[爆料] Utah Jazz ... The Grade So Far

[hardaway (一分錢)]

Utah Jazz . . .The Grade So Far
http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=9683
By: Bill Ingram   Last Updated: 8/4/08 11:20 AM ET | 1351 times read

The Utah Jazz are one of the most impressive teams in the NBA. Not because
they have a bunch of titles or can boast the MVP or anything like that.
No, the Jazz are impressive because they turned around a program that lost
two All-Stars in John Stockton and Karl Malone and are already back in
contention. And make no mistake about it, the Jazz will be contenders this
season.

Last season Deron Williams established himself as a top-three point guard in
the NBA, and together with Carlos Boozer he will be part of a
championship-caliber duo for years to come. As of today, the Jazz are
probably one piece away from actually being to challenge for the Western
Conference title, though that has more to do with the improvements made by
other WC teams than their own organic shortcomings.


Players Added In Free Agency 
Deron Williams: signed a multi-year contract extension
C.J. Miles: retained through first right of refusal
Grade: A

No one understands the importance of continuity as well as Jazz GM Kevin
O'Connor, whether it means keeping a head coach who's been with the team for
30 seasons, or making sure the future of the franchise is secure by making
their floor leader happy. Williams wanted some assurances before he signed
his extension, and that's understandable as we watch good young teams like
Atlanta and Chicago fool around with their key free agents. Before Williams
inked his extension he wanted to know that every effort would be made to make
sure Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur stayed in Utah, and such assurances were
given. Plenty of teams will target Boozer next summer, but the chemistry
that's developing between the power forward and the point guard should be
more than enough to assure a long and successful future for both of them in
Utah.

C.J. Miles is a player who represents the future to the Jazz, though to what
extent it's not yet clear. Jerry Sloan likes him because he works hard, and
it's shown in the progress he's made over his three seasons in Utah. He
consistently earned more and more playing time and he's become more and more
efficient - and efficiency is extremely important for a non-starter. The
acquisition of deep-threat Kyle Korver was a clear indication that the Jazz
believe Miles is a ways away from playing a huge role for them, but when
Korver's time with the Jazz is finished it's possible Miles will be ready to
fill that void.


Players Acquired In Draft 
Kosta Koufos: selected 23rd overall
Ante Tomic: selected 44th overall
Tadija Dragicevic: selected 53rd overall
Grade: C

Looking for a big, the Jazz went with Ohio State freshman Kosta Koufos in the
first round. Koufos had a mediocre showing at the Rocky Mountain Revue,
averaging basically nine points and six rebounds per game in a very watered
down field of competition. That said, he's a freshman with lots of work ahead
of him. It's tempting to give the Jazz an "Inc." for this one, but for now it
seems they didn't help themselves in the here and now with their first round
pick.

The Jazz haven't signed either of their second-round picks, who are likely to
continue playing overseas for the foreseeable future.


Players Acquired Via Trade 

The Jazz made a small trade, sending point guard Jason Hart to the LA
Clippers for point guard Brevin Knight. Knight is a more experienced back-up
who is capable of playing a solid role for the Jazz off the bench. Hart
simply wasn't able to crack the rotation in Utah, while Knight has a shot at
doing that. The contracts are basically a wash, with both being in their
final years and within $200K of each other.


Business To Be Done 

We continue to hear random grumblings about the possibility of Andrei
Kirilenko being dealt, and plenty of teams are still looking to deal. It just
depends on whether or not there's a deal out there that could truly mean an
upgrade for Utah. Kirilenko is a heck of a basketball player and among the
best defenders in the NBA. It would probably be best for the two parties to
find common ground and stick with each other.


Total Offseason Grade: B

The most important piece of business for the Jazz this summer was to re-ink
Deron Williams. They certainly didn't want to find themselves in a messy
situation next summer like the Bulls and Hawks have been involved in this
year. They also didn't want to run the risk that another team could find a
way to lure Williams away.

Standing pat is not usually the best way to improve a team, and the way the
Western Conference continues to get more difficult means standing pat might
actually be a backwards move. The Houston Rockets with Ron Artest, the New
Orleans Hornets with James Posey, and the L.A. Lakers with Andrew Bynum can
expect to be even better than they were last season. So far the Jazz are
counting on maturity and individual player improvement to keep them in the
hunt. It's probably enough to get them out of the second round of the
playoffs, but it's probably not quite enough to win a championship.

Not yet, anyway.


--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) 
◆ From: 140.113.138.150
→ sam369:
推 sam369:
→ LenardLee:
推 Kiri1enko:
→ sam369: