Another Winnable Loss on the Road

The Jazz are 1-2 on this road trip and and while they haven't played very well in any of the games, bad teams gives you a chance to win games and all three of these games were winnable games against bad teams. Philadelphia was the "in" pick this year with the Elton Brand signing but they don't look like the team that closed out last year so well. The Jazz looked like they were going to lose to Philadelphia in the third quarter until the second unit came in and saved them. The Jazz are developing confidence in sending in the bench in key moments of the game, sometimes with none of the starters on the floor. As long as Brewer keeps going to the basket, it is really hard to stop him and his slumps wont last long. It is nice to see players other than Boozer and Williams winning games for the Jazz. Brewer took over last night's game and Milsap won one of the Clipper games. Kirilenko again did a nice job off the bench and the Jazz should have the ball run through him in the high post more often.
I don't see the point of rushing Williams back. By the time the playoffs come around, no one is going to remember this road trip. Why risk injuring his ankle again before it is fully healed for a couple of meaningless early season games? I'm not worried about his weak numbers. In a couple of weeks he will be back where he needs to be and back to his normal self. You can see just from a couple of plays the great connection that he has with Boozer. Boozer knows exactly when to make his cut to the basket on the pic and roll. Williams knows exactly when to send the bounce pass. The amazing thing about Boozer is he doesn't pick up a lot of charges. He is excellent at taking the pass and then changing direction around another defender in front of him and getting an easy lay up. There isn't anyone in the NBA that is better at it than Boozer.
The Washington game was just awful, awful, awful. They looked tired. There was no hustle and they made rookie JaVale McGee look like he drinking Comcast high speed with power boost. He was literally everywhere blocking shots and grabbing rebounds. Does anyone other than Paul Milsap get his shot blocked more often than Carlos Boozer? Boozer has a hard time with taller players with long arms and tonight he was blocked at least three times by McGee and Thomas. Kirilenko looked like the AK of two years ago that stood around and took a Valium before games. Is there a reason that he doesn't even jump for rebounds unless the ball is heading straight to him? There was a time when AK looked had McGee's energy with more skill. I said in a previous post that his numbers are near his old numbers except in a couple of categories...blocks, which is down a good block and a half per game and personal fouls. Kirilenko was in foul trouble all the time before because he was so active. If you are going to get blocks, steals and rebounds you will pick up the occasional over the back or foul on a shooter. He doesn't even try to block half the shots he used to go for a couple of years ago. I wonder if he is just less athletic now that he is getting older.
CJ Miles finally had a nice night. During the course of a game, he has that one play that makes you want to believe that he can be really good. You fall in love with how smooth his jumper looks. He has better shot selection this year. I think its because he knows that he has regular minutes and he doesn't have to come in and jack shots to prove that he can play.
Kosta Koufos didn't look as stiff as most first round white stiffs. He shoots jumpers like a basketball player and he walk around like he has cement blocks on his feet. I already declare that he is better than Collins and take all six of his minutes per game. My hopes aren't high that he will ever be more than a career back up.
Korver hasn't had a big game yet. He hasn't played badly but he really hasn't shot the ball that well. I think that fans are just happy that it is Korver coming around screens and not Girecek ready to catch and then be called for travelling.
NBA notes
Washington was 0-5 until getting their first win against the Jazz tonight and that says a lot about this team. Washington has three legitimate stars if Gilbert Arenas plays, but as good as Arenas is, he is not the type of guy that makes his team better. He is the player that you hate playing with because he shoots every time he touches the ball. You have to give him the ball because he is your best player. Problem is that without him, Jamison and Butler just don't have enough to beat most good teams. I'm increasingly convinced that great teams have stars that are two way players. If you look last year's finals teams, Boston and LA are good examples of stars playing good defense. KG's defense carried this team. Paul Pierce's defense on Kobe was one of the biggest reasons they beat LA. Kobe playing tough D sets the tone for the rest of his team and lets them know that they can't slack off and just play offense. Butler is athletic enough to be a great defender but Jamison and Arenas just aren't defensive minded guys. That is what is going to keep this team from being better even when Arenas comes back.
I like Elton Brand. He is a very solid PF who plays hard every night and also plays very good defense. Surprisingly for a guy who isn't a leaper, he blocks a ton of shots. If I were to choose between Carlos Boozer at 10+ million for one year or Brand at 5 yrs 80 million, I would take Boozer but only due to the bloated contract. Brand is the better overall player and is a good citizen but paying Brand like a 1 when he is best suited as a 2 will mean salary cap problems. When I mean 1, I mean a franchise player. 2 meaning the second star on the team. Can you imagine a championship team with Brand as your best player? I can understand what Philadelphia did by overpaying for him with a nice season last year. They probably felt that getting someone like Brand would make them a title contender. They should be able to compete but Brand is a 2, Igualdola is a 3 and so is Miller. Thaddeus Young looks like he is going to be pretty good but are they going to have the money to pay him? Iguadola just signed a new deal, Dalembert is making 11 million a year and Andre Miller is also making 10 million. If they plan on not resigning Miller this next year, Philadelphia will see that Miller was the reason for last year's success.
Next game for the Jazz is against Charlotte and the best chance for a win.