This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
The Jazz's offense has been a wreck. Utah's defense has been a disaster. And now a shaky team still trying to discover its identity is about to feel the pain of the NBA's lockout-shortened season.
After suffering two consecutive blowouts to start 2011-12, the Jazz will play six games in the next nine days. A nonstop schedule will likely leave Utah (0-2) only one practice date, Jan. 5, which precedes a home-and-away series against Memphis and Golden State.
With so much to fix and so little time to teach, second-year coach Tyrone Corbin is staring at an imposing task just four days into a new season.
The No. 1 item on his agenda: building team trust.
The Jazz fractured and fell apart during 2010-11, with everything from in-team dissension to the departures of All-Star guard Deron Williams and longtime coach Jerry Sloan battering away at Utah's faith.
"We have to get back together and continue to work and fight," said Corbin, after a 117-100 road loss to Denver on Wednesday. "We've got to learn to trust each other on the defensive end of the floor and get it figured out."
Corbin has gone just 8-22 since taking over for Sloan. His plan of having every position and in-game minute up for grabs this season has initially backfired, putting a mix-and-match squad in an early hole.
The Jazz's starting five wasn't established until the morning of a 96-71 road rout Tuesday by the Los Angeles Lakers, while Utah's first- and second-unit rotations have been a mess since a Dec. 19 exhibition opener at Portland. Everything from consistency to on-the-court chemistry have been hard to come by, and Corbin has had little time to set anything in stone, since he's spent the past two losses reacting and adapting instead of setting an agenda.
Even Corbin's biggest move has initially made little impact. Twenty-year-old power forward Derrick Favors showed promise during the preseason and was promoted to the starting lineup Tuesday. But he was often stuck on the bench during his first two starts, picking up a combined six fouls in 35 minutes, while scoring just two points on 1-of-4 shooting against the Nuggets.
Meanwhile, reserve power forward Paul Millsap — moved down when Favors was moved up — has easily been the Jazz's best player. Millsap leads Utah in average scoring (15.5) and is tied for the lead in rebounds (8.0). He also ranks first on the team in offensive rebounds (3.5), and third in field-goal percentage (54.2) and minutes (24.5).
Even the primary reason for promoting Favors — his length and size, which were supposed to aid the Jazz's interior defense — has been undercut. The Jazz gave up a staggering 68 points in the paint to the Nuggets and rank 29th out of 30 teams in average points allowed (106.5).
Corbin acknowledged Wednesday more changes could be coming.
"Different lineup, different combinations," he said. "The effort, though, [has] to be there from everybody. That's the main thing. You've got to get the effort, I don't care what lineup you have out there."
Factor in little production from starting point guard Devin Harris, less from Utah wings such as Raja Bell and C.J. Miles, and inconsistent play from starting center Al Jefferson, and the Jazz's start has looked much worse than it actually is.
Technically, Utah is just 0-2 and has 64 more games to play. But with Corbin already challenging his team and players openly acknowledging their lack of effort, Utah has started the season as one of the worst teams in the NBA.
"We've got to find that cohesiveness. … We've got to get that machine running," Miles said.
How broken has the system been? Corbin left open the possibility of practicing Thursday, despite playing back-to-back road games Tuesday and Wednesday. He eventually decided against the move.
"We've got to learn to trust each other as players on the floor and just go out and compete together as a group of guys, and not [an] individual," Corbin said. "You have two or three guys going hard and one off, and you throw the whole rhythm off."
Right now, the Jazz clearly have no rhythm. And zero wins.
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76ers vs. Jazz
P At EnergySolutions Arena
Tipoff • 7 p.m.
TV • ROOT Sports
Radio • 1320 AM, 1600 AM, 98.7 FM
Records • Jazz 0-2, 76ers 1-1
Last meeting • Jazz, 112-107, OT (March 14)
About the Jazz • Utah ranks 29th out of 30 teams in average points allowed (106.5) and 26th in scoring (85.5). … The Jazz are shooting just 39.6 percent from the field and 27.6 percent behind the 3-point line. … Reserve Paul Millsap leads Utah in average points (15.5) and is tied for the lead in rebounds (8.0).
About the 76ers • Philadelphia shot 47.7 percent from the floor and 41.2 percent beyond the arc Wednesday during a 103-83 road victory against Phoenix. … Lou Williams leads the 76ers in average points (19), while Spencer Hawes tops Philly in rebounds (12.5). … Second-year guard Evan Turner has shown improvement during the first two games of the season.