Big changes have happened in Utah over the past 2 weeks. Jerry Sloan has resigned from coaching the team, and Ty Corbin has stepped in to take his place. Then, the Jazz have traded away their franchise player to the Nets who desperately wanted to make a big splash in the NBA trade frenzy after getting the cold shoulder from Carmello AnthoNY. But what does this all mean for the Jazz?
Well first off, lets talk about the Sloan deal. Coach Sloan's bizarre end to an illustrious career is perplexing, confusing, and strange. Very odd for him to leave the team mid season during a tight race out west. The theory that Deron Williams was the reason seemed unlikely at the time since Sloan has coached for so many years and has "seen it all" so to speak. But then when everybody wakes up to find Deron Williams traded to the Nets for Devin Harris and Derrick Favors plus two first round picks (one from New Jersey in 2011 and the other from Golden State in 2012) everybody has to step back and ask more seriously if D-Will was the reason Sloan left. Perhaps Sloan returns now that Williams is gone. I doubt that, but who knows.
As far as what the trade does for Utah on the basketball court it actually isn't that bad a deal. If Williams was going out anyways, then the deal is a good one. Get a good solid replacement PG in Devin Harris, and get a rookie Power Forward with a lot of upside and potential. Jazz were in need of drafting another big body, and this might do the trick. If Harris plays better in Utah than he did in New Jersey (which I expect him to do because Utah has a better system), then the trade may not affect Utah at all, and if anything benefit them. Still, the deal is a stunner. Who saw this coming? This was like an atomic bomb was dropped in the NBA trading frenzy.
Nobody, I mean nobody saw this coming. Talk about coming out of left field. I found out about this in my college classroom. I was checking my phone and the trade popped up, and I was stunned. Couldn't believe it. I thought Utah would right the ship and keep going. I thought a trade was possible, but nothing like this. Honestly, when you think about it, the trade isn't a bad one. Get a PG that is almost as good, and also get a Power Forward that has a lot of potential to grow. It could be a blessing in disguise. I can see what Utah likes out of the deal, and what New Jersey likes out of the deal except for the fact that if New Jersey doesn't convince Deron Williams that they will and can succeed in the future, then Williams will leave and the Nets could be left with nothing. Remember, D-Will is a free agent at the end of the 2011-2012 season. If he doesn't like New Jersey at the end of next season, he won't re-sign. I guarantee it. New Jersey made a very risky move here. If they don't get better quickly, they will lose Harris, Favors, and then Williams. Leaving them with nothing. Very risky move by the Nets. It could pay off though if they are aggressive in making more moves.
What does this mean for Utah this season? I think the Jazz are in trouble for the rest of this year. Harris will have to learn the system on the fly, as will Favors. Luckily, Denver is depleted, Memphis has lost Rudy Gay for a month and they have a ridiculously hard schedule (Memphis has Sacramento, San Antonio, @ San Antonio, New Orleans, @ Dallas, Oklahoma City, New York, @ Miami, LA Clippers, @ New York, Indiana, UTAH, @ Boston, @ Chicago, San Antonio) all in a row! Those are tough games, and I expect the Grizz to fall apart at fade away. The Nuggets probably struggle too without 'Melo and so, they could fall apart as well. The Jazz are not as hurt by their deal as the Nuggets are, and aren't as hurt as the Grizzlies. The Jazz in my mind end up in the playoffs as a 7 or 8 seed. Maybe even a 6 or a 5. They can make the playoffs, and maybe get a decent seed. All in all, the Jazz aren't in a bad spot considering what is happening in Denver and Memphis. They should leap frog both those guys to 7 and maybe even creep up to the 5 spot. It's all possible. In my honest opinion, Utah will get the 7 seed,and get bounced out by the Mavs in 6 games. That is my call, but knowing how Dallas plays in the playoffs, Utah may have them beat in the mental department. Who knows. Let's hope the Jazz don't totally fall apart and are able to get things together to get a playoff spot and get some mo going into next season. Go Jazz!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Utah Jazz All Star Break Report: All-Star Break Couldn't Have Come At A More Convenient Time
Everybody in Utah is freaking out about the Jazz, but I want to inform Jazz nation that it is Way, Way, Way to early to press the panic button! The Jazz are only 1.5 games back of the #5 seed in the Western Conference. They won a series last year as the #5 seed. Sloan resigns, AK-47 has a sprained ankle, Bell and Price haven't played. I'm viewing this as a blessing for the Jazz that the All-Star break has arrived. If you look at the schedule, the Jazz have several winnable games after the break. Denver at home twice, the Pistons, and Pacers (on the road, but they should win those). Minnesota twice, Sacramento twice, @ Houston and @ Memphis who they should beat, etc. They got the Wizards and the Sixers coming into Utah as well, so they should win those games. Portland comes to Salt Lake the very end of the year, the Lakers at home (who are having problems of their own), and they have the low-life Toronto Raptors (on the road) whom they should destroy. That is 15 games that they should win. Plus, they got games against teams that they are competing with, so they can do double damage on multiple wins by giving themselves a W and their Western Conference foes an L. The Jazz don't have to play the Warriors or Phoenix for the rest of the year, which is nice. They don't have Orlando or Miami. They do have Boston, but that is a home game, and they can win that. As tight as everything is right now, the Jazz can still get a top 5 seed, and even a top 4 seed if things go really well. Williams needs to play better, but what they really need is health. They got a week to rest, get healthy, and regroup. It's hard for Ty Corbin to win when he's only dressing 8 players! Look at the schedule and the standings before you call the season over. They are 6 games back of the Thunder for the #4 seed and that will be a challenge to sniff, but the Thunder open with the Clippers, Spurs, Magic, and Lakers to start off the break. Easily could lose 3 of those 4 games because they are @ San Antonio and @ Orlando. The Thunder also haven't traveled to Miami yet this year. They got Atlanta on the road as well, and the Wizards and Sixers so who know if they win those. The Thunder are capable of going into a dive as well. But there is still one third of the NBA season left to play and plenty of ball left. The Jazz control their own destiny and if they play like we all know they are capable and able to do, they can right the ship. So everybody in Utah Jazz Nation just CHILL OUT!!!!!!!!!!!! Just count your blessings that the All-Star Break is here. The Jazz are tied for the 8th spot right now, but you gotta think they are gonna pick things up and be able to pass the McNuggets (who may be without 'Melo in a week), the Hornets (who don't know where they are going to re-locate) and the Blazers (who are injury prone and soft). They are 1.5 games back of Portland for the #5 spot. Those people who are calling the season over need to re-think their lives and stop living life in the moment. Take a look back at the whole picture and realize things are not out of your control. Jazz aren't going to win the NBA finals this year anyways, so if they could win a series with this new group that would be great. If they get a # 5 seed, they could do that. So just CHILL OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
CJ Miles: The X-Factor
The Jazz right now are coming out of their most horrid slumps in recent memory. An East Coast road trip that we'd all like to forget in Jazz Nation. We all remember that great road trip early in the year in which Miami, Orlando, Atlanta, and Charlotte were all dispatched and destroyed by the Utah Jazz. The Jazz then were playing the best basketball that they've played in years, and certainly had the best road trip in franchise history. But now they've recently lost to the likes of Washington, New Jersey, and Philadelphia on the road. A disgusting trip for sure 2 weeks ago, and certainly one that they'd like to forget about. But with all that being said they are 29-20, still safe for a playoff spot and only 2 games back of the northwest division leading Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite playing like dog vomit over the past 2 weeks they are still in prime position to get a top 3 seed out West. The Lakers are having problems of their own right now. Right now, the Lakeshow are trying to get Pau Gasol, Ron Artest, and every Laker not named Kobe Bryant to stop playing like slothful over-paid cry babies.
The Jazz have a chance to get ahead of Dallas, LA and OKC and get the 2 seed. It's not out of reach by any means. But there are things that the Jazz need to do to get that 2 spot (I've given up on the one seed, the Spurs are spanking everybody right now, and are a lock to end up first in the West). The Jazz need Deron Williams (once he's back on the court) to play at his all-star level every night. He needs to be scoring around 20 points and dishing out 10 assists every night.
Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap need to continue to dominate the paint. They need to both be able score around the basket and not settle for outside jumpers. Andrei Kirilenko and his "Go-Go Gaget Arms" as Matt Harpring likes to put it, needs to continue to wreak havoc like a Russian Spy. Raja Bell needs to develop a more consistent offensive game. I want to see Raja Bell scoring around 12 points per game. That's what I want out of Raja Bell, a consistent 12 points every game. Mehmet Okur needs to return to his usual self, hitting 3's, stretching out the defense, and cutting to the basket like he did last year. So far he's been close to a non-factor. I expect the other bench players like Gordon Hayward, Earl "The Squirrel" Watson, Ronnie Price, Francisco Elson, Jeremy Evans, and Kyrylo Fesenko to come in and provide energy, and keep the ship afloat while the starters rest.
I've mentioned 12 of their 13 players. The one player I haven't yet mentioned is the player who I have labeled the "X-Factor" of the Utah Jazz. That would be CJ Miles. CJ Miles has had some games where he's on fire, hitting 3's, scoring at will, and really changing the whole dynamic of the game from an offensive stand point. He's also had games where he's gone quiet, only scoring in the single-digits and not contributing much to the offense and honestly being a detriment at times because his shot isn't falling and his missed shots lead to fast breaks and free points for the other team. The Golden Stat for the Utah Jazz is the following: The Utah Jazz are 12-0 when CJ Miles scores 19 or more points this year. 12 of their 29 wins have come with CJ's 19 + points. The other 17 have come when he has less than 19 points. That means that the Jazz are a sub .500 team when CJ Miles has less than 19 points. 17-20 to be exact. In games where CJ gets 10 points to 18 points, they are 11-9, a little better than .500 and a crappy 6-11 when he has less than 10 points. This is a huge tell tale stat about how important CJ Miles is to this team. When he's playing at a high level, the Jazz are unbeatable, and when he's not, they are sub.500.
Why is CJ Miles so important to the Utah Jazz? Because he can provide three key things for the Jazz. #1 He provides scoring off of the bench. The rest of the Jazz bench is pretty flaky when it comes to scoring. Fesenko, Evans, Elson, Price, Watson, and even Hayward are rarely good for more than 8 points each. Hayward has had the highest scoring game of the bunch with the 17 point game that he notched against the Clippers. Hayward has the potential to become a Jeff Hornacek type guy. But back to CJ, he is by far the best scoring option off the bench. 12 times he has posted 19 points or more and every time he does that, the Jazz win. When CJ Miles doesn't score points off the bench, the rest of the bench is hard pressed to even match 20 points as a collective unit without CJ. CJ is Utah's bench from a scoring perspective. This isn't to knock the other bench players, because they all have different strengths, but it is true that CJ Miles is the only really good scoring weapon that comes off the bench for Jerry Sloan.
#2. CJ Miles stretches the floor in games where he's effective. When CJ Miles is scoring points, and that often is from the outside, the defense stretches out and gives more room for the Jazz to get the ball into guys like Jefferson and Millsap. If Miles is not playing well and is off the floor, the defense can play better interior defense because the long ball isn't a big threat. But if CJ is on the court, and he's playing well, then the defense has to guard him and give up more space in the painted area which creates more options for the low post players of Utah. Deron Williams can drive to the hole, get to the line, and create more for the team. If the defense isn't stretched out, a lot of those great cuts and attacks to the basket that the Utah Jazz do isn't happening as easily. CJ Miles gives the defense a reason to get out of the paint. It has a Randy Moss effect to it. Randy Moss is a great Wide out because he stretches the field and opens things up. CJ Miles does the same thing for Utah.
#3. CJ Miles takes pressure off the starters when he's hitting his shot. I think that this is the best aspect of CJ getting his 19 points or more. When he's scoring in bunches, Williams, Millsap, and Jefferson don't have to do as much. There isn't as much pressure on them. If they have a 2 guard that is scoring a lot of points, that means that there is now a fourth guy to share the scoring load with them. That is huge. If he is putting up massive amounts of points, then the whole offense clicks a lot better. The Jazz are a championship caliber team when CJ gets his 19+ points. The Jazz are one elite player away from a championship, and the position needed is shooting guard/small forward. A shooting guard that gets 20 points is just what the doctor ordered when it comes to prescribing a remedy or an answer to what the Jazz need to do to contend. Think about the Jazz teams that went to the Finals. They had reliable shooting guards. Jeff Hornacek and Bryon Russell were perfect complimentary players to John Stockton and Karl Malone. CJ Miles can be the same for Deron Williams and Al Jefferson. The real scary part of all this is that he comes off the bench no less. Having a 6th man that scores like that is a rare luxury that not many coaches have.
All in all, if you had to give me one player that dictates how the Jazz do, it's CJ Miles. The numbers don't lie. Williams, Jefferson, and Millsap have to play well and do their part, but when CJ Miles comes in and shares the spotlight, the Jazz are a scary team to watch. CJ gives them more points, more rest/relief, and more space on the court to work with. I always check to see if CJ Miles "Gets his 20" (I could say 19, but 20 sounds better). If he "Gets his 20" look out, because the Utah Jazz are a championship caliber team. What can the Jazz do to help CJ "Get his 20"? This is the hard part to figure out. I think a lot of has to do with CJ himself. It really is up to CJ. Some nights he just doesn't have it. He's clanging shots, he's missing 3s and in the process giving up long rebounds to help the opposition get in transition and score fastbreak points. Not a whole lot you can do to help a guy get out of a shooting rut. You don't want to go to him if he's cold. But the one thing that the Jazz can/need to do is to get CJ shots early in the game. Get him touches. Design plays to get him an easy layup or a dunk so that he can get rolling. As a fellow basketball player, I always find that my shot goes down more readily when I've hit a couple of quick little close shots. Getting even a layup in the hole can fix a shooting slump, and prevent one from ever happening. If they design plays to get his motor running they will be much more successful as a team. CJ Miles is "The X-Factor".
The Jazz have a chance to get ahead of Dallas, LA and OKC and get the 2 seed. It's not out of reach by any means. But there are things that the Jazz need to do to get that 2 spot (I've given up on the one seed, the Spurs are spanking everybody right now, and are a lock to end up first in the West). The Jazz need Deron Williams (once he's back on the court) to play at his all-star level every night. He needs to be scoring around 20 points and dishing out 10 assists every night.
Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap need to continue to dominate the paint. They need to both be able score around the basket and not settle for outside jumpers. Andrei Kirilenko and his "Go-Go Gaget Arms" as Matt Harpring likes to put it, needs to continue to wreak havoc like a Russian Spy. Raja Bell needs to develop a more consistent offensive game. I want to see Raja Bell scoring around 12 points per game. That's what I want out of Raja Bell, a consistent 12 points every game. Mehmet Okur needs to return to his usual self, hitting 3's, stretching out the defense, and cutting to the basket like he did last year. So far he's been close to a non-factor. I expect the other bench players like Gordon Hayward, Earl "The Squirrel" Watson, Ronnie Price, Francisco Elson, Jeremy Evans, and Kyrylo Fesenko to come in and provide energy, and keep the ship afloat while the starters rest.
I've mentioned 12 of their 13 players. The one player I haven't yet mentioned is the player who I have labeled the "X-Factor" of the Utah Jazz. That would be CJ Miles. CJ Miles has had some games where he's on fire, hitting 3's, scoring at will, and really changing the whole dynamic of the game from an offensive stand point. He's also had games where he's gone quiet, only scoring in the single-digits and not contributing much to the offense and honestly being a detriment at times because his shot isn't falling and his missed shots lead to fast breaks and free points for the other team. The Golden Stat for the Utah Jazz is the following: The Utah Jazz are 12-0 when CJ Miles scores 19 or more points this year. 12 of their 29 wins have come with CJ's 19 + points. The other 17 have come when he has less than 19 points. That means that the Jazz are a sub .500 team when CJ Miles has less than 19 points. 17-20 to be exact. In games where CJ gets 10 points to 18 points, they are 11-9, a little better than .500 and a crappy 6-11 when he has less than 10 points. This is a huge tell tale stat about how important CJ Miles is to this team. When he's playing at a high level, the Jazz are unbeatable, and when he's not, they are sub.500.
Why is CJ Miles so important to the Utah Jazz? Because he can provide three key things for the Jazz. #1 He provides scoring off of the bench. The rest of the Jazz bench is pretty flaky when it comes to scoring. Fesenko, Evans, Elson, Price, Watson, and even Hayward are rarely good for more than 8 points each. Hayward has had the highest scoring game of the bunch with the 17 point game that he notched against the Clippers. Hayward has the potential to become a Jeff Hornacek type guy. But back to CJ, he is by far the best scoring option off the bench. 12 times he has posted 19 points or more and every time he does that, the Jazz win. When CJ Miles doesn't score points off the bench, the rest of the bench is hard pressed to even match 20 points as a collective unit without CJ. CJ is Utah's bench from a scoring perspective. This isn't to knock the other bench players, because they all have different strengths, but it is true that CJ Miles is the only really good scoring weapon that comes off the bench for Jerry Sloan.
#2. CJ Miles stretches the floor in games where he's effective. When CJ Miles is scoring points, and that often is from the outside, the defense stretches out and gives more room for the Jazz to get the ball into guys like Jefferson and Millsap. If Miles is not playing well and is off the floor, the defense can play better interior defense because the long ball isn't a big threat. But if CJ is on the court, and he's playing well, then the defense has to guard him and give up more space in the painted area which creates more options for the low post players of Utah. Deron Williams can drive to the hole, get to the line, and create more for the team. If the defense isn't stretched out, a lot of those great cuts and attacks to the basket that the Utah Jazz do isn't happening as easily. CJ Miles gives the defense a reason to get out of the paint. It has a Randy Moss effect to it. Randy Moss is a great Wide out because he stretches the field and opens things up. CJ Miles does the same thing for Utah.
#3. CJ Miles takes pressure off the starters when he's hitting his shot. I think that this is the best aspect of CJ getting his 19 points or more. When he's scoring in bunches, Williams, Millsap, and Jefferson don't have to do as much. There isn't as much pressure on them. If they have a 2 guard that is scoring a lot of points, that means that there is now a fourth guy to share the scoring load with them. That is huge. If he is putting up massive amounts of points, then the whole offense clicks a lot better. The Jazz are a championship caliber team when CJ gets his 19+ points. The Jazz are one elite player away from a championship, and the position needed is shooting guard/small forward. A shooting guard that gets 20 points is just what the doctor ordered when it comes to prescribing a remedy or an answer to what the Jazz need to do to contend. Think about the Jazz teams that went to the Finals. They had reliable shooting guards. Jeff Hornacek and Bryon Russell were perfect complimentary players to John Stockton and Karl Malone. CJ Miles can be the same for Deron Williams and Al Jefferson. The real scary part of all this is that he comes off the bench no less. Having a 6th man that scores like that is a rare luxury that not many coaches have.
All in all, if you had to give me one player that dictates how the Jazz do, it's CJ Miles. The numbers don't lie. Williams, Jefferson, and Millsap have to play well and do their part, but when CJ Miles comes in and shares the spotlight, the Jazz are a scary team to watch. CJ gives them more points, more rest/relief, and more space on the court to work with. I always check to see if CJ Miles "Gets his 20" (I could say 19, but 20 sounds better). If he "Gets his 20" look out, because the Utah Jazz are a championship caliber team. What can the Jazz do to help CJ "Get his 20"? This is the hard part to figure out. I think a lot of has to do with CJ himself. It really is up to CJ. Some nights he just doesn't have it. He's clanging shots, he's missing 3s and in the process giving up long rebounds to help the opposition get in transition and score fastbreak points. Not a whole lot you can do to help a guy get out of a shooting rut. You don't want to go to him if he's cold. But the one thing that the Jazz can/need to do is to get CJ shots early in the game. Get him touches. Design plays to get him an easy layup or a dunk so that he can get rolling. As a fellow basketball player, I always find that my shot goes down more readily when I've hit a couple of quick little close shots. Getting even a layup in the hole can fix a shooting slump, and prevent one from ever happening. If they design plays to get his motor running they will be much more successful as a team. CJ Miles is "The X-Factor".
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