I like living in Salt Lake. But I'm also not an athlete. I'm also not black. I could see how being a 20-something year old black dude could deter someone from the city. Is it fully justifiable? No. But let's not fool ourselves here. NBA players aren't going to pick Utah because of its skiing or its hiking. Some have been able to assimilate to the state more than others - but the overall factors go against the state.
For starters, we're still a very small market in a region that has been considered a flyover state since airplanes took flight.
Now the perception has changed a bit, but in reality, we've still got a long ways to go.
And because of that, I can't think of many NBA cities that are less desirable for an NBA player.
I think maybe Sacramento and Memphis are worse than Salt Lake.
San Antonio is probably close. But of course, the Spurs drafted their two most important franchise players (Robinson and Duncan). So they've not really been out there shopping for the biggest names. It also doesn't hurt they own the second most titles in the 21st Century.
I think it's obvious the Jazz will have a difficult time building their team through free agency. They'll get parts, but it will be difficult to land a player who's one of the best at his position.
That's why I'm not fully on board with the idea losing Boozer automatically makes Utah better. I don't think it does. I think we'll regress and even without his contract or AK's contract, we'll still struggle to get a really good player.
So that means we've got to build this team through the draft and the draft is a far bigger crapshoot because the talent is untested. Not many franchises build championship contenders through the NBA draft. Most do it through free agency and trades. L.A. would've never won its championships without Gasol. Boston wouldn't have won theirs without the ridiculous dealings a few years ago. And Miami wouldn't have won theirs if they didn't get Shaq.
The path to championship contention will never be through free agency here at Utah. It'll be through drafting and trades.
Even then, the Jazz face an uphill battle because if a player isn't going to willingly sign with Utah in the off-season, it's probably unlikely he'd support a trade here - at least a big-time player.
It is what it is, though. That's a big reason why I'm not the type to dismiss what the Jazz has done over the years.
The fact we're one of the most consistent teams in the league, knowing we're probably in the least desirable city, speaks volumes for the franchise.
Sacramento has had one good run (1999-2005). Memphis hasn't done anything of note since relocating from Vancouver.
The other cities are probably more ideal for an NBA player. Yet even a good number of them struggle at besting what Utah has done recently (Portland, Denver, Minnesota, Golden State and even Dallas).