Bleacher Report - Articles by Shan

Eric Maynor: The Protege

Shan — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:43:30 -0400

It's mid-October, the leaves are not quite crumbling yet, but the mild chill that prompts hot chocolate making and scarf wearing in these parts also signifies two things for me: the NBA preseason is in full swing (it's a good thing, too, my YouTube favorites from last season have all worn out their welcome. Or it is I who has worn out my welcome to YouTube?) and NBA action (the relevant kind) is just around the corner.

This is an opportune time of year for roster hopefuls who hope to sway the coaching staff's initial opinions and land a coveted spot on an NBA team. For them, it's more than just an exhibition game, it's their livelihood at stake and the validation of a life-long goal.

I feel for these newcomers; this league is so competitive and fickle that literally one game can make or break you.

Wes Matthews, I see you!!

For new draft picks like Eric Maynor, it's a rite of passage into a magical world they only know prima facie from TV; I'm sure it looks different than what his dreams and ESPN had manufactured. This is the real thing.

Big boy league, so pull up ya huggies and keep ya drool in check.

But Maynor has a couple of special circumstances that will allow his transition to be smoother than most rookies', I think.

He has great vision and ball handling ability for a rookie, which should be beneficial, since it looks like he will be the primary point guard backup for Deron Williams. I am also impressed with his poise and demeanor—he never gets flustered.

Mind you, they have played a whopping three preseason games so far, but Maynor has played entire quarters while Williams prepares for the upcoming grind of 82 games and 35 minutes a game, on average.

These natural talents will make him well-equipped for the long demands of the regular season, but he has one more glaring advantage over most other rookie point guards in the league.

You know him as D-Will, "Sweet" Deron, or like Ahmad says and I like to call him "Ice Cold," due to the sub-zero temperature of his blood.

Maynor is to Williams what Kanye is to Jay-Z, or more appropriately, John Stockton's Williams.

With one important distinction.

Williams is present to give advice and guidance, while Stockton had departed from the Jazz years earlier, before Williams was drafted and thrown into the harsh reality of Jerry's standard, two-year long rookie dog house...it's a cold and lonely place, that dog house, especially with no other dogs to keep you company.

I even heard Williams say before that he really resented Jerry and didn't feel comfortable until about halfway through his second year, the same year the Jazz won 54 games and made it to the Western Conference Finals.

Nowadays, Williams is a big shot, quite literally the most famous person in Utah. For good reason, he is definitely the best point guard we could have found to try and replace the irreplaceable Stockton.

Maynor, while he won't get the most minutes this upcoming season, will gain many invaluable ideas from Williams and the team, which will help him throughout his career—hopefully he stays with my Jazz.

Like I heard someone else recently say, "this kid is NBA ready," no doubt.

Oh, and at least he doesn't have to carry around a Dora the Explorer backpack like the Bulls rookie James Johnson.

Just a dog house.

Carlos Boozer: To Boo or Not to Boo

Shan — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 18:15:38 -0400

To boo or not to boo? That is the question.

Last night the Utah Jazz opened their preseason against the Denver Nuggets in Salt Lake. The place was semi-full. I'd say about 60 percent, which is a lot for a preseason game. My theory is the game was not televised anywhere...so many Jazz fans in Salt Lake decided to go to the game instead. Like me they were starved for some NBA action, the first since April 2009.

The game was broadcast on the local radio station. I'm sorry David Locke, you are no Hot Rod Hundley, and radio broadcasts for me are like watching a drive-in movie with no sound.

The usual Jazz sounds were in the air; the same old Tone Loc "Wild Thang" from like 1984, the same "D-FENSE!! D-FENSE!!" chants, the same old comatose subdued tone from the PA announcer when the Nuggets scored and the same piercing shrills of crazy Jazz fan ladies like me every time the Jazz stole the ball and yeah, you get the idea.

But there was one new sound, one sound which I believe was warranted and maybe not as loud as I would have liked, but hey its preseason but it was the sounds of "BOOOO" from a few fans, including myself whenever Mr. Carlos Boozer touched the ball.

Even at the free throw line. A little harsh, I know.

But I cheered when he made it!

I used to love Boozer, I used to stick up for him while everyone else complained incessantly about him and his flat feet and slowly molded his path towards ostracization.

Yes, I was a Boozer defender, not to long ago...Ill admit it.

But I just cant seem to cheer for a player like him anymore, not like I used to at least.

Don't get me wrong, I am the most hardcore Jazz freak this side of the Mississippi. And I usually don't ever boo any player on my team, but Boozer is a cold piece of work.

I never thought I'd approach despising another player that wasn't wearing a Laker jersey, especially a player on my favorite team.

Besides the only reason he is saying "I'm trying to win back their respect" in reference to Utah fans is because he knows this is his make or break year, literally, his reputation and the balance in his bank account in 2011 all depend on how he performs this year.

He has proven one thing to me in his five years with the Jazz and that is he can't be trusted. And in this world, that is all a man has, after all is said and done.

My idea is if you are a true Jazz fan, you will boo him too. It only makes sense, but that is your choice.

I'm not saying Kobe kind of booing but at least enough to let him know we don't appreciate his offseason actions and comments. Enough to send a message. Let him know that we wont stand for it.

However,

I'm sure many of my fellow Jazz fans will disagree and say that we should support him regardless since he is a Jazz player for the time being. But please remember he won't be a Jazz man for long.

So BOOOO...ers feel free to let yourselves be heard.

No Time to Lose in the Great Northwest

Shan — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 04:04:12 -0400

The too close for comfort state of the Northwest division is getting downright interesting and a little cutthroat.

All teams are highly intriguing and all three could potentially upset some over-hyped overdogs in the playoffs.

Sometimes it's a match up problem, sometimes it's a too much talent problem, sometimes it's just too much potential problem and other times the best of all worlds wrapped up in a perennial western conference threat.

You never know what you are going to get from the Northwest, you just know that youre most likely going to get dealt with handedly.

Even the two cellar-dwellers in the division have great potential and some of the most promising stars on both teams: Al Jefferson on the Wolves and Kevin Durant of the Thunder. Both guys have franchise material written all over them and could be multiple year all-stars if they can get and stay healthy.

But right now all the Thunder and Wolves have to look forward to is being the down the stretch spoilers for west side teams who come in underestimating them.

But they will get their chance at making the playoffs next year, only hope is the lottery this year. Minnesota and the Thunder have a long way to go.

The top three in the Northwest are Utah, Denver and Portland. All teams are on pace to win at least 50 games or more and on this day, with 15 games left in the regular season, give or take, and all three teams only separated by 1 1/2 games, the playoffs have already begun, just like last year but this time it seems to have started up earlier.

Winning the division guarantees a top-four seed but it does not guarantee a home-court advantage as the Jazz know all too well.

And still the fourth seed puts you in that bracket of automatically facing the No. 1 seed in the second round, it's not really a seed to be desired if you really think about it without the advantage of the home court.

But look at them, they are all fighting for the coveted crown like little children trying to grasp a miniscule little jewel off of it.

Just to say; "We won the Northwest, and you didn't! haha!!"

It's that important.

For Utah, it's all they have and for Denver its something they never had and they haven't been out of the second round for the past five years.

Neither has Portland.

Both of these teams want some kind of banner or validation, anything, might as well be the Northwest crown, its a pretty snazzy prize.

It has resided in Utah for the past two years but this year it looks to be in great jeopardy of being yanked away and shipped off to a new unknown place.

It's fun to watch.

Who knows where it will end up, most sensible people would say Denver, they have the current statistical lead and the schedule down the stretch looking to be at least on paper, in their favor.

Denver has as much talent as any team out there, Billups has really helped their cause and if someone could help them with shot selection, they just might have something. Nene has the potential to dominate every night he plays and JR Smith off the bench is just wrong in the eyes of any opponent, he is what you call a machine.

And not a Vujacic kind of machine either...

Denver needs to remain healthy and they are talented enough to beat any team but their tendency to gravitate towards one on one basketball makes them look worse than what they actually are.

Portland is full of potential, that's all we ever hear with Portland is potential. OK we get it, we know Portland is synonymous with potential, cool it with the potential already.

But with them its true.

Brandon Roy is proving to be a clutch player and Aldridge and Pryzbilla as a one two punch is tough for any opponent. Add in their deep bench and they are a veteran away from reaching the conference finals, my Jazz did it with Derek Fisher in 2007, it helps, a lot.

The Jazz are probably the best most seasoned team out of the three. They have tasted success in the playoffs in the last couple seasons, have the most experience, and an extremely deep bench gives them variety of looks available to throw at you.

With Kirilenko, Millsap, and Korver coming off it, and if you really want to get crazy, they'll throw Matt Harpring at ya.

Plus Jerry Sloan is quite possibly the best coach in the league. And Deron is becoming one of the premier point guards in the game. Add in all of their youth and unmatched combination of experience, and their style of no-nonsense physical but straightforward team play and they are a Thabeet away from winning every championship for the next decade.

But fact is Utah's record is the worse, currently in third place 1.5 games behind Denver.

One and one-half games is nothing in the NBA and could almost flip -flop after two games, but Denver has one definite advantage that neither Portland or Utah have-the scheduling gods made it easiest for Denver down the stretch.

Denver plays mostly home games and mostly -.500. in the last 16 games. Utah and Portland have mostly road games against +.500 clubs.

The Northwest division might be decided on the last day of the season, Portland and Denver play their respective last games on that day against each other at the Rose Garden in Portland.

Utah will have the hardest challenge of defending their title, it will take some kind of miracle to win it this year. Baring some kind of collapse from Denver, Portland will most likely just try to not finish in eighth...and Utah will try to not finish seventh.

It's an exciting Northwestern race and the homerun stretch has just started, stay tuned to see who gets the crown and the bragging rights.

Deron Williams: Not an All-Star, a Superstar

Shan — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 06:53:24 -0500

For the third straight year, Deron Williams from the Utah Jazz was snubbed from the annual NBA All-Star festivities to the delight of many Utah fans. Every year it happens due to the excess talent out west, blah, blah, blah, but this year's snubbing is understandable.

He was injured for 15 games, but the funny thing is after starting out still injured from the ankle injury and playing at 80 percent for a month, simply because he knows his team needs him desperately, his numbers are almost identical to last seasons.

But Deron gets no love.

As a consolation prize, the All-star committee kindly offered Deron a chance to defend his "skills" challenge, record-breaking performance, but Deron politely declined.

Perfect.

We all know the All-Star selections are primarily based on popularity, especially the fan vote, so automatically Williams is at a huge disadvantage there, because, well, he is in Salt Lake City, hello?

Most coaches' selections are based on the players with the best numbers and have little to do with team record, but in reality, it's all pretty much meaningless and based on the first half of a season's play, the MVP's, playoff teams, and everything else of relevance is decided in the second half of the NBA season.

In the past four games, Deron has scored 24, 35, 34, and 34 and all of this has come since his all-star snubbing.

Now you know why I and many of my fellow Jazz fans were as excited as kid on Christmas morning when they snubbed him for the third time.

In February 2008, he did something that only two other guys have been able to do in the history of the league(one of them being Magic Johnson and the other Kevin Johnson), it was scoring 1500 points, 212+ assists, and shooting 50 percent plus for the entire month.

We giddily welcome the snub.

This year our entire organization was snubbed, and we couldn't even get a body in the Rookie-Sophomore game, or worse yet, the D-league All-stars.

Wait, did Big Fes make it?? Ppfff...

And picking Rudy Fernandez over either Ronnie on our team, Price, or Brewer(your choice)in that joke of a sideshow they call the dunk contest, is the biggest snub of all in my opinion.

Aren't we glad Nate and Dwight will make it interesting, Rudy Fernandez? Yikes, that has Chris Anderson written all over it.

But like I always like to say, live and let die. Cest La Vie....If it happens, it was meant to happen and if it doesn't, the universe did not want it.

Could Deron be the best player to never make the All-Star team? At this pace, he could break some kind of record.

We might not have any of our players at all-star weekend, but since we have already had a tough season, this will be a good break for the Jazz. Plus, our overall record has been mediocre up to this point, at best, and I am not surprised.

All I really know is that killer Deron is fully back. That look in his eyes, that gives me the chills, is back, I've said it many times this season.

I see one game and I am convinced that he is back for sure, and then, the next game, it becomes even more apparent.

Can you imagine someone continually outdoing their last performance? That is what I have felt as I've been watching Deron over these past few weeks.

Some players start out hot and make the all-star team, while others take a little while to get warmed up. An all-star snub is the perfect way to light a fire.

He only gets better, every year, as the year goes on. His playoff numbers always exceed his regular season numbers.

It's factual data, he is a superstar, and he doesnt need your all-star sideshow validation, so keep the snubs coming!!

Carlos Boozer and/or Paul Millsap: Jazz Have Enviable Problem at Power Forward

Shan — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 10:24:12 -0500

Utah's situation at the power forward position is a great dilemma to have; not too many teams can boast having two exceptional power forwards to choose from. Utah is equipped with Olympian Carlos Boozer and Paul Millsap, the bonafide overachiever.

For what one lacks, the other makes up for nicely.

It's like looking in your garage and having the problem of choosing between the Mercedes and the Jaguar.

Whatever will you do?

Boozer is the deadly post-meister who, like the Golden State Warriors, plays offense and it shows. He can spin you like a record, go left hand or right at any given time, and his behind-the-dome jumper is almost impossible to defend. While a defensive mindset might elude him on occasion—at times it is simply a matter of timing—he is slow to react in order to competently defend quicker guards and opposing forwards at times.

But he will take your lunch money on the other end.

Millsap is the resident hustler, always putting his body through hell while he smiles that sly hustler grin of his. He blocks shots, has great timing, and plays nasty block-out defense for his stature. Millsap has also added some equally nice footwork this season and a better jumper to his arsenal. He gets his jollies on getting rebounds.

Both are relatively young and have promising careers ahead of them—Millsap is 23 and Boozer is 27.

The power forward position in Utah is absolutely critical to executing the offense in the pick and roll. Karl Malone left some mighty lofty shoes to fill but Millsap and Boozer are falling right into place.

Right into place to get rebounds, that is. Rebounding is the most underrated ability in the game.

Boozer averages 11.7 rebounds this season and in the past ten games Millsap has averaged 10.5.

Rebounding is a very telling statistic, it usually shows which team wants to win more. Thurl Bailey, former Jazz center and one of the current Utah Jazz sportscasters always looks at rebounding at half time to gauge which team is playing harder.

Sometimes a mere rebound can be a momentum builder, both Millsap and Boozer rebound well but Millsap is more of an offensive rebounder while Boozer is a better defensive rebounder.

Utah has missed this defensive rebounding ability Boozer has recently, even though some might want to say Millsap can do it, truthfully, Millsap is undersized and cannot always block out in the lane to give himself a better opportunity to get a defensive rebound like Boozer can with his frame alone.

Offensive boards for the Jazz equal multiple opportunities to score and inability to get defensive rebounds equals more chances for the opponents to score.

Both are important.

But I would venture to say defensive rebounding is more important. This is definitely debatable.

This is one of the reasons that teams like Miami and New Jersey were able to win, too many second chance points, too many chances at redemption for their airball or unsightly brick.

We have missed you Boozer.

Millsap has solidified himself as a deserving starter on any team in the league with his 10th straight double double as a starter in Boozer's absence.

If Boozer was to leave the Jazz, Utah knows they have a solid player to build around in Millsap.

But personally I like the idea of keeping both. While Boozer gets laid out by the quickest guards inside, he can still post up anyone, at any time in All-star fashion and when he decides he has had enough of getting trampled in the lane by whichever shooting guard wants to light us up, Millsap comes in right on schedule and can block two shots in six minutes.

Boozer will miss his 13th consecutive game Saturday against the Orlando Magic.

Hopefully he makes it back soon, but then again, I really don't want to be throwing stuff at my TV again while Booze gets trampled and Milly warms the bench.

It just doesn't seem fair to cut Millsap's minutes so dramatically when Booze comes back, which is what will most definitely happen.

Booze is a minutes player as we all saw in the Olympics, he needs many minutes to produce and Millsap is more productive in short spurts.

The best scenario is to keep both for the long haul but I doubt Millsap will be satisfied being Boozer's backup for his career.

Either way, whatever happens, if Boozer leaves and Millsap stays or if Boozer stays and Millsap leaves, Utah is in a good position at the power forward spot.

Jekyll and Hyde Utah Jazz: You Gotta Love It Baby

Shan — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 20:48:49 -0500

One night after the first ever off the backboard dunk ever seen in Utah, and probably the last, one night after a stunning offensive third quarter in which the Jazz scored 44 points and appeared utterly elite, Devin Harris and the Nets came into Utah determined to squash every bit of confidence Utah gained in the previous two games.

And the Jazz obliged-what a difference 24 hours can make in the always fickle NBA.

Not only did Devin Harris have that look in his eyes usually reserved for DWill but the Jazz also missed many easy shots. New Jersey on the other hand made all the tough jumpers and the long threes and got the crucial rebounds to seal the game, they outplayed Utah at their own game, the hustle one, and for the first time in a long time, the home Jazz resembled the road Jazz-at home.

I know it's confusing.

The Jekyll and Hyde characteristic the Jazz continue to display is one of the most frustrating things to see, one night on top of the world all glittery, the next completely owned with their tails tucked between their legs. But I keep coming back for more punishment.

Don't ask me why.

Despite not being able to stay in front of Devin on any possession and still not having that explosion we have all come to know him for, the recently injured Deron still played as many minutes as he could muster and he did all of this at 80% or less. But...

This game and the other games he has started in make me wonder if he will ever be that same DWill who crosses on foes and stays on his toes invoking fear in the eyes of opponents?

I know he is not completely healed yet but I keep reminiscing of him dunking on seven footer domes and I start to get antsy, I'm sorry DWill but like Jay said; "I got no patience and I hate waitin".

Im an instant gratification kind of girl.

One thing is for certain Devin was never frightened, he was actually the one scaring people.

Devin has a history of playing well against Deron, I think many point guards really want to play well against him just because he has been anointed as one of the best in the game. Just a theory of mine.

Was this game against New Jersey just a fluke??

A 17 point home blowout fluke it was.

The Jazz allowed the Nets to yuck em Laker game 6 style, with no compassion.

After all, last season Utah only lost four games at home and this season they are already on pace to lose eight. Utah's home-court advantage is their bread and butter and the biggest reason for why Utah won 54 games last season.

Losing two home games in one week is very uncharacteristic of the Jazz.

Could it be the despicable fans at the arena who began to boo the injury ridden Jazz in the third quarter when they weren't continually putting on a dunkfest??

Your guess is as good as mine.

But one thing is for sure, you can bet all your dough that I will definitely tune in to see if the Jazz can awaken themselves from their self pity on Tuesday in Sacramento at Arco, a place they have not won at for who knows how long.

The real question is which side will come out? The Jekyll or the Hyde, hopefully its the Jekyll, I think that is the friendly one.

I suppose I'm just a glutton for punishment, I should call them "the punishers," considering all they the pain they put their up and down emotional rollercoaster riders called fans through, but Ill keep watching even if it is with one eye open while I clench my heart.

Paul Millsap: Every Game I'm Hustlin'

Shan — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 16:05:06 -0500

Optimism.

Many people have told me this is one of my best characteristics. I agree, there is no way would I have been a Jazz fan this long without it.

The Jazz just wrapped up a 5 game east coast road trip in which they finished with a 1-4 record. The Jazz have suffered many misfortunes so far this season; they still have not had a complete starting lineup but I keep telling myself, they will get it together, they have to.....

There is that pesky optimism again.

Sometimes I hate it.

If there were any silver linings on the dark gloomy clouds that followed the short-handed Jazz from city to city, it was the continued hustle and determination through adversity coming from the Jazz bench, headlined by Paul Millsap.

Paul never gives up and unlike Boozer, Millsap always plays defense.

Millsap gets off on blocking shots and getting rebounds, this is exactly what Sloan wants him to do. But Millsap does much more, he brings this crazy energy off the bench, he plays every game like it is his last and he is a beast around the rim but he still doesn't get paid a million per year.

Yes, thats right. Millsap makes less than 1 million per year.

Probably one of the biggest travesties in the NBA.

Even on the brink of defeat on foreign soil, a band aid under his left eye from the last game and a bloody lip from this game, and a ligament short of falling apart, in essence, he still has enough heart to dive for the ball, falling out of bounds, or jump over two bodies to secure the rebound, after all of that Millsap doesn't head to the bench like most would, he nails two free throws.

But the Jazz still lose this game. At times it looks like Millsap is doing it all by himself.

Paul Millsap, Carl Landry, Leon Powe, Brandon Bass. They all have a couple of things in common.

They all come off the bench to provide that defensive spark, they all are somewhat undersized at their position considering how beastily they play and they are all hustlers for their respective teams at a fraction of the cost. You cant beat the value they bring.

With Millsap, pound for pound, being the most valuable for the price tag.

Millsap is much more than just a bonafied hustler, he has some major moves around the basket and has worked on his jumper this season, he just keeps getting better and better.

So what happens when Millsap does get his dough??

Would he still be that hustler Jazz fans have grown to love?

Still to be determined.

But one would bet that either the Jazz or some other team will offer him much more than what he gets paid now.

The Jazz bench is full of hustlers. Those players who do all the blue-collar gritty grinding that must take place in order to compete on the road.

Some of the Jazz' staple hustlers like Matt Harpring are also injured and have not played much this season but like I said the Jazz bench is plentiful with bangers.

They dont mind getting a black eye if it means Jazz possession.

Who says there aren't any hustlers in Utah???

Ronnie Brewer: The Most Unknown Dunkmaster

Shan — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 21:26:03 -0400

My mom says, "He can jump out of the building." She is probably right, although I think most would prefer he stay within the confines of Energy Solutions Arena.

Ronnie became a starter on the Utah Jazz at the shooting guard position during the 2007-2008 season. It was just his second year in the league and he has not relinquished this starting job since, even with the New Year's Eve addition of sharp shooter and fan favorite Kyle Korver.

Ronnie is absolutely one of the most athletic ballers in the league. Unfortunately, since he plays for the Jazz in small-market Utah many people still don't know he had more dunks than LeBron James last season.

Ronnie Brewer had the highest field goal percentage among shooting guards last season at 56 percent. This is largely because most of his shots come from dunks or layups. His slashing ability rivals that of Rip Hamilton, and he moves brilliantly without the ball.

Add that to the fact that he plays alongside Deron Williams, arguably the best ball distributor in the league. It's no wonder this tandem translates into several fancy alley-oops and fast-break dunks per game.

Brewer definitely does benefit from Deron's court vision, but this is no knock on his ability to see the pass before it happens and connect. After that, like Craig Bolerjack says, "Exclamation point!"

Ronnie's dunking abilities may have gone largely unnoticed, but his defensive skills and maturity as a player from his rookie season to his sophomore was substantial. There was no sophomore slump—more like a sophomore jump.

Ronnie averaged nearly two steals per game last year at 1.7. His athleticism also enables him to stay in front of most players. But since he is also guarding the Kobes and TMacs of the league most times, he has his work cut out for him.

I, like many Jazz fans, saw Kobe run by Brewer repeatedly in last year's playoffs. But this wasn't due to lack of effort; it's Kobe freakin' Bryant.

Fortunately, Brewer has bulked up in the offseason and put on around 15 pounds of pure muscle. He says it is to help him defend those dangerous players on other teams that usually play the shooting guard position and have on occasion torched the Jazz.

Think Micheal Redd, Gilbert Arenas, Tracy McGrady, and of course Mr. Bryant. All of them have had 40+ point games against the Jazz, some on several occasions.

The Jazz played the Lakers and won yesterday in Anaheim in the first preseason meeting for both teams on Oct. 7, 2008. Ronnie had six dunks and his vertical looks like it has improved, if that is even humanly possible. The added muscle does not appear to have diminished his speed or athleticism at all.

At the recent preseason scrimmage at Energy Solutions Arena my friend posed a question. "When are you going to be in the dunk contest?" Ronnie replied, "As soon as they let me."

2009 slam dunk contestant? He certainly has the necessary goods.

The Utah Jazz Need More Than Just Offense To Advance Through Playoffs

Shan — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 21:49:25 -0400

The Utah Jazz will open their preseason on October 7th against an all too familiar opponent: The Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers and Kobe took the Jazz out of contention in the second round of the 2008 playoffs. As Williams threw up one last desperate shot in an attempt to tie the game and force overtime in game six in Utah, his shot was just short and a little to the left. That one shot left a bad taste in the mouth's of Utah fan's which has lasted throughout a rather quick summer.

Another season where the Utah Jazz came up short in the post-season....another all too familiar taste....

Even though this game is just the pre-season opener and a game that has virtually zero implications, expect the usual chip on Deron Williams shoulder to be securely attached and in plain sight. His emergence as one of the top point guards in the league over the past two seasons has given this Jazz squad legitimacy in this increasingly competitive arena of talent we call the Western conference, and by most accounts the west side will remain the best side when it comes to competitive teams with great players and winning records.

The Utah Jazz were one of the best offensive teams in the league last season- consistently ranking among the top five in assists, field goal percentage and points scored.

Unfortunately several unnecessary lapses on defense from Utah against LA in the second round made them appear as soft as Charmin at times and contributed to Utah being booted out much too soon....as a Jazz fan it was difficult to digest. If only Utah could transfer some of their offensive brilliance to a new found defensive focus, a true contender will be born. The tools we need are there, the Jazz have some of the most underrated defensive players in the league on their team in Milsap, Harpring and AK but there is like alot of people say: "something missing" from this squad.

I would say it is a defensive focus and communication on every single possession. Some agree the Jazz need another low post defender of which Boozer was not, well at least not against LA, but it is unfair to blame it all on one player like many people do with Boozer, this is, after all, a team game despite how individualistic it appears to be at times.

The truth is Utah needs to let defense take precedence over offense, this is what gets teams past that 'solid' or 'decent' team status in the league. October 7th is an early chance to see if we are ready to bang with our biggest competition in these early days on the edge of 2008-2009 season both offensively and defensively.

If only Utah could execute defense as deadly as it does offense, the Jazz would easily slice and dice their way through any playoff series, including one in California.

The Lakers and their fans seem convinced that they will no doubt be right back where they were last season, in the finals—anything short of this will be considered a failure. With the addition of the young center, Andrew Bynum, the Lakers and Laker fans are warranted in their beliefs.

The Jazz on the other hand have not made any major changes and have not added any defensive prowess. With all of the Yao's and Bynum's and Oden's on the horizon, a defensive presence in the post will be necessary to compete in the west and make it out of the wild west shootout still standing.

Sometimes a chip on the shoulder is just not enough....

While this Utah team is equipped with two olympians and some of the best young talent in the league today it will take more than just alot of talent, a high field goal percentage and a dominant homecourt to reach the mountaintop.

Defense wins championships, not offensive execution.