by Zach Becker
December 17, 2006
With an 18-6 record, sitting atop the Northwest division, one question keeps
coming to my mind; Are the Jazz for real this year?
With a fourth of the season on the books and the Jazz getting wins over
top-teams in convincing fashion, the team looks less smoke-and-mirrors and more
like a legitimate contender. With that said, we’ve had lots of promising starts
and false hopes since John and Karl ran their last pick-and-roll into the
Salt-Lake sunset, so it is with cautious optimism that I proceed.
Looking back, we were excited by the promise of young players like Carlos Arroyo
and DeShawn Stevensen, only to be disappointed when they just didn’t fit in the
strict Utah offense and the team fell just short of the playoffs.
Still, though, behind the developing talents of long-armed-Russian Andrei
Kirilenko, along with newly signed Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur, we looked like
a young team on the rise. Then the injury bug hit big time, making up for years
of good health in the Stockton-to-Malone era. While the injury-plagued seasons
may not have been fun, they did pay off in a big way – via the drafting of one
Deron Williams. He had his struggles his rookie year, and left many wishing the
Jazz had drafted the much-hyped Chris Paul, but now Williams is probably the
biggest reason for the Jazz turnaround. Just look at him on the court. You can
see it in his eyes. He’s got the fire to win. He’s not afraid to take the big
shot, make the big pass, gamble for the big steal, or attack the league’s giants
for a lay-up. Heck, he can even hammer it home when need be. Williams is the
perfect point guard for this system, and he’s playing close to an MVP level,
averaging 17 points, 9 assists and a 47 percent field-goal percentage.
This team may be deeper than any Jazz history, and perhaps the deepest in the
NBA. In Williams, Derek Fisher, Kirilenko, Boozer and Okur, the Jazz have an
enviable front line and a top-tier point guard. Boozer is having a career year
and could also be considered a legitimate MVP candidate. They also have veteran
leadership in Fisher, owner of many rings with the Lakers. But the Jazz bench is
pretty dang good, too, with players like Matt Harpring, Jarron Collins, Ronnie
Brewer, and Paul Millsap – the biggest steal of the draft. And Coach Sloan is
doing an excellent job, as usual, and is worthy of Coach of the Year. He has
made this team better than the sum of its parts by emphasizing precise execution
of the offense and no-nonsense approach to the game.
Unlike years past, though, Sloan actually has talent to work with. And that is
why this team has a real shot not to just reach the playoffs, but to make some
noise while there and maybe even contend for the crown..
The question has been answered loud and clear.
No more false hopes.
This year, the Jazz are for real.
Zach Becker is a long-time Utah Jazz fan and also the editor and publisher of
The Edge, an independent student newspaper at Fort Hays State University in
Hays, Kansas. The Edge can be found online at
www.theonlineedge.net.
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