Did Dion Waiters intentionally target Rudy Gobert?

Rudy Gobert was injured in the game we played against the Miami Heat. For more details on and reactions to the injury itself, we have plenty of coverage:

Rudy Gobert to miss 4-6 weeks due to bone bruise

Now what? A look at Utah’s Rudy Gobert-less reality

SLC Punks Podcast: Reaction to the Rudy Gobert Injury

I inquired of Ronnie Nunn (follow him @NunnBetterRefs), who is a very experienced retired NBA referee. Here is what he had to say about the play.

It looks like Rudy isn’t the only player Dion Waiters has been targeting.

This was the game immediately after the Heat faced off against Utah. At some point, these are not accidents. Whether he’s playing out of control or doing this intentionally, these are not basketball type plays. Unlike Draymond Green’s kicks to the groin a couple years back, Waiters’ reckless play has already had a significant impact on the Utah Jazz and could have put a wet blanket on Detroit’s hot start. The NBA needs to take a closer look at these plays and issue a suspension and/or fine to Dion Waiters.

Jimbo from Salt City Hoops provided some head candy to think about.

What do you think? Take a look at the video and tell us what you think.

Here is some good news among all of the uncertainty around the team and Rudy’s injury. Donovan Mitchell has set yet another rookie record with the Utah Jazz.

Donovan always seems to be the silver lining whenever something bad is happening to the Jazz this season.

There was a Boris Diaw sighting this past week, and it was glorious, even Rudy Gobert took notice. Click through to the tweet for the video.

Ricky Rubio’s missed technical free throw broke a very long streak, in fact he was on pace to break an NBA record had he not missed.

Ricky has one of the best free throw shots in the league, and is also a very good mid-range shooter. It gives me a little hope that he’ll be able to shoot more consistently from the 3pt line.

Let’s play an interesting “Would You Rather?”:

We are thirteen games into the season. Us fans like to overreact and make hasty decisions based off of the past week. Therefore, I would like to play the game, “Would you Rather?”:

With Rudy and Joe Johnson out indefinitely, would you rather tank for a high lottery pick or attempt to make the playoffs?

This wouldn’t mean shutting down Rudy for the entirety of the season, but it would probably mean playing him less, and possibly keeping him out longer than normal if he is injured.

Maybe this video of Slovenian prospect Luka Doncic will change your mind?