(KUTV) The question heading into the 2012-13 NBA season for the Utah
Jazz is this: Will they become the next Oklahoma City Thunder or simply
be a flash in the pan like the Portland Trail Blazers of a couple
seasons ago?

The Jazz have a number questions regarding their
line-up. Number one  on the minds of Jazz fans is the development of
power forward Derrick Favors. Will he blossom into the player he showed
flashes of becoming  last season?

Secondly, will Gordon Hayward,
Enes Kantor and Alec Burks develop into a strong core group that the
team can build around or will they turn out to be somewhere in-between?

Former
Utah Jazz beat writer Brian T. Smith says the Jazz can be contenders or
pretenders this season. We sat down with the NBA writer before he moved
on to his new job covering the Houston Astros for the Houston
Chronicle.

(Copyright 2012 Sinclair Broadcasting Group)UtahJazz Season Preview With Brian T. Smith