Bits from Locker Room Cleanout 2017

This season was…
** George Hill: Day one, coming in here, I talked about making the playoffs and things like that, so I think our goals have been accomplished in that aspect. But it didn’t end the way we want to. You know, you always want to compete and fight down to the stretch, and you know, I’m kind of frustrated I wasn’t out there with the guys due to a toe injury that, you know, I had no control of. But very fortunate enough to be with these group of guys, and I think, you know, it was a successful season other than, you know, how it ended.

** Joel Bolomboy: I feel like my overall game developed when I was able to play with the Stars, and my shot got way better from the time I got drafted to now. It just improved so much.
** Raul Neto: I think I learned to be ready. I think there’s something that I’ve never been through before, going to the game without knowing that, if you gonna play this game, if you gonna dress, if you gonna be with a suit behind the bench. You never know what’s going to be in the next game. So I think I learned to be patient and I learned to always be ready and be a professional.
** Alec Burks: I knew coming into it, I was starting the season so late that I wasn’t gonna, you know, get to my old self. I knew that coming in, so I was just trying to get healthy…Towards the end, it just, I felt, you know, that my leg wasn’t all the way right. You know, I needed to do steps to make myself more healthy. That’s why I didn’t play. You know, just, I was just in pain, so I couldn’t play through that…I’m nowhere near [100 percent]. I knew that coming in. You know, my injury was more serious than, you know, I thought it was and I’m learning that it’s a lot of [non-surgical] things that need to be done, you know, to get my leg right.
** Derrick Favors: It was tough mentally for me, just dealing with the injuries and not being able to go out there and play with my teammates, play with the team. But I stuck with it. I stuck with the program, rehabbed a lot and I was able to come back and you know, make a contribution to the team. But it was tough to deal with, you know, but I had a good support system. You know, Quin [Snyder], you know, he was with me the whole way. The training staff, the strength and conditioning guys; everybody. The coaching staff; everybody. So it all worked out for me.

Do you anticipate being back/want to be back with the Jazz next year?
** George Hill: I definitely do. You know, I love this team, love the city, love the organization. And you know, if it makes sense, then I definitely will be here.
** Jeff Withey: I hope I’m here. I really like Utah. I like the fans, and like I said, this organization’s great. The city’s great. I feel like everybody supports the Jazz, and that’s what I think every player wants, is to have the city behind them and have the organization behind them. And so, you know, for me I’d love to be here. This is definitely where I want to be, so we’ll see what happens.
** Raul Neto: I have a team option, but I don’t know how it’s gonna be [with transactions] during the summer. I hope I’m here. I’m really happy and I’ll, like I said, I’ll work hard to take my opportunities next year.
** Shelvin Mack: Yeah, I like it here. You know, I got a good relationship with coach Q and all the guys on the team…Everything will take care of itself. Just, you know, take it one day at a time.
** Boris Diaw: It’s a team option, so it’s really on them…I’m just in a wait-and-see mode. I’m not sweating over it. I’m not anxious. But yeah, for sure. You know, I, like I said, I like the season that I had here. I enjoy being here, so I would like to be back here. But I would definitely understand any choice that [management] would make.
** Joe Ingles: You look around the league, I think guys get stuck in so many situations that aren’t ideal, and for me, this is it. This is ideal for me. It’s really the perfect situation on court, off court for me, for my wife and the kids. And again, I think I’m appreciated by the Jazz and the coaching staff and aga–yeah, hopefully it all works out very quickly.

Starting vs. coming off the bench, playing time, etc.
** Rodney Hood: I’m a — I believe I’m a starter. I’m a starter in the NBA. You know, I did that. We won a lot of games with me as a starter. I — you know, coming off the bench was a adjustment as well. You know, but you know, I’m a starter.
** Trey Lyles: I knew I wasn’t playing well, and you know, Boris and [others] been playing really well, and they got the time. And you know, coach told me that, you know, this is the situation I’m in. I got squeezed, so you know, I was able to understand that. I wasn’t happy with it all the time, but you know, I had to be supportive of my team. You know, and he was just doing whatever was best for the team, and I tried to be the best cheerleader that I could be on the bench. And you know, next year hopefully I won’t be in that position.
** Raul Neto: I think last year, nobody expect me to start the season playing in the starting five, and I think this year after starting almost the whole season last year, I was kind of, I had a lot of hype about myself trying to maybe get better and play more minutes and I was thinking about how I was going to be with all the players healthy, with all the point guards we have. But I think I learned a lot this season. It was a different season for me, and, I was always ready. I was always happy to be here, and, even if I wasn’t playing a lot of minutes, I was coming to the practice facility and going, practicing hard every day and I think that’s, that was kind of my — I was thinking my first season was going to be like this, and it was kind of the opposite. My first season, I played more than this season. But I’m, I learned a lot. I got better, and I think that’s what matters.
** Shelvin Mack: It was very challenging, especially, you know, starting off, it’s not like other situations where you not playing at all. But starting off you playing a lot, even — I think December I was averaging, like, 30 minutes a game, and then just go from that to just not playing is very difficult. You know, everybody on our team, you know, kinda went through the same thing, so it kind of makes it easier. We got a lot of good guys that at least you could cheer for, instead of, you know, always complaining or something like that. But it’s very difficult.
** Dante Exum: I definitely feel more comfortable at the point guard position. You know, I think just being able to get in transition and play motion, you know, definitely in the last couple weeks, that was, you know, what we turned to a lot. Just, you know, running on balls and you know, running in transition. You know, I think that’s, you know, a lot of my play style and just being able to use my speed and quickness in the open court. So you know, hopefully I get to, you know, get the ball in my hands a bit more and showcase that.

Ringing endorsements of Salt Lake City
** Trey Lyles: It’s a lot nicer than what you would think. You know, for somebody like me that’s a low-key guy, you know, it kind of reminds me of being at home in Indiana ’cause there’s not a lot going on. It’s a quiet city. You know, it’s really nice, you know, when you got the views like today, you can see all the mountains and stuff. You know, I think it’s a lot better than what people would realize.
** Boris Diaw: For some players, their wives want them to go to a place where there is no nightlife, so it can be an advantage.
** Joe Johnson: I played in some great cities, man, and obviously Utah is a great city as well.
** Rudy Gobert: I have a lot of great times here, and I don’t need to go in the club and get drunk to have a good time. You know, so I think there’s some things you have here that you cannot have in some big cities. You know, and that’s some, one, also one of the reason why we sign here, because I like to live here.

Offseason focus
** Rodney Hood: Just lock myself in the gym this summer. You know, that’s what a — you know, whatever it takes to become the player that I need to become. You know, that’s what I’m willing to do this summer. I think the biggest thing that me and coach and Dennis [Lindsey] talked about was just physical, like, fitness. You know, just getting strong, putting on some weight and things like that. So, that’s the main things right now.
** Derrick Favors: Imma have to adjust. I’m still gonna work on my post-ups, still gonna work on my mid-range, but Imma have to really, like, add the three to my game now. You know, that’s the fun part, just being able to add to your game, get better, and adjust. So you know, I’m excited about this off-season.

Relationship with Quin Snyder
** Dante Exum: You know, we, definitely at the start, you know, we, you know, we made sure that every month we, you know, we talked, just to kind of reconnect and see where h–each other was at. You know, even though sometimes I didn’t — disagree, you know, with a lot of the, with some of the stuff that he was, you know, doing, you know, it was just to kind of, you know, see what he was thinking and you know, where can I work on my game so I can, you know, get my minutes back up. But you know, we always reconnected so you know, we could get back on the same page.
** Joe Johnson: Coach Quin is different, man. He’s a strategist. You know, he’s like no coach I’ve ever played for. If you ever go into his office, man, you know — he can draw on his wall so you get all sorts of weird stuff drawn on the wall…He’s a great, great coach, man. He’s great for this team, this organization. And he was great for me. You know, me and him sat down and had so many pow-wows and talked that he was almost like my therapist. So, I really enjoyed him as a coach, man.

Stayward vs. Goward?
** Joe Ingles: I honestly think it’ll get done soon. Obviously, I hope like everyone else that he’s here, and again, I know his heart’s here. He’s grown up here. He’s become the player he is here. And it’s his team. It’s his team that we’re all a part of, and he’s a huge pay–piece of what this club does.
** Shelvin Mack: [I have no insight] at all. You know, he’s his own man, and the only thing I can tell you, wherever he goes he’s gonna be playing some video games. That’s the only thing I got for you.
** Derrick Favors: As players, we really don’t like to talk about it that much, ’cause he kinda, he has so many voices in your, coming at you from different directions…We don’t really talk about it that much.
** George Hill: He doesn’t know. You know, his heart is here in Utah. That’s where he’s been his whole career. So, evidently, you know, I’m sure Utah has the first, you know, hammer for him. So, that’s definitely gonna weigh on [my decision].
** Gordon Hayward: I don’t plan on dragging this thing out. I don’t wanna be, you know, in late August still figuring out where I’m gonna go. At the same time, I still wanna, you know, sit down and look at the options, look at what the deal is for the Jazz, for, you know, anywhere else…That’s kinda why you hire an agent. You know, for him to be able to talk to other teams, talk to ou–the Jazz, and figure that out.

Other
♥♥ Rudy Gobert: I mean, to me, it was, you know, that’s why I really wanted to find an agreement, you know, last summer because I knew this summer was gonna be a mess if I was an unrestricted free ag–restricted free agent. You know, you have three of your majo–three of your top players that are free agents, so it’s a mess. You know, and, but yeah, I really wanted, you know, for us to find an agreement, and you know, I knew, I mean, money is fine but to me, winning is more important. And I knew I was gonna be able to get more money this summer, but to me, it was important to, you know, to show that…I believe in the organization and they believe in me. So, it was great. You know, it was great, and hopefully it motivates some of the guys to do the same and, you know, so we can build something.
** Joe Johnson on Rudy Gobert: [The things that he does], you really can’t make up for. He’s a, I mean, he’s unbelievable at 7-1, 2, however tall he is. He was probably the difference-maker in me coming here.
** Gordon Hayward on where he will spend the summer: We’re still working through where exactly we’re gonna be this summer. You know, obviously we have our house here. We have a house in San Diego, and so we’re gonna be going back and forth, probably, a little bit…I know they’re doing stuff here at the facility throughout the summer, so tha–the facility may be down for a little bit, but, still trying to figure out where I’m gonna work out, where I’m gonna be.
** Derrick Favors on where he is health-wise now: I definitely feel 100 percent now going into this off-season. I feel a lot better. I mean, of course Imma still do a lot of training, a lot of rehab stuff to make sure, you know, the stuff go away, never comes back. But I definitely feel 100 percent.
** Jeff Withey on the impact of the three vets: Those guys just brought so much knowledge to our locker room, and you know, in huddles when it was a close game they would, you know, sometimes take over and start talking and just, you know, telling us we, what we should do and what we need to do. And so yeah, they definitely led the team the right way.
** Dante Exum, asked if the team is letting him off the hook for summer league: They’re letting me off the hook. I think. I mean, I’ve told them. It’s my birthday around then too, so.