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Chicago • It is difficult to get a rise out of veteran Jazz guard Earl Watson, even with an audio recorder hovering near his face. He speaks in a soft, calm tone, carefully choosing his words and often using big-picture points to address in-the-moment questions. Watson is a historian of the game that he plays for a living, and he loves to draw from the past to shine a light on the present.
But history was useless to Watson on Saturday, and even he was shaken by Utah's current predicament. The Jazz had just fallen 118-100 to the Chicago Bulls, marking the team's third blowout defeat in four games. Utah had trailed by 31 points, been ripped apart by a Chicago perimeter attack that set a franchise record with 18 made 3-pointers, and was unceremoniously returning to Salt Lake City playing its worst basketball of the season.
Key Jazz players Raja Bell, C.J. Miles and Al Jefferson, as well as coach Tyrone Corbin, ripped their team after the loss. Utah (34-33) lacked energy, focus and commitment, they said. Its offense was stagnant, its defense an uncoordinated mess.
Now, it was Watson's turn to dig in and dissect. But where Bell and Miles went for the heart, Watson attacked the brain.
"We have to find our identity," he said.
With just 15 regular-season games to go, the Jazz no longer have one.
A little more than a month ago, an up-and-down Jerry Sloan-coached team was still widely associated with grit, toughness and sacrifice. Sloan's system worked, and the system was all that mattered.
Now, Sloan and Deron Williams — the All-Star point guard who expertly ran the system — are gone. Corbin is still trying to put his stamp on a team stuck between the past and the future.
"We're disjointed right now. Things just are not clicking well," Bell said. "And from that standpoint, from the chemistry — offensively, defensively, energy — it's probably the worst we've played all year."
Utah was supposed to be tougher this season. The rotation was set up to be deeper. The pick-and-roll was going to pop again. Defense that had long been a weak point was intended to be stronger, and first-year players eventually would seamlessly blend in with vets.
It was a lot to ask of a team already dealing with the departures of Carlos Boozer, Wesley Matthews and Kyle Korver. But the Jazz were still playing tough, intense ball in early February. Utah outmuscled Denver on Feb. 4 for a nationally televised road victory, then clawed back Feb. 7 to knock out Sacramento in another gritty road contest.
But a worn-out Sloan and longtime assistant Phil Johnson resigned three days later. Since then, the Jazz have fallen from resilient to weak to frail. And when Utah traded Williams on Feb. 23, the team's once-startling ability to fight back from near-certain defeat was effectively erased.
"We don't have that luxury of bailouts like we did before," Miles said. "No disrespect to anybody on this team, but D-Will bailed us out a lot."
It was the continuing lack of character that most troubled key Jazz members Saturday, though, leaving Bell and Miles wondering what to make of a team that featured some taking pride in a minimal and ultimately meaningless rally against the Bulls. Yes, the Jazz had closed to within 13 points midway through the fourth quarter. But Utah had been blown out of the building at the start, and was still dealing with another blowout when the final buzzer sounded.
"It was good that we fought back [Saturday], but at what point is that just not cool that you're happy that you got beat by 18?" Bell said.
Watson observed a Chicago team playing urgent basketball, fine-tuning its approach and ramping up its attack in an attempt to perform at a championship level. Future Jazz opponents eyeing the playoffs, such as the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas and San Antonio, will do the same.
Utah? Just a team one loss away from .500, still searching for its identity with a month left to go during a frustrating, unpredictable season.
"We got to be down 40 for us to fight? Is that what it takes?" Miles said. "So maybe we should just start the game 40-0, so we can have the whole 48 minutes to fight."
bsmith@sltrib.comTwitter: @tribjazz —
76ers at Jazz
P At EnergySolutions Arena
Tipoff • Monday, 7 p.m.
TV • FSN Utah
Radio • 1320 AM, 1600 AM, 98.7 FM
Records • Jazz 34-33, 76ers 34-32
Last meeting • 76ers, 96-85 (Jan. 22)
About the 76ers • Philadelphia is coming off a 28-point road loss Saturday to Milwaukee after edging Boston at home on Friday. —
Big losses
The Jazz faced double-digit deficits in all four games they played during a recent road trip. Utah went 1-3 on the journey and was blown out in all three losses:
Date Opponent Result Lgst def
March 7 New York L, 131-109 30
Wednesday Toronto W, 96-94 14
Friday Minnesota L, 122-101 31
Saturday Chicago L, 118-100 31