Quiet Utah will be ready to defend the West - Utah Jazz - NBA Report - Column

The Jazz just came off their most successful season and already are making sure they will be in the thick of things again. The question now is the same as it was last year: With Michael almost assured of coming back, does it matter?

You may recall the Jazz didn't exactly go quietly in the Finals, and we aren't talking about all that noise in the Delta Center. In three of their four losses, they led for more than 80 percent of the game. Were it not for a couple simple things, such as missed free throws (Karl Malone in Game 1) or missed layups (Shandon Anderson in Game 6), we might be talking about Utah defending its NBA title instead of its Western Conference crown.

Once the season ended, the Jazz had six free agents, five of whom played critical roles last season. Three of the five -- Antoine Carr, Bryon Russell and Anderson -- have resigned. A fourth, Jeff Hornacek, is sure to return. The fifth, Howard Eisley, is testing the waters, but he wants to stay and the Jazz want him back.

Utah didn't even bother scanning the free-agent lists, in part to accommodate Anderson. The only newcomer of substance probably will be rookie Jacque Vaughn.

"The collective focus in the organization was to keep the team together and give it another run," director of basketball operations Scott Layden says. "So far, we've had success."

Carr has taken a pay cut to return, though his options weren't all that enticing at 36. Russell signed for five years, Anderson for two. If you still have a game program from last year, don't bother getting a new one.

This is the way the Jazz go about their business: without rancor or fanfare. Guys want to play here. The coach is a non-non-sense guy who doesn't know Zen and doesn't care. The team leaders are future Hall of Famers, and the ongoing success has been consistently impressive.

Be advised, though, that only one team -- the Rockets -- has made consecutive visits to the Finals in the 1990s from the West.

The Lakers already have an appealing roster and still haven't used the exemption (that all teams get) that allows them to spend $1 million outside the salary cap. The Spurs, lest we forget, will have Tim Duncan to join a presumably healthy David Robinson. The Sonics may be back if Shawn Kemp decides to start acting like a grown up. And the gerontological wonders in Houston and kiddie corps in Minnesota also are poised to make a run.

It's a crowded field, and the Jazz often get overlooked or taken for granted. Last summer, everyone was buzzing about the newlook Lakers with Shaq, the new-look Rockets with Sir Charles and the Sonics' seeming maturation process. Utah added Anderson, a second-round pick and then lapped the field. In doing so, they surprised a lot of people, maybe even the themselves.

This year, it will be different. Now, there are expectations. Maybe the organization had those expectations before, but not many others did. The Jazz know the drill now. There's only one slight hitch, Unfortunately for them and everyone else, the Bulls know the routine as well. And, like the Jazz, they're going to be back together as well.

Around the league

Portland's Clifford Robinson is sure making a case for himself in the free-agent market. He was stopped by the police, and marijuana was found in his Humvee. Robinson says the marijuana belonged to his brother. Even before the incident, teams weren't exactly breaking down the door to sign the forward, who has a history of disappearing in the playoffs. ... Tim Duncan and Tony Battie were among the rookies who participated in the recent summer league in Salt Lake City. Their presence is one benefit of the rookie cap. (There aren't many others.) Players get guaranteed deals right away, so there's no risk in playing and it gives players and teams a chance to bond.

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