The J-Notes
Fansided

Five Utah Jazz players that left fans wanting more

By Ryan Aston

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - APRIL 5: Paul Millsap #24 and Alec Burks #10 of the Utah Jazz go up for a rebound against Xavier Henry #4 of the New Orleans Hornets at Energy Solutions Arena on April 5, 2013 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Copyright 2013 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - APRIL 5: Paul Millsap #24 and Alec Burks #10 of the Utah Jazz go up for a rebound against Xavier Henry #4 of the New Orleans Hornets at Energy Solutions Arena on April 5, 2013 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Copyright 2013 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Chris Morris Greg Foster Utah Jazz
INGLEWOOD, UNITED STATES: Utah Jazz Chris Morris (R) and Greg Foster (L) give each other a High-five late in the fourth quarter during the Jazz’s victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game three of the NBA Western Conference Finals in Inglewood, CA 22 May. The Jazz defeated the Lakers 109-98 to take a 3-0 lead. AFP PHOTO Vince BUCCI/mn (Photo credit should read Vince Bucci/AFP/Getty Images) /

4) Chris Morris

When the Utah Jazz signed Chris Morris back in 1995, it felt like a big deal. The Stockton-to-Malone Jazz had always battled in the wild Western Conference, taking teams like the Showtime Lakers, the Portland Trail Blazers and the Houston Rockets to the brink for years, but were seemingly just a piece or two short of getting over the hump.

Morris was the guy who was supposed to help the Jazz bridge the gap. In him, the Jazz had caught their white whale; a borderline star who actually chose to come to Utah and play for the Jazz in free agency. To this day, the very concept largely remains a foreign one to the Jazz faithful.

However, Morris was a bit of a square peg, and by the time he joined the Jazz as a 30-year-old, he wasn’t quite the same guy who had averaged 13 points, six boards and 1.5 steals per game for the New Jersey Nets and participated in the Slam Dunk Contest.

He came close, at times, during his first year with the Jazz, scoring double digits and even starting games over Jeff Hornacek, but by the time the Jazz were making their Finals runs, he was playing 12 minutes a night.

Morris will always be remembered for “raising the roof” and being a role player on the best teams in Jazz history, and rightfully so, but thanks to a confluence of factors, fans rarely got to see the player that got them excited in ’95.

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