Imagine this scenario: You are watching an NBA game, with seats right on the floor. You are watching the other team beat 'your' team, and it doesn't seem like 'your' team’s lineup is working. They aren't meshing and the defense is limiting the success of most 'your' players. 3 of 'your' 5 starters are having an off-night. You have 3 guys sitting on 'your' bench that have proven they can contribute and might be a little hotter than the guys on the floor. You wait a few more minutes and things are not improving, 'your' team is turning the ball over and can't hit shots, and mostly due to the 3 players having off nights. Lets wait a little longer… and then some more. Ok, now it is 2 minutes left in the quarter, lets change the lineup.
Now imagine you are Jerry Sloan.
As you sit and watch 'your' team play you will not (nay, you REFUSE) to change the lineup until there is a stoppage of play near your time-determined-lineup-modification-moments (TDLM2). It doesn't matter if you are watching your team have the above scenario, as they did last night against the T-Wolves, or having a great game. At TDLM2, you exchange players. Deron Williams could be having the hottest night of his life, scored 20 in the last 30 seconds, anything he throws up goes in, doesn't matter, HE IS coming out at his TDLM2, which happens to be about 2 minutes left in the first quarter.
I don't blame players for having off nights, but I cannot stand watching Sloan do nothing about it until his TDLM2's come. I was so frustrated watching the Jazz game I went and watched American Idol with my wife (yes, that frustrated). I went back to my office after 5 minutes and the Jazz had the SAME LINEUP, and they still were not playing well. This happens all the time, coaches change players to counter-act what is happening on the court, except Sloan. Its all about the TDLM2's, and he refuses to budge.
To be honest, most of the players, including the bench guys, looked off last night against the T-Wolves, except for Boozer, but at least a change to the lineup at the correct time, might spark the team differently. How many times do I have to watch Kirilenko miss a shot before he is replaced by Harpring? How long do I have to watch the other team packing the middle and the Jazz missing the outside shots, while Korver sits on the Bench? How long do I have to watch the tide turn and Jazz let a big run for 5-6 minutes without a lineup change on Sloan’s part? Oh wait I know, I need to wait until the TDLM2’s.
AARRGGHH! I HATE the TDLM2 system.
