Less predictability on offense would get Jazz out of rut Charley Rosen Updated 十二月 22, 2009 2:12 上午 EDT Magic 104, Jazz 99 Utah is coached by Hall of Famer Jerry Sloan. Deron Williams is at the very least the third-best point guard in the league. Carlos Boozer is a seven-time All-Star. Andrei Kirilenko is an all-league defender. So why are the Jazz only four games above .500? Their frustrating loss in Orlando provides all of the reasons. Boozer is not the power player he appears to be. He only ventured into the low post on two occasions — scoring a short jumper and then getting a layup blocked. He missed four layups — including one in the clutch — because he approached the rim on tiptoes. For the most part, he was positioned at the high post and either functioned as a reverse passer or a jump shooter. There's no question Boozer has adhesive hands (eight rebounds), but he's slow moving up, down and sideways. That's why his defense is so poor. Williams' body language was a giveaway — he was relatively lifeless and playing as though he expected the worst. His shot wasn't falling (6-for-16 for 18 points), but he did make sure the ball arrived at its pre-assigned destination (12 assists). Most of his dimes were picked up when drove hard in one direction and threw accurate skip passes to open teammates in his wake. But one of Utah's main problems is Williams is Utah's best post-up player — four interior set-ups good for two points of his own and four more generated by two of his assists. Another problem is that, with all of Utah's minutely prescribed offensive plays, there's precious little space for Williams to create his own shot opportunities. Mehmet Okur never was a speed burner, but, at the not-so-ripe age of 30, he seems to have lost a step or two. Except for a putback, a short jumper and a late trey, Okur was not involved in the offense. On defense, Okur totally relies on anticipation — which is precisely how he induced a pair of charging fouls. Otherwise, he reacts late to just about every offensive play in his vicinity. Since neither Okur nor Boozer is a shot blocker, the Jazz must collapse their defense around any ball penetration, which makes them especially vulnerable to kick-out passes and open perimeter shots. AK47 made Vince Carter work hard for his points, and also dropped a trio of treys that helped keep the Jazz close in the endgame. Kirilenko is for real, and he even looks more Americanized with his new Kyle Korver haircut. The Jazz got uneven performances from several other players. C. J. Miles has to shoot better than 5-for-15 for Utah to win on the road. Ronnie Brewer is super-quick into the passing lanes (three steals), but his crooked-arm jumpers (2-for-9) are not NBA-worthy. Paul Millsap (8-for-11, 20 points) was the only Jazz man to be consistently aggressive near the hoop. And he also knocked down four of the six step-back jumpers he has worked so hard to perfect. The Jazz were more competitive when Millsap played and Boozer sat. Eric Maynor (1-for-5 for four points) is much more comfortable playing in a broken field. The team's complicated offense continues to confuse the rookie, so much so that he forced a total of four shots-and-passes. So, then, what's wrong with the Jazz? ‧Aside from Williams, they lack anybody who can consistently create his own shots. ‧That's why they ran only four isos. Two for Boozer (resulting in two points), and the same numbers for Miles. ‧Not counting Williams' ventures into the pivot, Millsap set up down low three times (for three points), and Boozer twice (for two points). ‧Their offense consists of a wide variety of perpetual screens, fades, dive cuts and sequential curls, but precious few screen/rolls. Indeed, they tallied a total of only six points on S/Rs. ‧In other words, their half-court offense is designed to score off ball movement and jump shots. In set-up situations, the Jazz were awarded only six free throws as a result of drives and post-ups. ‧No matter how convoluted their offensive patterns might be, the Jazz don't put enough pressure on the defense. ‧And after a while, alert defenses learn how to dance with Utah's offense. Which is precisely why the Jazz couldn't manage a decent shot with the game on the line in the waning minutes. The Jazz win games primarily on discipline and some combination of Millsap's heart, Miles' shooting, AK's defense and spot shots and Williams' athleticism. They lose because their offense is ultimately too predictable, their bigs are not sufficiently athletic, their wings are not proactive enough on offense and they miss too many shots — 40.4 percent against the Magic. This particular group has reached the uppermost limit of its capabilities. If the front office is satisfied to be a perpetual seventh or eighth playoff seed, then all is well is Salt Lake City. But if the Jazz aspire to climbing up the ladder, then it's time to rebuild a new roster around Williams, Kirilenko, Millsap and perhaps Maynor. And it's also time for Sloan to let some fresh air into his game plan. http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/Rosen-analysis-Jazz-122209 --

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