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So we've all had plenty of time to see the new look Jazz and how they are playing...

The feeling I get from most of you and most of the fans I talk to is that everyone believes we have an extremely good team with the potential to possibly be better than last years team.

On the other side of things, the general media and the talking media heads all seem to feel like the Jazz are worse or at best the same as last years team. I've talked to some of the local media sports guys and they all tell me not to get too excited about anything and the national media seems to be saying the same thing. The Jazz will be good but nothing special (4th-6th seed seems to be the popular choices).

So my question is...are the new look Jazz being under-rated by the media or are the fans getting too excited?

The start we're off to feels to good to be true but I've always been a pessimistic Jazz fan. I'm cautiously excited.

Al Jefferson has always been underrated
D-Will has always been underrated.

Put them together and you get one hell of an underrated team

D-Will was first team All-NBA, an All-Star, and is generally regarded as the best PG in the NBA. I'd say he's rated pretty correctly. Jazz underrated's are AK47 (take away the contract and he's awesome) and CJ Miles (who's become a bona fide scorer.

While Deron was owning Paul three straight years, CP (and even the likes of a Tony Parker at one point) were still considered better. In fact, a lot of folks still rate Deron second behind Paul, and there's a few who'd argue for Nash as well.

That said, in the present day, the "underrated" moniker doesn't really apply to Deron anymore.

55-27

AK is getting more minutes, CJ seems to be doing well in his 6th man role, Jefferson is looking like a great fit and Bell brings us some veteran presence and toughness that we were lacking. It looks like we can still score so far. But what has me excited and thinking we could be a great team is our defense. I remember thinking for the last 3 seasons that when we were down at the end of a game, we would either make shots and hope the other team misses or we'd lose. Judging by the games now, I actually feel we can make stops. Hell, we're having a lot of quarters where we keep opponents under 20. How many of those did we have last season?

JDubJazz wrote:D-Will was first team All-NBA, an All-Star, and is generally regarded as the best PG in the NBA. I'd say he's rated pretty correctly. Jazz underrated's are AK47 (take away the contract and he's awesome) and CJ Miles (who's become a bona fide scorer.

No he wasn't.

But anyways, the Jazz were a complete unknown going into the season, you just never know how teams are going to mesh.

However I believe the Jazz have showed a lot of things in the first 7 games that lead me to believe that we can be every bit as good as last year.

1. Al Jefferson looks like a legit go to scorer, he creates buckets my himself, and every good team has that. The Jazz haven't had that since the Mailman was here. Boozer was close, but didn't have the attacking offensive repertoire that big Al has.

2. The Jazz defense is better. Maybe it's because Boozer is gone and Memo is out, but the Jazz look much more cohesive on defense. I think having AK closer to the hoop helps our defense considerably, not to mention the addition of Bell and the improvement of Fes.

3. Our chemistry looks much farther along than I think most people believed it would be by opening night. The Jazz have found a way to incorporate Al offensively already with out limiting everything else we are trying to do. CJ looks like a key cog in the second unit, and between Bell, AK, and Millsap the Jazz have plenty to cover the need for a third scorer in the starting line up.

The one thing we are yet to see is our our line up matches up against other team, specifically who Al plays well against. In our past we have notably struggled against teams like the Lakers and OKC, does this line up and our adjusted style of play change those problems? On the flip side, who are we worse against?

Honestly I think everyone in the West has a worse record than last year, there are just too many good teams at the bottom now to have so many 50 win teams. With Golden State, LAC, Sacramento, and even the T-Wolves looking improved I think 50 wins is a lock to get you into the playoffs, with 45-46 putting you squarely in the playoff picture.

I don't think there's such a thing as overly excited Jazz fans, but I do think Jazz fans are over rating their team (surprise!). I tend to be a more conservative with my predictions, but I am excited to see if this new team can come together. I have my doubts, but its always fun to see what a new group of guys can do.

It has only been pre season so too early to really get a true pulse on it. But what I have been pleased to see:

1. Al Jefferson - I knew he could score and had great post moves, but he is better defensively and passing then I ever thought. He also seems to trust his team mates already which is a positive sign. I also like that his personality seems to bring people to him, unlike Boozers.

2. Fes - his shot is looking MUCH improved, his footwork is better, and he seems more confident on the floor. He still makes bone head fouls at times and gets lost at times, but way better then I expected.

3. CJ - His shot is looking smooth and his confidence is rolling. He seems to be getting after it more on defense as well.

4. "too big yo" - The G man himself is surprisingly really good at handling the ball, makes the right pass quite often, still getting used to the speed in the NBA but most rookies have to. His shot doesn't seem to fall some nights as he looks to rush the shot. I think as he settles in to the higher pace of the NBA game he will start making his shots. He already is a great FT shooter, so the boy can shoot. He's an improvement over Korver because of the lack of liabilities on defense and in the ball handling.

5. AK - Healthy and looks bulked up, how long that will last I'm not sure. But if he stays healthy it will only help the team improve over last year.

6. Our Backup PG's (all of them) seem much improved over last years play. Our bench seems more confident as well.

7. Raja has brought in a toughness that was expected with his signing and lacked last year outside DWill, Price, and Matthews.

8. We have played well on the road during this preseason as well. Energy is there, shooting is there, no drop off like last year. Even if we would have lost some it doesn't change the fact our energy is out there. BIG POSITIVE


Overall we get our turnovers under control we will have a better year then 5th seed PERIOD. I was excited after losing Boozer and getting AJ and thought we were improved in just doing that. Now after seeing the preseason play and the above listed items, I am actually more excited then I was before. My expectations of this team have raised just by seeing how quickly they are gellin' together. Injury and attitude are the only 2 things that can hold them back from their goals. I think they have just as much of a chance as any team out there to make some noise in the playoffs.