Utah Jazz’s Dennis Lindsey On The Gobert/Mitchell Dynamic And NBA Coronavirus Approaches

Tuesday afternoon, Utah Jazz Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Dennis Lindsey gave the franchise’s first front office-level media availability since the COVID-19 crisis shut down the league nearly two months ago. The availability was conducted via Zoom call.

Lindsey began by acknowledging numerous individuals and entities involved in both the league’s response to the crisis and the Jazz’s own response, which included that fateful night of March 12 when a Jazz-Thunder game was postponed moments before tip-off due to Rudy Gobert’s positive COVID-19 test. Lindsey was effusive in praise for team staffers like coach Quin Snyder and VP of Performance Health Care Mike Elliott, plus NBA commissioner Adam Silver and David Weiss, the team’s direct point of contact in Oklahoma City.

Here are some additional notes and thoughts from the organization’s first public statements to media since the crisis began:

The Rudy Gobert/Donovan Mitchell Dynamic

First and foremost, Lindsey addressed the elephant in the room many are looking to hear about. There have been numerous reports since Gobert’s positive diagnosis (and Mitchell’s subsequent positive test) regarding the relationship between the two, with indications it was heavily strained by Gobert’s carelessness in the period leading up to the events.

While both players have addressed the issue in different ways, Lindsey met it head-on.

“They’re ready to put this behind them and move forward,” Lindsey said. “We’re very pleased with the collective makeup of our group, Donovan and Rudy in particular… At the most basic level, they know they need each other to accomplish the goals we want to accomplish.”

Settled, right?

In all honesty, while Lindsey was always going to be asked about this and it’s a hot-button issue for many, he was never going to give any other response. Both the individuals in question and the Jazz franchise has been downplaying the tension privately – these are adults who won’t always see eye-to-eye on everything, and they’re expected to both be big enough people to move past it when the time comes.

Could there still be lingering resentment? Perhaps. But there’s more of that in the NBA than nearly any fan would expect. To those insinuating a trade is the only solution here: Don’t expect the Jazz to blow up a playoff contender based on stuff that happens all the time to one degree or another.

Practice Facility Reopening

We recently covered many of the variables at play for NBA teams to begin reopening practice facilities in accordance with league regulations, which are set to allow this in appropriate cities starting May 8. Will the Jazz, who operate in a state that would allow such a return, be taking part?

“We’re going to ramp up systematically,” Lindsey said, noting that his team has consulted extensively with local and national public health experts. “I’m not liberty to give the exact date yet, that could be within a day or two. My best guess is that will be after May 8.

“We want to make sure the facility meets all regulations and protocols. And we’re going to be even a little bit more stringent, creating our own standards. The biggest goal is having the confidence of players and staff that they can enter our facility safely.”

None of this is surprising to those who know Lindsey and his staff’s general preparedness level. There will be no haphazard effort of any kind here.

Frankly, few local facilities are as well-outfitted for safety and outbreak prevention as Zion’s Bank Basketball Center, where the Jazz practice. ZBBC is a massive facility that will easily allow the league maximum of four players to be in it without even entering the same room, much less posing spread risks. Combine this with the stringent set of standards Lindsey referred to, which will surpass even those the league is recommending, and Jazz fans can rest assured their favorite players aren’t being exposed to unnecessary risks.

Long-Term Return-to-Play Themes

The picture at the league level is far hazier when it comes to a potential return to actual NBA basketball games at some point, and Lindsey toed a similar line. He was quick to echo a line given by Disney CEO Bob Iger at a recent NBA Board of Governors meeting: “Our return will be based on data, not dates.”

Once again, the prevailing theme here is leaving no stone whatsoever unturned.

“There’s nothing we haven’t vetted,” Lindsey said. “A lot of the things you’re seeing on national media – contact tracing, testing, antibody testing, rapid testing, vaccination, treatments. Those things have all been part of our updates. We want our fans, when we do come back, to be totally confident in those specifications and protocols.”

Beyond this, Lindsey rightfully didn’t engage in much speculation. He noted his approval of Silver’s refusal to commit to hard dates, a practice that leaves the conversation open-ended and allows the league to remain flexible.

If it’s possible in a responsible way? Bring it on.

Lindsey also went to great lengths to applaud the NBA league office here, specifically regarding its research into other leagues and countries as they attempt to bring sports back.

“They’re paying attention to other leagues and paying attention to the epidemiology,” Lindsey said. “We feel, at this point, very well-advised.”

Basketball Operations

The basketball world may be on pause for now, but it’ll be back at some point – and no one wants to be unprepared, particularly Lindsey and a staff that do the detail work better than most other front offices in the league. When they aren’t conversing internally or with the league about safety and return-to-play protocols, Jazz brass are doing their best not to fall behind.

Much of this theme has centered around draft prep, one of the few areas of certainty; we will have a 2020 NBA draft at some point, even if we’re unsure exactly when or how. Lindsey noted he’s spent more time this year than usual within statistical areas and draft models, specifically in coordination with team analytics supervisor Cory Jez.

“There’s no question we’ve shifted the way we work,” Lindsey said. “Frankly, it’s a bigger adjustment for the coaches and players. They’re so regimented to practices, shootarounds… The bigger adjustment is for them.”

They’ve also spent time evaluating the current group, doing their best to stay fresh for if and when it returns to the court. Hardcore Jazz fans aren’t the only ones who noticed the success of Utah’s bench just before the shutdown – Lindsey and his team were excited about it and have been diving into various related combinations and groupings.