Weekly Run: Feeling as blue as the Jazz’s jerseys (not the red or purple or white or yellow ones) – Salt Lake Tribune

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Wednesday morning was a little weird.

It started off like most of my other weekdays of late alarm at 6:45 a.m. for my wife Katie to get up and get ready for work, me brewing some coffee for her morning commute (none for me; Ive never warmed to the smell or taste), watering the plants out in the front yard, and then hopping on Twitter to see whats happening in the sports world.

And thats when the weirdness happened. Thats when I got the tweet from the NBA Communications account detailing the days practice and media availability schedules for the teams in the bubble. And thats when it once again hit me like a ton of bricks:

The Jazzs season was over.

I could hardly fathom it. I mean, obviously, I knew it like seemingly everyone else in Utah who hasnt sworn off the NBA for being too political, Id watched their Game 7 defeat to Denver the night before. Id written two versions of a story during the fourth quarter (one for a win, one for a loss) on account of the game turning out to be close; Id switched back and forth between three Zoom links afterward to do postgame/exit interviews with Quin Snyder, Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley, Joe Ingles, Jordan Clarkson, Royce ONeale

And yet, it was the Jazzs absence from that Wednesday morning NBA tweet that brought it home.

There was a feeling of emptiness not dissimilar from what Jazz fans were probably feeling that day in the aftermath of their favorite teams unexpectedly early exit, though it originated from a different place as obsessed as fans are with the Jazz, the fact that covering the team is my job arguably makes me perhaps even more consumed by them.

Look at it from this perspective: My job is literally to spend every day looking up stats, researching trends, (theoretically) going to practices and shootarounds, interviewing coaches and players, watching games (and taking copious notes and tracking three different statistical compilations while doing so), interviewing coaches and players again, and then trying to put it all together in a way that makes sense to the average reader.

Back when things were normal, the average fan going to a game at the Viv would be in their seat from tipoff at 7:10 until the final horn around 9:25; covering the team necessitated that I get to the arena at 5 p.m. and usually didnt leave until around midnight. And then the next day, I was either going to practice at ZBBC, or getting on a plane and flying to Detroit or Memphis or Oklahoma City or San Antonio for the next couple of games.

And so, while I am not a fan of the team like you are, the team is nevertheless an unfathomably huge part of my life. So yeah, Im bummed the season is over, too.

In the meantime, there will be stories to write about all the offseason machinations, though that will just beget more weirdness, considering there will be no daily draft workouts at ZBBC, no picking the brain of the now-departed Walt Perrin on the latest batch of prospects, no trying to decipher if one of the young men who came in that day will be the next to don a ballcap with a Jazz logo on it when draft night comes.

All of which is to say, like you, I cant wait for the Jazz to be back on the schedule again.

Heres the problem with that this whole COVID-19 thing not only wrecked the conventional season, but the conventional offseason, too. For starters, after the season is over, the team will typically hold an hours-long day of exit interviews, with the likes of Dennis Lindsey and Justin Zanik giving a broad overview of what happened and whats to come, followed by every player getting a turn on the dais.

This year, the Jazz PR staff followed the league protocol and gave us that aforementioned lineup following the Game 7 loss, as everyone would be scattering to their own corner of the world the following day. Suffice it to say, most players dont want to think big picture or talk about their offseason plan literally minutes after a gut-wrenching elimination. At least Lindsey and Zanik are on the books for mid-next week.

Meanwhile, the loss of games, the loss of revenue from not having fans in seats, et cetera means that the collective bargaining agreement has been thrown into chaos, as has next seasons salary cap. And with the cap unsettled, the draft and free agency are unsettled, too. And the start of next season, for that matter.

Obviously, this is all in flux right now. Stay tuned.

One last bit of bubble Donovan

To that end, his postgame interview following Game 7 featured yet one more powerful, poignant moment. As he was fighting back tears over the loss and the end of the season, he was asked to sum up the bubble experience. And he apologized for not beginning his postgame remarks with some kind of reflection or comment dedicated to the cause, before quickly putting his own hurt in perspective.

The NBA did an incredible job, is doing an incredible job, of allowing us to finish up the season and giving us exposure to get our message out. That being said, the pain thats on my face right now and the way I feel, I can only imagine whats going through these victims families, he said. And I know Im probably going to go back to cry again over this s---, but I just want to come out and say it and say, Look man, this is a game; people lost their family members to police brutality and racism and s---, and I can only imagine [what theyre going through]. So I want to say that I can only imagine that. I just want to get that out there because the way that Im feeling is nothing compared to that.

A bit of reading to catch up on this Labor Day Weekend

Hey, were all busy people with lots of important things going on in our lives. So maybe you missed a good Jazz story in the Trib over the past few days. If so, here are a few worth a second effort:

Though the series obviously didnt end the way that the Jazz or their fans wanted, youve got to admit, the back-and-forth duel between Donovan and the Nuggets Jamal Murray was fun to watch. My coverage partner Andy Larsen broke down just what a historic matchup it was.

And hey, if youve been so into the Jazz that you find yourself having used up your full allotment of seven free monthly articles, I would highly recommend becoming a Tribune subscriber or supporter. You not only get unlimited articles, but youre helping to fund quality local journalism, whether it coverage of the Jazz, college sports, local government, the coronavirus pandemic, social justice issues, the ongoing scandals emanating from the University of Utah police department you name it. Along those lines, The Trib is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so if you like the work we do and want to help it continue, please consider making a one-time or recurring tax-deductible donation.

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Weekly Run: Feeling as blue as the Jazz's jerseys (not the red or purple or white or yellow ones) - Salt Lake Tribune