This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

There are times and seasons for all things.

It's time.

Time for the Jazz to do something bold. Not something kind of bold or nearly bold or mostly bold. Something all the way bold.

I was told a few weeks ago by someone who would know that the Jazz had little choice but to do exactly that — take advantage of a window that could lead to the team becoming elite. And the voice was one of absolute veracity.

The saying around the club — one made famous by general manager Dennis Lindsey — used to be that the Jazz wouldn't skip any steps. They now must step up to avoid stepping back.

And one bold move actually could lead to two bold moves, the second falling into place on account of the first. Even if it didn't, it still would be worth doing.

Not only do the Jazz have to improve to compete in the West against one of the all-time great assemblages of talent, a challenge they should relish and embrace and attack rather than shrink away from, they must improve to send a signal to the guys they have. Have had.

Gordon Hayward may already have an idea about what he wants to do, but suitors like the Boston Celtics are blasting foghorn-like messages to him that they are not messing around: Hey, Gordon, we were conference finalists before, but, brother, look at us now. Look at … this! And this! And this! We're working hard to get better.

Danny Ainge means business about doing whatever he can to create a legitimate contender. The Celts have compiled assets and are using assets, making all kinds of moves, shaking and baking, to improve themselves. They've got dreams and plans and high draft picks and money and all sorts of intentions.

One of them is to lure in Hayward — and perhaps others. But to do that luring, they must appeal to what the man finds most important. They are not relying on Celtics tradition, a storied franchise, the magic of leprechauns and the parquet floor and past championship trophies. They are not just rolling out the overblown and oversimplified notion of Hayward playing for his college coach, who happens to be one of the brightest young coaches in the NBA.

No, they are counting on the batted eyes and the puckered lips of winning, the prospect of winning big, to land their prize.

What are the Jazz doing?

They have a lot of really good stuff here. They, too, have a bright coach who gets it, who knows what he's doing and who will go on doing it well, a coach who helped make Hayward the star he's become. They have terrific young talent and a mix of veterans who already have helped. They have Rudy Gobert. They have committed ownership. And they have smart, savvy management that has collected assets and given the Jazz flexibility.

Now is the time to show it, to open up the throttle, to be aggressive, to utilize their resources to bolster their cause.

Now.

Don't hold back artillery that can be fired. Blast away.

Don't save for tomorrow. Spend.

Go green. Err, wait … let's rephrase that.

Go all out. Think like a freaking pirate. Take what you can, give nothing back.

It is time.

There have been stretches in the past to be cautious, to walk carefully, to build and preserve assets for some other season. Well, the future is …

Now, it's time to impress those who need to be impressed, to hold onto what should be theirs, to remember what they've built, all the trouble they went to and through to get this far, and to pursue propping up this thing even more, to show hunger, not unlike a pack of hungry hounds on a slab of porterhouse steaks.

Don't allow the Boston Celtics, or anybody else, to waltz in on your guy and flash a bunch of gold and glitz, of potential and promise, of this and that, causing his eyes to bulge and his heart to thump and his affections to wander — he is only human — while you stand by and let it happen.

It's time, not just to get all sentimental and fondly recount the progress that's been made here, but rather to go hard, to advance the cause, to shove the whole thing forward. Time for the Jazz to say: Hey, Gordon, brother, lookee here, check this out, we got what we had, only now, it's getting better. It's going to be great. And here's the proof.

It's time — in and around Thursday's draft — to show their hand, to make some significant move, the specifics of which are up to them, based on their basketball acumen, based on the private conversations they've had with other teams, based on their courage. It must happen before the free-agent period begins in earnest. It's time for the Jazz to show Hayward what they can do, how high their aim is, how big their plans are.

For him. For them.

Time for the Jazz to be bold. To take what they can and give nothing back.

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