Getting to the Center of the Jazz’s title hopes

Every year, there is something, or several things, that keep 29 teams from being NBA champions.  Whether it’s a lack of a go to scorer down the stretch, or some bone-headed moves by an Orlando-type coach, or just a lack of talent, 29 teams enter the offseason trying to fill gaps and answer questions.  And judging from the plethora of home-run swing trades and offseason acquisitions, there are a handful of teams that think they have some tinkering to do to their rosters before they can challenge for the Larry O’Brien trophy.

If you are a Jazz fan you know about seasons ending in disappointment and offseasons filled with speculation and roster move postulating.  And after so many seasons of disappointment, it is no wonder that most Jazz fans become irrational every July with their “woe is me” attitudes, and their “sky is falling” calls for coaches and general managers’ collective heads to roll.  And then there are the trade ideas.  Some ridiculous, some too logical to actually happen, and the rest somewhere in between.  Don’t get me wrong.  I love scouring the websites, rumor mills and blogs and seeing the trade proposals and playing GM for a day.   It is the funnest thing about the offseason.  And there is reason for wanting to see your team make that last move to push your team over the top.

Bad High School Picture, or the Jazz’s best chances at a title?

With the exception of the San Antonio Spurs, the past 5 or 6 NBA champions won the title after making offseason trades.  There was the Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen acquisitions. It took a couple years, but Pau Gasol finally pushed the Lakers over the edge.  It was Shaquille O’neal who turned Miami and Los Angeles’ amps up to “11,” just when they needed that little something extra. 

But the truth is that there are probably only 6 teams, right now, that have a chance to win the whole thing (the title, not the Lebron James sweepstakes) in 2010.  San Antonio, Los Angeles, Boston, Orlando, Cleveland, and the New York Knicks.  I just have to make sure that you are paying attention.

I don’t see a team outside of those Fearsome 5 that is going to legitimately contend.  I might be wrong, because Orlando made a big stride this last season, but I would bet up to $500 that the NBA champ comes out of the above-mentioned group.  And you are thinking, “well that would be an easy bet” which confirms my idea.  It is almost a mortal lock. 

I don’t think the Jazz are there yet.  They may not even be on the doorstep.  Even with a very talented team returning this next season, I don’t think there are many that are taking them too seriously.  And the reason is the same reason that no one could take them seriously last season, or the season before that, or even the season before that when they went to the Western Conference Finals.  Thanks Golden State.  That reason is that the Jazz haven’t had a defensive anchor in the post since the days of Greg Ostertag.  Just the fact that Ostertag has been the best defensive center in the last 20 years for the Jazz, should give you a good idea of how desperate they are for one.  But to even pretend that the Jazz have a chance at winning a championship without addressing this gaping hole, is like hoping your girlfriend or sister or daughter will win America’s Top Model wthout her two front teeth.  A wise man once said that the Jazz had no chance against the Lakers without some length inside and he was right.  It wasn’t Kobe Bryant that destroyed the Jazz this last postseason, or even the ridiculous 3 point shooting that the Lakers enjoyed.  It was the fact that the Jazz had to double team the paint or let Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol shoot about 70% from the field in the series.  The other two things were direct results from the Lakers’ inside dominance and the outside shooters were confident, knowing that they didn’t have to make the difference in the series.

How many times have you heard someone draw a common theme from championship NBA teams?  The ones I always hear are, “you need a go to scorer” or “you need an elite-level player” to win the championship.  The only problem is that everyone has to mention the 2004 Detroit Pistons as a caveat to those statements.  But there is no caveat to the statement that all championship teams have tremendous defenders in the paint.  Kevin Garnett, Pau Gasol, Tim Duncan, Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, Shaquille O’neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, Kareem, and the list goes on. 

If the Jazz ever want to honestly compete for the championship, it doesn’t really matter what happens with players like Carlos Boozer, or Paul Millsap, or Mehmet Okur.  Unless the Jazz can find a center who can man the paint and block or alter some shots, they will have the same reasons to not hoist the championship trophy.  So it might be in Utah’s best interest to give some serious playing time to Kosta Koufos and Kyrylo Fesenko to see if they might have what it takes to dominate the paint.  Or at least be as good as Greg Ostertag, as crazy as that sounds.

Whatever you think of Fesenko, the Jazz are probably closer to a title with him as the defensive presence than anyone they have now.