Utah Jazz Downbeat #2058 - Joe Ingles has his own signature Burrito.

It’s more than just burritos here in Utah Jazz land, they have the playoffs but there’s still the playoff push! Let’s get to it!

The Utah Jazz are back in action tonight, hosting the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans are playing great when DeMarcus Cousins is sitting. They took out the Denver Nuggets last night in Denver - and blew them out. Anthony Davis is great, but I wonder can he be great two nights in a row at this elevation?

This is their last game on a road trip out West where they played the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets already. It’s the second night of a back to back (at this elevation), and the third game in four nights. The blowout last night may help (only one starter played 30+), but is that enough rest in this circumstance?

We’ll find out tonight on TNT / ROOT Sports at 8:30 p.m.

I love Raul Neto. And you do too.

I’m a heterosexual grown man with a lumberjack beard, but I feel like a 14 year old girl when looking into his eyes.

Joe Ingles has his own breakfast burrito.

Who needs a shoe deal when you’ve got that? It’s $10 bucks though for something I could pretty much make at home. I don’t know, are things expensive in SLC? You could get a similar burrito in other parts of America for much cheaper.

But I guess it’s the name brand that you’re buying. I could get a fully loaded breakfast burrito here, but it wouldn’t be a Joe Ingles breakfast burrito. #Capitalism

Who should play more minutes at power forward going forward into the NBA Playoffs? Derrick Favors (if healthy), Boris Diaw, Trey Lyles, or Joe Johnson?

Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

I wrote all about it a few times on this site, but I want to read what you guys and gals have to say.

So by now we all know about Rudy Gobert taking that demonstrative, vocal leader role.

I like it, but I’m biased. No, I don’t mean the “Double Tea-pot” pose. I mean I like Rudy taking his leadership to the next level.

From Brad Rock’s piece:

There’s something simmering with the Utah Jazz, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Rudy Gobert’s remarks to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon after a loss to the Clippers last Saturday were unexpected. The Jazz center took teammates to task for not competing.

It’s about time.

The Jazz had lost four of their last five, going into Monday’s game with New Orleans.

Calling out teammates isn’t insignificant. Despite being the Jazz’s best player, Gordon Hayward never takes that route. Earlier in his career he said he needed to be more vocal. He might be so in the locker room, but he doesn’t make a peep before or after games about teammates’ effort. Veteran Derrick Favors never raises his voice. (He’s seldom in uniform to do so.) George Hill has been a calming influence, but seems unlikely to start a controversy.

Gobert calling for effort and sacrifice is something the team has missed since Deron Williams, and maybe since Karl Malone. Raja Bell was capable but didn’t have elite player credentials.

Brad Rock, Deseret News, 2017

Rudy Gobert wouldn’t have let Delonte West infect him with a finger in his ear. Rudy Gobert wouldn’t let Dirk Nowitzki slap the ball out of his hands after the play was over. Rudy Gobert is going to be quiet. If you’ve been following along he hasn’t been quiet for a long time with his play doing the talking for him.

Now it’s time for him to hold his teammates accountable. Lead. Follow. Or get out of the way. Gobert is leading right now.

From Jody’s piece:

The Stifle Tower’s comments were discussed in a team meeting the Jazz held in the aftermath of their fourth setback in five games, a 108-95 road loss to the Clippers in a game that could come back to hurt their chances to earn home-court advantage in the first round of the upcoming playoffs.

“We discussed everything. I think it was good to talk to each other,” Gobert said at Monday’s shootaround, hours before Utah’s game against New Orleans. “It’s never going to be perfect. It’s great to communicate as a team.”

Gobert, sounding as if he were in damage-control mode, said he didn’t mean to make it sound personal on Saturday in Los Angeles even if his pointed remarks came across that way.

. . .

Gobert admitted he let his emotions get the best of him.

“I was just frustrated after the game,” he said.

The fourth-year center, a rising star in this league, just wants to win, and that game was a big one to lose, especially how Utah struggled in the first and fourth quarters.

“It wasn’t targeting somebody particular. It was more about the team,” the French player said. “Maybe I didn’t choose the best words. It made it look like I was picking on people, but not really. It was more our attitude as a team.”

Jody Genessy, Deseret News, 2017

It’s clear that he has passions, but maybe the Jazz don’t want him to actually talk to the press about it. (Man, imagine how muzzled Karl Malone would have been under Jonathan Rinehart!) For me I love Rudy being vocal. Call the team out when you’re playing like an All-NBA player but the rest of the team is letting you down. I’m cool with that. But that’s what I think. What do YOU think?