The Jazz are dealing with a plethora of maladies at the moment.Here are more injury-related updates from around the NBA: Horton-Tucker has been battling a Grade 2 ankle sprain. Talen Horton-Tucker missed the game as well, per Blake Murphy of Sportsnet ( Twitter link). Lakers reserves Carmelo Anthony and Wayne Ellington were both unable to play on Friday at Toronto due to non-COVID illnesses, Trudell relays ( via Twitter). Davis originally suffered a right foot strain on February 16, so he’s a little more than four weeks into his four-to-six week recovery timetable.
“ Anthony has had a good week … He’s had a productive week,” Vogel said.ĭavis continues to do spot shooting, which began on Monday. "I haven't been this excited in a long time.Lakers coach Frank Vogel said Anthony Davis is progressing each day as he inches closer to a return to action, as Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet tweets. Whiteside thinks so, too, and that's why he chose to come to the Jazz. He could definitely be a game-changer for our team." "We're going to try and get as much out of him as we can, and make him the best player that he can be for this team. "I know what he's capable of doing, and his ceiling is still really high," Jazz guard Mike Conley said. While the Jazz have gotten more versatile at the center position with the acquisitions of Rudy Gay and Eric Paschall, there will be matchups where having two rim-protecting bigs could prove to be beneficial. I think they can keep that paint presence out there throughout the whole game." "With Gobert being out there and with me coming in, I think it's a great fit. "I think it's a great fit for me," he said. The Jazz, coming off a league-best record last season, are in position to do just that. I wanted to go to a team that's ready to win now." "I don't want to be at home watching the playoffs like I have the last two years. "Free agency this year, regardless of the money, I just wanted to go somewhere where we were going to win," Whiteside said. What was? Joining a team that could compete for a title. He would have been comfortable going back and being teammates again with Damian Lillard, who called Whiteside "the best defensive center, shot-blocking center in the league" (a statement Gobert had some fun with following a Jazz win), but comfort and familiarity weren't at the top of his list. In 2019-20 with the Blazers, he averaged 15.5 points, 13.5 rebounds and led the league in blocks with 2.9 per game. Considering Portland was where he had one of his best individual seasons that says a lot about the opportunity Whiteside sees in Utah. Whiteside turned down other offers to come to the Jazz, including one from the Portland Trail Blazers, his former team that wanted him to return. "I think these are gonna be the best, the freest rolls I'll have in a long time." "Just the way these guys play, they're so spaced out," Whiteside said.
RUDY GAY STATS VS HASSAN WHITESIDE FREE
On offense, Gobert's screens are often the reason the "blender" is initiated, allowing for the Jazz's free flowing offense to run.Ī winning team that values a shot-blocking, rim-running big man that much? It didn't take much else to convince Whiteside to come on board. On defense, the team funnels players into the paint where the intimidating Frenchman awaits.
The Jazz have built a system around Gobert. You know we're gonna talk."Īnd it's been watching what Gobert has done in Utah that made it such an attractive landing spot for Whiteside. There's never been any rivalry, but it's just been always us competing against each other. "At the end of the day, I'm always happy to see a big man succeed in the league, especially somebody that blocks shots the same as I do. We were just competing," Whiteside said this week from Las Vegas. So how are things between them now? According to Whiteside, everything is good. Over the years, the two centers have traded quips on social media and through the press. In fact, that was the topic of the very first question. SALT LAKE CITY - Once Hassan Whiteside sat down for his first press conference as a member of the Utah Jazz, it didn't take long for the 7-foot-1 elephant in the room to be brought up: His relationship with Rudy Gobert.