Time to preview the 2010-11 Utah Jazz
Music to listen to: Game Over by the Numbs
A hip-hop group from Utah thatโs actually good? I was surprised by this myself.
Last season/offseason changes: Utah finished last season with a record of 53-29, won the Northwest division and had hopes to make a major run in the playoffs. Mehmet Okur got hurt in the first playoff game against Denver and that halted the Jazzโ aspirations. Utah got by Dallas in the first round but once again lost to the Lakers in the next round.
The Jazz saw the departures of Carolos Boozer and Kyle Korver to Chicago and Ryan Matthews to Portland.
In response to this, Utah made a savvy move to pick up Al Jefferson from Minnesota and Raja Bell from Charlotte.
Iโll get to how each of those guys can make contributions to the squad but the one consistent you have in Utah is Jerry Sloan, meaning that Utah will be running the same system, playing hard and making the playoffs.
Strength: There was a point last season when Deron Williams was the best point guard in the NBA. Some may argue that he still holds that title even though Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, Tony Parker, Rajon Rondo and Steve Nash may have a thing to say about that.
Williams has the advantage of being bigger physically than all of those guys which makes it tough for defenders to muscle him out of his favorite spots. He can also drive to the basket consistently and finishes well near the rim.
Some have worried about the departure of Boozer but this will allow the Jazz to play Paul Millsap more, which is actually a good thing for the Jazz. Millsap will score baskets at an efficient rate for the Jazz and rebound as well.
Weakness: The biggest issue with Utah the past few years has been size and even with the addition of Jefferson, the Jazz will still feel struggles in this regard, especially if they draw the Lakers once again in the playoffs.
Utah has tall players such as Okur and Jefferson but thatโs still not enough beef upfront.
You also have to worry about the loss of the perimeter shooting with the departure of Korver and Matthews. Utah is putting a lot into rookie Gordon Haywood to fill this role but its never prudent to rely on a first-year player for such a major responsibility.
Most important player: This is a tie between two players.
Jefferson does give Utah a distinct post player that they havenโt had in a long time. Some are saying that the Jazzโs offensive system doesnโt work for him but weโve never seen the team have a talent like Jefferson for its disposal before. Iโm sure that Sloan will find a way to bring out the best skills in him.
The other most important player on the team is Andrei Kirilenko. When he is healthy, which hasnโt happened consistently for three seasons, Utah has a top shot blocker who can hit open three pointers, which he will get more of now than ever with the addition of Jefferson. However, he has dealt with health and emotional issues the past few seasons and has become unreliable for the Jazz. Utah has made the playoffs without Kirilenkoโs major contributions recently but to make that next step as a franchise, they need him in a major way.
Celebrity crush from the city: As much as Iโve crushed on Marie Osmond over the years, Iโm going to take Julianne Hough of Dancing with the Stars fame.
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Coaching: It seems like Jerry Sloan has been with the Jazz forever, which means you can turn on any of their games from the past ten years and pretty much see the same system in place, outside of a tweak or two.
Some thought when Karl Malone and John Stockton left Utah, the Jazz would become a second-rate franchise but that hasnโt happen and the credit for that must go to Sloan.
Odd fact about the Hall of Fame head coach. He has never been named the NBA coach of the year.
First memory of team: Stockton to Malone was what many remember but I also have fond memories of Mark Eaton, the 7โ4โโ center who was a beast on the defensive end. Enjoy his highlights below:
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Best case: Western conference finals
Worst case: Seventh or eighth seed in the playoffs and drawing the Lakers again.
Uniform grade: They have made the move to go back to the green and gold that was used for much of the franchiseโs history until the mid 1990โs. While I respect the ode to the nostalgia, I liked the blue color scheme that the team had recently. So for that, I must drop my grade some. Grade: B-
Overall outlook: Utah is a good squad that may not win as many games this season as they did last but be better prepared for the playoffs when the tempo slows down and the attributes of Jefferson are in effect.
When you have Deron Williams on your team, good things will happen. However, with the increased improvement in the West from different squads may make Utah fall further down the line.
Those are my thoughts, what about yours?
2010 Backdoor Cut Previews:
Atlantic Division
Central Division
Southeast Division
Northwest Division
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