When the music stops

With two legends moving on, Jazz face long rebuilding process

By John Hollinger, SI.com

Jazz at a Glance Head coach: Jerry Sloan 2002-03: 47-35 2002-03 Stats Key Additions SG Aleksandar Pavlovic (draft) SG Raja Bell (Mavericks) C Keon Clark (Kings) Key Losses PG John Stockton (retired) PF Karl Malone (Lakers) SG Calbert Cheaney (Warriors) PG Mark Jackson (free agent) PF Scott Padgett (free agent) C Tony Massenburg (Kings) Projected Lineup Starters Reserves PG  C. Arroyo R. Lopez SG  R. Bell D. Stevenson SF  M. Harpring A. Pavlovic PF  A. Kirilenko J. Collins C  K. Clark G. Ostertag

For the Utah Jazz, it's the end of an era. The next era won't be nearly as enjoyable.

Gone are John Stockton and Karl Malone, who for two decades defined Utah Jazz basketball. With those two moved on, the Jazz are facing the uncomfortable truth that they did a miserable job of assembling talent to surround those two during their final years in Utah.

That failure had been covered up by the technical perfection of Stockton-to-Malone, but in their absence the wounds are painfully obvious. Utah's cupboard was practically bare outside of those two, as the team failed to find adequate solutions at shooting guard and center. As a direct result of the lack of talent on the rest of the roster, they weren't able to persuade any important free agents to accept their abundant salary cap money.

Instead, get ready for a long rebuilding process. In addition to Stockton and Malone, several other veterans headed for the exit -- most notably guards Mark Jackson and Calbert Cheaney. The Jazz did import a few mercenaries to help stop the bleeding, including big man Keon Clark, swingman Raja Bell and first-round draft choide Aleksandar Pavlovic. But after 20 consecutive years in the playoffs, fans in Salt Lake City need to make alternate plans for this April.

Forwards. The Jazz are going to struggle, but they at least have two star forwards to build their future around. Matt Harpring exploded onto the scene last year, averaging career highs of 17.6 points a game and 51.1 percent from the field. While a lot of those points came on feeds from Stockton and Malone, that shouldn't overshadow Harpring's genuine improvement. His strength and ability to move without the ball benefit him in any offense. Additionally, he shot 41 percent on 3-pointers and is a strong rebounder and a rugged defender. In the East, he would have been an All-Star last year.

Harpring's sudden improvement was stunning and allowed him to steal the small forward job from Andrei Kirilenko. But Kirilenko is the one that has future star written all over him. He has arms like a jellyfish that he uses to smother opponents. As a result, he will be an All-Defense player before long and perhaps as soon as this season. To put his ability in perspective, last year he averaged over two blocks and a steal and a half a game despite coming off the bench. With 35 minutes a night, he's looking at three blocks and two steals a game -- which hasn't been done since David Robinson did it in 1991-92.

Kirilenko's long arms also serve him well around the basket. He's an adept rebounder despite nonexistent muscle and has quick hops that make him a constant threat on alley-oops and fast breaks. He needs a jumper and is a poor ballhandler, but he's only 22 so there's plenty of time.

Utah's biggest dilemma is which of the two to play at power forward. Kirilenko has the length but lacks the muscle, while Harpring has the opposite problem. Look for Utah to match up Harpring against the West's more bruising power forwards, while Kirilenko matches up against the lankier types like Kevin Garnett and Rasheed Wallace.

Backcourt.The Jazz have the first all-Florida International backcourt in NBA history. I'm pretty darn sure it will be the last. Carlos Arroyo and Raja Bell are decent bench players who will be thrust into a prime role on the Jazz simply because they don't have anybody else to play the position.

Bell is a good defender but an erratic shooter and a poor ballhandler, which will put lots of pressure on Arroyo to be the playmaker. Fortunately, that's the one thing Arroyo can do. He'll be counted on to find Harpring cutting and locate Kirilenko on alley-oops around the rim. But his lack of a jump shot (one career 3-pointer), combined with Bell's inability to shoot, means that Utah's opponents will play the most packed-in zones the NBA has ever seen.

After Arroyo and Bell, it gets worse. Apparently the past three seasons weren't convincing enough for Utah's management, because DeShawn Stevenson will get yet another chance to prove he doesn't belong in the NBA. And backing up Arroyo is Raul Lopez, who has missed the past two seasons with knee injuries and is an unknown quantity entering this season.

Will Jerry Sloan blow his lid? Sloan's apoplectic reactions to perceived slights by the officials are well known, but it's a little easier to stay on an even keel when your team is marching toward the playoffs and rarely makes mental mistakes. Now that Stockton and Malone are gone, that won't be the case anymore. Sloan goes from trying to squeeze a playoff run out of a veteran team to trying to develop young players while enduring nightly beatings.

Sloan's track record earned him the chance to try to rebuild this team, but developing young players has not been his strong suit. First-round draft picks ranging from Greg Ostertag to DeShawn Stevenson have all failed to progress once they joined the Jazz. While his defenders will argue that most of those players were underwhelming talents, the onus is still on Sloan to prove that he can keep his cool long enough to let the kids make mistakes without immediately yanking them from the game.

Dwelling on the past. The Jazz had a two-decade run that included two trips to the Finals, the league's all-time leading assist man, and the best power forward of the 20th century. Jazz fans will need to remember that while they watch their club take its lumps this season. With a CBA backcourt and a soft front line, there's little reason to think Utah will be back in the playoffs any time soon.

John Hollinger covers basketball for SI.com and is the author of Pro Basketball Prospectus. Click here to send him a question or comment.