Last night, the Utah Jazz suffered a brutal, 33-point loss to the Indiana Pacers. It’s time to really consider some radical changes to save this season and make a playoff push or find a way to sink to the bottom for one season in hope of landing a top prospect.
From everything that this team is showing us right now, they’re stuck in basketball purgatory.
It’s always worth considering whether or not the team is playing with their sophomore star Donovan Mitchell, but losing by 33 at home isn’t excusable just because he’s not on the floor.
What this latest loss to the Pacers should tell us is that whatever damage has been done to this team’s personality has taken a severe toll. Last year, they embraced the idea of being the comeback kids of the NBA and drove that mantra into the ground.
Given the circumstances, it’s time for the Jazz to make some radical moves. It’s a sink or swim league — and as of tonight, they’re drowning.
So here’s what they need to do:
Photo via Getty ImagesShoot Their Shot With Washington For Bradley Beal
One of the top names in the NBA rumor mill right now is Washington Wizards all-star Bradley Beal. Alongside John Wall, things just haven’t panned out in the nation’s capitol and it’s going to be sooner than later that the Wizards will look to make a move to break up their back court.
Whether the heavier part of a bargain comes on the heels of dishing Beal or Wall is yet to be seen, but if the Jazz can drum up an offer that Washington finds hard to pass up, they can make it happen.
One such case is an offer that sends Ricky Rubio and Jae Crowder out of town in return for Beal. It’d be a hard thing for the fans to part with, especially given the love that this fan base seems to have for the edge that Crowder brings to this team and the occasional scoring sensation that Rubio can produce — but a must is a must.
This is like finding a deal that might hurt a little in the short term, but is well worth it in the bigger picture. Acquiring Crowder would also be something that would allow Washington to more easily part with Otto Porter Jr. to somewhere else, as he’s also a bigger name from Washington that could be on the move.
Let all of that simmer for a minute. It’s time for the Utah Jazz to show some fight and learn to swim.
