Utah Jazz Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Jazz Notes: Conley, Bogdanovic, Ingles, Clippers

June 10th, 2021 at 10:20am CST by Luke Adams

Jazz guard Mike Conley is listed as questionable to play in Game 2 of the team’s second-round series against the Clippers on Thursday night, per the NBA’s official injury report. Conley, who suffered a mild right hamstring strain in Game 5 of the first round against Memphis, was also listed as questionable leading up to Game 1 vs. the Clippers on Tuesday before being ruled out.

The Jazz have a reputation for being careful with injuries. The team held Donovan Mitchell out of the first game of the postseason last month, much to Mitchell’s dismay. So while it seems like Conley is getting closer to returning to action, we shouldn’t expect to see him on the court until the club is confident he’s 100% or close to it.

Here’s more out of Utah:

The contributions of Bojan Bogdanovic are crucial to Utah’s title hopes, writes Tony Jones of The Athletic. Bogdanovic’s decision to sign a four-year contract with the Jazz as a free agent in 2019 represented a big win for the franchise both from a basketball perspective and a symbolic one, as Jones details. “We were glad that he chose us because he had options,” Jazz executive VP of basketball operations Dennis Lindsey told Jones. “Him choosing us was a sign that we could be a destination market, and it’s just been an excellent marriage. He’s met our level defensively. He’s such a versatile scorer and he’s a huge weapon for us because of how many ways he can score and shoot the ball.”
Even if the Jazz advance to the NBA Finals and don’t finish their season until July 22, don’t expect Joe Ingles to skip the Olympics this summer, tweets Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “I’ll get on a plane the next day and I’ll make my way over to Japan,” said Ingles, who will represent Australia at the Tokyo games.
The Jazz haven’t forgotten the way the Clippers seemingly tanked at the end of the regular season to get into the No. 4 seed, avoiding a possible matchup with the Lakers in the Western Semifinals and lining one a series with Utah instead. Entering the second round, it sounded like Utah was using that as motivation, as Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register writes. “Obviously, we’re a matchup that the Clippers felt like was an advantageous matchup for them,” Jazz head coach Quin Snyder told reporters on Tuesday.

Rudy Gobert Named Defensive Player Of The Year

June 9th, 2021 at 8:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jazz center Rudy Gobert has been selected as the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. This is the third DPOY honor for Gobert, who also won the award in 2018 and 2019.

During his eight NBA seasons, Gobert has established himself as one of the league’s best shot blockers. He averaged a career-best 2.7 rejections per game this season and ranked first in a number of defensive analytics stats, including defensive real plus-minus and defensive RAPTOR, by a wide margin.

“It takes team effort, mental toughness, hard work and dedication,” Gobert told Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link). “Every day you have to come in with a mindset to make your team better on that end.”

Gobert received 84 first-place votes, along with 14 for second place and two for third place for an overall total of 464 points, the NBA announced in its official press release.

The Sixers‘ Ben Simmons was second with 15/67/11 and 287 points, followed by the Warriors‘ Draymond Green with 0/13/37 and 76 points. The other first-place vote went to Bam Adebayo of the Heat, who came in fourth.

Eight other players received at least one DPOY vote, including Giannis Antetokounmpo, Clint Capela, Joel Embiid, and Jrue Holiday. Perhaps the most unexpected vote belonged to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who was placed third on one ballot.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Mike Conley To Miss Game 1 Vs. Clippers

June 8th, 2021 at 12:37pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jazz guard Mike Conley won’t play in tonight’s opener of the Western Conference Semifinals, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN. The team announced he will miss the game with a mild right hamstring strain.

Conley felt tightness in the hamstring in the first quarter of Utah’s closeout win against the Grizzlies last Wednesday, according to Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune. He was ruled out of the game at halftime.

Conley was only a partial participant at Monday’s practice, and the team decided to sit him out tonight after today’s shootaround, Walden adds.

“Hopefully we get him back as quickly as possible, but those things are tricky,” coach Quin Snyder told reporters (Twitter link from Walden).

Conley is coming off the first All-Star season in his 14-year NBA career, averaging 16.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 51 games. Game 2 of the series will be Thursday night.

Poll: Utah Jazz Vs. Los Angeles Clippers

June 8th, 2021 at 11:43am CST by Luke Adams

Whichever team wins the second-round series between the Jazz and Clippers, which gets underway on Tuesday night, is viewed as the betting favorite to represent the Western Conference in the NBA Finals. But even just winning one more round would represent a major step forward for these two franchises.

The Jazz are in the postseason for a fifth consecutive year, but they haven’t advanced past the Western Conference Semifinals since the 2006/07 season, and haven’t appeared in the NBA Finals since being defeated by Michael Jordan‘s Bulls in back-to-back years in 1997 and 1998.

The Clippers have a far more extensive track record of playoff disappointments. Since the franchise moved to Los Angeles in 1984, the Clippers have made it beyond the first round only five times and have never made it past the second round. If they can win this series, the Clippers will be in the Western Finals for the first time ever.

Of course, while advancing to the Western Finals will be huge for the team that makes it through, losing this series would represent a major disappointment for the team that falls short.

The Jazz had the NBA’s best regular season record in 2020/21 and are nearly at full strength entering the second round (Mike Conley is listed as questionable for Game 1 with a mild right hamstring strain). The Clippers went all-in two summers ago to land Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, with aspirations of winning the first title in franchise history. Neither team entered the postseason expecting to only win one series.

The Jazz will enter the series as slight favorites, per BetOnline.ag, but as John Hollinger of The Athletic writes, it’s not the most comfortable matchup for Utah. The Clippers don’t rely on getting to the rim to score, which will nullify the impact of star rim protector Rudy Gobert to some extent. And the Jazz’s options for guarding Leonard and George are limited beyond Royce O’Neale and Bojan Bogdanovic.

Still, Gobert is capable of punishing smaller Clippers lineups, and the Jazz have the offensive firepower necessary to take advantage of switches, as Hollinger writes. Additionally, the Clips had to push their key players much harder to get out of the first round. Leonard and George played big minutes in elimination games on Friday and Sunday, while Conley, Donovan Mitchell (who returned from an ankle sprain in round one), and the rest of the Jazz got a few days of much-needed rest.

This series seems like a strong candidate to be a seven-gamer. But we want to know what you think. Which team are you picking to advance to the Western Conference Finals, the Jazz or the Clippers? How many games do you expect the series to last?

Vote in our poll, then head to the comment section below to share your predictions!

Trade Rumors app users, click here to vote.

Conley Participates In Monday's Practice

June 7th, 2021 at 7:30pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jazz point guard Mike Conley participated in parts of Monday’s practice, Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune tweets. Conley suffered a mild right hamstring strain during Game 5 of the first round against Memphis. The team has listed him as questionable for Game 1 against the Clippers on Tuesday (Twitter link). He averaged 20 PPG and 10.25 APG during the first four games of the playoffs.

Tom Thibodeau Named Coach Of The Year

June 7th, 2021 at 6:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Tom Thibodeau has been named Coach of the Year, according to a league press release.

Thibodeau guided the Knicks to their first postseason appearance since the 2012/13 season. The Knicks finished the regular season with a 41-31 record, ending a string of seven consecutive losing seasons. They were 21-45 last season and 17-65 in 2018/19.

It’s the second Coach of the Year award for Thibodeau, who also earned the honor in the 2010/11 season with the Bulls in his first season as a head coach. No one had previously won the award in his first season with two different franchises.

Suns coach Monty Williams actually received more first-place votes (45) than Thibodeau (43). However, Thibodeau earned 351 total points while Williams had 340 points. The 11-point difference between the first- and second-place finishers was the smallest margin since the voting format was introduced in the 2002/03 season.

The Jazz‘s Quin Snyder finished third with 161 points (10 first-place votes). Four other coaches received votes — Doc Rivers (Sixers), Nate McMillan (Hawks), Steve Nash (Nets), and Michael Malone (Nuggets).

Thibodeau is the first Knicks coach since Pat Riley (1992/93) to win the award.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Fischer’s Latest: Celtics’ Front Office, Ainge, Billups, Brown, More

June 7th, 2021 at 4:00pm CST by Eli Cohen

As the Celtics transition from the Danny Ainge era to the Brad Stevens (presidential) era, they will have a lot of decisions to make, both in regards to the front office and the coaching staff. Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer suggests that two names to watch in regards to the front office are current assistant general manager Mike Zarren and director of player personnel Dave Lewin. Both are long-time members of the Celtics organization and seem set to move up the organizational hierarchy.

Fischer writes that Zarren has long been the primary voice in trade negotiations, and that there is belief that Stevens will out-rank him as a decision maker more in name than in practice. If Zarren is promoted to general manager, it’s believed that Lewin will be promoted to assistant general manager.

Another name Fischer mentions is Hawks assistant general manager Landry Fields, who has previously been cited as a potential front office candidate for the Celtics.

“All teams are monitoring Landry Fields,” said a Western Conference executive, “because he’s going to get a real shot here to run his own team soon.”

Here’s more from Fischer:

While the possibility of Ainge joining the Jazz has been previously reported, Fischer adds that Ainge has also been linked by league sources to the Trail Blazers in some capacity. The Blazers have already fired longtime coach Terry Stotts after the team’s first round exit, and more shake-ups may be on the way.
Chauncey Billups may not have experience as a head coach, but Fischer says Billups has been considered the lead candidate among league personnel to replace Stotts as the Trail Blazers‘ head coach for weeks now. The former Pistons point guard – and current Clippers assistant – is considered one of the top head coach candidates on the market.
Mike Brown is on the lookout for another head coaching job after five years as an assistant coach with the Warriors, according to Fischer’s sources. Brown is a veteran who has previously been the head coach for the Cavaliers and Lakers, but he hasn’t had a team of his own since the 2013-2014 season.
With so many options on the market, it seems unlikely that the Celtics head coach will come from the team’s bench, according to Fischer, who says people around the league don’t expect the Celtics to promote an assistant coach with no prior experience head coaching in the NBA.

Mild Right Hamstring Strain Leaves Mike Conley Day-To-Day

June 3rd, 2021 at 6:59pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

All-Star Jazz point guard Mike Conley left the fifth and final game in Utah’s first-round series against the Grizzlies after having played just 12 minutes with what was described as right hamstring soreness.

Following an MRI today, the team has determined that Conley suffered a mild right hamstring strain, tweets Tony Jones of The Athletic. Jones says that Conley is day-to-day with the injury, and the top-seeded club will reassess his status ahead of the first game of the team’s Western Conference semifinals series against the winner of the Clippers-Mavericks series.

The 33-year-old Conley will be an unrestricted free agent this season. He has expressed a desire to remain with the Jazz for his next contract, but is sure to have a variety of suitors as he enters free agency.

The 6’1″ veteran has enjoyed a stellar 2020/21 season with the Jazz when healthy, averaging 16.2 PPG, 6.0 APG and 3.5 RPG in just 29.4 MPG across 51 regular season games, while posting a shooting line of .444/.412/.852. Conley has proven to be an excellent backcourt mate for All-Star Jazz shooting guard Donovan Mitchell. The Jazz are one of the West’s deepest playoff clubs, and before Conley’s injury had been one of its healthiest.

Jazz Notes: Conley, Mitchell, Gobert, Arena Capacity

June 3rd, 2021 at 2:17pm CST by Eli Cohen

Jazz guard Mike Conley exited game five of Utah’s series against the Grizzlies due to right hamstring soreness after playing just 12 minutes. But despite being frustrated by the setback, he feels confident he’ll be back in round two, whether against the Clippers or Mavericks, writes Sarah Todd of The Deseret News.

“It’s playoffs, so my mindset is I’ll be ready to play,” Conley said. “We’re gonna just see what happens in next few days and be smart about how we approach it going into this next series.”

Conley bounced back from a rocky first season in Utah, in which he was dealing with a similar hamstring ailment, and had averaged 20 points and over 10 assists per game in the first four games of the series. With at least four days between the end of the Grizzlies series and the start of round two, the Jazz can afford to be cautious.

The veteran point guard was scheduled to undergo an MRI this morning, per Eric Walden of the Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link).

Here’s more on the Jazz:

When Donovan Mitchell went down with an ankle injury on April 16, he channeled his frustration by diving back into preparing for the playoffs in the same way he did during the Orlando bubble from last year, reports ESPN’s Jackie McMullan. One person who was crucial to his preparations for this year’s playoffs was new minority owner Dwyane Wade, who has served as a mentor figure for Mitchell for years. “You are trying to attack from so many different angles, but you can attack it from one angle if you are patient,” Wade counseled.
Rudy Gobert sits down with Shams Charania of Stadium to discuss being a number one seed, championship expectations, and playing with Mitchell. “Every year we had to earn, and earn, and earn the respect as a team, and earn every single win, and you know, we’re still going to have to earn this championship and you know, the story will be amazing,” Gobert said.
The Jazz announced Thursday morning that they’ll be increasing attendance at Vivint Arena to its full 18,306 person capacity for round two of the playoffs, the largest NBA crowd of any game this season, writes Ryan McDonald of The Deseret News. The arena will limit some lower bowl attendance around the team benches, but will make up for it with increased standing room only capacity. Masks will still be mandatory.

Brad Stevens Named Celtics’ Head Of Basketball Operations, Will Lead Search For New Coach

June 2nd, 2021 at 10:06am CST by Luke Adams

10:06am: The Celtics have officially announced that Stevens is the new president of basketball operations. Despite at least one report suggesting that Ainge isn’t expected to retire from basketball (as noted below), the club’s statement says the veteran executive is “retiring” from his role as president of basketball ops. Ainge will continue to work with the team through its offseason transition, per the C’s.

“Helping guide this organization has been the thrill of a lifetime, and having worked side-by-side with him since he’s been here, I know we couldn’t be in better hands than with Brad guiding the team going forward,” Ainge said in a statement. “I’m grateful to ownership, all of my Celtics colleagues, and the best fans in basketball for being part of the journey.”

Stevens issued a statement of his own, as follows:

“I’m grateful to ownership and to Danny for trusting me with this opportunity. I’m excited to tackle this new role, starting with a wide ranging and comprehensive search for our next head coach. I love the Celtics, and know the great honor and responsibility that comes with this job. I will give it everything I have to help us be in position to consistently compete for championships.”

9:24am: A major shakeup is taking place in Boston, as Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge will indeed step down from his current role, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Wojnarowski had reported earlier in the morning that Ainge was seriously considering such a move.

The Celtics won’t go outside the organization for Ainge’s replacement, however. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links), head coach Brad Stevens will be making the move from the sidelines to the front office and will become the club’s new president of basketball operations.

Rather than holding a dual role, Stevens will become a full-time front office executive and is expected to lead the search for the Celtics’ new head coach, Charania reports.

Celtics players were informed of this potential change late on Tuesday night after the team was eliminated from the playoffs, says Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

Ainge had been contemplating leaving his job as the Celtics’ president of basketball operations for the last several months, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link), who adds that Ainge had discussed possible succession plans with ownership.

While Stevens is a surprising choice as Ainge’s successor, Wojnarowski points out that Ainge made a similar move early in his post-playing career, having coached the Suns from 1996-99 before later transitioning into a front office role. According to Woj (Twitter link), Stevens has been described as feeling “worn down” with coaching since last summer and welcome the opportunity to shift into an executive position.

This major basketball operations overhaul comes on the heels of the Celtics’ early exit from the postseason. After making the Eastern Conference Finals in three of the last four years, Boston entered the season with aspirations of competing for a title.

However, due to COVID-19 issues, injuries, and inconsistent play, the team never built any real momentum toward legit contention, finishing seventh in the East. Although the C’s earned a postseason berth via the play-in tournament, they were eliminated swiftly in the first round by the Nets.

Despite the Celtics’ disappointing season, Stevens and Ainge – one of the longest-tenured coach/executive duos in the NBA – weren’t thought to be in any real danger of being fired. It appears Ainge’s exit is of his own volition after he spent the last 18 years calling the shots in the team’s front office.

Even though his time with the Celtics is ending, Ainge isn’t believed to be leaning toward retirement, according to Chris Mannix of SI.com, who tweets that the Jazz have been rumored as a possible landing spot for the veteran exec.

Meanwhile, Lakers assistant Jason Kidd and former Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce are expected to be among the candidates to fill Boston’s newly-created head coaching vacancy, according to Haynes (Twitter link).

In his eight seasons as the Celtics’ head coach, Stevens led the team to a 354-282 (.557) regular season record, with a 38-40 (.487) mark in the playoffs, including those three Eastern Finals appearances. As for Ainge, the C’s made the postseason in all but three of his 18 seasons running the front office, taking home a title in 2008.

Ainge’s trades for Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen helped lead the Celtics to a title in 2008. Additionally, the blockbuster deal that sent an aging Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Nets for a boatload of draft picks in 2013 is considered one of the biggest NBA heists of the century, putting Boston in position to land Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in subsequent drafts.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.