Category: Utah Jazz Blog

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Dante Exum will not play for Team Australia this summer

Dante Exum will not play for Team Australia this summer

Utah Jazz guard Danté Exum will not participate in Australian National Team activities this summer.

Exum will instead focus on his preparation for the 2016-17 Jazz season. His rehabilitation and recovery process has continued to progress accordingly according to the team, and he was recently cleared for full-contact basketball activities.

“At this stage the most important thing for me right now is to continue training,” said Exum. “It’s been great to be back on the court competing, and I’m really motivated to help the Jazz have a successful season this year. My support and best wishes will be with the Boomers this summer, and I look forward to future opportunities to represent my home country.”

The 20-year-old guard underwent successful surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee on Sept. 3, 2015, after having sustained a tear of the ACL on Aug. 4 while competing for the Australian National Team in a game against the Slovenian National Team in Ljubljana, Slovenia. As a result of the injury, he missed the entire 2015-16 NBA season.

The 6-6, 205-pound native of Melbourne, Australia, averaged 4.8 points, 2.4 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 22.2 minutes as a rookie during the 2014-15 season and was selected to compete in the 2015 Rising Stars Challenge during NBA All-Star Weekend. He also became just the 10th rookie in Jazz history to appear in all 82 games, starting 41 of those. Exum was originally selected by the Jazz in the first round (fifth overall) of the 2014 NBA Draft.

Alec Burks has surgery on knee, ankle

Alec Burks has surgery on knee, ankle

Utah Jazz guard Alec Burks underwent successful arthroscopic surgery Tuesday to clean out debris from his left knee and ankle.

The outpatient procedure was performed in Salt Lake City by Jazz head orthopaedic team physician Dr. Travis Maak, and ankle and foot specialist Dr. Charles L. Saltzman, the chair of the department of orthopaedics at University of Utah Health Care.

Burks is expected to be ready prior to the start of 2016-17 Jazz training camp.

The fifth-year guard averaged 13.3 points on a career-best 40.5 percent three-point shooting, with 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 25.7 minutes per game during the 2015-16 season. He was originally selected by the Jazz in the first round (12th overall) of the 2011 NBA Draft.

Jazz sign Quin Snyder to contract extension

The Utah Jazz are signing third-year head coach Quin Snyder to a long-term contract extension.

“With this contract extension, we are declaring our confidence in Coach Snyder’s ability to continue to develop the Utah Jazz into a championship team,” said Gail Miller, owner of the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies. “The Miller family recognizes the significant progress made under his leadership and we are excited about the direction we are headed.”

“Our relationship with Quin, and this extension, reflect our shared passion for building a championship team,” said Steve Starks, president of the Utah Jazz. “With long-term contracts now in place for Quin, Dennis and other key front office personnel, we are well-positioned for the future.”

“We have continued to take significant steps as a team under Quin’s direction,” said Jazz General Manager Dennis Lindsey. “His work ethic, basketball intelligence and ability to connect with and develop our players make him the ideal head coach of the Jazz.”

Snyder, who will enter his third season at the helm in 2016-17, became the eighth head coach in Jazz history, and only the fifth since the franchise moved to Utah in 1979, when he was hired on June 6, 2014. Under Snyder’s tutelage, the Jazz have become one of the elite defenses in the league, allowing the second-fewest points in the league over his first two seasons (95.4/game) and holding opponents to 90 points or less a league-high 57 times. The Jazz have also improved their win total by 15 games over the team’s record the year prior to his arrival despite being the league’s youngest and least experienced team.

“I am very grateful for this gesture by the Miller family and the Utah Jazz and appreciative of their belief in me to continue to lead this team,” Snyder said. “Amy and I are fortunate to be a part of a franchise and family that cares deeply for our community, stays true to its values and is committed to winning. More than anything, it is confirmation of our collective commitment to building a championship team.”

Alec Burks should return soon for Jazz

The 39-39 Utah Jazz have gotten just 28 games of action from shooting guard Alec Burks this season, but he will reportedly soon make his return. Here’s the Deseret News reporting:

Alec Burks should return soon for Jazz

More than three months after he went down with a broken left fibula that was only supposed to keep him out for a couple of months, Alec Burks will finally be returning to the Jazz lineup for Friday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers, according to sources in the Jazz organization.

The 6-foot-6 fifth-year guard out of Colorado is expected to play limited minutes Friday just as Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors did after sitting out for extended times earlier this season. The hope is that Burks can contribute to the Jazz playoff push over the next week and to the playoffs, which would start next weekend if the Jazz were to qualify in the Western Conference.

Rodney Hood got picture and autograph from Kobe Bryant after game

The following, as reported by the Salt Lake Tribune, is a completely understandable move on the part of young Rodney Hood:

Rodney Hood got his shoes signed by Kobe Bryant

Rodney Hood got everything he wanted in the first half of Monday night’s win over the Lakers. He got exactly what he wanted after the game was over, too.

The Utah Jazz sharpshooter, who dropped 30 points on 11-of-13 shooting in a blowout win, made sure to track down his childhood idol, Kobe Bryant, and secure a precious memento after one of Hood’s best games as a pro.

“I wanted a picture with him,” Hood said. “My whole family is Kobe fans, so I wanted them to get a picture. Just wanted to see him. I know (the Jazz’s last meeting with Lakers laters this month in Los Angeles) is going to be hectic; we probably won’t see him after the game or get a chance to speak to him. So I waited. He just congratulated me on a good game. He signed my shoes. It was a great moment for me.”

Jazz enjoy big win road vs Rockets

The NBA playoff race is heating up, and in the West the Utah Jazz are now the 8th seed, slightly ahead of the Houston Rockets. Utah also now has the same record as the Dallas Mavericks, who are currently the 7th seed. Here’s the Deseret News reporting:

Before Wednesday’s game against the Houston Rockets, Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder didn’t want to hear about how important the game was, even though the two teams are jockeying for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

“It gets you on a slippery slope,” he said, pointing out that the game against the Rockets two months ago was just as big in the grand scheme of things and that every Jazz game is important.

But after a gutsy, come-from-behind 89-87 victory over the Rockets at the Toyota Center, Snyder was all smiles, reveling in his team’s resolve in overcoming an 18-point first-half deficit and sort of admitting how big the win was.

“We had big performances, guys stepped up,” he said. “Our guys composed themselves and started getting some stops and that opened things up for us.”

Huge Jazz-Rockets game tonight

Through Tuesday’s games, the Rockets have the 8th seed in the Western conference, with the Jazz just half a game behind them for 9th. The two teams play against each other tonight in Houston. Huge matchup. Here’s the Salt Lake Tribune reporting:

Gordon Hayward began celebrating his 26th birthday on Wednesday in as much style as is possible for an NBA player about to play his biggest game of the regular season. There was a brief shootaround. He was serenaded by the Utah Jazz rookies. Assistant coach Steven Schwartz penned a hip-hop verse in his honor.

Besides that, there weren’t too many smiles and laughs coming from Hayward, the Jazz small forward. A win over the Houston Rockets is all he and anyone associated with the organization really wants.

This is the chance the Jazz have been waiting for. They are currently a half-game behind the Rockets with 12 to play. The tie-breaker for the season between the two teams is at stake, which means tonight essentially counts as two games in the standings. With four teams jostling for the Western Conference’s last three playoff spots, the enormity of tonight’s game at the Toyota Center can’t be understated.

Gordon Hayward injury update: day-to-day with plantar fasciitis

Gordon Hayward injury update: day-to-day with plantar fasciitis

The Utah Jazz today announced the following health update on forward Gordon Hayward, who has been suffering from plantar fasciitis in his right foot:

In consultation with the Jazz medical staff, it has been determined that the best course of action is for Hayward to undergo a period of treatment and rehabilitation. As a result, he will not to play in tonight’s game vs. Cleveland. He is considered day-to-day, and further updates will be provided when appropriate.

Hayward (6-8, 225, Butler) has appeared in all 66 Jazz games this season (all starts), and leads the team in scoring (20.1) and assists (3.7), while adding 4.9 rebounds in a team-high 36.2 minutes per game. He is one of just four players in the NBA averaging at least 20.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting at least 35.0 percent from behind the three-point line. The 25-year-old career Jazzman was originally selected by Utah in the first round (ninth overall selection) of the 2010 NBA Draft.

Three-team NBA trade sends Shelvin Mack to Jazz, Kirk Hinrich to Hawks

kirk hinrich traded

The Utah Jazz announced today that the team has acquired guard Shelvin Mack from the Atlanta Hawks, pending the outcome of a physical, as part of a three-team trade with the Hawks and Chicago Bulls. As part of the deal, the Jazz traded a future second-round pick to the Bulls, who also received guard Justin Holliday from Atlanta while sending the Hawks guard Kirk Hinrich.

Mack (6-3, 203, Butler) has appeared in 24 games for the Hawks this season, averaging 3.9 points and 1.6 assists in 7.5 minutes of action.

Originally selected in the second round (34th overall selection) of the 2011 NBA Draft by Washington, the 25-year-old has appeared in 247 career games (14 starts) over five seasons with Washington, Philadelphia and Atlanta, and owns career averages of 5.3 points, 2.7 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 15.0 minutes. He has also appeared in a total of 21 playoffs games over the last three seasons, averaging 5.0 points, 2.0 assists and 1.5 rebounds, including 10.0 points, 1.7 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 21.7 minutes during the 2015 Eastern Conference Finals.

Prior to the NBA, Mack played three seasons at Butler University (2008-11), helping the Bulldogs to the Championship game in each of his final two seasons, and was selected to the All-Tournament Team at the 2011 Final Four. For his collegiate career, Mack appeared in 108 games and averaged 14.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists while helping Butler to an 87-21 record in those games. During his first two seasons at Butler, Mack teamed with current Jazzman Gordon Hayward, as the pair led Butler to the school’s first ever Final Four and an appearance in the 2010 title game.

A native of Lexington, Ky., Mack was also chosen to the 2010 USA Select Team which helped Team USA prepare for the FIBA World Championship, and was captain of the gold medal-winning USA U19 World Championship team during the summer of 2009.