2021-22 regular season Utah Jazz news, notes and game coverage

Jay King: [URL="https://*********.com/social/"]Ime Udoka said the Celtics believe Joe Johnson can still play, but also value the experience he can bring[/URL].
– via [URL="https://twitter.com/ByJayKing"]Twitter ByJayKing[/URL]




Jay King: [URL="https://*********.com/social/"]Ime Udoka said Jayson Tatum smiled when he heard Joe Johnson was signing with the Celtics[/URL] and said that was one of his favorite players.
– via [URL="https://twitter.com/ByJayKing"]Twitter ByJayKing[/URL]

[URL="http://twitter.com/celtics/status/1473776696952250380"]Boston Celtics: We have signed seven-time NBA All-Star and 17-year veteran Joe Johnson to a 10-day contract[/URL].
– via [URL="https://twitter.com/celtics"]Twitter celtics[/URL]

[URL="https://www.sltrib.com/sports/jazz/2021/12/24/omicron-wreaks-havoc/"]“It almost feels like we’re getting back to two years ago when it first started, just with the amount of players that are in the protocol at the moment,” forward Joe Ingles said[/URL] after Thursday morning’s shootaround.
– via [URL="https://www.sltrib.com/sports/jazz/2021/12/24/omicron-wreaks-havoc/"]Salt Lake Tribune[/URL]

A 2020 Jeep Wrangler Sahara modded into a truck with six massive wheels, Big Shirley is a passion project for the Jazz’s new backup center. Whiteside bought the car in 2019 when he first joined the Portland Trail Blazers and finally finished work on the behemoth just a couple of months ago. It has 9,000 miles on it now. [URL="https://www.sltrib.com/sports/jazz/2021/12/23/hassan-whitesides-truck/"]“I’m like a big Jeep enthusiast,” Whiteside says. “I’ve got two more Jeeps, but they’re not like this.”[/URL]
– via [URL="https://www.sltrib.com/sports/jazz/2021/12/23/hassan-whitesides-truck/"]Salt Lake Tribune[/URL]




It was created by, in Whiteside’s words, “a mixture of a bunch of crazy people that did a great job.” Whiteside said four car modding shops worked on different aspects of the project, among them SoFloJeeps and Apocalypse Manufacturing in Florida. America’s Most Wanted put a Hellcat engine into the 6×6. In the end, [URL="https://www.sltrib.com/sports/jazz/2021/12/23/hassan-whitesides-truck/"]Whiteside estimated that the crews spent 1,800 hours of labor working on his creation[/URL].
– via [URL="https://www.sltrib.com/sports/jazz/2021/12/23/hassan-whitesides-truck/"]Salt Lake Tribune[/URL]







Hassan Whiteside: [URL="https://*********.com/social/"]I actually paid for Big Shirley from Crypto profit my profile pic actually worth more ….Wow I love this #NFT and #CRYPTO Space[/URL] ??????
[HR][/HR] [INDENT] NEW STORY: Hassan Whiteside is turning heads wherever he goes around town with a custom $330K six-wheel Jeep/truck mashup.
Meet Big Shirley.
Why is she called Big Shirley? You’ll have to read the story:[URL]https://t.co/21MsznAd2n[/URL]
— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) [URL="https://twitter.com/andyblarsen/status/1474016402705039360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"]December 23, 2021[/URL][/INDENT]

– via [URL="https://twitter.com/andyblarsen"]Twitter andyblarsen[/URL]

[url]https://www.ksl.com/article/50317584/that-was-a-dope-finish-jazz-react-to-jordan-clarksons-startling-dunk[/url]

[QUOTE]Ingles annoyed someone who's played in just 12 games before Thursday and had never seen significant playing time seemed strange — if not a little on brand. It was a sideshow, pure and simple; but it shouldn't be the most memorable part of a game.

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he had with Portland. I like him. Jazz should try to get him. Maybe they'd take Hughes

[QUOTE]Thankfully, Jordan Clarkson saved us all.

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:facepalm

[QUOTE]Heck, even Clarkson seemed surprised at what he had just done. He ended up in the corner surrounded by teammates and got lucky when Minnesota coach Chris Finch called timeout. There was no way he was getting back down the court to play defense.

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like he ever does

[QUOTE]It was a startling play and a spectacular dunk. Funny enough, though, it came on an off-shooting night. He was just 2 of 9 from the field Thursday but provided positives elsewhere. Clarkson continued his string of solid playmaking by finishing with seven assists.

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if only that was an off night and not typical

[QUOTE]"There's a number of times that both he and Donovan made kind of a hockey assist," Snyder said. "And obviously, the fact that they both got seven assists says a lot about who they are — that you can score and then when the defense starts playing you a certain way tonight (they adjust)."

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it says he's been so bad he's even passing occasionally

[url]https://www.ksl.com/article/50317542/its-everywhere-jazz-prepare-for-inevitable-after-taking-care-of-covid-ridden-wolves[/url]

[QUOTE]That's especially true when that defense went through long portions of the game — mostly with Jordan Clarkson and Hassan Whiteside — looking downright uninterested. There are obvious reasons for that. It's human nature for a dip to occur when you're up against the likes of Nathan Knight and Jake Layman opposed to Towns and Edwards. And there was never a time the Wolves looked capable of stopping Utah.

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obvious reasons would be it's Clarkson and Whiteside

[url]https://www.deseret.com/2021/12/23/22846469/instant-analysis-utah-jazz-talent-overwhelms-shorthanded-timberwolves-nba[/url]

[QUOTE][I]“He was incredibly efficient. It just shows you that he’s talented. When he comes in the game, he provides us such a lift with his ability to score, and oftentimes he can go on a run on his own. But in games like tonight, when they’re aggressive in the pick-and-roll the way they were for him to get off the ball ... says a lot.” —Jazz head coach Quin Snyder[/I] [/QUOTE]

2-9 is efficient? new coach please! :facepalm

[QUOTE] [URL="https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/insider/story/_/id/32930435/lowe-10-things-melo-hilarious-yells-baffling-celtics-glorious-return-warriors"]Ingles is a name to watch up to the trade deadline; in spitballing sessions, a lot of rival executives have wondered what the Jazz might be able to get in exchange for Ingles and a first-round pick.[/URL] Ingles is on an expiring contract, and has lost maybe an eighth of a step.

– via [URL="https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/insider/story/_/id/32930435/lowe-10-things-melo-hilarious-yells-baffling-celtics-glorious-return-warriors"]Zach Lowe @ ESPN[/URL]


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Clarkson is the guy to go if you can find a taker. Throw in Hughes ideally and whatever other assets if you have to. Need a starting 4 ideally or someone else that can give you 20 or so minutes so Royce can play mostly on the wing again

Marc Stein: [URL="https://*********.com/social/"]Luka Dončić will remain in the league’s health and safety protocols and is not traveling with Dallas today for its Christmas Day game in Salt Lake City against the Jazz,[/URL] league sources say. More NBA from me: marcstein.substack.com
– via [URL="https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine"]Twitter TheSteinLine[/URL]

[url]https://www.deseret.com/2021/12/24/22851997/utah-jazz-insiders-jazz-ready-to-put-on-a-christmas-day-show[/url]

[QUOTE]Seven years ago,[B] in Quin Snyder’s first season as head coach of the Utah Jazz (2014-15), the team went into Christmas Day with a 9-20 record[/B]. The Jazz were not on the Dec. 25 playing schedule, they weren’t bound for the playoffs and were struggling to find an identity. Now, the Jazz are one of the must-see games of the NBA’s Christmas Day slate, and head into that game with a record that’s the complete opposite at 22-9.

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that was the month Gobert emerged and turned the franchise's fortunes around :cheers:

[url]https://saltcityhoops.com/whos-been-naughty-or-nice-ahead-of-utahs-christmas-day-game/[/url]

[QUOTE]Each offseason, Mitchell has talked about improving his defense. We’re seeing fruits of that this season. His steal rate is up. His deflections are up. He’s defending three point shots better. While his numbers have tapered a bit recently, the body of work this season is encouraging.

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been nice just to see some effort at that end finally

[url]https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-latest-jazz-news/2021/12/24/22852666/the-key-to-jordan-clarkson-having-an-impact-for-the-utah-jazz-nba-donovan-mitchell-rudy-gobert-2021[/url]

[QUOTE]But with that said, I want to make one final note: Jordan Clarkson’s primary form of impact (for better or for worse) will always be through putting the ball in the basket. If he’s not scoring the ball effectively, he’s by and large an ineffective player. I don’t believe that betting on Clarkson making an impact through his defense will ever be a great idea. So, if he’s not scoring the ball, what exactly is he doing? Currently, his inability to reach league averages in shooting efficiency thirty games in the season is terrifying. Even last night, a game where displayed his ability as a playmaker, he ended with a minus-2 in the box score. Simply put, while Utah’s success doesn’t totally rest on Clarkson’s play, he [I]needs [/I]to turn his season around before the playoffs if a title run is in the plans.

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trade him please!

[url]https://www.slcdunk.com/2021/12/26/22853972/utah-jazz-pull-out-tough-win-against-depleted-dallas-mavericks-on-christmas[/url]

[QUOTE]A lot of credit needs to go to the Mavericks who were missing their best player as well as other key rotation guys. Right before the game started, Kristaps Porzingis was given the go-ahead to start in this one and he was a huge asset for the Mavericks. He looked like his old [URL="https://www.postingandtoasting.com"]Knicks[/URL] self out there hitting mid-rangers and taking advantage of mismatches on the offensive end. He finished the game with 27 points and went 11/13 from the free-throw line. Utah had Royce O’Neale guarding him for multiple stretches of the game and he struggled to contain Porzingis. It’s hard to knock O’Neale for that as Porzingis is like 7’2”. Some Jazz fans would ask why O’Neale was on him and the answer is, do you think he’d do better guarding the rolling center, Dwight Powell? It was clearly a tough matchup defensively for Utah. The adjustment that helped was Rudy Gay at the 4. Gay had the size to at least be more physically dominant with Porzingis and it slowed him down. That’s the type of versatility the Jazz likely hoped for when they signed Gay. It gives Quin Snyder options when he needs them.

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now if they only had another guy like Gay so Royce could play on the wing where he belongs

[QUOTE]For Utah, they came out and played one of the worst first quarters they’ve played in a long time. At one point they were down 16. Yes, this Mavericks roster was just put together and there isn’t a clear game plan on how to guard and attack them, but that’s when talent and precision should shine through and it was just not there. It’s clear the Jazz have some serious defensive flaws and it may not be an effort thing. In fact, I’m pretty sure at this point it’s a roster flaw. You can’t teach players to be younger. Utah’s offense also struggled for major parts of this game. Some of that can be attributed to a desperate Mavericks team and some of that is a Jazz team that hits rough stretches that give other teams chances to go on runs. It makes sense that this Jazz team that scores so well in the advanced stats still finds itself in games like this. Yes, they’ll go on major scoring stretches but when they struggle, their perimeter defense fails them every night and it’s what gives other teams opportunities to get back in games. Utah has to find a player that can improve the athleticism of this team as well as the perimeter defense. Justin Zanik and Danny Ainge have their work cut out for them.

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while getting a starting 4 and getting rid of Clarkson and Hughes

[QUOTE]Having said all that, the Jazz won the game! It was a fantastic crowd and it was a close game that I’m sure ESPN appreciated. Donovan Mitchell played fantastically. Tonight he scored 33 points on 42% from the field with just 1/7 from three. His three hasn’t been falling of late but his incredible shooting from 2-pt range continued. He also had 3 assists and 3 steals. Richard Jefferson talked about him not being All-NBA last year as a travesty and it’s absolutely true. The NBA continues to allow lazy analysis from national people to affect those spots on the All-NBA roster and it wouldn't matter too much if it didn’t relate completely to Mitchell’s ability to get a supermax extension. You can bet that Mitchell knows this and it’s part of the reason why his play has gone up another level this year. The other reason is he’s just really damn good.

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He missed the end of the year. He didn't play D. He isn't consistent. Didn't deserve it. Didn't deserve his all star berths either when you don't show up until January

[QUOTE]I would just be super cautious trading him for a "better defender" type. He is so versatile going from PG to PF. Great locker room presence. Accepts any role. Still an amazing shooter. I don't want to see us win a championship without him. [/QUOTE]

PF :roll:

[QUOTE]That said I could see him having a lesser role come playoff time. I hope we acquire another proven NBA rotational player to add depth unless Butler can prove himself. Which doesn't look like will happen. There should be a ton of guys available at the trade deadline or buyout market. [/QUOTE]

too early to write Butler off. We've seen Jazz rookies get it by the end of the year

[QUOTE]I think it’s got to be Clarkson. In the playoffs, we’ll need that perimeter defense more than (inconsistent) bench production. Trading Ingles makes sense, but would curse us - seems like he’s the heart of the team. Bogie is consistent, balanced.[/QUOTE]

yep. Get better by simple subtraction. If they get anything in turn besides a roster spot great.

[QUOTE]This game shows why O'neal is the weakest link on the starters, unless u can trade Bogey to a better SF.[/QUOTE]

:roll:

[QUOTE]Seeing him play well with energy is awesome. He has a bounce to his game that is unique on the team. I do worry that he might have some bad games at the wrong time and shoot us out of a series though. His 38% and 30% from 3 shooting is by far the lowest on our team. Hopefully he can up those and be more consistent as the year goes on.

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good luck with that

[QUOTE]"Fantasy" championship maybe the key part of your comment. Those guys come from consistently losing franchises. Nance would be the weakest starter in the lineup. Someone has to be. They might put us over the top but I wouldn't chance it.


[/QUOTE]

but he'd be an actual 4!

Andy Larsen: [URL="https://*********.com/social/"]FYI: the Jazz broadcast crew didn’t travel with the team on this road trip, citing coronavirus concerns.[/URL] Team says they’ll broadcast from home “for the next several road trips.”
– via [URL="https://twitter.com/andyblarsen"]Twitter andyblarsen[/URL]

[url]https://www.deseret.com/2021/12/27/22821191/top-10-utah-jazz-stories-in-2021-quin-snyder-donovan-mitchell-rudy-gobert-jordan-clarkson-mark-eaton[/url]

[QUOTE]Mitchell came back too soon from his injury and was hampered through that series against L.A. And although [URL="https://www.deseret.com/2021/6/16/22530306/utah-jazz-guard-donovan-mitchell-playing-through-injury-nba-playoffs-clippers"]he reached impressive heights through the postseason[/URL], it was clear that he was hurting.

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way to listen to the doctors! :facepalm

[QUOTE]In the end, Jazz fans would be left [URL="https://www.deseret.com/2021/6/22/22543568/utah-jazz-never-got-chance-to-give-it-their-best-shot-in-the-playoffs"]wondering what might have been[/URL] if their [URL="https://www.deseret.com/2021/5/18/22428792/utah-jazz-injuries-donovan-mitchell-and-mike-conley-turned-into-jazz-assistant-coaches"]All-Star backcourt[/URL] had been healthy for the playoffs.

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still would have had bad D by Mitchell and COTY refusing to make any moves