The Unbelievers

Posted by Jeff Winget on October 08, 2009

Jazz Trail Blazers Basketball
The upcoming Jazz season looks bleak. It’s not because the players lack talent. It’s not because they lack heart. It’s not even because of the Carlos Boozer conundrum. The season looks bleak because the team lacks faith.

In the 1997 Finals, the Jazz lost the first two games in Chicago and looked on the verge of a quick, merciless defeat at the hands of Jordan and company. After the second game, Jordan even said that they had the Jazz’s system “figured out,” and Jazz guard Jeff Hornacek seemed to confirm Jordan’s claim when he said,

“They definitely seemed to think they had us figured out, [...] we would run our patterns, and they would call out to each other where the pick was going to be or where the cutter was going, and they were right.”

Many teams in a similar situation would go into panic mode. They would make changes to their scheme in order to try to be more successful, but that’s not how the Jazz do things. Jerry Sloan said after the game, “If what we do isn’t working, we don’t usually look to do something different, we just try to do it better,” a short declaration of his philosophy that not only requires players to have great skill and discipline, but also requires them to have faith in the system and in their coach (Quotes and info from Sports Illustrated 6/16/97).

It’s this faith that the current bunch of Jazz players lack. They don’t have a belief in Sloan’s system and aren’t motivated by it. I read a lot of Jazz blogs, and it seems that many bloggers believe that this lack of faith falls at the feet of coach Sloan, that the Jazz would succeed if he could motivate the players better. I have a different take on the situation. To me, Coach Sloan’s body of work should inspire the confidence of his players. His system works and has worked for 20+ years in the league. While some have called his approach “old school” (I’m looking at you Korver!), it is simply a fundamentals-first approach to the game: play good defense, take good shots, and work hard on both ends. Many other coaches in the league have a similar approach (Gregg Popovich, George Karl, and Phil Jackson are just a few examples), and no team in my lifetime has won a title without observing these basic principles.

There are many examples of the Jazz ignoring these principles to their detriment during last season, and I don’t see that changing this season. We as fans will still see our fair share of jump shots taken early in the shot clock, quick three pointers taken in transition, non-existent defensive rotations (this one’s on you, Booze), and sloppy fouls as a result of poor defensive footwork. These types of plays are the antithesis of what Jerry Sloan preaches, and until the whole team buys into the system and quits making these types of plays, the team will languish in mediocrity. In fact, they’ll be lucky to match their performance from last year when they turned a mid-season winning streak into a playoff birth in spite of a late-season stumble.

So, Utah Jazz players, it’s time to step up and believe. You have a good team with enormous talent and potential. You have a rising star at point guard, several strong wing players with various strengths and abilities that can help the team, two widely coveted power forwards, a versatile center, and some young big men that are ready to step up on the big stage. Add to that a tested coach and a winning system, and you could be great. But, as George Michael put it, “you gotta have faith.”

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Diana Allen on October 08, 2009 said:

i hope the season isn’t as bleak as you make it out to be I believe the Jazz are all about trust and chemistry. When they have it with each other and trust the system they are practically unbeatable. Its when they go one-on-one and they they’re “the man” when they falter.

J R Stewart on October 08, 2009 said:

I beeeelieve!!!

All you need is a little faith (and a lot of breaks, good luck and health).

Jazzaholic

Cory on October 08, 2009 said:

97 finals, not 96

Nancy Thompson Mahler on October 09, 2009 said:

Mission- NOT IMPOSSIBLE

Jared on October 09, 2009 said:

I think that you missed the point with the finals. The Bulls knew exactly what we were going to do, and they figured it out in order to put us away. I think that this kind of quote is exactly why the Jazz will not win a championship while Jerry Sloan is the Utah Jazz head coach. Sure fundamentals are critically important, but so is creativity. Someone can devise a strategy to defeat any scheme. Acting like we don’t need to change when our scheme has been figured out is borderline suicide. We need to adapt to mismatches and figure out how to deal with what the elite teams in the league are doing. The idea that more of the same will lead to anything other than what we have had in the past is insanity. This kind of thinking is what gets two of the best 10 players in the entire history of the league 0 championships over their career. Basketball is 90% player and player talent and 10% coaching and team strategy. If we just decided not to adjust we have got to be 125% better than the other team’s talent and we just aren’t. That isn’t to say that mediocre and/or pathetic franchises will have the talent to beat us, but those are not the teams that we need to worry about. We need to worry about the leagues elite teams. These teams seem to have us totally figured out. This is not a question of faith, it is a question of strategy.

Jeff Winget on October 10, 2009 said:

@Cory,

Ooops! The sad thing is that I graduated from high school right before the finals that year. I should be able to get the year right (It’s also right in the citation of the SI article). I plead typo.

@Jared,

My point is that it’s hard to fault the system if the players don’t run it. Like Diana said above, when they actually run the system that Jerry has in place for them, they are very, very good. When they think they have to go it alone, they get themselves in trouble. Basketball plays aren’t really about surprise (everyone knows the ins and outs of the Triangle Offense as well); they’re about execution. There are enough options in Jerry’s offense (or Phil’s or anyone else’s) that if players execute correctly, they should get an open look. Honestly, there isn’t a lot of creativity in designing basketball plays. There are only so many ways that you can get a player open (screens, cuts, drive and dish, etc.). What it ultimately comes down to is who executes the best. In order to execute, you have to believe in the system.

JayD on October 11, 2009 said:

I beleive in this Jazz team and Coach Sloans systems .
Lets go Jazz!!!!!

Ben H on October 11, 2009 said:

It’s interesting to watch the nights where they run their sets right, rotate right, and play aggressive how successful they are. I’ve seen games like that where they’ve plain make the other team look silly.
Other nights, they rush it, take early jumpers, bad 3’s, play bad D, etc., and they never, ever, win those nights.
I’m a firm believer in the system the Jazz have in place, well with one exception: we need to guard better on the perimiter. Yes, I know it’s a lower % shot, but you have to figure in the overall momentum of the game, and when the other team is hitting 3’s, momentum you do not have. But aside from that, the Jazz system is a system that wins, and wins in bunches.
Nice blog…

Rody on October 14, 2009 said:

I don’t think it’s belief….I think it’s lack of leadership. When you don’t have a strong leader on the court then people do what they think is best as an individual.

I think it’s all on the PG. We fall into problems when our point gaurd doesn’t take the leadership roll of the team on the court. Now this is nothing against Williams, when Williams is actually playing the leadership rolll we do wonderfully….but when he isn’t being a leader we struggle.

I think DWill knows the system, but just needs to decide that it is his team not allow others with maybe a stronger personality to take over (ie Booze). Oh also I think whoemver the point gaurd is on the court needs to be the leader (including the backups).

Lastly I would still love to see the Jazz distribute minutes better, I do think we have a deep bench and should use it more.

Pat on October 14, 2009 said:

Coach Sloan’s record speaks for itself. Trust him player!

Shannon in Sacramento on October 15, 2009 said:

Coach Sloan’s record does speak for itself. It says he’s been an amazing coach, but possibly one step behind some of the great coaches, i.e. Riley, Jackson, Popovich, etc. who have all won championships.

Lynn Corbin on October 16, 2009 said:

I want to say, that I have followed the Jazz for all time, and they were the highlight of my nights, when they were put on the JAZZ STATION-14…. YOU KNOW, THE REGULAR T.V. that so many of us are still forced to watch, because of finances……. or some other circumstances. You have made it impossible , and totally shut off so many of the jazz fans, I might say the KARMA will follow. Where is the together feeling we used to have… Why does the Jazz Owners feel they can shut off so many fans, and still have what they used to. It doesn’t work that way. We have a t.v. station named KJAZZ. Where are they? I’m glad BYU is proud enough to televise there games, and SALT LAKE REAL I can follow….What happened to the JAZZ ? IS THERE EVER GOING TO BE ANY HOPE OF SEEING A GAME ON OUR JAZZ STATION AGAIN?

J R Stewart on October 16, 2009 said:

I’m sure the TV is all about revenue.

It’s too bad they can’t work out a deal to simulcast all the games.

We’re up in the Portland area right now and had to give our tickets away, and then no TV was available, so we had to watch the nba.com scoreboard and listen to 1320.

Jazzaholic

Lynn Corbin on October 20, 2009 said:

i’m sure too, that it is all about revenue, ( money ) It is just to bad they have to forget their fans, who bilt them up and made them in the first place. like i said before, KARMA….. it will come around.. I hope I’m still around to say, See Boys, sometimes people do count.

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