This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Optimism for the Jazz this season is on a big sliding scale. It's all over creation, like socks and shirts scattered around your kid's room if a bomb went off in his laundry basket. One person's good hope is another's underestimation. One's negativity is another's reach for the stars.

Where do you fall in that mess/spectrum?

That's what we're trying to find out. As part of a Merry Christmas multiple-choice quiz, answer the following questions the way you will, with each response assigned a value. When finished, total up your score to determine where you sit in the Jazz's Modified Stableford Positivity/Negativity Scoring System:

1. During the regular season, you believe the Jazz will win …

a) 55 games (+8 points).

b) 50 games (+5 points).

c) 45 games (0 points).

d) 40 games (-2 points).

e) 35 games (-9 points).

2. In your mind, Rudy Gobert is …

a) better than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ever was (+10)

b) the best center in the NBA (+7).

c) the best defensive center in the NBA (+5).

d) at the same level as Mason Plumlee (0).

e) worse than Zaza Pachulia (-8).

3. George Hill's sprained left big toe …

a) is a tragedy of epic proportions (+9).

b) has ruined your holiday season (+4).

c) causes you hacking spells that keep you up at night (+3).

d) sends sympathetic pains to your own toe (+1).

e) will never, ever heal (-9).

4. The Jazz's defense reminds you of …

a) the Great Wall of China (+8).

b) the 1985 Chicago Bears (+5)

c) the Maginot Line (0).

d) Snuggle the bear (-4).

e) Manolete, the famous Spanish matador (-8).

5. Gordon Hayward will become an NBA All-Star …

a) this season (+6).

b) the season after the Jazz make the playoffs (+3).

c) when he refines his jumper (+1).

d) when chickens grow lips (0).

e) next season, when he's playing for the Celtics (-11).

6. Dante Exum's game is comparable, at least in embryonic form, to a young …

a) Magic Johnson (+10).

b) John Stockton (+7).

c) Ricky Rubio (0).

d) Milt Palacio (-5).

e) Duck Williams (-9).

7. The Jazz rank 30th out of 30 NBA teams in pace of play because …

a) they want to, for acclimation purposes, treat every possession during the regular season as though it were the fourth quarter of a playoff game (+8).

b) they are stressing execution and efficiency, motion and ball movement over slap-happy scoring (+5).

c) Jazz fans love slow-moving, sleep-inducing basketball (+4).

d) transition offense is for wimps (+3).

e) they straight do not have the horses to get out and run (-5).

8. The Jazz lead the league in defensive field-goal percentage on account of …

a) Rudy Gobert (+10).

b) Rudy Gobert (+10).

c) Rudy Gobert (+10).

d) Rudy Gobert (+10).

e) Rudy Gobert (+10).

9. If the Jazz ever get completely healthy, they will then …

a) hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy (+15).

b) qualify for home-court advantage in the first-round of the playoffs (+8).

c) make the playoffs and prove they belong (+2).

d) make the playoffs and get swept (-3).

e) go into shock (-15).

10. The biggest question of the season will be …

a) Should Quin Snyder win Coach of the Year? (+9)

b) Will Rudy Gobert be Defensive Player of the Year? (+7)

c) How loud was Vivint SmartHome Arena during the playoffs? (+5)

d) Did Rodney Hood have the season's best game-winning shot and shimmy? (+4)

e) Who is this Alec Burks of whom you speak? (-6)

11. The Jazz being ranked in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive ratings means …

a) they are a complete team, capable of challenging for a title (+10).

b) they are a complete team, better than every outfit in the West except for Golden State (+9).

c) they will end up in the West's top four (+6).

d) they will beat out the Kings for the eighth playoff spot (0).

e) it is statistical gobbledygook that means nothing (-5).

12. On the night of April 12, as the regular season ends, the Jazz will have beaten the San Antonio Spurs in the finale and find themselves …

a) first in the West (+11).

b) second in the West (+9)

c) fifth in the West (+5).

d) seventh in the West (+2).

e) ninth in the West (-9).

13. If you had to get a hubcap-sized "Utah Jazz 2016-17 NBA Champs" tattoo on your stomach, you would get it done in …

a) glow-in-the-dark permanent ink (+18)

b) permanent ink (+15).

c) semi-permanent ink (+11).

d) black henna (+3).

e) washable marker (-1).

14. When the Jazz finally do win a title, you will …

a) re-name your five kids Rudy, Gordon, Rodney, George and Derrick, even if some of them are girls (+16).

b) streak buck-naked down State Street (+10).

c) become a season-ticket holder (+8).

d) attend a parade in their honor (+5).

e) be dead. (-15).

Scoring key: Anything over 100 points = crazy optimist; 60 points or more = certified optimist; 46 points = realist; 0 points = pessimist; minus-50 points or lower = absolute sourpuss.

GORDON MONSON hosts "The Big Show" with Spence Checketts weekdays from 3-7 p.m. on the Zone Sports Network, 97.5 FM and 1280 AM. Twitter: @GordonMonson.