“Don’t Think Their Egos Will Allow It”: Eastern Conference GM Smells Trouble For The Utah Jazz

The NBA’s seeding games are right around the corner. The Utah Jazz take on the New Orleans Pelicans to kick-start the league’s grand return. Looking at the Jazz’s roster, we can find two tremendous players in Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell. But, is there an unfixable hole in their relationship? 

Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell have been the leading duo for the Jazz ever since the latter joined the team in 2017. Gobert came to Salt Lake City earlier than Mitchell. He gradually rose through the ranks to claim the spot as the team’s most valuable player. But Mitchell dazzled the Jazz as early as his rookie season to threaten Gobert’s position on the team. 

“Donovan is on the level of Dwyane Wade, Steph Curry and LeBron [James], as far as he can be your leader on and off the court,” a Western Conference executive informed Bleacher Report. “He can be the face of your franchise. But I don’t know if that can happen with Rudy there because he was the incumbent.”

All this heated up when Gobert became the first NBA player to test positive for the coronavirus. Following his positive result, the NBA announced a hiatus to combat the threat of the pandemic. The things within the Jazz got worse when Mitchell tested positive for the virus just a few days after Gobert’s result. 

Things went haywire after this. There was news everywhere that suggested that Mitchell and Gobert had a breakdown in their relationship that has gone too far and beyond repair. The Jazz desperately need two of their main players to put their past behind and reconcile for the sake of the team’s success. 

Will the Utah Jazz see Gobert and Mitchell become the teammates they once were?

The Jazz won two of the three scrimmage games that they played in the bubble. An early loss to the Phoenix Suns was repaired by back-to-back wins against the Miami Heat and the Brooklyn Nets. Mitchell and Gobert played several minutes in each of these games. But are they over their beef?

The widespread news about their deteriorating friendship forced reporters to ask the question to both stars when the moment came. Mitchell had a rather casual response and did not get into too much of the details. “Right now, we’re good,” Mitchell said in a virtual press conference with reporters three weeks ago. “We’re going out there ready to hoop.”

On the other hand, Gobert remained clear with his thoughts and spit out what he exactly wanted to convey. “Everyone has different relationships. It’s never perfect,” Gobert told B/R in April. “People that are married, it’s never perfect. Me and my teammates, it’s far from perfect, but at the end of the day, we both want the same thing, and it’s winning.”

Playing the team game stands tall amid their differences

As the duo have got back together for the sake of winning a championship for the Jazz, things will have to change. If they still find it unable to connect with each other on a normal level, it puts things in jeopardy for the franchise. While we may think that the pair will act as professionals and let this one slip, an Eastern Conference GM isn’t convinced. 

“They should be past it, but I don’t think their egos will allow it,” he said, as per Ric Bucher of B/R. “They both want to be superstars.” The second statement is very much true. Both have the potential to be the leader of a team and carry them on their own. 

But haven’t we seen two players who never got along, find success in the NBA? The biggest example I can give you is the tale of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. The pair had their share of differences and arguments against each other. But when you look at their achievements they rank as one of the best duos in the history of the NBA.

Thus, the possibility of Gobert and Mitchell finding success despite their personal beef can never be ruled out. But, the Utah Jazz can’t hold on to them for too long if they can’t mend their problems at the earliest. Would they take the side of Gobert, who is earning around $25 million a year with the team or the case of Mitchell who is certainly a talent to save for the future? 

SOURCE: Bleacher Report,  Spotrac