The No Coach Could Do a Better Job Edition- The Downbeat #1014

Its really weird writing a downbeat without having a game to center it around. I guess it will be a good warmup for the offseason which is coming really soon even if we do make the playoffs. There are still luckily plenty of things to talk about its not like the offseason where you have to search and search and search!

Well lets get to it. Yesterday I saw this tweet and my jaw literally dropped!

I had to find out who said it and why in the heck they would make that comparison!

You can listen to him say it here (22 minute mark)

*David Locke is a Jazz employee- I recognize this and think of it when forumlating an opinion on his opinions*

• No matter how much of a homer you have to be for your job comparing Ty with Phil Jackson is not right. We as fans have been chastised by some of the media and fellow fans for comparing Ty to Sloan. I think comparing Ty to someone with 11 champ;ipnsikp[ ringhs should not happen. (And I HATE Phil Jackson, hate hate)
• Now Locke was sharing a conversation he had with Scott Brooks. Locke says that he his friends with Brooks (not that they go to lunch or talk or anything but when they see each other they talk). So if they are friends I can see Scott being nice.
• Scott said that no coach could do better with the current Jazz team than Ty has done. Lets please remember that the radio voice of the UTAH JAZZ was asking a current NBA coach about another current NBA coach. Lets not pretend that Scott would share his true opinion. NBA coaches are like a fraternity its very rare that you hear one insult another. They all give generic/praiseworthy comments about each other. So I don't know how much value you can put on what Scott says as how he really feels.
• So Scott and Locke are basically saying Sloan, Jackson, Pop, no coach could do better than Ty. That is just wrong! We saw Sloan coach a team starring Raja Bell, and AK47 nearly sneak into the 8th spot. That team didn't have near the talent that our current Jazz team has. Could Sloan really not coach this team to a better record? Doesn't Scott and David saying what they said insult HOF coaches like Sloan, Jackson and Pop?
• And please tell me Pop wouldn't convince MIllsap to come off the bench or cover up Al's defensive liabilities. Please tell me Jerry wouldn't find minutes for Burks, Favors and Kanter. Jerry found minutes for Millsap with Booz, Memo and AK all ahead of him, he found minutes for Jeremy Evans, Jeremy's rookie season. Jerry found minutes for Deron Williams and even admitted he was wrong about how he handled Deron's minutes the 1st half of Deron's rookie year! Jerry found minutes even when we had a freaking log jam at the wings for Wesley Freaking Un-drafted Matthews!!! Please SMH
• If you agree that no coach could do more than Ty and if they really believe what they said then isn't it time to call out the FO? Because really if all we have is a fringe playoff team after trading our all-nba point guard then KOC really messed things up. If we have two number 3 picks, a number 9 pick, a number 12 pick plus someone who they have personally chosen to build the team around in Al. If all that talent and high lottery picks cannot be coached past a .500 team then wow has KOC been wasting Jazz fans' time.
• Scott (according to Locke) made the comment that you have to keep the FA's happy. That if Ty doesn't play Al and Paul that would mess up the locker room. We have heard this all. season. long.
• Lets keep the FAs happy. Even if that includes playing Foye over Burks (yes Burks is injured but he hasn't been all season) Millsap over Favors, Al over Enes that includes pretty much everyone over the C4. What about keeping the future happy, what about keeping the players in your long term plans happy? If you are so concerned about keeping the locker room happy at the expense of playing more talented players maybe you built your team wrong. Just maybe you should have traded Al the summer of 2011. Just maybe you don't trade for Mo and Marv (though his happiness doesn't seem to matter the latter half of the season) or maybe you don't sign players like Mo. Maybe you should build around the most talented players but what do I know.

• Locke also mentioned how he talked to a scout recently who said the Jazz have made lots of changes on offense and defense since last season and have improved a lot. I wish I could talk to that scout because all I can say is REALLY? Even if we win out we'll have a worse winning percentage than last year, we might not make the playoffs, I don't see any changes that have cause improvement.

#Rantover

Disclaimer: My rant was not about Ty's ability it was about the claim that no coach could do better. My rant is not with the talent we have on this team.

Rob Mahoney of SI.com wrote an article on the 10 Biggest disappoints this NBA season. # 3 on his list, our Utah Jazz.

If anyone knows what it is exactly that coach Tyrone Corbin is doing in terms of managing his rotation, I’d love to know. This was supposed to be a year of gradual change, with the Jazz better incorporating the emerging Derrick Favors, 21, giving a chance to second-year players Alec Burks and Enes Kanter and seeing the next step in the development of third-year swingman Gordon Hayward. Instead, Utah worked its offense through Al Jefferson to a fault and compounded its problems through Corbin’s baffling lineup constructions.

His choices have been a bit better of late, but I just fail to trace the logic in neutering the team’s offense with the pairing of DeMarre Carroll and Marvin Williams on the wing; the reluctance to give limited playmakers like Earl Watson and Jamaal Tinsley help by pairing them with a ball handler such as Hayward; and the overall disaster that results when trying to run a post-up offense while taking all of the team’s best shooters off the floor. The Jazz’s young players have produced some fantastic showings when compensating for teammates’ injuries, but otherwise this team has accomplished so amazingly little in the way of legitimate progress.

While his example of DeMarre and Marvin playing together doesn't happen all that much he pretty much expressed in two paragraphs what we have debated in countless downbeats, posts and tweets all season long.

The last sentence makes me sad its true we have accomplished so little progress which astounds me with where we should be headed with our young core. I cannot express enough the frustrations we have felt with how this team has been handled this past season.

The Lakers beat the Trailblazers in Portland last night. The Lakers are now a full game ahead of the Jazz.

Utah Jazz's remaining schedule

Lakers remaining schedule

Now the Jazz no longer control their own destiny even if the Jazz win out they can still miss the playoffs if the Lakers win out. If the Lakers lose one however and the Jazz win out we are in!

Predictions:

Jazz vs Wolves- W

Jazz @ Wolves- L

Jazz @ Memphis W ( I really wanted to put this as a loss but that seemed too negative and if Memphis is resting players we can win and if the Jazz can make it to the playoffs with a win depending on what the Lakers have done I think its a win)

Lakers vs Warriors- W

Lakers vs Spurs- L

Lakers at Rockets- W ( I want to put a loss here but if they Lakers have to win because say the Jazz win out I can't see Kobe losing and not going to the playoffs because of a tie breaker)

Jazz finish 43-39

Lakers finish 44-38

Lets hope I am wrong. I probably am. I remembering doing this a month ago and I had the Jazz finishing 41-41 and the Lakers finishing 42-40 so I am not too good at this. How I want it to play out? Jazz finish 3-0 and Lakers finish 0-3 because Kobe is so freaking tired he just can't give anymore.

How do you predict the games finishing out?

The Jazz's style of play has changed drastically since Corbin has been the head coach. Steve Luhm tweeted out some interesting stats.

I know the game is different but free throws seem important. Also when your strength is your front line you think we'd be shooting more free throws instead of setting records for 3pt attempts.

Randy Hollis of the Deseret News wrote a fun article on Gary Briggs. Briggs shares some fun stories in the 3 short years he got to work with them.

"Obviously, the first three years I was here, working with John and Karl, was a tremendous opportunity for me," he said. "For one thing, they never got out of shape. A lot of guys 'de-trained' during the offseason and then tried to get themselves in shape two weeks before the season started. You can't do that.

"Anybody who's had (an) extended career in this league like John and Karl did, almost every one of them never got out of shape," Briggs said. "They may have changed what they did in the offseason, but they never took it completely off. That constant back and forth is what breaks your body down."

In light of how many current NBA players will take a night off with minor aches, pains or hangnails, it seems, Briggs maintains tremendous admiration for the way Stockton and Malone insisted on playing hurt and very, very seldom ever missed a game.

"He and Karl's mental toughness was the best I've ever seen. There was some peer pressure when John and Karl were willing to play hurt. Some guys probably would've sat out, but with Karl and John setting the tone for the team, that's where leadership and toughness comes in.

So fun!

Speaking of John Stockton, Memo is Money posted new videos! They are the ceremony honoring John Stockton for breaking the assist record. I haven't seen this in a LONG time so it was great to watch.

Watch both you'll get all kinds of warm fuzzies!!! And at the very end if you listen you can hear they were fighting for the 16th straight road victory!

Go Jazz! #playoffpush! Love you Jazz!