Jazz: Commonplace lineup doesn't yield a victory
Jazz Preseason Opener
By Phil Miller
The Salt Lake Tribune

http://www.sltrib.com/jazz/ci_4474087


FRESNO, Calif. - The Jazz's starting lineup for Tuesday's 94-79 loss to the
Lakers in the preseason opener was unusual, mostly because it wasn't, well,
unusual.
Get this: At the shooting guard position, Jerry Sloan decided to start .
.. . a shooting guard. Gordan Giricek, to be specific.
That wouldn't be news for most of the other 29 NBA teams, but after Utah
closed last season with a four-forwards lineup that energized the offense
and raised expectations for this season, speculation grew that Andrei
Kirilenko had found himself a new position.
He has, Sloan confirmed before watching his team sag under the weight of
a 12-point second quarter and a 16-point third to fall to the Kobe-less
Lakers. But Kirilenko's minutes in the backcourt will only be one of many
options this season, not the primary one.
"There will still be some times for that [lineup], but I can't say how
much because I don't know how we fit together as a team yet," said Sloan.
"We've looked at it again this week in practice. We've moved guys around
quite a bit, trying to see what some guys are capable of."
Kirilenko showed last season he was capable of handling the ball well
enough to complement backcourt mate Deron Williams, and his long arms
provided some memorable blocked shots against unsuspecting opponents. There
were occasional drawbacks, however, like difficulty with quicker guards and
lack of a reliable jumpshot.
But Sloan felt he didn't have much choice with last year's injury-
ravaged roster. But add rookie Ronnie Brewer, a more polished C.J. Miles, a
healthy Giricek and even the versatility of point guard Derek Fisher, and
suddenly the coach feels more comfortable returning Kirilenko to his
natural position. "Don't forget Roger [Powell] - he can play [guard] too,"
added Sloan.
OK then. Figure Kirilenko to stick mostly to forward this year, with
visits to the backcourt targeted at certain opponents. That's what
Kirilenko is figuring, anyway. "It won't happen all game, I think. It won't
be every game," Kirilenko predicted. "I won't say I love it, but against
some teams, I think it's great idea. Against small lineup, it's good to
post me up, me and Matt [Harpring]."
Against the Lakers, who were missing Kobe Bryant (knee surgery) and
Chris Mihm (ankle surgery), not to mention coach Phil Jackson (hip
replacement surgery), posting up Carlos Boozer was the best idea. Boozer
led the Jazz with 18 points (on 9-for-13 shooting, mostly down low) and 12
rebounds, and worked well with Williams.
"Me and Deron have that good chemistry. We had it last year and we want
to keep it going," Boozer said. "The goal is to get that chemistry
throughout the entire team."
That's going to take some time. "We had moments when we played pretty
well, but we did some silly things, too," said Sloan, who played 16
different players. "Every day's a learning experience."
The Jazz learned: Don't leave Maurice Evans open in the fourth quarter.
The former Pistons guard scored 12 fourth-quarter points, losing defenders
Giricek and Fisher to free himself for open jumpers. Evans scored nine
points, including a pair of three-pointers, during a 12-0 Lakers run that
turned a 75-70 deficit into an 87-70 blowout.
"They just got layups on top of layups on us, then when we started to
help, they did a good job of kicking it outside," said Sloan, who has
plenty more material to teach with now. "It was good to play a game. Their
hearing gets better now."
pmiller@sltrib.com