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NBA BOOTLEG: Are the Jazz done?
5/6
Cats have been writing articles like these for eight years
now. But is this the summer that these words stick?
John Stockton is 40 years old. Karl Malone played like a
50-year old in Utah's season-ending loss to Sacramento.
John Stockton is under contract for 2002-03, and he remains a
borderline All-Star. Karl Malone is under contract as well,
three years away from surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's
all-time scoring record, and the fact that he termed a
14-point contest against Chris Webber "(stinky)" says more
than you think.
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Miller prefers to wait on extension for Malone
5/6
In the aftermath of a first-round exit from the NBA playoffs one
week ago, Jazz owner Larry H. Miller said he would "perhaps"
consider offering Jazz star Karl Malone a contract extension
this summer.
Now, however, Miller seems to be backing off that notion — a
development that could make even more intriguing what already
proves to be an interesting offseason.
In an interview aired Sunday night, Miller told KSTU-TV Ch. 13's
Jonas Schwartz he wants to first see how the 38-year-old power
forward performs in the 2002-2003 NBA season. |
Jazzmen ponder the possibilities
5/5
Karl Malone knows at least one of his dreams can never come
true.
Amaechi speaks his mind
5/5
Jazz center John Amaechi feels indebted to the game
of basketball for offering him the chance to earn millions of
dollars, but he doesn"t confuse that with a love for the game. |
Malone, Miller face dilemmas
5/5
Here, you have Karl Malone. He is conflicted. There
is Larry H. Miller. He, too, is torn.
Stockton's Marriage to the NBA Isn't Quite Over Yet
5/5
Some people say John Stockton has passed through the
onset of the winter of his career and now is pondering
retirement.
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Now what? Season of frustration leads to summer of questions
for the Jazz
5/5
Following a season of frustration, a summer of uncertainty
awaits the Jazz.
Questions abound for the franchise eliminated last week by
Sacramento from the opening round of the NBA playoffs, not the
least of which is what it must do to recapture the glory days
of seasons gone by.
"There's such an intangible about what is 'the difference,'
what is 'the catalyst?' " Jazz owner Larry H. Miller said.
"Whatever it is, I think we need to bring a new dimension on
the team, somehow." |
Crystal-ball glimpse at the off-season
5/5
As a member of the media, I am not a close confidant of any Jazz
players or management. Nobody has told me what the team plans to
do during the off-season.
That, however, doesn't mean I can't read the handwriting on the
locker room wall. The conclusion I have reached is this: Not
since the New Orleans Jazz drafted Lusia Harris in 1977— only to
discover she was pregnant — has an off-season held so much
intrigue.
You want suspense, they have suspense. |
Nobody's pressuring Stockton
5/5
We want an answer, and we want it, well, not now but as soon
as possible, pretty please, Mr. Stockton, sir.
That's the basic approach being taken by the Jazz, whose
future personnel needs are in a bind until their 40-year-old
point guard decides whether he will retire or return for a
19th NBA season in Utah.
Jazz brass are hopeful John Stockton will return, |
A
Hopeful Future: Lopez Looks to Follow Stockton
5/5
Deep within a low-tech gym in the sprawling Ciudad Deportiva
sports complex at the northern edge of Madrid, the Jazz's
"Future" is hard at work, rehabilitating a torn ligament in his
right knee.
Raul Lopez was Utah's first-round pick in the 2001 NBA draft,
and he knows that few sports franchises depend as much on a
single player as the Jazz depend on Stockton, and few athletes
are as beloved by their fans.
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Changing places
5/5
A look at Jazz players coming, going and staying heading into
the 2002 NBA offseason: |
Great
Season Shows Stockton, at 40, Still Can Play
5/5
As Utah Jazz point guard John Stockton ponders whether to return
or retire, the decision-making process centers around an odd
question:
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June
26th