Midwest: 4 Utah Jazz

From the experts to the casual fans to the die-hard Rotisserie geeks, the message has been sent to the Jazz: Don't bother. You had your window of opportunity, and the window is closed. Take your fingers off the sill and kindly move along.

But Utah cannot do that. Not Jerry Sloan, who after 11 seasons in Salt Lake City still screams for the Jazz to run its picture-perfect pick-and-roll as if he were doing it for the first time. Not Karl Malone, one of the best power forwards ever and the league's Most Valuable Player last season, who could have gone elsewhere in search of that elusive ring but instead re-signed with the only franchise he's ever known. And not 37-year-old John Stockton, the first-ballot Hall of Fame point guard, who has grown weary, no doubt, of talk that he is too old and too slow—yet not so weary to actually believe any of it.

To count the Jazz out before this season has started is to ignore the accomplishments and commitment of Sloan, Malone and Stockton, and they have each battled too long and too hard for that. So has 36-year-old guard Jeff Hornacek, who has announced that this will be his last campaign. He could have walked away after the team's second-round playoff loss last year, but he believes one little break this season is all that will be needed to tip the scales in favor of an experienced team like the Jazz. "I've been hearing we missed our last chance to win the championship every year since I got here," says Hornacek, "and this is my sixth season in Utah."

It would also be foolish to ignore the obvious: that Hornacek and Stockton are past their primes, and that the 36-year-old Malone, who suffered a back strain at the start of training camp and missed most of the preseason, may well soon be past his. Yet none of the three players have ever relied much on lightning speed or jump-out-of-the gym athleticism. They have excelled because of conditioning, toughness and guile, attributes that age well.

For some reason, though, those qualities were in surprisingly short supply last year in the postseason. The Jazz looked vulnerable—and, frankly, a tad scared—in edging the Kings three games to two and bowing to the Trail Blazers in six. "To be honest, you could see the writing on the wall, well before the playoffs even started," Hornacek says. "The team didn't feel right. It's hard to explain, really. It wasn't like there was one big troublesome thing you could point to. It was just that we weren't clicking right. Hopefully, whatever it was, it woke us up."

Some in the Jazz organization say that the younger players last season chafed at Sloan's unyielding strategy of featuring only Malone and Stockton. That approach contributed, in part, to swingman Shandon Anderson's decision to sign as a free agent with the Rockets. As he left, Anderson talked of wanting to play a larger role in a more up-tempo system.

Another source of friction was center Greg Ostertag, who served as a whipping boy for coaches and teammates (particularly Malone) last season as they tried to push him to elevate his game. Ostertag's shortcomings long ago ceased to be merely physical; the psychic damage of too many disappointing efforts is painfully evident. "It's gotten to the point where Greg has a lot to overcome," says Sloan. "Nobody likes anything he does, and that's not fair."

Recognizing it needed help in the pivot, Utah declined to re-sign Greg Foster and went fishing in the free-agent market. It snagged fiery Olden Polynice, 34, who wore out his welcome in Sacramento and Seattle by questioning the way he was used. Jazz officials were warned that Polynice could be disruptive but reasoned that the team's no-nonsense veterans would keep him in line. Polynice proved to be a bright spot in training camp, displaying an enthusiasm—and a willingness to run the floor—that Ostertag often lacks. Says Sloan, "The guy has not given us one problem."

The biggest hurdle for Utah to overcome would seem to be the departure of Anderson, who provided low-post scoring when Malone was being rested. "Obviously, it hurts us in terms of depth," Hornacek says. "But beyond that, I'm not sure how bad off it leaves us. All I know is two years ago, Adam Keefe started at small forward and we won 62 games. It seems pretty simple to me. If you're looking to fill a void, just put Adam back in there."

Malone's injury wasn't the only one to befall the Jazz in the preseason. After complaining of dizziness, Ostertag missed a pair of preseason games. Howard Eisley, the steady backup point guard who enabled Stockton to play just 28.2 minutes per game last season, was slowed by a groin strain. Hornacek was in and out of the exhibition lineup with a strained right quadriceps.