Monson: Yeah, the Jazz lost ? so what?
For the Jazz, the best that could be said about Saturday night’s Game 3 is this: They had their chance. It went, it came, it went, it came, and it went again. When the noise fell silent at Vivint...
View ArticleMonson: The Jazz need a visit to Dr. Freud to address shooting woes
As the Jazz left the floor after Game 3 on Saturday night, their heads down and their brains abuzz, they had to be baffled by the part of their collective game that betrayed them. It was the same part...
View ArticleMonson: Jazz now have more progress to make, God willing
It is said that God doesn’t care who wins and who loses basketball games, a most reasonable conclusion. But on Monday night, before Game 4 of the Jazz-Warriors semifinal playoff series, when the Jazz...
View ArticleMonson: Hey, Gordon Hayward, stop and read these text messages
Since open letters are passe, here’s an open string of texts to Gordon Hayward: gordon … did you hear your name? did you hear the voice of the crowd at the end of game 4, chanting “gordon hayward,”...
View ArticleMonson: Many Jazz players love Utah, but ... is Gordon Hayward one of them?
Will Gordon Hayward stay? Will George Hill stay? Will Joe Ingles stay? Or will they go? And if they go, why would they go? How could they go? When valued NBA players reach free agency, it not only...
View ArticleMonson: Here's how the Jazz could get 60 wins
Rudy Gobert believes the Jazz can win 60 games next season. Six-oh. That's only happened thrice before — in 1994-95 (60), in 1996-97 (64) and in 1997-98 (62), when Karl Malone, John Stockton and Jeff...
View ArticleMonson: Who are the most and least popular coaches in Utah?
Who is the most popular, who should be the most popular, active coach working among the major sports at the higher levels in the state of Utah? Of all the fan bases, which group is most satisfied,...
View ArticleMonson: With the Jazz absent, what do the NBA playoffs say about you?
There are two kinds of people in the world: Those who root for the favorites and those who root for the ’dogs. That’s just the way it is. And it’s never been more that way than during these NBA...
View ArticleMonson: Who's your sports inspiration ... Kalani Sitake? Kyle Whittingham?...
This column isn’t about tennis. It’s not even about sports. It’s about existential inspiration. And it’s up to you to decide to whom to turn, if you could, to find it. A kind of theoretical search....
View ArticleMonson: Uh-oh! John Stockton's shot still resonates 20 years later
The shot left John Stockton’s hand, spinning out from it the way nearly all of his jumpers did back in the day, lifted to an apex of his controlled body, arms extended up, up, up over his head and...
View ArticleMonson: If LeBron beats these Warriors, he'll replace MJ as the best ever
Michael Jordan is the best basketball player ever. Few had better vantage points from which to make that kind of judgment than folks around here, witnesses one and all to his prowess. If Karl Malone...
View ArticleMonson: Dante Exum, where are you, man? Who are you? What are you?
Hey, Dante Exum, who are you, man? Are you all grown up now? Are you all healed up? Are you ready to lead the Jazz at the point? Are you prepared to justify Dennis Lindsey picking you fifth overall in...
View ArticleMonson: What if the Jazz signed ... don’t punch a wall ... this guy?
Everybody knows the Jazz need help at point guard. What is still unknown is the best way for them to get it. There’s an offseason option that would not fill the void, but that could, at least,...
View ArticleMonson: Don’t hate these Warriors, own them
You may not like the way the Golden State Warriors became the glorious thing that they are, much of which was achieved through acumen, terrific draft picks and just plain smart decisions by...
View ArticleMonson: Jazz need to make a big move, or risk losing Hayward
There are times and seasons for all things. It’s time. Time for the Jazz to do something bold. Not something kind of bold or nearly bold or mostly bold. Something all the way bold. I was told a few...
View ArticleMonson: With the draft done, the Jazz’s heavy lifting is yet to come
On a scale from zero to 10, zero being a burp and a yawn, 10 being a rocket to ride, the Jazz’s draft night was a … five, or a six, maybe, a burp and a feeling that OK, that could turn out to be...
View ArticleMonson: Drafting of Donovan Mitchell a warning shot across Dante Exum’s bow
The Utah Jazz’s moving up in the draft to select Donovan Mitchell shouted out loud messages, beyond just that they believe the athletic, explosive, conscientious Louisville guard can become a useful...
View ArticleMonson: There may be good news for the Jazz, no matter what Gordon Hayward...
As everyone around here waits for and wonders about what Gordon Hayward will do next week, as the official part of his free agency commences, there’s some good news for Jazz fans, either way. First,...
View ArticleMonson: John McEnroe shouldn’t be lambasted for telling the truth
So, let’s see if we can get this straight: After being pressed into clarifying/justifying his response during a recent NPR interview in which he called Serena Williams the greatest female tennis...
View ArticleMonson: Rubio and Ingles are in, so what do the Jazz do now?
As the plot edges toward its conclusion in the story of the summer in Utah — Will Gordon Hayward stay or will he go? — the options for the Jazz in either direction fall somewhere between intriguing...
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