Season Preview Jazz

KG-MVP21 · 09-20-2006, 05:05 PM

Okay, this has to be the year, right? The year when all of these guys click and stay healthy and get Jerry Sloan back into the playoffs, it's gotta be now, right?

As it stands, this is a fairly well built team that has everyone waiting to see what it can do when healthy for an entire season. Sloan, the incumbent Utah coach, saw his 16-year playoff streak end in 2004 and has been searching for a way to reestablish the kind of consistency he had to achieve that streak.

The key to that dream sits in the lap of forward Andrei Kirilenko, the lanky defensive-specialist who has inherited the role of team leader for his ability to stuff every stat category on any given night. For the last few seasons, the Jazz have watched him strive for elite status among NBA forwards, only to fall short and stumble a bit with injuries the last few years. The last two seasons have seen Kirilenko in street clothes for 54 games, and his lofty stats have taken a serious dip despite receiving similar playing time to his peak year in 03-04.

The way the Jazz roster is constructed, there is no one true 'star' for the team to rally around offensively and keep this team in games. Kirilenko represents the anchor for this team in much the same way Ben Wallace did in his early years with the Pistons. His defense is solid enough to keep opposing teams' best player off-kilter, and the team-offense approach is meant to pick apart opposing teams on the other end.

What has happened in the last couple of years, though, is injuries have sidelined Kirilenko, keeping the most valuable asset out of the equation, and to make matters worse he's been joined on the injured list by high-priced power forward Carlos Boozer, the linchpin of the Jazz offensive attack. Despite this setback, last year's team still managed to come out with a .500 record and within sniffing distance of the playoffs.

The most important key for this team now is to keep everyone on the court for as long as possible to try and pick up those last few wins to make the playoffs. This team is loaded with good team guys, but not necessarily amazing individual talent, time on the court together is of paramount importance. Even Kirilenko's defense is at the mercy of how the team reacts to what their guys do, and the amount of help defense he has to play versus how much time he can devote to shutting down his own man.

Next up is Boozer, who has got to find a way to get his scoring per game in the 20-point range. While this team will continue to look to attack the opposition as a five-man unit, they are going to need a guy down-low who can get his own so that the perimeter can be opened up for shooters like Matt Harpring and Gordan Giricek who can't create their own shots and would be far less effective being asked to do so. While it isn't up to Boozer to dominate in the paint, if he can't put some more fear into opposing teams, they're not going to defend him like he's a serious threat.

The last huge reason this team needs to stay healthy is to give second-year point guard Deron Williams a sense of the team he is playmaking for. He had an inconsistent rookie campaign last year, and a lack of familiarity with his two most important teammates had a lot to do with that. He is seen as the point guard of the future for this team, and in a Jerry Sloan offense that is a very important position. Keith McCloud and Milt Palacio, the two players he split time with last year, are gone, and now Williams will be given an opportunity to assert himself as a starter and prove he belongs, but if he can't newly-acquired backup Derek Fisher will be salivating for the chance to slide into his role

If this team can stay healthy this year, there is no reason to think that they couldn't squeeze into a late berth in the playoffs. They were within sniffing distance last year, and the core of the team remains the same. Even in the ultra-competitive Western Conference, Utah has every reason to expect to be dancing with the big boys if the can keep their own big boys in the lineup all season long.

PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP

PG - Deron Williams

It's his time to shine. He's going to have the starting spot to lose this year, so long as he can make good use of it. Sloan is notoriously demanding of his point guards, and Williams is going to have to prove that he can keep his whole team involved on offense while also not missing a step on defense. If guys on this team aren't scoring, the finger is going to be pointed at Williams for not getting them involved in the offense. It may not be entirely fair to put that kind of a leadership burden on such young shoulders, but the Jazz, as built, need him to shoulder that responsibility, and they wouldn't have drafted him last year over Chris Paul if they didn't think that he could do it.

SG - Matt Harpring

The last couple of seasons have seen Harpring acting as Sixth Man for this club, but it was when he was playing alongside the other four starters last year that this team really clicked. While there aren't a lot of weapons on the bench for the Jazz, I still see Harpring at least starting the season here, and if he is needed more off the bench so be it. He is the team's best option offensively in the backcourt, and he'll be looked to often to infuse this team with his ultra-fundamental style that his made him a favorite of coach Sloan.

SF ? Andrei Kirilenko

Kirilenko is the ultimate utility guy in the NBA. He can give you a contribution in almost every area of the game if need be. The issue is that Kirilenko has seen his stats start to decline in the last two years and his impact, while still present, is also beginning to diminish. With Okur and Boozer rebounding the ball, and Williams handling the playmaking duties, Kirilenko is going to be looked to more and more to plug their holes on certain nights rather than them plugging his. Their development has by no means made him irrelevant to this team, but the lack of refinement in his offensive game is starting to become a hindrance to the Jazz forward, and he's going to have to start committing himself to finessing his game since his all-out hustle is only going to help this team so much.

PF - Carlos Boozer

Okay, karma for ditching the Cavs the way he did has run its course, and now Boozer has to start living up to the max contract he signed in 2004. While he isn't a franchise-type guy, he has 20-10 potential statistically on the right team. He can score inside and out to the mid-range, and he's an exceptional rebounder. He doesn't have the kind of assertiveness or leadership qualities that would allow him to replace Karl Malone in this new rendition of the Jazz, but he does have what it takes to fill his role in certain areas of the game. He's just got to stay healthy enough to at least try.

C - Mehmet Okur

If there is one player who benefited from all of the injuries last year it was Okur. He had a career year when he was given the added responsibility of being a primary scorer on this team, and his 18 points and 9 rebounds per game last year often kept this team afloat when Kirilenko and Boozer were out. Okur has a magnificent offensive game, probably the most polished on the team, and his assertiveness raised a lot of eyebrows last year after fading into the background often with Detroit and Utah. He'll be looked at now as an integral piece to anything this team hopes to accomplish this year and beyond, and since his primary backup is Rafael Araujo, he's going to be given all the minutes he needs to have an impact.

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09-20-2006, 05:05 PM	#1 (permalink)
KG-MVP21 All Star Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Catalonia Posts: 2,503	Okay, this has to be the year, right? The year when all of these guys click and stay healthy and get Jerry Sloan back into the playoffs, it's gotta be now, right? As it stands, this is a fairly well built team that has everyone waiting to see what it can do when healthy for an entire season. Sloan, the incumbent Utah coach, saw his 16-year playoff streak end in 2004 and has been searching for a way to reestablish the kind of consistency he had to achieve that streak. The key to that dream sits in the lap of forward Andrei Kirilenko, the lanky defensive-specialist who has inherited the role of team leader for his ability to stuff every stat category on any given night. For the last few seasons, the Jazz have watched him strive for elite status among NBA forwards, only to fall short and stumble a bit with injuries the last few years. The last two seasons have seen Kirilenko in street clothes for 54 games, and his lofty stats have taken a serious dip despite receiving similar playing time to his peak year in 03-04. The way the Jazz roster is constructed, there is no one true 'star' for the team to rally around offensively and keep this team in games. Kirilenko represents the anchor for this team in much the same way Ben Wallace did in his early years with the Pistons. His defense is solid enough to keep opposing teams' best player off-kilter, and the team-offense approach is meant to pick apart opposing teams on the other end. What has happened in the last couple of years, though, is injuries have sidelined Kirilenko, keeping the most valuable asset out of the equation, and to make matters worse he's been joined on the injured list by high-priced power forward Carlos Boozer, the linchpin of the Jazz offensive attack. Despite this setback, last year's team still managed to come out with a .500 record and within sniffing distance of the playoffs. The most important key for this team now is to keep everyone on the court for as long as possible to try and pick up those last few wins to make the playoffs. This team is loaded with good team guys, but not necessarily amazing individual talent, time on the court together is of paramount importance. Even Kirilenko's defense is at the mercy of how the team reacts to what their guys do, and the amount of help defense he has to play versus how much time he can devote to shutting down his own man. Next up is Boozer, who has got to find a way to get his scoring per game in the 20-point range. While this team will continue to look to attack the opposition as a five-man unit, they are going to need a guy down-low who can get his own so that the perimeter can be opened up for shooters like Matt Harpring and Gordan Giricek who can't create their own shots and would be far less effective being asked to do so. While it isn't up to Boozer to dominate in the paint, if he can't put some more fear into opposing teams, they're not going to defend him like he's a serious threat. The last huge reason this team needs to stay healthy is to give second-year point guard Deron Williams a sense of the team he is playmaking for. He had an inconsistent rookie campaign last year, and a lack of familiarity with his two most important teammates had a lot to do with that. He is seen as the point guard of the future for this team, and in a Jerry Sloan offense that is a very important position. Keith McCloud and Milt Palacio, the two players he split time with last year, are gone, and now Williams will be given an opportunity to assert himself as a starter and prove he belongs, but if he can't newly-acquired backup Derek Fisher will be salivating for the chance to slide into his role If this team can stay healthy this year, there is no reason to think that they couldn't squeeze into a late berth in the playoffs. They were within sniffing distance last year, and the core of the team remains the same. Even in the ultra-competitive Western Conference, Utah has every reason to expect to be dancing with the big boys if the can keep their own big boys in the lineup all season long. PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP PG - Deron Williams It's his time to shine. He's going to have the starting spot to lose this year, so long as he can make good use of it. Sloan is notoriously demanding of his point guards, and Williams is going to have to prove that he can keep his whole team involved on offense while also not missing a step on defense. If guys on this team aren't scoring, the finger is going to be pointed at Williams for not getting them involved in the offense. It may not be entirely fair to put that kind of a leadership burden on such young shoulders, but the Jazz, as built, need him to shoulder that responsibility, and they wouldn't have drafted him last year over Chris Paul if they didn't think that he could do it. SG - Matt Harpring The last couple of seasons have seen Harpring acting as Sixth Man for this club, but it was when he was playing alongside the other four starters last year that this team really clicked. While there aren't a lot of weapons on the bench for the Jazz, I still see Harpring at least starting the season here, and if he is needed more off the bench so be it. He is the team's best option offensively in the backcourt, and he'll be looked to often to infuse this team with his ultra-fundamental style that his made him a favorite of coach Sloan. SF ? Andrei Kirilenko Kirilenko is the ultimate utility guy in the NBA. He can give you a contribution in almost every area of the game if need be. The issue is that Kirilenko has seen his stats start to decline in the last two years and his impact, while still present, is also beginning to diminish. With Okur and Boozer rebounding the ball, and Williams handling the playmaking duties, Kirilenko is going to be looked to more and more to plug their holes on certain nights rather than them plugging his. Their development has by no means made him irrelevant to this team, but the lack of refinement in his offensive game is starting to become a hindrance to the Jazz forward, and he's going to have to start committing himself to finessing his game since his all-out hustle is only going to help this team so much. PF - Carlos Boozer Okay, karma for ditching the Cavs the way he did has run its course, and now Boozer has to start living up to the max contract he signed in 2004. While he isn't a franchise-type guy, he has 20-10 potential statistically on the right team. He can score inside and out to the mid-range, and he's an exceptional rebounder. He doesn't have the kind of assertiveness or leadership qualities that would allow him to replace Karl Malone in this new rendition of the Jazz, but he does have what it takes to fill his role in certain areas of the game. He's just got to stay healthy enough to at least try. C - Mehmet Okur If there is one player who benefited from all of the injuries last year it was Okur. He had a career year when he was given the added responsibility of being a primary scorer on this team, and his 18 points and 9 rebounds per game last year often kept this team afloat when Kirilenko and Boozer were out. Okur has a magnificent offensive game, probably the most polished on the team, and his assertiveness raised a lot of eyebrows last year after fading into the background often with Detroit and Utah. He'll be looked at now as an integral piece to anything this team hopes to accomplish this year and beyond, and since his primary backup is Rafael Araujo, he's going to be given all the minutes he needs to have an impact.