The future is coming fast, all right, but only because it's on gurneys.

Life after John Stockton and Karl Malone was supposed to begin with John Stockton and Karl Malone, but that was before three of the tomorrows went down with serious injuries, costing the kids invaluable experience and the Utah Jazz, as a whole, the time to build a better parachute. As if the potential for emotional pain on the court wasn't enough.

Instead, Jarron Collins had his right knee dropped into a blender, Curtis Borchardt suffered -- surprise! -- a stress fracture in his right foot, and Raul L?pez tore a ligament in his right knee. Borchardt and L?pez, the two rookies, didn't even make it to summer league. At least Collins, the second-year center, got as far as Dec. 12, at which point he tore two ligaments and the cartilage that absorbs weight and stabilizes the joint.