Without the two players who had defined the Jazz for many years, Utah was supposed to be lucky to win 15 games as the Jazz learned to survive in the NBA without a Stockton-to-Malone play.

It was, as center Jarron Collins remembered, a "weird time."

"Not seeing those two guys out there was a little odd," he said. "They were the fixtures who had represented Utah so well, but we were able to make the transition quicker than anyone expected."

Quicker, it turns out, than even the Jazz thought they could.

It was easier to revamp the Jazz not only because Andrei Kirilenko and Matt Harpring made themselves mainstays in Utah's plan, but because coach Jerry Sloan didn't exit with Stockton and Malone.

He wasn't like other coaches such as Detroit's Chuck Daly, Chicago's Phil Jackson and Los Angeles' Pat Riley, who left their organizations shortly after their superstars did and after successful runs. He remained, prepared and challenged by the prospects of rebuilding the Jazz.

"No one gives him credit for that, for saying, 'Hey, I want to see this thing through again,'" Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor said.

He coached the Jazz to become one of the surprising teams of the 2003-04 season as Utah went 42-40. The Jazz didn't qualify for the playoffs, breaking their streak at 20 consecutive seasons, but finishing above .500 gave the Jazz confidence they could succeed in the post-Stockton-to-Malone era. It also gave O'Connor something to use as he sought out free agents to fill the gaps.

"The fact that we won 42 games, it made a lot of people realize we were a lot closer than anyone thought we were," he said.

Thanks to some stingy bookkeeping in the two previous seasons, O'Connor was able to go on a shopping binge that made the rest of the league envious. He spent $150 million on contracts for Carlos Boozer (six-year, $68 million), Mehmet Okur (six-year, $50 million), Gordan Giricek (four-year, $16 million) and Carlos Arroyo (four-year, $16 million).

"We were fortunate the year before we didn't panic and spend the money," O'Connor said. "We put it in our pocket. The league, they were calling us teasing us and telling us we had to spend money."

The overhaul went farther as Maurice Williams, Greg Ostertag and Sasha Pavlovic all left and Kris Humphries, Kirk Snyder, Howard Eisley and Keith McLeod arrived.

The Jazz thought they had all the pieces they needed. Instead, they found out one just wouldn't fit their mold no matter how hard they tried. Arroyo and Sloan clashed several times, and the Jazz eventually traded Arroyo to the Detroit Pistons in January 2005 for Elden Campbell and a first-round draft pick. Without a strong leader at point and a rash of injuries to players including Boozer, Kirilenko and Raul Lopez, the Jazz limped to a 26-56 record.

"We lost 56 games and I got to keep my job," Sloan said. "I felt pretty lucky. We had guys who played hard, we just couldn't get into any kind of rhythm."

The player who brought that rhythm was Deron Williams, whom the Jazz positioned themselves to draft by sending three picks to Portland. The Jazz went 41-41 in 2005-06, an indication that O'Connor had made the right moves as the team's GM and that the Jazz were moving in the right direction on the court, too.

"Coach Sloan helped the continuity with his leadership and experience, he eased the transition from one era to the next," Collins said. "We had the system, we just had to get the players here to execute the plays offensively and defensively."

lwodraska@sltrib.com Alt Heads:

Kirilenko, Harpring, free agents help Jazz rebuild without Stockton and Malone Jazz rebuild

Notable acquisitions ? Jazz sign restricted free agents Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur on July 14, 2004.

Biggest draft move ? Jazz trade three picks (No. 6, No. 27 and a future first-round pick) to Portland to move up to No. 3 in the 2005 draft, where they select Deron Williams, giving the franchise its highest draft pick since 1982 (No. 3, Dominique Wilkins).

The one who got away ? Raja Bell signs with Phoenix as a free agent in 2005.