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Fan view by Colby Satterthwaite

Fast break, Stockton to Malone, hammerdunk! I still am hearing the echoes of Hot Rod Hundley's voice every night the Utah Jazz have played for as long as I can remember. Obviously it can't be the same in the 2003-2004 NBA Season, but who's name will he call this year?

I'll tell you that. Instead of "Stockton to Malone," try "Arroyo to Kirilenko." Yes I wrote it right, "Arroyo to Kirilenko." What else do they have to do? Dump it in to the 6-11, 170 Keon Clark to pound against the Western Conference centers? I don't think so, and i hope you don't either. The Jazz will have to come back as a run-and-gun team with their speedy foreign point guards, Carlos Arroyo and Raul Lopez, and Lopez hasn't even touched foot on a regular season floor.

They do have Matt Harpring, however, the defensive-minded player who came up big last year, surprising all with 18.3 ppg. and 7 rpg., and surprising ME how he couldn't be the Most Improved Player of the NBA. Wait, wasn't that the bad award in high school? Anyway, the point is that this guy wasn't half as good until he came and played with Stockton and Malone there, not to take any credit from my beloved Harpring, but i just don't see him as a 25 ppg. man in this league. That's why I see Andrei Kirilenko averaging about 23 ppg., 8 rpg., and 3 bpg. Yes 3 blocks per game, the kid can get up.

And if the Jazz want the slightest chance of coming close to the 10th spot in the Western Conference playoff race, then Keon Clark will have to bulk up and start ripping down some boards, preferably offensive boards. Some say, "Ostertag can do that for them," yet I always seem to respond, "What did you say?"

The Jazz's woes at center have been going on since the Mark Eaton "era." To my upmost amazement, I saw a caption under one of Ostertag's many airball hook shots thrown up last year that read, "Are the Jazz ready to give Ostertag the ball?" I know i shouldn't have to explain some of the thoughts that went through my head. No way the Jazz will give Greg Ostertag the ball, or the money. Not anymore at least. Perhaps the biggest freeloader of all-time, averaging 5 and 5 per game STARTING at center, and earning 8 mil a year. To the Jazz fans out there, i feel your pain, just think, this is his contract year, and if everything goes right, Emeka Okafor will be right there in the lottery waiting to heal your center damages.

I know all the diehards don't want to ever hear the word 'lottery,' but it has to happen sometime. The Spurs heard it in '96 and boom, Tim Duncan. Two years later, title, and we all know what happened last year. If I were a Jazz fan, I would definetely be feeling excited for a surprise run at the 8th spot, a BIG surprise run at that, or a very assuring run at the first pick, hopefully with as many chances at that #1 pick as you can get.

Imagine the names of the starters the Jazz could have in the 2004-2005 season: Carlos Arroyo, Matt Harpring (have to have one white guy), Keon Clark, Emeka Okafor, and, with all the cap space that you may have, Kevin Garnett! Oh wait, he just got an extension. Okay then, we'll have to go with Andrei Kirilenko. Caught all the Jazz's fans attention for a second there. It may not ever be said again before the season, but the Jazz are a hard team to predict this year. Good luck.