Hooped Up

A team-by-team preview of all 30 NBA teams heading into the 2008 - 2009 season, Hooped Up style.  

Utah Jazz
The Jazz did little to bolster their line up and they really didn’t need to anyway. Deron Williams is one of the best point guards in the league, Carlos Boozer is a legit 20 - 10 guy, Mehmet Okur is a center with range and rebounds and Ronnie Brewer is a mid range sniper.  This Jazz squad is so good they can afford to start CJ Miles over defensive wiz Andrei Kirilenko and that’s pretty good.

Every year it’s close in the west, do the Jazz have what it takes to separate from the pack?

Projected Starters: PG - Deron Wiliams / SG - Ronnie Brewer / SF - CJ Miles / PF - Carlos Boozer / C - Mehmet Okur

Additions: Kosta Koufas, Ante Tomic, Tadija Dragicevic, Brevin Knight

Losses: Jason Hart

Projected Wins: 55+

Team Theme Song:  The Roots - What They Do
Jerry Sloan has been the coach of the Utah Jazz for the last 20 years, and has had only one losing season. Let this group do what they do.

Overall
AK47 will probably get his starting job back, Ronnie Price will get some quality minutes as Deron Williams works himself back into the line up, Jarron Collins will not drive a golf cart anywhere unlike his brother, and Kyle Korver will continue to be deadly from long range. This team will flirt with the best record  in the west and probably in the league.  For the system Sloan runs, he could not have asked for a more perfect group and they will do damage with their interior game.  If only Sloan could channel Mark Eaton from 1985, to rustle up some shot blocking now.

This Jazz team looks good but, after the second round its a crap shoot.