Jerry Sloan can't get inside John Amaechi's head, so the Jazz coach can't figure out what the frustrated British big man must be thinking.

"I'm not a real good psychologist," Sloan said.

Amaechi understands.
     
"No, I'm the psychologist," said the Jazz center/power forward who has a earned a psychology degree from Penn State and who has done doctorate-program work in child clinical psychology.
     
Even with his academic background, however, Amaechi can't pinpoint what's happening upstairs any better than Sloan.
     
"If I could," he said, "I'd be better already."
     
Yet there's no doubt in Amaechi's mind as to where his troubles reside.
     
"Without a doubt: For me," he said, "it's mostly head up.
     
"A couple of years ago, when I started to play well, it's basically because I stopped thinking," added Amaechi, who signed a four-year free-agent contract with the Jazz last July. "It would be nice if that can happen again, but we're in kind of a circumstance now where there are lots of things going on ? we're not playing well (as a team) ? so that all conspires to make you a thinker on the floor."