Jazz, the Utah Jazz

Another beautiful season of NBA basketball has begun! I love basketball, it is just one of those sports that I hold dear because I just love it. Playing it, watching it, being a fan of it, it's simply amazing. I love to go to the Jazz games every chance I get, and also Utah games are fun. But this post is for the Jazz. They are my team, ever since the days of Hornacek, Malone, and Stockton. You see those guys play and you have to love them and I did. The love just continued on on here I am a Jazz fan still. Today it's not Stockton to Malone, or Hornacek for three, it's a little different..........

We got Deron Williams-One of the best point guards in the league. In only a few short seasons D-Will has established himself as a force to be reckoned with. He averaged a double double last year, and led the Jazz to the Western Conference finals. He has patented his hard drive jumping floater in the lane. Last night with opening night he was back to his usual stuff with 24 points and eight assists. Deron Williams will continue to establish himself and become the best point guard in the league.

Next we have CARLOS BOOZER-Did you just see that finesse? Or how about that left handed dunk? Well it came from my man Carlos Boozer. Carlos is filling the shoes of the mailman Karl Malone. Boozer is filling in quite nicely I say though. With points left and right, amazing passes, and such a nice shot, Carlos is on of my favorite players. Coming out of Duke, and interesting fact about Carlos is that when he was younger his dad made him eat his cereal with his left hand to improve coordination. Cool huh, all I have to say is that if I ever see Carlos' dad I will just go up and say thank you.

The rookie Ronnie Brewer-Now let me tell you something about something. When I heard this season that Ronnie Brewer was going to be taking the reins of our two guard after last years departure of Derek Fisher I was a little nervous. Ronnie Brewer untested, and unseasoned. We needed leadership and stability. Little did I know however that we already had all that. What was I worried about Ronnie Brewer has stepped in nicely. With an average16 points in the pre-season and 6 steals we knew we had someone special. Last night he proved that18 points 8 assists and 4 steals, and most of his points coming on cutting dunks that were huge momentum swingers he was so fun to watch. I guess what they say, Patience is a virtue, is really true. it's been a long time coming for Ronnie Brewer but boy was he worth the wait.

Our 3 point shooting center Mehmet Okur-Mehmet Okur can do it all. He plays inside and out. Shoots the 3 ball and stuffs Yao all in the same game. Mehmet can really step up when needed and we will need him this year. We were one of the poorest three point shooting teams in the league last year and we will need his touch this year.

Last but not least Andrei Kirilenko-Now there has been a lot of turmoil surrounding Kirilenko this off season, starting with him crying last year in the playoffs and then him thinking about vacation plans, and people questioning his commitment. Well I would have to say that all this stuff has been a distraction. About the crying, there is no crying here and no room for it so i'm glad he only did it once and he better not do it again. For vacation Eric Degan said it best, Kirilenko got a little homesick, he went home played huge in Russia winning the player of the tournament award, the MVP, if you will and was a little worried about coming back here. Well he's back and playing so don't worry about that. The commitment issue well I think that Kirilenko just forgot his role. We don't need him to score 20 points a night, just having him do what he does best is what we need. Blocks, steals, assists, and most importantly DEFENSE! He can be our best defender if he puts his mind to it and I think he will. I have always been a big fan of Kirilenko and will continue to be a fan. Especially after last night when we saw the old Kirilenko back. There was no crying and no questions about his commitment he was home and played like it with a stat sheet to prove. 8 assists, 9 points, 9 rebounds, 5 blocks and 4 steals. Nearly the 5x5 again. That's the Kirilenko we know and I think he'll be back this season stronger than ever. We built this team around him and he's here to play.

As for my sixth man I can't name just one there's to many so heres a list Paul Millsap, Matt Harpring, Gordon Giricek, and CJ Miles-Paul Millsap is my boy. He's huge and plays even bigger than he is. He is definitely my hustle player of the year. He makes the tough plays diving on the floor, just to get the ball and call timeout. Offensive rebounds, putbacks, defense on anyone. Paul Millsap was the steal of the draft a few years ago and he's so awesome. He's one of our best players hands down.
Matt Harpring is tougher than a bed of nails. Whenever you look at him he's down low battling or coming off screens. One of my favorite moves of his is his curl around a screen quick pass and he shoots. Hits it so often and so routinely. He's probably one of the toughest guys to defend. You can't hope to stop him, only hope to contain him.
Gordon! Gordon is our kick out guy. Him and Mehmet, we'll need him just as bad as we'll need Mehmet for our threes. He's backing up Ronnie this year which means DEFENSE also. He'll be put on the Ray Allen's, and Tracy McGradys. He will have tough assignments all year and we need him to step up.
Lastly CJ miles. CJ is another young'n. Coming out of the developmental leagues I think he will have a bigger role to play this year than we think. He can't come out as a dud anymore we need him to perform. And don't worry I think he will.

The Jazz have such a good team this year and I hope that we can keep up this intensity. After last nights performance which we won 117-96 against Golden State I am not too worried. The West is a tough Conference as usual and we'll have to watch out for the Denver Nuggets this year in our division. But I think we have it. My prediction? Well if I had to make a prediction I would say that while i'm on my mission the Jazz will win the NBA finals. Oh and another thing to point out last night we had 2 guys last night with a double double and 3 more with only one or two things away. Can you say team work? The Jazz are awesome and I can't wait to see more of them this year!

GO JAZZ!