Jazz Appear To Have No Answers

Karl Malone felt this year’s Utah team had its best chance to win a championship.

That makes their first-round exit all the more frustrating.

“I’ve never felt good going into the playoffs,” Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said just days before its series with Houston began. “We have never been an overpowering team as such. You look at our team and these players … can John Stockton and Karl Malone play at another level? I don’t think they can. Teams have players who can do that. We’re not that kind of team.”

The Jazz are the sort of team that traditionally plays to the ceiling of its talent level. It’s the sort of team that could have advanced to The Finals if it had gotten a favorable matchup.

It didn’t. The Rockets were the most difficult matchup the Jazz could have drawn because they were unable - especially after the loss of starting center Felton Spencer during the season - to slow Hakeem Olajuwon in the middle. Clyde Drexler was the athletic wild card who put Houston over the top.

“We ran into two guys (Olajuwon and Drexler) who played well, maybe as well as I’ve ever seen them play,” Utah guard John Stockton said.

There’s a sense Utah’s window of opportunity to win a championship may have closed with the loss. There are rumblings that something needs to be done.

But what should be done? Fire Sloan? Trade Malone or Stockton? It’s difficult to argue that any of those options would actually help the Jazz.

The reality is there is very little Utah can do other than fine-tune its depth through free agency or with minor trades. That, and hope for a better bracket in next year’s playoffs.

By George?

Before everyone pulls the trap door on coach George Karl in Seattle for his second straight first-round elimination, it should be pointed out management rejected his proposed deals for Scottie Pippen, Clyde Drexler and Adam Keefe.

The feeling is that Karl, with a .701 winning percentage at Seattle, will survive another year, in part because owner Barry Ackerly guaranteed Karl $1 million for next season after general manager Bob Whitsitt left.

Said Karl: “What have I done wrong? I coached my butt off. I worked my butt off. Why do I have to be ashamed?”

Meanwhile, there’s talk former Laker Earvin “Magic” Johnson would like to be player-coach. And there are rumors that if P.J. Carlesimo is chased out of Portland, Whitsitt might come calling for Karl, whom Whitsitt hired in Seattle.

Big jump

General managers believe Kevin Garnett, the 6-foot-11 senior out of Farragut (Ill.) High School in Chicago, ranks among the top 10 players in this draft in terms of skill. But he could drift into the middle of the first because of his age (18) and size.

The four previous players to make the jump from high school to the pros- Moses Malone, Darryl Dawkins, Shawn Kemp and Bill Willoughby - were big, powerful players. Garnett isn’t. At 220 pounds, he will have to play on the perimeter his first few years in the league. His lack of weight and strength may force him to play small forward, which will be a huge adjustment for someone who has developed as a center.

Around the league

New Jersey seems ready to sign Arijan Komazec, a 6-6, 220-pound European shooter who averaged 34 points per game in Italy. Said Boston’s Dino Radja: “I don’t think he can come here and start for the Bulls. But he definitely can come here and start for the New Jersey Nets.” … Atlanta’s Stacey Augmon, who was chased out of the shooting guard position with the acquisition of Steve Smith, has told the Hawks he’ll exercise his option to become a restricted free agent. … The Nuggets are considering exposing guard Robert Pack to the expansion draft. But a reunion of former Southern Cal backcourt partners appears unlikely, with Miami expected to expose John Salley instead of former Trojans guard Harold Miner.