Jazz are facing plenty of tough offseason decisions News Utah Jazz

Now that another Utah Jazz season has come to another disappointing conclusion, questions are floating out there about what to do with next year's team. Break up the team and basically start over? Leave it as intact as possible? Make a few changes here and there?

Get a new coach? I think the only sure thing about next year's Jazz , besides Deron Williams being the cornerstone, is that they won't have any Stanford grads on their team for the first time in 15 years. Don't expect Jarron Collins or Brevin Knight to be in a Jazz uniform next year. Since 1994 the Jazz have always had at least one ex-Stanford player on their team. Adam Keefe joined the Jazz in 1994 and played through the 2000 season. Collins joined the team the next year and the Jazz also had Curtis Borchardt for two seasons (2003-05), before acquiring Knight last year. Knight has enjoyed a solid career in the NBA, but is clearly at the end of the line. There's little doubt the Jazz would have been better off playing Ronnie Price, four inches taller and a better all-around player, as Williams' backup. Collins' might have been let go last year except that he had another year on his contract. Now that it is expired, there is little reason to keep him with Kosta Koufos and perhaps Kyrylo Fesenko waiting in the wings. It's also unlikely Morris Almond will return since the Jazz didn't pick up his option earlier in the season. Almond seems to be what the Jazz are lacking ? a scorer who can hit jump shots. However, there is question about his long-range shooting and how good he is in other aspects of his game, including defense. Otherwise, what about the rest of the team? Here are a few ideas: Because of luxury tax considerations, the Jazz aren't going to be able to keep both Mehmet Okur and Carlos Boozer next year. Not with Andrei Kirlenko making $16 million and Williams about to join him in max territory. Boozer is to make about $12 million and Okur $9 million and both can opt out this year. I'd rather keep Okur, but the Jazz would have to pick up an affordable forward to take Boozer's place. Andrei Kirilenko is an enigma, but I still think he can be a valuable contributor for the Jazz . I just don't think the Jazz have been using him the right way lately. It's obvious he has a fragile psyche and is a lot more motivated when he's a starter and gets 30-plus minutes a night. As long as the Jazz must pay him $16 million a year, they might as well get their money's worth or as much as they can out of him. C.J. Miles is a personable kid who can knock down open jumpers. But can he make shots under pressure and does he really fit the hard-nosed style of a Jerry Sloan-coached team? The Jazz might have made a mistake in signing him last year, but they were probably afraid he might turn into another Mo Williams, who was let go too soon a few years ago. Perhaps they could package Miles in a deal involving Boozer or Okur. Even though Paul Millsap may never be a day-in, day-out starter, the Jazz should not let him get away. His long arms make up for his lack of height and you can't question his desire and hustle. I know Boozer is a more skilled player who can do things Millsap can't. But I'd rather have a guy that goes all out than one who seems to be on cruise control half the time. Keep Matt Harpring and Ronnie Brewer. Harpring brings toughness the rest of the team lacks, while Brewer brings defense the rest of the team lacks. With the 20th choice in the draft, the Jazz aren't going to get a franchise player. Although Davidson's Stephen Curry will most likely be gone by then, perhaps the Jazz can find a way to trade up to get him. I've always thought the kid was a bit overrated and too skinny to make the NBA. However, he has NBA bloodlines and can certainly light it up from long range. And perhaps the Jazz could make up for letting his dad, Dell, go after one season in Utah. All he did was go on to play in the NBA for 16 years and score over 12,000 points. Finally, call me a homer for this, but how about taking a flier on Ute center Luke Nevill? He may not be worth the 20th pick, but could be available in the second round according to draft projections. After all, Nevill is 7-foot-2 and with good coaching he improved dramatically on defense this past year, enough to earn the conference defensive player of the year award. And one thing the Jazz need is a defensive presence in the middle. Who knows, maybe the Jazz could get lucky like they did with that 7-foot-4, fourth-round pick from UCLA 27 years ago, whose number now hangs in EnergySolutions Arena. ?E-mail: sor@desnews.com