Patrick Kinahan: Surprise? Not if Mitchell was paying attention to Snyder's lack of commitment


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SALT LAKE CITY — Within hours of the announcement that Quin Snyder was done as the Utah Jazz coach, the accompanying story followed on Donovan Mitchell's thoughts about the resignation.

As expected, given the drama that has seemed to encapsulate Mitchell's tenure with the Jazz, sources say the All-Star guard is "unsettled, unnerved and wondering what it means for the franchise's future." The report comes from the highly credible Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

The longtime NBA journalist wrote "Mitchell considered Snyder a significant part of his reasoning for committing to a five-year maximum contract extension in 2020, and Snyder's decision to step away on Sunday has left Mitchell 'surprised and disappointed.'"

Really? Surprised and disappointed?

The point here is not to question Wojnarowski's report, which is no doubt what he learned while mining his vast array of NBA sources that likely include player agents. Unless Snyder told Mitchell directly of his intention to stay, and maybe he did, any surprise on the player's behalf seems hard to believe.

Considering Snyder's refusal to offer a public commitment to the Jazz since the season ended five weeks ago, his departure was nothing less than a strong possibility. During his only media availability four weeks ago after another early playoff exit, Snyder cited his desire not to discuss his contract status.

"I continue to maintain that I am not going to discuss my contractual situation publicly," he said on May 9. "It's not something I want to do or am comfortable doing."

Right there, two weeks after the fourth-seeded Dallas Mavericks eliminated the fifth-seeded Jazz despite not having superstar guard Luka Doncic available for three games, Snyder squandered a great chance to silence the rampant speculation regarding his future.

At that point, even as general manager Justin Zanik previously stated a strong desire to have the coach return, Snyder's words spoke volumes.

Snyder did an excellent job during his eight seasons, elevating the Jazz into a perennial playoff team in his third year. At 55 years old, he is highly regarded in the industry and should have no trouble resuming his coaching career according to his desires.

The Jazz were nothing special in the playoffs during the Snyder regime, recognizing they were rarely favored. To his credit, the team did advance to the second round three times but never made it to the Western Conference finals.

But the last two seasons ended in bitter disappointment. Last season, after finishing with the best regular-season record, the Jazz lost in the second round to the Los Angeles Clippers, who were without their best player, Kawhi Leonard, the last two games.

Now after reading the ESPN story, the implication again leaves us wondering about Mitchell's long-term commitment to the Jazz. Talk about a tiring story.

Even as Mitchell has never given any public hint of his desire to leave the Jazz after his contract expires in four seasons or wanting to force a trade, his future continues to be a hotly-debated topic. All this for an excellent player worth keeping.

And then there's the never-ending drama surrounding Mitchell's relationship with fellow All-Star Rudy Gobert. All the various denials out there won't kill the story.

Jazz management has afforded Mitchell superstar status the last several years, going to great lengths to pacify his needs and wants. Maybe not this time.

With Snyder's departure, the leadership now has to decide whether to include Mitchell and Gobert in discussions on the new head coach. Bag it, guys.

Owner Ryan Smith's best interest is to empower Zanik and fellow executive Danny Ainge, each of whom will sit along with Snyder at a Monday press conference, to spearhead the search to find the best candidate. The players can spend the summer improving their skills.

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Patrick is a radio host for 97.5/1280 The Zone and the Zone Sports Network. He, along with David James, are on the air Monday-Friday from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.

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