Rudy Gobert is someone that I want to like. Man, he was an impressive player in Utah and did a lot of great things as a member of the Utah Jazz. Arguably the best defensive player of his generation and was another name among the many vaunted defensive players the team has had in the past, like Mark Eaton and Andrei Kirilenko. Gobert was as good if not better than them.
Yet, Gobert has gone out of his way to annoy and anger just about anyone and everyone possible. Whether it was the microphone incident to start the 2020 pandemic, his falling out with Donovan Mitchell, fighting Kyle Anderson, and now trying to put over the Minnesota Timberwolves by tearing down the Utah Jazz.
Speaking to the media, via Dave McMenamin on Twitter, Gobert made it clear that no Jazz team he was ever on had the same kind of commitment to one another as this current Minnesota Timberwolves squad.
"“I’ve never been part of a group that understands each other, that cares about each other and wants to see each other shine. In this league, it’s not something that you find very often...I love going to battle every night with these guys. I'm really having a lot of fun.""
Some will argue that wasn't his intention, but it's clear that Gobert doesn't hold his time with the Jazz in the highest regard. After all, he's only been on two pro teams, so when he makes comments like this, who else is he talking about?
It's also fair to point out that Gobert may have been a slight dig at Donovan Mitchell, former Utah Jazz teammate, and current Cleveland Cavaliers guard. The two had a frosty relationship near the end of their run together and a lot of people believed that Gobert got traded less because of a rebuild, and more because the Jazz wanted to give Mitchell a future without him.
That didn't seem to appease Mitchell, however and the Jazz still traded the star guard anyway.
Did the trade from Utah cause Gobert to view his time in Utah so poorly? Maybe, but we may never truly know why he feels the need to downgrade his time in Salt Lake City.