Big Al was great last night. My only complaint with Al is sometimes when he gets the ball in the post, the offense stops. But that's not even entirely his fault. Why don't we send cutters through the lane like we did when Malone would work in the paint? I don't really get it. Al is not a great passer, but he is also not bad. Everyone just stands there when he gets the ball. I think with some movement off the ball Al could make nice improvements in that area of his game.
Bottom line, this team needs a shooter. Richard Jefferson wandered free last night and doubled on any good matchup we had just to let AK kill us with his jumper. With AL and Millsap playing in the paint together, there is no room for Andrei which is turning him into a jump shooter, which is awful. He plays the best at the 4 because he is closer to the basket and it is usually less congested. The problem is, we don't need him at the 4. AK is talented, but we need to move him for a piece that can keep defenses honest. Especially while Raja is sucking, Deron has ABSOLUTELY NO ONE to pass the ball to when he collapses defenses. I am all for Richard Hamilton. Rip would average 15-20 a night in our offense. He would get Deron 4-5 EASY assists a night. He would have open 15 foot jump shots everywhere, and that is where he is money. He is also a solid defender. I recognize he is old, but he can still play. He proved that by killing us when they almost beat us at ESA last month. The guy is a knock down shooter, something the Jazz NEED. AK (and Raja for that matter) does not space the floor, and until we have people that do, things will continue to be difficult for Deron and Al to be effective. We need to make a move.
