Disrespect for the Utah Jazz continues during All-Star Draft
Rudy Gobert (27) and Donovan Mitchell (45) listen to Quin Snyder during a time out.
Disrespect for the Utah Jazz was evident during the 2021 NBA All-Star Draft on Thursday night.
Both Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert found themselves as the last two players on the board during the 2021 NBA All-Star draft show. Was it a bit of a jab from LeBron and Durant? Sure, but you know what? At least the Jazz have two players representing Utah in the All-Star Game. Right?
Right.
Was there a message that both LeBron and KD wanted to send? Sure.
Did it come at a weird time? Yep.
The Jazz upended LeBron's Lakers 114-89 a week and a half ago and obviously pose the biggest threat to them in the Western Conference Playoffs. The Brooklyn Nets are also favored to be the East's representative in the NBA Finals, which could potentially be a matchup against the Jazz. It's just weird that they'd try and "send a message" during an All-Star draft.
Before the final two picks, Former NBA player and current TNT analyst Charles Barkley stood up for Mitchell and Gobert saying, "I'm not going for this Utah Jazz slander right now. They got the best record in the NBA and their two best players are the last two standing. This is slander. This is slander, America."
With a smug smirk and an exuding arrogance, LeBron responded to Barkley. "You've gotta understand something, there is no slander to the Utah Jazz. But you guys have got to understand, just like in video games growing up, we never played with Utah. Even with as great as Karl Malone and John Stockton was, we never picked those guys in video games. Never."
Yeah, I'm sure that's why neither of you picked Mitchell or Gobert before you had to LeBron. I'm sure the main reason is because you wouldn't have picked the Jazz to play with in your video games as a ten year old. Give me a break.
Barkley once again called out James saying, "LeBron says, I really need some size, and he's got 7'5 Rudy Gobert, and he goes with 6'2 (Domantas) Sabonis. Are you kidding me?"
Thanks Chuck. Jazz nation agrees that it shouldn't take rocket science to figure out what's going on.
Was it slander? Could it be a chess move by LeBron and KD to try and get under the Jazz skin? The way that James and Durant reacted was summed up perfectly in a tweet by former Utah Jazz journalist Jody Genessy when he wrote, "His answer the other night - and the way KD responded - seemed like a bully trying to sound cool by demeaning others."
Spot on.
In regards to James' and Durant's reactions, they were childish and frankly bizarre.
There's two ways that this can drive a player and a team. It can get in their heads and drive them backwards, or they can use it as fuel to go and win an NBA Championship, and beat the Lakers and Nets while doing it.
Lets hope that Utah takes the latter route and make a major playoff run. And maybe, just maybe, teach LeBron and KD a lesson as to why they should choose Jazz players in real life, and in video games.
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