Utah Jazz Blog – Page 28 – NBA Blog

Jazz sign rookie Donovan Mitchell

The Utah Jazz have signed guard Donovan Mitchell, the 13th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, to his rookie contract.

Mitchell (6-3, 215, Louisville) played two seasons at Louisville, averaging 15.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 2.7 assists in 34 games as a sophomore. He registered 18.1 points per game in conference play, sixth-best in the ACC. Mitchell led the Cardinals in scoring, steals, three-point field goals (80) and minutes per game (32.3). He was selected to the 2017 All-ACC First Team by the league coaches and media as well as the All-ACC Defensive Team.

The 20-year-old is currently playing as member of the Jazz entry at the 2017 Utah Jazz Summer League, scoring 23 points on 10-of-17 shooting with five assists, three steals and two rebounds in his NBA debut on July 3 vs. San Antonio Spurs.

The 6-3 guard played high school basketball at Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H. He also played baseball (pitcher and shortstop) as well as soccer (goalie) in high school.

He will wear jersey #45 for the Jazz.

Ricky Rubio trade to Jazz became official today

The Utah Jazz announced today that following the successful outcome of his physical, the team’s acquisition of point guard Ricky Rubio from Minnesota is complete and Rubio is now officially a member of the Utah Jazz.

“We are thrilled to add a player of Ricky’s character and ability to the Jazz program,” said Jazz General Manager Dennis Lindsey. “He is an elite passing point guard with great defensive skills who we are confident will be a valuable addition to the team.

Rubio (6-4, 190, Spain) was acquired from the Minnesota Timberwolves on June 30, pending the physical, in exchange for a protected future first-round pick from Oklahoma City.

“Ricky possesses a great feel for the game,” said Jazz head coach Quin Snyder. “His defense and ability to share the ball coupled with his floor leadership should make him an instant fit into what we are building.”

He appeared in 75 games (all starts) for the Timberwolves this past season, averaging career highs of 11.1 points and 9.1 assists while adding 4.1 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 32.9 minutes of action. The point guard finished the season ranked fourth in the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.5), fifth in assists per game, ninth in steals and 11th in free throw percentage (.891), and also graded second in pure point rating (PPR) at 10.7 (trailing only Chris Paul). Rubio also registered 25 point/assist double-doubles, including 14 of them in 24 games post All-Star Break, when he increased his averages to 16.0 points, 10.5 assists with 1.5 steals while shooting .353 from three-point range.

Originally selected in the first round (fifth overall selection) of the 2009 NBA Draft by Minnesota, the 26-year-old Spaniard appeared in 353 career games (333 starts) over six seasons with the Timberwolves, and owns career averages of 10.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 8.5 assists in 31.8 minutes. He leaves the Wolves as the franchise’s all-time leader in both assists (8.5) and steals per game (2.1) as well as point/assist double-doubles (83), while ranking behind only Kevin Garnett in total assists (2991) and steals (747).

Over his first six NBA seasons, Rubio has ranked in the top five in the league in assists per game three times (five times in top 10), and in the top 10 in steals four times. He earned 2011-12 All-Rookie First Team honors while finishing second to Kyrie Irving in Rookie of the Year balloting.

Prior to joining the NBA, Rubio played six seasons (2005-11) professionally in the Spanish ACB League for Joventus (2005-09) and FC Barcelona (2009-11) after making his debut at the age of 14, the youngest player ever to compete in the ACB to that point.

A native of El Masnou, Spain, Rubio has represented his home country at both the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, where at age 17 he became the youngest player ever to participate in a men’s gold medal game. He began his international career in 2005 on Spain’s U16 team, and in 2006 was named MVP the 2006 FIBA Europe U16 championships after leading Spain to the gold medal.

Rubio joins what was the most international team in the NBA in 2016-17, featuring seven players born outside of the United States representing five other countries. In addition to the U.S., players on the current Jazz roster now hail from Australia (two), France (two), Brazil, Spain and the Ukraine.

Quin Snyder Statement on Gordon Hayward

Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder Statement on Gordon Hayward

“Since my arrival to Utah, Gordon gave his best every day we were together. I can’t say enough about his professionalism day in and day out. He is a unique competitor and I am thankful for the opportunity to have coached him over the last three seasons. Speaking on behalf of my staff, we are very proud of his growth and development as a player into an NBA All-Star, and are also appreciative of his contributions. Gordon’s progression epitomizes the partnership that we believe is the cornerstone of our player development emphasis and philosophy.

I believe this was a difficult decision for Gordon and Robyn and their young family, and one they reached earnestly. While their extended Jazz family is disappointed to see them leave, we wish them happiness and success in their future and understand that they chose a path they felt was the right one for them.

Certainly we will miss Gordon and his many contributions to our team, but I always tell our players that ‘adversity is opportunity in disguise.’ This is one of those moments and we need to live those words. We have a roster of young, talented and resilient players. I am confident that together we will accept this challenge while continuing to strive toward our goal of individual and collective improvement.

To further lament Gordon’s departure does not honor the commitment we have to our current players. Therefore, I would like to personally wish Gordon well as he and his family move on with his career. As we move forward, we’ll continue to focus our attention on the place it is most needed and wanted, our players and the entirety of the Jazz organization.”

Utah Jazz issue statements on Gordon Hayward, who will sign with Celtics

Utah Jazz free agent forward Gordon Hayward will reportedly be signing a deal with the Boston Celtics. Tonight, the Jazz issued some statements about his departure:

Gail Miller, Chairman of the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies: “Gordon has been an important part of our Jazz family for the past seven years. While disappointed that he is moving on, we thank him for his contributions to the organization and wish Gordon, Robyn and their family well. We thank him for his play, his leadership and how well he represented the Jazz and the state of Utah.”

Steve Starks, President, Utah Jazz and Larry H. Miller Sports and Entertainment: “The Jazz made a compelling case for Gordon to stay and managed the process well. A foundation for success has been established here, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to bring a championship to Utah. From our renovated facilities to our dedicated ownership, we are building a winning culture that will make Jazz fans proud.”

Dennis Lindsey, General Manager, Utah Jazz: “We are proud of the player that Gordon developed into with the Jazz, and wish him and his family the best of luck. Despite his departure, we still have a tremendous coaching staff and very good young core of players in place as we move forward.”

Timberwolves trade Ricky Rubio to Jazz

The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has acquired point guard Ricky Rubio from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for a protected future first-round pick from Oklahoma City, pending the outcome of a successful physical.

“We’d like to thank Ricky for his time in Minnesota over the course of the last six-plus years,” said Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach Tom Thibodeau. “Ricky has been a consummate professional over my time in Minnesota and has done tremendous things in the community. We appreciate all he’s done for the organization and wish him the best of luck in Utah.”

Rubio (6-4, 190, Spain) appeared in 75 games (all starts) for the Timberwolves this season, averaging career highs of 11.1 points and 9.1 assists while adding 4.1 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 32.9 minutes of action. The point guard finished the season ranked fourth in the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.5), fifth in assists per game, ninth in steals and 11th in free throw percentage (.891), and also graded second in pure point rating (PPR) at 10.7 (trailing only Chris Paul). Rubio also registered 25 point/assist double-doubles, including 14 of them in 24 games post All-Star Break, when he increased his averages to 16.0 points, 10.5 assists with 1.5 steals while shooting .353 from three-point range.

Rudy Gobert makes All-Defensive First Team

The NBA today announced that Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert has been named to the 2016-17 NBA All-Defensive First Team, marking the first selection of his career. Receiving 196 total points (97 First Team votes), he was the second-leading vote getter and an overwhelming selection, as chosen by a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. He becomes the first Jazz player since 2005-06 (Andrei Kirilenko) to be named to an All-NBA Defensive Team. He is also a finalist for both NBA Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Player, which will be awarded tonight as part of the inaugural NBA Awards show live on TNT (7 p.m. MT).

Gobert was also named to the All-NBA Second Team in May. Appearing in 81 games (all starts), Gobert averaged career highs of 14.0 points, 12.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game while posting career-bests in field goal percentage (.662) and free throw percentage (.653) while helping the Jazz to their first 50-win season since 2009-10. He led the NBA in total blocks (214), blocks per game (2.6), block percentage (6.4), defensive win shares (6.0), defensive real plus/minus (6.03), true shooting percentage (.683) and points per shot (1.82). He finished third in offensive rating (129.0) and defensive rating (99.2), the only player in the NBA to finish in the top-five in both categories. His .662 mark from the field is the best for a single-season in franchise history and ranked second in the NBA this year.

The fourth-year center became the first player in franchise history and the first NBA player since 2009-10 to compile 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 200 blocks in a single season. In addition, he now ranks seventh on the Jazz all-time blocks list (579). Gobert recorded a league-best 42 consecutive games with at least one block and led the league with four games of at least six blocks, eight games with five blocks, 18 games with four blocks, 42 games with three blocks, 63 games with two blocks and 77 games with one block. He anchored a Jazz defense that led the league in opponent points per game (96.8), finished second in opponent field goal percentage (.443) and third in defensive rating (102.7).

Utah Jazz seek shooter

Here’s the Deseret Morning News reporting on the Jazz, who continue to build upward as they try to make themselves a serious contender.

The Utah Jazz aren’t dominating the NBA social media buzz a la the New York Knicks, but they are hard at work trying to improve their team as tonight’s draft approaches.

Their target: shooting.

The Jazz remain “very active” in trying to trade for or move up to draft a shooter who can make an immediate impact on the roster, sources told the Deseret News.

Utah has two late first-round picks — its own selection, No. 24, and the Warriors’ slot, No. 30 — and the Jazz are trying to parlay those choices into the best available shooter in the 12-17 range, sources said. To do that in this loaded draft, Utah would likely need to sweeten the pot with another asset or two.

Warriors sweep Jazz, advance in NBA Playoffs

As pretty much everybody predicted, the Warriors have eliminated the Jazz. As most predicted, it happened in the form of a 4-0 sweep. The Warriors now advance to the Western Conference Finals, where they’ll play the winner of the Spurs vs Rockets series. Here’s the Bay Area News Group reporting:

Now they await the winner of the Rockets and Spurs series, which sits at 2-2. If it ends in six, the West Finals start in Oracle Arena on Sunday. If it extends to seven, the West Finals start in Oracle on Tuesday.

Either way, a rested, steamrolling Warriors team will be awaiting as monster favorites, having won 23 of their last 24 games dating back to mid-March and all eight of their playoff games by margins of 12, 29, 6, 25, 12, 11, 11 and 26 points.

But there were at least tiny moments of adversity on Monday night.

Early on, it didn’t look like it’d be that way. After hitting only one shot in a slow Game 3, Klay Thompson opened the scoring with a pair of jumpers. Then Steph Curry hit a pair of 3s. Then Kevin Durant found Curry on a creative give-and-go layup on a baseline out of bounds play.

Meanwhile, the Jazz offense slumped against a locked in Warriors defense, missing their first 10 two-point shots and going only 6-of-25 in the first quarter. A 12-3 lead became a 21-7 lead became a 39-17 first quarter cushion — similar to the 45-22 first quarter they popped on the Blazers in Game 4.

New Utah Jazz NBA playoff shirts

After white-out conditions for the 2017 NBA Playoffs First Round at Vivint Smart Home Arena, Utah Jazz fans will be dressed in the team colors of navy, gold and green for the Western Conference Semifinals. The first two home games are set for 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 6 and 7 p.m. on Monday, May 8 against the Golden State Warriors.

ArenaTshirtMockupThe tri-colored “Take Note” T-shirts, presented by Zions Bank and Key Bank respectively, will be placed on each chair at the 19,911-seat facility for fans to wear for the first two home playoff games. Related to the design of the tri-colored basketball at midcourt, each section in the lower and upper bowls of Vivint Smart Home Arena will have navy, gold or green T-shirts.

George Hill clutch from FT line for Jazz

Here’s the Desert News reporting on the Jazz and their first round playoff series vs the Clippers:

Despite being an 80 percent free-throw shooter during the regular season, George Hill came into Tuesday night’s playoff game in Los Angeles as the fifth-best foul shooter for the Jazz during the playoffs. So perhaps he was a good choice for the Clippers to put at the line in the closing seconds with the Jazz clinging to precarious leads.

Hill went to the line with 10.8 seconds left and the Jazz up by three points and again with 4.0 seconds left and his team up by two. In both cases, Hill coolly swished both free throws to allow the Jazz to hang on for a 96-92 victory.

Afterward, Hill said he welcomed the opportunity to be put on the line in a pressurized situation and said he goes through it every day in practice.

“Most definitely — we have a shooting competition every day in practice to see who’s the best free-throw shooter,” he said. “We’ve got a belt that we give out to the best free-throw shooter for the month. It’s been in my locker, Gordon’s locker and Joe Ingles’ locker most of the year. So we take a challenge in that.”