Jazz Roster
* WHAT HE'LL BRING: Shooting. Observers who have watched Jazz practices insist he's the best pure shooter on the team. * WHAT HE WON'T: Blocked shots.
In his senior season with the Hokies, Chase played every game and got his hands on exactly one shot. * TMI: Was cut from Roanoke, a D League team, two years ago. * BEST-CASE SCENARIO: A hot streak from three-point range wins a few games, and earns a permanent job.
* WHAT HE'LL BRING: Judgment. After only one season, he's already proficient at finding the open man in the Jazz's offense. * WHAT HE WON'T: Speed.
Good decision-making is important, because he won't beat many defenders down the floor.
daughter was born in July, he had their names, Denae and Daija, and birthdates tattooed over his heart. * WHAT HE'LL BRING: Leadership.
He made his reputation as a steadying influence in Lakers' circus-like locker room. * WHAT HE WON'T: Idleness. He is one of league's most durable guards.
* WHAT HE'LL BRING: Quickness. He has more end-to-end speed than any Jazz player since Mo Williams. * WHAT HE WON'T: Bashfulness.
As focal point of Illinois offense last season, Brown became unafraid to take important shots. * RISING UP: With a winning pedigree and a willingness to work, Brown has good chance to transform himself into pro-level point guard. * WHAT HE WON'T: Free throws.
Those pull-up jumpers keep him out of the lane, so he takes less than two free throws per game. * RISING UP: The lingering calf injury that hampered his scoring ability last season is finally gone, making him a fluid shooter again. * WHAT HE'LL BRING: Enthusiasm.
After being overwhelmed as a rookie, he's thrilled that an offseason of work has turned him into a legitimate NBA player. * WHAT HE WON'T: Strength. He's still got the stringbean physique of a teenager, making it possible to manhandle him under the basket.
* TMI: Took piano lessons as a child, and remains proficient at the keyboard. * BEST-CASE SCENARIO: His pretty three-point shot becomes so reliable, comparisons to Jeff Hornacek pop up. * WHAT HE'LL BRING: Layups.
He's nearly automatic on 10-foot jumpers, but his specialty is losing his defender and popping free under the basket. * WHAT HE WON'T: Lateral quickness. Knee operations have robbed him of the ability to stay in front of league's quicker small forwards.
* TMI: If he wasn't in NBA, he would be a stockbroker. * BEST-CASE SCENARIO: He and Fisher develop inside-outside game so well, offense doesn't dry up when second team comes in. * WOST-CASE SCENARIO: The decline in his mobility speeds up, making it impossible to work his way to the basket.
* RISING UP: His three-point range returned last season, giving Jazz an extra weapon on the perimeter. * WHAT HE'LL BRING: Disbelief. His ability to disrupt offenses from all over the floor makes him virtually unique in the NBA, and opponents routinely rave after games about hard-to-fathom plays he's made.
* WHAT HE WON'T: Durability. Back injuries tend to recur, and his fly-around-the-court game leads to aggravations. * BEST-CASE SCENARIO: He's ready for bigger role in the offense, and it returns him to All-Star status.
* WORST-CASE SCENARIO: Bad back grounds his aerobatic act, and habit of dribbling into traffic returns. * RISING UP: He's always had the necessary physical gifts for shot-blocking, but he is becoming more savvy about it, too. * WHAT HE BRINGS: Ethics.
The ordained minister is also devoted to his coach's instructions, willing to throw himself at any challenge Sloan points him toward. * WHAT HE WON'T: Penetration. He's a small forward, but prefers a post-up game and hasn't yet developed the ability to get past defenders to the basket.
* TMI: Attended same high school as comedian Andy Dick, and had starring roles in school musicals. * WORST-CASE SCENARIO: Lack of versatility, and Jazz's depth at forward, make him a midseason cut. * RISING UP: His interior moves are NBA-worthy, and he has made big strides on defensive ends.
* WHAT HE'LL BRING: Physicality. Alone among the Jazz's top scorers, he's OK with bulling his way to the basket. * WHAT HE WON'T: Charging fouls.
His feet aren't quick enough to effectively cut off the lane on defense. * BEST-CASE SCENARIO: Double-double averages, and a growing consensus that the Jazz were wise not to trade him. * WORST-CASE SCENARIO: Air casts, crutches and MRIs, and another year of unceasing rumors.
* WHAT HE'LL BRING: Four-shot possessions. His knack for tipping offensive rebounds to himself should help the Jazz overcome their inconsistent shooting. * WHAT HE WON'T: Flamboyance.
Quiet and focused, he is already developing a blue-collar reputation. * BEST-CASE SCENARIO: A spot among the rebounds-per-minute leaders, and dozens of general managers upset with their scouts. * RISING UP: Rather than intimidate him, the stiffer competition he faces now is hastening his improvement, especially on offense.
WHAT HE'LL BRING: Versatility. He's virtually impossible to guard, since he can use his height to score inside but rely on a deft shooting touch to bank home 20-footers. WHAT HE WON'T: Rejections.
Despite his height, he's never possessed the timing or agility to deter post-up players. BEST-CASE SCENARIO: oAnother 82 games of confounding defenses, and fewer off nights. WORST-CASE SCENARIO: Frustrations over having to share the ball reduce his inclination to work hard, or take quality shots.
RISING UP: He is showing interest in defense, and turning into a reliable rebounder. * WHAT HE'LL BRING: Bruises. There's no questioning his willingness to play physically, a trait that occasionally leaves a trail of bodies in his wake.
* WHAT HE WON'T: Deftness. For a big man, his shooting percentage is a puzzling (and disastrous) 40 percent. * TMI: Didn't speak English when he enrolled at Arizona Western, but completed a college degree in four years.
* BEST-CASE SCENARIO: More rebounds than fouls, and a restoration of his paint-protector college reputation. * WORST-CASE SCENARIO: Referees limit him to three- and four-minute stints, until Sloan finally gives up. * RISING UP: Already a hard worker, he has made it clear how motivated he is to prove that lottery-pick status wasn't wrong.
* WHAT HE'LL BRING: Flops. His underappreciated game includes mastery of a skill that doesn't show up on stat sheet: Drawing offensive fouls. * WHAT HE WON'T: Skid marks.
Keywords: Case Scenario, Ll Bring, Best Case, Best Case Scenario, Worst Case, Worst Case Scenario
News RSS