Estimated read time: 6-7 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Jazz season is now officially over. The Jazz lost, the Lakers won — which would have made a Jazz win moot, but ultimately it is over now.
Locker clean out is a day to get interesting stories and find out what is next for the team and players. It is also a time to reflect on the season.
This won't be a compilation of what is said; more stories will come out. Instead, this is a quick look at some of the storylines that came from locker clean out day.
Al Jefferson:
Al Jefferson truly gets life. There is a good chance this will be the last Jazz fans see him as a member of the Jazz. He was the emotional leader of the locker room. Fans might have hard feelings about him as a ball player, but he might have fit the bill as a Jazz man more than most realized.
He flipped the script on what the expectations were. He is thought of as a "black hole," which he joked about and talked about how he isn't great at defense. However, if Jazz fans wanted heart and effort but they hated Jefferson's play, then that is on them, not Jefferson.
He cares about the team. Taking Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors under his wing isn't what he had to do, it is what he chose to do. He joked about Kanter being better than him at the moves he taught him already and said that's not supposed to happen. He is genuinely happy about what "Big Turkey" and Favors have accomplished.
Jefferson cares about the city. In a Karl Malone-esque way, Jefferson said he loves the "City of Utah" and he seems to really enjoy everything here.
It seems like Jefferson will be remembered for what he is, not more than what he is. No, he isn't a great defender, but he did get better. No, he isn't a great passer, but he did get better. He doesn't have everything to be a superstar on the court, but he absolutely has what it takes to be one off the court.
A few games ago, after the Jazz lost a game to the Thunder, there was a young kid that got to come into the locker room. He was getting autographs on his jersey from all of the players. He already had Jefferson's, and just wanted to shake his hand and say thanks.
Big Al and his big heart decided that wasn't enough. He said, "We have to give the boy something else that he could sign." He grabbed his big green shoes, signed them and gave them to the boy. Most of the media had cleared out (though a few were talking to Mo Williams). Jefferson didn't have to do this for the boy, and no one would have known had he done anything else, but that is who Jefferson is.
This won't change anyone's mind about Jefferson, and I'm not trying to. But people might want to think back to who tried hardest in big games. He might go somewhere else, but if the fans didn't enjoy who he was, they absolutely missed out on a great human being.
DeMarre Carroll
DeMarre Carroll gets the basketball life. He is loved around here for what he is and not what he isn't, almost the exact opposite of Jefferson. Those who follow him on Twitter know how fun it can be. He isn't a superstar, just a grinder, the "junkyard dog" as he is called, and fans around here love it.
Occasionally Carroll goes "fan bowling" where he gets a group of Twitter followers to challenge him to bowling. He knew how he did in his bowling game: He went 8-1. He said, slightly joking, that the loss in bowling was as hard as any loss he suffered on the court. He said that he was working on his game to get revenge on a group from the U.
He will grind, and bowling won't take any thoughts away from his work on the court, but he understands how to endear himself to a fan base.
Players love Utah
Randy Foye is the top candidate for Utah flag bearer. He said in no uncertain times, repeatedly and without hesitation, that Utah is the place for him to be. In a world where many think that players avoid Utah, this is comforting.
Foye could have been a Jazz player a few times, and each time he wanted to. In fact he almost came here during the draft. If Carlos Boozer hadn't left, he would have had a five-year deal with the Jazz, he said. In a world where Utah is looked as the empty darkness, this should be a shining light.
Carroll said the same thing, and many other players agreed. Carroll said that he is a Utah Man until they don't want him anymore.
Marvin Williams said his highlight was coming and just playing in Utah. He said that he isn't sure if he will sign his extension (he has to talk to his parents first), but in the meantime he will spend the summer going back to school at North Carolina and try to graduate.
The future
Where do the Jazz go after this season? It could be to All-Star games and beyond. The confidence and talent level of the players coming back is enormous.
Jefferson said that Kanter and Favors could be All-Stars, superstars and more. Earl Watson said Gordon Hayward could be among the best in the game. Alec Burks, ever confident, said that he could be an All-Star.
The irony of players being confident is that there were few who would take credit for anything, in a good way. The highlights for nearly everyone were either how the team came together, playing as a team or seeing what the team could do.
Free agents galore
Paul Millsap, Jefferson, Foye, Mo Williams, Watson, Jamaal Tinsley, Kevin Murphy and Jerel McNeal are all free agents this year. There could be zero of them coming back, there could be almost all of them.
A common thread from the locker room is how much coach Tyrone Corbin did to keep the team going the right way. This team could have had any number of players go "Raja Bell" and try to shut down, but they all stuck together.
Corbin said that he has never seen another team with this many free-agents-to-be, and most around him hadn't, either. He said that most just wished him well when he asked for advice.
The team is full of stand-up guys. They didn't get the job done. They wanted to make the playoffs and they failed. They know that. There is nothing more that they could do now. They were disappointed, but had moved on.
Hayward and Jeremy Evans played FIFA while waiting for their interview. They could have sat there and moped, but they are friends and knew they had time to play.
The future is now. Burks and Favors said that they didn't have regrets or disappointments, not that they couldn't have played better, but they are now looking at the future.
This season is over. Time to look to the future.
