2014-2015 regular season!

[QUOTE]The rookie forward started feeling pain in his left foot on Dec. 30 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

"As time went on, it just got worse," Hood said before tipoff Friday. "I just wanted to take care of it before it got even worse like it did the first time."

That first time was earlier this year, when Hood had to miss 10 games because of a injury to his right foot.

"Just bad luck, I guess," Hood said.

With his foot feeling better after a couple practices this week, Friday was Hood's first game action since Dec. 30.

"He's practiced a couple times now," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "I think his timing, to be expected, wasn't there. I'd like to see him right now just get comfortable, take his shot when he's open even if maybe it doesn't feel perfect right now. Just play the right way. Even though he's been out, I think defensively he can throw himself into that and play good team defense."

Hood came off the bench and was restricted to five-minute stretches in his return. Given the team's rotations, Snyder expected the rookie to log fewer than 20 minutes.

"It's tough," Hood said, "but I just got to be patient and understand I can't make it worse by trying to be tough and playing on it [when it hurts]. I've just got to listen to the trainers."[/QUOTE]

I thought it was something else other than us foot this time. Hopefully it's not a long term issue. He has a chance to be something special with his size and skill.

[QUOTE]Getting comfortable

Elliot Williams got a hotel crash course in the Jazz's offense before he made his debut with the team last week. After a week and a half with the team, the D-League call-up is starting to get comfortable.

"Just now, I'm finally getting a good grip of what's going on," he said Friday.

But Williams, who was inactive against the Lakers with Hood's return, is also facing a tough situation. His 10-day contract is set to expire Saturday, and his status is up in the air.

"You can't control it," he said. "There are some things you just can't control. What I can control is just coming out, playing hard and in practice giving it my all."

That's why Snyder says the 6-foot-5 guard has done.

"It's hard to make kind of a sweeping assessment or evaluation on such limited minutes," Snyder said. "But he's practiced well and done the things we've asked him to do."

Price of toughness

Before Friday's game, Lakers coach Byron Scott extolled the toughness of starting point guard Ronnie Price. But the former Jazzman has his limits; already donning a mask to protect his broken nose, Price was dealing with an elbow injury that kept the Utah Valley product from playing in a homecoming game at EnergySolutions Arena.

[email]afalk@sltrib.com[/email]

Twitter: @tribjazz[/QUOTE]

sure Jerry liked his toughness too. He's not a rotation player though.

[QUOTE]OK, so they're still a long way off from achieving status as the Utah franchise's latest version of the "Big Three."[/QUOTE]

When did they have a big 3?

[QUOTE]And, who knows? Maybe they never will.

But Friday night against the Los Angeles Lakers, Utah's young trio of 20-something stars in the making

[QUOTE]"It's no different for us," Snyder said. "I try to keep Gordon (Hayward) and all our starters' minutes between 30 and 35. I just believe that's the best way to help our team and to help them. We want guys to be fresh when the game's on the line; we also want them to be fresh at the end of the year, and we want them to be healthy two years from now. And I think all of those minutes over a period of time add up."[/QUOTE]

So why did Rudy only play 25?

[QUOTE]Asked how he'd feel about not having to play on back-to-back nights, Jazz big man Derrick Favors said, "Naw, I'm too young for that. ... I mean, he deserves it."

Bryant had 19 points and a season-high 17 assists along with six rebounds in nearly 32 minutes on the court of Thursday night's 109-102 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

And although Bryant still ranks among the NBA's leading scorers this season with 22.6 points per game, this has not been a banner season for the five-time NBA champion and 2008 league MVP. He is shooting barely over 37 percent from the field, far below his career average, and less than 30 percent from 3-point range.

So a few more nights off might benefit Bryant's aging legs

[QUOTE]Quin Snyder got very good performances from Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors and Trey Burke. Hayward come out hitting shots and was excellent all evening en route to a game-high 31 points and seven assists. Utah was hitting from the perimeter and passed the ball well. The Lakers definitely missed Bryant.[/QUOTE]

How is 7-19 very good?

[QUOTE]Turning point: With just less than five minutes remaining, Lakers guard Nick Young was fouled on a 3-point attempt. After converting all three free throws, the Jazz

[QUOTE]Favors was rolling to the basket and the interior of the Spurs defense was shutting everything down. The Jazz would run a play and get what they think they wanted and the Spurs would take it away immediately.[/QUOTE]

Looked like he missed shots he can make to me.

[QUOTE]The Jazz defense was really very good all night. It is hard to have a good defensive night when your offense is as bad as the Jazz offense was tonight but the Jazz were able to do it. For most of the night they kept the Spurs under 40% shooting and without many three pointers (4 in the first three quarters). This slipped a little in the 4thquarter but overall the defense was super impressive.[/QUOTE]

Rudy!

[QUOTE]Rudy Gobert was at the center of the defense again. It is undeniable what a huge impact he has on games for the Jazz on the offensive end. He had a career high 18 rebounds. Many early came on failed tip in attempts but the 11 defensive rebounds is awesome. Rudy finished the night with 13 points, the Jazz leading scorer, he also had 18 rebounds, another 2 assists and 4 blocks. Plus, he altered the Spurs activity around the basket all night. He is tremendous.[/QUOTE]

typical performance

[QUOTE]The offense struggled all night but it really struggled with Rudy on the floor. This is going to be a work in progress. That is all part of the development of the team.[/QUOTE]

Gobert looks fine on offense. Hit the first shot from the post I've seen with a hook. They need to start building around him and they'll do great.

[QUOTE]Gobert started the 2nd half instead of Kanter. Quin said after the game their were no long term implications. He said Rudy was playing better. [/QUOTE]

So if Kanter and Rudy are playing better than Favors the same will happen?:confusedshrug:

[QUOTE]Kanter was disengaged tonight. He has to be active and he has to be better than he has been. Kanter is seriously lacking effort plays right now. Kanter finished with 20 minutes, 4 points, 2 rebounds.

Kanter has stopped passing or at least stopped passing for assists. In the first 28 games this year Kanter had 21 assists. Not great but at least showing some improvement. He has 1 in his last 9 games. He has 1 assist in his last 224 minutes.[/QUOTE]

Out of sync since the injury. Might be thinking too much with all the Gobert talk.

[QUOTE]Rodney Hood hurt his left foot again. It is really sad. I was in a good deal of pain in the locker-room after the game. Hope Rodney is out. Feet issues are scary and clearly his are not in good shape so far this season. He was playing with great aggressiveness today and was making progress then boom.

Tough night was a tough offensive night all the way around. The Spurs plugged in and locked down. I was really impressed with the Jazz holding the Spurs to 43 1st half points and keeping the Spurs under 90 for the game. The Jazz dictated tempo. The Spurs had just 2 fast break points and just 32 points in the paint. The game plan n Tony Parker was executed very well he was a non factor. The Spurs are the world champs and better than the Jazz in every facet of the game but the Jazz were able to make themselves felt on half the floor tonight. That is a big deal.

Posted in Emptying the Noggin[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE]The second-year Frenchman got the nod, and his strong third quarter contributed to his career-high 18 rebound-night. Gobert added 13 points, four rebounds and two assists in 29 minutes. He was active and had a few stops that had the AT&T Center crowd oohing and aahing a bit.[/QUOTE]

He's always active though even when tired.

[QUOTE]Kanter struggled, going 2 of 6 for four points and two rebounds in 21 minutes, including the final six minutes after San Antonio had built up a 26-point lead. It was a tough night for him, perhaps he is still feeling the after effects of his recent injury. It should be noted that Gobert was -15 on plus/minus, while Kanter was -10 (included is the 11-3 finish to the game for Utah).

Could this slight change signal a change in the starting lineup? It will certainly be something to watch. I, for one, think the trio of Kanter, Gobert and Favors can not only co-exist, but can thrive. But that

[QUOTE]"There are no longterm implications here," Snyder said. "We just thought Rudy could give us a spark."[/QUOTE]

But he always gives a spark. How many degrees do you have? I have a hard time getting behind you when Rudy isn't the focus of the team.

[QUOTE]Snyder was referring to his second year center Rudy Gobert, and his fourth year center Enes Kanter.

Gobert - on Sunday night - finished with 13 points, 18 rebounds and four blocked shots against the Spurs. Kanter played 20 minutes, scored four points and grabbed two rebounds. Gobert - who came off the bench at the beginning of the game - started the second half. Given the disparity of the play between the two, many Jazz fans have recently been calling for Gobert to become the full-time starter, instead of Kanter.[/QUOTE]

Regardless he needs to play more. Booker needs to go if they don't know what they're going to do with Enes or Favors yet.

[QUOTE]"Rudy starting the second half was not a longterm decision," Snyder said. "He's been playing very well and he competed tonight. He's a unique player, and he needs to keep getting better."

Gobert started and played very well when Kanter missed a string of games with a sprained ankle a few weeks ago. Kanter - who will be a restricted free agent this coming summer - came back last week agains the Houston Rockets. Snyder gave him his job back against the Golden State Warriors, his reason being a starter doesn't lose his spot to injury.

At his best, Kanter is an offensive force, capable of scoring in the paint and from the mid-range.[/QUOTE]

and long range which has complicated things furthur

[QUOTE]He can back guys down, go around them and finish at the hoop. Never was this more apparent than a month ago, when he lit Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans up for 29 points.

But there are times when Kanter doesn't play well defensively. This has been well talked about. Still, the organization has said they will stick by Kanter, his ability to score, his upside at 22 years of age and his potential to improve.

Gobert - however - has come on strong of late. He's established himself as a defender, and is improving on the offensive end as well.

"I'm trying to get better and I'm trying to be better offensively," Gobert said. "If I'm more aggressive on offense I hope that can help the team win more games."

Gobert and Kanter represent two different kinds of players. They play two different styles, and affect the Utah Jazz in two different ways.

But the time may be coming for the Jazz to choose which one to build around.

Tony Jones[/QUOTE]

Are you serious? Really? Is there any doubt who the Jazz have to build around? The question is what players to put around Gobert. :coleman:

[QUOTE]From the beginning, you could tell the Utah Jazz were in for a difficult night offensively.[/QUOTE]

How could you tell it was different than most nights when they suck in the beginning? :confusedshrug:

[QUOTE]The San Antonio Spurs challenged every pass. Every shot came with a hand directly in the face. There were no cracks in the defense to exploit, no lanes towards the basket to creep through.

On Sunday night, the Utah Jazz were exposed in almost every way offensively by the world champions. And in a bit of irony, the Jazz were themselves very good defensively. They just weren't as good as the Spurs. [/QUOTE]

Or much worse defensively.

[QUOTE]The 89-69 final

[QUOTE]As an emerging high school star in Mississippi, Rodney Hood never dealt with injury issues.

He never had that worry at Mississippi State or at Duke University.[/QUOTE]


That's good to hear. Hopefully he'll get past this stuff eventually.

[QUOTE]And there lies the frustration with Hood during his rookie season with the Utah Jazz. He's always been healthy, always been durable. He's never had to deal with multiple missed games, until now.

And now, he has another one. Hood appeared to re-aggravate his left foot on Sunday night against the San Antonio Spurs. He drove hard to the basket, landed on it, and lay down, pounding the AT&T Center floor with his fist. He had already missed the better part of three weeks with foot inflammation.

"It's all God's plan," Hood said before the game. "I just have to deal with it. The coaching staff has done a great job in trying to keep me healthy."[/QUOTE]


Good to hear it's God and not the tougher workload he has now.

[QUOTE]Hood had just returned to the Jazz' active roster on Friday against the Los Angeles Lakers. In the first half of Sunday's loss to the San Antonio Spurs, Hood scored four points and grabbed four rebounds, showing some of the flashes that made him a first-round draft pick.

For now, Hood is on a minutes restriction. He played in four-minute stints in the win over Los Angeles. He played five minutes at a time on Sunday night. The idea is to monitor his foot, see if he has any pain or general soreness.

"It's an everyday process," Hood said. "I feel better all the time."

This is supposed to be Hood's time, with Alec Burks out for the season after shoulder surgery. He is supposed to be the starter, receiving the needed experience to hit the 2015-2016 season running.[/QUOTE]

Why not see what he can do in the D-league a couple times a week first instead?

[QUOTE]But he's been in and out of the lineup for most of the year. And it's been difficult for Hood to gain any continuity while he's been dealing with injury problems. He can only hope they don't persist.

Coming back

On Saturday, the Jazz re-signed guard Elliott Williams to a second 10-day contract, keeping him with the team through at least the remainder of this road trip.

Williams was originally acquired out of the NBA Development League, where he was playing with Santa Cruz.

"It's a blessing to have another opportunity," Williams said. "I feel like I have a really good grasp of what we're trying to do on both ends. I feel comfortable now that I've been with the team for a week."

A standout

Jazz center Rudy Gobert continued his strong play, scoring 13 points, grabbing 18 rebounds and blocking four shots against the Spurs in 28 minutes.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE]Jazz organization and its fans will be left to wonder how a fully healthy squad might look after a full season together with Snyder.[/QUOTE]

As long as it's a team built around Gobert playing for a playoff spot and not another tank.

[QUOTE]Short of that, the Jazz feel it is important to keep the 23-year-old Burks, who was signed to a four-year extension in the fall, in the fold to help lessen the struggles of reintegrating him next year.

"I'm sure he wishes he could be out there with us," point guard Trey Burke said. "We're just ready for him to get back as quick as possible."

[email]afalk@sltrib.com[/email]

Twitter: @tribjazz[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE]Rudy Gobert, who had still another solid effort with a team-high 13 points and 18 rebounds, the latter, a career high. The only other Jazz player in double figures was Gordon Hayward, who had 10, while Derrick Favors had nine points and 13 rebounds.[/QUOTE]


He was great as always. Been a long time since he was merely solid.

[QUOTE]Everyone had a tough night shooting except for Gobert, who was 5-of-10 from the field. Both Hayward and Burke went 4-for-15, both reserve guards Dante Exum and Rodney Hood went 1-for-5, while Favors was 4-for-11.

[QUOTE]

[QUOTE]Gordon is playing All-Star-ish. He's not there yet. And while there's a chance that he gets in. [/QUOTE]

There's no chance unless the commish ends up picking because many guys are hurt than there's always a chance. See Okur.

[QUOTE]But right now I think the All-Stars for the West break down as:

Bigmen: Anthony Davis, Blake Griffin, Marc Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge

Point Guards: Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, Damian Lillard

Wings: Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, James Harden

Util: Klay Thompson, and either Tim Duncan (and he shouldn't get named, because if 15 and 10 gets you an All-Star spot in the west then Michael Cage was robbed all those years), or DeMarcus Cousins, or Russell Westbrook. There's no perfect guy, either they haven't played a lot of games, or won a lot of games. Or aren't having an All-Star season (Duncan). [/QUOTE]

15 and 10 is an all-star for a center especially when they do so much not in the box score.

[QUOTE]I'd go with Westbrook, despite the Thunder being 9th in the West right now. Dallas is 5th in the west (higher than the 7th Spurs), so maybe Dirk Nowitzki deserves it? Or maybe they'll go with Dwight Howard to give Houston two stars? I don't know. It's not my job to figure it out though.

I think Gordon is playing well, but after looking at how well the other players are doing this season, I don't think I can argue for Gordon's inclusion unless I'm wearing my Jazz homer hat. He has improved quite a bit from last year (and I have the Synergy Stats to support that idea, and that post is dropping tomorrow). But what do you think?[/QUOTE]

I think you need to stop dropping things and watch a game instead.

[QUOTE]let's take a look at some of the recent injuries of Rodney Hood, and let's be real here. Some of it is bad luck for the Utah Jazz rookie. Some of it is, well, really bad luck.

June, 2013: Right foot, Torn Achilles Tendon (originally identified as a sprain) [Back at Duke][/QUOTE]

I thought he hadn't been hurt in college? Torn achilles is serious stuff!

[QUOTE]November, 2014: Right foot, inflammation (plantar fasciitis)

January, 2015 (I): Left foot, inflammation (also plantar fasciitis)

January, 2015 (II): Left foot, aggravation of previous injury (plantar fasciitis) [LAST NIGHT landed with left foot on Tiago Splitter 's foot and had to leave the game.][/QUOTE]

both feet. A bit worrisome.

[QUOTE]Via: U.S. National Library of Medicine

So some of it is bad luck, some of it is a force multiplier by a) his job (running and jumping), b) the locations of his previous injuries, and c) the fact that all of these injuries have affected the same part of the body, and area that cooperates.So he's had this combined heel problem on both feet now, but I would suggest that he's had more problems with his right foot. (Oh, by the way, guess which leg a left handed player plants on lay-ups?)

The body is designed in a way where different parts give structure or flexibility to other parts. I love how one of the reasons for plantar fasciitis could be because of a tight Achilles tendon. All of these heel problems can make for a very painful experience for young Rodney. He's not going to need surgery, he just needs rest.

Having Rudy Gobert and Enes Kanter (and Trevor Booker) around helps Derrick Favors avoid big minutes, and helps him better manage potential plantar fasciitis flare ups. Having more wing guys around will allow for Rodney to stay healthy and avoid big minutes as well. [/QUOTE]

He hasn't played big minutes and Ingles and now Millsap should send him to the D-league where he'd only play a couple times a week.

[QUOTE]Of course, he still has to recover fully before that happens. Hood missed 10 games for his right foot, and seven for his left foot already this season.

Ultimately, I guess, you blame Alec Burks for this. Or mother nature. Or crazy uncle luck. It's a less than perfect rookie year for Hood. But it's better to have these injuries NOW and then learn about them, and adjust his training and behavior going forward so he has a long and non-ignorant professional career.[/QUOTE]