Utah Jazz Nike City Edition Uniforms to make a comeback next year

The Utah Jazz organization has officially confirmed a return of the City Edition Uniforms that were released this year, as well as the complimenting court design. On the topic of these uniforms, the Jazz issued an article.

“New design and color schemes can be initially polarizing to a fan base, but we have been overwhelmed at the favorable response to these uniforms that represent a special part of our state,” said Bart Sharp, senior vice president of marketing for the Utah Jazz. “We are excited to bring back this southern Utah version of the Nike uniform collection for next season and we will introduce different looks in the future.”

The enthusiastic demand this season has resulted in about 45 small and medium jerseys remaining for sale this season. Due to the limited sizes and quantity compared to its public popularity, the Utah Jazz also announced today that it will sell its latest supply of City Edition jerseys through a special drawing conducted by the Utah Jazz Team Store beginning April 3. Fans can register for random selection to purchase jerseys at nba.com/jazz/promo/cityjerseydrawing for a 48-hour period beginning at 12:01 a.m. MT on April 3.

With the carryover of the uniform to next season, a larger shipment of fan jerseys will be delivered in the fall. The full lineup of uniforms for 2018-19 will be released at a later date.

This is not surprising, with how popular these jerseys have turned out to be. What this means for the statement jerseys, we do not yet know. What we do know, however, is the return of a retro jersey is imminent. No, not the purple mountains, but a purple J-Note jersey. This retro jersey will bring our jersey count next season up to five. We will have the white “Association Edition”, blue “Icon Edition”, gradient “City Edition”, purple “Throwback Edition”, and most likely a return of the yellow “Statement Edition”.

I don’t have a problem with this. The Jazz uniforms this year have been my personal favorite out of the entire franchise history.

Eric Woodyard of Deseret News wrote about Derrick Rose’s experience being waived by the Utah Jazz after their trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

That experience of being waived by Utah in February helped him get to his team of choice. Contrary to popular belief, he said he did consider suiting up for the Jazz, too.

“At first until my agent and I really talked about it and we came up with the decision that it was OK if they waived me and I was a free agent to go anywhere I wanted,” Rose said. “So it was kind of weird but bittersweet but at the end of the day, I’m at where I want to be.”

In the course of his career, Derrick Rose has gone from being on the top of the world, to falling down Mariana’s Trench. It is a real testament to his star-caliber work ethic that he can even be considered to play in this league. Other players that suffered so many major injuries have returned literally unplayable. While he didn’t fit in with the Jazz’ long-term plans, Rose still has a few good years left in him, and that is impressive after seeing what he has gone through.

CNN wrote a special on the NBA teams who are adding “sensory rooms” for children with autism to their arenas. Friday, the Utah Jazz became one of the four teams to have added one of these rooms.

A “sensory room” designed for children with autism spectrum disorder and other intellectual and developmental disabilities will open at Salt Lake City’s Vivint Smart Home Arena, home of the Utah Jazz, on Friday. The event will be a feature of Autism Awareness Night at the venue.

The creation of the space makes the Jazz the fourth pro basketball team with a sensory room; the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Sacramento Kings and the Oklahoma City Thunder also have these rooms. The new space is part of a partnership between Vivint Gives Back and the Jazz.

Utah Jazz President Steve Starks tweeted in response.

Vivint has proven to be a generous sponsor since becoming the primary sponsor of the Utah Jazz’ arena.

The article continues:

“For children that have autism or sensory processing disorders, going to a venue is pretty overwhelming for their senses,” said Holly Mero-Bench, director of the Vivint Gives Back program.

”Imagine if your life was like being on the front row of a rock concert. It would be pretty challenging going about your day-to-day life -- let alone to a basketball game where things are loud and chaotic.”

It goes further in-depth if you are interested in learning more about the origins of the sensory room, what is actually inside one, or how this can benefit families with children on the autism spectrum.

It seems like the Jazz are doing service like this almost on a weekly basis. You can accuse them of doing it “just for the good PR”, but I honestly think it is more than that. The Utah Jazz are building a culture of giving back to the community. These news stories feel like an invitation for the community to follow suit and be mindful of one another’s needs. Let’s strive to go out of our way and help other fellow human beings with their challenges.

nba.com

With last night’s win against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Utah Jazz have moved into the 6th seed in the Western Conference playoff picture. we are now only 1 game behind the 4th-seed San Antonio Spurs. According the FiveThirtyEight’s predictions, the Jazz now have a 98% chance of making the playoffs. With five games left in the season, and sitting semi-comfortably two games ahead of the 9th seed, the Jazz just need to take care of business in this final stretch. With how poorly the Jazz played early in the season, especially during that brutal December stretch, it is insane how far we’ve come. I am proud of our boys.

Derrick Favors has long been an unsung hero for us, and especially so this season. Here is a laundry list of some of his most impressive stats:

• ORtg of 119
• DRtg of 104
• FG% of 56.4%
• eFG% of 57.3%
• A per game stat line of 12.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.1 block, and 0.7 steals (in 28 minutes per game)
• He is fouling at a career low rate of 2.1 per game.
• PER of 18.8
• Career high Win Share of 7.4

Defense is hard to quantify in stats, but he has been a key component of the team that has been the number one defense in the NBA in the past three months. This deserves some recognition. Last year, the All-Defensive Teams were as follows:

1st team: Kawhi Leonard, Draymond Green (DPOY), Rudy Gobert, Patrick Beverly, Chris Paul

2nd team: Tony Allen, Danny GReen, Andre Roberson, Anthony Davis, Giannis Antetokounmpo

With a lot of fluctuation in this group, there might just be room for Derrick Favors in here. Due to politics and national media bias, Derrick may not make it even if he deserves it. Just as Quin Snyder might not get recognition as the coach of the year even if we somehow end up with the fourth seed after going 19-28 to start the season. However, that shouldn’t stop us from giving him praise and hoping for his return to the Jazz next season. Derrick Favors has often been treated pretty unfairly by media, and I think it is time for that to stop. He can play next to Rudy Gobert, and the result is league-leading defense and still solid offense. He was one of our healthiest players this season, playing in 72 games thus far. His percentages might not show it quite yet, but his 3-point shooting form looks smooth, and a little more consistency could make him an insanely special player for the Jazz. On offense he is already one of the better pick and roll men in the league, and is a fantastic screen-setter in general. His hands are phenomenal, and he always seems to catch every wayward pass sent his direction. Overall, this is a player you want to have on your team. Derrick Favors, in the vein of Paul Millsap, is a true Jazz lifer, regardless of where he ends up this offseason.

Thank you Derrick Favors, for your contributions to the team, the organization, and Jazz Nation.

Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports