Mehmet Okur: Benched for Poor Defense

RotoWire.com Staff - RotoWire.com
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Update: Okur, Utah's leading scorer and sole healthy regular starter, got benched early by coach Jerry Sloan, apparently for a couple of defensive lapses, the Associated Press reports. He finished with five points in 22 minutes.

Recommendation: Utah is so short-handed right now, that Sloan wasn't taking a big risk by benching Okur in Sacramento - the game was almost a sure loss anyway. That said, Sloan probably would bench Okur even in a closer, more winnable game if Okur doesn't play better on the defensive end.