Then again, this being the Jazz, it should come as little surprise that the most distinguished observer in Boise State's Taco Bell Arena is not exactly bringing revolutionary ideas into the discussion.

Watching the Jazz launch another season with basically the offense he invented 40-plus years ago as Weber State's basketball coach, Dick Motta said with a smile, "Some of this stuff is as old as the hills."

There's a certain comfort in that, to be sure.

Yet what makes this particular October fascinating in coach Jerry Sloan's 20th season is that amid the same, old stuff, there is considerable newness surrounding the Jazz. That's life in the NBA, even for a franchise that loves continuity.

"Every team has its own personality," said longtime assistant coach Phil Johnson, and he's absolutely right.

The Jazz may try to keep things pretty much the same from year to year, but they do change. They have to adapt, whether they want to or not. Even the well-established offensive system is subtly adjusted every season, and there are new faces everywhere this week.

Look around the court, and the scene is rather striking. It's partly because Carlos Boozer is not in camp yet, while attending to his infant son's medical issues, and Deron Williams is still recovering from his own dental procedure. Once those guys start practicing and playing, the Jazz will begin to resemble last year's team again, even without Derek Fisher, who's back with the Los Angeles Lakers.

But they will be different. As much as the Jazz may wish they could start where they finished last season - well, not precisely the way things ended in San Antonio, but at least the part about reaching the Western Conference finals - there is much to sort out between now and the regular-season opener Oct. 30 at Golden State.

This is the month for experimenting and improving, collectively and individually. As illustrated by Motta's presence and the arrival of free-agent guards Jason Hart and Ronnie Price and draft picks Morris Almond and Kyrylo Fesenko, it's a time for building on the past and looking to the future.

Pondering the Jazz's roster of shooting guards the other evening, I was running through the prospects of Gordan Giricek, Ronnie Brewer, C.J. Miles and Almond, while coming back to the realization that Jeff Hornacek is not walking through that door anytime soon.

Right then, Hornacek walked through the door. He's in Boise as a personal shooting instructor for Andrei Kirilenko, continuing a working relationship that Kirilenko hopes can enhance his game.

Hornacek's presence may be doing Kirilenko as much good psychologically as physically, judging by the way AK was smiling and laughing as the two of them went through some drills before Wednesday morning's practice.

Motta's role with the coaching staff is largely the same; he's here as much for social purposes as X's and O's. His ties to Johnson go all the way back to having coached him in middle school and high school in the small town of Grace, Idaho, besides having Johnson assist him at Weber State and later with the Chicago Bulls.

Sloan played eight seasons for Motta with the Bulls, developing a bond that will last forever. "Some of the memories we had, you just can't ever erase," said Motta, 76.

Motta was born in Midvale and attended the old Jordan High, now the site of Jazz owner Larry H. Miller's entertainment empire. So things do change over time, including the Jazz's offense.

The principals and the overriding philosophy remain in place: screening, moving, posting up, sharing the ball. But there have been many adjustments to the scheme from season to season. That's evident to Motta, even in the three years since he last visited the Jazz's camp.

"Any good coach will take the basic offense and adapt it to the personnel they have," Motta said. "That's the thing that's impressed me so far."

Such a blend of the old and the new will make for an interesting Jazz preseason, even beyond the Kirilenko subplot. Actually, the intrigue will continue well into the season. Even in Jazzland, every year brings evolution, if not revolution.

kkragthorpe@sltrib.com