JMarkJohns
12-13-2004, 04:01 PM
Western Conference grades
Charley Rosen
As the season races past the quarter-pole, it's time to evaluate each team's performance thus far.
Bear in mind that the season still has a long, long way to run, and while some teams will dramatically improve and even peak as the playoffs draw nigh, some teams will just as inevitably disintegrate. The grades are not absolute, and are meant to measure each ball club's accomplishments (or lack thereof) against its expectations and capabilities.
DALLAS: B+
Huzzahs to Don Nelson for effectively retooling his squad while keeping them competitive. Last season the Mavs were first in team offense (105.2 ppg), this year they're eighth (98.6 ppg). They've also gone from being the NBA's third worst defenders (100.8 ppg allowed) to the league's median team (95.7 ppg). The end result is that the wild-and-wooly aspect of their game has been somewhat domesticated, they're involved in fewer blow-outs, and even their losses are much more competitive. This makes for a sounder game plan that will be more functional in post-season play.
The biggest difference in the Mavs' scheme of things, of course, is the absence of Steve Nash. After trying to plug Devin Harris into the No. 1 slot, the Mavs picked up the energetic Darrell Armstrong. While Armstrong is not nearly the shooter nor the pass-oriented player that Nash is, he's much more active on defense. Armstrong's down-side includes a penchant for turnovers and for lofting hasty 3-balls, as well as his being 36 years old and increasingly fragile.
What are the other short-comings in Dallas? Erick Dampier has limited skills, but is their only banger. Michael Finley gets softer with every passing (or, in his case, non-passing) season.
Jerry Stackhouse is the most ancient 30-year-old in the NBA-plus, he's only shooting 37.3 percent. On the other hand, Jason Terry is a very good fit. But, by the time the playoffs roll around, the scoring load that Dirk Nowitzki is forced to carry may wear him to a nub. Finding consistency in the point guard position, and maintaining everybody's body parts (especially Dirk-No's) will be critical as the season grinds on towards April.
DENVER: B-
Their won-lost record is deceiving because they've played more than twice as many games in Denver's thin air than they have in the real world. More and more, these guys look like a .500 ball club. Kenyon Martin still can't find the basket in a station-to-station offense and isn't quite the forceful defender he's been reputed to be. Marcus Camby has a hard time staying healthy (he's averaged only 53 games per season in his career).
Carmelo Anthony averages more turnovers than assists, annoys his teammates with his selfish shot-selection, and has a hard time staying out of trouble. Earl Boykins needs too many shots to score his points. But Andre Miller does a good job coping with a roster full of knuckleheads. Right now, the Nuggets are underachievers, and there's little reason to believe that their game plan will change.
GOLDEN STATE: F
The worst team in the NBA's best division, the Warriors are on a treadmill to oblivion. Except for Jason Richardson and Troy Murphy, the roster is clogged with backups. And Chris Mullin, the Warriors' chieftain, should have his sword broken for giving All-Star money to Adonal Foyle. Things will get worse before they get better. If there are any Warriors' fans still in existence, their mantra should be this: "Wait till last year."
HOUSTON: D
Despite recent signs of life, the Rockets have yet to lift-off. Playing belligerent defense has been a hallmark of all of Van Gundy the Shorter's teams, and Houston is certainly continuing the tradition. However, putting the ball through the ring is the Rockets' most daunting task. The major problem is one of philosophy--the Rockets' retro-pace on offense is well-suited to the lead-footed movements of Yao Ming and Jim Jackson, whereas Tracy McGrady needs to sprint his way through a game. How, then, to establish a workable balance between T-Mac and Yao.
Should the big fellow be primarily used as a moving pick and occasional post-up option? Or should Houston play inside-out basketball, with Yao regularly receiving passes only a short-jumper away from the ring, thereby forcing the defense to twist itself into convoluted, protective alignments that leave McGrady either unguarded or in one-on-one situations? From Jabbar to Hakeem, from TD to MJ, championship teams have always relied on somebody being The Man-singular. With Phil Jackson's Lakers, Shaq was The Man until crunch-time, when his miseries at the foul line turned him into a decoy. Whenever a game was on the line, it was usually Kobe who wore the Big Hat.
Might the Lakers' model work for Houston? It sure looked that way in McGrady's miraculous finish the other night against San Antonio. My guess is that Van Gundy will eventually tailor his game plan to suit McGrady-only because it's easier to two-time Yao in the pivot than it is to double T-Mac on the outskirts.
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS: A
So far, so good. Elton Brand is the horse in the middle. Marko Jaric isn't a terrific athlete and doesn't shoot well on the move — but the accuracy of his stand-still 3-balls ranks him among the league leaders, he's learned how to protect his handle under heavy duty pressure, and he's proven himself to be a winner.
Corey Maggette is doing what he's always done-using his high-flying skills to find a way to score. Chris Wilcox is beginning to hone his incredibly raw talents (or has he already peaked?). But Bobby Simmons' hot-shooting and has been the difference for the Clippers. All of the Clippers starters score in double-digits, and none of them backs down on defense.
The problem is the lack of contributions by the brothers of the bench-the sole exceptions being Kerry Kittles, who can scoot, shoot and defend; and Mikki Moore, a springy, rail-thin seven-footer who rarely misses open shots. Aside from their lack of depth, the Clippers' curse is their penchant for mishandling the ball. Just making the playoffs would constitute a successful season for the Clips, a dream that could easily turn into a nightmare should one of their top seven suffer a lingering injury.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS: C+
For the past several years I've been rudely ripped by myopic Lakers fans and the LA media for revealing that, besides being a great player, Kobe Bryant was rudely sabotaging virtually every aspect of the triangle offense that didn't feature him. Kid Kobe's me-me-me behavior was mostly kept in-house during the Lakers' championships, but became increasingly egregious the past two seasons. These days, however, the whole world (with the notable exception of Jerry Buss) now knows that Bryant is indeed an arrogant, narcissistic jerk.
The Lakers are his team, and Rudy T. is his coach. And what was behind Bryant's recent dissing of Karl Malone?
The simple fact that Kobe doesn't want to share the spotlight with anybody is why the onus falls on Bryant for the Lakers' devolution from contenders to pretenders. He'll never admit his own culpability, of course, because Bryant refuses to understand that the game is, and always has been, bigger than any one player. Michael Jordan (and, for that matter, Shaq) was a dominant, albeit ringless, player for six years, but couldn't cop the gold until he accepted the value of team play. Indeed, the current edition of the LAL is so out of whack only because Bryant's game is so unbalanced-he alternates between passing and not shooting, and shooting and not passing. Also, his impressive scoring totals are mitigated by his abysmal shooting percentage (less than 40 percent) and his league-leading 4.7 turnovers per game.
Things are so bad, and Kobe is so imperial and obnoxious, that his current teammates dislike him even more than his ex-teammates did-and free-agents-to-be have made it known that they'll never sign up with the Lakers as long as Bryant is pulling all the strings. Tie all those strings together and Kobe will soon have a thick enough rope with which to hang himself.
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES: D+
How did Hubie Brown manage fifty wins out of these guys? By cursing, cajoling, and threatening, and by trumping the players' large egos with his own more massive ego, and by insisting on a two-unit system that befuddled opponents with different game plans that wore them out with alternating platoons of fresh legs.
This season, though, several of his players (mostly notably Jason Wiliams, Bonzi Wells, and James Posey, who came to camp fat and saucy) rebelled against their lack of starter's playing time — and Hubie was just too old and de-energized to fight them again. Enter Mike Fratello and his cut-rate hairpiece. What ever kind of rotation the Mighty Mite decides to use, Memphis remains a clever, quick-hitting outfit which lacks sufficient muscle in the middle. Don't expect any miracles in Memphis.
MINNESOTA: B
The Wolves have already proved that they are potent road-warriors, and their impressive record will undoubtedly improve once they get used to some home cooking. The presence of The Big Ticket ensures a long, pleasurable ride for everybody on board. But there are some dangerous curves ahead - both Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell are showing the ravages of age and only seem to be effective every other game. Troy Hudson has yet to find his rhythm off the bench. And, most significantly, with Michael Olowokandi too inept and too stunned to man the middle, the Wolves are in desperate need of a functional center. Just how much more can Kevin Garnett do? The answer to this quandary will determine how long the Wolves' season will last.
NEW ORLEANS: F
Okay, so the Hornets' roster has been decimated by injuries. That's the way things happen sometimes. Anyway, how many games did they win when Baron Davis and Jamaal Magloire were healthy? The good news is that any revelations of Byron Scott's incompetency have suddenly (albeit temporarily) been rendered irrelevant, so he's off the hook for the rest of the year.
PHOENIX: A+
Credit Mike D'Antoni for revising the Suns' game plan, and credit Steve Nash for perfectly implementing it. The only questions are these: Can Nash stay healthy for the duration? And how long will the Suns' short bench be able to hold the fort when/if one of the starters falls down and goes boom? But for now, let's all just enjoy the show.
Credit Steve Nash for much of the Suns' success.
PORTLAND: A
Perched precariously on the edge of .500 is precisely where the Blazers belong. Considering all the trade rumors perpetually swirling around, it's no wonder that the Blazers are playing so tentatively. One result is that Portland is among the NBA's worst-shooting teams. Three players who were projected as being top-notch scorers can't shoot themselves in the foot. (Derek Anderson is at 39 percent, Nick Van Exel is hitting only one-third of his shots, and Damon Stoudamire's field goal accuracy is reduced to an astounding 32.4 percent.)
To make matters worse, Theo Ratliff has grown old in a hurry. Zach Randolph is only interested in playing hard on the downhill end of the court. And Mo Cheeks isn't exactly a charismatic leader. Portland has enough sheer talent to keep the season interesting, but as long as the players are afraid to send out their laundry, the Rose Garden will be showcasing only thorns come spring.
SACRAMENTO: A-
Their record looks good, yet there are signs that the kingdom is being threatened from within and without. Given that it's way too early to be concerned with playoff positioning, nevertheless Sacramento is a mere two-game losing streak away from dropping to the sixth-seed in the fiercely competitive Western Conference. For a team that doesn't play particularly well on the road, the Kings had better catch both Phoenix and Seattle or their post-season adventures will be short and painful.
In addition, too many of the Kings' hitherto dependable scorers are suffering through season-long shooting slumps — Doug Christie at 41.9 percent, Mike Bibby at 43.6 percent, and Bobby Jackson, whose oomph off the bench is vital, is converting only 42.4 percent of his shots. And how long will it be before Peja Stojakovic mounts a palace revolution against Chris Webber, the sticky-fingered boy-king. Meanwhile, it's the same old equation — a high-powered offense plus a leaky defense equals another disappointing playoff tournament.
SAN ANTONIO: A-
Okay, Tim Duncan is still capable of redeeming many of the Spurs' offensive sins. Still, their perimeter shooting remains a bugaboo. Brent Barry, where is thy stroke? Even more ominous signs emerged just last week when the Spurs recently dawdled through the first-half against the Sonics, and then allowed the mortally-wounded Rockets to rise up from the dead in the end-game. Are the Spurs lacking a killer instinct? Or, despite their impressive record, is their game plan still a work in progress? Watch this space for further developments.
SEATTLE: A+
Wow! Where did these guys come from? It wasn't so long ago that the Sonics were a bunch of selfish, petulant airheads. What's changed? Nate McMillian's stubborn insistence that the Sonics could, and would, play the game properly-and Ray Allen's buying into his coach's vision. As soon as Allen began sharing the wealth, everybody else fell into line. (Including Rashard Lewis, who had previously led the chorus whining in complaint of insufficient playing time and not enough shots.)
Now comes the difficult part of the Sonics' season. Their unselfish, hard-driving, sharp-shooting game will no longer surprise any of their opponents. From here on in, the Sonics have bull's-eyes on their backs, and even the NBA's weak sisters will get amped up to play them. Seattle's ability to maintain their focus on ball-movement and on defense will be put to the test. Do they have the individual and collective mind-power to keep on keeping on? And will their jumpers keep falling? Probably — if only because winning breeds winning.
UTAH: D
With Andrei Kirilenko sidelined, the Jazz simply have no pizzazz at either end of the court. All of Jerry Sloan's ball clubs are disciplined and hard-working, but his latest combo lacks team speed. They're a herd of quarter-horses in a league full of thoroughbreds. Also, Carlos Boozer is a plugger, but lacks outstanding one-on-one skills, yet he is still Utah's primary go-to scorer. And that's another of Utah's problem areas — the absence of players who are creative with the ball.
Will their upbeat syncopation revive when Kirilenko returns in early January? Probably. But by then the Jazz might be too far gone for their season to be salvaged.
Charley Rosen
As the season races past the quarter-pole, it's time to evaluate each team's performance thus far.
Bear in mind that the season still has a long, long way to run, and while some teams will dramatically improve and even peak as the playoffs draw nigh, some teams will just as inevitably disintegrate. The grades are not absolute, and are meant to measure each ball club's accomplishments (or lack thereof) against its expectations and capabilities.
DALLAS: B+
Huzzahs to Don Nelson for effectively retooling his squad while keeping them competitive. Last season the Mavs were first in team offense (105.2 ppg), this year they're eighth (98.6 ppg). They've also gone from being the NBA's third worst defenders (100.8 ppg allowed) to the league's median team (95.7 ppg). The end result is that the wild-and-wooly aspect of their game has been somewhat domesticated, they're involved in fewer blow-outs, and even their losses are much more competitive. This makes for a sounder game plan that will be more functional in post-season play.
The biggest difference in the Mavs' scheme of things, of course, is the absence of Steve Nash. After trying to plug Devin Harris into the No. 1 slot, the Mavs picked up the energetic Darrell Armstrong. While Armstrong is not nearly the shooter nor the pass-oriented player that Nash is, he's much more active on defense. Armstrong's down-side includes a penchant for turnovers and for lofting hasty 3-balls, as well as his being 36 years old and increasingly fragile.
What are the other short-comings in Dallas? Erick Dampier has limited skills, but is their only banger. Michael Finley gets softer with every passing (or, in his case, non-passing) season.
Jerry Stackhouse is the most ancient 30-year-old in the NBA-plus, he's only shooting 37.3 percent. On the other hand, Jason Terry is a very good fit. But, by the time the playoffs roll around, the scoring load that Dirk Nowitzki is forced to carry may wear him to a nub. Finding consistency in the point guard position, and maintaining everybody's body parts (especially Dirk-No's) will be critical as the season grinds on towards April.
DENVER: B-
Their won-lost record is deceiving because they've played more than twice as many games in Denver's thin air than they have in the real world. More and more, these guys look like a .500 ball club. Kenyon Martin still can't find the basket in a station-to-station offense and isn't quite the forceful defender he's been reputed to be. Marcus Camby has a hard time staying healthy (he's averaged only 53 games per season in his career).
Carmelo Anthony averages more turnovers than assists, annoys his teammates with his selfish shot-selection, and has a hard time staying out of trouble. Earl Boykins needs too many shots to score his points. But Andre Miller does a good job coping with a roster full of knuckleheads. Right now, the Nuggets are underachievers, and there's little reason to believe that their game plan will change.
GOLDEN STATE: F
The worst team in the NBA's best division, the Warriors are on a treadmill to oblivion. Except for Jason Richardson and Troy Murphy, the roster is clogged with backups. And Chris Mullin, the Warriors' chieftain, should have his sword broken for giving All-Star money to Adonal Foyle. Things will get worse before they get better. If there are any Warriors' fans still in existence, their mantra should be this: "Wait till last year."
HOUSTON: D
Despite recent signs of life, the Rockets have yet to lift-off. Playing belligerent defense has been a hallmark of all of Van Gundy the Shorter's teams, and Houston is certainly continuing the tradition. However, putting the ball through the ring is the Rockets' most daunting task. The major problem is one of philosophy--the Rockets' retro-pace on offense is well-suited to the lead-footed movements of Yao Ming and Jim Jackson, whereas Tracy McGrady needs to sprint his way through a game. How, then, to establish a workable balance between T-Mac and Yao.
Should the big fellow be primarily used as a moving pick and occasional post-up option? Or should Houston play inside-out basketball, with Yao regularly receiving passes only a short-jumper away from the ring, thereby forcing the defense to twist itself into convoluted, protective alignments that leave McGrady either unguarded or in one-on-one situations? From Jabbar to Hakeem, from TD to MJ, championship teams have always relied on somebody being The Man-singular. With Phil Jackson's Lakers, Shaq was The Man until crunch-time, when his miseries at the foul line turned him into a decoy. Whenever a game was on the line, it was usually Kobe who wore the Big Hat.
Might the Lakers' model work for Houston? It sure looked that way in McGrady's miraculous finish the other night against San Antonio. My guess is that Van Gundy will eventually tailor his game plan to suit McGrady-only because it's easier to two-time Yao in the pivot than it is to double T-Mac on the outskirts.
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS: A
So far, so good. Elton Brand is the horse in the middle. Marko Jaric isn't a terrific athlete and doesn't shoot well on the move — but the accuracy of his stand-still 3-balls ranks him among the league leaders, he's learned how to protect his handle under heavy duty pressure, and he's proven himself to be a winner.
Corey Maggette is doing what he's always done-using his high-flying skills to find a way to score. Chris Wilcox is beginning to hone his incredibly raw talents (or has he already peaked?). But Bobby Simmons' hot-shooting and has been the difference for the Clippers. All of the Clippers starters score in double-digits, and none of them backs down on defense.
The problem is the lack of contributions by the brothers of the bench-the sole exceptions being Kerry Kittles, who can scoot, shoot and defend; and Mikki Moore, a springy, rail-thin seven-footer who rarely misses open shots. Aside from their lack of depth, the Clippers' curse is their penchant for mishandling the ball. Just making the playoffs would constitute a successful season for the Clips, a dream that could easily turn into a nightmare should one of their top seven suffer a lingering injury.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS: C+
For the past several years I've been rudely ripped by myopic Lakers fans and the LA media for revealing that, besides being a great player, Kobe Bryant was rudely sabotaging virtually every aspect of the triangle offense that didn't feature him. Kid Kobe's me-me-me behavior was mostly kept in-house during the Lakers' championships, but became increasingly egregious the past two seasons. These days, however, the whole world (with the notable exception of Jerry Buss) now knows that Bryant is indeed an arrogant, narcissistic jerk.
The Lakers are his team, and Rudy T. is his coach. And what was behind Bryant's recent dissing of Karl Malone?
The simple fact that Kobe doesn't want to share the spotlight with anybody is why the onus falls on Bryant for the Lakers' devolution from contenders to pretenders. He'll never admit his own culpability, of course, because Bryant refuses to understand that the game is, and always has been, bigger than any one player. Michael Jordan (and, for that matter, Shaq) was a dominant, albeit ringless, player for six years, but couldn't cop the gold until he accepted the value of team play. Indeed, the current edition of the LAL is so out of whack only because Bryant's game is so unbalanced-he alternates between passing and not shooting, and shooting and not passing. Also, his impressive scoring totals are mitigated by his abysmal shooting percentage (less than 40 percent) and his league-leading 4.7 turnovers per game.
Things are so bad, and Kobe is so imperial and obnoxious, that his current teammates dislike him even more than his ex-teammates did-and free-agents-to-be have made it known that they'll never sign up with the Lakers as long as Bryant is pulling all the strings. Tie all those strings together and Kobe will soon have a thick enough rope with which to hang himself.
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES: D+
How did Hubie Brown manage fifty wins out of these guys? By cursing, cajoling, and threatening, and by trumping the players' large egos with his own more massive ego, and by insisting on a two-unit system that befuddled opponents with different game plans that wore them out with alternating platoons of fresh legs.
This season, though, several of his players (mostly notably Jason Wiliams, Bonzi Wells, and James Posey, who came to camp fat and saucy) rebelled against their lack of starter's playing time — and Hubie was just too old and de-energized to fight them again. Enter Mike Fratello and his cut-rate hairpiece. What ever kind of rotation the Mighty Mite decides to use, Memphis remains a clever, quick-hitting outfit which lacks sufficient muscle in the middle. Don't expect any miracles in Memphis.
MINNESOTA: B
The Wolves have already proved that they are potent road-warriors, and their impressive record will undoubtedly improve once they get used to some home cooking. The presence of The Big Ticket ensures a long, pleasurable ride for everybody on board. But there are some dangerous curves ahead - both Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell are showing the ravages of age and only seem to be effective every other game. Troy Hudson has yet to find his rhythm off the bench. And, most significantly, with Michael Olowokandi too inept and too stunned to man the middle, the Wolves are in desperate need of a functional center. Just how much more can Kevin Garnett do? The answer to this quandary will determine how long the Wolves' season will last.
NEW ORLEANS: F
Okay, so the Hornets' roster has been decimated by injuries. That's the way things happen sometimes. Anyway, how many games did they win when Baron Davis and Jamaal Magloire were healthy? The good news is that any revelations of Byron Scott's incompetency have suddenly (albeit temporarily) been rendered irrelevant, so he's off the hook for the rest of the year.
PHOENIX: A+
Credit Mike D'Antoni for revising the Suns' game plan, and credit Steve Nash for perfectly implementing it. The only questions are these: Can Nash stay healthy for the duration? And how long will the Suns' short bench be able to hold the fort when/if one of the starters falls down and goes boom? But for now, let's all just enjoy the show.
Credit Steve Nash for much of the Suns' success.
PORTLAND: A
Perched precariously on the edge of .500 is precisely where the Blazers belong. Considering all the trade rumors perpetually swirling around, it's no wonder that the Blazers are playing so tentatively. One result is that Portland is among the NBA's worst-shooting teams. Three players who were projected as being top-notch scorers can't shoot themselves in the foot. (Derek Anderson is at 39 percent, Nick Van Exel is hitting only one-third of his shots, and Damon Stoudamire's field goal accuracy is reduced to an astounding 32.4 percent.)
To make matters worse, Theo Ratliff has grown old in a hurry. Zach Randolph is only interested in playing hard on the downhill end of the court. And Mo Cheeks isn't exactly a charismatic leader. Portland has enough sheer talent to keep the season interesting, but as long as the players are afraid to send out their laundry, the Rose Garden will be showcasing only thorns come spring.
SACRAMENTO: A-
Their record looks good, yet there are signs that the kingdom is being threatened from within and without. Given that it's way too early to be concerned with playoff positioning, nevertheless Sacramento is a mere two-game losing streak away from dropping to the sixth-seed in the fiercely competitive Western Conference. For a team that doesn't play particularly well on the road, the Kings had better catch both Phoenix and Seattle or their post-season adventures will be short and painful.
In addition, too many of the Kings' hitherto dependable scorers are suffering through season-long shooting slumps — Doug Christie at 41.9 percent, Mike Bibby at 43.6 percent, and Bobby Jackson, whose oomph off the bench is vital, is converting only 42.4 percent of his shots. And how long will it be before Peja Stojakovic mounts a palace revolution against Chris Webber, the sticky-fingered boy-king. Meanwhile, it's the same old equation — a high-powered offense plus a leaky defense equals another disappointing playoff tournament.
SAN ANTONIO: A-
Okay, Tim Duncan is still capable of redeeming many of the Spurs' offensive sins. Still, their perimeter shooting remains a bugaboo. Brent Barry, where is thy stroke? Even more ominous signs emerged just last week when the Spurs recently dawdled through the first-half against the Sonics, and then allowed the mortally-wounded Rockets to rise up from the dead in the end-game. Are the Spurs lacking a killer instinct? Or, despite their impressive record, is their game plan still a work in progress? Watch this space for further developments.
SEATTLE: A+
Wow! Where did these guys come from? It wasn't so long ago that the Sonics were a bunch of selfish, petulant airheads. What's changed? Nate McMillian's stubborn insistence that the Sonics could, and would, play the game properly-and Ray Allen's buying into his coach's vision. As soon as Allen began sharing the wealth, everybody else fell into line. (Including Rashard Lewis, who had previously led the chorus whining in complaint of insufficient playing time and not enough shots.)
Now comes the difficult part of the Sonics' season. Their unselfish, hard-driving, sharp-shooting game will no longer surprise any of their opponents. From here on in, the Sonics have bull's-eyes on their backs, and even the NBA's weak sisters will get amped up to play them. Seattle's ability to maintain their focus on ball-movement and on defense will be put to the test. Do they have the individual and collective mind-power to keep on keeping on? And will their jumpers keep falling? Probably — if only because winning breeds winning.
UTAH: D
With Andrei Kirilenko sidelined, the Jazz simply have no pizzazz at either end of the court. All of Jerry Sloan's ball clubs are disciplined and hard-working, but his latest combo lacks team speed. They're a herd of quarter-horses in a league full of thoroughbreds. Also, Carlos Boozer is a plugger, but lacks outstanding one-on-one skills, yet he is still Utah's primary go-to scorer. And that's another of Utah's problem areas — the absence of players who are creative with the ball.
Will their upbeat syncopation revive when Kirilenko returns in early January? Probably. But by then the Jazz might be too far gone for their season to be salvaged.