On the court the utah jazz aim to rebuild and rebound.

• Author: Coon, John

Finishing last is an unfamiliar position for the Utah Jazz, but that's the price the team had to pay during the 2013-14 season after choosing to rebuild around promising, but inexperienced, young talent.

The Jazz committed to taking that direction after choosing not to re-sign veteran free agents like Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson before the season began. The price tag for retaining these players would have been the team's ability to retain and develop several talented younger players on the roster.

Growing pains led to a 25-57 record--the fewest wins for Utah since 1982--and a last-place finish in the Western Conference. Taking a step back was necessary for the Jazz to take several steps forward by giving younger players like Gordon Hayward, Trey Burke and Derrick Favors a chance to grow and develop with more playing time.

"The best thing we have done is not avoid our reality," says Dennis Lindsey, Utah Jazz general manager. "We've taken the brutal facts and looked at them. Because of that, we have some talented young guys with quite a bit of flexibility for decisions going forward. We've been able to add some draft assets. Because of that we're in a sound position, both from a basketball standpoint and from a financial standpoint."

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

A New Era

The Jazz are confident more pieces of the puzzle have fallen into place for the 2014-15 season. Utah added point guard Dante Exum and small forward Rodney Hood through the draft and brought back Gordon Hayward after matching a four-year, $63 million offer sheet by the Charlotte Hornets.

A new head coach is also at the controls. Quin Snyder joined the Jazz after stints as an NBA assistant in Atlanta, Philadelphia and Los Angeles over the past four seasons. Snyder earned a reputation for his player development skills.

With a young, talented roster, Snyder knows his job is to mold these players into a group that can be an NBA playoff contender again in the near future. Everyone from the Jazz front office down to the fans expect nothing less.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

"That's the vision that's been articulated to me by the organization," Snyder says. "The tradition that's here, there is a foundation. It works both ways. There is a foundation you can build on and there is also an expectation that exists as well. You want people to care. I care deeply. Sometimes when you care that much, it hurts more too."

Snyder will revamp the Jazz offense from what fans grew accustomed to seeing in...