Right now, things are looking interesting for the Utah Jazz. Carlos Boozer, Ronnie Brewer, and Kyle Korver have headed to Chicago like some sort of Utah Jazz reunion party in the Windy City. Westley Matthews has left for Portland, and Kosta Koufous is in Minnesota. On the side of pick ups, the Jazz have gotten Al Jefferson from Minnesota, Raja Bell from Phoenix, Gordon Hayward and Jeremy Evans in the Draft, Francisco Elson, and several other guys that were not on the team last year. Yet, among all these changes, they still have Deron Williams, Paul Millsap, Mehmet Okur,CJ Miles,and Andrei Kirilenko. Not to mention the lovable Ronnie Price and Sundiata Gaines are also returning for action in the 2010-2011 campaign.
So what does all this change mean for the outlook of the team? Honestly, in my opinion as an avid fan and follower of this team, I think that this change is mostly good. Let's start with last year's drama queen Carlos Boozer. We all know that despite the fact that he was a leader on the team, and put in a very productive year that he really wanted to leave Utah. He didn't have his heart in the team, and also found the wrong times to get hurt (a.k.a. the Phoenix game). The loss of Korver is a bigger loss because of his three point specialties. Very few guys in the NBA can shoot the rock as well as he can. But to make up for their loss, they have picked up Al Jefferson from Minnesota and have drafted Gordon Hayward. Hayward, is a more athletic version of Kyle Korver with better athletic range, ball handling, and more complete weapons. His shot is very good, not to the degree of Korver, but he makes up for his lack of "Korver-ness" with his ability to handle the ball, and dunk. He seems to be a Jerry Sloan kind of player. Hard working, versatile, and white. Jerry Sloan loves those guys (a.k.a. John Stockton). I'm not calling Hayward the next John Stockton, they obviously have a PG that matches Stockton's quality in D-Will, but Hayward's ethnicity is eerily similar.
To replace Boozer, the Jazz sneakily win the Al Jefferson sweepstakes, and pick up a guy that matches Boozer's productivity. Boozer averaged 19.5 points per game and 11.2 rebounds per game for the Jazz last season. Up in the Twin Cities, Al Jefferson averaged 17.1 Points per game and 9.3 rebounds per game. Boozer is a better rebounder, but Jefferson's points should be higher this year with a better point guard giving him the ball. In essence, the loss of Boozer is basically negated by the gain of Al Jefferson. So, Jazz fans need not worry about having no Boozer since they have Jefferson. Not to mention the fact that they still have Deron Williams, Paul Millsap, Mehmet Okur, and Andrei Kirilenko. D-Will will be one year better and improved as will be Paul Millsap. The biggest concern for this Jazz team is health. Okur is out early, and Kirilenko is softer than Jello. With those two guys in and out of the line up, the rest of the team is gonna have to step up. Ultimately, I think that the Jazz should feel good going into the season.
With Carmello Anthony eager to leave Denver, they can be sure that they won't have to worry about Denver, unless the Nuggets get Carmello more help. Not only that, but for every player that they have lost, they have a solid replacement for them that can do the job. Will Boozer be missed? Not Hardly. With Al Jefferson there to replace him and a better Paul Millsap, things will seem perfectly normal in Utah. Will the Jazz be a better team? I actually think they will be. The fact that they got players who want to be in Utah is a very good sign. The team will have a few rough patches here and there but in the end, the Jazz will not miss a beat. They will be right in the thick of things come April, duking it out with Phoenix, San Antonio, Dallas, and every other tough team out west to get a good seed and advance in the playoffs. Go Jazz!
