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    Column: Skidding Jazz have problems, but Conley isn't one of them

    Mike Conley makes the Jazz greater and not lesser, writes columnist Homer Sayson
    Feb 4, 2020
    PHOTO: AP
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    CHICAGO - When the Houston Rockets went on a losing streak from January 14 to 20, a downward spiral that lasted four games, head coach Mike D'Antoni described his team as a "ship that is "getting rocked right now."

    The Utah Jazz are currently navigating the same dire straits, losing their last four assignments to Houston (126-117), San Antonio (127-120), Denver (106-100) and Portland (124-107).

    Unlike the Rockets, who were decimated with injuries during their slump, the Jazz are fully healthy. In fact they recently inserted Mike Conley back in the starting lineup after a long layoff dealing with a hamstring injury.

    So what happened with the Jazz, the same team that had won 10 straight and 19 of their last 20 games?

    A lot.

    Many have speculated that Conley messed up the vibe with his return, a case of subtraction by addition.

    That's nonsense.

    Conley, an 817-game veteran with career averages of 14.8 points and 5.7 assists per, makes the Jazz greater, not lesser.

    The dude he bumped off as a starter was a solid asset - Royce O'Neale - who pitched in 6.2 points and 5.2 rebounds an outing. But Conley is a better complement to All-Star Donovon Mitchell, a dynamic scorer who can now focus less on playmaking and more on putting points on the board.

    "There's no panic," Conley told The Salt Lake City Tribune.

    There are, however, huge concerns.

    During this forgettable four-game collapse, the Jazz have surrendered an average of 120.7 points per game. They've been outrebounded, 169-153, and held only a slight edge on assists, 85-82.

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    More tellingly, the Jazz allowed their opponents to shoot a combined 171 of 340 field goals (50.2 percent) and 47 of 127 triples (37 percent). Those are horrific numbers from a team that is eighth in defensive rating, a team that has an All-Star center and a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate in Rudy Gobert.

    "You know, we haven't contained the ball, like we want to," Jazz head coach Quin Snyder said in an attempt to unravel the mystery of his team's ongoing slide.

    In those four games, Eric Gordon of Houston scored 50, DeMar DeRozan of the Spurs had 38 and Lillard led the Blazers with 51. The Nuggets didn't have a singular explosive scorer over Utah but Denver had six guys mounting double figures in points.

    The Jazz are fourth in the Western Conference standings with a 32-17 record. If they want to stay there and gain homecourt advantage in the opening round of the playoffs, they need to defend better.

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    Despite a phenomenal run of winning 14 of 15 games from December 11 to January 14, the Jazz barely made the headlines.

    They are now. For all the wrong reasons.

    TIMEOUT TALK. With his team down by 25 points against the Toronto Raptors last Sunday, Bulls head coach Jim Boylen called for a full timeout 1:04 to go. The action prompted a puzzling response from star guard Zach LaVine who was seen spitting out "why" during the live broadcast.

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    This was how Boylen explained the timeout, per The Chicago Tribune, "I was trying to run something with my second group. I got a G League guy in there who I haven't coached much on an ATO. I don't stop coaching the team because we're down. I've never done that, never will."

    How noble.

    But it's also kind of misplaced and impractical.

    Look, Mr. Boylen, there are times and places to be a teacher. They're called practices, team meetings an film sessions. And if you really want to develop a player, please know that putting him in a 25-point massacre with 64 seconds left doesn't give his confidence any favors.

    The way how things are going with the 19-33 Bulls, maybe the team needs a time out from their "replacement coach."

    Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph

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    PHOTO: AP
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