Utah Jazz

What’s Next for the Jazz? Fundamental Issues, Trade Ideas, and Reasons for Hope

Well then.The Dallas series happened. Coach Quin Snyder is moving on. Fans of the Jazz are wading through the seven stages of grief, but hey, it’s familiar territory. Some are still in the denial stage, some in the depression...

Donovan Mitchell and the Value of “Slow Learning”

I looked out over the Salt Lake Valley. It had been a while since I’d stopped myself to collect my thoughts. I’d been trying over the previous month to figure out exactly what needed to be said about the Utah Jazz, but...

Snyder Moves On, But Philosophical Questions Linger

“Philosophical issues.”What began as just the latest in a series of euphemisms and code words being used to describe the Utah Jazz’s summer of discontent is now an epitaph carved into the stone where an era of...

Changes Coming For Underperforming Jazz

While four teams are still vying for an NBA Finals spot, the focus of the other 26 clubs — including the Utah Jazz — has shifted to the offseason.A lot could change for the Jazz. I’m still of the opinion that...

It’s Deja Vu For the Rigid Jazz While Fluid Phoenix Plays On

We’ve all heard the mantra: you take what the defense gives you. NBA basketball is like a chess match: Team A chooses a plan of attack, Team B counters, Team A follows with a new plan of attack, and Team B counters again....

Let’s Talk This Out

Scene: Interior, a modestly furnished therapist’s office with a desk, chair, couch and a window. A middle-aged man whose hair is greying at the temples sits at the desk wearing a tweed blazer with elbow pads, scrolling...

The Way We Play Here: Searching for Howie

Scoring an invitation to Monday night hoops in the gym on my Brooklyn block was a really big deal. I had figured out that the Jewish temple had a court in the basement because I had seen guys coming and going with basketballs the...

Postcast: Jazz Sputter Late in a Game 2 Loss

Minutes after Game 2 of Jazz-Mavs, Mark Russell Pereira went live in the latest installment of the SCH...

Core Rotation Strength Comparison Ahead of West Playoffs

The notion that depth doesn’t matter after game 82 is just plain wrong. Virtually every deep playoff run by any team features big moments from key reserves. Whether it’s foul trouble, untimely injuries or just starter...

Reasons For Optimism As Jazz’s Playoff Run Begins

It’s not hard to find reasons to be pessimistic about the Utah Jazz, who limped toward the 2022 NBA playoffs with a stretch of poor play, public bickering, and catastrophic meltdowns in clutch moments. At this point, there...