Of all the Jazz's problems that have surfaced this season, there is one issue they absolutely cannot do anything about.

The other guys.

Their own deficiencies are apparent, but not overwhelming. This team still is improving as of the halfway point of the season, having overcome a tough stretch of the schedule, besides injuries that disrupted their rhythm and the distraction of former guard Gordan Giricek's feud with coach Jerry Sloan.

But the rest of the West is not going away anytime soon. Just check Steve Luhm's NBA rankings: Eight of the league's top 10 teams play in the West. Two other West members are far not behind, meaning that two good teams will not make the playoffs.

The Jazz might be one of them. Here's how precarious it all is: They could come close to winning the Northwest Division and yet not make the top eight, thanks to the West's incredible depth, increased by the rise of Portland and New Orleans.

It all will make for a fascinating second half of the season in Jazzland, as the team bounces inside and outside of the playoff cut from week to week.

That's simply the nature of things in the NBA these days. Much as the Jazz of John Stockton and Karl Malone were cursed to have played in the Michael Jordan era, the Jazz of Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer have the challenge of competing in a loaded conference.

That's not to say there are no aspects of their game the Jazz can and must improve in the second half.

* They need to stop making stars of opposing players.

If having San Antonio's Manu Ginobili score 37 points against them was understandable, these career-best performances were far less acceptable: 47 for Dallas' Josh Howard, 41 for Denver's Linas Kleiza and 24 in the third quarter alone for Portland's Martell Webster. Giving up huge numbers to Gilbert Arenas, Ray Allen and others last year was one thing, but these guys? C'mon.

* They have to give up fewer three-pointers and free throws.

Sloan likes to play the defensive percentages, so he welcomes three-point attempts from the other guys, while missing this point: They're worth more. Jazz opponents are shooting 46 percent, but factoring in all those three-pointers, they're scoring more than a point per shot.

And while Sloan applauds fouling as a sign of aggressive defense, the league is still awarding free throws. That's been a problem in nearly every Jazz defeat, particularly during their 5-11 December.

* They need Mehmet Okur to play like an All-Star.

Williams and Boozer have played brilliantly most of the season, but Okur never has been the same since the first half of last season. His shooting has come back recently, and the Jazz need him at his best. His downturn is the most noticeable statistical difference from last year to now.

Otherwise, there's still a lot to like about this team. Consider that the biggest questions going into the season were how Andrei Kirilenko would respond after his summer of complaints, how Ronnie Brewer would perform as a starting guard and how Jason Hart would play as Williams' backup, in the absence of Derek Fisher.

Kirilenko is apparently happy and highly productive. Brewer has been generally solid, shooting better than expected and holding up OK defensively. But Hart has not thrived, other than Friday's game against his former team, and the Los Angeles Lakers' success is further evidence of Fisher's value.

Yet if Hart and Ronnie Price were not inspiring acquisitions, executive vice president Kevin O'Connor deserves credit for his handling of the Giricek situation. Not only did he quickly solve a problem, but he landed Kyle Korver, a decent player and quality person.

Now, I misjudged Korver's role, figuring he would share minutes with Kirilenko and Matt Harpring at forward. Instead, Sloan has played him strictly as a guard, which makes for some awkward matchups at times and certainly affects the development of Brewer, C.J. Miles and Morris Almond.

Then again, some short-term focus is necessary for this team. As I've said from the start, failing to match last season's playoff achievements would not necessarily be a setback for the franchise. But not making the playoffs at all? Unacceptable.

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* KURT KRAGTHORPE can be reached at kkragthorpe@sltrib.com. To write a letter about this or any sports topic, send an e-mail to sportseditor@sltrib.com.

Second-half predictions:

* By beating San Antonio in their last regular-season game, the Jazz will make the Western Conference playoffs as the No. 8 seed.

* Having remained in San Antonio to begin the first-round series, they will lose to the top-seeded Spurs in seven games.

* Coach Jerry Sloan will keep everyone guessing for a month before announcing plans to return for a 21st season.