When I first started following the NBA some of my favourite players were Karl Malone, John Stockton, Byron Russel, Austin “Big Dog” Carr and Jeff Hornacek, and with ornery Jerry Sloan leading the team they were my favourite team all through high school. Once Toronto was granted an expansion franchise just over a decade ago my allegiances switched to the hometown team yet I’ve still followed Utah closely and one of my favourite ways to follow the team is through My Utah Jazz.

With the Raptors set to face off against Utah tonight I took some time to chat with CB Jack from My Utah Jazz about what Raptors fans can expect tonight. Enjoy!

1. Deron Williams recently talked about his rookie season being tough because he had to learn to play for coach Sloan. Now, however, he’s grateful for what he learned in his rookie season and through his entire career with Utah and wouldn’t want to play anywhere else. As a fan, would you trade Williams for Chris Paul? Are you happy with Williams as your point guard
of the future?

Deron is the Utah Jazz. He may not be the vocal leader Carlos Boozer is, but this is his team. On draft night, I was a skeptic. I couldn’t believe they passed on Chris Paul. Then I saw Williams play in person at the Rocky Mountain Review and that is where my Williams mancrush started.

As great as Paul is, you’d be fairly hard pressed to find a fan in Utah or this blog that would trade Williams for Paul. Williams is big, strong and durable. A must have in the Jerry Sloan system. He is the best point guard in the NBA at running the fast break. Deal with it CP3 fans. His jump shot is lethal and his outside shooting is better than Paul’s. The only place he needs to improve is his defense on quick guards. He plays old guys great i.e. Nash, Kidd, Fisher etc., it’s the small quick guys he struggles against defensively.

Mark my words: Larry H. Miller will tear down the vault door to keep Deron in Utah.

2. Ronnie Brewer had a strong start to the season due to his increased defensive intensity (he was among the league leaders in steals and deflections). Lately it seems he’s starting to fade, is this due to him hitting the rookie wall? Granted, last season was his rookie campaign, but he didn’t see the kind of minutes he’s seeing this season. Is he suffering from a bit of fatigue?

Ronnie Brewer was a steal. It has been disappointing to watch his defense slip a bit, but on the flip side, his court awareness has increased ten fold. He is relentless when moving without the ball. I have noticed that in close games, Jerry has been putting Andrei Kirilenko on the opposing teams two guard in place of Brewer. I do think you’re on to something when you talk about the increase in Brewer’s minutes this season, fatigue could definitely be a factor. He may need some gloves too, he is still getting his hands on a ton of deflections.

3. Since Kyle Korver arrived via a trade with Philly the team has been on an unbelievable run. How has Korver’s presence helped Utah regain their status as one of the elite teams in the NBA?

Kyle the Hero. I think the Jazz found a big piece that they have been missing as Korver has the ability to spread the zone defense which had been absolutely destroying the Jazz. A literal kryptonite for them. I don’t know what kind of presence he brings to the locker room as he is a very quiet guy. He did replace a cancer in Giricek, so it may have been addition by subtraction. Korver is great and has probably added a lot of gray hair to Jerry Sloan’s already very gray head. Pull up for a three on the fast break? That can get you not only benched, but possibly traded in Utah.

The Jazz are not quite an elite team yet.

A) They need more playoff experience. If they go deep this year, it can make them very dangerous next year.

B) They are very young. Fifth youngest in the NBA to be exact. They are getting better every year. I think they have a window in the next two years to make it happen.

C) They need to learn how to win on the road again. Last year they were a .500 road team. This year, they would be on top of the West if the were a .500 road team.

4. It seems like Matt Harpring doesn’t get talked about outside of Utah. Can you talk about his role as the veteran leader of this team? Even though he’s not posting huge stats, can you talk about how valuable his presence on the court and in the locker room is for this young team?

Oh, Harpring. Did you know his dad, brothers, dogs, uncles, hamsters all played college football? We’re reminded every game by our mundane announcers. He is the old dog on this team. The “Jerry” incarnated. The Jazz seriously overpaid for him to stay in Utah (3 yrs $18.5M remaining on his contract) his +/- for the season is a -4, he has 2×4’s for hands, but still he provides just enough toughness to keep this team from changing their team color to light pink. So he’s worth every penny. His on court presence is toughness and his off court presence is hard work.

A big thanks goes out to CB Jack for taking some time to give us some insight on Utah. Make sure you check out My Utah Jazz for a preview and a game recap from the game against Toronto.