ESPN analysts disdain the Utah Jazz, this year and beyond: ‘They’re a treadmill team. I don’t see the good.

However, a few hours before that dispute, a pair of ESPN “NBA Countdown” analysts, Jalen Rose and Paul Pierce, argued in a media conference call that any of these adjustments would be irrelevant to the Jazz’s chances of compete for a championship.

“Utah doesn’t have high expectations [on them]. If they win two playoff series, they would surprise everyone just by doing that, “Rose told The Salt Lake Tribune.

A fair opinion and perhaps not uncommon. However, Pierce was much more pessimistic.

“I would be surprised if they came out of the first round,” he said. “There is something in them that is not right. I don’t know, I can’t point it out. They just don’t have enough. “

During that conference call, in which they addressed a host of league-specific and team-relevant topics relevant to next season’s reboot, lifelong players who became ESPN and ABC commentators would continue to share their thoughts with The Tribune on a variety of Jazz related topics, including the relationship between All-Stars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, the impact of Bogdanovic’s injury, Conley’s adjustment in Utah after a dozen years in Memphis and the roof of the Jazz with Mitchell and Gobert as its mainstays of the franchise.

Most of them did not paint a pink box.

Neither Rose nor Pierce believed that the drama would have a major impact on their ability to function as a coherent unit on the court, with the former claiming that it would be “fine, because they understand what is at stake,” and the latter noted that “the Players don’t have to be friends off the court.In basketball, and the beauty of sports, you can never know who likes and dislikes anyone on the court.

“Well, most of the time,” he admitted.

For them, a far bigger concern than any locker room dispute is that, in their estimation, there are simply significant flaws in what Utah is rolling out on the floor.

Utah is a tough team for me. I feel like they are a treadmill team, “Pierce said.” I don’t see the advantage of this team, especially without Bogdanovic. “

Rose was perhaps a little less dismissive with the Utah roster building, but agreed that Bogdanovic’s injury, in particular, will prove fatal to the Jazz’s chances of making some kind of playoff this year.

“[There’s] without replacing Bogdanovic. So underrated: 20-point scorer, he’s actually a type of man you can give the ball to late, fearlessly, he ends up going to the basket. He has a game, “Rose said.” That was probably one of the underrated pickups in the offseason, for me, last year. So that will limit Utah, period. “

However, the Jazz’s lack of “boost” apparently goes far beyond Bogdanovic’s absence.

While Rose praised Gobert as “one of the best tire protectors and rebounders in the game, if not the best,” he argued that, on offense, the Frenchman should be content with his role as a tire finisher and stop advocating for subsequent touches. Pierce stated that Gobert is effective at what he does, but said that his old-school great-man style just isn’t complete enough to take a team to the highest levels.

“I mean, he’s an impact player, but he just doesn’t do enough for me,” Pierce said. “He is not the great man of today that you need to compete for a championship, like a [Kristaps] Porzingis or a [Karl-Anthony] Peoples o [a Joel] Embiid or a [Nikola] Jokic is more of a traditional Dikembe Mutombo, Alonzo Mourning type player. “

As for Mitchell, both analysts are fans and see glimpses of Dwyane Wade in the game of the guard. This time, however, it was Rose who harbored the most negative view, the biggest reservations, arguing that while Mitchell’s moves reflect Wade’s, if he stands 6-foot-1 versus Wade’s 6-4 , finally it will not reach it. High achievements. Also looking for greater consistency and efficiency of the Louisville product.

“What I would like to see from Donovan Mitchell is what I saw from Jayson Tatum,” Rose said. “They both had very good early years, but Jayson Tatum continued to climb, while Donovan Mitchell has had more peaks and valleys this year.”

Both Rose and Pierce also suggested that perhaps Mitchell’s biggest impediment to taking the next step is his own backcourt partner, Conley.

“I really don’t think [Conley is] A good fit. I think Utah is at his best when Donovan Mitchell has the ball in his hands. He showed it to me in the playoffs, he showed it when Conley wasn’t there. It’s better when he makes the plays, ”Pierce said. “… That will make him more dynamic, because he will be bigger, more athletic than 99% of the point guards there. So I think he’s better in that position. I just don’t think Mike Conley is perfect.”

Rose added that if both guards are not scoring between 20 and 25 points each night, the defensive limitations inherent in their combined lack of height would be too great to overcome. And he doesn’t see that dual offensive outburst happening for the simple fact that they both need to be dominant to be more effective.

“Donovan Mitchell is definitely better with the ball in his hands, while Conley is also better with the ball in his hands,” Rose said. “Therefore, it will be interesting to see how this dynamic develops.

“Unfortunately, it won’t unfold with a parade in Utah.”