by Hannah Begay
Take Note, the Jazz are back! Upon arriving at the bubble, the designated spot for the resumption of the NBA season, the Jazz enter the world of the unknown. While this is not the first time the Jazz have been in this position, it certainly will not the last. It began with Rudy Gobert becoming the league’s first positive COVID-19 case. Now once again, the Jazz face more hurdles as daily COVID tests ensue along with the mandatory two-day quarantine upon arrival.
The “Must-See TV” will be the interaction between Mitchell and Gobert. Prior to COVID, their relationship wasn’t the best; similar to any other all-star duo each fighting for the spotlight. Rudy Gobert was the first out of his entire 58-man team including coaches, players and other team personnel to test positive for the virus. Shortly after, other members of his team also tested positive. One of those team members was Donovan Mitchell. Reports in and around the club say that Mitchell blames Gobert for his positive test; in essence Gobert gave him the virus. Each say they kissed and made up, but we’ll see if this tension is reenergized on the court. You don’t just contract the virus that is the cause of a global pandemic from an immature teammate and be completely ok with that. Needless to say, I don’t buy it.
The upcoming schedule for the Jazz will not be easy. Mitchell and Gobert tip off against Zion Williamson and the Pelicans on July 30. The past few matchups between the two have ended with drama and controversy. From the downright weird clock review and no foul call to the other bizarre foul called that lead to overtime and a coach’s challenge from Quin Snyder. To say the least, there is no doubt this game will not pass without some sort of oddity. The entire schedule is filled with playoff caliber teams from Lebron and the Lakers to Chris Paul and the Thunder. No matchup will be a spit fire win for the Jazz. Executives say the team is prepared and ready for the battle that is in front of them.
“Watching our coaches, our health performance people, our nutrition, as well as our players perform during the hiatus…I am in awe of how much work we put in. Our players are in terrific shape. They’re very excited to compete. So I think we’ll be formidable because we have a hungry group.”
– Dennis Lindsey, Utah Jazz team executive
The team is geared up and ready to get back on the court. Will they live up to the expectations or will drama overrun the team? I guess we’ll have to wait to find out.
The Jazz take the court July 30th against the Pelicans at 4:30 PM MST on TNT.