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Vince Lombardi once spoke wise words that are fitting for what's left of this year's Utah Jazz. He said: "It's easy to have faith in yourself and have discipline when you're a winner, when you're No. 1. What you've got to have is faith and discipline when you're not yet a winner."

Tyrone Corbin, just the other day, put it a slightly different way. He said: "We've just got to work hard and get better."

Here's the question, then, for a team that during the next few nights will burn down the remains of a season that saw it rise high early and collapse into the depths late, ultimately finishing far out of the playoffs, with a winning percentage in the .400s:

Where do the Jazz find their hope?

They find it where all optimists do: in the future.

Lombardi's discipline and Corbin's hard work, though, are the business of the present.

The best reasons for a positive outlook begin not only with the potential in the Jazz's young players, but also the potential of players not yet even in the fold.

Derrick Favors is 19 years old. He's gone for 6.6 points and 5.3 rebounds this season in average minutes per game that match his age. Heading into the final three games, his time on the court with the Jazz has actually gone down a notch from his previous playing time with the Nets. That last bit of truth is just plain stupid. And so is his burgeoning promise.

Favors should have been getting 40 minutes a game down the stretch, all in preparation for coming seasons. Call it seasoning. This kid has shown enough in short glimpses to categorize him as an evolving prize: a power forward who has size and length.

In recent games, Favors has demonstrated a presence in the low post, though in embryonic form, reminiscent of a young power forward named Malone. The Jazz ought to pay Karl some good cash to work with Favors in the offseason, getting him stronger and teaching him savvy around the basket.

Then there's Gordon Hayward. Veteran teammates have laid it on a little thick lately, going on and on about the rookie, saying he has no idea how good he can be, noting his intelligence, his court awareness, his overall game and even his defense.

After the Jazz's recent win against the Lakers, in which Hayward scored 10 fourth-quarter points, no less than Kobe Bryant praised Hayward, saying: "He's going to have a very bright future in this league."

If Kobe believes that, Hayward and the Jazz should, too.

He's particularly effective when he's aggressive at the offensive end — and when Corbin utilizes him from the outside in, allowing him to take advantage of his versatility. Like Favors, Hayward should have been logging more than a mere 16 minutes a game.

Mix the two rooks with the core of Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Devin Harris and — if it ever happens — the return of a healthy Mehmet Okur, and the Jazz have a pile of established and evolving talent that could, and should, push them far above their current mediocrity.

Beyond the talent, Corbin must find a way to mesh that group, getting them to play selflessly and efficiently. How smooth will things flow if the Jazz feature a regular starting lineup of Jefferson at the five, Favors at the four, Millsap at the three, Hayward at the two and Harris at the one? Okur, depending on his physical condition, might also play a vital role, especially since the Jazz need perimeter threats. If Corbin accomplishes that, hope for the Jazz should become something more tangible.

A couple of more highlights: the two lottery picks the Jazz hold in the upcoming draft. The pick from New Jersey is bound to be high, and the second pick, the Jazz's own, will be useful — if Kevin O'Connor dials it up right.

It looks as though O'Connor should, everything else being equal, go big on the first selection, helping the undersized Jazz at the defensive end and on the boards. With one more perimeter shooter via the second pick, it will be much easier to find optimism in the wake of a disjointed season that, too often, was in woefully short supply of it.

If Lombardi's faith and discipline emerge in the locker room and on the floor, and Corbin's diligence spreads around, the Jazz might not only get better, they could transform themselves into the winners they haven't yet become.

GORDON MONSON hosts "The Gordon Monson Show" weekdays from 2-6 p.m. on 104.7 FM/1280 AM The Zone. He can be reached at gmonson@sltrib.com.