2008 Utah Jazz Preview & Predictions
There is a lot of excitement surrounding the Utah Jazz basketball team for the 2008-09 season. This team didn’t lose hardly anyone off of the team that won 54 games and went to the Western Conference semifinals a year ago. The team has two stars in forward Carlos Boozer and guard Deron Williams while the Jazz are surrounded by a solid supporting cast. After winning two straight Northwest Division crowns this team is hoping to make it over the hump and get to the NBA Finals. Utah is a -300 favorite to win the Northwest Division in 2008-09.
Boozer keeps getting better and better, and with the option to become a free agent at the end of the year, you can probably expect big things out of him once again. Last season saw him put up 21 points and 10.4 rebound per game. He runs the floor well for a big guy and can move around down low and seems to have taken over the role that used to belong to Karl Malone. Andrei Kirilenko has moved outside and isn’t quite as quick as the other small forwards in the league, but is still a solid defender who can score and rebound. Mehmet Okur stretches the defenses with his ability to hit the outside shot. He grabbed 7.7 rebounds while scoring 14.5 points per game last year. The Jazz are 7-to-1 favorites to win the Western Conference.
Williams is one of the top two point guards in the league and runs the pick-and-roll offense as good as John Stockton once did. He’s coming off a season in which he dished out 10.5 assists while scoring 18.8 points per game. He can hit the outside shot, is a great passer, and can run the fast break as well as anyone. Ronnie Brewer plays tough defense and can hit an open shot if he needs to, but isn’t going to be a real big force on the offensive end of the floor. Utah is a 12-to-1 favorite to win the NBA Finals.
When the team needs a shooter of the bench they have one of the best in Kyle Korver. The problem with Korver is that if he’s having an off-night then he doesn’t really contribute anywhere else. Brevin Knight was brought over from the Clippers to give Williams a few minutes off here and there.
Matt Harpring is having some health problems after getting an infection suffered after having surgery to remove some bone spurs from his foot. He might miss quite a bit of time which leaves the Jazz without their tough, hustle guy coming off the bench. Paul Millsap and CJ Miles provide some added depth, with Miles most likely seeing an increase off the 10 minutes a game he had a year ago. At center the team has both Jarron Collins and rookie Kosta Koufos to back Okur. The over/under season win totals for the Jazz has been set at 51.5.
Final Analysis
It’s tough not to like the Utah Jazz’s chances when making our NBA predictions. They play great a hot but need to do a better job of winning on the opponent’s floor. This team could be ready to continue this season with the LA Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, and New Orleans Hornets, but I feel like they could be just a little bit behind that group.
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