2006-2007 Finish: 39-43

What went well

Utah Jazz GM Proid is a dreamer. He always dreams big. In the past he always put his faith in one player, one player to bring glory to Salt Lake City. First it was Shareef Abdur-Rahim, then Michael Finley, then Reef again, then Richard Hamilton. But this last season, GM Proid's biggest dream was realized. He brought Kobe Bryant to the Jazz.

The offseason saw Utah acquire Andre Miller and Dan Gadzuric for Brevin Knight, Quentin Richardson and Travis Diener. Good deal. Summer came and went. When the season began again, GM Proid decided this was the year to get the Jazz into the playoffs. He sent off malcontent Ron Artest to the Bulls for Ray Allen only to flip Ray Ray days later for Richard Hamilton.

The composition of Utah has changed season from season. GM Proid seems to always be in financial trouble. He has one or two highly expensive players and then surrounds them with scrubs. This season saw the signing of players like Brian Scalabrine, Darrick Martin and Tony Battie fill out the roster. Reef was shipped out (he will be back later) for Bob Sura (ugh) and Wally Szczerbiak (shudder)! Long time albatross Jamaal Tinsley also said farewell. It's hard to be a Utah fan. The lineup changes almost daily.

Kobe showed up during Week 3 of the season. In a three team deal, the Jazz sent out Hamilton and Szczerbiak for Bryant and Troy Murphy (he goes to Minnesota later for Reef). King Kobe has landed in Utah.

What didn't

The Jazz have never made the playoffs under GM Proid's guidance. They didn't last season either. Kobe played some great ball, as did Miller, but one cannot expect two stars to carry a team of cast-offs. Freakin' Scalabrine saw some significant minutes if that means anything. Lack of depth at key position also came back to haunt the Jazz when injuries struck.

Star

- Kobe Bryant, SG-

Many in the league griped when Jason Kidd took the MVP prize. Fans felt that the award belonged to Kobe, who had his best season with the Jazz. He averaged 39.3 points, shooting a monsterous 62% from the field. He hit almost half of his three pointers. Of course, when you're the only viable player on the court you get a lot of looks. He was awarded Player of the Week seven times. Of course, he was elected to the All-Star game.

Goat

-The Rest of Team

See above.

Looking to the future

The Jazz are at a major crosswords. Besides Bryant, they don't really have much. GM Proid is touting Terance Kinsey as the second coming, but we really haven't seen enough to make a judgment. Battie, last year's starting center, is shelved from the season. Reef is already hobbling around. Miller is 50/50 about coming back. Things are not looking good.

Two bright spots are rookies Morris Almond and Jeff Green. Both are highly touted and should contribute right away. Besides, Damon Stoudamire and Marko Jaric, that's all the Jazz has. And they have no money. So what's the solution? We at the Insider say "TRADE KOBE." Get three excellent prospects for him and start over. One player can't win games and Kobe is complaining about the management's commitmment to winning. If things stay on the current course, expect another playoffs without music again this season.