This year has already been different. Last season's NBA MVP, forward Karl Malone, had no sooner arrived at training camp than he ripped several teammates for being out of shape, implying that Utah's winning of the Western Conference title for the first time last season had made them complacent. Although Malone didn't name names, 7'2" center Greg Ostertag, a 280-pounder last season who appeared to have ballooned over the summer, was clearly one of his targets.

The stir caused by the Mailman's words was nothing compared to that which greeted point guard John Stockton's operation on Oct. 13 to repair cartilage damage in his left knee. He will need at least until December to recuperate. Utahans reacted to the loss of Stockton with the mixture of shock and horror usually reserved for assassinations of heads of state. Fans flooded radio shows with calls, and after the surgery The Salt Lake Tribune ran two front-page stories with news and analysis of the injury. It's little wonder that everyone was so stunned: Stockton had played in 609 consecutive regular-season games, the third-longest streak among active players, and he had missed four games in his 13-year career. Although he now knows he's not indestructible, Stockton apparently still has considerable faith in his recuperative powers. Less than 24 hours after his operation he told Malone, "I'll see you in two weeks."

That's clearly a more optimistic than realistic estimate of the time Stockton will miss, which means that Utah's two remaining point guards, four-year veteran Howard Eisley and rookie Jacque Vaughn, must assume prominent roles. A good sign for the Jazz may be that the soft-spoken Eisley and the unflappable Vaughn seem to be the people least overwhelmed by Stockton's absence. Vaughn's reaction to becoming part of the rotation on a championship contender: "I'm going to have to put in some extra time at practice."

Eisley, the new No. 1 point guard, is even more understated than his understudy. "I just have to play the way I always do," he says. Eisley wasn't quite as nonchalant about Utah's decision to draft Vaughn in June; he concedes that he was "shocked" by the news. But vice president of basketball operations Scott Layden assured him the move didn't indicate that the Jazz lacked confidence in him. Eisley, who was a free agent, obviously believed Layden, because he turned down a more lucrative offer from the Clippers to re-sign with Utah on Aug. 14 for $4 million over three years.

Coach Jerry Sloan knows Eisley won't execute pick-and-rolls with Malone quite as deftly as does Stockton, but he believes Eisley can keep the Jazz afloat until Stockton returns. "The expectations that people will have are that he's got to be John Stockton, but we have to be patient with him," Sloan says. "If our other players will have confidence in him and work with him the way we think they will, then Howard will do a good job for us. We can't expect him to go out and be Stockton and get 12 or 14 assists for us every night."

What Sloan can expect are steady contributions from other players, the type of consistent performance that is a Jazz hallmark. Malone shows no signs of complacency after his MVP season. (One day during the off-season, Nuggets coach Bill Hanzlik brought four of his rookies who were playing in a Utah summer league to watch Malone work out, in hopes of giving them an example of the dedication needed to succeed as a pro.) Like Eisley, guard Jeff Hornacek and forwards Shandon Anderson, Antoine Carr and Bryon Russell could have left as free agents but instead re-signed. Together they give Eisley and Vaughn a solid cast to lean on until Stockton's return. The regular season may not be as smooth a journey as the Jazz are used to, but they should reach the same destination as they did last year, the NBA Finals.

—Phil Taylor