Adios Deron

It happened in a split second.  Deron Williams was traded to the New Jersey Nets.  The Jazz simply were unwilling to be held hostage for the next 18 months while Williams made up his mind if he wanted to commit to the Jazz.  It's a bittersweet day for Jazz fans.  It's true, they lose probably the best point guard in basketball but the leadership of the Jazz did not want to end up like Toronto or Cleveland.  Both of those teams lost star players to free agency, received nothing in return and now will be rebuilding for years.

I have enjoyed watching Deron play.  He is a very skilled basketball player but one great player doesn't win a NBA championship.  I always felt Deron was missing something.  He always claimed to want to win but he never took the team on his shoulders and willed them to win.  Stockton and Malone did that many times throughout their careers.  It's possible he may learn how to lead but that is a hard skill to learn.

The Jazz have begun to build for the future.  I believe that the Jazz would have ended up trading D-Will next year if not now.  They received in return, a good point guard, a promising rookie forward and 2 possible lottery draft picks.  The future is now!  I admire the Jazz for being proactive.  Jazz owner Greg Miller put it best when he said the Jazz replaced ambiguity with certainty.

Jazz fans need to evaluate this trade in three years. When Deron Williams will be on a team to be determined and still NOT winning championships. I think the Jazz will have a solid team that is competing for league and division championships. As a Jazz fan this move gets them closer to the ultimate goal a NBA championship. If they play their cards right they could make a potentially disastrous situation and turn it into a move that could propel the Jazz towards the goal that no other Jazz team has accomplished.

Will The Jazz get "Carmeloed"?????

With the trade of Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks, I have to wonder what Jazz fans are feeling.  This same scenerio could be happening to the Jazz in 2012.  Deron Williams could do the same thing forcing them to trade him to a team of his choice.  When did NBA players get so much power? Granted, Williams has not publicly hinted to wanting out of Utah but there was a rumor during the NBA All-Star weekend that he has told confidants he would like to join the Knicks when he becomes a free agent in 2012.

Jazz fans instantly become worried and our little brother complex starts to emerge when the subject comes up of players looking to leave Salt Lake.  Time will only tell.  Can the Jazz field a championship caliber team?  Will the NBA labor situation create a new salary structure?  Has Deron Williams already made up his mind?  There are many questions to be answered in the coming months.  This much is sure: Carmelo Anthony being traded to the Knicks has gotten the attention of Jazz fans.  A year from now Jazz fans could be waking up and reading about their superstar leaving and forming a trio of his own in another city.