The On Deck Circle

As the NBA Playoffs push forward, the participants become ever fewer. One team’s ascension to the next round must logically correspond with another’s fall. As the vanquished head home for the summer and begin organizing their respective golf vacations, The On Deck Circle will pay our respects and give each team its last rites via the running segment “Now on the Tee…” Up next, the Utah Jazz.

Someone get Ty Pennington on the phone. We have an extreme makeover to get to out in Salt Lake City. “MOVE THAT BUS!”

This offseason will not bring simple décor upgrades or furniture reshuffling for the Jazz. Major remodeling and restoration will be necessary to see them reach any kind of meaningful success next year.

Sticking with this (painful?) home reno analogy, at least the Jazz have an excellent foundation (Deron Williams) upon which to build their house for the future. Just how the rest of the current structure is brought into whatever model rises next November is still to be seen.

Game 5 in Los Angeles on Monday night saw the Lakers lower the axe that had been squarely resting over the Jazz since their loss Saturday night in Game 4. The cynical among us (which includes yours truly, of course) might point out that that axe had been suspended above the Jazz since the last game of the regular season when the Lakers took them behind the proverbial woodshed and beat them silly.

Clearly though, this was a disappointing end to the season for a Jazz team that had high expectations for itself. As recently as mid-February Utah was earning itself the mythical title of “Team No One Wants to Play in the Playoffs” thanks to their all-everything point guard, their plethora of mobile and talented big men, and a home court advantage that is nearly unrivaled in the league.

Instead, the Jazz got into a Roots-like vibe: Everything Falls Apart. When Boozer finally got healthy and productive, Millsap disappeared. When Deron’s ankle finally recovered, the shooters around him couldn’t shoot the ball into the ocean. When Ronnie Brewer looked like a viable defensive stopper, Kobe Bryant reminded him that he is Kobe Bryant.

Injuries certainly affected the team: never truly being healthy meant that they struggled to get into a rhythm much of the year. But that has been true for several seasons running now, as the roster seems full of players that just cannot stay healthy.

So here we are, saying hats off to the Jazz as they make their tee times for this weekend instead of plans to be back at Staple Center this Sunday. Time will tell if Boozer or Okur (or even Jerry Sloan) return. For now, they have vacation time.