I appreciate your perspective, but I don’t really understand why many fans still seem to appreciate Gobert but hate on Mitchell. Especially if the justification is loyalty.
Rudy did say over and over that he wanted to win a title with Utah, but that was during the critical period when it was paramount for him to remain with the Jazz in order to be eligible for the coveted super max contract – which he promptly demanded as soon as he was eligible for it. Everyone knew Rudy was not worth anywhere near it, but he put the Jazz in the delicate spot of either paying him what he wanted or letting a guy who has been saying for years “I want to win a ring here” walk for nothing, angering the fan base.
You want to bring the NBA’s smallest market its first ring, but you also want 30% of its cap space wrapped up in your personal salary? Unless you are LeBron or KD, that won’t work. Even if you are LeBron or KD, it probably won’t work. Rudy never backed up his “I want to win here” with any behavior that sacrificed personal satisfaction for team success.
That is to say nothing of the fact that Rudy clearly is a locker room problem. He wanted more of a role offensively but he is a complete liability on that end. I also think he had a HUGE ego problem as soon as the Utah fan base fell in love with Mitchell; I don’t think he could handle sharing what he thought was his team. As soon as Rudy leaves? Reports out that D-Lo can’t stand him. D-Lo gets traded because Gobert is untradeable. What’s next? The punch with Kyle Anderson. Wouldn’t surprise me in the least if within the next year something happens between Rudy and either KAT or Ant. Especially as Ant’s extension looms.
Not saying Mitchell is blameless but during his first few years he arguably backed up the “I want to be here/win here” talk a lot more than Gobert. Attended a lot of public and private events in the community. Showed up to fans’ summer barbecues. Went to college games. Actively recruited other NBA stars to come to Utah while Mitchell was still on his rookie deal so the team could at least theoretically afford it. When did Rudy do any of this? What did Rudy do other than stick around long enough to be eligible for super max money, and then demand it, crippling the franchise? And then cry about not making the all star team?
It reminds me of Kirilenko. Standout defensive player; limited offensively. Was “loyal” and the Jazz subsequently overpaid to keep him. Contract became an albatross almost immediately and was a major reason the Jazz could never add that last missing piece to truly contend.
As for seeing both Rudy and Mitchell out of the playoffs early (again), it is unsurprising. Rudy isn’t a one man defense as has frequently been said. He is only if you play the kind of drop defense in which he excels. He can be neutralized if the other team can force Rudy into a different defensive scheme, which is exactly what happens in the playoffs when coaches have two weeks to exploit weaknesses.
As for Don, he is occasionally spectacular but far more frequently a woefully inefficient chucker on offense and refuses to play defense for long stretches. Basically, a very poor man’s Houston-version of James Harden. And even the actual Houston version of James Harden frequently flamed out in the postseason because inefficiency plus no defense doesn’t usually win playoff games.
I may eventually be proven incredibly wrong, but at least right now, it seems Utah won both those trades by a substantial margin. No regrets on my end.
.
Loading ...
