There are obviously a lot of people posting on here who don't watch many Jazz games. Understandable, given that the average Rockets fan views the Jazz with about the same emotions that they would view Osama Bin Laden. When I first saw Andrei play, it was before his rookie season in the Rocky Mountain Revue. This kid had no idea what he was doing, but his raw athletecism was something like I'd never seen before. He was so long, and so quick, that even when he got beat, he'd still be able to block the guy's shot from behind. When you watch the Jazz as much as I do, you see things like 3 on 1 fast breaks, where AK is the only player back, and you know even before it happens that the ball will end up in the stands somewhere. I read a post in this thread where it was said that AK cannot shut a player down defensively, 1 on 1. I couldn't disagree more. If I have to shut a player down, I want AK guarding him. Offensively his jumper is sporadic, but it isn't as bad as you guys think. He shot 44.3% from the field last year. And granted, that is a career low, it isn't a bad number for a SF with a "bad" J. This is a guy who can go scoreless and still completely dominate a game. He definately carried Utah last year. They won 42 games without a single inside player. Guys like Tom Gugliotta, Mikki Moore, and Ben Handlogten logged serious minutes for Utah last year at the 4 spot. The only way Utah got layups was by smart basketball, and this man's undeniable amazing athletic ability. Now, on to the topic of max-level contracts. I think AK is definately worthy of one. However his bargaining position is that which he probably won't get it. Utah has absolutely no incentive to offer it up to him right now. If AK wants to make a concession and take a bit less money for the security of a 6 year deal NOW, Utah would do that. But next year there will be a lockout. Most experts agree that the new deal will be more favorable for management. Add that to the fact that he will be a restricted free agent, and Utah has nothing to lose. It would be unlikley that a team would sign him to an offer sheet, as they'd just be tying their money up for 15 days with the looming eventuality of Utah matching. There is no way Utah will let AK walk away. As for the makeup of the Utah Jazz for the long term, I definately believe this is a team that can be championship calibur with some more experience. Boozer is only entering is 3rd season. People constantly compare him to Kenyon Martin, who is now entering his 5th season. But just for kicks lets compare Kenyon Martin's sophomore stats with that of Carlos Boozer. KMart: 14.9ppg, 5.3rpg, 46.3% shooting, 1.23 steals, 1.66 blocks Boozer: 15.5ppg, 11.4rpg, 52.3% shooting, .99 steals, .73 blocks I'll let you make your own determination about those numbers. As for the rest of the team, Arroyo has proven not only from last season but during the Olympics that he can play with the best PGs around. Most experts from places such as ESPN.com or CNNSI.com predict Arroyo will have a breakout year. Not that last year's season wasn't pretty good itself. His backup is no slouch either. Most people last year thought that Raul Lopez would wind up taking the starting job by mid-season. The SG spot may be Utah's most loaded position. They somehow convinced Orlando to take DeShawn Stevenson off their hands in return for sharp-shooting Gordan Girichek. He came into Utah out of shape and soft, but in just a couple of months managed to guarantee himself a starting role. He's a deadly shooter and has the size and speed to defend in the NBA. His backup is Raja Bell. Bell, a supposed defensive expert, surprised everyone last year with his offensive ability. Especially his long distance shooting. Nobody questions his ability to D-up, and now he's shown that he can put the ball in the hoop, too. Center is, as usual, Utah's weak spot. Opinions vary on Okur's ability, but you know Jerry Sloan will find ways to use this offensively gifted big man. In his first preseason game he threw in 14 points in limited action using a wide variety of hooks, inside moves, and long Js. Frail boned Curtis Borchardt has shown flahes of being good, but he's injured so often that it is really hard to count on his contributions. Jarron Collins is a veteran slug of a big man who's ability is limited to thugging, rebounding, and short putbacks. Actually his mid range jumper is pretty solid, but overall he's not a great talent. Utah also picked up 2 great rookies in the draft in Kirk Snyder and Kris Humphreys. Snyder slipped a few spots in the draft, and most people had him pegged as a top 10 pick on draft day. He's a 2 guard with incredible offensive talent. Some wonder how he'll fit in with a Jerry Sloan system, being a slasher, but Sloan always manages to get the best out of everyone. As for Humphreys, he left Minnesota after 1 season. He's a very atheltic PF with a wide array of offensive moves and great footwork. He definately has an NBA body, and will be a starter in this league before too long. However don't look for either of these players to have a ton of minutes this season. Sloan doesn't usually play rookies. And last, but most certainly not least, is the man who many people around these parts still consider to be Utah's best player. He's a man Rocket fans should remember well, after his game winning 3 from two seasons ago. Matt Harpring has recovered from knee surgery, and looks as good as ever. His tremendous hustle on both ends of the floor, and rebounding from the 2/3 spot is invaluable to this team. He can definately shoot from any spot on the floor, has nice moves around the basket, and is a lot quicker off the dribble that most people think. He's an amazing fit for a Jerry Sloan team. Assuming Okur fits in as well as they'd planned, what you have in front of you is a team that is solid at every position, and has great depth. And being Rocket fans it must piss you off to no end that it took Houston 5 seasons to get back to the playoffs, and it is only going to take Utah 1.
The Jazz are a very good team, and it is truly amazing that they have rebounded so quickly in the post-Malone/Stockton era, but... Championships are won by superstars in the NBA. Excluding the abberation of last year's Pistons just look at the succession of NBA Champs who featured at least one: 03 > Duncan 00-02 > Shaq/Kobe 99 > Duncan 96-98 > Jordan/Pippen 94-95 > Hakeem 91-93 > Jordan/Pippen 89-90 > Zeke 87-88 > Kareem/Magic 86 > Bird I could keep going forever, but I think you see my point: Each one of the players I listed above was undeniably one of the top 5 players in the league at the time his team won the title. Last year was the first time in the last 2 decades that the champion didn't feature at least one top 5 player. If you think that is a trend, and you therefore think the NBA is becoming a league dominated by 'systems' (like the NFL), then I can see the Jazz becoming a championship club as currently constructed b/c Sloan is undoubtedly one of the best 'system' coaches around. But I do not... I think this league is still dominated by superstars, and I think last year's Pistons were an abberation, not a forebearer of the future of this league. No matter how many nice players the Jazz collect, IMO, none of Boozer, Kirilenko or Harpring will ever become a top 5 player. Just look at the (conservative) list of players they will need to leapfrog: Duncan Shaq KG Peja JO'neal Tmac Kobe Kidd Pierce Dirk Melo LeBron Yao And that's just the beginning of the list of guys I would rate over anyone on the Jazz. IMO, the Jazz won't win a title until either: A. Boozer develops into the best PF in the game (ala Karla) and surpasses Duncan or KG. or B. Boozer settles in as the #2 guy and someone who is better than Kirilenko, Boozer and Harpring is brought in to lead this team. Just my opinion. But I still love to watch Kirilenko play basketball. He is a coaches' dream and a delight for any fan who appreciated hustle and the other smaller nuances of the game that don't show up on Sportscenter.
Were the Pistons an aberration or the start of a new trend? The Euros are coming, the Euros are coming … (aka team ball)
How many Euro's played significant minutes on the Pistons last season? Nothing but American born players on that team, including a bad ass that most people thought was all that is wrong in the NBA with Rasheed. Talent will ALWAYS win the NBA.
The Pistons were a fluke. They were lucky to make it out of the East last year and were lucky to play against a Lakers team that ran out of gas. I doubt they will even make it out of the East this year.
I don't think the Pistons were a fluke. Here's the thing you have to look at when you list off all those superstars. All of them have tremendous fundamentals. All of them have nice all around games. When you list your top players in the league, there's a serious lack of top quality players with tremendous all around ability. And that is why system ball is taking over. Too many kids grow up watching sportscenter thinking the likes of Iverson, Carter, and (uh oh here comes the hatred) T-Mac are the kind of players that can lead you to titles. Wasn't it T-Mac who lead the Magic to the league's worst record last year? I won't deny it, Duncan and KG are great players with all around talent. Other than that, there aren't many truly great players. Kobe and Shaq couldn't have done it without eachother, and they'll prove it for the next 5 years or so. And I'm not saying Utah is going to win a title this year, or next year, or the year after, but this is a very young squad. They only have 1 player over 25, and that's Harpring. Give these guys 5 years of experience and they'll be amazing. Think of how long it really took some of these players to be serious in the playoffs. If the NBA today was just like the NBA of 10 years ago, I'd agree whole heartedly that Utah would need a superstar to win. But they do have a couple of all-star calibur players, and some tremendous supporting talent. And nobody will deny how great Jerry Sloan is.
I would say that the Pistons win had more to do with the two best players on the court (Shaq and Kobe) playing out the end of their ugly divorce in the Finals than anything the Pistons did or did not do. If Kobe had been willing to play the role of distributor, as he did when they were still winning championships, I still believe the Lakers would be together and entering this season as the defending champs. Unfortunately, I think he decided to use the Finals as a way to get what he has always wanted (a team of his own) instead of what he has already had (a championship). As for the fundamentals part, I agree that the NBA of today emphasizes individualism over team chemistry and solid, unspectacular play. However, it was the internal conflict between Shaq and Kobe that dismantled the Lakers. Add in Malone's injury and Payton's pitiful performance, and the Lakers had almost no shot against a good 'team' like the Pistons. Just making it past the Spurs and Twolves, two other teams who buy into the 'system' concept, is a testament to the supremacy of talent over cohesiveness.
Well looks like they are getting closer and won't have a problem http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1907668 SALT LAKE CITY -- Andrei Kirilenko feels he is close to a contract extension with the Utah Jazz and hopes to have it completed within the next few days. Andrei Kirilenko Kirilenko The Jazz and Kirilenko have until Oct. 31 to agree on an extension for Kirilenko, who is in the fourth-year option of his original contract. If no deal is reached, the All-Star forward will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season -- something both sides are trying to avoid. "I think we're almost done. I think [in the] next few more days, everything will be done," Kirilenko said Friday before the Jazz's preseason game against Sacramento. "I want to be part of this organization forever -- for my career." Kirilenko is hoping for the maximum 6-year, $86 million deal, but would not discuss details in the contract or what the holdup has been. He said he and the Jazz are more than 90 percent finished with the negotiations. Kirilenko's agent, Marc Fleischer, said Friday night that negotiations were still going. "We're not done. That's all I can tell you," Fleischer said. "There's only nine days left so I'm hopeful we can get it done in time." Kevin O'Connor, Utah's vice president for basketball operations, said no deal has been reached. "We've talked and the thing's gone back and forth, but we have no deal," O'Connor said. "Obviously time is becoming a little bit short now."
This max contract is good for the Rockets. I hear Tony Parker wants max too. I hope he gets it from someone.
Scoring isn't the only part of basketball. Andre's a max player. One of the best defenders in the league and very good at pretty much everything else. Teams win consistently because of guys like AK. Money well spent for Utah.
