Wednesday report
From my first year covering the Jazz, I'll never forget Jerry Sloan joking that the greatest value of the first home preseason game was making sure his players knew how to get to the arena. It was Kyrylo Fesenko's rookie season, so Sloan sounded perfectly reasonable.
There's not a lot to love about the preseason, but Thursday's opener against Denver will have more intrigue than usual. There'll even be national interest, with the NBA set to use replacement referees for the first time in more than a decade.
Even more attention will be paid to the reception Carlos Boozer receives from the EnergySolutions Arena crowd as well as Sloan's starting lineup and how he decides to use Boozer and Paul Millsap.
With Andrei Kirilenko, C.J. Miles and Kyle Korver all nursing injuries this week, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Sloan play Millsap extensively at small forward, something he has discussed doing as a way of finding Millsap additional minutes.
We'll also get a chance to appraise Fesenko and Kosta Koufos as they enter their third and second seasons, respectively. Both will have the chance in the preseason to make the case that they deserve a role in Sloan's rotation.
The word on the street, meanwhile, is that the Jazz have been putting in one to two new plays a day, in addition to their renewed commitment to defense. So much, I guess, for the perception that Sloan's been running the exact same plays for two decades.
One of Sloan's comments Wednesday hinted at the new plays the team has been putting in.
"You're always curious to see how we're going to play and see how they're going to compete," Sloan said, "because sometimes when you put plays in and guys are trying to figure out what they're doing and try to get comfortable with one another, you know they panic a little bit.
"You see that and then you have to go back over it again, and try to get them comfortable to where they know if somebody puts a little pressure on them, hopefully they know what they're doing."
The Jazz also supposedly are breaking their huddle with "1-2-3-Defense" this season, which is symbolic if nothing else. I have yet to see the new plays or the new chant, but that's what somebody in the know told me.
Andrei Kirilenko also mentioned Wednesday that the Jazz have started to make more extensive use of scouting and video preparation when it comes to defense. The goal is to reinforce defensive concepts better visually.
"We're not concentrated on it [before]," Kirilenko said. "Right now, we're kind of more passionate about it. We'll see how it goes. I think it's a great idea, you can see what mistakes you did last game and kind of concentrate on this game not making it."
* * *
While saying that Ronnie Price was probably ahead of Eric Maynor in the backup point guard race, Deron Williams added Wednesday that Maynor had the potential to be what he described as a "special player."
For a rookie, Maynor has been anything but rattled, according to Williams.
"Usually, they come in here and they're going a mile a minute," Williams said. "We're still trying to slow some of the young guys down to this day. For him to come in and be that poised and just be under control, that's what I'm really impressed with."
Williams also acknowledged that having improved backup point guard play could buy him some rest when the Jazz are facing a set of back-to-back games.
"I think that's important for us this year because that was such a big problem last year," Williams said.
* * *
The Jazz will play under a hybrid set of NBA/FIBA rules for their Oct. 8 game against Real Madrid, general manager Kevin O'Connor said. O'Connor still was reviewing everything the rules entail.
* * *
You can't make this stuff up: Sloan's commute to the Jazz's practice facility has been negatively impacted by construction for a new highway off-ramp for a Karl Malone Toyota dealership.
"I'm going to get on his butt and see if he can get that done with," Sloan joked.
--Ross Siler
There's not a lot to love about the preseason, but Thursday's opener against Denver will have more intrigue than usual. There'll even be national interest, with the NBA set to use replacement referees for the first time in more than a decade.
Even more attention will be paid to the reception Carlos Boozer receives from the EnergySolutions Arena crowd as well as Sloan's starting lineup and how he decides to use Boozer and Paul Millsap.
With Andrei Kirilenko, C.J. Miles and Kyle Korver all nursing injuries this week, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Sloan play Millsap extensively at small forward, something he has discussed doing as a way of finding Millsap additional minutes.
We'll also get a chance to appraise Fesenko and Kosta Koufos as they enter their third and second seasons, respectively. Both will have the chance in the preseason to make the case that they deserve a role in Sloan's rotation.
The word on the street, meanwhile, is that the Jazz have been putting in one to two new plays a day, in addition to their renewed commitment to defense. So much, I guess, for the perception that Sloan's been running the exact same plays for two decades.
One of Sloan's comments Wednesday hinted at the new plays the team has been putting in.
"You're always curious to see how we're going to play and see how they're going to compete," Sloan said, "because sometimes when you put plays in and guys are trying to figure out what they're doing and try to get comfortable with one another, you know they panic a little bit.
"You see that and then you have to go back over it again, and try to get them comfortable to where they know if somebody puts a little pressure on them, hopefully they know what they're doing."
The Jazz also supposedly are breaking their huddle with "1-2-3-Defense" this season, which is symbolic if nothing else. I have yet to see the new plays or the new chant, but that's what somebody in the know told me.
Andrei Kirilenko also mentioned Wednesday that the Jazz have started to make more extensive use of scouting and video preparation when it comes to defense. The goal is to reinforce defensive concepts better visually.
"We're not concentrated on it [before]," Kirilenko said. "Right now, we're kind of more passionate about it. We'll see how it goes. I think it's a great idea, you can see what mistakes you did last game and kind of concentrate on this game not making it."
* * *
While saying that Ronnie Price was probably ahead of Eric Maynor in the backup point guard race, Deron Williams added Wednesday that Maynor had the potential to be what he described as a "special player."
For a rookie, Maynor has been anything but rattled, according to Williams.
"Usually, they come in here and they're going a mile a minute," Williams said. "We're still trying to slow some of the young guys down to this day. For him to come in and be that poised and just be under control, that's what I'm really impressed with."
Williams also acknowledged that having improved backup point guard play could buy him some rest when the Jazz are facing a set of back-to-back games.
"I think that's important for us this year because that was such a big problem last year," Williams said.
* * *
The Jazz will play under a hybrid set of NBA/FIBA rules for their Oct. 8 game against Real Madrid, general manager Kevin O'Connor said. O'Connor still was reviewing everything the rules entail.
* * *
You can't make this stuff up: Sloan's commute to the Jazz's practice facility has been negatively impacted by construction for a new highway off-ramp for a Karl Malone Toyota dealership.
"I'm going to get on his butt and see if he can get that done with," Sloan joked.
--Ross Siler
6:17 PM
| 
2 Comments:
You two really do blow as jazz columnists. I mean Boozer, CJ and AK all played in front of PM. I mean are your quote just fan speculation or in-depth knowledge. You guys wouldn't last a minute in LA or NY. I guess you guys are totally in your league here in Ogden/SLC/Provo. The best you'll ever be. I remember being at that first Utah Jazz game in October 1979 and could give more insight to the Jazz team sitting in my living room reading all the info from Twitter/facebook and myspace profiles of each Jazz player. You're time is over old guys. You are obsolete in today's world of sports information. Lame, retire!
Do you guys just sit at home and listen to the radio broadcasts and then call each other up on the phone and decide what to print? Seriously, it's the 21st century!
Write stories with some heart. I go to the U and English professors have said the same thing about you guys.
You're awful. I can't believe you two have jobs doing what you do at the same time hard working Americans are living on campgrounds because they can't afford their mortgage payments. It's ridiculous. It should be the other way around.
Post a Comment
<< Home