2009-2010 Finish: 43-39

What went well

Stop the press. Perennial loser GM Proid made the playoffs! Along with the coming of the Antichrist or a comet smacking into the Earth, no one in the NLL ever thought the day would come where the Utah Jazz made the playoffs under this guy’s guidance. Well, you, me and the rest of the league can SUCK IT. The Jazz not only made the playoffs, but pushed deep, knocking off the Denver Nuggets and the Clippers in the process before being stopped by the champs, Memphis Grizzlies, in seven games in the Conference Finals. Huzzah! Hallelujah and all the rest of that, um, Jazz.

But before we get to the feasting and rejoicing, let’s rewind back to the beginning of the 2009, where the Jazz AGAIN are coming off another lethargic, non-playoff season marred by bad trades and mismanagement. Never one to be afraid of a trade, GM Proid re-arranged his roster (again) before the season began. Both Rasho Nesterovic and Joe Smith said thanks, but no thanks, and screwed out of town. Then the trades began….

First, the Jazz send duds Ryan Bowen and Sebastian Telfair to the Spurs for duds Kris Humphries and Adam Morrison. There is nothing else to say about that trade. Some people think GM Proid is a junk merchant. I dunno if I agree, but he did get awful mad when the Sixers moved Sean May to the Blazers. Let’s repeat that: he did get awful mad when the Sixers moved Sean May to the Blazers. Anyway, next up, the Jazz ditch Andres Nocioni by sending him to the Bobcats for Keyon Dooling, Tony Allen and Aaron Gray. Dooling would go on to start most of the season for the Jazz at PG. Next came a big trade: rookie shooter James Harden to the Knicks for Rudy Gay and Ronnie Price. Wowzers! Nice one for Craig. Gay went on to become one of his best players. Stay tuned. One more deal: a bunch of picks changed hands with the Bucks as the Jazz send JaVale McGree and Morris Peterson for Wilson Chandler and Joel Pryzbilla. I see an injury in your future. The Jazz round out the roster by signing Chucky Atkins, Steven Hunter and Keith Bogans, as well as finally ditched Marko Jaric’s crappy contract.

Well, the Jazz play OK ball, but not great. Kevin Martin is hurt for the beginning of the season. Surprised? Well, here’s another surprise, the Jazz make more trades. Now, we bust on Boyd and Javijoe, but Craig also has a hot hand. First off, Tony Allen and Mike Conley go to Detroit for Ron Artest and Jordan Farmar. Huh? Farmar is okay but with Gay and Martin, why trade an up-and-coming point guard like Conley for a redundant player like Ron-Ron, who consequently often won NLL Radio’s Dud of the Week. Then the Jazz trade Kris Humphries and two 2nd rounders to Indiana for CJ Miles. Proid is high on Miles, no one else is, but he didn’t trade much. Then came the big trade: the Jazz trade again with the Pistons, moving Zach Randolph and Chandler for Kevin Garnett and Shaun Livingston. The Jazz congeal, they make the playoffs by the skin of their teeth and the rest is history.

What went bad

Considering Craig’s NLL history, NOTHING went bad. However, the West was pretty weak this season, allowing the Jazz to eke in at the end. But we can’t complain about missing the Finals by one game, can we?

Stars

- Rudy Gay, F -

 The Knicks gave up on Gay and the Jazz reap the benefits. He exploded this season in Utah, hitting 17.8 points per game on 52% shooting and 5 rpg. He already is a high-caliber player and at 24, he’s just warming up. And the good news is he wants to sign an extension to stay with Proid and the gang!

-Kevin Garnett, F-

 KG may be getting long in the tooth, but he is one of the reasons the Jazz made it as far as they did in the playoffs. Though he never touched the fiery stats he achieved in his short stint in Detroit, 22ppg on 64% shooting and 10.5 rpg is pretty damned good. Z-bo may be younger, but KG knows how to win.


Goat

-Kevin Martin, G-

Another missed 30 games and another $10mil for Martin. Sure, he can shoot but he hasn’t played in more than 56 games in a season during his three years in Utah. Maybe a change of scenery will heal Mr. Glass.

Looking to the future

Before the league shut down, we saw some classic Craig action: really good moves combined with some head-scrathingly bad decisions. First, in what seemed like a gift from the Gods, the Pacers (one of the only GMs with a reputation for making worse deals than Proid) sent point guard Beno Udrih to the Jazz for center Joel Pryzbilla. You heard that correctly, the Jazz get their first legit starting point guard since Conley left town for a guy that NEVER plays. Someone shout, “Indiana!” With KG, Gay and a healthy Martin, Udrih really rounded out a strong starting four. (We won’t mention the idea of Dwayne Jones at center).

Next up, the Jazz buy Jamario Moon for 7 GM points in a three way deal involving the Sixers and the Blazers. Fine, Moon is serviceable and 7 GM isn’t that much anymore. Then the Jazz move Miles and Price to the Blazers for the rights of Linas Kleiza, a power forward rumored to be returning to the NLL next season. Okay, he will be a good back-up for KG. Then it’s the nightmare.

After the draft, the Jazz trade for Ekpe Udoh, a top 10 draftee. Okay, but they trade 25 GM points to Hawks for him. And he’s another power forward. And he’s hurt for a long time? Huh? Those 25 points could have netted you a center like Brad Miller, Dwight Gooden or Shaq in the offseason. Whatcha doin’, Willis!? They also promised their first rounder to Hawks for next year. Craig, you done got ganked. So what to do next? Make another deal! Next to get the boot is Artest, sent to the Wizards for spare parts like Chris Wilcox, A.J. Price, a first rounder and 10 GM points. I dunno, Proid, this seems like a desperation move to save face. Call it what you like.

Let’s face it, the Jazz have a lot of money tied up in Gay, KG and Martin. Udrih is a big help, but they eight players under contract, some that may not even be in the league next season. Who knows when Udoh gets back? The best recourse is re-sign Gay and send off Martin for some other young dudes. Otherwise, the Jazz are one injury away from a train wreck. History always repeats itself, but will the Jazz be the team we saw last season or the one that traditionally misses out on the playoffs? Only Proid and the right guidance can decide.