Utah Jazz: Reason For Optimism

In late January the health of Jazz owner Larry Miller was declining rapidly.  Mr. Miller had been suffering from type 2 diabetes for some time.  It was decided that a partial amputation of both legs was necessary. 

The Jazz rallied around their owner, playing with a determination they hadn’t shown all season.  In February they lost just once.  Sadly, on Feb. 20, Larry Miller passed away.  But the team carried the rally cry forward and over the last 20 games the Jazz have been playing as well as any team in the league. 

They are 16-4, matching the Cavs, who are also 16-4 over their last 20 games.  By way of comparison, the Lakers are 15-5, the Spurs are 13-7, and the Celtics are just 11-9 over that same period. 

Adding to the impressiveness of this latest run and the near perfect February record, is the fact that Carlos Boozer missed the first eight games of February and has missed 9 games out of the last 20. 

In fact, Boozer missed 45 games so far this season.  It would be quite an accomplishment by any team to match what the Jazz have done to this point while missing their star power forward and leading scorer. 

Add to this the fact that star point guard Deron Williams missed 13 games early in the season, and the accomplishments of the Jazz stand out even more.  After his return early in the season, Williams has been a rock for the club.  Double-doubles have almost become the norm for him as he has shown great leadership and drive.

Also, the strong play of Paul Millsap and Mehmet Okur, during Boozer’s long absence, can’t be overstated.  And it would be amiss to forget the steadying influence of Coach Jerry Sloan. Coach Sloan’s consistency has become so commonplace, that it’s easy to overlook what he continues to get out of his team game after game and year after year.

At this point the Jazz are in seventh place in the Western Conference. But, with the conference being bunched up once again, the Jazz are only two games out of the third spot.  

The season is now in its final stretch toward the playoffs. The difficulties they’ve faced this year, with Larry Miller’s passing, and the lengthy loss of Boozer, have caused the Jazz to come together as a team, perhaps better than they have since the Stockton-to-Malone show took it’s final curtain call. 

And with the entire Jazz team showing how badly they want to make their late owner proud, coupled with the return of a healthy Carlos Boozer, there are definite reasons to be optimistic.