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Utah Jazz Look for more of the same in Utah this season
Updated: Thursday October 11, 2001 6:54 PM
By Marty Burns, CNNSI.com Every year, it seems, the critics say the Jazz are too old. Then Karl Malone and John Stockton go out and pick-and-roll their way to the top of the standings. Look for more of the same this season in Utah, which once again figures to be among the top teams during the regular season. Malone and Stockton, who recently signed a two-year contract that will keep him with the Jazz past his 41st birthday, are consummate professionals who know how to get the job done. Along with Donyell Marshall, Bryon Russell and newly signed center John Amaechi, the Jazz will be too smart and disciplined to fall out of contention.
Unfortunately, the lack of a quality shooting guard continues to be a fatal flaw. The Jazz will spend much of training camp trying to see if athletic youngster DeShawn Stevenson is ready to take over for veteran John Starks. They also must get veteran point guard John Crotty up to speed, since the departure of Jacque Vaughn left them with no other backup for Stockton. Finally, with their vaunted pick-and-roll useless against zones, head coach Jerry Sloan will need to spend time adding new offensive wrinkles to the playbook. Standout stat: 41 Stockton's age when his recently signed two-year deal expires.
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