(My Sportsbook) - It seems every season, the talk around Utah is if the pick-and-roll brothers, John Stockton and Karl Malone, are going to return for yet another season. The answer this year is yes, as both Stockton and Malone will be in Jazz uniforms when the season tips off.

Stockton, who is the NBA's all-time steals and assists leader, will return to the Jazz for his 19th season. The Gonzaga product averaged 13.4 points and 8.2 assists in 82 games last season for Utah. He has played in 1,422 games over his career, averaging 13.2 points, 10.7 assists and 2.2 steals per contest.

Stockton, 40, was selected by the Jazz in the first round (16th overall) of the 1984 NBA Draft. He was named co-MVP along with Malone of the 1993 All-Star Game in Salt Lake City and participated in the 1997 and 1998 NBA Finals against the Chicago Bulls.

A member of the men's basketball "Dream Team" that won the gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona and the 1996 Dream Team that won gold in Atlanta, Stockton is a 10-time NBA All-Star and has played in 177 playoff contests over his career.

There have been many reports that Malone will be playing in his last season this year. While he hasn't gone out of his way to deny the reports, Malone doesn't seem like a guy thinking about hanging up his sneakers. In fact, he may play a season in another uniform before all is said and done.

While Stockton and Malone remain in Utah, two other staples for the Jazz have departed. Bryon Russell signed with the Washington Wizards, while Donyell Marshall bolted for the Windy City. Utah is a team that is getting younger, so these departures are not necessarily a bad thing.

FRONTCOURT:

Jarron Collins will likely assume the starting center position this season. Collins did a nice job last season until wearing down in the latter months. Coach Jerry Sloan would like to be able to count on him to backup Malone at the power forward spot even more this season, but whether Collins can guard the plethora of dominant fours in the West is definitely questionable.

Malone returns to his customary power forward position. He still runs the floor like a much younger man and has the sharpest and least-detected elbows in the NBA. If his health holds up, which it almost always does, there's no reason to believe he won't be the scoring and rebounding force he's always been.

At small forward, Andrei Kirilenko gives Jazz fans hope for the future. He averaged 10.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and a team-high 1.9 blocked shots last season, making him the first Jazz rookie to average double figures in scoring since Malone turned the trick in 1985-86. Even bigger numbers are expected from Kirilenko. He has worked hard to get stronger over the summer in an effort to become a more effective inside player. Kirilenko still has a slight frame, and the Jazz can only hope he holds up for 82 games and beyond.

GUARDS:

Stockton, despite his advanced age, remains one of the best pure point guards in the NBA. He's one of the game's best passers and he converts on more than half of his field goal attempts. Stockton's 13.4 scoring average last season was his highest since 1996-97. If his age shows anywhere, it's on the defensive end. The quicker guards in the NBA can get by him, which was not the case in previous seasons.

The off-guard position is probably the weakest spot on Utah's roster. Journeyman Matt Harpring will probably be the starter. He was OK on the offensive end in Philadelphia last season, but he's not really a starting player on a contending NBA team. The Jazz can only hope that DeShawn Stevenson matures in a hurry. Stevenson is a slasher more than he's a shooter, and he's a little too flashy for Sloan's taste.

BENCH:

Greg Ostertag has been inconsistent over the course of his career. After he donated a kidney to his sister in the offseason, the fans may not boo him quite as loudly. Ostertag will likely still drive Sloan crazy when he comes off the bench.

Curtis Borchardt, who was drafted by the Orlando Magic and promptly shipped to the Jazz, will also get a chance to play this season. Foot injuries plagued the pivot at Stanford, but the limited minutes he'll see as rookie should keep him from aggravating the ailment.

Veteran point guard Mark Jackson will backup Stockton. Jackson has lost a step and definitely will have trouble on the defensive end, but he'll get the ball where it needs to go. He's not a great shooter, but he still has the ability to post up smaller guards.

Calbert Cheaney, who resurrected his injury-riddled career last year with a strong season in Denver, will find himself in the two-guard rotation. It's predictable that the Jazz would turn to a veteran as a stop-gap measure, and Cheaney may find himself playing plenty of minutes as a result.

OUTLOOK:

Utah has always managed to find its way into the postseason, even if it was as an eighth seed. That should change this season with the emergence of teams like the Los Angles Clippers. The Jazz will probably find themselves on the outside looking in at the postseason and may start the rebuilding process next season.