JAZZ PLAYER PROFILES
Shandon Anderson, Georgia, 1996: The Jazz have a history of taking chances on second-round picks and coming up golden. Byron Russell, for one, comes to mind. And now so does Anderson.
This second year swingman possesses the best low-post moves, with the exception of Karl Malone, on the Jazz roster. From off the bench, Anderson is an automatic spark to the Jazz offense because of his post play and his ability to drive to the hoop and score. Anderson is often matched against smaller opponents, which makes his post play that much more effective.
As the 54th player selected in the 1996 Draft, Anderson impressed the Jazz coaching staff with his athleticism and work ethic and immediately found a spot in the rotation. As a rookie, Anderson played an average of 16.4 minutes in 65 games, scoring nearly six a game. This year Anderson has elevated his play even further, appearing in all 82 games and scoring at a clip of over eight points a game.
Anderson comes from Georgia, where he led the Bulldogs to a `Sweet 16' showing in 1996. He scored a career high 14.9 points a game during his senior season. Anderson is the brother of former NBA journeyman Willie Anderson.
Antoine Carr, Wichita State, 1983: The original "Big Dawg" is proof that what Karl Malone wants, Karl Malone gets. Back in 1994, Malone voiced his desire for Utah to sign Carr, an experienced forward who could spell the Mailman15-20 minutes a game. The Jazz listened, and Carr has since become one of the more popular players on the team.
Despite his age, 36, Carr can still provide solid minutes as the back-up to Malone or at center. Carr is still a threat in the paint, but can also step back and hit the open 15-18 foot jumper. He's a big reason why Utah enjoyed the best bench in NBA this year.
Carr was named a First Team All-American after scoring 22.6 points and eight rebounds during his senior season at Wichita State. But instead of going right to the NBA and playing for the Pistons, who grabbed him with the No. 8 pick in the 1983 draft, Carr opted to play for Milan in the Italian League.
After a season overseas, Carr made his NBA debut with the Atlanta Hawks in the 1984-85 season, but he never really blossomed until he was traded to Sacramento in 1990. As the Kings' starting power forward in 1990-91 Carr proved to be a force, averaging 20.1 points and leading Sacramento in scoring 30 times that year. But it wasn't enough, as that offseason saw Carr shipped to San Antonio, where he toiled for two years behind David Robinson before Utah picked him up.
Howard Eisley, Boston College, 1994: Perseverance. Stick-to-itiveness. Luck. Any of the above may apply to Eisley. Entering the league in 1994, Eisley was waived by Minnesota after playing in only 34 games. He was picked up by San Antonio late in the season but didn't last there either. He wound up with the Rockford Lightning of the CBA after the Jazz waived him before the 1995-96 season. He was quickly picked up again by Utah after Jamie Watson, against the team's wishes, decided to have surgery on his sore ankle, putting him on the injured list.
Watson is now out of the NBA, and Eisley is the backup point guard for the two-time Western Conference Champions. Nice decision, Jamie.
Eisley came to Utah as a timid guard without a shot. But after working countless hours after practice, Eisley has turned into, well, a gunner. He was third in 3-pointers made, attempted and percentage for Utah this season, and played admirably when John Stockton missed the first 18 games of the season.
It used to be Eisley struggled against the bigger and quicker guards in the league, but he has since become an instant offensive machine off the bench. When Stockton does retire, Eisley looks to be ready to step in and keep the Jazz machine churning.
Greg Foster, UTEP, 1990: A real journeyman, Greg Foster has been passed around like a Heidi Fliess model. He spent two years at UCLA before transferring to UTEP in college, and in the NBA he bounced from Washington to Atlanta to Milwaukee to Chicago to Minnesota to Utah to Orlando (for 24 hours) and back to Utah.
It may be good for the frequent-flier benefits, but for a basketball player it was a living nightmare. Foster couldn't afford to make roots in any one city because before he knew it, he was back on a plane with his head spinning.
With Utah, if you don't count the little Rony Seikaly deal, Foster has found a home. He started 49 games in the regular season and every game of the playoffs thus far, where he has averaged over six points a game. More importantly, Foster has been an emotional boost for the normally stone-faced Jazz.
Foster often follows up jumpers with fist-pumping displays, and he's been known to aggravate opponents (the Lakers) with borderline taunting displays like slitting his throat or staring down an opponent's bench. Jazz fans, of course, love it. Others don't find Foster's antics so appealing. But he doesn't mind; Foster is just having fun.
Jeff Hornacek, Iowa State, 1986: Hornacek didn't even have a scholarship when he walked on the Iowa State team as a freshman in 1981. But it didn't take long. Five years later (including a redshirt season), Hornacek left school an honorable mention All-American and the Big Eight's all-time leader in assists. The Phoenix Suns rewarded him with the 46th selection in the draft, and after only three years he'd established himself as an up-and-coming star at the two-guard slot.
Hornacek has averaged double figures in points for the last 10 straight seasons, including a career-high 20.1 point clip in the 1991-92 season, which he spent in Philadelphia.
Utah acquired the sharpshooting guard after trading Jeff Malone midway through the 1993-94 season. His presence helped the Jazz march all the way to the Western Conference Finals, where they eventually lost to Houston. With Hornacek in the line-up Utah has failed to reach the Western Conference Finals only once in five years.
Hornacek is known for his 3-point shooting range, and for what Hot Rod Hundley calls "a bar of soap" slip shot in traffic. During this year's All-Star Weekend, Hornacek won the 3-point contest, furthering his reputation as a mad bomber.
Adam Keefe, Stanford, 1992: Many don't realize it, but the scrappy workhorse Keefe was a true scorer during his days as a Cardinal in Palo Alto, Calif. He averaged 25.3 points a game during his senior season at Stanford and was twice named to the All-American Second Team.
So what happened? Keefe found that a small forward without an accurate outside shot usually doesn't last too long in the NBA, so he had to change his game accordingly. He became a gritty garbage man. Instead of stepping outside for jumpers, Keefe would dive on the floor for loose balls, take charges, fight for offensive boards and defend people like Johnny Cochran. So it was no surprise when the Jazz traded Tyrone Corbin, a much better scorer, for Keefe prior to the start of the 1994-95 season.
Keefe fit in perfectly with Utah's workmanlike approach to the sport. He was willing to go down low and screen for Karl Malone and others. He's a master at filling the lane on the fast break with the precise angle needed to make the ballhandler's pass relatively simple. His cuts to the hoop are always well thought out, which leads to many thunderous dunks.
His career average of 5.5 points won't get Keefe named to any All-Star teams, but the hustle and toughness value he brings to the court can't be measured in numbers.
Karl Malone, Louisiana Tech, 1985: What is there to say that hasn't already been said about the best power forward to ever play the sport? Karl Malone, the 1997 MVP, seems to get better with age and plays with a higher energy level than most players 10 years younger. As the 13th selection in the 1985 Draft, Malone was never expected to turn into the type of player he is today, but anyone who knows Malone understands why he became great.
Malone's offseason workout regimen is likely the toughest in the league. When he's not working on his game, Malone is pumping iron for hours on end. He's easily the best-conditioned big man in the game today.
Since joining the Jazz, Malone's game has broadened. When he first entered the NBA, he had no outside game. But 13 years later, the Mailman has developed an 18-foot jumper that's as deadly as his post game. With defenders, it's a pick-your-poison situation. You can either lay off Malone and watch him bury jumper after jumper, or you can body-up with the 260-pound weightlifter and get the tar beat out of you in the paint.
Either way, you lose.
Malone led the Jazz with 27 points a game this year. You can call him the model of consistency, but that would imply Malone has stayed as good every year of his career. In fact, Malone has just gotten better.
Chris Morris, Auburn, 1988: Morris has been in and out of the doghouse more than Old Yeller during his three years in Utah. There is no doubt he can score with the best of them, but his work ethic and defensive abilities have come under fire. But when Morris is allowed to play, he seems to deliver.
Morris can change the tide of a game in a matter of minutes once he enters from off the bench. He proved this during his years at Auburn, where he blistered opponents for nearly 21 a game. He left the school as its all-time leader in 3-pointers made.
His scoring ability is something the Jazz have used many times to spark rallies, including last season when he played so well in the playoffs. Morris averaged just over four points a game this year, while limited to a mere 10 minutes per night.
After leaving New Jersey three years ago for the Jazz, Utah fans figured they finally had the key ingredient for those elusive championship rings. It hasn't turned out that way, but who knows what kind of things Morris will do this time?
Greg Ostertag, Kansas, 1995: To be honest, Ostertag could be the most aggravating player Utah fans have ever had to put up with. At times, the 7-footer out of Kansas can be a dominating presence on defense. Other times he disappears. It's awfully hard for a 280-pound man to hide, but Ostertag seems to find a way.
But his play last year largely helped Utah make the Finals, and it will be a determining factor in whether or not the Jazz can bring home a title. The Jazz selected him with the 28th pick in the 1995 Draft, and he played behind Felton Spencer all that year. The next year, they made him the starter. He seemed to respond and played well the whole year, right up through the playoffs. But after signing a huge contract which pays him roughly 6 million a year starting next season, the "Big O" seemed to turn into the "Big Oaf." That led to Jerry Sloan bringing him off the bench and letting Greg Foster take over the starting spot.
All that, however, is behind Ostertag. He's come on of late, and after battling Hakeem Olajuwon, Tim Duncan, David Robinson and Shaquille O'Neal, Luc Longley looks like a pansy. If Ostertag steps up, expect a parade come mid-June.
Bryon Russell, Long Beach State, 1993: Another miracle career in the works. In all reality, Russell should be playing overseas or in the CBA. No way should he be filling a huge role for one of the NBA's best teams. But after spending his first three years receiving only spotty minutes, Russell emerged as a big-time performer once the playoffs began. Against Seattle in the 1996 Western Conference Finals, Russell broke out of his shell by scoring 24 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in Game 3. Utah lost in seven to the Sonics, but Russell had solidified his spot and became Utah's everyday starter in 1996.
Since then, Russell has become Utah's top 3-point shooter and its best perimeter defender. He has a knack for hitting the big shot and likes to take his defender off the dribble, where he'll sky to the hoop with relative ease. Russell's transition into a legitimate NBA player, of course, took everyone in the Jazz organization for a loop.
As a college senior, Russell
wasn't even the best player on his Long Beach State squad in 1993. He played center, even though he stands only 6-foot-6, and only averaged 13 points a game. But Utah took a chance, and as they say, the rest is history.
John Stockton, Gonzaga, 1984: Stockton-to-Malone. How many times has this been said over the past 13 years? The NBA's all-time leader in assists and steals. Who would have ever expected this out of a slow, unathletic kid from Gonzaga University?
Utah grabbed Stockton with the 16th pick in 1984 and has reaped the awards from arguably the best point guard in the history of basketball. Even though he is outweighed and overpowered by most of his opponents, Stockton possesses the raw toughness of a middle linebacker. How many point guards will set screens on men twice their size, opening themselves up to countless acts of punishment? Nobody wants to win more than Stockton.
The 6-foot-1 guard emerged as the everyday starter in 1987, finally winning the duties from Ricky Green. How did Stockton respond? Well, by only averaging 14.7 points, 13.8 assists, 2.95 steals, with a 57-percent shooting accuracy.
Enough said.
Jacque Vaughn, Kansas, 1997: Despite being Utah's first pick in the 1997 Draft, Jacque Vaughn has not played much since John Stockton returned from his knee injury 19 games into the year. In his limited time, Vaughn showed flashes of things to come but is no way ready to contribute any meaningful minutes. Especially this time of year.
Still, Utah feels like it got a steal by drafting Vaughn with the No. 28 pick. While in college at Kansas, Vaughn, a four-year starter, was one of the best floor leaders in the country. After breaking his wrist to start the year, Vaughn returned to score 10.2 points and dish out 6.2 assists in Kansas' final 26 games.
In the future Vaughn could be a valuable commodity, but for now he'll have to learn by watching from his floor seat.