Mister Hollinger agrees with my prediction...
11. Utah Jazz (27-39)
Long-term, I love what the Jazz are doing. Love it, love it, love it. This team is my early favorite to be my go-to late-night League Pass fix.
Here's why: The Jazz are set up to become a major force about three seasons from now. Nobody has caught on to this nationally, but they're positioning themselves to be the next Oklahoma City. Utah has four lottery picks from the past two drafts -- Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, Gordon Hayward and Alec Burks -- and are likely to have two more (their own and Golden State's) in the 2012 draft. That six-man group will give the Jazz a five-year window to win big in the middle of the decade.
Alas, they're a giant question mark in the interim. Al Jefferson, Devin Harris, Paul Millsap and C.J. Miles are all potent offensively and suspect defensively, although Harris is redeemable. One of the best defensive players in the league when he was in Dallas, Harris has slacked off since then.
Utah went off the rails with that group last season. It's hard to remember now, but the Jazz were once 14 games over .500. With the departures of Jerry Sloan and Deron Williams marking a shift in direction, they had the biggest first- to second-half decline in NBA history, going from 27-14 at the break to 12-29 afterward. In particular, the defense fell off -- the Jazz finished 23rd after ranking in the top 10 early -- and while some events were beyond his control, head coach Tyrone Corbin needs to prove he can motivate his troops to play halfway decent defense.
Utah also has some short-term options. I have to think they'll shop Mehmet Okur at the trade deadline since he's a fifth wheel in the frontcourt rotation and owns an expiring contract; Jefferson, Millsap and Harris all expire in 2013 and also could come into play.
That won't help them this season, obviously, and I think the kids are going to take their lumps. But get your shots in on the Jazz while you can, because in a few seasons they'll be back with a vengeance.
