“You could paint the picture how you want to paint it, but the writing is on the wall” - Kendrick Perkins on 3-time All-Star’s rumored ultimatum to the Utah Jazz
Former Boston Celtics player Kendrick Perkins talked about how the Utah Jazz are reportedly looking to blow up their team and rebuilding doesn't come as a secret.
On his podcast, "Swagu and Perk," Perkins said he isn't surprised one bit. He said the friction between Donovan Mitchell and gobert" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Rudy Gobert is clear, with the Jazz looking to potentially move on from Gobert.
Perkins said:
"This ain't no secret. I've been saying this. This not no secret. You could paint the picture how you want to paint it, but the writing is on the wall. When we heard those rumors about what happened with the COVID situation and how Donovan Mitchell and him fell out because Donovan Mitchell got COVID. All that, man, where there's smoke, there is fire."
According to reports, Gobert has apparently given Utah an ultimatum about choosing between himself and Mitchell in the summer.
Is Kendrick Perkins right about the Jazz needing to blow this team up?
After having a tremendous regular season last year, the Jazz were disappointed to go out to the LA Clippers in the Western Conference semifinals. The Clippers did not have Kawhi Leonard for the last two games of that series.
Without Mike Conley, the Jazz and Donovan Mitchell were disappointed to go out in six games, as the Clippers essentially beat Utah with their perimeter shooting.
But this season, the Jazz had an advantage in terms of retaining much of last season's roster amid new faces in the West.
Might be something but probably nothing:
Rudy Gobert averages almost twice more passes to Donovan Mitchell (4.5) than Mitchell to Gobert (2.3) this season. https://t.co/yQXfbBu6LZ
However, things were more or less the same this season as well. They were eliminated in the first round by the Dallas Mavericks, who also launched shots from beyond the arc.
Holding on to Conley while bringing in Rudy Gay and Hassan Whiteside definitely improved the Jazz roster this season. But the one main impediment standing in their way is the health of their key players. They have proven time and again to be unreliable when it comes to staying healthy in the biggest moments.
Rudy Gobert today:
17 PTS
10 OREB
5 DREB
And a game winning alley oop dunk. https://t.co/jY5wNyayqN
This is coupled with their incredibly poor perimeter defense and opponents taking advantage of the shortcomings of Gobert beyond the arc.
Kendrick Perkins might be right as the Jazz find themselves needing to choose between Rudy Gobert and Mitchell and build around one of the two. Utah has lost in the first round three times and the semifinals twice in Mitchell's five seasons.