SALT LAKE CITY — It’s been 21 years since the Utah Jazz went to the NBA Finals. The Jazz did it two years in a row, but their timing was not great thanks to a guy named Michael Jordan, who just happened to be around at the time, leaving Utah with a pair of runner-up finishes.
Since then the Jazz have been up and down and everywhere in between. They had a few good years at the end of the John Stockton-Karl Malone era and beyond, with winning records before falling off a cliff at 26-56 in 2004-05.
Things got brighter when Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer joined the team and led the team to four straight playoffs, including two Western Conference semifinals and one West finals appearance. Then came the Ty Corbin years with just one playoff season in three before Quin Snyder was hired and moved from 25 wins in Corbin’s last year to 38 wins to 40 and finally breaking through in 2016-17 with a 51-31 mark and a trip to the Western Conference semifinals.
The Jazz have put up similar numbers the past two years with win totals of 48 and 50 and finished in the No. 5 spot in the West twice more.
Now, after an ambitious offseason where Utah overhauled more than half its roster, the Jazz are ready to ascend to the top again.
Enough of these fifth-place finishes. Enough of these early exits from the playoffs. Enough of these playoff losses to the Houston Rockets or the Golden State Warriors.
This is Utah’s year.
After seeing some of the preseason games so far, you might be wondering how the Jazz can be an NBA title contender. Four straight games of giving up at least 126 points and four losses? What happened to the Jazz defense, which has been a hallmark of Snyder-coached teams?
Remember it’s preseason. And one thing about Snyder’s teams has been that they get better as the season goes along. With a team that includes newcomers Mike Conley, Jeff Green, Bojan Bogdanovic and Ed Davis, it may take a month or two or three for the Jazz to jell.
However long it takes to come together, the Jazz are built to win this year. It’s not a two- or three-year plan with these veterans.
Conley is an elite point guard who has had some great seasons, but he’s unlikely to get any better. He’s only 32, but not many players improve after that age.
Even the great John Stockton, who played until he was 41, saw his numbers diminish each year during his 30s. When he was 32, he averaged 14.7 ppg and 12.3 assists and shot 54.2 percent from the field. He never matched those numbers again, except for one season when he shot slightly better.
Joe Ingles is also 32 and likely to come off the bench this year, while Green, who is playing Derrick Favors’ old position, is 33. Both Davis and Bogdanovic are also 30. Don’t expect all three new guys to become more productive as they age. It just doesn’t happen in the NBA.
The Jazz are still built around All-NBA center Rudy Gobert and soon-to-be All-Star Donovan Mitchell, who are 27 and 23, respectively. They each have a lot of good years left, as long as the Jazz can lock them up to long-term contracts at the appropriate time.
Royce O’Neale has developed greatly since coming out of nowhere three years ago and has become a part-time starter and defensive lock-down player. Who knows about Dante Exum, who has been hurt more than he’s been healthy during his five-year Jazz career. If he can ever get back to 100 percent, he could help the Jazz for a few years as he is still just 24.
Let’s not forget that a lot of other teams have gotten better since last year, especially the two L.A. teams, as the Lakers have added Anthony Davis to go with LeBron James, while the Clippers have Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Let’s also remember Portland and Denver both finished ahead of the Jazz last year and Golden State, despite losing some key players, still has Steph Curry and Draymond Green.
So it won’t be easy.
I’m not saying the Jazz must win the NBA championship this year. But with the team they’ve assembled and assuming they can stay healthy, the Jazz have a good chance to get to the Western Conference Finals and if things go right, the NBA Finals. And with no super Golden State-type teams in the NBA this year, this might be Utah’s best chance
The time is now.