Utah Jazz Previews

Jerry Sloan is one of the most respected coaches in the league.  Does he have the kind of team to get back to the finals?  Can he keep juggling Boozer and Millsap?  How does it all fit?

2009-2010 Season Preview - Utah Jazz - SLC Dunk

The Jazz were in wait-and-see mode all off-season. They had three players, Kyle Korver, Mehmet Okur, and Carlos Boozer that could have opted-out. In the end, all of them ended up opting in for various reasons. Korver decided that the This is The Place Heritage Park reminded him of his home state of Iowa too much to leave. Okur decided that launching threes in the thin mountain air while making $10M per wasn't such a bad proposition. And of course Boozer, he who was opting out and getting a raise, regardless. Then, as young people who try to move out of their parents' house find out, things are not as easy financially as they seem. Having no suitors willing to give him a raise with a long-term deal, Boozer opted back in and then went on his nationwide tour of radio stations to drum up interest for a trade.

2009-2010 Jazz Preview

What are the team’s biggest weaknesses? Defense. I don't even wanna get into this again, but I guess I'll give it a shot. The starting bigs don't play any. The wings gamble a bit too often, though they do end up with a couple of steals here and there. What that gives you is a combo where opponents don't face much opposition when they try to drive in, and then face a couple of bigs who's concept of defense seems to have been cultivated by watching Jarron Collins defend Shaq (aka... hack away). And there still isn't a tall guy who seems like he'll be able to get minutes behind Okur.