Jan 9, 2013; Charlotte, NC, USA; Utah Jazz center Al Jefferson (25) and Charlotte Bobcats forward Bismack Biyombo (0) fight for a rebound during the game at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

We concluded in yesterday’s game preview that the Utah Jazz’ frontcourt and the Charlotte Bobcats backcourt score too many points respectively for there to be a real advantage either way Wednesday night.

In short, a wash.

That means tonight’s game would be determined by which team’s weakness could be respectable for just one night: The Jazz’ backcourt or the Bobcats frontcourt. After stringing together a few decent games, the Bobcats frontcourt reverted back to being a incompetence.

Tyrus Thomas and Bismack Biyombo, the Bobcats starting big men, combined for zero points Wednesday night, and the Utah Jazz defeated the Bobcats 112-102. The Jazz were led by 26 points from Al Jefferson and 19 points from Paul Millsap.

Both players scored with ease in transition and in the half-court. Backup forward Derrick Favors added ten points in 20 minutes, and didn’t miss a shot.

The Jazz shot 53% from the field and continued the Bobcats trend of giving of high percentage three-point shooting. The Jazz shot 45% from distance with Gordon Heyward hitting four threes off the bench.

Ben Gordon continued his good play off the bench with 20 points as the leading scorer. Gerald Henderson, Ramon Sessions and Kemba Walker each chipped in 14 points, while Michael Kidd-Gilchrist added 15. The Bobcats backcourt outscored the Jazz frontcourt, but the absence of production from the Bobcats frontcourt hurt the team in the long run.

Hakim Warrick was the only Bobcats big man with more than two points. He played 18 points and added eight rebounds as well.

Games like this are perfect for showcasing the lack of talent in the Bobcats frontcourt right now. There aren’t many frontcourts in the league that don’t have guaranteed production each night from their bigs. The Bobcats lack it on both sides of the ball. There’s not a scorer, or very good jumpshooter, even when Byron Mullens is in the lineup.

Defensively, there’s some athleticism and length, but despite those gifts, players like Biyombo and Thomas still manage to get outmatched. It’s a broken record, but a viable reason as to why the Bobcats just don’t get the consistency they’d ideally like to have.

Whether it’s at the trade deadline, in free agency, or the draft, the Bobcats need to make some significant changes to their frontcourt to have a chance at winning more games. Otherwise it’s going to be up to the assortment of Bobcats guard to have to shoot the team back into games each night.

Jan 4, 2013; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Bobcats power forward Tyrus Thomas (12) drives on Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving (2) during the second half at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Curtis Wilson-USA TODAY Sports

After defeating the Pistons in an overtime duel in Detroit, the Charlotte Bobcats have won two of their last three games. The Bobcats perimeter scoring has been their biggest advantage offensively this season. Wednesday night they’ll face a team who wins games with their frontcourt.

The Bobcats and Utah Jazz will tipoff from Charlotte tomorrow. The Jazz are quietly 18-18 this season, and just on the outside of the Western Conference playoff picture.

Utah’s backcourt has been a struggle this season, ranking just 25th in points. But their frontcourt, which includes pending free agents Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap has been on a tear.

The Jazz are third in frontcourt scoring with over 60 points a game. Jefferson averages close to 17 points and ten rebounds, while Millsap averages around 14 points and seven rebounds.

They’re backed up by two young, high potential big men in Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors, giving the Jazz one of the best frontcourts in the league.

The Bobcats haven’t had as much luck with their frontcourt this season, but got a boost Sunday against the Pistons.

Thomas returned to the starting lineup with Hakim Warrick sitting out with the flu, and played a big role in the Bobcats victory. Tyrus was active on both sides of the ball, frustrating the Pistons with his length and athleticism, and despite going 4-14, made some key shots.

Bismack Biyombo had ten points and 17 rebounds that night, which was just his second double-double of the season.

There’s no word yet on whether Warrick will against Utah, but the Bobcats will need him with Byron Mullens still nursing an ankle injury. Biyombo will likely start out against Al Jefferson but could end up guarding a number of Utah’s bigs.

For Charlotte the advantage will be on the perimeter, where Ben Gordon has been shooting the ball well recently. Gordon’s been showcasing a variety of offensive moves off the bench, and is shooting just over 50% from the field in his last five games. He’s averaging 16.8 points during that same span.

Kemba Walker has cooled down from his hot play in December, but still remains a big factor for the Bobcats. With Mo Williams out with an injury, Walker is matched up on veteran Jamaal Tinsley. Utah’s backup point guard is Earl Watson. So there’s not much quickness or athleticism for Walker and Ramon Sessions to go against Wednesday, which should be an advantage.

The Jazz frontcourt and Bobcats backcourt have similar respective advantages. So the biggest factor might be which of the Jazz backcourt or the Bobcats frontcourt can have the most productive night.

Dec 29, 2010; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan during the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

Back during the late 80s when I played basketball at Reid Ross Junior High School in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Coach McMillan ran the Flex offense. Although I had been playing basketball for years, this marked a time when my basketball IQ increased by learning how to play basketball without the actual ball in my hands. This was the first time that I actually learned and ran basketball plays. I had the privilege of playing with current Duke assistant coach Jeff Capel, and current Western Carolina assistant coach Anguell McCollum during these years. I was a student of the game, in the truest sense. During this past week, Michael Jordan met with the former Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan. Jerry Sloan ran a variation of the Flex offense for years. He had a great deal of success with it. Sloan’s Jazz faced the Chicago Bulls in consecutive NBA championships in 1997 and 1998. As we all know, the Bulls were victorious in both meetings. There could be a possible union between the coach of those Jazz teams, and the star player of Bulls’ teams.

The Flex offense is an offensive strategy in basketball developed in the 1970s. It is a patterned offense relying on cuts across the key (called a “flex cut”) and down screens to create a “pick-the-picker” action. This offense is most effective against a man-to-man defense, though some ambitious coaches have used it against odd front zones. It is the favored offense of many high school programs because it requires players to be in constant motion and the patterns of screens and cuts are easy to remember. If the Michael Jordan hires Jerry Sloan to coach the Bobcats, then the Flex offense will most likely be implemented.

The flex is a type of continuity offense, similar to (and in fact derived from) the earlier shuffle offense. The basic premise behind the Flex offense is that all players are interchangeable. None of the players have a traditional role. The point guard advances the ball up the court to start the offense, while other players set screens to create openings. Typically, the point guard sets the offense on the same side as a low-post player positioned at the right block. The point guard passes opposite to a high-post at the top of the key while a wing player cuts off a screen by the low post player towards the ball to receive a pass from the high post player. The point guard screens down to the low post player who moves to the top of the key to receive a pass from the high post player. The same cut occurs on the other side of the ball and the offense begins its continuous cycle. Variations of the flex include the 5 man flex, utilizing all 5 players in the cutting and screening action and the 4 man flex, which utilizes 4 players. Since this offense is classified as a continuity offense, in which players repeat specific actions, some teams will build in options within the offense to keep defenses from anticipating a particular cut or screen.

The Bobcats can succeed with Jerry Sloan and the Flex offense. Kemba Walker will be running the offense. Signing a reliable low-post player should definitely be an option. I would like to see MJ make a trade for Utah’s Paul Millsap. Millsap excelled under Sloan during his first few years with the Jazz. He performed Carlos Boozer, who actually started during that time. Here is the list of restricted free agents that will be available this summer: Roy Hibbert, Eric Gordon, Brook Lopez, Ryan Anderson, Nicolas Batum, Jeremy Lin, George Hill, Aaron Brooks, Robin Lopez, Omer Asik, D.J. Augustin, JaVale McGee, Brandon Rush, Michael Beasley, O.J. Mayo, Marreese Speights, Darrell Arthur, and Landry Field. The Bobcats’ roster is going to be new and improved in my opinion. There was always a plan for the Bobcats. The sooner people come to terms with this, the sooner they will realize that change is on the horizon.