Fearless (fearful?) Jazz predictions

I consider preseason predictions as useful as infomercials promising to lose weight, grow hair and improve your love life.

Promises are promises.

Still, I’ll do it anyway, as Wednesday’s season-opener approaches: The Jazz will improve this season.That’s a mouthful, considering other teams in the West improved, too. Portland, Dallas and Los Angeles added components that potentially make them better. Oklahoma City, everybody’s favorite up-and-comer is, well, up and coming.

Speaking of OKC, I’d like to reiterate what I said in today’s video blog deseretnews.com with Jody Genessy: THE THUNDER HAVE HAD ONE STRONG YEAR! Let’s not anoint them yet.

I’d like to see more evidence before I’m convinced they’re great.

Last year’s Jazz team finished two games out of the No. 2 spot in the West, four games out of first. When you consider Carlos Boozer didn’t show for the season finale against Phoenix, it’s not hard to imagine the Jazz could have done better last year than they did.

The difference this year is that more people will be on board. With Boozer, you never knew when he’d miss a game, and how badly he wanted to play. At least in the preseason, it appeared that Al Jefferson was more committed to the team than Boozer ever was.

Beyond that, Jefferson, Francisco Elson and an improving Kyrylo Fesenko give the Jazz some size they badly need against teams like L.A.

I also think Mehmet Okur is a major component in terms of how deep the Jazz might go this year. A healthy, competitive Okur gives the Jazz two distinctly different looks at center and makes them versatile and difficult to defend.

I figure the Jazz will be a couple of games better than last year’s 53-win year, which will theoretically move them up a couple of spots in the seedings.

You can file that along with your infomercial promises. If it doesn’t work out, call 1-800-SO-SUE-ME.