The lights just got a little dimmer in Utah. The biggest star in the state has been put out. Deron Williams is no longer a part of the Utah Jazz future, and the team's present is going to suffer.
Kevin O'Connor did what he had to do. Williams was not going to re-sign with the team after the 2012 season. He had his eyes on Dallas, New York or some other bigger market team. The Jazz weren't going to be a championship contender by then. Williams knew it, and O'Connor knew it. So, he did what he had to do -- get something for Williams now or lose him next year for nothing.
Devin Harris is a solid point guard. But it will take him a while to learn the Jazz offensive system. Derrick Favors may one day be a stud. But today, he's a 19-year rookie struggling to find his way in the NBA. Now, Jazz fans just don't have much of a reason to shell out 100 bucks a ticket to see a mediocre, unexciting team that will struggle to just be the 8th seed in the West.
You just can't win in the NBA without a superstar. And the two stars the Jazz have had the last few years, Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams, are now gone. Nothing against the new guys, but Al Jefferson and Devin Harris are just not capable of leading teams deep into the playoffs.
Jazz fans have always wanted national respect. Well, now they have fallen into the land of irrelevancy. They're in danger of becoming the Indiana Pacers of the West. How many games do you think they'll have on ESPN or TNT now? One a year? Maybe two? Deron Williams was the one household name on the team and the main reason basketball fans paid attention to the Jazz. Now, they're left with Al Jefferson and C.J. Miles. Not many households have heard of those guys.
As chaotic as it's been in Jazzland the last couple of weeks, with the departure of Jerry Sloan and now Williams, when the dust finally settles, the team's foundation just isn't as strong. Maybe four or five years down the line, if Favors develops and the two draft picks turn out to be something special, the Jazz will be contenders once again. But for now, this team could be wandering aimlessly, without a star to guide the way.
