Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz is a National Basketball Association team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They were originally the New Orleans Jazz, but were financially unsuccessful and moved to Utah. They were one of the most successful teams in the late 1980s and 1990s, making it to two NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998 under coach Jerry Sloan and anchored by John Stockton and Karl Malone, considered two of the best players in the era.

Franchise history

In 1974 the Jazz franchise began in New Orleans. The franchise proved unsuccessful, both on the court and financially, even after the addition of "Pistol" Pete Maravich as the star player. Though Maravich was viewed as one of the NBA's most entertaining and talented players, the Jazz were continually a losing team. After five losing seasons in New Orleans, they moved to Salt Lake City, Utah in 1979. Although the team nickname was not fitting for Salt Lake City, which was known more as a center for Mormon culture than as a mecca for jazz music, the franchise decided to keep it. In Utah, the team continued to languish toward the bottom of the standings until the 1983-1984 season, when it won the Midwest Division title and advanced to the second round of the playoffs.

Related Topics:
1974 - New Orleans - Pete Maravich - Salt Lake City, Utah - 1979 - Mormon - Jazz - 1983 - 1984

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Stockton to Malone

In the spring of 1984, the Jazz drafted John Stockton from Gonzaga University and the next year added the second half of one of the NBA's greatest pairings in Karl Malone from Louisiana Tech. The pair flourished under the guidance of Frank Layden and later Jerry Sloan. The Jazz became one of the most successful teams throughout the late 1980's and throughout the 1990's. Stockton eventually set NBA records for the most career steals and assists, and would be recognized as one of the top point guards in league history. Malone finished his career second in the record books for career points scored and would be recognized as one of the top power forwards in league history. Stockton and Malone developed a remarkable rapport with each other, running pick-and-roll plays with great success. "Stockton to Malone" was a common phrase, as Stockton regularly found ways to pass the ball to Malone in good scoring position. Other good players of the era included Mark Eaton, Adrian Dantley, Jeff Malone, and later Jeff Hornacek and Bryon Russell. Malone went on to score the second most points in NBA history (behind only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), and received MVP awards in 1997 and 1999. Hornacek was one of the best three-point and free throw shooters in the league. He retired in 2000.

Related Topics:
John Stockton - Gonzaga University - Karl Malone - Louisiana Tech - Frank Layden - Jerry Sloan - 1980's - 1990's - Point guard - Power forward - Pick-and-roll - Mark Eaton - Adrian Dantley - Jeff Malone - Jeff Hornacek - Bryon Russell - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - 1997 - 1999 - 2000

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Though the Jazz were consistently strong in the league's regular season, earning 19 consecutive playoff appearances (1984–2003), the franchise failed to win a league championship over that time. The Jazz won Western Conference titles in 1997 and 1998, but were defeated by the Chicago Bulls both times, each in six games. After that, the team declined in the standings, although they continued to make the playoffs until 2003, after which Stockton retired and Malone moved to the Los Angeles Lakers in a failed attempt to win a ring with four potential Hall of Famers.

Related Topics:
1984 - 2003 - Chicago Bulls - Los Angeles Lakers

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The Jazz rebuild

In the 2003–04 season, the Jazz were expected to be one of the weakest teams in the NBA, but instead they greatly exceeded most analysts' expectations. The team featured several unheralded players who emerged into key contributors, including Andrei Kirilenko, Raja Bell, Matt Harpring, and Carlos Arroyo. In particular, Andrei Kirilenko demonstrated tremendous versatility on both offense and defense, earned a spot in the all-star game and led the team late into the season's playoff hunt, missing out by just one game to the Denver Nuggets. Jerry Sloan finished second in the voting for the NBA Coach of the Year Award, losing to Hubie Brown of the Memphis Grizzlies.

Related Topics:
2003 - 04 - Andrei Kirilenko - Raja Bell - Matt Harpring - Carlos Arroyo - Denver Nuggets - Jerry Sloan - NBA Coach of the Year Award - Hubie Brown - Memphis Grizzlies

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In the 2004 offseason, with the free agent signings of Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur, the franchise was again expected to contend in the West. The season began well for the Jazz, but a series of injuries, first to Arroyo and Raul Lopez, and later to Boozer and Kirilenko, caused the team to fall to the bottom of the division. There were rumors of internal discontent between the younger players and Coach Sloan, leading to the trading away of Arroyo mid-season. They ended the 2004-05 season with a record of 26-56, their worst since 1982. In the summer of 2005 the Jazz continued to shape their roster by dispatching some of their underperforming young players and trading three draft picks in order to acquire the #3 pick overall, point guard phenom Deron Williams of the University of Illinois.

Related Topics:
Free agent - Carlos Boozer - Mehmet Okur - Deron Williams - University of Illinois

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