December and January were brutal. Rudy was out and the Jazz were getting worked every night, except for a few shocking wins like v. Boston in Boston. It was one of the dreariest stretches in my Jazz fandom history. (In part because of the drop-off from last season.) The numbers suggested that a Gobert/Favors/Rubio trio was disastrous. Rubio isn't an offensive threat, so teams packed the paint and Utah floundered big time. It was ugly. Guys seemed to have given up on the team. Then trade deadline chatter kicked in, which seemed to further splinter the team. The one bright spot was the emergence of Mitchell. One of the most exciting rookies we've had, ever. But the team was still losing. I get depressed enough that I no longer wear my lucky Jazz socks on game days. In the middle of all that Gobert sends out a simple tweet.
"we will be fine"
He's mocked for it. But when he gets back from the injury, things start to turn for the better. Rubio turns a corner somehow, starts making shots, starts making layups (more important than his outside shooting, imo). This clears space. Favors and Gobert click. Ingles breaks out of his month-long slump (said to have been playing through injuries). Hood is injured, misses a number of games after being frustrated, and even booed by some fans at Vivint. His name circulates along with Favors in trade rumors. But the team starts winning again. We still drop a few weird games, like v. Atlanta. Weirdly, though, we start winning crazy games like in Toronto, San Antonio, against the Warriors. Mentally, I'm still on edge watching the Jazz up twenty points, waiting for some kind of epic collapse that never comes. I'm wearing my game day socks again.
Now: The trade deadline looms. I don't even know what I want to happen right now.
