This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

I've got good news about the Jazz.

But that's all it is.

Just good.

Which is a whole lot better than the pathetic news of the past two weeks, a stretch during which they've lurched and clanked and strained and struggled, their offense messing itself on the court, their defense looking like Runway 16R/34L at Salt Lake City International, and their rebounding basically vaporized.

They've lost six straight — against three awful teams and three of the best teams in the NBA. So … what's everybody around here freaking out about?

There's only one reason — if it is, in fact, true. And we'll get to that in a minute.

First come the facts that precede the good news.

The Jazz are skidding like a shanked Titleist through the Shortleaf and Loblolly Pines at Augusta National. That much is undeniable. And it's been downright oooooogly. Losing to the Wizards, the Nets, and the Sixers, who at last count had lost some 90 games and won less than 50 between them, is like Brad Pitt or Gisele losing, in Jerry Sloan's vernacular, an ice-pick fight.

But it's still a lot better than winning an ice-pick fight and looking like Gary Busey or Joan Rivers.

The fact that they've lost to teams that are clearly inferior to them is actually a positive. Here's why: You lose to bad teams, you know, with a few adjustments, a tweak of attitude, a pinch of execution, a bit of effort, you can beat them again and restore not only your former selves but your selves-respect. Anybody here actually believe the Jazz are worse than the lousy teams that have lorded over them of late?

On the flip side, getting beat by teams that are clearly superior is also a positive, of sorts — because the all-inclusive "everyone," which includes Jazz players, knows that the Celtics, Lakers and Spurs are better than Utah this season. Losing to them is hardly surprising or shameful.

Were there prognosticators, even among the most optimistic, coming into this season who believed the Jazz would roll through the elite teams in the league?

Negatory on that one, too.

The Jazz offloaded Carlos Boozer, they lost Wesley Matthews, a bigger deal than it seemed, and Kyle Korver, and Mehmet Okur was gone to injury. They got Al Jefferson, Raja Bell, and Gordon Hayward. Chances were decent they were going to be better at some point — just being free from the baggage that came alongside Boozer's scoring.

Better, though, never meant they were going to righteously contend for an NBA title this season, although Deron Williams, up until a few weeks ago, was still claiming that the Larry O'Brien Trophy was within the Jazz's reach.

In other words, they were going to win a bunch of regular-season games, and then lose in the second-round of the playoffs again. They were going to be … good.

Nothing's changed.

For much of the early season, the Jazz won twice as many games as they lost. As of Jan. 14, they were 27-13. In that initial span, they beat the Magic and the Hawks on the road, and they took down the Lakers at home and the Heat in Miami.

Speaking of the Lakers and the Heat, each of those teams also has suffered through poor stretches this season. Both lost four straight at respective junctures. A team periodically playing beneath itself is not the exclusive realm of the Jazz. In an 82-game season, slumps are no respecter of teams, even if they're good, and sometimes even if they're great.

There's been an overreaction this past week.

From fans and players.

These same players in the same system under the same coach, while never perfect, won like crazy until this latest stink. And they can win mad as a March hare again.

Is anyone going to draw any kind of rock-steady conclusion about the Jazz based on losses to Washington, New Jersey, and Philly?

Defeats to Boston, L.A., and San Antonio reveal only what we already knew.

The talk about the Jazz being unable, with their current roster, to run Jerry Sloan's offense is laughable. Are we supposed to believe the only measure that matters — wins and losses — is more significant drawn from the past few weeks than from the successful months that preceded them?

It will get worked out. Positive signs re-emerged against the Spurs.

The only reason it wouldn't is if disaster really has struck — and the players have completely tuned out Sloan. If Sloan has truly lost them, then, granted, this season is over. The players know that and so does Sloan, who coached his arse off in defeat on Wednesday night.

When it happened once before — in the 2004-05 season — the Jazz lost a slew of games and Sloan edged close to permanently jumping aboard a tractor bound for the farm in McLeansboro. At that time, he said, "When your players stop listening to you, you're done."

That hasn't happened — yet.

It's been nasty and listless lately, but the Jazz will be back in the near future, back to being what they are, back to being what they've been, back to being what nearly everyone expected them to be, back to being the kind of news that's become routine around here: good.

GORDON MONSON hosts "The Gordon Monson Show" weekdays from 2-6 p.m. on 1280 The Zone. He can be reached at gmonson@sltrib.com.