For the die-hard Utah Jazz fans out there like myself—who are already decked out head-to-toe in the god-awful, highlighter yellow rebrand color—we don't need a reminder that the new NBA season is finally upon us.
But for all the non-fans that tend to refer to athletics as "sportsball," here's a primer to the upcoming season that should allow you to smoothly glide over basketball small talk with your co-workers without having to watch a second of the sport.
First off, gone are most of Utah's former players. The French center Rudy Gobert got sent to Minnesota in a very favorable, one-sided trade for the Jazz, whereas our shining young star Donovan Mitchell was sent packing to Cleveland.
Pretty much immediately after the blockbuster trades, signage depicting our former players, such as the giant Donovan Mitchell outside the University of Utah Orthopaedic Center (Foothill Drive and Wakara Way, above photo) started to come down.
However, nostalgic fans can still find some vestiges of the past, like the large mural of Mitchell that remains at The Gateway (100 South and Rio Grande Street) and a painted team collage on the north wall of Blue Gene's (239 South and 500 East).
Why are the Jazz intentionally trading away all our star players to field a bad team this year? Two words: Victor Wembanyama. He's a 7-foot-3-inch French prospect who can block shots as well as Gobert but can also shoot three pointers like Steph Curry and is slated to enter the NBA next season.
And in this wacky world of the NBA, in order to better your chance of drafting Wembanyama next year, the worse of a team you need to be this year. This race-to-the-bottom strategy by teams is often referred to as "tanking." And tanking is what I commemorated with my annual Utah Jazz run this year, crisscrossing through the East Central and Lower Avenues neighborhoods (below photo).
So "Tank Note" Jazz fans, and pray to the NBA draft gods that this year's pain will be rewarded.
More by Bryant Heath
-
Annual holiday-themed graffiti brightens up a drab freeway overpass in Salt Lake City.
Small Lake City
- Jan 8, 2025
-
Pour one out for Salt Lake City's By the Bucket restaurant and Millcreek's Big O Tires mural.
Small Lake City
- Dec 11, 2024
-
FLASHBACK 2022: Bryant Heath offers Thanksgiving praise for the streets of Salt Lake City.
I'm Thankful
- Nov 25, 2024
- More »
Latest in News
Readers also liked…
-
Raise a glass for E.L.T Harrison, architect of the Beerhive building on Main
Small Lake City
- Oct 11, 2023
-
Davis County's unsheltered are freezing to death in the name of Christ.
Small Lake City
- Dec 4, 2024
