Column: Hobson’s Hut
“Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Jazz might stay on their feet. If they die before the All-Star break, the championship, I pray the Lakers won’t take . . .” – A Jazz Fan’s Prayer uttered by fans throughout Utah
Sound familiar? It’s almost that time of year again. The time of year when the Jazz start to show their age, losing games to teams like Denver and Golden State. And kids – not to mention grown men and women – begin praying that somehow, someone will come along and save the season. Every year they pray that, unlike past seasons, this one really will be Utah’s year – that the sun will shine on the Delta Center and Blue Birds (or Seagulls) will sing songs of victory. Lately, however, the sun has shone on the Jazz about as often as it has shone on Logan. And as cold as it’s been here, the Jazz have been colder. Sure, Utah squeaked by Houston 99-97 on Saturday, but it took a 20-point effort from . . . not Karl Malone, but Donyell Marshall. Donyell who? Donyell Marshall. Teams just don’t win championships with guys like Marshall leading the way. Don’t believe me? Look at the table above, which shows the last 10 championship teams and their go-to guys. There was a time when Malone and John Stockton would have made a natural pairing on this list, but that time has come and gone – long gone. Stockton is still putting up decent numbers, but he doesn’t have anyone to work with. And that includes Malone. Heading into Tuesday night’s game with Indiana, the Mailman had delivered more than 20 points in just one of his last seven games, and the Jazz lost five of those games. Not really the characteristics of a go-to man if you ask me. But Malone has never been a go-to man. Not in the truest sense of the word, anyway. Think back to the NBA Finals in both 1997 (one of his two MVP seasons) and 1998. He couldn’t deliver against Chicago when it counted most. Malone generally performs great during the regular season, then disappears in the post-season. Franchise players are just the opposite: They pull the team in the regular season and carry it in the playoffs. In fact, I dare say the only go-to guy the city of Salt Lake ever had was Keith Van Horn. Maybe the Jazz would have a shot with players like Van Horn – players that aren’t afraid to shoulder the pressure, to demand the ball when the game’s on the line. As it is, they have the greatest power forward to never win a championship and the NBA’s all-time assist leader, both of whom are well beyond their primes. Stockton’s job is to pass the ball when the game’s on the line. Malone has made it his job to hide from the ball in key situations. And their supporting cast doesn’t get any better. Byron Russell is usually good for 15 to 20 points, but he has a tendency to get burned when the game’s on the line (see Michael Jordan, 1998 NBA Finals, Game 6). There’s Greg Ostertag, who’s usually good for a towel and two bottles of water per game. Danny Manning, possibly the most overrated player to ever come out of college, isn’t much of a threat, but he looks good in a Jazz uniform. John Starks can still light it up, but he’s not the same player he was in the early ’90s when the Knicks and the Bulls were battling for NBA supremacy. And Marshall? Well, he’s been the team’s savior of late, but don’t expect him to carry Utah in May and June. I just don’t see a Marshall/Starks combination ever making it on the table. Maybe it’s time to add a new verse to the Jazz Fan’s Prayer: “And as I lay me down to sleep, I pray I might can sell my seat. Send some poor sap who wants to cheer. Let someone else say, ‘This is our year!'”
Casey Hobson is a junior majoring in journalism. He can be reached at hobsonhut@hotmail.com