Fox Sports: Team Report: Utah Jazz

[RonnieBrewer (Reverse Layup)]

Team Report: Getting Inside
post: 19 hours ago

Amazing how fast the view of the Jazz could change.

Until the conclusion of the playoffs, they were a young and promising team,
almost entirely under contract for the near future, making an implausible run
deep into the NBA playoffs well ahead of schedule that seemed to hint at even
greater prospects on the horizon.

Now?

It's a team in disarray, with point guard Deron Williams and forward Carlos
Boozer having complained publicly about the heart and dedication of some of
their unnamed teammates. Just like that, the Jazz became a team that seems
to be coming apart, rather than coming together -- and one whose contract
situation could become a curse rather than a blessing.

Clearly, Williams and Boozer are becoming the unquestioned leaders of the
team, both on the court and in the locker room, and their assessment of their
teammates figures to have a serious influence on the direction of the
franchise.

"The work starts out now," coach Jerry Sloan said.

The big question is what the Jazz will do with forward Andrei Kirilenko, who
no doubt was among the players Williams and Boozer criticized.

Kirilenko has made it clear he's not interested in playing a supporting
role to Williams and Boozer, but his $86 million contract and plummeting
contributions -- never mind the public criticism -- could make it impossible
to trade him.

The Jazz also might be wondering about center Mehmet Okur, who was
outstanding enough during most of the regular season to be named an All-Star,
but who disappeared during much of the playoffs and also was presumed to be
among those criticized for going "on vacation" before the season was over.

The whole mess distracted from an otherwise amazing season in which the Jazz
finished 51-31 -- their best record in six years -- won the Northwest Division
title and made the playoffs for the first time in four years. Most observers
expected them to make an early exit after a poor finish to the regular season,
but they surged to the conference finals for the first time since 1998.

"We're definitely happy with how far along we've come this year," Williams
said. "We had a great season, and a great playoff run, and it just got cut a
little bit short. We've got a lot to look forward to next year, and I think
we'll bounce back nice."

Still, they have work to do.

The Jazz clearly are not as mature or experienced as the San Antonio Spurs
team that eliminated them, and in addition to their other issues, they could
use an upgrade at shooting guard.

Veteran Derek Fisher had his dramatic moments and brings a lot of maturity
to the locker room, but he's undersized at that position and is hardly a
spectacular shooter. Backup Gordan Giricek can shoot, but he's a poor
defender who also fell in for the criticism about not caring enough.

For as much as the Jazz have going for them -- Williams and Boozer, above all
else -- they also will have some huge decisions to make in the off-season.


SEASON HIGHLIGHT: The Jazz had lost 17 of 18 road playoff games going into
a deciding Game 7 of the first round of the playoffs at Houston, but put
together a stunning virtuoso performance to claim a 103-99 victory over the
Rockets that delivered their first playoff series victory in seven years.
Carlos Boozer scored 35 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and handed out five
assists as the Jazz became only the 12th team in league history to win a
best-of-seven series after losing the first two games. The Jazz were also
only the 19th team in league history to win a Game 7 on the road, in 97
attempts -- heralding their growing maturity and confidence.

TURNING POINT: The Jazz were actually still in the fight in the Western
Conference finals against San Antonio, until uncharacteristically melting
down in the final minutes of Game 4 at home. Coach Jerry Sloan and guard
Derek Fisher were ejected amid a hail of technical fouls, while the Jazz
could neither score nor keep the Spurs off the free-throw line in what
became a 91-79 loss that snapped their seven-game home winning streak in
the playoffs. The loss also kept the Jazz from evening the series, and
doomed them to a miserable season-finale in Game 5 in San Antonio.


http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/teamReport?categoryId=71100&type=InsideSlant 

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◆ From: 59.42.97.197
※ 編輯: RonnieBrewer    來自: 59.42.97.197         (06/09 12:18)
推 CarlosBoozer:上工
推 hardaway:怎麼只貼 Getting Inside？
推 ammon:Notes and Quotes 和 Roster Report ?  有瞄過
推 CarlosBoozer:Giricek can shoot, but he's a poor defender.
推 hardaway:我看到也在想，他不是歐洲大鎖嗎？ XD
→ hardaway:不過據說 GG 已經被排除在渡假嫌疑犯的名單之外了。
推 ammon:他好像是周三去練球了,  除非他是在gym渡假　＠＠？？
推 CarlosBoozer:欲蓋彌彰
推 monmo:那種情況下搞不好本來訂好的票跟飯店全取消了吧.....
推 Actus:樓上怎麼跟HoopChina的鄉民看法一樣 XD
推 RonnieBrewer:Lara Giricek: 拔拔..你不是要帶我們去Hawaii玩的嗎?
推 CarlosBoozer:把拔今年是合約...呃, 要認真工作啦 ^_^
推 stevenlovego:搞不好是在gym裡....和老婆.....
推 semicoma:GG: 把拔頭腦比電腦好啊(誤)
→ sneak: 欲蓋彌彰 https://muxiv.com