During halftime of the final Jazz game of the season (an eventual 108-105 loss to the LA Lakers) I sat in my seat in the last row of the upper bowl and pondered where the Jazz can go from here. The knee-jerk reaction is to wonder if the Jazz will ever be able to get over the hump and seriously contend for an NBA title. However after some reflection the 07-08 Jazz season still has to be considered a success and the future still seems bright.
The most important thing to remember is that the Jazz are still a very young team and essentially will all be back next year with third-year guard/forward C.J. Miles being the only free agent (restricted). With that youth improvement has to be expected.
At point guard the Jazz are should be set for the foreseeable future. Deron Williams gets better with every game and could easily factor into the MVP race next year if his numbers (18.8 ppg and 10.5 apg) were to improve even slightly (Chris Paul averaged 21.6 and 11.6 this year and finished 2nd in one of the most competitive MVP races in recent years). The only question mark in his future is will he sign an extension this off season and for how long. Backup point guard play improved drastically when Ronnie Price was given the reigns mid-season. Price still has a long ways to go before he can be relied upon as an effective option if D-Will were to go down for an extended period of time, but has all the tools to become a quality backup guard. His hustle and ability to push the ball up the floor make him a great change of pace, but when the transition offense isn't there Price doesn't get the team into the offense like Williams resulting in an ugly shot now and then. Jason Hart has a player option to become a free agent this year, but isn't expected to do so. The Jazz would be best served to keep him at 3rd string
Shooting guard is the least settled of all the positions. Ronnie Brewer had a tremendous sophomore season responding to an increase in playing time by improving his scoring from 4.6 ppg to 12 ppg and shooting a blistering 55% from the field. The problem with Brewer is his outside shot isn't great (only shoots 18% from 3 for his career) and that allows defenders to sag off and play help defense in the low post (Kobe Bryant was almost always doubled on Memo or Boozer during round 2 resulting in a lot of Brewer points early, but leading to a lot of Boozer frustration). Brewer's defense is good but not great but expected to improve. Mid-season acquisition Kyle Korver is the exact opposite of Brewer. Korver is a great streak shooter and will chuck it up from anywhere on the court, but leaves a lot to be desired on the defensive end. With a full off season in the system I'd expect Korver to understand the offense a little better and should result in some better looks. C.J. Miles has shown flashes of greatness and might eventually be the best of both worlds. Miles has a sweet stroke (39% 3-point shooter this season) and can put the ball on the floor and get to the rim and finish strong. Miles is young (turned 21 in March) and still has a lot of potential for improvement but could easily be in the rotation at either of the wing spots next year if re-signed. Morris Almond ripped up the D-league this year for the Orem Flash scoring 25 a game but until he shows the same skills on an NBA court will be an unknown commodity.
At the 3 the Jazz have Andrei Kirilenko and Matt Harpring (C.J. Miles may also factor in here as well). Kirilenko has been much maligned for not getting enough done to deserve a max contract. While this is true, the fact of the matter is with the current roster the Jazz don't need a great scorer at this position, and Kirilenko fits the role nicely. His shot was much improved this year (21% 3-point shooter in 06-07 to 38% in 07-08) which has been credited to a lot of time with shooting coach Jeff Hornacek. Even with that improvement teams still leave him open a lot and dare him to shoot, which leads to problems when Brewer and Kirilenko are in the same lineup. Matt Harpring has brought a toughness to the team that Sloan loves, but at this point in his career I would say his body has given out on him. He didn't look like the same player this year and was a liability on the offensive end of the floor during the playoffs.
Power Forward was the most settled position before Carlos Boozer threw up a stinker of a postseason (dropping from 21 ppg in the regular season to 16 in the playoffs) now a lot of Jazz fans are calling for him to be traded. Unfortunately guys who average 20 and 10 don't grow on the trees and the Jazz would be hard-pressed to find equal value in a trade so don't expect Booz to go anywhere even if his defense resembles a matador on a consistent basis. At backup PF Paul Milsap is everything you can ask for. He hustles, grabs rebounds and can be a great offensive option when given enough touches. Milsap is probably never going to be an all-star in the league but is the perfect guy off the bench for the Jazz.
Mehmet Okur is the only true center to play significant minutes for the Jazz in the post season, with Jarron Collins riding the pine most games. Memo's ability to hit the money ball and stretch the defense is the key to the Jazz offense. It allows Boozer more room to operate down low and can break the back of a team. Just like Boozer, Okur plays very little defense most nights, but when especially motivated can give an acceptable effort on this end of floor. Jarron Collins is a career backup and shouldn't be relied upon for more than the occasional garbage time minute. Kyrylo Fesenko has become a fan favorite even though he saw only 70 minutes of action in 9 games for the team this year. He's an intriguing option down low and could become an enforcer and great shot blocker, but his game is so raw it would be unrealistic to expect him to contribute anytime next year.
So what should the Jazz do this offseason to improve?
1) Be patient. The Jazz pushed the Lakers in every game and with a couple of breaks could easily still be playing right now. As the team picks up more experience they should become better and could easily improve on their 54-28 record and be playing at least 1 or 2 rounds with homecourt advantage next year.
2) Negotiate an extension with D-Will. He is the franchise, give him whatever he wants to keep him in Salt Lake
3) Re-sign C.J. Miles. The kid has a ton of potential and at 21 years old is only beginning to scratch the surface. I think he's the long term answer to start at SG or SF.
4) If possible get a defensive minded big man that can protect the rim. The Jazz had one of the most efficient offenses in NBA history over the last few months of the season, so getting another scorer wont add much to mix. The Jazz need a big man who can spell Boozer and/or Memo and play tough D and be an enforcer. DeSagana Diop is a free agent this offseason and would be ideal for the right price, but will probably be wildly overpaid. Roy Hibbert or Robin Lopez at #23 in the draft would also be a great addition, but couldn't be counted on to immediately contribute.
