The 2010-2011 NBA regular season cannot begin soon enough for me. I hardly know what to do with myself during the four-month gap between the NBA Finals and the beginning of the new season. I'm always fascinated by the Utah Jazz, but this season in particular, after such a major roster overhaul (bye-bye Boozer/Korver/Matthews, hello Jefferson/Hayward/Bell), there are so many juicy storylines to follow.
I watched all of the preseason games that were televised and have been really excited by what I've seen, although I'm not putting too much stock in an undefeated preseason - after all, the lowly Memphis Grizzlies were undefeated too. Nevertheless, I saw plenty of promising things in the preseason, such as the sight of Al Jefferson going straight at Pau Gasol without hesitation. After three consecutive playoffs exits resulting from the Jazz getting steamrolled by the three seven-footers on the Lakers' front line, I was pretty stoked about having a player big and strong enough to push back against Gasol, Odom, and Bynum.
Another thing I'm really looking forward to - being a Jazz fan in the Pacific Time Zone. Being a Jazz fan in the Eastern Time Zone is a rough gig. Their nationally televised games usually have a 10:30 ET start time, so you're likely not getting to bed before 1:00 am (especially if you're like me and you like to hear every word that Ernie, Kenny the Jet, and Charles Barkley have to say about the Jazz on the postgame show).
And my favorite off-court Jazz subplot: Will Kirilenko ever find a haircut that works for him? The quest continues this year with the look in the upper left corner:
So, if there are any other Jazz fans out there, what do you think about the Jazz heading into the new season? Which storylines (i.e. "How will the Deron and Big Al tandem work out?" "Will new lottery pick Gordon Hayward contribute anything?" "When's Memo coming back?" "Will the Jerry Sloan darling Jeremy Evans be the latest overlooked Jazz rookie have a breakout season, à la Paul Millsap or Wesley Matthews?" etc.) intrigue you? Leave a comment!
1 comment:
I feel silly posting on a topic I know very little about. With that said, I'm excited to have a fresh start with the Jazz. I think Boozer did some great things, but he always seemed to come up a little short. In my opinion, he was a great player, but not a great closer. He didn't seem to have that extra gear that some players kick in at the end of games to seal the win. Anyway, we've kept our best player in Williams, and we've got a promising new cast. What could be more exciting?!
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