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Utah Jazz: Daryl Morey pins Matt Harpring as rival player he’d love on his team

By Jared Woodcox

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - FEBRUARY 23: Matt Harpring #15 of the Utah Jazz reacts to the hard foul as Coach Jerry Sloan talks him back to the bench, as the Jazz take on the Atlanta Hawks at EnergySolutions Arena on February 23, 2009 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - FEBRUARY 23: Matt Harpring #15 of the Utah Jazz reacts to the hard foul as Coach Jerry Sloan talks him back to the bench, as the Jazz take on the Atlanta Hawks at EnergySolutions Arena on February 23, 2009 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Copyright 2009 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE/Getty Images) /
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Daryl Morey recently pinned former Utah Jazz player Matt Harpring as the player of his most hated rival’s team that he secretly wished had been on his team.

Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey is often considered one of the most brilliant execs in basketball. The addition of Carmelo Anthony and Houston’s slow start this season aside, Morey deserves every bit of credit imaginable for building a powerhouse Rockets squad that was legitimately the closest competition in the entire NBA to the Golden State Warriors last season.

He’s credited with making savvy decisions and turning a focus on analytics into brilliance to create revolutionary and talented teams.

With that said, some Utah Jazz fans might find a recent comment of his somewhat surprising. Sports writer Joe Posnanski recently posed an interesting question on Twitter, which read, “Who is the one player in the history of your most hated rival’s team that you secretly wish had been on your team?”

Morey replied with the following player–

I’ll be honest, Matt Harpring was one of my favorite Jazzmen due to the fact that he always played tough, had a great work ethic, took on a no-nonsense mentality on the court and was a great role player for the Jazz. But it still surprised me to see him be Morey’s choice for this inquiry.

It apparently surprised Harpring himself somewhat as well, as he responded in the following manner–

But Morey wasn’t done there. He likely didn’t expect a response from Harpring, but once he got it, he was quick to follow up by explaining his rationale–

Morey’s description of Matt being smart, tough and focused only on winning hits the nail on the head. It’s the perfect way to explain the way he played and what made him so valuable to the Jazz. Honestly, Harpring’s personality and style would have very likely made him a perfect fit on this current Jazz team as those three traits seem to perfectly describe them as well.

On a side note, Morey’s question about how Harpring isn’t verified is a legitimate one. He spent 11 years in the NBA and is now a Utah Jazz broadcaster, so he definitely deserves the love associated with that Twitter mark of legitimacy.

But back to the point, it’s cool to see a renowned GM such as Morey give such high praise to a former Utah Jazz player, a revered one at that. Harpring was a rare breed in terms of his love for the game and passion for winning, especially compared to many of today’s players. I’d love to see him be able to suit back up again and hit the floor for the Jazz.

Instead we’ll have to settle for his expert analysis and unique insight as he continues to be a fun listen as an announcer for the Jazz.

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Harpring played seven of his 11 years in the NBA with the Utah Jazz, with his best season coming in 2002-03 where he appeared in 78 games, averaging 17.6 points per game on shooting splits of 51.1 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from deep while adding 6.6 rebounds per contest. Those are impressive figures and would make him a commodity for any team in the NBA past or present.

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