Not Again!

Sheesh! Is it possible for the Jazz to get a break? Why does it seem like every game ends with a similar scenario like the one we just witnessed in Sac-Town? I.E. a minute remaining in the game, Jazz down by two, can’t convert on offense. Meanwhile the opposing team throws up a plethora of wild shots and hits nothing but net? Jazz then attempt to foul, however their opponents happen to be the top two or three team in the league at making free throws. As such, they nail EVERY SINGLE SHOT from the charity stripe without fail.

Game ends with Jefferson walking into the locker room with hands on head, stunned beyond belief, while Coach Corbin lingers on the court looking as though he expects the refs to give his team one more shot.

This must be similar to what the bad guys in MacGyver endured in every episode: “We had him trapped in a metallic room with absolutely no exit! But he still beat us! Except this time with Pennzoil!” (I guess the Jazz would be the bad guys in this instance …)

I’m not down on my boys – they have heart. They fight, claw and scrap through each and every game. Eventually G. Hayward’s fourth quarter shots are going to fall, eventually Favors and Kanter will be reliable enough to get some minutes in crunch time; eventually someone will emerge as team captain, no?

What can we truly take away from these monotonous losses?

My assessment is thus: the Jazz ARE getting better, despite what the media may say. As the season tears on, Utah continues to show flashes of brilliance, moments of awe inspiring pizzazz (Burks’ pass to Miles was unbelievably cool) and sometimes even intelligence. When this team clicks they rock the house in a big way. What they lack is maturity. Obviously that’s no secret, but watching them go 11-for-22 from the charity stripe doesn’t signal lack of talent, but lack of focus. The talent is there, like a raw steak waiting for grilling. Corbin is adding the spices, and lighting the charcoal – give him time and he’ll have this team sizzling.

I guess my point here is that with the trade deadline coming up there will be many a Jazz fan begging for some sort of “blockbuster” deal. I’ve read several blog posts crying for a Harris/Miles + first round pick deal for (among others) Rajon Rondo, and even a few that mentioned both Milsap and (oddly enough) Jefferson. To those fans I say: be patient. And if that’s not enough, be patient-er.

I have no stats to defend my claims, unfortunately. And yes, it’s true that Jefferson stops the offense whenever he touches the ball, and that Milsap is undersized in his position. Yeah, Harris and Howard have demonstrated erratic play sometimes acting as though they’re waiting for those aliens from Space Jam to return their basketball talents (along with Bill Murray).

But give them time and this team WILL learn how to play together. Heck, Jefferson has already shown better court awareness by running effective pick-and-rolls with Harris and Hayward in recent games. He had an off-night against the Kings (as did Milsap), but he dished out three assists and grabbed eight rebounds, which shows that he can be more than just a point contributor.

As for the others, Howard looked terrific in the starting lineup nabbing 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting in just 28-minutes, which is a great sign. Harris likewise played terrific ball against Sac-Town with 18-points and seven assists. Even CJ Miles proved effective (he was the Subway sub of the game after all) with 13 points of his own. And don’t forget Hayward – one 3-pointer away from putting the Jazz in a position to break their current losing streak. The fact that he took that shot shows how far he’s come this year.

Despite the records, I still believe this group has a lot of potential.

Here’s some advice: when you watch the Jazz for the remainder of the season don’t think about how badly they lost, but how much closer they’re getting to winning.

Every game may look the same, but look deeper and I assure you there’s something special brewing. How do I know? Call it a hunch. Or maybe I just have too much faith in Kevin O’Connor. When this team DOES come together, these tedious losses will immediately transform into wins. We are right there on the brink …

Be patient.

The last thing this team needs is more trades, more lineup changes or more instability.