Utah Jazz owner Gail Miller expressed the utmost confidence in the team as currently constructed and made the organization’s lofty goals clearly known.
Every NBA player – no matter their position, experience, team or circumstance – shares a common desire: To win an NBA championship. Even those who may be on a team that has no shot at winning tend to speak of it being their immediate goal in that very season. The players know how hard it is to win a championship, but sometimes they may not fully understand all it really takes. For that reason, at times when players discuss their championship desires, it can sometimes feel like little more than a common cliche or merely the expected talk.
The same can be said for almost any member of a team’s organization to some extent, as even teams in the midst of a rocky rebuild wouldn’t declare anything other than their desire to wend their way toward a championship. However, when certain team execs break out of their conservative norm and truly start opening up about championship aspirations, it’s usually a bit easier to tell when it’s just talk and when they really mean it.
When they really believe their team has a chance.
And in the case of the Utah Jazz, it seems that revered owner Gail Miller most certainly has reached that point. Due to the rock-solid foundation of players, coaches and front office staff already in place, the savvy changes made this summer and, most recently, her very declaration of confidence, it’s clear that she has all the confidence in the world in her team.
Per a recent Salt Lake Tribune article from Gordon Monson, Gail had the following to say about the state of the Jazz:
"“With 30 teams in the NBA, there can only be one championship, but I think every 30 years, you ought to have one. It’s our turn. I think we’ve built up to it, we understand what it takes, we’ve put everything in place for it, we’ve given them all the tools they need, brought in the players who I think can do it. There’s no reason why we can’t have that expectation. I don’t know that it will come this year, but I do believe we’ll get there.”"
Of course, she maintained her realism by saying that she doesn’t know that it will come this year. Obviously, one never knows. Injuries, poor chemistry, unforeseen changes or a million other unpredictable changes could surface and get in the way. I’d guess the vast majority of NBA fans believed the Golden State Warriors would repeat as champions this past year, and yet it was instead the Toronto Raptors who took the crown.
But the way she spoke so boldly with statements such as: “It’s our turn.” “We’ve built up to it.” “We understand what it takes.” “We’ve put everything in place.” “There’s no reason why we can’t have that expectation.” speak volumes to just how confident she is in what the Jazz have been and finally managed to put together.
Gail clearly knows and sees what all of us Jazz fans have picked up on all summer – that the 2019-20 iteration of this Jazz team, as well as future squads that stem from this one, are going to be special.
Jazz owner Gail Miller wants a title, and she "absolutely" sees her team winning an NBA Championship -- soon: https://t.co/HbOZV8M3Zp
— Gordon Monson (@GordonMonson) August 15, 2019
And while the new-look group yet has a lot to prove, she’s absolutely right in being confident and believing that they’re capable of achieving at the highest level. This Jazz team is as talented as they come. The front office has strategically and meticulously identified and patched up their weaknesses. They have the depth, versatility and overall skill to compete with any team in the NBA.
2019-20 could very well be their time.
It’s easy to fall into a pessimistic mindset that the team will be over-hyped, that they’ll fail to live up to expectations or that they’ll yet again be good but just not good enough. And any or all of those could prove to be reality when all is said and done. But rather than dwelling on those feelings, Jazz fans would be wise to instead adopt the same attitude as Gail Miller.
If ever there was a Jazz team to believe in, this would be the one. The organization has taken all the right steps. They have a clear and exciting path to success ahead. They’re as well-equipped as they’ve ever been.
And let’s not forget, two teams in the last four seasons have won their franchise’s first-ever championship.
Why can’t it be the Utah Jazz’s turn this time around?