The Utah Jazz will have some major questions upon returning to play in Orlando as one of the 22 teams invited to the restart of the 2019-20 season. The major cloud hovering over their heads is the relationship between their two star cogs: Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.
According to ESPN, Mitchell and Gobert have had positive conversations with each other over the last several weeks, and the Jazz are “adamant” they can and will fix their issues. Jazz executive vice president Dennis Lindsey addressed the situation about a month ago, insisting the stars were ready to move past their feud.
The two grew apart after Gobert became the first positive case for the novel coronavirus in the NBA, a development that sparked the postponement of the season on March 11. Mitchell tested positive the very next day, which drew controversy as Gobert had been horsing around despite clear-cut guidelines from the league to prevent the spread of the virus.
While it wasn't fully clear who contracted the virus first, Mitchell was not happy with how his teammate approached the league's warning of the virus and how he acted around his teammates, mocking the situation.
Mitchell wasn't shy about addressing his tiff with Gobert during a guest appearance on “Good Morning America,” while Gobert has remained mostly behind closed curtains besides giving an apologetic statement to the team and its fans.
This contention comes at a particularly difficult time, as the Jazz will have to keep the ship afloat during a truncated eight regular-season games before taking on the playoffs without their best outside shooter in Bojan Bogdanovic, who was lost for the season after undergoing surgery last month.
If Gobert and Mitchell can't get it together this season, The Stifle Tower could be on the move eventually, as Mitchell has cemented himself as the pillar of this franchise.
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