"Following a legend is often a road to nowhere.

But when Tyrone Corbin found out in a blurred rush one year ago that Jerry Sloan was quitting and that Jazz management wanted him to take over for the iconic coach, his response was … good choice.

"The circumstances weren't particularly pleasing," he says. "But when I got the call, I was ready. I'd spent one year in New York and seven years here as an assistant. I thought, 'OK, let's move forward.' "

He somehow thought the same thing two weeks later when Deron Williams was traded, meaning the two faces atop the Jazz's Mount Rushmore had been dynamited away and a whole lot of recasting and remolding and rebuilding had to be done amid the rock and rubble.

The end of last season was mostly clean-up, as the Jazz skidded through the remainder of their schedule. But by the night of the draft, the club had new hope in a fresh young core of promising players that included present lottery picks Enes Kanter and Alec Burks, and past lottery selections Derrick Favors and Gordon Hayward. Those pieces, mixed with veterans Paul Millsap, Al Jefferson, Devin Harris, C.J. Miles and Raja Bell, among others, gave Corbin a powerful-yet-delicate stock of ammo with which to go to battle this season, once the extended labor dispute got settled.

Twenty-four games in, now at 13-11, Corbin says he still feels good about his team and about his position as its leader: "I'm happy with the progress of our guys, although there are a lot of things we have to improve upon. But we're getting better. I feel good about being the head coach, but I'll feel better when we lift that trophy that we all want over our heads.""