Jazz: What Now?

看板UTAH-JAZZ (猶他爵士)作者RonnieBrewer (Reverse Layup)時間19年前 (2007/07/23 12:17)推噓3(3推 0噓 3→)

留言6則, 5人參與討論串1/1

Jazz: What Now? By Travis Heath for HOOPSWORLD.com Jul 18, 2007, 13:24 The Utah Jazz lost point guard Derek Fisher to the Los Angeles Lakers during free agency. Of course, this was not the way a team traditionally loses a player. The Jazz organization exhibited the utmost amount of class when they granted Fisher his release so he could move to a city where his daughter Tatum could get the best medical care possible. As it turned out, that city was Los Angeles. While the Jazz unequivocally did the right thing by assisting Fisher in putting family before basketball, not having D-Fish on the squad next season will be a tremendous hit. While many people frequently mentioned the intangibles Fisher brought to the table -- and rightfully so -- it's his production and versatility which will be missed most next season. When head coach Jerry Sloan had some trepidation about starting some of the younger shooting guards on the roster, he simply moved Fisher to the two-guard where he started most of last season. With that luxury gone, Sloan will have no choice but to lean on one of his youngsters this season. That's assuming, of course, he doesn't view Gordan Giricek as the answer. And since he hasn't viewed Giricek as the answer up to this point, why should anyone believe that will all of a sudden happen in 2007-08? Further complicating matters is the fact Morris Peterson decided to sign with the New Orleans Hornets instead of the Jazz. It's not like Utah has been completely quiet this offseason as they recently signed career journeyman point guard Jason Hart, but will he be enough to fill the void left by Fisher after the team's inability to sign Peterson? The Jazz will have their major pieces returning next season, and that's no small matter. Still, when the playoffs role around, it's often veteran role players like Fisher who tend to have the biggest impact at the most crucial times. Of course, the offseason will continue for the next couple of months, so it's not like Utah won't have the opportunity to make something happen. It's just that when you scour the free agent marketplace there just aren't a whole lot of options left that would help fill Utah's needs. A trade is always a possibility, but the players Utah is willing to move -- think Jarron Collins and Giricek -- likely won't bring back a whole lot of value in return. What this means is the Jazz may not be able to make another big change to the roster between now and when training camp kicks-off in October. The question is whether or not the roster they have now is enough to help Utah make another run to the Western Conference Finals or beyond. And while you might be tempted to say no big deal, ask yourself this: would you have traded Derek Fisher straight up for Jason Hart at any point last season? Didn't think so. The Jazz are simply not as good right now as they were last May. And unless they can make a trade or C.J. Miles (assuming the Jazz match any offer sheet he gets), Ronnie Brewer, or Morris Almond can have a true breakout season, an encore performance of last season's brilliance will be hard to attain. http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_22810.shtml -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 219.135.156.177