The Beginning Of The End: The Failing Experiment Of The NBA In Utah

As a once devoted fan, now a simple observer of the Utah Jazz, Salt Lake City’s unlikely NBA franchise, I couldn’t help but bear witness to their most recent and unceremonious exit from the playoffs at the hands of the much hated and much higher profile Los Angeles Lakers. As recent custom would have it, the Jazz went down with little resistance; four straight games in what would ideally have been a best of seven series. Once again Jazz fans are forced to reevaluate the team assets a few weeks earlier than they had hoped and must now convince themselves that perhaps we'll get 'em next year, drawing hope from what has emerged as an insane and seemingly inexhaustible supply of "we'll get 'em next year"s. Some fans are contrite in their denial following our perennial dismissal from the party, suggesting that perhaps some harder defensive play and maybe a few key moves in the off season might be just what the doctor ordered to finally get past those pesky, talent-rich teams out west. Less grounded fans exhibit their denial by concocting what-if scenarios; hair-brained schemes that somehow incorporate the miraculous acquisition of a big-name/big-game free agent that could never possibly come to fruition, with some theories so far-fetched that they teeter on the edge of sports science fiction. The entire culture here in Utah has a rich history of powerful denial. A denial so long carried and engrained into this valley that you can almost feel it in the air as you come off an airplane. That same denial has permeated the Jazz since the end of the era in which they made two unsuccessful trips to the finals against the Bulls. The time for them to address the encroaching realities of owning a National Basketball Association team in today's market may be irreparably past due and the once sturdy ship of the Utah Jazz basketball franchise is beginning to show serious cracks in its hull.

Many people who simply don’t understand what a well-worn legacy can mean in professional sports will try to blame all the problems on the coach, inexplicably arguing that the only logical solution is to somehow replace a Hall of Famer; a man who is himself responsible for so much success that he couldn’t possibly be responsible for this sort of protracted failure. The reality is that there is no coach who will appear from out of the darkness and confusion, offering his or her coaching services to this franchise, bringing forth great players two by two and earning wins in unfriendly arenas from coast to magnificent coast. If there were, everyone would be scrambling to sign them for more money than our pallid little team could ever dream of borrowing. The coach here, coach Jerry Sloan is a no-nonsense, results-driven, old-school-son-of-a-bitch when it comes to basketball and a goddamned legendary figure who should be treated as such. Coach Sloan has more than earned the right to say when he's done. Besides, divorcing yourself from the longest tenured coach in professional sports before he's ready to hang it up is, if I may use sport-flavored lingo, bad fuckin' luck, my friends, and will only serve to hasten the process of franchise collapse. The problem for this franchise is far more entrenched and complex than a standard personnel problem.

The Utah Jazz franchise has historically had difficulty attracting high quality free agents. Although the money was there, the fact that the whole Utah lifestyle isn't as attractive to NBA players as say, a New York lifestyle, L.A. lifestyle, Miami lifestyle, etc. has become impossible to ignore in this particular market. In the current NBA talent climate, the only way for the Jazz to address the problem head on is by accepting the problem, admitting the problem exists and finding the most delicate way to spin the news when they finally contact the owners of Key Arena and the city of Seattle to discuss lease options. The truth is that Seattle is NBA hungry following the loss of the Supersonics to Oklahoma City and their downtown facility is both available and game-ready. From a purely historical standpoint, it doesn't require any stretch of the imagination to suggest that newly minted, carefully pressed Sonics jerseys could be hanging in the lockers of their new home by 6:00 AM tomorrow morning.  

The sad reality is that the down home folks in Utah may be seeing the beginning of the end for their Jazz in Utah. The Jazz spent more money this year than ever before and saw no marked improvement against the team to beat: the L.A. Lakers. Not wanting (or able) to pay the luxury tax, the Jazz will fair no better next year and could very well miss the playoffs without the presence of a serviceable big man in the low post. The team’s inability to sign big-name free agents leads to fewer wins and the retention of former top level draft picks grows more difficult due to the constant lure from larger, higher profile  cities that are willing to pay them the same amount, if not more, to play there. Because of this, the Utah Jazz will likely remain in the lower tier of good teams in the NBA. The Lakers clearly are in a different class. They're one of a handful of elite teams at the professional level. They're a storied franchise and one that will always have more to offer both prospective draft picks and free agents alike. If we were able to cultivate our own gritty, pro-ready basketball talent here in Utah; the sort of players who are satisfied to remain safely on Utah soil and willing to stay and play within the familiar confines of this environment, we surely, surely would. But if players are being imported from anywhere other than the furthest reaches of eastern Europe, the undeniable truth is that players are very likely going to be more interested in a city with a more culturally diverse populous, a higher level of national exposure and at least one worthwhile place you can grab a decent bite to eat after midnight that doesn't offer a gigantic laminated menu.

Utah is beautiful place. The high desert up here in Salt Lake City has exhibited some of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen. The city and surrounding communities surely have what it takes to attract world-class skiers, snowboarders, climbers and virtually any individual sports discipline where training at altitude is an advantage. But the undeniable truth is that Utah simply cannot offer a lifestyle conducive to attracting the vast majority of basketball players at the professional talent level, and have a clear history of never having signed a legitimate all-star free agent. An NBA franchise can no longer grow or remain competitive with the elite teams of the NBA from within the environment that is Salt Lake City. It should reluctantly be accepted that fans of what the Utah Jazz used to be should probably begin to expect their relocation within the decade.