Another Minnesota acquisition, Andrei Kirilenko, was fading when he left Utah. Brandon Roy quit last year for a good reason. He had no knees.
The stats of older players almost always drop, whether it's field goal percentage (Bryant, Duncan), scoring and assists (Nash) or scoring and rebounding (Nowitzki). Those players shouldn't feel bad about it; just accept it.
I keep hearing the Jazz are young and talented. Now they can prove it. I can't think of a better way to do so than to pick on the old and infirm. That's what Sacramento did to the Jazz back at the end of the Stockton-Malone era.
I don't see the Jazz finishing ahead of teams like the Spurs, Lakers and Clippers. Nor do I see them missing the playoffs. They'll even win some games against the aforementioned teams, for one main reason: Just because something has a famous name and an array of luxury features doesn't mean it has a ton of miles left in the tank.
Email: rock@desnews.com
Twitter: therockmonster
Facebook: rockmonsterunplugged
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Brad Rock, a.k.a. "Rockmonster," has been a sports columnist at the Deseret News since 1994. Prior to that he worked as a beat writer, covering the Utah Jazz (1990-94). He has covered the Super Bowl, NCAA Final Four, NBA more ..
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Good article. Loved the million mile warranty analogy! :) Though I picked jazz to finish 5-8th in the poll along with this article, I wouldnt be surprised if they sneak into a 4th seed. Shooting will be key...they need to make their shots, otherwise More..
This is the number two article from the Rock on my list. I almost liked this one. I agree with his predictions for the Jazz finish except I think they can go higher if Corbin will let them. I'm not sold on the old players rusting up though. More..
Lakers are going to be the league's biggest disappointment. I foresee Nash and Kobe starting their inevitable, mileage-related decline sooner than later. They might squeak out 50 wins, but they're not winning a title. So many of the More..