Utah Jazz Continue to Win Over the Hoops Press
By Ryan Aston
The Utah Jazz continue to receive high marks and a lot of hype for next season after making some key acquisitions this summer.
The Utah Jazz, a team that has painfully endured the rebuilding process for several years now, is set to break new ground in the Western Conference. For the first time, players like Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert are poised to lead the team to the playoffs after having more than their fair share of early summer vacations.
However, they’re not the only ones venturing into unfamiliar territory.
For the first time since Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer were killing teams in the pick-and-roll, fans of the club aren’t having to dig into the deepest, darkest recesses of the ‘net to find “experts” who share their enthusiasm for the team.
Suddenly, the Jazz band are media darlings; a darkhorse pick to take their place among the league’s elite as early as next season. Several hoops pundits praised the team’s decision-makers in the immediate aftermath of moves to acquire George Hill, Joe Johnson and Boris Diaw; even now, the good will continues to flow.
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Here are the latest additions to the Jazz media hype train–
- According to Jake Tierney of The Sports Quotient, the Jazz roster has been built in such a way that they could be the one team out there with a chance of stopping (maybe slowing is the appropriate word) the Golden State Warriors. Says Tierney: “Pair that natural improvement with a big, slow, bruising play style and a wing rotation stocked with lanky defenders, and you might have yourself a team that gives the small ball Warriors a run for their money.”
- Sports Illustrated‘s Rob Mahoney looked at the team’s decision to accelerate their development and move toward winning games. Mahoney has a good understanding of what the Jazz believe in as an organization, saying, “It’s always a long game with the Jazz, an organization whose quiet patience has brought them to the cusp of something real.” Great observations here about the organization’s decision to move their chips in.
- Matt Moore looked at six clubs on the rise in the league for CBS Sports and the Utah Jazz topped his list. According to Moore, “Utah is very much the “it” team in NBA media circles when it comes to expected jumps for next season, and for good reason.” I, for one, couldn’t agree more.
- Our friends at Hardwood Paroxysm have an entertaining piece about the Jazz from J.P. Pelosi. I’ll leave you to your own devices on this one, save for this quote about our team’s fearless leader: “Then there’s that wonderful nut on the sideline, Quin Snyder. I love this guy. He has De Niro’s glare, Pacino’s snarl and Gordon Gekko’s oily mane. You got a problem with the Jazz? Talk to the boss. Or better yet, have him give you a dressing down” Solid gold.
- And now for something completely different. More than a few Jazz fans have said they feel somewhat uncomfortable reaping the praise for their team. We’re supposed to be underdogs, right? There has to be something to complain about it! So here it is–Bill Simmons, as is his custom, is selling this iteration of the Jazz. Check out this podcast and fast-forward to the 40-minute mark. I love BS, but this is BS of another kind entirely. Enjoy.