Utah
It’s clear what kind of players the Jazz need, and versatility is key
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In the final interview of the season with Utah Jazz CEO Danny Ainge, the session started out with a question from broadcaster Craig Bolerjack. He asked Ainge what kind of players the Jazz needed, what attributes the Jazz were looking for. Ainge then posed the question back to Bolerjack. He wanted to know what Bolerjack thought the Jazz needed.
“I think obviously youth is one, athleticism would be another, length would be one, defending would be, I think another high level need or want. But I only call games and you get to solve the players,” he said with a laugh.
Ainge wasn’t being confrontational at all. He wanted us all to understand that the problems with the Jazz, and the holes on the roster that we all see, are the correct ones.
“It was a good answer,” Ainge said. “You answered your own question. I tell my grandchildren that all the time, ‘You can answer that question.’”
On a bit of a deeper level, I think it’s obvious that the Jazz want to put together a team that is built for the playoffs, and that means getting players that are not one-dimensional. The Jazz don’t just want a player who is young and athletic, or another player who is long and a defense-first guy. They want every player to have all of those attributes. They want versatile players that will sustain long-term careers and make the team successful when the games really matter in the postseason.
It’s what I’ve been thinking a lot about as I’ve been watching the first round of this year’s NBA playoffs. What works, and what doesn’t work?
“Optionality of being able to do multiple things is a huge factor for me as you get to the playoffs,” Jazz head coach Will Hardy said. “I just don’t think you can throw fast balls the whole playoffs and win. You have to be able to pivot to something else on both sides of the floor, because certain matchups give you different problems. We are building a foundation with our players of being able to switch their mindset in a game or before a game.”
So as we continue to move through the playoffs and we get nearer to the draft and free agency, it’s important to look at what players end up on the Jazz roster. We don’t have to try to talk ourselves into believing that a one-dimensional player will end up on the roster long term. There are going to be plenty of players over the next couple of years that are with the Jazz short term.
But, when the Jazz find players that fit the bill and really feel like they fill a need, one that we can all see and understand, those are the players that will stick and that the Jazz want.
New with the Jazz
How to pass the time in the offseason
Now that the Utah Jazz offseason is officially upon us, it’s time to once again look for ways to fill the hole that Jazz games once occupied.
It probably is a little obvious to say that watching the playoffs is a great way to get a basketball fix, but it really is! More importantly, as I mentioned above, watching playoff basketball is really helpful when considering where the Jazz are in their rebuild.
The playoff matchups have been really exciting, and the second-round series between the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves, which kicks off on Saturday, is one that I can’t wait to watch. On a broad scale, the playoff games have reminded me of how far the Jazz are from being able to compete at the highest level.
Think about how the results in the postseason will impact the Jazz. Do the Jazz have a player that could match up with some of the emerging stars in the Western Conference? Can the Jazz capitalize on some of the teams that were upset in the first round by making deals for players? What do the shakeups mean in terms of what could happen on draft night?
The NBA playoffs, in my opinion, are the best time of the year, and that’s not only because it’s the best basketball of the year. It’s also because everything that plays out during the playoffs impacts what happens for the upcoming season.
From the archives
Extra points
- What are the Jazz’s offseason plans? Well, that depends on the rest of the NBA (Deseret News)
- Where does Keyonte George figure into the Jazz’s future success? (Deseret News)
- What’s the offseason priority for Utah Jazz rookies? Get in the best shape of their lives (Deseret News)
- The similarities behind the Jazz and Coyotes relocations nearly 45 years apart (KSL.com)
Around the league
Utah
Utah man dies of injuries sustained in avalanche in Big Cottonwood Canyon
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — A man died after he was caught in an avalanche in Big Cottonwood Canyon over the weekend.
A spokesperson for the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office confirmed on Thursday that Kevin Williams, 57, had died.
He, along with one other person, was hospitalized in critical condition after Saturday’s avalanche in the backcountry.
MORE | Big Cottonwood Canyon Avalanche
In an interview with 2News earlier this week, one of Williams’ close friends, Nate Burbidge, described him as a loving family man.
“Kevin’s an amazing guy. He’s always serving, looking for ways that he can connect with others,” Burbidge said.
A GoFundMe was set up to help support Williams’ family.
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Utah
911 recordings detail hours leading up to discovery of Utah girl, mother dead in Las Vegas
CONTENT WARNING: This report discusses suicide and includes descriptions of audio from 911 calls that some viewers may find disturbing.
LAS VEGAS — Exclusively obtained 911 recordings detail the hours leading up to the discovery of an 11-year-old Utah girl and her mother dead inside a Las Vegas hotel room in an apparent murder-suicide.
Addi Smith and her mother, Tawnia McGeehan, lived in West Jordan and had traveled to Nevada for the JAMZ cheerleading competition.
The calls show a growing sense of urgency from family members and coaches, and several hours passing before relatives learned what happened.
MORE | Murder-Suicide
Below is a timeline of the key moments, according to dispatch records. All times are Pacific Time.
10:33 a.m. — Call 1
After Addi and her mother failed to appear at the cheerleading competition, Addi’s father and stepmother called dispatch for a welfare check.
Addi and her mother were staying at the Rio hotel. The father told dispatch that hotel security had already attempted contact.
“Security went up and knocked on the door. There’s no answer or response it doesn’t look like they checked out or anything…”
11:18 a.m. and 11:27 a.m. — Calls 2 and 3
As concern grew, Addi’s coach contacted the police two times within minutes.
“We think the child possibly is in imminent danger…”
11:26 a.m. — Call 4
Addi’s stepmother placed another call to dispatch, expressing escalating concern.
“We are extremely concerned we believe that something might have seriously happened.”
She said that Tawnia’s car was still at the hotel.
Police indicated officers were on the way.
2:26 p.m. — Call 5
Nearly three hours after the initial welfare check request, fire personnel were en route to the scene. It appeared they had been in contact with hotel security.
Fire told police that they were responding to a possible suicide.
“They found a note on the door.”
2:35 p.m. — Call 6
Emergency medical personnel at the scene told police they had located two victims.
“It’s going to be gunshot wound to the head for both patients with notes”
A dispatcher responded:
“Oh my goodness that’s not okay.”
2:36 p.m. — Call 7
Moments later, fire personnel relayed their assessment to law enforcement:
“It’s going to be a murder suicide, a juvenile and a mother.”
2:39 p.m. — Call 8
Unaware of what had been discovered, Addi’s father called dispatch again.
“I’m trying to file a missing persons report for my daughter.”
He repeats the details he knows for the second time.
3:13 p.m. — Call 9
Father and stepmother call again seeking information and continue to press for answers.
“We just need some information. There was a room check done around 3:00 we really don’t know where to start with all of this Can we have them call us back immediately?”
Dispatch responded:
“As soon as there’s a free officer, we’ll have them reach out to you.”
4:05 p.m. — Call 10
More than an hour later, Addi’s father was put in contact with the police on the scene. He pleaded for immediate action.
“I need someone there I need someone there looking in that room”
The officer confirmed that they had officers currently in the room.
Addi’s father asks again what they found, if Addi and her mother are there, and if their things were missing.
The officer, who was not on scene, said he had received limited information.
5:23 p.m. — Call 11
Nearly seven hours after the first welfare check request, Addi’s grandmother contacted police, describing conflicting information circulating within the family.
“Some people are telling us that they were able to get in, and they were not in the hotel room, and other people saying they were not able to get in the hotel room, and we need to know”
She repeated the details of the case. Dispatch said officers will call her back once they have more information.
Around 8:00 p.m. — Press Conference
Later that evening, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police held a news conference confirming that Addi and her mother, Tawnia McGeehan, were found dead inside the hotel room.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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Utah
Ban on AI glasses in Utah classrooms inches closer to passing
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — AI glasses could allow you to get answers, snap photos, access audio and take phone calls—and now a proposal moving through the legislature would ban the glasses from Utah school classrooms.
“I think it’s a great idea,” said Kizzy Guyton Murphy, a mother who accompanied her child’s class on a field trip to the state Capitol on Wednesday. “You can’t see inside what the student is looking at, and it’s just grounds for cheating.”
Mom Tristan Davies Seamons also sees trouble with AI glasses.
“I don’t think they should have any more technology in schools than they currently have,” she said.
Her twin daughters, fourth graders Finley and Grayson, don’t have cell phones yet.
“Not until we’re like 14,” said Grayson, adding they do have Chromebooks in school.
2News sent questions to the Utah State Board of Education:
- Does it have reports of students using AI glasses?
- Does it see cheating and privacy as major concerns?
- Does it support a ban from classrooms?
Matt Winters, USBE AI specialist, said the board has not received reports from school districts of students with AI glasses.
“Local Education Agencies (school districts) have local control over these decisions based on current law and code,” said Winters. “The Board has not taken a position on AI glasses.
MORE | Utah State Legislature:
Some districts across the country have reportedly put restrictions on the glasses in schools.
“I think it should be up to the teachers,” said Briauna Later, another mother who is all for preventing cheating, but senses a ban could leave administrators with tired eyes.
“It’s one more thing for the administration to have to keep track of,” said Later.
The proposal, HB 42, passed the House and cleared a Senate committee on Wednesday.
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