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By Sam Amico / The Amico Report

THE NEW FACE OF JAZZ

Will the Utah Jazz even bother to field a team this year?

Sometimes, you really have to wonder.

No Karl Malone, no John Stockton ... heck, even shooting guard Calbert Cheaney is expected to sign elsewhere before the season begins.

All that's left are Matt Harpring, Andrei Kirilenko, and a bunch of guys you've never heard of.

Don't get me wrong, Harpring and Kirilenko are two up-and-coming young players -- but they're not exactly Stockton and Malone. Starskey and Hutch would be more like it, as Harpring and Kirilenko sort of resemble the characters from that 1970s TV hit.

But other than those two, who's gonna score, rebound, or defend for the Jazz this season? More importantly, who will run the offense and keep everything under control now that Stockton has retired? Maurice Williams? Nothing against the rookie out of Alabama, but I don't think so.

The Jazz's other top players? Try Greg Ostertag, DeShawn Stevenson, Keon Clark, and Jarron (Don't Call Me Jason) Collins. Sounds like one heck of a second unit. Problem is, most of those guys will have to start.

Oh yeah, Utah will also be relying heavily upon point guard Raul Lopez and center Curtis Borchardt. Both are second-year players with promise -- and second-year players who combined for zero minutes of playing time during their first year, having missed the entire season with injuries.

Now, after reading all of that, you probably wish I'd just drop the hammer and bury the Jazz. You probably wish I'd just say the Jazz are gonna stink, so we can move on with life. And I won't waste your time by writing that the Jazz will make the playoffs. They won't.

But there's more to this team than you might think. No, Stockton and Malone won't be in the lineup. Yes, even the most dedicated Jazz fan will need a pronunciation guide just to get through the first half of the season. And who knows if first-round pick Aleksander Pavlovic is really anything more than The Next Scott Padgett?

Well, I'm here to tell you none of that really matters. I'm here to tell you there's only one name on Utah's roster that you need to worry about, and it belongs to the man in charge.

That's right, my favorite thing about the Jazz is the fact Jerry Sloan signed on to continue coaching the team. If you care about the Jazz, you should feel the same way.

Sloan ought to have the words "NBA coach" stamped on his forehead, as nobody in the league has done more with less. Sloan's teams are disciplined, physical, and mostly, TOUGH -- just like him. His players play the game as if they're working on an assembly line. They pick, they roll, they scratch, they claw, they take charges. It's all very conventional and very organized.

But hey, what else would you expect from a guy who is constantly wearing mesh ballcaps that sport the John Deer logo?

Sloan doesn't usually have a lot to say, although he did once utter the following line: "I quit smoking and drinking two years ago, and I've felt sick ever since."

It's typical of a man who takes pride in pressing on, even in the most strenuous of times. And that's a good thing when you consider coaching the Jazz this season could be tougher than simply breaking a couple of bad habits.

Again, the Jazz probably won't finish anywhere but last in the Midwest Division. They might not win more than 25 games. Just like the Celtics and Bulls of yesteryear, Utah is about to discover the ugly side of rebuilding.

But it's nice to see there's still an organization out there that values substance over style. And with Sloan running things, it won't be long before the Jazz are back in contention.

I can promise you that much -- and feel secure doing it even if Stockton and Malone have been replaced by Starskey and Hutch.

PEJA PRIDE

Reader Matt Plumb (South Bend, Ind.) e-mailed the following intriguing question: "We know all about your love for Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady, Rod Strickland, etc., but who is your favorite foreign player in the NBA?"

Dear Matt, glad you asked.

The answer is Sacramento forward Peja Stojakovic.

I like Stojakovic simply because he's an old-school basketball junkie. If I played in the NBA, I like to think I'd be just like Stojakovic in the sense that he's ALWAYS playing.

If he weren't playing professionally, you can be sure Stojakovic would still make time to hit the court. In other words, he truly loves the game, and has the passion of a 12-year old kid who lofts jumpers in the driveway for hours at a time.

All Stojakovic does in the offseason is play. It's the type of summer regimen displayed by former NBA stars like Larry Bird and Michael Jordan, who were always basketball players first, millionaires second.

Like Bird and Jordan, Stojakovic plays because it's fun. Not because it's just a job.

THE GREATEST EVER

Without any real news to report, I give you my list of each franchise's greatest player of all time (with others considered in parentheses):

Atlanta: Bob Pettit (Lou Hudson, Dominique Wilkins); Boston: tie, Bill Russell and Larry Bird (John Havilicek); Chicago: Michael Jordan. Cleveland: Mark Price (Brad Daugherty). Dallas: Mark Aguirre (Dirk Nowitzki, Rolando Blackman); Denver: Alex English (David Thompson); Detroit: Isiah Thomas; Golden State: Wilt Chamberlain (Rick Barry, Chris Mullin); Houston: Hakeem Olajuwon (Elvin Hayes, Moses Malone); Indiana: Reggie Miller (George McGinnis); L.A. Clippers: Bob McAdoo (Randy Smith); L.A. Lakers: Magic Johnson (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor); Memphis: Pau Gasol (Shareef Abdur-Rahim); Miami: Alonzo Mourning (Glen Rice); Milwaukee: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Oscar Robertson).

Minnesota: Kevin Garnett; New Jersey: Julius Erving (Jason Kidd); New Orleans: Larry Johnson (Alonzo Mourning); New York: Patrick Ewing (Walt Frazier, Willis Reed); Orlando: Shaquille O'Neal (Tracy McGrady); Philadelphia: tie, Wilt Chamberlain and Julius Erving (Charles Barkley, Dolph Schayes); Phoenix: Charles Barkley (Walter Davis); Portland: Clyde Drexler (Bill Walton); Sacramento: Oscar Robertson (Jerry Lucas, Tiny Archibald); San Antonio: David Robinson (George Gervin, Tim Duncan); Seattle: Gary Payton (Spencer Haywood, Shawn Kemp); Toronto: Vince Carter; Utah: Karl Malone (John Stockton, Adrian Dantley); Washington: Elvin Hayes (Wes Unseld, Gus Johnson).

Feel free to e-mail any arguments to me at amicoreport@hotmail.com. I promise to read them, but I'm not printing any (unless they're really, really good).

MORE OF MY STUFF

If you are among those who have e-mailed over the years to ask if you can read my NBA-related writing anywhere besides this newsletter, the answer is yes.

I previewed four teams for Athlon's NBA yearbook -- San Antonio, Atlanta, Cleveland, and Toronto -- due out in a few weeks. I am also writing the New Orleans and Seattle team previews for Basketball Digest.

If that shameless plugging isn't enough, well, my wife has also been insisting that I remind you to buy my book about the NBA, "A Basketball Summer," released two years ago. You can find copies on Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble.com.

Now, on to stuff you actually care about.

JACKSON ON THE MOVE, AGAIN

Whoever thought Jimmy Jackson would have played for nine teams in 11 seasons when he was drafted as a franchise player out of Ohio State?

Well, make it 10 teams in 12 seasons, as Jackson is available again. Jackson, who played very well off the bench for Sacramento last season, is not expected to return to the Kings. Earlier this summer, he turned down an offer to rejoin the Nets, but has drawn interest from several other teams.

"He's still a good player," Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said of the 6-foot-6 swingman on SI.com. "I think he's got a lot of basketball left in him."

As SI reported, Jackson will probably do what he did last season, and sit out until the All-Star break. Then he'll sign with someone to help make a playoff push. Indiana and New Orleans are said to be particularly interested.

FINAL THOUGHTS

-- Remember Jose Ortiz? If not, just know he's a Puerto Rican native who was drafted by the Jazz out of Oregon State back in 1989. Ortiz is still playing and playing well at the age of 39, most recently for the Puerto Rican national team. The 6-10 center told the Boston Globe that he hopes to play until the age of 45, maybe longer. "I can still be a solid contributor for any (NBA) team that needs a skilled big man," he said.

-- Celtics legend Red Auerbach on Danny Ainge: "Forget about his work ethic and intelligence. The main thing about him is he's unbelievably lucky -- always has been." That's good news for Boston fans, considering Ainge is the Celtics' new executive director of basketball operations.

-- Celtics forward Antoine Walker on keeping the team together this summer: "I think we're right there. It would be a shame if the guys who have been together for a long time don't get the chance to come back and try to make it to the Finals. That's the goal."

-- We'll find out early if LeBron James suffers from jet lag. Cleveland's first four games are all against Western Conference foes -- at Sacramento, at Phoenix, and at Portland, before returning home to face Carmelo Anthony and Denver.

-- Atlanta also hits the West Coast early, with a five-game swing in the second week. The Hawks are at Golden State Nov. 5, followed by games in Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles (Clippers), and Phoenix, respectively. If they can survive that, they could be better than a lot of people are predicting.

-- Who will start at point guard in Minnesota? Sam Cassell, or Troy Hudson, who's coming off a remarkable season? One thing's for sure, Rod Strickland appears to be out of work again, maybe forever.

-- Finally, Memphis' forward Pau Gasol will return to his homeland Oct. 10, when the Grizzlies travel to Spain to face F.C. Barcelona in an exhibition game. Gasol played for Barcelona before joining the Grizzlies. "There will be a lot of pressure," Gasol told Street & Smith's in the magazine's annual NBA preview. "Everything that happens with this game will be big-time news (in Spain)."

READER FEEDBACK

From Gary Herzberg (Scotch Plains, N.J.)

Q: Mr. Amico, you continuously have spelled Miami rookie Dwyane Wade's first name wrong. You spell it "Dwayne," when it's really "Dwyane."

A: Dear Gary, thanks for the correction. I promise to start calling him "Dwyane" when you stop calling me "Mr. Amico." :)

From Rob Welch (Seattle)

Q: In your last newsletter you stated the Rockets would most likely land the eighth seed in the Western Conference. I was wondering, do you think Seattle has a shot?

A: Dear Rob, sure. It's an outside shot, at best -- but it's still a shot. Ray Allen is just awesome, and with guys like him, Rashard Lewis and Brent Barry in the lineup, anything is possible. I really like the post-Gary Payton roster Seattle has assembled, and it won't be long before the Sonics become a force again.

From Tim Rath (Detroit)

Q: In response to last week's newsletter, I think Detroit's home white uniforms, both of Miami's uniforms, and both of Boston's jerseys are the best. My favorite logo is the Celtics'. Gotta love the classics.

A: Dear Tim, exactly. That's why I was thrilled when San Antonio returned to its original black-and-silver look last season. As for the Pistons, they also have the coolest looking home court.

From Neil McCauley (Adelaide, Australia)

Q: Who do you think is the best player ever -- Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, or Dominique Wilkins?

A: Dear Neil, Jordan. Russell is among a group of about five who are tied for second. Wilkins isn't even the best player in Hawks' history. I loved Dominique, but I'd take Bob Pettit and Lou Hudson in their primes over him.

SIGN UP FOR THE AMICO REPORT

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HAVE A GREAT DAY -- AND GO BROWNS!