEFENSE is the problem here, now what are the solutions to our problem ?

- Will the Jazz make some moves that will improve our defense (particularly our inside defense).
- Will the young 7 footers be able to make a difference in that area ?
- Will Okur and Boozer step up ?

THIS IS ALL I WANT TO KNOW.

So far, since the end of the playoffs Utah didn't do ONE THING that could let us to believe our defense will be improved next year.
That's a big problem to me.

i dedicate this topic to all the talks about the real issue of the Utah Jazz.


I saw one article that made me want to create a topic on the Jazz :
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/jul/24/team-usa-knows-its-achilles-heel/

It's about Team USA and its achilles heel : the pick and roll.
Apparently the coaching staff has put an empasis on pick and roll defense.
As a Jazz fan this is interesting for me because maybe it will change Boozer's perception of the game. Maybe after a training camp where emphasis has been put on defense and with the stakes very high , he will FINALLY start to play defense. And maybe he will like it or at least bear with it and bring a new found defensive intensity next year !!

[BiggMann]

Well we added Brevin Knight... he's an upgrade defensivly.

But as for Fes and Koufos, i doubt either make an impact this year (judging strictly off what i've seen at the RMR)

Not sure what you mean by stepping up... Okur and Boozer have carried this team. Sure we'd like them to play better D, but that's just something they'll have to commit to.

[troy]

Well we added Brevin Knight... he's an upgrade defensivly.

I disagree with you on every sense of this sentence.
- First of all Knight is NOT better than Hart defensively. Hart was terrible last year, but you can't pass the fact that he was a VERY GOOD defender at the point guard last year. he was clearly our best defensive PG last year. So no Knight is not a better defender than Hart.
- Second of all you don't improve your defense by bringing a defensive BACK UP PG. Are you kidding me !!? Point guard is the position where the impact is the less important on defense especially with the actual rules !!
An above average defender like Kidd get often destroyed by his opponents.

Not sure what you mean by stepping up... Okur and Boozer have carried this team. Sure we'd like them to play better D, but that's just something they'll have to commit to.

Okur and Boozer have carried this team on ONE END OF THE FLOOR (especially for Boozer). And it has proven to be not enough in two consecutive years with back to back years where we go out by letting our opponent shoots 49% from the floor (something no other team has done those past 2 years !!!)

[JStockLivesOn]

Jason Hart our best defensive PG? Jason Hart wasn't our best anything.

[schneiderjazz]

I think Boozer will try harder this season simply for the fact that he's in a contract year (Memo too). Hopefully, Fess or Koufos will be able to contribute a little. Brewer will be entering his 3rd year and he probably learned a thing or two from last season. I believe the defense will be slightly improved even if the Jazz don't make anymore moves, but it will still not be good enough to bring the Jazz a championship.

[HolyToledo]

defense is a combination of hustle, skill, and athletic ability therefore. Boozer has none of these. Memo has some hustle defensively but no skill or athletic ability therefore. Brewer has all of these including the athletic ability (body type--length is most important). Ak-47 usually has the hustle and always has the athletic ability but his skill/knowledge level is average at best.

Defense ability for Jazz:

Williams Hustle (average) Skill (average) Athletic ability (average) Overall (average defender)
Brewer Hustle (good) Skill (good) Athletic ability (good) Overall (good defender)
Memo Hustle (average) Skill (poor) Athletic Ability (below average)
Boozer Hustle (non-existent) Skill (poor) Athletic Ability (poor)
Ak-47 Hustle (good) Skill (Average) Athletic Ability (Best in League)

As you can see, Jazz will never be good enough defensively with these players to win it all but Williams, Boozer, and Memo so good offensively that they make the playoffs. Welcome tot he new Phoenix Suns of the Western Conference!!!!

[Soul Patch]

You lost me on the first sentence broseff. Boozer has the skill and the athletic ability, what he lacks is the defensive IQ and desire. Two of the biggest parts of playing defense and two things you left off your list. You then go on to say that AK has average skill and knowledge defensively, which is about as wrong as you could be. He definitely has the skill and his knowledge is above average at worst. I think you're underrating Memo a little bit, do you think we would have gotten past Houston if Okur hadn't raped Yao? He also did a very respectable job against Duncan, and an ok job against Gasol. Those are the top threats to the Jazz imo and I'm pretty comfortable with an improving Okur guarding them for the next couple of years.

[d-will8]

For all of our defensive shortcomings, which I think some people exaggerate, we do excel in one area and that is creating turnovers. Brewer and AK really do a great job of getting into passing lanes and using their length to get deflections, whether they're playing on or off the ball, and Price and Knight will put a lot of pressure on the ball and both get a lot of steals. Williams and Boozer also averaged over 1 spg last year, and guys like Millsap, Harpring and Miles get a decent amount as well. I think we were third in the NBA in steals last year and we will be just as good or better in that area this year. Obviously, that doesn't do anything about our need to improve on the interior, but it does mean that we are disruptive and can stifle the opponent's offense at times by taking possessions away.