Utah Jazz: JP Strong sells out, Rudy rocks and other feel-good-ness

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - OCTOBER 06: JP Gibson, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, signed his contract with Jazz president Randy Rigby before joining the team in uniform for the annual preseason intrasquad scrimmage at EnergySolutions Arena on October 06, 2014 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Copyright 2014 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - OCTOBER 06: JP Gibson, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, signed his contract with Jazz president Randy Rigby before joining the team in uniform for the annual preseason intrasquad scrimmage at EnergySolutions Arena on October 06, 2014 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Copyright 2014 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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A quick pick-me-up for Utah Jazz fans on the downside — JP Strong shirts are a major hit, Rudy Gobert visits elementary school and Goran Dragic’s special gift.

Utah Jazz JP Gibson Scrimmage
SALT LAKE CITY, UT – OCTOBER 06: JP Gibson, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, signed his contract with Jazz president Randy Rigby before joining the team in uniform for the annual preseason intrasquad scrimmage at EnergySolutions Arena on October 06, 2014 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Copyright 2014 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) /

It’s probably unavoidable for much of the die-hard contingent, but there’s often an undercurrent of cynicism involved with that level of hoops fandom. Even the best of us will root for teams/players to fail or revert to mantras like “So and so can’t play; trade him!” or “Fire (insert coach here)!”

That said, Utah Jazz training camp tips off next week, bringing with it a wave of optimism and good mojo. It’s like the last bastion of positivity before the regular season grind begins, reality sets in and we all get grumpy. I, for one, am all about the feel-good-ness.

Take it from former Jazz point guard Dee Brown–

In an effort to follow that advice and ride the feel-good wave, today I’ve got three stories sure to turn the biggest frown upside down. To that end, there’s no better place to start than with JP Gibson.