A look at the Jazz's 14-man roster at the start of the 2003-2004 NBA season
CARLOS ARROYO
No. 30 — Point Guard
Height, Weight: 6-2, 202.
Age: 24.
Born: July 30, 1979.
College: Florida International.
Previous NBA seasons: Two.
Previous NBA teams: Toronto, Denver.
Upside: The high-energy Puerto Rican gained a great deal of confidence helping his homeland qualify this past summer for the 2004 Summer Olympics, and now, with plenty of playing time available, he hopes to bring that same game to the NBA.
Down: Arroyo has only 81 games' worth of regular-season NBA experience, but now is going to be asked to succeed the league's all-time assists and steals leader, retired John Stockton, as the Jazz's starting point — a daunting challenge for anyone.
RAJA BELL
No. 19 — Shooting Guard
Height, Weight: 6-5, 210.
Age: 27.
Born: Sept. 19, 1976.
College: Florida International.
Previous NBA seasons: Three.
Previous NBA teams: Philadelphia, Dallas.
Upside: Signed as a free agent this past summer, Bell brings the sort of defense-oriented game that is bound to help him log plenty of late-game minutes for coach Jerry Sloan.
Down: Bell is not an established NBA scorer, and it remains to be seen if he can bring a balanced game worth more than a few points per outing.
CURTIS BORCHARDT
No. 22 — Center
Height, Weight: 7-0, 240.
Age: 23.
Born: Sept. 13, 1980.
College: Stanford.
Previous NBA seasons: One (no games played due to injury).
Previous NBA teams: None.
Upside: Considered a likely lottery pick before injury concerns prompted his 2002 draft stock to plummet, Borchardt is a big man with the sort of raw skills that make scouts salivate.
Down: Just when it looked like he finally was ready to overcome stress fracture woes in his foot, a non-displaced fracture near the index finger in his non-shooting hand rudely interrupted Borchardt's training camp, further delaying his NBA debut.
KEON CLARK
No. 23 — Power Forward-Center
Height, Weight: 6-11, 221.
Age: 28.
Born: April 16, 1975.
College: UNLV.
Previous NBA seasons: Five.
Previous NBA teams: Denver, Toronto, Sacramento.
Upside: The lanky Clark can be a difference-maker down low, blocking and altering shots and, if the Jazz have fortune on their side, rebounding as well.
Down: Clark is a happy-go-lucky sort who may have coach Jerry Sloan on his case throughout the season, which could make for some interesting times over the inevitable ups-and-downs of a rebuilding team.
JARRON COLLINS
No. 31 — Power Forward-Center
Height, Weight: 6-11, 255.
Age: 24.
Born: Dec. 2, 1978.
College: Stanford.
Previous NBA seasons: Two.
Previous NBA teams: None.
Upside: Collins, who can help at two positions down low, is smart, and anyone who plays that way is bound to long be in the good graces of one Jerry Sloan.
Down: Reconstructive knee surgery cost Collins all but 22 games of his second NBA season, and returning from such a devastating injury is no small task — even for someone as committed as Collins.
BEN HANDLOGTEN
No. 44 — Center-Power Forward
Height, Weight: 6-10, 240.
Age: 29. Born: Nov. 16, 1973.
College: Western Michigan.
Last European team: Makedonikos, Greek League. Rookie.
Upside: The longtime European leagues vet never has played a regular-season game in the NBA, a fact that has him driven to try to finally make it.
Down: Handlogten turns 30 years old next month, and the league simply does not have a whole lot of room for 30-year-old rookies.
MATT HARPRING
No. 15 — Small Forward-Power Forward-Shooting Guard
Height, Weight: 6-7, 231.
Age: 27.
Born: May 31, 1976.
College: Georgia Tech.
Previous NBA seasons: Five.
Previous NBA teams: Orlando, Cleveland, Philadelphia.
Upside: Harpring always plays hard, and that combined with his three-position versatility makes it quite easy for Jerry Sloan to like his game.
Down: He was a clear beneficiary of Karl Malone's presence last season, and with the big guy gone, it's a tall task to ask Harpring to strap the transitioning team on his own shoulders and take it back to the playoffs.
ANDREI KIRILENKO
No. 47 — Small Forward-Shooting Guard-Power Forward
Height, Weight: 6-9, 225.
Age: 22.
Born: Feb. 18, 1981.
Last European Team: CSKA, Russian League.
Previous NBA seasons: Two.
Previous NBA teams: None.
Upside: Whether it is blocking shots, pulling down rebounds or going for a steal, Kirilenko has the sort of game that most any coach would want on his team.
Down: Jerry Sloan sees the vast potential in Kirilenko and will treat him accordingly to try to draw it out, but only time will tell how the young Russian will manage to handle that high-expectations approach.
RAUL LOPEZ
No. 24 — Point Guard
Height, Weight: 6-0, 160.
Age: 23.
Born: April 15, 1980.
Last European Team: Real Madrid, Spanish League.
Previous NBA seasons: One (no games played due to injury).
Previous NBA teams: None.
Upside: There is a reason the Jazz took Lopez with their first selection in the 2001 NBA draft, and that is that he has tantalizing skills at the point desperately needed by a franchise that no longer has John Stockton among its ranks.
Down: Blowing out the same knee twice has cost Lopez most of the past two years, setting his game back even further than it was before the Jazz drafted him.
GREG OSTERTAG
No. 00 — Center
Height, Weight: 7-2, 280.
Age: 30.
Born: March 6, 1973.
College: Kansas.
Previous NBA seasons: Eight.
Previous NBA teams: None.
Upside: Ostertag is what he is, a very big man who with his sheer size can influence a game's outcome — whenever he decides to play with the intensity seemingly buried deep down inside him.
Down: Drawing out that intensity on a consistent, long-term basis has always been one of Jerry Sloan's biggest challenges as a coach, and it may be yet again this season.
SASHA PAVLOVIC
No. 11 — Shooting Guard
Height, Weight: 6-8, 220.
Age: 19.
Born: Nov. 15, 1983.
Last European Team: Buducnost, Yugoslav League. Rookie.
Upside: Incredible instincts and a truly sweet shot for a 19-year-old, both assets a rebuilding franchise sees as solid foundation for the future.
Down: Pavlovic has no idea what it is like to defend the NBA's great shooting guards over the course of an 82-game season, but that's something he should have plenty of time to learn.
MICHAEL RUFFIN
No. 51 — Power Forward-Center
Height, Weight: 6-9, 255.
Age: 26.
Born: Jan. 21, 1977.
College: Tulsa.
Last European team: Caprabro Lleida, Spanish League.
Previous NBA seasons: Three. Previous NBA teams: Chicago, Philadelphia.
Upside: Solid rebounding skills and nice hustle opened Jazz eyes during the Rocky Mountain Revue, prompting them to give Ruffin a partially guaranteed contract coming out of the summer league.
Down: Ruffin struggled early in training camp, perhaps because he spent an inordinate amount of time thinking — about what he had to do, what he wasn't doing and what his fate for the full season might hold.
DESHAWN STEVENSON
No. 2 — Shooting Guard
Height, Weight: 6-5, 210 pounds.
Age: 22.
Born: April 3, 1981.
High School: Washington Union, Calif.
Previous NBA seasons: Three.
Previous NBA teams: None.
Upside: Stevenson drew rare praise from Jerry Sloan for his hard work early in camp, and that combined with his obvious athleticism could make this the long-awaited breakout season for a kid who jumped straight from high school to the NBA.
Down: After three seasons, Stevenson still hasn't been able to earn the sort of playing time he so desperately wants — and how that weighs on him this season could impact his future in Utah.
MO WILLIAMS
No. 25 — Point Guard
Height, Weight: 6-1, 185.
Age: 20.
Born: Dec. 19, 1982.
College: Alabama. Rookie.
Upside: Impressed by his flat-out quickness and feel for the game, the Jazz think they may have scored a second-round steal after Williams decided to jump to the NBA following just two seasons at Alabama.
Down: Decision-making at the NBA level is much more complicated than in college, a reality Williams may come to realize as he plays behind fellow youngsters Carlos Arroyo and, if healthy, Raul Lopez.