Hosting the Grizzlies in Utah on Tuesday, the Jazz entered halftime with a one-point lead but fell apart in the third quarter and ultimately lost the game by a score of 140-103. After Utah was outscored 76-38 and outrebounded 33-8 by Memphis in the second half, head coach Will Hardy ripped into his team during his post-game media session, as Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune relays.
“I’ve talked a lot about how we carry ourselves meaning something to me, and those words are not hollow,” Hardy said. “That second half was really disappointing, and it’s not representative of who we want to be as an organization. It’s not representative of who I want us to be.
“There are very few times where I’ve been disappointed in our group, and tonight I’ll drive home disappointed. But we have to all wake up tomorrow and get back to work. And it is one game. It is one half. I understand that, and I’ll get some sleep and wake up tomorrow with perspective. But during the game, perspective’s for the birds. The lights are on, you’re competing. You’re representing an organization, representing a fan base, our community. That was just unacceptable.”
Rookie forward Cody Williams (0-for-6, -26 in 18 minutes), second-year guard Keyonte George (0-for-4, -19 in nine minutes), and second-year forward Brice Sensabaugh (0-for-2, -22 in 10 minutes) were among the Jazz youngsters who struggled in the second half of the blowout loss to Memphis. It was hardly just on them though — all 11 players who saw the court in the third and fourth quarters had a plus/minus of -10 or worse during their minutes.
While Hardy didn’t single out any specific members of the Jazz in his comments to reporters, he noted that “a lot of our young players are getting the chance to play” in games down the stretch and said he wants those players to recognize that their opportunities shouldn’t be taken lightly. He also called for his team to play less selfishly and take more accountability.
“Pass the mother—-ing ball,” Hardy said when asked for specifics on what he wanted to see from his players. “Run back on defense. When it’s time to communicate what we’re doing on defense, you should do it at a volume louder than I’m talking to you right now. When there is a loose ball, you need to want it more than the other team. You are a member of a team. This is not about you. This is not a personal workout for you.”
As Larsen notes, while Hardy is right that the Jazz should be playing as hard as they can, the front office has put its coaching staff and players in a bad position by making it clear with its actions that winning games isn’t a top priority in the second half of the season. It’s difficult, Larsen continues, to ask players to give it their all when the organization has gone into full-fledged tanking mode and isn’t leading by example.
After Tuesday’s loss, Utah has a 16-57 record on the season and has dropped 13 of its past 14 games.
Still, Hardy is doing his best to push his players to compete harder during the final stretch of the season and to play a more selfless game, telling reporters that when “you make everything about yourself” it becomes an “infection” that affects the rest of the team.
“I understand that one game and one half shouldn’t be something that any of us overreact to,” Hardy said, per Larsen. “But you put a lot of time and energy into it, a lot of thought into it, a lot of emotional energy into it, and it’s disappointing sometimes when you don’t feel like people are pouring into themselves and understanding the opportunity that they have.
“I don’t pretend to have all the answers. I’m a young coach. I’m still figuring a lot out. It’s my 15th year in the NBA, and I’ve seen a lot of players make it and I’ve seen a lot of guys behave in a way that if they could go back in time, they’d take it back. I thought we played like a team for about a half, and then it looked like a pickup game at Lifetime Fitness, where we just all met 10 seconds ago, and we’re all just kind of out here trying to get a workout.”
I don’t know who coach is trying to fool. This is exactly Danny Ainge‘s plan.
Right ….. Danny only has eyes for Cooper.
Nothing wrong with trying to keep a competitive atmosphere during the rebuild. That’s what I’d expect a great coach to do. He did learn from one of the best, in Coach Pop.
As a Celtics fan I will always love Danny Ainge & what he did for this Celtics team. That being said, Danny seems like he has a plan for this team but Hardy isn’t buying into it. If I’m the Jazz, I’d move on from Hardy and try everything you can to get a coach like Sam Cassel, Micah Nori, Mitch Johnson or someone of that nature that can help build the team but also make them far more competitive.
Hardy is not the problem with this team. He’s actually a very talented young coach.
This is what happens when you develop your young players to lose on purpose, Will Hardy is a good coach who’s gonna get blamed for this eventually, throwing games IS NOT SPORT
Possibly, but Hardy is a good coach who wants to be great. If he didn’t care you wouldn’t hear about these kinds of things. I think the Jazz realize this and will give him the time to prove it.
Unfortunately Danny Anige has not draft a superstar since both his trades. We shall see if he can change that in this draft.
All sorts of GM’s haven’t drafted “superstars”
Lol good coach. This guy is Jim Boylen Jr.
Only time they looked good during his tenure was while Conley was there. So my guess is that first half of season of Hardy’s first season when Utah look good was Conley’s ‘fault’.
This guy was unable to develop anyone given to him.
Agbaji was (much)better than Braun at Kansas but look what better development environment can do.
Other than 2 bigs, the rest are looking like bench pieces but for G league not NBA
Conley does tend to have that effect on teams. Look at what he did for Minnesota. They’re much more competitive now than before.
Gobert also is very competitive who is very vocal on defense. Need both types of players to be a good to great team.
Ever since Conley was traded, the Jazz haven’t had a true leader out there. Even Conley isn’t as vocal as I’d prefer a leader to be. Coach Hardy is a true leader, but it’s best to have an extension of the coach out on the floor.
Cooper Flagg could help solve at least two of these problems, for the Jazz, when they get him this Summer. =)
Didn’t I read that the Jazz were at the start of a ‘tear down’? They haven’t reached a ‘rebuild’ stage.
According to the Jazz, this is their first true rebuild season. I get why they say that, but it’s still odd they haven’t been the last two years.
Although, to be fair, I’d call the last two years as asset accumulating years. =)
Coach Hardy has a point. They all know they’re rebuilding this year. However, that doesn’t mean they should just give up.
They need to keep the game competitive but maybe maybe a mistake or two at the end. Lol. At least, that’s what I liked about their approach this year.
Lately, the Jazz have been blown out instead of keeping the games much closer. Blow outs don’t teach your team anything. While keeping it close, and even taking the lead late does. The Jazz had been doing this quite a bit this year, regardless of the tankathon.
I guess the only good thing about a blowout is that it tells you which players keep competing all game, and which are too lazy, or don’t have enough self respect.
I mean, the Jazz will have to replace at least two players because of the two 1st round picks they’re bringing in this Summer.
Hardy is essentially hinting that not everyone will be back next year. Better appreciate the opportunity now while they have it.
Utah will never be good. Till they give back the Jazz name.
Utah loves its white players. And Cooper loves his white teams. Tankathon for Cooper.
Hardy is either joking or he’s a joke. Either way, the players have to be laughing.
Tanking is, or at least was, principally a FO undertaking, and the UTH FO has had it’s foot on the gas all year. But in UTH’s case, the HC has been complicit, as its determined rotations and playing time.
UTH’s players are doing what any group of NBA players would do in this situation. Show off their individual skills, offensively, to the league as a whole, and forget about the dirty work of defense and rebounding. A group of NBA players doesn’t have to try to lose, being indifferent to winning or losing has the same effect.
That’s really a great point DXC. When a team is tanking, there’s not much passing going on because players know they could be released in the off-season.
So why not showcase your individual abilities and help your own cause for next year? Makes all the sense in the world.