So far this season (9 games in) I have enjoyed reading posts and posting in the GameDay threads. After watching last night’s game (Pacers) I was surfing the r/UtahJazz posts and noticed an article about THT and why he thinks we should believe in him.
Now I’ve read all the comments about him and Sexton and the rest of the Utah Jazz players and staff. Apparently, some of the players read these posts too. It got me to thinking about some of the things I’ve read and frankly, some of my own posts.
Coaches and players know what bad losses feel like, if you’ve ever coached a youth sport, you know. The fans(parents,families) really lose faith quickly. Second guessing coaches, players, the organization as a whole. They begin shouting at refs, expressing their negative opinions on the sidelines etc … Not a great environment for the players, or any of the participants for that matter.
I’m seeing a lot of that behavior this season with our favorite team. The amount of negative comments about THT, Sexton, Clarkson,just about every member of the team is just not good. If the players read these comments, it’s not good at all.
Some of the best teams start with the worst records. As you build, the winning usually takes care of itself. The atmosphere you build becomes the culture, culture attracts talent, talent affects winning, and the winning feeds the culture.
Yeah, we’ve seen some poor basketball this season and I can empathize with the other fans about those losses but let’s not tear the team apart from the inside out. Let’s respect the players, coaches and staff and support them with positivity. After all, Utah has a tough time attracting free agents when we’re winning, what do you think a bad team with terrible fans will attract ?
Well here’s the thing… Three years ago, the Jazz were whipping the ball around the court with alacrity and driving defenses nuts. They always got the open shot. They cut to the basket at the right times. They played a unselfish brand of team-oriented basketball that was fun to watch.
Their defense wasn’t exactly lockdown outstanding, but it was good enough to at least keep the other team’s offensive production below our own.
We are not seeing that this year and it’s disappointing. We have good talent, but there is no teamwork. Offensive rotations and getting those extra passes is just not happening. Our defense is atrocious. When Chicago and Indy score that many points, well you’re gonna lose. We’ve acutally only won one game thus far, because the Memphis game was vs. their scrubs.
It’s just painful and I hope they get it together soon.