ShortShorts
Well-Known Member
First, let's start off with the fact I also love Donovan Mitchell and would love to keep him also. But if we lose Rudy a part of me will die just a little. I consider him the third greatest Jazz man of all time.
If we lose Rudy we lose a ton that is obvious but also a bunch of intangibles:
* one of the top 5-10 greatest Defensive players to ever play the game, I think there are few if any teams in the current NBA you add Rudy to and they aren't playoff bound - his ability to defensively impact an opposing team (team NOT individual player) is unparalleled in the current league
* playoff intensity - people complain he gets "exposed" in the playoffs - advanced stats show the opposite - he has huge positive impact. It's the fact we have four average to poor defenders with him that gets exposed in the playoffs - not his defense.
* love of the franchise - this man has loved playing for Utah, he may not have the charisma of Spida but hell I'll never forget "these hoes ain't loyal" and I think he has really lived to that mantra despite getting a little less limelight with the rise of Spida, in fact if I had to guess, the reason Quin left had at least a substantial amount to do with the undervaluing of Rudy's game which Quin absolutely helped craft and loved
* offensive impact - if Donovan (and others) put half the effort into D as Rudy puts into O we'd be a different team - last years epic offense more often than not started with a meticulously laid Rudy screen, plus throw in the threat of O rebounds and the gravity he creates and he more than makes up for the limitations that YES he does have, but if he was even slightly gifted with 60% of what current C offensive talents (think Jokic, Embiid, Towns) have, he'd be a top 5 player all time, I just don't expect that from him. The man works his ever-living *** off on both ends of the court - that is insanely rare and massively underappreciated
* trade return - because a lot of what is valuable about Gobert, as laid out in the previous points, is so unsexy but so impactful, I fear any return we get for him will be undrewhelming and disproportionate in the wrong direction - just look at the most oft used advance stats over the past 6 years, Rudy is consistently in the top 20 in them all and has been over that span - the only other players with that level of advanced stat impact over time are lock HOFers - Lebron, Jokic, Giannis, Durant, Curry, etc
* love of the game - as a fan, growing up as a kid with Stockton and Malone I loved to be able to talk about talents that were with us forever, I would love to see Rudy have the same - maybe not every year of his career but a greater span - its the kind of fan I am
* the potential for it all to come together - I'm still a believer that with the right combo ( a few mid-tier two way wings) the Don-Rudy combo is perfect - if they could somehow learn to respect what each other brings (maybe the right coach, I know so damn hard to control diva personalities these days) those two are incredibly natural complements
* I'm a believer that as he hits 30 his game is one that can age OK - I think there's a strong change he stays nearly top form through this big contract
Anyway, with many signs pointing to a potential farewell, I just wanted to throw my hat in that I'd love to keep him. And hope we find a way.
TLDR; Rudy is the 3rd best player we've ever had. Gonna hate to see that go.
If we lose Rudy we lose a ton that is obvious but also a bunch of intangibles:
* one of the top 5-10 greatest Defensive players to ever play the game, I think there are few if any teams in the current NBA you add Rudy to and they aren't playoff bound - his ability to defensively impact an opposing team (team NOT individual player) is unparalleled in the current league
* playoff intensity - people complain he gets "exposed" in the playoffs - advanced stats show the opposite - he has huge positive impact. It's the fact we have four average to poor defenders with him that gets exposed in the playoffs - not his defense.
* love of the franchise - this man has loved playing for Utah, he may not have the charisma of Spida but hell I'll never forget "these hoes ain't loyal" and I think he has really lived to that mantra despite getting a little less limelight with the rise of Spida, in fact if I had to guess, the reason Quin left had at least a substantial amount to do with the undervaluing of Rudy's game which Quin absolutely helped craft and loved
* offensive impact - if Donovan (and others) put half the effort into D as Rudy puts into O we'd be a different team - last years epic offense more often than not started with a meticulously laid Rudy screen, plus throw in the threat of O rebounds and the gravity he creates and he more than makes up for the limitations that YES he does have, but if he was even slightly gifted with 60% of what current C offensive talents (think Jokic, Embiid, Towns) have, he'd be a top 5 player all time, I just don't expect that from him. The man works his ever-living *** off on both ends of the court - that is insanely rare and massively underappreciated
* trade return - because a lot of what is valuable about Gobert, as laid out in the previous points, is so unsexy but so impactful, I fear any return we get for him will be undrewhelming and disproportionate in the wrong direction - just look at the most oft used advance stats over the past 6 years, Rudy is consistently in the top 20 in them all and has been over that span - the only other players with that level of advanced stat impact over time are lock HOFers - Lebron, Jokic, Giannis, Durant, Curry, etc
* love of the game - as a fan, growing up as a kid with Stockton and Malone I loved to be able to talk about talents that were with us forever, I would love to see Rudy have the same - maybe not every year of his career but a greater span - its the kind of fan I am
* the potential for it all to come together - I'm still a believer that with the right combo ( a few mid-tier two way wings) the Don-Rudy combo is perfect - if they could somehow learn to respect what each other brings (maybe the right coach, I know so damn hard to control diva personalities these days) those two are incredibly natural complements
* I'm a believer that as he hits 30 his game is one that can age OK - I think there's a strong change he stays nearly top form through this big contract
Anyway, with many signs pointing to a potential farewell, I just wanted to throw my hat in that I'd love to keep him. And hope we find a way.
TLDR; Rudy is the 3rd best player we've ever had. Gonna hate to see that go.
