FIO Preview: Utah Jazz

2008-2009 Utah Jazz season preview and fantasy impact, courtesy of Fantasy Insider Online. Read the team preview here in the Yard, and then visit the FIO link for the rest. - Zach Harper Last Season Recap: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly During the 2007-2008 season, the Utah Jazz not only destroyed any idea that they were a flash in the pan success, they also cemented their spot as one of the top six teams in the league. The Jazz won 54 games for the first time since the 1999-2000 season and scored just over 106 points per game, which was good for fourth in the league. They secured the Northwest Division title for the second straight year and made it into the second round of the playoffs. It took them six games to dispatch the Houston Rockets after taking seven games the previous year as they formed a mini-rivalry. But in the second round, they fell to a more talented team in the Los Angeles Lakers. They simply couldn't play defense as they allowed 110 points per game and went fishing earlier than they had planned. Deron Williams legitimized his place as a Top 3 point guard in this league. He had career-highs in field goal shooting, free throw shooting, assists, steals, blocks, and scoring. As good as Chris Paul was, Deron Williams was almost equally as good for his own team. He made the perfect complement to Carlos Boozer, who may have had his best season as a pro. He was able to score more effectively on the block and played stellar defense. He was a viable MVP candidate for most of the season. Ronnie Brewer provided the perfect complement in the frontcourt for Carlos Boozer. He provided a great outside presence to help stretch the defense as he hit 114 three-pointers, a team-high. But the key to the season was a mid-season trade for Kyle Korver. They traded away an upset Gordan Giricek for one of the best outside shooters in the game. He gave Utah the perfect weapon for their team off the bench and they went 38-12 after the deal. What went wrong for this team was that they were bad defensively all season long. Even as athletic as Andrei Kirilenko and Ronnie Brewer were on defense, they couldn't stop anybody in the paint. They actually weren't terrible for most of the regular season, but as the year progressed and we got closer to the playoffs, Deron Williams' defense really began to slip. The Jazz never found a great backup for Williams, and the Jason Hart/Ronnie Price combo was never good enough to spell him. They also suffered at the backup center position as they transitioned from the debacle of Jarron Collins toward the long-term project for Kyrylo Fesenko. In the end, they couldn't stop the Lakers because of that lack of team defense and depth at key positions. The Jazz were vying for a second straight trip to the Western Conference Finals, but instead went home early. 2008 Draft Impact (Very Low) The Utah Jazz needed to shore-up their frontcourt, especially at the center position, and decided to take a project player in Kosta Koufos from Ohio State. Koufos has a lot of scoring ability and some decent talent. However, he came out after his freshman year and still is extremely raw on all ends of the floor. He's also a safety precaution in case Mehmet Okur leaves in free agency in two years. Koufos is definitely their plan for the center of the future but is completely incapable of contributing now. He'll probably spend quite a bit of time in the D-League as he battles Kyrylo Fesenko for minutes and scoring opportunities. The Jazz also drafted two foreign players in the second round who will take a few years to join the NBA. Ante Tomic is a center from Croatia who played very well in multiple European leagues throughout his formative years. He's a solid offensive threat and a decent rebounder. Tadija Dragicevic, a power forward from Serbia, joined him in the second round. He's a good offensive player who will be a complete liability on the defensive end. He doesn't rebound well and may be better used as a small forward in the NBA. But neither player will be a factor for the next half-decade. Off-Season Impact Moves The Jazz only made two moves this offseason and both were somewhat significant. They matched the Oklahoma City Thunder's offer sheet to C.J. Miles, who is just dying to leave Salt Lake City. It's a significant move because the Jazz are stock-piling wing players to supplant the older players they've utilized over the past few years. They got rid of Gordan Giricek last season for Kyle Korver and will now see if Miles or second-year player Morris Almond will be the backup shooting guard. The other move they made was to solve their issue with the backup point guard. They traded away Jason Hart to the Los Angeles Clippers for Brevin Knight. This was a brilliant move by the front office to give Deron Williams a legitimate backup. Knight is more than capable as he's one of the most underrated distributors and ballhawks in the league. He's joining his ninth team in 12 seasons, but his Per 36-Minute averages for his career are 9.0 assists and 2.4 steals. Williams should be much more rested going into the playoffs this year. Preview for the 2008-2009 Season Team MVP: Deron Williams, PG - This team will only go as far as Deron Williams goes. In their 54 wins last year, Williams averaged 11.4 assists per game, and shot 52% from the field and 42% from three-point range. In their 28 losses, Williams averaged just 8.8 assists, and shot 47% from the field and 35% from the three-point range. When Deron Williams is on his game, this team is nearly impossible to beat. Breakout Player: Morris Almond, SG - Morris Almond is a legend in the Developmental League. He scored over 50 points in a game twice toward the end of the NBDL season and finished with a 25.6 points per game scoring average. This year, he's primed to take over as the backup shooting guard, and if he can play some defense, he might even find himself in the starting lineup soon enough. This should be a big season for Morris. Bust Player: Matt Harpring, SF - Matt Harpring's knees have been about as reliable as NBA officiating. He has seen a steady decline in his minutes over the past five seasons as he's seen his time on the court go from 36.6 minutes down to 18.1 minutes per game. He's a gamer and still comes out to play (he's only missed 26 games over the past four seasons), but he's becoming more of a role player than a Sixth Man weapon for the Jazz. With young players like Ronnie Brewer, Kyle Korver, Morris Almond, and C.J. Miles pining for a bigger role, Harpring should see an even steeper decline in his every-game minutes. Playoff Contender or Pretender? This team is definitely a contender. They have as good a shot as any team in this league to win the NBA championship this year. It will be as dependent on their main role players (Knight, Korver, Brewer, Kirilenko) as it will be on Williams, Boozer, and Okur. Boston showed that it takes a complete team effort over individual effort to win the title, and the Jazz have a nearly complete team. Andrei Kirilenko and Ronnie Brewer will have to wreak havoc on the defensive end during the playoffs for the Jazz to move toward hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy.