Mr. Adam Silver goes to Utah

We’ve got plenty to discuss today. From Joe Ingles breaking a franchise record, to an interview with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver about a possible All-Star Weekend to be hosted in Salt Lake City. Let’s get started.

On Saturday, Joe Ingles broke the franchise record for 3-pointers made in a single season. He also recently passed Rodney Hood for 7th in all-time 3-pointers made in a Jazz uniform. Taylor Griffin put out an article on the subject, so go check that out.

Renae Ingles congratulated her husband on Twitter:

Having Joe on this team has been nothing but a pleasure. I remember a few years back when he was the fifteenth man on the roster and my personal choice to be cut from the team. However, he put in some insane work that offseason and came back a very solid player. Now he’s a legitimate starter on one of the hottest teams in the West. It is so cool to see how far Jinglin’ Joe has come since joining the team.

Kristen Kenney interviewed NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, discussing a few interesting topics, including a potential bid for the NBA All-Star Weekend to return to Utah. I recommend a click-through.

After you’ve watched that, give us your thoughts. I was young when the All-Star Weekend first visited Utah, so I do not remember what it was like. What were your experiences with the event when it was here the first time around?

Eric Woodyard of Deseret News wrote about the altercation with the Phoenix Suns.

SALT LAKE CITY — Enough is enough. The Utah Jazz aren’t having it.

The disrespect will no longer be tolerated — especially not in Vivint Arena.

Teams are learning the hard way. Phoenix was the latest to find out.

In addition to suffering a 28-point beatdown Thursday night, the Suns also left Salt Lake City with a reminder that the Jazz are no pushovers.

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“This is a problem because part of it for our team is when these things happen, and they happen multiple times, it becomes cumulative for us,” said Jazz coach Quin Snyder. “So, another team, they move on to the next game, and then we play the next time and it happens again with another team. And then it happens to us again with another team. There is a point where you stop recognizing that it is a different team. It just keeps happening.”

As Eric writes, this is a Jazz team that is creating a new identity for itself. We are no longer the quiet, “take what comes our way and just play well” Utah Jazz, we are beginning to command respect. Players like Jae Crowder, Donovan Mitchell, Joe Ingles, and others are showing to have a fiery competitive spirit, and demand the kind of respect that a winning team deserves.

Sam Amick is a national media writer who tends to actually pay attention to the Jazz. Here’s a bit of what he wrote on the Jazz in his article exploring the NBA Western-Conference Playoff picture, “Who’s real, who’s fake in NBA’s Western Conference playoff race?”

Their dominant defense, though, is what really jumps off the (NBA.com/stats) page: They’ve allowed 94.5 points per 100 possessions during that span, a mark that not only leads the NBA but is nearly eight points better than the second-place Raptors (102.1).

Take a bow, Rudy Gobert.

The 7-1 Frenchman returned from a long absence around then. He has spent the past two months making a compelling case for the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award. And yes, we’re well aware he missed 26 games with knee injuries and is on pace to finish the regular season with just 56 games played.

In terms of the award’s history, a Gobert victory would be monumental. San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard holds the mark for fewest games played for a DPOY winner (64 in 2014-15). Still, no one – not Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid or reigning champ Draymond Green of the Warriors or anyone else – is having this kind of impact on their team’s defensive unit.

While the Jazz’ offense has evolved into a beautiful symphony of quick passes and finding the open man, that has not come at the expense of our defense. The opposite is true, our defense feeds from our offense, and our offense feeds from our defense. Both have improved dramatically since the rough December stretch of the season. Rudy returning from injury has been monumental, and Derrick has really figured out how to play next to him. Ricky Rubio has also learned his role, finally starting to fit like a well-crafted cog in a watch’s gear. Joe Ingles is the ultimate glue guy, and is currently the league’s leader in 3pt%. And then we have Donovan Mitchell. All I will say is he has my vote for Rookie of the Year.

After the game against Sacramento, Rudy Gobert shared a special moment with past Jazz man, and two-time Defensive Player of the Year, Mark Eaton.

Mark responded to the Tweet with this encouraging message.

Not only should the Jazz have the Rookie of the Year this season, but they should have the Defensive Player of the Year as well. How special is this team???