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UTAH JAZZ 2007-2008 SEASON ANALYSIS
The Utah Jazz, for all of you NBA newbies, is most definitely not a collection of musicians! They are actually a compilation some of the most disciplined basketball players in the League. Not because each player values self-discipline; it is the product of their experienced director, Head Coach Jerry Sloan. Sloan is the no-nonsense, hard-nosed, “play defense like your life depends on it”, and “don’t you dare take a bad shot” type. As far as coaches are concerned, Mr. Sloan is somewhat of a legend and thus carries great power in the Jazz organization. His impossible to ignore, in your face tirades send chills down the spines of even his most accomplished players. He has seen it all. For example, Sloan coached the Jazz when Michael Jordan single-handedly canceled out the powerful performance of Hall of Famers John Stockton and Karl Malone with his mind-boggling greatness on his way to the championship. Let’s just say that the current Jazz team is the dark horse in the 2008 NBA Playoffs. UTAH JAZZ -- TOP 3 PLAYERS1. Carlos Boozer — 21.1 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.2 spg, .5 bpg, 54.7% (FG%), 34.9 mpg
Whenever people are exposed to Booze, their heads begin to spin, and they sometimes even need to pay a visit to the john. No, I am not talking about the alcoholic beverage! I’m talking about power forward Carlos Boozer of the Utah Jazz. He bangs so hard in the paint that he leaves his opponents disoriented and often feeling sick to their stomach. They quickly learn that Booze in heavy doses can be lethal.
2. Deron Williams – 18.8 ppg, 3 rpg, 10.5 apg, 1.1 spg, 80.3% (FT%), 39.5% (3p%), 50.7% (FG%), 37.3 mpg
Besides Chris Paul, Deron Williams is the most gifted young point guard in the NBA. His ballhandling is topnotch; it appears that he has the ball on a string. He also takes advantage of his heighth and bulk by powering through the defense and rolling the ball into the hoop. Williams repeatedly posts up his smaller defender and runs the offense from the block as well as the top of the key. If there is a point guard that will make Jazz fans forget John Stockton, it’s Deron Williams.
3. Mehmet Okur– 14.5 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 2 apg, .8 spg, .4 bpg, 80.4% (FT%), 38.8% (3p%), 44.5% (FG%), 33.2 mpg
Mehmet Okur is a sizzling shooter. He loves to send in shots from all over the court. He sounds like a fantastic shooting guard; doesn’t he? In reality, Okur is a 6’11” post; he breaks the mold of the average NBA big man with his playing style. He is very similar to NBA M.V.P. Dirk Nowitzki in terms of his shooting habits and knack for knocking down three-pointers.
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