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The Jazz will be happy if other teams are angry with them.

They can only hope the rest of the NBA envies them for landing center Al Jefferson in a trade, signing guard Raja Bell and drafting swingman Gordon Hayward, subtly remaking a good team without tearing everything apart.

This is the imagine-the-possibilities time of year in the NBA, and there's a certain fresh feel about this product. The Jazz played out the Carlos Boozer era to its conclusion, which was worth trying but not fully satisfying, then they managed to turn his departure to Chicago via free agency into a whole new beginning.

Yeah, this could be fun.

Having lamented Boozer's exit in the sense of wondering how much worse the team would become after losing an All-Star, I'm intrigued. Once general manager Kevin O'Connor turned the loss into a gain with the addition of Jefferson from Minnesota, the outlook changed dramatically.

Jefferson could become the Jazz's version of Pau Gasol, the Los Angeles Lakers' forward who was acquired from Memphis for virtually nothing and permanently altered the landscape of the Western Conference.

If Jefferson is rejuvenated in a winning organization, Bell manages not to act his age (34), Hayward matures, Andrei Kirilenko delivers in a contract year and Mehmet Okur recovers from his Achilles tendon injury, the Jazz could be going places.

Is all of that asking too much?

Probably. Yet while there are more variables this year, there were more limitations last year. The Jazz would always be good with Boozer, but they might become great now. The unmeasurable, undefined element of this team and this season is a better atmosphere — which might be everybody's imagination during the preseason, or a real factor leading to improvement.

"It's been great; the new guys are great additions, not only on the court but in the locker room as well," said point guard Deron Williams.

Obviously, attitudes will be tested, beginning Wednesday at Denver. "Guys are on pretty good behavior, until they get into the real world," said coach Jerry Sloan.

Yet Sloan likes how this team works and plays together. So does Jefferson, who's doing all he can to blend into the surroundings.

"It's perfect," Jefferson said. "It seems like we're been playing together for years. Off the court, we all have a great relationship."

How that translates into wins and playoff advancement is the next issue. If the baseline is 53 victories and a first-round series victory, doing much beyond that would take another jump toward the league's elite level.

"That's my plan," Jefferson said. "I don't want to come in here and make this team take a step back. I said in the beginning, I'm not trying to mess this team up, and I mean that."

The Jazz needed something of a makeover, and they got one. Of course, there are always questions: Three-point shooting, Bell's age, Hayward's degree of readiness and Okur's rehabilitation could emerge as critical, limiting factors. And what if Boozer was not the only reason the Jazz struggled defensively?

The answers will come in time. For now, everything's new, everybody's happy and the Jazz are optimistic enough to believe opponents will come to resent them.

kkragthorpe@sltrib.com Twitter: @tribkurt