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Tuesday, October 31, 2000
Jazz: Old guys add some athleticism
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Team page/schedule | Stats: Preseason / 1999 | Roster
Last year: 55-27, first in Midwest, third in conference
Coach/VP: Jerry Sloan/Kevin O'Connor
Arena, first game: Delta Center (19,911); Nov. 7, 1991
All-time franchise record/NBA titles: 1,135-965/0
Notable: 15 straight winning seasons, No. 2 streak ever
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THE TOP EIGHT
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Pos
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Player
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Key Stat
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Skinny
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PG
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John Stockton
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8.6 apg
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Great passer, accurate shooter; he's 38
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SG
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John Starks
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13.9 ppg
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Average passer, poor shooter; he's 35
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SF
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Bryon Russell
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14.1 ppg
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Surprise, I was Jazz No. 2 scorer
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PF
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Karl Malone
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25.5 ppg
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Medical marvel; six DNP in 15 years
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C
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Greg Ostertag
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6.0 rpg
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You know, he was once a first-rounder
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6th
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Donyell Marshall
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10.0 rpg
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Six seasons, no playoffs, so he's happy
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7th
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Danny Manning
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.440 FG
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Could be very valuable come playoff time
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8th
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Olden Polynice
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.311 FT
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Well, at least he's durable
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I've counted the Jazz out so many years with the refrain "they've gotten old." Jeff Hornacek has retired since last year but they bring in a pretty good basketball player in John Starks, who should be able to play in that system. He can fill the Hornacek role, making the three-pointer and playing tough defense. The weakness in this team might be the loss of what Howard Eisley provided. He was their middle reliever. He would come in and spell Stockton and, with his shooting and his ability to play, get them seven or eight wins they might not have had. The Jazz are going to have to spend a lot of time developing a backup player to fill Eisley's role. Stockton is going to play increasingly fewer minutes as his career progresses and back-to-back games are going to hurt the team more. Jerry Sloan has somehow found a way to get it done with this team so, if a solid backup for Stockton emerges, look for the Jazz to be in the thick of the playoff race again.
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By Marc Stein
Special to ESPN.com
The Good
Maybe you've heard of this twosome. Karl Malone. And John Stockton. Formally known as Stockton-to-Malone. They're still quite good, in case you were wondering. Word is, in fact, that Malone, at 37, was in the best shape of his career, with his body-fat percentage at a career-low before spraining his knee last week. The codgers' work ethic and teamwork remain unparalleled, even if they're not quite spry enough to get to the Finals anymore. The Jazz also has the hard-nosed coach with the NBA's longest tenure in 12-season veteran Jerry Sloan, and made a string of nice acquisitions in the offseason to offset the retirement of Jeff Hornacek: Donyell Marshall, John Starks, Danny Manning and teenager DeShawn Stevenson. Some veterans to keep Utah competitive, and a youngster to get the rebuilding process tipped off. Before you write the Jazz into oblivion, remember that we've all been writing them off for a half-decade now. Consider this, too: Marshall, Starks and Stevenson (if he's ready to do anything) account for a much-needed shot of athleticism. This is still a dangerous team.
The Bad
Starks is no Hornacek when it comes to pure shooting, and he certainly isn't on the Stockton-to-Malone telepathic wavelength like Hornacek was. To the outside world, Horny simply made the Jazz even more boring. Fact is, for all his defensive deficiencies, Hornacek fit perfectly into the Utah system, hardly a common quality. Another lost round of contract negotiations with agent Dan Fegan will also haunt the Jazz, as Fegan client Howard Eisley followed fellow Fegan client Shandon Anderson's lead from the summer before and bolted for Texas. Eisley, heir to John Stockton, is now in Dallas, not far from Houston's Anderson. Utah misses both of them badly, with Jacque Vaughn suddenly expected to live up to Eisley's standards. Age will continue to be a concern as well, with Stockton (38) and Malone (37) flanked by Olden Polynice (35), Starks (35) and Manning (34). One of these days, Utah's window to the playoffs really will slam shut. The wildest Western Conference ever also doesn't help. Old legs could use easy games occasionally, and there just aren't many around here.
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THE BIG QUESTION |
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Stevenson will be the player everyone talks about, but Starks is the more pressing mystery. How he fits in determines whether Utah stays with the elite.
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Whose team is this?
In case you missed it ... Stockton-to-Malone. Apologies to Larry Miller, but these two still own the team and the city and the surrounding mountains, too. If you're curious why the Jazz doesn't consider trading Malone now, when they could probably still get a nice youngster or two in return for starting over, it's probably because Stockton is talking about playing two more seasons. As in one more full season after this one. Even as both creep toward 40, they're still too productive to abandon. Or did you miss the 50 points Mailman dropped on Seattle in Game 1 of the playoffs last spring?
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| Stockton |
How they'll play
They will play the same way they have always played, picking-and-rolling teams to tears -- with Stockton feeding Malone and the Mailman getting everyone else involved. The newcomers will have to learn the system quickly, but Manning -- one of the best pick-setters in the game -- should be a fine example. As always, they will try to establish a halfcourt tempo that suits the old folks. And they'll be better defensively, at least in theory, with Starks in place to help Utah with its longstanding trouble against big guards. Concern shifts to getting the free spirits (Starks and Stevenson) acclimated to the jazzless Utah mindset. Getting something out of Greg Ostertag would also be nice, but Sloan has been teased too many times to expect anything now. Like it or not, though, Ostertag is Utah's only established shot-blocker.
Projection
A top-five finish in the West, modest by typical Jazz standards, would be no shame. The Lakers, Portland and San Antonio have a lock on the top three slots in the conference, but Utah still fits into the Nos. 4-6 mix with Seattle and Phoenix. They probably won't win 55 games again, like last season, but 50 is still within reach.
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