Jimmer Fredette or Utah Jazz? NBA Fans in Utah Are Split

For the first time in his short NBA career, Sacramento Kings rookie Jimmer Fredette will return to Utah to play a regular-season game against the Utah Jazz.

While the once-stronger rivalry between these two teams has long since cooled off, Fredette's return is one of the most highly anticipated games of the entire season for many fans in Utah.

Already a celebrity in the state of Utah for his college career at Brigham Young University where he became the Naismith College Player of the Year last season, Jimmer, as he is known by only his first name, will split the Jazz fanbase in Utah for at least one game. 

Never before has this fanbase been so excited to see a rookie from another NBA team who attended college in the state of Utah.

Not since Andrew Bogut, Keith Van Horn and Andre Miller, all heroes at the University of Utah, came back to play have Jazz fans been excited about a rookie's return. 

The excitement for those players, however, was not nearly at the same level as the Jimmermania that occurred last season, which is still alive and well. 

When the two teams meet on the court, it is expected that a large percentage of loyal Jazz fans will have a split allegiance between the Jazz and the Jimmer. 

It is not crazy to think that there will be more Jimmer jerseys in the stands than Jazz jerseys and he will receive a louder welcome than anyone from the hometown team. 

This topic came up recently on the Utah local sports talk radio station 97.5 The Zone and the feeling from the fans that responded was that many would root for Jimmer over their own team. 

Jimmer's return to Utah is similar to the hype that Tim Tebow had when he and the Denver Broncos played against the Miami Dolphins early last season. That was, however, before Tebow's popularity took off nationwide.

So what do you think Jazz fans? Are you excited for Jimmer to return? Will he get a better reception than the Jazz, and which side of this issue do you fall on?

Would you be willing to sacrifice a Jazz win to see Jimmer play well?

Leave your thoughts and let me know what you think.