Stan Van Gundy calls out PJ

It's nice when other coaches push back against Phil Jackson. Now I do think on some level, Phil's playing a little psychological warfare on the Miami Heat when he says that he can see Pat Riley taking over as head coach if the Heat don't improve. Phil does the same head-games with referees before every playoff game. But Stan Van Gundy, who was a high-profiled target of a Riley hitjob a few years ago, wasn't going to let Phil Jackson get away with it.

Gordon Hayward watch

Gordon got his second DNP-CD of the season tonight, in a game where the Jazz only seemed to have energy when the bench players were in the game. So how is he stacking up against the guys drafted after him?

9. Gordon Hayward
- 11 gm - 2.7 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 0.4 apg, 11.6 mpg, 41.2% FG
10. Paul George
- 7 gm - 5.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.9 apg, 17.6 mpg, 36.8% FG
11. Cole Aldrich
- 5 gm - 1.0 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 0 apg, 9.6 mpg, 50% FG
12. Xavier Henry
- 10 gm - 5.6 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 0.2 apg, 13.6 mpg, 38.8% FG
13. Ed Davis
- has not played
14. Patrick Patterson
- has not played
15. Larry Sanders
- 7 gm - 1.4 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 0.1 apg, 5.4 mpg, 41.7% FG
16. Luke Babbitt
- 5 gm - 1.2 ppg, 0.8 rpg, 0 apg, 5.2 mpg, 25% FG
17. Kevin Seraphin
- 2 gm - 1.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 0 apg, 5.5 mpg, 14.3% FG
18. Eric Bledsoe
- 13 gm - 9.8 ppg, 4 rpg, 5.2 apg, 31.2 mpg, 47.2% FG

Looks like Paul George and Xavier Henry are doing a little better. Sure, Eric Bledsoe's blowing it up but it's not like the jazz were going to draft a backup point guard at #9.

Jazz go 8-4, need to improve rebounding

The steady dismantling of the New Jersey Nets still didn't diminish a glaring flaw with this year's Utah Jazz squad. Rebounding. The Jazz always had the rebounding edge last year. Rebounding and free-throw shooting's what allowed the Thunder to win in SLC earlier in the week. Part of it is the Jazz miss Mehmet Okur, who's still a good month away from returning, but they also miss the defensive rebounding of Carlos Boozer.

Through 12 games, Jazz opponents are averaging just over 3 more rebounds a game. Now the Jazz have the advantages in shooting percentages, assists, and forcing turnovers, but they need to improve rebounding if they want home-court advantage in the spring.

Jazz 2.0 have arrived

After watching an unrecognizable Jazz team go 0-2, the team we thought they were showed up to since go 2-0. Let's just pretend those first two games didn't happen. Hiccups. They just wanted to give the Nuggets some hope before Carmelo leaves them, and Steve Nash, well, he could use some wins before the lack of a supporting cast sends him to the lottery.

What's worked in these past two games? Offensive execution to perfection. Not real perfection, obviously, otherwise there'd be a goose-egg in the Turnover column, but you don't score 122.5 a game playing selfish basketball. Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson, in that order for now, are a fierce 4/5 line-up in the low post for teams to deal with. D-Will's assists-first, points-second approach has launched his fantasy value through the roof.

It also looks like this is the year that CJ Miles will live up to his potential as an explosive scorer.

The bench needs to step up more. Francisco Elson is a definite improvement over Kosta Koufos. I imagine the second half of the year we'll see Earl Watson and Gordon Hayward play better than they are right now. I also look forward to how Mehmet Okur fits into this team once he comes back from injury. Does he come off the bench? I would think he has to. How do you remove Millsap or Jefferson from the starting lineup with the way they're playing?

NFL midseason look

Best Five AFC Teams
1. New England Patriots
2. Indianapolis Colts
3. Baltimore Ravens
4. Kansas City Chiefs
5. Pittsburgh Steelers
Stock Rising: Oakland Raiders

Worst Three AFC Teams
1. Buffalo Bills
2. Denver Broncos
3. Cleveland Browns
Stock Dropping: Cincinnati Bengals

The best and worst teams in the NFL are in the AFC. The Raiders may be 4-4 but they've looked like the best team in the entire league the past two weeks. The Chiefs still look good; the Pats, Colts, Ravens, Steelers, and Jets have been looking as good as expected (minus the Jets' shutout this week). Meanwhile the Bills and Browns are still the Bills and Browns. Josh McDaniels' Broncos, after starting 2009 at 6-0, have since gone 4-14.

Best Five NFC Teams
1. New York Giants
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3. Atlanta Falcons
4. Green Bay Packers
5. Seattle Seahawks
Stock Rising: Philadelphia Eagles

Worst Three NFC Teams
1. Dallas Cowboys
2. Carolina Panthers
3. San Francisco 49ers
Stock Dropping: Minnesota Vikings

I get the feeling a 9-7 team is going to make the playoffs from this conference. No one's really distinguished themselves, and the Dallas Cowboys have to be the best team to ever be the worst team in a conference. How can they have this much talent and be doing this badly? I blame the defense.