Former Jazzmen Coming Up Big
It’s one thing to lose a game. It’s another thing entirely to lose to someone that is or once was close to you. Unfortunately, that’s happened to the Jazz several times already this season.
It began with the home opener in which the lone rotational player from a year ago that didn’t return to to Utah, Jonas Jerebko, put up good minutes to finish with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting. And no two points were bigger than his tip-in in the game’s waning seconds to give the Warriors the win.
Later, Derrick Rose who never suited up for the Jazz, but was momentarily acquired in the trade that brought Jae Crowder to Utah, exploded for a career-high 50 points. Last of all, Shelvin Mack, a player that was often criticized by Jazz fans during his tenure with the team, has posted two phenomenal performances in Salt Lake City.
In the first, he went off for 12 points on 57.1 percent shooting while nailing both of his 3-point attempts. In the second, he finished with 19 points on 63.6 percent shooting and converting on two of his three attempts from deep.
It’s quite painful to see Utah slapped in the face in this manner by three former players that they opted to part ways with. That’s not to say that it wasn’t the best decision at the time, but the cruel irony of it all still remains strong.