“Who’s gonna want to pay a guy all that money, a guy who can’t score?… Defense wins championships, but scoring points also gets you championships” - Shaquille O'Neal on the future of 3-time All-Star

Shaquille O'Neal chose Donovan Mitchell as the player to keep if the Utah Jazz want to retool without one of their two All-Stars. [Photo: CNBC]

Shaquille O'Neal has said over the past few years that the Utah Jazz duo of Gobert" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell isn’t good enough. It’s hard to argue against Shaq’s analysis considering the Jazz were again eliminated in the first round of the playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks.

After Utah’s disastrous performance against Dallas, which didn’t have All-NBA guard Luka Doncic for half the series, Gobert and Mitchell could go their separate ways. There are now rumors that the Frenchman will force the team to choose between him and their starting shooting guard.

On an episode of "The Big Podcast," O'Neal firmly chose which of the two superstars he would keep:

“Gonna get rid of Rudy. Who’s gonna want to pay a guy all that money, a guy who can’t score? ... The game is changing. Defense wins championships, but scoring points also gets you championships.”

Rudy Gobert is at "him or me" point with Donovan Mitchell and will demand that one of them be traded in next few days, per @realOCsports

“Rudy feels that his own numbers are consistent or getting better, while Don is D liability and is falling off in terms of explosiveness” https://t.co/ilIJRMXX2z

O'Neal is aware that Gobert is under contract with the Jazz until 2025-26. Utah is scheduled to pay Gobert $38.1 million next season. If they have to move him, it can only be done via trade.

Gobert is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year and a four-time All-NBA selection. Despite this, Shaq would have no second thoughts about moving on from the French superstar:

“Rudy is a great player – fine defensive player – but he offers nothing on the offensive end. ... Like, he has no post moves. He can only get so many drop-offs and lob dunks.”

O'Neal will keep Mitchell despite calling the Utah guard good, but not great in an awkward interview some time ago. The legendary LA Lakers big man also stressed that Mitchell wasn’t mad enough at him to improve his game after that controversial interview.

Shaq felt like the Jazz were not going to go deep in the playoffs with Gobert and Mitchell at the core of the team:

“What's going on is what I told y’all three years ago. … Donovan ain’t that good, and the Utah Jazz ain’t that good. … Utah, I hate to say it, they’ve been frontrunners for the past four, five years.”

Final from SLC 💔 https://t.co/2iipC0aCJ9

Shaquille O'Neal could see the Utah Jazz re-loading minus one of Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell

The Utah Jazz, after years of playoff failures, could move on from one of their two All-Stars. [Photo: NBA.com]

The Utah Jazz have not missed the playoffs since they drafted Donovan Mitchell in 2017. They’ve also become great until the postseason arrives. Look no further than their first-round matchup against the Dallas Mavericks, who didn’t have Luka Doncic until Game 4.

In Gobert and Mitchell’s first season together, they had a 3-1 lead against the OKC Thunder and eventually blew the lead. The same scenario happened in the bubble when they also failed to capitalize on a 3-1 lead against the Denver Nuggets.

Last season, they raced to a 2-0 edge against the LA Clippers but could not sustain that momentum or keep their composure. They lost to the Clippers who didn’t have Kawhi Leonard starting Game 5 when “The Klaw” injured his knee.

History will likely remember it as Luka and the Mavs hammering the final nail in the coffin of this longstanding Gobert/Mitchell Utah Jazz era.

But history also shouldn't forget it was the 2020 bubble Nuggets that really drove in the first few nails.

youtu.be/2vFpWY78LFA

The Jazz have retooled their supporting cast around Rudy Gobert and Mitchell over the years, but the duo has repeatedly failed. As Shaquille O’Neal would put it, they just don’t have it in them.

It will be interesting to see how the Jazz proceed after a yearly cycle of playoff frustrations.