What is the IJSPD? I was recently exposed to this little acronym by John Hollinger of ESPN.com fame. So what does IJSPD stand for? Irrational Jerry Sloan Personnel Decision. I laughed out loud when I read this because it is so true.
The latest IJSPD is starting Derick Fisher at the two, bringing Dee Brown off the bench to back up D. Will and leaving Ronnie Brewer on the bench for the entire game. It has happened for three games makes absolutely no sense at all. Not only is Brewer the best (by Far) option the Jazz have at the 2, but it totally eliminates Fishers effectiveness.
Fisher is a point guard. End of the conversation. He can be effective in sprints at the 2, but there is no argument that he is way better as a point, where he has some physical advantages over some of the competition. Playing at the 2, he is at a disadvantage against ANY starter the league has to offer. Every single one. He is smaller or slower than every single starting two guard in the league.
Not only that, but when Williams sits, Fisher is already tired and much less effective playing at the point as he is already tired. There is a noticeable tempo change. The tempo problem can be addressed by playing Dee Brown, but then you lose all shooting as Brown is only hitting only 15% of his shots. That is not a misprint, he is making only 15% of his shots so far this year.
I know that Sloan is trying to prove a point to Brewer and Miles, but this has got to be the wrong way to go about doing it. At very least, start big with AK at the 2 and Harpring at the 3, the way they finished last year.
In the Jazz system, PG play is tantamount to the teams success. With Fisher coming off the bench there is little, if any, drop off at that position for the entire game.
I am sure that it is only a matter of time before we see Brewer back in the starting lineup, but it is also only a matter of time before we see another IJSPD. I am just waiting for Memot or Boozer to have a bad stretch and see Collins in the starting lineup. Stop laughing, it could happen.
December 9th, 2006 at 6:46 pm
There have definitely been a lot of IJSPD’s in Jerry Sloan’s career. Some of them have led to sudden improvements, but the Jazz aren’t getting much but a raw deal out of leaving Miles, Brewer, and Giricek on the bench. While none of those three players are starter-quality and I enjoy watching Brown play, at least Brewer and Giricek deserve 15 MPG instead of getting DNPs. Miles hasn’t really shown much after the initial start of the season, in my opinion.
I agree, Fisher should spend less time at the 2-guard. I think Deron and Fisher could each get 30-35 minutes a night each and still only need to have only of the two play 15 minutes at the shooting guard position. Split 15 minutes each between Brewer and Giricek and the problem is solved. Except for Brown and Miles…