Utah Jazz: Raja Bell Could Solve A Recurring Problem

As I sat through countless old videos of Bulls-Jazz NBA Finals games the other night, I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between then and now. Of course, the Jazz and Bulls aren’t still battling today, but rather it is the Jazz and the Lakers who remind me of those series.

Obviously, the coaches are exactly the same with Phil Jackson and Jerry Sloan. But it is the way that Utah’s opponents are built that seems eerily similar when comparing Jordan’s Bulls in the late 90’s to Kobe’s current Lakers. Just take a look:

The Lakers possess an MVP caliber, freakish scorer in Kobe Bryant (like Michael Jordan), a fantastic second option in Pau Gasol (like Scottie Pippen), a tough guy with crazy hair who can battle in Ron Artest (like Dennis Rodman), a 3-point marksman who always comes up with the big shot in Derek Fisher (like Steve Kerr), and a versatile left-handed player who is capable of scoring 20 points on any given night in Lamar Odom (like Toni Kukoc). Not to mention a center who will throw it down with no regard for the rim in Andrew Bynum (like Brian Williams).

So, what is the point I am trying to make?

No matter how many times I watched these games, I always knew that the result would be the same: Phil Jackson’s team would beat Jerry Sloan’s team. Sure, Sloan would give Jackson a run for his money, but ultimately in the end, Jackson always had the guy he could count on, even if it wasn’t Jordan or Kobe, to nail the big shot. Amazingly, that was always the difference in their series: one or two possessions at the end of the game.

The key problem that I noticed was that for the times that Jordan or Kobe hit the game-winners/ big shots, the Utah defenders would get caught reaching for the ball or they would be back on their heels, and thus, they were never in position to defend the shot properly (Sorry Bryon Russell, but it’s on the tape). And for the times that the Steve Kerr’s and Derek Fisher’s of the world beat the Jazz with a game-winner/big shot, it was because the Utah defenders would double team Jordan/Kobe.

So, what is there to do to solve this continuing problem?

The way that they can go about fixing this problem in the future is to find players who pride themselves on locking down prime-time clutch performers. Certainly these guys are far and few between, and they are not always available to have on your squad. Luckily for the Jazz, they might have a guy.

Possible Exhibit A could be Raja Bell. Bell is known for his defensive toughness and his desire to shut down Kobe Bryant. If you need proof, Bell CHOSE the Jazz over the Lakers. Who in the right mind passes up the opportunity to play with the back-to-back champs? A guy like Raja Bell, that’s who. Bell’s goal is to do everything in his power to make sure Kobe and the Lakers go down as long as he remains in the league. Maybe he’s not always successful in his attempts, but at least it’s something that he strives for with every fiber in his being. Yes, Bell is 33, and he is coming off of a serious injury, but he has the proper mentality that the Jazz need if they ever want to help Jerry Sloan overcome his biggest obstacle in Phil Jackson.

When the game is tight, and the Lakers have the ball, it will be up to Raja Bell to stifle Kobe Bryant without any help defenders. If he is successful in his efforts to prevent Kobe from scoring, then the Jazz could be singing a very different tune the next time around. If not, prepare for a few more seasons of heartbreak in Salt Lake.