<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Vice president of basketball operations Kevin O'Connor said Monday that the franchise has "turned the corner and is headed up" despite the fact the Jazz might miss the playoffs for the third straight year. Speaking on a Web chat with season-ticket holders, O'Connor joked that coach Jerry Sloan "screwed up" Utah's rebuilding process by guiding the Jazz to a 42-40 record in the first year of the post-Stockton and Malone Era. " A monumental overachievement," he said. By winning 42 games in 2003-04, the Jazz ended up picking 14th in the first round of the draft. Last year, Utah owned the No. 6 pick in the draft, moved up to No. 3 and selected point guard Deron Williams, who has been one of the best rookies in the league this season. Combined with Carlos Boozer's comeback from a year-long absence because of foot and hamstring injuries, O'Connor said, optimistically, "We're on target." Noting the ages of core players Mehmet Okur (26), Andrei Kirilenko (25), Boozer (24) and Williams (21), O'Connor said, "Some of these other teams are going to be a year older [next season]. We think we're going to be a year better." </div> <div align="center">Source</div>
I'm looking forward to next season.... Like I said somewhere else, if we had this powerlineup that we have now, the whole season (or most of it)...... things would be quite different.
