Bleacher Report - Articles by Brandon Johnson

To Err Is Human, But Will Forgiveness Be Divine?

Brandon Johnson — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 04:39:33 -0500

"Top 10 stupidest things I've heard a player say in my 24 years as an owner."

That would be Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller. He was speaking to radio host David Locke after his injured player Carlos Boozer opened his mouth and essentially stuck both his feet in.

According to an article by Chris Sheridan on ESPN.com, Boozer reportedly put to rest the questions about whether or not he was opting out of the final year of his contract.

"I'm opting out. No matter what, I'm going to get a raise regardless. I don't see why I wouldn't, I think it's a very good business decision for me and my family, but I'd also like to see what happens with the Jazz and stay here."

Boozer is right. It is a good business decision. However, the timing of the statement couldn't have been worse. Boozer is currently sitting out of games with a strained quadricep tendon and bruised left kneecap.

The Jazz are in the midst of fighting for positioning in the West, on their yearly Christmas road trip when they've struggled on the road recently and could really use Boozer's production on the floor.

The Jazz are also getting major contribution by Boozer's replacement, as Paul Millsap is putting up numbers in Boozer's absence. He is developing in a way similar to Boozer and is playing much harder defense, according to the fan base. The perception of Boozer gets steadily worse with each passing game that he sits.

The economy will also have an effect on how people will react to his comments. Many people are in fear of losing jobs and homes across the U.S. and Boozer's comments felt strangely like those of Latrell Sprewell when he told the press "I got my family to feed" in response to a deal that would have paid between $27 million and $30 million over three years, a deal he called "insulting."

Most average fans would kill to make $9 million-$10 million a year and in a normal year think that athletes whining over making more than the ludicrous sums they already make is pathetic. In a year where the economy slumps, that vehemence becomes even worse.

It could be understood why fans have a hard time accepting that Boozer could say something that stupid.

Boozer, however, seems to be contrite with how things were reported. According to Miller, Boozer came to the team and admitted that he "screwed up" with what he said. He also said that the conversation had been casual and was about his offseason options.

He also stated that, with regards to the part about him getting his raise, "He (the Web site reporter) basically put that in my mouth. Without saying it in so many words. He used that word (raise). I didn't even use that word. I don't even talk like that."

Boozer also stated he would like to remain with Utah and that he would be open to discussion about taking less to be able to pay players like Paul Millsap, but has not been approached with any such option. "If that's something they need, that's something I will talk to them about." Whether that discussion ever led to a reality would be something only Boozer would know.

And that's the problem most fans will have with Boozer. They will only take the negative comments Boozer lets slip as the truth, and anything else will be met with skepticism. Boozer will have to deal with that, as the way he left Cleveland was a topic of controversy and has lingered in the mind of fans for some time.

In the end, it will all be about what he does, rather than what he says. As has been said, actions speak louder than words. And Jazz fans will only forgive Boozer and accept him back if he can back up his mouth with his play and a contract for next season.

Jazz-Nets: Utah Battles Back from Early Deficit, Reveals The Team's Character

Brandon Johnson — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 04:02:09 -0500

Thinking about the game last night, I had a few thoughts on the Jazz and their future.

1. That slow start last night might be one of the better things to happen to the Jazz

I sat in disbelief as I watched the Jazz just play abysmal basketball for a quarter, and wondered if I might be better off braving the cold and shopping than taking my night to be at home instead.

Then I watched our bench come in and provide a lift and was glad Jerry stuck with them. Not only that, but he benched CJ Miles and Ronnie Brewer to start the second half, and neither young player saw the floor again.

I couldn't be happier. Part of the problem we've been having early on were Brewer and/or Miles taking shots outside the offense and Jerry seems to have sent a very clear message. Play within the scheme or don't play.

Those shots outside the Jazz's offense were leading to many fast break opportunities in the first quarter. Both Miles and Brewere were taking long outside jumpers that created long rebounds. As David Locke has said before, "You need to score early (read good inside opportunities early on) or you score late in the shot clock."

Also, Deron Williams never saw the floor in the second quarter. And this sends a message to the team. It says, "I don't care who you are. If someone else has come to play and you don't, you ride the pine."

If Williams hadn't played well early in the third, I think Jerry might have yanked him for Ronnie Price or Brevin Knight early on, and he'd have sat the majority of the second half too. That's a luxury Jerry Sloan has when this team is healthy as he has players who can play multiple positions.

But, it also can show that the team the stars aren't getting going to get preferential treatment. Sloan also did so to Carlos Boozer before his injury, leaving in a hot Paul Millsap when he was outplaying a team down the stretch. Jerry is more willing and able to ride the hot hand than any other time in his tenure in Utah.

All in all, I believe that Brewer will get this message as he is more mature and shows a propensity for hard work. I doubt that Miles will though and it may cost him a roster spot. He just doesn't seem to be on the same wavelength with Sloan about what it means to play hard.

2. The Jazz finally won the rebounding battle

I don't think it's a coincidence here. Miles acted like he's allergic to rebounding. Before tonight, in two of the last four games, Miles had no rebounds. And they certainly weren't going to other big men. We got crushed on the boards by Boston 50-30. Paul had one-third of those.

But I was impressed not only with the Jazz winning the rebounding battle, but by who was getting those rebounds.

Kyle Korver, who brought energy all over the court last night, had nine rebounds. He also played 32 minutes because he was being rewarded for his hustle. Now look at the rebound totals of people who had lesser minutes.

Kosta Koufos played 17 minutes and had seven boards. Price played 14 minutes and had four. Knight played 14 minutes and had three. The players who brought energy to the team were also crashing the glass.

This is how they should be playing every night, not whatever it is that they thought they were doing in quarter one.

And this is why I don't think Miles gets it. He keeps insisting that he's playing "hard," but his definition and Sloan's don't mesh. Miles is trying hard, on the offensive end, to get his shots. C.J.'s defense is not up to par yet and you don't see him showing much energy on the defensive end. Playing hard does not just mean trying to get open for your shot.

3. This is what we need from Mehmet Okur

Millsap is a beast, everybody seems to know what he'll give you. However, I'd rather see what I saw from Okur tonight on a consistent basis. Once again, Okur had a decent, but not great, shooting performance at 6-for-15, though I think most of his shots weren't falling in the first quarter. However, what sets this night apart as what I want to see are the following stats:

He was one for one from three-point range. Not one for four, two for six, or one for five; one for one. I want to see Memo making a higher percentage of his threes if he's going to take them. I'd rather he drive more as he seems aware of when to pull up and shoot, thus not getting silly charging fouls, and he makes a higher percentage of those.

He was ten for ten from the free-throw line. Okur knows how to make free throws for a big man. He should be shooting at approximately 80 percent a night. I don't want to see a 50 percent night unless he's sick or only one for two. Not only that, but this shows he was getting to the line, and usually that means playing inside out, which only helps his game.

He had nine rebounds. I've been calling all year for Okur to go get the boards and he didn't disappoint. That's the other thing we need from him every night; crashing the glass. It just goes back to point two.

4. The team didn't quit

After that dismal showing in the first quarter, the Jazz didn't hang their head and didn't come out lackluster.

Most times on the road last year, if they got down early, they didn't fight, especially early in the season. They came out swinging tonight and showed their tenacity that I wanted to see from them all season. They didn't let up at all for the remaining three quarters, and it's easy to when you are pushing for so long uphill.

They scrapped and clawed their way to a win. It was not as impressive as the comeback from 34 down against Denver with Stockton and Malone (as that came in a half and was one I got to be there for in person), but in a way, it might have been harder.

Here, you were on the road, in someone else's building, overcoming their fans and you still pulled it off. There was no intimidation, no fear and no let up. If this can keep up, the Jazz just might turn around their road woes and play like we, the fans, expect from them.

To play like a championship contender.

Bulls-Jazz: Utah Lets Confusion Reign as Bulls Run Rampant

Brandon Johnson — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 04:20:50 -0500

It seemed like an ominous sign.

Before the ball was even tipped off, the refs had to pull everyone back and send them to their benches.

The shot clock at one end of the floor was not working. Try as they might, the technicians could not get the clock to work, so they shut off both clocks and Dan Roberts, the Jazz public address announcer, was forced to count down the shot clock in intervals, as well as give score and time when the main clock broke down as well.

Similarly, it seemed the Jazz broke down early in the game as Chicago came out firing, content to get into an outside shooting contest in the first quarter instead of pounding it inside, which worked to perfection later in the game.

They also failed to contain Derrick Rose in the final period, who cut up the woeful Jazz defense brilliantly in the final minutes of the game and scored eight points in the final three minutes.

Give all the credit in the world to the Bulls, who despite playing the night before and having a horrid circus trip at 1-3, came out much more energized than their counterparts.

The Jazz were completely out of sync for stretches in the game, and two plays epitomized their confusion.

On one play when Ronnie Price came down court, he kept motioning for C.J. Miles to cut baseline to the side where he and Mehmet Okur were, presumably to have him work the ball in to Memo in the post. Miles looked lost and unsure and, eventually, Price was forced to wave him off when he finally tried to cut and work a two man with Okur.

On the defensive end, one time it looked as though Okur and Paul Millsap were arguing over who was supposed to guard Drew Gooden. Unfortunately, before either ran to him, the ball was thrown to Gooden who hit an uncontested jumper.

In fact, it seemed that for stretches at a time, the players weren't sure who they were supposed to man up on as they came down the floor and were taking a man only after conversing about it.

Though Sloan doesn't want to hear it and was venomous when the question was asked, the loss of consistency due to injuries may be taking its toll. Last year, when players knew their roles, you never saw this type of confusion on the floor.

However, as Sloan is quick to point out, you can't use that as an excuse to not play hard. You have to play hard every night. You can't just complain about not having players. You're being paid to compete every night. Now, with multiple people riding the pine, Sloan is looking for anyone to come in and just provide a spark.

For the first half, only Memo seemed to truly have it going. He had 16 points in the half and was single-handedly keeping the Jazz afloat in a half where the Jazz looked like they were there to practice while the Bulls came there to play. The Jazz shot only 43 percent in that half, while the Bulls shot what they would shoot for the night: 50 percent.

For one quarter, all that changed. The Jazz played with the hustle they've showed at times and did it at both ends of the floor. The Jazz erased a nine-point halftime deficit and turned it into an eight-point lead before settling back down to three at the end of three. They forced turnovers, they ran the break, the crowd might have even gotten in the Bulls head a little.

The Bulls rallied though, bringing their shooting back over 50 percent again as they tickled the nets time and time again. Then it became a shootout and defense became an afterthought as both teams seemed to get whatever shot they wanted from the floor. It culminated when Ronnie Brewer, on a miss by Okur, fed Miles and the Jazz led by one, 100-99.

Unfortunately, with 11 seconds to go, it was a second too much time. Derrick Rose took a shot with 2.7 seconds remaining, the shot missed, but the ball bounced out to Larry Hughes, who took a 22-foot shot at the buzzer and nailed it, stunning the raucous EnergySolutions crowd into shocked silence. The refs reviewed the play, the shot was counted good, and the Jazz dropped their first at home.

The Jazz, who were already the walking wounded, lost Matt Harpring before the game to a back injury in practice and Brevin Knight left the game with 8:30 to play.

It was almost fitting that the shot clock was broken down, the lights off all game. After all, the Bulls did the same to the Jazz.

Jazz-Bucks: Hobbled Utah Beats Milwaukee with Surges

Brandon Johnson — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:27:24 -0500

As Carlos Boozer limped off the court and to the locker room, Jazz fans must have believed that there was some curse upon them. Earlier, Andrei Kirilenko had taken a shot to the chest, but when he'd doubled over in pain, there were fears that things might have been worse. Now, their big man had to leave with a strained quadriceps. You almost couldn't have faulted the Jazz for folding under the mountain of injuries they've sustained. And yet, they made sure to put the Bucks away.

This season, the Utah Jazz might as well be auditioning for ER rather than masquerading as a basketball team. Over half the team is dealing with some kind of injury. They've had to use several different starting lineups and call on some fairly unused players to play major minutes, from underused players like CJ Miles to rookie Kosta Koufos. And each has come in to do everything that was asked of them.

The team is buying into Jerry Sloan's mantra. Be ready to play when your number is called; come in and play hard.

At the start of tonight's game, Ronnie Price was the only legitimate point guard available on the Jazz roster, and he's more comfortable in a shooting guard role. Brevin Knight sat out with a groin injury and Deron Williams still wasn't ready to play again from the injury that has cost him the majority of the season to date. The only players to back him up were CJ Miles and Andrei Kirilenko, both of whom sparingly played point during the preseason.

If Ronnie was worried, you wouldn't have known it. He dictated the offense smoothly as the Jazz built a lead, eventually leading 45-30. Between Price, Miles, and Kirilenko, they knifed through the Bucks like they were carving a Thanksgiving turkey.

Then, for a stretch from halfway through the second to midway through the third, the Jazz hit a cold spell. Milwaukee took advantage, draining away a 15-point deficit and turning it into a 10-point lead at 71-61. It looked like things were finally catching up with them.

But, this Jazz team doesn't lose at home. Injuries or cold shooting can't keep them down. They turned up the defensive intensity, frustrating Milwaukee at times. In the end, the Jazz had 11 steals and 10 blocks. They held the Bucks to 18 points in the fourth.

So, how do the Jazz keep doing this? For starters, CJ Miles is taking the scoring load. For the second straight game, he's scored 20+; this time with 25. He shot 50 percent from the floor and was seven-for-eight from the free-throw line.

Andrei Kirilenko has been the all-around player the Jazz wanted from him the last few seasons. He also shot 50 percent and was 10-for-12 from the line as he had 16 points, seven rebounds, three assists, five steals, and four blocked shots.

Ronnie Price also played nearly the whole game. He recorded 40 minutes and also shot efficiently with 16 points and six assists. Boozer, before leaving, had a double-double. The Jazz bench once again outscored their counterparts.

Milwaukee got 25 from Richard Jefferson and former Utah Ute Andrew Bogut chipped in 16, while nabbing a mind-boggling 20 boards. But, the Bucks couldn't overcome 17 turnovers or the Jazz's surges. The Jazz shot 51.4 percent as a group.

Next up for the Jazz is a road game in San Antonio, where they haven't won since '99. If Boozer can't go, another loss may just be in the making.

The 6th men: A Look at the Jazz Role Players

Brandon Johnson — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 05:29:58 -0500

They are the unsung heroes.

They may not get the billing or the recognition, but they help make sure your stars don't have to leave a close game and come back in 15 points down.

They go out and play hard, and occasionally might have fans cheer if they do something great one night. Then they vanish back into the night until they arise again.

The Utah Jazz are one of the deepest teams in the NBA this season, and Jerry Sloan has called it the most talented. But just who are they?

The Jazz stars are easy to name. Names like Williams, Kirilenko, Okur, Boozer, and even Brewer this season are on people's minds. Most teams can name Paul Millsap, simply by what he's done year in and year out, or Kyle Korver, who came over in a still underrated trade, but that's about it.

So here is a look at the players who are not the stars of the league.

Paul Millsap

Call him the workhorse. Big and strong, he was written off as an undersized power forward. Never mind that he accomplished a feat never before seen in the NCAA by leading the league in rebounding three straight years. Paul Millsap brings something a lot of higher rated players don't to a game every night—effort.

Combine that with a smart basketball IQ and it's no wonder he did what he did in college. If you outwork your opponent, you're going to get to more loose balls and easy shots.

It's not just that, though. Paul has a nice shooting touch. At one point against Phoenix, he took his defender off the dribble, drove to the hoop, and put the ball in on a bank shot as he was coming from behind the glass. That's not easy to do, especially for a big man.

Kyle Korver

Kyle came over as a dead-eye shooter and his percentages, despite a bad road trip, are still pretty high.

Korver is a guy you want on the floor even when he's not always on. He spaces the floor because you have to respect that he can. This opens up the inside game of Boozer and Millsap, or the slashing of Brewer or Kirilenko.

Throw in his high free-throw percentage, and he can close games at the line in a way that the Jazz struggled with at the beginning of last season.

CJ Miles

CJ has always had the talent to play in this league, and now he's in the perfect role to do so. A lot of people said CJ was only a placeholder for Kirilenko so he could play with the second unit. The last couple of games, however, AK has not been available and CJ is starting to show confidence that he will get minutes.

And when he deserves them, like last night's Phoenix game, he isn't just going to get yanked anyway. Instead, Sloan let the youngster play out the quarter and it showed in his confidence.

Now that Miles knows he can still get time, he may fall into a more comfortable role with the team.

Ronnie Price

Price still doesn't look fully comfortable in the point-guard role, but the UVU product has proven that he can still score and distribute. In the absence of Deron Williams, he's been asked to help run the team and has filled in nicely.

He'll never be the pure raw talent that Williams is, but I can see him running alongside Williams and Knight, or even backing up Deron, and keeping his head high.

Brevin Knight

Speaking of Knight, this was a major steal for the Jazz in exchange for Jason Hart. Knight brings a poise that comes with veteran leadership that hasn't been around since Fisher left for LA. Not only that, but since the Jazz now have legitimate stability at the two, they won't need Knight in the way they did Fisher, so he can do naturally what he should do. Knight has shown poise in running the offense and learned it quickly.

Many think he should naturally back up Deron and it's hard to argue that point. In a way, he could be compared to what Kerry Collins needs to do for the Titans—just come in, play your best, and don't make too many mistakes. And since he had the highest assist-to-turnover ratio in the league last season, not making mistakes seems to be something he excels at.

Matt Harpring

Tough as nails, Matt may be in the twilight of his career, but he adds a toughness to this team that, one could argue, not even Paul Millsap can match. He doesn't back down and he throws it all out on the floor.

His knees may be a question mark from time to time, but he'll give Jerry energy and fight and as most people know, Jerry wants hard-nosed players.

Kosta Koufos

Not much was expected out of the Jazz's first-round pick this year. It was thought he might be sent down to the D-league Flash to get some seasoning.

Then the Jazz lost Okur for a few games, and Sloan experimented with the rookie as a starter. The gamble worked, as Koufos showed that all the hard work he was showing wasn't for nothing.

Koufos is averaging 1.6 blocks and 3.4 rebounds in just 15 minutes a game for Jerry, and his length helps alter shots. It's very possible that he's found a spot in Sloan's rotation.

The problem for Jerry will come when Williams and Okur come back to the team. Right now, he also has long-time reserve Jarron Collins on the active roster, but when those two returns, one reserve player will have to go to the IR. Already, it's thought that Kyrylo Fesenko and Morris Almond will be back on the shelf, but it's unclear who Jerry will choose as the third.

It's a glut of talent, and it's unlikely Jerry will shelf either Price or Knight, as he likes to have three point guards. It will most likely come down to Koufos or Collins and the rookie may lose out to the veteran.

However, for once in Sloan's career, it's a nice problem to have.

The Utah Jazz: Where Lack Of Energy Happens

Brandon Johnson — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 06:13:49 -0500

After a truly awful second half showing by the Jazz against the New York Knicks, it was apparent that the one thing Jerry Sloan did not want to talk about was Deron Williams's absence.

"Can't worry about that. Nobody wants to hear about that," Jerry said. "We'd love to have had him back two weeks ago. But he's not here. That doesn't mean you just go out there and throw the ball away, give up thirty points on turnovers."

The Utah Jazz decided to hold Christmas early, gifting the Knicks with 22 turnovers in 107-99 loss in the Garden. This was a Knick team that came with passion and heart, a team that showed it was tired of being in the lottery every year and is rejuvenated under new coach Mike D'antoni.

The Jazz? Not so much.

After playing hard for two quarters, the Jazz started out decently in the third, but then things turned ugly. Carlos Boozer, instrumental in the Jazz's success to that point, picked up his fourth foul on an offensive foul not even three minutes into that quarter and had to sit. New York used the rest of the quarter to jump all over the Jazz and that was the ballgame, as the Jazz and Knicks played pretty much even in the fourth.

Now you might look at this and think that only Boozer's absence contributed to the loss, and you might be right, but the stats bring things a bit more in-depth as to why the Jazz lost.

During a stretch of time from eight minutes to go in the quarter to just under three, the Jazz did not attempt one shot inside of 17 feet. Not one. Either New York was clogging the middle, or the Jazz weren't driving inside, or both. Considering how much they were knifing the Knicks up inside in the first half, it's probably the latter. Jerry always preaches inside-out play, and the Jazz went away from it early in that quarter.

Seven of the Jazz's turnovers came in that period, including two shot clock violations. Players were holding the ball too long, or not getting into the offense quick enough and most of the blame, however unfairly, will fall on point guard Ronnie Price's shoulders for that. Players have to be aware of how much time is on the clock.

The Jazz also missed three layups in the period with at least one of Boozer's being uncontested. Also the Jazz only collected two offensive rebounds in the quarter. Boozer may have been lost for most of that quarter, but Paul Millsap, Mehmet Okur and Andrei Kirilenko have to be crashing the glass against this team. Instead, they hung around the perimeter and this was the result.

On the other side of the ball, between the third and fourth quarter, the Knicks got inside on the Jazz way too often. In the first two minutes of the third quarter alone, there were five layup attempts, despite all being missed. All in all there were a minimum of twenty layup or dunk attempts in the second half. That amount is staggering.

If you're playing solid defense, as the Jazz have done in the previous five games, you don't give up that many easy shots. When they weren't allowing the layups and dunks, they were having to foul to prevent them. When you fall behind, it makes it hard to catch up when you're allow such high percentage shots.

The question is, what can be most attributed to this loss? Sloan made a comment about it being New York itself, and it seemed some Jazz players were out and about the night before. With an afternoon game the next day and already having flown east, it seemed a little irresponsible. That might account for the lack of energy seen after halftime, where they seemed to rely more on their outside shot. Some other things stand out as well.

The Jazz gave up eleven more free throws thanks to their porous defense.
Seven different players had two or more turnovers.
The Jazz were only 5-14 from three point range.
Once again, a shooting guard hurt the Jazz dearly, as Jamal Crawford had 32 points, including 5-7 from three-point range.
They gave up 14 offensive rebounds, half of which went to Randolph.
Brevin Knight was the second highest rebounder for the Jazz.

That last point might seem strange but if your point guard is your second highest rebounder, then your bigs aren't getting it done. Okur, Millsap and Kirilenko were not crashing the glass the way Boozer was.

There were positives in the game for the Jazz however. They shot over 50% from the field and were 14-18 from the line. They had twelve steals, including seven from Brewer alone. They had 29 assists to New York's 19. They had five blocks.

The Jazz will need to work on their turnovers and fouls before the Philly game, though, or once again their play on the road will suffer.