The Jazz's road ahead... any little Dutch boys?

A little down? Don't be!

Sloan and D-Will... Two guys who did a lot for the Jazz. So much to say about Jerry I think it's insulting to even try. Derron, Good luck. As one of the most talented players Utah has ever seen, you gave a lot to Utah. For that- Thank You.

Was the trade a good idea? Yes. I wont waste my time arguing that point.

Was Sloan pushed out by Williams? NO! Jerry said so, that's why. Respect the man enough to take him for his word. (It's true by the way. Ask me in person or e-mail me and I'll tell you what I know.)

That is all I really want to say about that.


Now, the new look Jazz!

First off:

It is what it is... and it will be good!

Devin Harris and Derrick Favors are now Jazz men. Wow, what a cool thought! Even though it's tough to see change, sometimes it's at least exciting. The unknown leaves that hint of "what if" in the air.

What if....

... Devin Harris becomes an All-Star... again (was in 08-09 season)

... Favors takes that next leap and challenges Millsap next year for the starting spot---> that's called a good problem!

... the new guys gel much quicker than expected, Jazz finish winning 20 games to close in on the playoffs, make a deep playoff run, and Ty and Jerry share "Coach of the year"! (It's a 'what if'', not an 'I predict')

The starting line-up & depth

Position: Starter, Reserve(s)

PG: Devin Harris, Watson

Devin is not Derron... he's Devin. He's an All-star, he's the fastest man alive with a basketball (Guinness book of records), and will be a great PG in Corbin's system. What gave this trade added wheels was Watson. He is by far one of the best back-up PG's the Jazz have had, and loves his role as a back-up!

SG/Wing: Raja Bell, C.J.

This is the weakest link on this roster, and it really isn't too weak. Raja is a Jazz fit: he works hard, fouls hard, and plays with emotion. He's also 34. That's a big deal. I think Bell can be Bell, but for 20 minutes a night, not 30+.
C.J. is the back-up at the 2 and the 3. That doesn't work. Hayward needs to be that other back up. He needs to be the guy that gives the Jazz that unexpected spark... the only problem is now it's expected. Play the minutes Ty gives you big. Play big 9th pick. Play big.

SF/Wing: A.K., C.J. (again)

AK is in his contract season, and he is for the most part living up to the "contract year" stereotype; a player plays much better when he is on line for a new contract next year.
He has had his injuries, but while on the floor AK seems to be channeling the 2004 AK... All-Star A.K.
As much as I like AK's game and hope we re-sign him to a much less contract, I feel this and the SG position is the true need for the Jazz future.

PF: Paul Millsap, Derrick Favors

This is a strong position with a future and depth. The skill set that Paul was forced to develop being undersized and the limitless raw talent and build of Favors... wow! This tandem will wear down even some of the deepest PF teams.
Now, the Jazz just need to make good on a request from Karl Malone... bring him in as a big man's coach. The greatest TRUE power forward to ever play the game wants to coach... the Jazz have a new, young power forward that has an endless well of ultra raw talent and limitless athleticism just wanting to be molded into something fine tuned and amazing! Karl would do it, he just needs to be home by Friday (I really hope you heard his in game interview with Craig and Matt)!

C: Al Jefferson, ? , Fes

Al Jefferson has come on strong as of late, and is showing something amazing; the willingness to re-train and re-build his skill set to better fit the Jazz system... Folks, that just does not happen to a 6 year veteran in the NBA. He is putting up stellar #'s right now, competing for a team that is going through a lot of turmoil, learning a new system, playing at the 5 when he is a true 4, giving up and now re-taking the role of the go to guy, all while making adjustments to deep rooted fundamentals such as how he plays defense, how he uses his body for positioning, how he uses his outside shot, and most of all his pick and roll/screen play.
I am super impressed with Al, and consider him the best center the Jazz have had since Mark.
As for who is backing him up... uh... well... yup.
Fes has shown flashes, but has also shown such a lag that it is ridiculous. I am usually an apologist for fes, but I am just sick of him not being consistent. If he wants to be a true big in this league, he needs to do 3 things in my opinion: make at least 65% of his FT's, NEVER leave his feet on D (he's taller than almost everyone in the league!! no need to big guy), become a rebounding expert.
If he can figure these things out, he will be a great option for the Jazz, and will get good minutes tied to a good contract with Utah. If not, good luck where ever you land next year big guy!

Utah has been given one, maybe two chances, to find a little Dutch boy.

With the Williams trade Utah got NJ's first round pick this draft. THAT PICK WILL BE A LOTTO PICK. NJ will not make the playoffs. That is a given.
the 2nd chance is the pick Utah might create for themselves by not making the playoffs. Now I for one really hope they make the playoffs, and I think they will. But if they don't, the pick they sent to the T-Wolves is protected and the Jazz get to use it! That's a lotto pick.
I believe the needed Dutch boy to plug the hole in the Jazz dam is somewhere in that draft class. Let's look at a few likely options.

Harrison Barnes:  A 6-7 wing player that was compared to Kobe in high school! He has disappointed at North Carolina as a freshman, but is still considered to be at least a strong asset at the wing.

Jordan Hamilton: A "score first, score now" wing player that in his second year is running the Jazz system! Texas coaches came to Utah to learn the flex from the team that runs it better than anyone, the Jazz. That has to be a big gold star to Jazz executives looking for a guy that can help right away.

Terrence Jones: This guy is for real! Unless the Jazz can get a top 5 in the lotto, this guy will be gone. He is a do everything guy. He rebounds, scores, and has a NBA ready body.
at 6-8 he is a good sized 3 that can play the 4. Has some long ball skills as well.

The Jimmer: The hometown favorite. One of the most exciting players ever in college basketball-- can it translate to the league? Above amazing shooter with reach that is unheard of! Suspect D, and average speed are a big question, but if he can hold close to the same shooting percentages in the NBA that he is putting up in college, he could be one of the best floor spacing tools in the league.

Kawhi Leonard: Instantly creates miss-match issues, much like AK and Gerald Wallace do in the NBA. I really like his game, and think his skill set and basketball IQ will translate well into the NBA. He has a consistency that is usually reserved for pros, and in his sophomore year (huge plus in my mind when a player stays for at least two years in college) has improved in just about every category!

With the trade, the new players, the coaching change, the draft picks, and the looming lock-out, this truly is turning into a new era of the Utah Jazz.

"What if", "Just maybe", "I hope", and "Wow!"... perhaps the new Jazz slogan.

Thoughts on Williams, the Millers, and why a lock-out is needed.

Jerry is now on his farm. He will be missed by the NBA and can never be replaced.

Ty is going to be a great coach not only because he has vision and patience, but more so because he has the Millers as his owners. The millers trust to the point of blood as long as a reason isn't given to them to distrust. Ty has been loyal, and will be loyal. The Millers will do the same, and over time we will see a transition from the Sloan era to the Ty era... they will have resemblances, but will also have clear differences.

Williams is in New Jersey. He gave a lot, and was given a lot while in Utah. The Millers and Kevin O'C. made a decision to separate Williams from themselves before they were forced to. Williams has an idea of what he wants. He wants to win, and expects an owner to buy what he needs to help him get that win. The Millers want to win too. They expect to do it a little differently. The Millers will spend money (maybe not as much as Williams wanted them to), but only on pieces and players that meet three criteria: 1) Do they want to be here? 2) Do they fit the coaches system (was Sloan's, now Ty's... this is why Utah really is a great place to coach; they give the head coach a lot of say on who comes in)? 3) Are they over achievers who work hard as close to 100% of the time as possible?

Williams fit that criteria while he was in Utah because he was under contract to do so. I can respect that. He committed to do what was asked as long as he was being paid to. The problem was this: Williams would no longer meet that criteria after the 2011-2012 season. He would be out from his contract, and would not then feel obligated to live by those same terms he was brought in on. Again, I can respect that. He is a man of his word that respects the hand that feeds him. Unfortunately he was not going to be taking food from the Millers after 2012, so he might of bite (perhaps unintentionally) the Millers and the Jazz by holding hostage his talents for a much larger payroll with much bigger stars to surround him. The Millers might have the means to commit the kind of money Williams wanted to see spent on the Jazz. In fact I would say they do have that money. But that is not the way they do things. That does not fall into those three criteria. That is not 'the Jazz".

That might be frustrating at times. The Lakers, Celtics, Bulls, Heat, Mavericks and others have shown that success in the NBA can be bought. You can have a parade in L.A. when the Lakers win championships, but don't applaud Kobe. Don't look up to Gasol as the guy that brought L.A. the title again. The addition of Mr. Kardashian and Bynum didn't put the Lake-Show in the driver's seat. It wasn't guts and glory, sweat and blood, or just plain old hard work either. It was a 77 year old fan with a checkbook. It was Jerry Buss. Or Jerry Buss's money.

That seems to be the way things are done right now in the NBA, bye the title for a few years, then let someone else pay for it while you save a few bucks for a few seasons.

Is this what Utahans wants to see happen to the Jazz? Pay the money, get the title? I hope not. I hope they will take the frustration of losing to L.A. 9 years out of 10 in the playoffs so that when that one season happens, the ones like the 97' & 98', Jazz fans can hold their heads high knowing they are fans of a team that does it the way it was meant to be done. When that basket was first hung by Naismith well over a hundred years ago, was a winner intended to be decided by old men with deep pockets, or by young athletes leaving everything they have on the court?

So to the Millers, as a fan, I want to thank you. Not just for bringing the Jazz to a community that had no business hosting a professional franchise at the time, but for playing by the rules in a time when it seems the norm is to pay for top talent without any regard to fair play or respect for the game. Thank you for not bastardizing a team game with a super-star first mentality, and for not fully manipulating true competition with an inflated "super team".

I would rather never see a championship com to Utah in my lifetime, than to see a sweaty wad of money leading the parade down John Stockton Avenue.