ESPN - 2007-08 Preview Edition: Utah Jazz

[RonnieBrewer (Reverse Layup)]

Updated: October 25, 2007, 12:15 PM ET

1  Expert Picks

J.A. Adande
NORTHWEST: 2 | WEST: 5  
They'll never be Stockton and Malone, but Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer
can be the best point guard/power forward combo in the league today. Anything
the Jazz get from Andrei Kirilenko has to be viewed as a bonus.

Greg Anthony
NORTHWEST: 2 | WEST: 6
Shooting guard is one big question. What's going to happen to AK-47 is
another. They're coming off an amazing season, with rising expectations for
this one, but the loss of Derek Fisher will be big.

Jon Barry
NORTHWEST: 2 | WEST: 5  
Expectations could be a little too high after last season's run to the West
finals. It was a terrific season for Utah. I rank Deron Williams as the
third-best point guard in the game, behind Nash and Kidd.

Chris Broussard
NORTHWEST: 1 | WEST: 4
If Ronnie Brewer's preseason play is an indication of what's to come, the
Jazz could join the hallowed threesome of San Antonio, Phoenix and Dallas as
legitimate title contenders. If Andrei Kirilenko can return to form, even
better.

Ric Bucher 
NORTHWEST: 1 | WEST: 4  
Andrei Kirilenko being unhappy isn't nearly as much of a setback as losing
Derek Fisher for good (and goodwill) and Matt Harpring indefinitely. Ronnie
Brewer has to be a factor for them to come anywhere close to last season's
success.

Chad Ford
NORTHWEST: 1 | WEST: 4  
They have a chance to be better this season. Deron Williams continues to 
mature. Andrei Kirilenko looked great in the European championships. And
Ronnie Brewer could give the Jazz an athletic slasher and dangerous defender.

Jemele Hill
NORTHWEST: 1 | WEST: 4  
Deron Williams will have a superstar season to reinforce his superstar
playoffs. His elite play will compensate for the Andrei Kirilenko drama.
This team is going to be nasty in the playoffs (again).

John Hollinger
NORTHWEST: 2 | WEST: 6  
Is AK happy? Does it matter? He didn't do jack last season and the Jazz still
made it to the conference finals. With the Williams-Boozer combo coming into
its own, expect another 50-win season.

Chris Sheridan 
NORTHWEST: 1 | WEST: 3  
Anyone else who believes Ronnie Brewer is the key to the season, raise your
hand. OK, OK. Andrei Kirilenko's mental state might edge Brewer, but getting
production out of the shooting guard spot is the only thing keeping them from
being a legitimate contender for the Finals.

Marc Stein 
NORTHWEST: 1 | WEST: 4 
There's been too much turmoil here for a team coming off a Cinderella run to
the West finals. But there's also too much talent for the Jazz to slip too
far. They'll repeat as Northwest champs and claim a top-four seed again.

TOTAL         NORTHWEST: 1.4 | West: 4.5


2  Hollinger Analysis

Team Strength: The Frontcourt

Size matters, as they say, and Utah has some of the best.

Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur both made the All-Star team last season, and
while the latter nomination was a massive stretch, they've both more than
justified the big free agent contracts the Jazz gave them in the summer of
2004.

What's nice is that they complement each other so well -- Okur's ability to
play outside allows Boozer room to operate in the low blocks, while Okur's
size and physical post defense let Boozer avoid some of the tougher matchups
at that end.

The strength doesn't end there.

Paul Millsap ranked second only to Brandon Roy in player efficiency rating
among rookies last season, and on a team with a lesser frontcourt would have
been starting. He has an incredible nose for the ball and is one of the best
per-minute rebounders in basketball.

Behind him Jarron Collins and Kyrylo Fesenko are useful 7-footers, and of
course several of the Jazz wing players are capable of playing up front --
most notably Andrei Kirilenko and Matt Harpring.

[完整內容為ESN Insder]


3  Lineup Breakdown

STARTERS        ANALYSIS
D. Williams   Best part about playing on Team USA? Studying under Jason Kidd.
R. Brewer     Seven pounds of muscle should give him the strength to grab
              this spot.
A. Kirilenko  If he and Sloan can make up, there's hope for Utah -- and Brad
              and Angie.
C. Boozer     So consistent, you forget he's there. If only that were an
              excuse for his D.
M. Okur       Became a dad in March -- and his scoring fell 3.5 ppg.
              It's called a nanny.


4  Player Spotlight

Matt Harpring
Scouting report:  Harpring is one of the league's most physical defenders
and had the seventh-highest rate of fouls per minute among small forwards.

But physical D is his only remedy. Quicker wings zoom past him en route to
the basket unless he gets the benefit of the doubt from officials calling
things loose.

Harpring's physicality helps him off the ball. He's great at winning hand
fights with defenders to knock them off balance and then springing free for
a layup or short jumper, and he's also a good shooter coming off pin-downs.
It helps that Utah's motion offense is tailor-made for his game, giving him
plenty of opportunities to cut free.

2007-08 outlook:  Harpring underwent offseason knee surgery, which wouldn't
be a big deal except for all the other offseason knee surgeries he's had.
He's already at about the limit of acceptable foot speed for an NBA wing
player, so if he loses anything on top of that, he'll be instant toast at
the defensive end.

However, his offensive game is unlikely to suffer much. Harpring's game has
been predicated on his unusual combination of superior strength and constant
motion, with little or no one-on-one play.

His past four seasons have been remarkably similar, and his role and
production are both unlikely to diminish much in the coming season.


8  Coach's Corner

Jerry Sloan
Experience: 22 years
Record: 1,035-689
Playoffs: 87-88
NBA titles: 0

Andrei Kirilenko and Ronnie Brewer can do a better job this season filling the
holes at the wing positions, and Sloan will work to ensure that it happens.

Sloan knows a confident Brewer/Kirilenko combination on the wings gives his
Jazz team more ability on the defensive end, where they struggled much of
last season.


全文:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dime-UtahPreview0708        

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