The Forward Thinking of a Powerful Frontcourt Dilemma

The attribution of the success that has been rendered to the Utah Jazz has been spread widely and thoroughly throughout the numerous members of the organization for the last score; from longtime head coach Jerry Sloan (who while having never won a Coach of the Year Award, has managed to dress many an elite outfit in Salt Lake City) to the recently-deceased majority owner Larry Miller (whose staunch beliefs in truly earning a contract and his close relationship to his players and coaching staff has endeared him to Jazz supporters and fans) to the legends of the team, largely Karl Malone and John Stockton, whose high standards of consistency and excellence on the court is the lone reason most players have desired to even play in the state altogether. In the past six seasons since the departure of that tandem, the Jazz's measure of success each year has come particularly from the spot that Malone left vacant at power forward, and with all of the peripheral factors that will certainly affect the team (poor economy, pseudo-new ownership, potential free agency), Utah has three individuals that it will to make decisions on for the immediate and long-term future of the ball club in Andrei Kirilenko, Carlos Boozer and Paul Millsap.

Most casual fans may remember Kirilenko being a surprise All-Star in 2004, who almost single-handedly brought Utah to the playoffs after the team was depleted by the retirement and free agency of Stockton and Malone. Searching for a new identity while needing to get the most of its then-current players on the roster, "AK-47" was surely a high artillery weapon whose ability to play anywhere on the court made him a dangerous cover by the opposition of the night. For his efforts, he was handsomely rewarded with a maximum-dollar contract, but was soon asked to share his minutes with Boozer at the four spot, and AK soon seemed out of place. Since being moved to small forward as a starter and eventually to the bench, his play has mostly been steady, but his moodiness and high salary have been looked upon as the very reasons that the Jazz should have rid themselves of his presence on the team, despite his talents. After all, it's been obvious that Kirilenko has not been himself as a player due to his position change and demotion to the bench, but he had previously been bound to the standards of Miller's charges by his players, in that they play out their long-term contracts; now that Miller is no longer in charge, it remains to be seen what is made of AK's future in Utah.

Boozer, on the other hand, has been a gift and a curse in the Jazz's plans. A free agent in 2004, Boozer missed nearly two full seasons with major leg injuries and surgeries before breaking out (again) as an All-Star caliber player for Utah. One of the best finishers around the basket, Boozer has made people think fondly him as a Malone to Deron Williams' Stockton, but his presence has come some hefty prices for Utah. Boozer has struggled to consistently maintain good health in Utah, despite all of his talent. For the long-term contract that he signed in 2004, he's really only played 2 ½ years of that agreement, which has kept the Jazz from fully flourishing when it could have in prior years. The fan base and organization have also questioned his commitment to the team, as Boozer has gone on record in late 2008 saying that he intended to opt out as a free agent with his contract's player free agent option, despite the Jazz's commitment to keeping him as a vital part of the team. Though he was unfairly criticized by Miller in the first two years as a Jazz for possibly not working hard enough in his rehabilitation, Boozer maintained a good relationship with Sloan and the rest of his teammates and has never been a bad influence in the locker room; yet and still, despite his likeability as a teammate and person, Boozer has rubbed certain Jazz affiliates the wrong way and it has yet to be seen what the final call on his membership, both in what he will do in the summer and what the Jazz will do regarding his plans...which leads to Millsap, the primary backup power forward to Boozer.

Drafted out of Louisiana Tech University, the alma mater of "The Mailman" himself, Millsap has become one of the most treasured reserve players in the entire NBA, using his instincts as an elite rebounder and defender, and his ability to score around the basket as the ways in which he excels when on the court. A diamond-in-the-rough as a second-round pick by the Jazz in 2006, Millsap started to earn major minutes seemingly right away as a rookie and continuing on in 2007-2008; but it was his third season in the 2009 campaign that has brought his value to top-dollar. Having to play in Boozer's starting spot as he recovered from leg surgery, Millsap shined and immediately garnered talk of taking Boozer's minutes permanently in the case that he would left via free agency. The one problem has been, though, that Boozer has since reneged on his former intentions and has sought to come to a more educated decision in the summer, which leaves the Jazz in a precarious position.

Millsap, as a restricted free agent in his rookie contract, could command anywhere from $8-10 million annually as a starting power forward for a number of teams, but if the Jazz were to keep him for that price, along with Boozer and Kirilenko still on the roster for the next year (not to mention Williams' high-salary extension), Utah would be over the salary cap and be in a very uncomfortable luxury tax position, even more so with the state of the national economy causing record losses for several NBA franchises. The question of who the Jazz decide to keep then shifts to how proactive the organization will be in who it wants to continue with on the team. Kirilenko's value has been so-so ever since he cried and complained about his minutes after a playoff game in 2007? (2008?) and because of his high salary and remaining years on his contract, most teams would be reluctant to trade back expiring contracts to the Jazz; and Boozer's shuffling thoughts on his impending (non-) free agency have kept everyone in the front office on their toes, all the while, anticipating Millsap's first day of virtual freedom on July 1, as teams will immediately begin to court the young star.

In a perfect Jazzy world, the most efficient player of the trio (in both health and production) in Millsap would most likely be the alpha dog in the mix, while Kirilenko and Boozer find situations that are better suited to their own and the Jazz's future, but things are not always as planned. As Kanye West would say, "Utah, welcome to heartbreak."