Not My D-Will...

It's been a tough month for the Jazz but I was heartbroken to hear that the Jazz traded away our beloved D-Will and the whole way the trade went down.  He was our All-Star Olympian.  He was our franchise player.  He was our constant.  He was the hope for our team for the past 5 years.  I feel like a mother who isn't supposed to have favorites, but Deron was mine.  He is one of the best point guards in the NBA and he was our's.  He got us so close to a title in 08, something we hadn't done since Stockton and Malone days.
We went to a game last year with my parents and saw Williams when he got to the arena with his wife.  I was SO DANG EXCITED!!  I was shaking!

I know things have spiraled downward ever since Sloan's resignation and Deron probably wasn't going to sign with us again in 2012 but I just think the Jazz management did him wrong.  No matter what happened between him and Sloan, he didn't deserve to find out he was traded by getting to Dallas being in the locker room getting ready to practice for the game that night and having it go across ESPN.  To me, that's just wrong.  My husband gets frustrated with me because that's all I've talked about for the past few days, but I can't help it.  I have a pit in my stomach for my D-Will.  Josh tells me if I had a NBA team, they would suck because I care too much about feelings and not the business side of it.  I've never liked business anyway.
I am a HUGE Jazz fan and have been from a young age.  We used to watch the games as a family when I was little.  My mom would get so frustrated that she would jump up and yell at the TV and really embarrass us kids.  Love you Mom!  But I'm glad she did that, I am a proud Jazz fan today because of her.  I remember when Karl Malone opened up the Burger King/gas station up in Preston.  It was a BIG deal.  We went and stood with the sea of people to see him and got pictures of him working the counter and grill once it opened for the day.  But I'm also a big D-Will fan.  He made the game fun to watch.  He was our go-to guy, our Jazz man.  I know it must sound pathetic to get so attached to a player, but I am attached to D-Will.

This photo just looks wrong and I hate it.

I've been reading a lot on SLC Dunk lately about the trade and was shocked to find out that it was reported the trade started with trade talk of AK.  How does a trade talk for AK turn into giving away our All-Star franchise player?  I blame the management.  Deron probably would not have signed with us in 2012, but do you blame him?  We weren't building a team around him like we should have done.  That's what he needed and deserved.  Now, we got some good things out of the deal.  Devin Harris and Derrick Favors seem to be fitting in with the team really well and are doing awesome during the games.  That eases the blow a little.  I have to say I really like the two of them.  Favors is 19 and is so good.  Harris runs the floor so well and is a lot like Williams.  I'm excited to see how we do for the rest of the season and in the coming seasons.  We are rebuilding.
In the past 3 games we've played without Deron, we've played quite well.  Especially considering we've lost our captain.  During the Pacer game, it was so nice and refreshing to see my boys smiling again.  They were enjoying playing the game again.  Something must have been going on with the team with Deron on it.
I loved this post, No DWill, No Cry, by utah9er on SLC Dunk.

The great and legendary coach Vince Lombardi once said, "Its not whether you get knocked down; its whether you get back up."

Imagine this if you will...

Its the year 2013. A warm summer day in Salt Lake City. A humongous crowd has gathered at the SLC international airport. What are they doing there? Just looking around one could guess. massive seas of blue and white swarm together. Devon Harris, Paul Millsap, Al Jefferson jerseys are everywhere you look. The much anticipated moment arrives. Devon Harris steps off the plane hoisting the very coveted Larry O'Brien Trophy. The crowd goes nuts in celebration as people blare their stereos to "We are the Champions" by Queen. After all of the heroic players and coaches step off the plane there is one last person to applaud. Kevin O'Connor enters the doorway of the exit and pauses. He exhales as he takes a look at the beautiful panoramic view of the majestic Rocky Mountains. He thinks to himself, "Wow, who would have imagined this?"  The crowd hesitates in silence before erupting in praise and cheer for the man who orchestrated the most immaculate NBA title in NBA history.

I say to all Jazz fans. Can you picture this? Do you hope for this? If not I dare say that you are not a Jazz fan.

How much do you love the Jazz?

First off I'd like to say that it is hard for most all of us Jazz fans to swallow the fact that we are without our cornerstone and marquee man. Very hard. Deron has been the closest thing to our shot at a title since the Stockton and Malone days. I think that it is hard for us to imagine the Larry O'Brien Trophy coming to Utah without Jerry or Deron around. Now that means we have turned a page. We have opened a new chapter in Utah sports. We have made that step into the unknown that many teams don't venture to take. The outcome is unknown and unpredictable. We are talking about the livelihood of players and coaches, and one of the most enjoyable things about this wonderful state. Are you a true Jazz fan and are you willing to follow the story of this team coming together and bringing that title to this great state? As for myself, I will never cease to cheer for, hope for, and desire the success of this franchise.

What the Future Holds

With that said, I have no doubt that Devin Harris has the ability and determination to be a reoccurring all-star. He was already an all star once and will be many more times if the Jazz keep building around him. What supporting cast did Devin Harris have in NJ? Lopez? Nobody really.  In Utah he has Jefferson, Millsap, and even his boyFavors that will help out as time goes on. Devon Harris is a quick sly guard that is known for his acrobatic type of moves to the hoop. I would dare say that he can do anything that Deron did for us and now that he is on a competing team, who is to say that he won't do more than that?

The Utah Jazz may have struggled this year, but I only see them getting better and better as time goes on. One era has ended but a new era has begun and I am liking the way it is beginning (except the losing streak). Devon Harris has not had the opportunity to really compete in the playoffs. Now being with such a franchise as Utah he will have the chance to bring his game to the next level. We'll see what kind of player he really is.

Team Management

I made an earlier fan post about KOC. I demanded that he do something with this dwindling Utah Jazz team. I demanded that he make a move for a blockbuster player. Now trading our franchise player away was not exactly what I was getting at. I intended him to add that player to our roster with DWill still there. But since Dwill is already gone and history we will have to settle for what has been done. I do commend KOC for making such a bold move and getting such talent for what could have turned out to be a Carlos Boozer situation. (getting nothing in return)  

Lets all remember Jazz fans.....Who we got for Deron Williams were the same players and picks that NJ offered to Denver for Melo and were about to take (and many believe they should have taken this deal). That is just a testament to the kind of move that KOC made. That is why I commend his move to bring these two players and picks to the team. Who knows, maybe one of those picks is a DWill-esque player, or someone who shoots the lights out, or someone who is a shut-down defender. We don't know that yet and we will see what is in store.  This years NBA draft does look like a somewhat week one, but I still feel that there are some sleepers out there.  I look at the recent events to our franchise as pivotal and character defining moments of those that run this team. Years down the road we will look back at these past few weeks as huge moments in team history that have kept us on the winning track. 

KOC said in the press conference on Wednesday, in a round about way, that it was a possibility that the Jazz would make another move before the deadline. Obviously the deadline has come and gone and another trade did not occur. It looks like KOC will look to the off season to maybe get under the cap or pick up a big name guy in the free agency market. Most likely he will depend on the draft pick to get someone to develop. Either way you look at it, we will have a young, up and coming team that will be a force for years to come. Mavs, Spurs, Lakers, are all getting older, when we are getting younger. OKC is younger and bigger and will be a huge team now and in the future as well. But if we use these picks correctly then they shouldn't stand in our way either.

I am optimistically looking towards the future and I feel that the outcomes of recent events will only turn these boys into men and turn these hard working players into champions.

I would love to see that day in 2013 come.  But if the Jazz don't win a title, I hope Deron gets on a contending team and does.  I will continue to follow him in his NBA career and see what great things happen to him.
We have a new man coaching the team and need to find the new man to be the captain of our team.  So I guess it's time to move on to the next era of Jazz basketball, but I do so with a lump in my throat and a pit in my stomach.