Utah Jazz 2008 Season Preview

After falling short of the NBA title, the Utah Jazz hope this is the year their young, talented corps can win it all.

Utah Jazz: 2007-08 Overview

The Utah Jazz’s season started off a bit rocky, as the then-disgruntled Andrei Kirilenko shook up the Jazz locker room with offseason trade demands. The Utah Jazz would move past that and stuck with the lineup that brought ‘em to the Western Conference Finals the previous season – Deron Williams, Ronnie Brewer, Andrei Kirilenko, Carlos Boozer, and Mehmet Okur. A midseason trade brought in Kyle Korver, sending Gordon Giricek and a first-round draft pick to the Philadelphia 76ers. With the hard-nosed Jerry Sloan at the helm once again, the Utah Jazz dominated the Northwest Division en route to a 54-28 regular season record.

For the second straight year, the Utah Jazz would snag the No. 4 seed (sans home court advantage) and play against the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs. The Utah Jazz prevailed 4-2 in a hard-fought series with D-Will proving to be too much for the Houston Rockets to handle. The Utah Jazz moved on to face the Los Angeles Lakers in what would be a series of high-scoring affairs. While D-Will shined once again, the Los Angeles Lakers used their size and depth to win the series. The Utah Jazz would head into the 2008-09 NBA season with yet another early playoff exit.

Utah Jazz: Offseason

As far as major offseason moves go, the Utah Jazz didn’t make much noise outside of the draft and trading Jason Hart to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for PG Brevin Knight. The trade went under the radar, but fans with Utah Jazz tickets know that Brevin Knight can come off the bench and help keep Deron Williams fresh come the playoffs. While Brevin Knight won’t be counted on to score, he will provide veteran leadership on the floor and put in solid minutes when he does come off the pine.

Utah Jazz: Offense

Hearkening back to the days of Stockton and Malone, the point guard-power forward one-two punch is the focus of the Utah Jazz motion offense. Led by the lightning quick Deron Williams and a couple of bigs – Mehmet Okur (14.5 PPG) and Carlos Boozer (21.1 PPG) – able to run the fast break, the Utah Jazz stormed into the playoffs playing faster and scoring even more points. D-Will (18.8 PPG, 10.5 APG) is hands down one of the best point guards in the league and can contribute by driving to the rack, hitting from long range, dishing to open teammates, and coming through in the clutch.

Utah Jazz: Defense

One of the better defensive teams in the league, the Utah Jazz will have a hand in someone’s face on nearly every possession – and they better under Jerry Sloan’s watch. When he’s not in the doghouse, Andrei Kirilenko is the Utah Jazz’s pillar on defense. Teams will think twice about trying to lay one up in the paint while AK47 is there, ready to swat away shots or sneak in for a steal. Long and quick, Andrei Kirilenko is a solid perimeter defender at the three spot. Paul Millsap is also a tough defender and a beast on the boards to boot.

Utah Jazz: Lineup

Point Guard: Deron Williams, Ronnie Price
Shooting Guard: Ronnie Brewer, Matt Harpring
Small Forward: Andrei Kirilenko, Kyle Korver
Power Forward: Carlos Boozer, Paul Millsap
Center: Mehmet Okur, Jarron Collins

Utah Jazz: Outlook

With a very solid starting five and a cast of quality role players, the Utah Jazz are as deep a team as they come. Utah Jazz tickets will feature 13 players from last season and only a couple of new faces, including Brevin Knight and rookie center Kosta Koufos. The Utah Jazz are young, hungry, and extremely dangerous on both sides of the ball. Fans with Utah Jazz tickets can expect D-Will and Booz to have monster, All-Star caliber years that should lead the Utah Jazz past the Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Oklahoma City Thunder in the hunt for the Northwest Division title. The Utah Jazz should have no problem getting back into the playoffs in the stacked Western Conference, but whether they have enough to finally win the ever-elusive NBA Championship is still a question mark for Jerry Sloan and the Utah Jazz.