Season at a Glance

AK-- Has been the MVP of the Jazz this season. It would be a shame if he didn't make the all-star team and win 6th man of the year award if he keeps this up. Moving AK to 6th man duties was pure genius. I wish Williams knew how to play with Kirilenko better. But anytime Williams is not on the floor, Kirilenko better be there. His shooting is improved as well. This is the old AK that we grew to love so much and I love watching him again. When he is on like this, he is one of the most exciting players to watch and perhaps one of the top 5 overall, best well-rounded players in the league.

Boozer-- The guy has been great on offense and rebounding. He still can be abused on defense but he is trying more this year. He would have even better numbers if D-Will was playing. He feeds off Williams more than anybody. Hopefully Boozer won't miss time from his injury last night.

Brewer-- Still inconsistent although he is improving. Has some amazing hands, he can rack up the steals fast! His outside shot is much better and can hit the 3 now. His defense and now his more improved offense game is taking playing time away from Korver.

Millsap-- Defense, rebounds, and scoring is great. I really don't see how they could afford to not resign him this offseason.

Brevin-- The Jazz have to be thankful that he is on the team. He is a great defender and a much better point guard than Price.

CJ Miles-- At the beginning of the season it looked like he wasn't going to start for much longer. But the last few games he has exploded, leading the Jazz in scoring 2 games in a row. He will take away Korver's and Harpring's minutes. I am glad we resigned him, and it will be fun to see his improvement in the next 4 years.

Price-- He would be better if his FG% was better. He was great last night, playing the whole 2nd half.

Korver-- One of the most disappointing players this season. His wrist is hurt and isn't shooting as well. His defense leaves much to be desired and he is losing playing time fast to Brewer and Miles.

K2 (Kousta Koufos)-- This guy looks like he was a steal. He plays the best inside defense on the whole team already. He has a good shot as well. Look for him to get a few minutes a night and he should be one of the top 3 Jazz centers of all-time when it is all said and done.

D-Will-- He came back too early, but I can't blame him. The one problem with Deron is that he can't co-exist with Kirilenko on the floor. With Williams gone, it is clear that Kirilenko is easily the Jazz 2nd best player and best player when Deron is out.

Memo-- He hasn't played much due to a bad back and his dad's illness. We need him to be back to full strength soon.

Collins-- Hasn't played much, I don't know why he is on the team.

Harpring-- I really don't think he will get much playing time this season. He is too banged up. When he is healthy he is an excellent player but CJ and Brewer are starting to play really good and his minutes are being eaten up.

Almond-- I am confused. Sloan all of a sudden likes the guy and praises him and starts giving him a few minutes a night. Why did they decide to not exercise their option for him on next season?

Fess-- Likely headed to the D-League.

The Return of Williams

-The biggest story of the night was the unexpected early return of Williams. He helped the team while not reinjuring himself. Williams clearly isn't at 100% but he didn't embarrass himself. He had 9 assists to go with 7 points.

-Brewer is starting to receive tons of playing time. He scored 16 points in the 4th quarter, a quarter that used to be exclusively Korver's. Brewer is going to be a guy who gets 38 minutes a night in this league. He has 10 steals in the past 2 games, not to mention his 9 assists and 6 rebounds.

-Koufus looked good tonight. I think he will be in Utah for a long time. He even had 2 blocks. Maybe the Jazz let Memo go and keep Boozer and Millsap and Koufus. It is way too early to tell.

-Kirilenko and Millsap are wrecking havoc on other team's 2nd units. NBA.com rates the Jazz bench as the best in the league and I agree. They score more points than any other team's bench.

-Good victory, especially after Sunday's tough loss at the Knicks. The Jazz regain their winning road record and put their current road trip at .500.

-I wonder if Williams felt obligated to play since Okur left the Jazz very shorthanded. The guy is just a winner.

No More Mo

Morris Almond said today that the Jazz won't pick up his option for next season. It would have paid him $1.16 million. Not only that, but the Jazz are currently trying to trade Almond. The leading candidates are the Spurs and the Pistons. I have no idea what the Jazz would get in return. That would be awesome if they could somehow trade him for a big PF/C defender, but that isn't likely.

If I'm not mistaken he is older than Brewer and Miles, despite being drafted more recently than them. But he would have been a nice backup option if the Jazz don't resign Korver next year. When the Jazz resigned Miles that likely sealed Almond's fate. He is a big time scorer but can't do much else at this point. The Jazz just have too much young talent at SG. I'm sad that Almond didn't get much more of a chance in Utah and I think he could be a great NBA player. But at the same time, I don't see how he would get much playing time here. I'm guessing that the Jazz plan on trying to retain Korver next season.

The Beatles learn to play Jazz

Andrei Kirilenko - Baby You're a Rich Man - Has any NBA player been payed so much to be the 6th man?

Morris Almond - Any Time at All - He'd be happy to get any NBA minutes after leading the D-League in scoring last year.

Kyrylo Fesenko - Back in the U.S.S.R. - Will he go to play in Ukraine again if he can't improve?

Jerry Sloan - In My Life - Will he ever win Coach of the Year in my lifetime?

Carlos Boozer - Can't Buy Me Love - Will he spurn the Jazz like he did the Cavs next offseason?

Ronnie Brewer - Carry that Weight - He put on 15 lbs. of muscle but will that slow him down?

Matt Harpring - Dr. Robert - Harpring's health could cause this to be his last season.

Jarron Collins - The End - Hopefully has come to his last season as mediocre backup center.

Kyle Korver - Fixing a Hole - Fixes a huge hole of 3 point specialist the Jazz have had.

Deron Williams - Getting Better - How much better can this guy get?

Memo Okur - I'm So Tired - Memo won't be saying this anymore after getting in the best shape of his career.

Paul Millsap - Here, There, and Everywhere - Millsap seems to be everywhere the ball is.

Ronnie Price - With a Little Help From My Friends - Hopefully he can lead the Jazz to victory with some help in Deron Williams absence.

Brevin Knight - Hello, Goodbye - This guy only has one year on a contract, could be a short stay with the Jazz.

CJ Miles - Twist and Shout - He's got to be happy he's in the starting lineup.

Kousta Koufos - Please Mr. Postman - This guy supposedly has extremely good manners, something Jerry Sloan likes.

Jazz Predictions

Yes the regular season is still a couple of weeks away, but the preseason is upon us and before you know it the Jazz will be playing their first real game. Time for some predictions!

Record: 62-20.
What!? you may say. Many predict the Jazz won't do so well, especially after a quiet offseason. But they already made the move they needed to make last season: trade for Kyle Korver. Remember the Jazz had the best record in 2008 and project Korver's Jazz over a full season and you arrive at 62-20. Plus the team won't have another dreadful December like last year.

Leading Scorer: Carlos Boozer 24 ppg
Assists leader: Deron Williams 11.3 apg
Rebounds leader: Carlos Boozer 11 rpg
Blocks leader: Andrei Kirilenko 1.2 bpg
Steals leader: Ronnie Brewer 1.3 spg
3 Point accuracy: Kyle Korver 44%
Free throw accuracy: Kyle Korver 91%

Projected starting lineup:
PG Deron Williams
SG Ronnie Brewer
SF CJ Miles
PF Carlos Boozer
C Mehmet Okur

Bench:
F Andrei Kirilenko
F Paul Millsap
SG Kyle Korver
PG Ronnie Price
F Matt Harpring
C Jarron Collins
PG Brevin Knight

C Kyrylo Fesenko
C Kousta Koufos
SG Morris Almond


Top 6 scorers:
Boozer, Williams, Okur, Korver, Kirilenko, Brewer

Really the only thing the Jazz lack is a dominant defender in the post. They have everything else.

Prediction: Utah Jazz 2008-2009 World Champions (if they play defense this year)

The sky is the limit with one of the best young players in the league in Deron Williams at the helm. They have 7 players who can drop 20 points: Boozer, Williams, Korver, Okur, Brewer, Harpring, Millsap. I believe they are the best offensive team in the NBA, the big question this year and what will determine how far they go is how much defense they are willing to play.

This is the deepest Jazz team ever. I don't know how they are going to find minutes for everyone. Harpring being hurt will help give more people minutes at SF/SG. This might be the deepest team in the NBA.

Jeff Hornacek said that this team is much deeper and dangerous and versatile than the 1997 and 1998 Utah Jazz.

There are good vibes coming from the players right now. Ronnie Price is saying he's never seen a team so focused on the same goal. Kirilenko is excited about leading the 2nd team as the 6th man. Williams continues to develop at an astounding pace. All the players are in top shape even Okur. They don't have a negative deterrent at the start of the season unlike last year when Kirilenko wanted to leave. The sky is the limit this year.

The bigger the better the Jazz!

AK47 = 6th Man?

Jerry Sloan is toying with the idea of having Kirilenko come off the bench. I'm not opposed to it, it would give the 2nd unit more punch and Kirilenko would help pass the ball around more, and might get a few more shot chances. I'm guessing CJ Miles would start at SF as Matt Harpring is injured. I'm okay with Miles getting some extra minutes as well. I think AK might be more happy with the 2nd team because lets be honest with Williams, Boozer, Okur, and Brewer you aren't going to get many shot opportunities. But with Millsap, Korver, Price and company you become a lot more important. I just hope he gets more minutes at PF because it seems that is the position where he is amazing on defense.

Morris Almond and Kyrylo Fesenko

What are the Jazz going to do with these two great rookies they have playing in Orem in the D-League? Morris Almond is leading the league in scoring, and he tied the league record with 51 points in one game a few months back, and then a few weeks later he broke his own record with 53 points. He is a great scorer, a great shooting guard. I don’t know how his defense is honestly because I haven’t been able to see him that much. I really need to go to some Utah Flash games, especially since they are so close. Almond was a great draft choice, but just what are the Jazz going to do with him? He is log jammed behind Ronnie Brewer, Kyle Korver, and even C. J. Miles. All three of those guys are quality shooting guards. Lets be realistic. The Jazz can’t keep all four of these guys. I’d say out of the four, Korver is staying because he is a fan favorite and he’s the best three point shooter and free throw shooter on the team. Even Jeff Hornacek things that Korver is a better shooter than he ever was as the Salt Lake Tribune reports:

Kyle Korver knocked down 31 of 34 three-pointers in one of the shooting drills Hornacek had put himself through for years as a player.

"He can shoot better than I can,'' said Hornacek, a 40.3 percent career three-point shooter whose No. 14 was retired by the Jazz in November 2002. "He can light it up." Watching Korver go through the drill, Hornacek said, "I was like, 'Holy crap.' "

But Almond seems to be more like Korver than Brewer and Miles, which lessens his value to the team. Brewer is having a breakout season and provides great defense and a great slashing and inside game. Miles is a good shooter and plays a good all-round game as well. He is also very young. In fact I think both Brewer and Miles are younger than Almond. But my guess is Miles will be the first to go. Korver is locked up until the end of 2011. Miles can sign with any team this year. It will be interesting to see how this all turns out, but Morris Almond can’t be ignored by the Jazz for much longer than after this season.

Now Fesenko should step in and take over Collins role after his contract is up next season. Fesenko will be a beast and the inside presence the Jazz have been looking for since Mark Eaton. He is still raw but that is what the D-League is for. With Okur, Fesenko, Boozer, Millsap, and Kirilenko the Jazz will have one of the very best front lines in the whole NBA. Hen isn’t as for sure as Almond is but Fesenko has tons of potential. I’m excited to watch the future of these two “young rookies” as Hot Rod would say.

Boy, the Jazz done well with their draft the past few years. Williams in 2005, Millsap and Brewer in 2006 and Almond and Fesenko in 2007. It is good to see this after a few interesting draft years with such winners like Kris Humphries, Kirk Snyder, Curtis Borchardt, Raul Lopez, etc.

The Bigger the Better the Jazz

The Utah Jazz take on the Milwaukee Bucks tonight.

There have been two thoughts in my head about the future of the NBA and the Jazz.
First, The Jazz hold a future first-round draft pick of the New York Knicks. I believe that it is up until 2010. If the Knicks do not turn around their franchise quickly, then the Jazz could easily end up with the #1 draft pick in the 2010 draft, and even if they don’t then they could end up with a top 5 pick.
Jazz fans - be sure to root against the Knicks and hope Isiah Thomas keeps messing around there. So I got to thinking, who would the Jazz draft with this pick? Their biggest weakness now is probably in backup positions, now that Ronnie Brewer has officially cemented himself as the starting shooting guard with his breakout season. But when you draft in the top 5 you don’t draft for a backup anything. My guess would be that they grab a small forward, because AK’s contract will be up and Matt Harpring’s knees won’t last that long, and presumably that small forward would be able to play shooting guard in case none of the Brewer/Korver/Miles/Almond group turn out as the Jazz hope. That would be the ideal situation, but the Jazz should probably end up taking the best available player so that they don’t repeat Portland’s infamous choice of Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan.



Second, LeBron James will be a free agent in a year or two I think. I would be shocked if he stayed in Cleveland even though they did make it to the NBA Finals last month. I know it is a long shot at best but if the following happened LeBron could end up on the Utah Jazz.
LeBron would have to do the following:
-Realize that he is becoming like Kevin Garnett was in Minnesota - an MVP caliber player stuck on a team with no help.
-Want to play for an up and coming team that is loaded with good players (The Jazz are the 2nd youngest team in the league)
-Not sign with a team coming to the end of it’s run (like the Spurs or the Suns.)
-Realize that with all the endorsement money he gets, he doesn’t have to be like Kobe and sign a contract for all the money he can. If he does that then the team won’t be able to provide him with adequate teammates.

The Jazz franchise would have to do the following:
Open up cap space. Williams will get max money next year, and with him, Boozer, Okur, and AK-47 there will be no room for King James.
The best solution is get rid of Kirilenko. Trade him now that his value is higher and get a player who’s contract will be up shortly.
Harpring’s contract should be up as well and with Kirilenko’s and Harpring’s money they could sign LeBron and he would take over that position.

Ok so that will never happen. But if it did, David Stern would have to give the Jazz the championship trophy for the next 8 years. Look at the starting lineup:



PG Deron Williams
SG Ronnie Brewer or Kyle Korver or Morris Almond or C.J. Miles or 2010 #1 draft pick
SF LeBron James
PF Carlos Boozer
C Memo Okur

That is four guys who could go off for 30 points any night. How many games would that team win? All 82? Of course not, but they would come close. That looks like an all-star lineup rather than a regular NBA team’s starting lineup. Well this happening is extremely unlikely but it sure is fun to daydream and speculate isn’t it? That’s one of the fun parts about sports, until you realize that it is just that - a dream.