The Utah Jazz suffered a big blow on Tuesday when star forward Gordon Hayward announced that he would be leaving the team to join the Boston Celtics. Combined with how the announcement happened – a report, a refute, and then an article on the Players’ Tribune – the Jazz had every reason to be upset by Hayward’s decision.
On the outside, however, the organization has kept it classy and head coach Quin Snyder exemplified that in a statement issued by the team on Wednesday. Snyder thanked Hayward for his contributions and lent his support to his future career:
“Since my arrival to Utah, Gordon gave his best every day we were together. I can’t say enough about his professionalism day in and day out. He is a unique competitor and I am thankful for the opportunity to have coached him over the last three seasons. Speaking on behalf of my staff, we are very proud of his growth and development as a player into an NBA All-Star, and are also appreciative of his contributions. Gordon’s progression epitomizes the partnership that we believe is the cornerstone of our player development emphasis and philosophy.
I believe this was a difficult decision for Gordon and Robyn and their young family, and one they reached earnestly. While their extended Jazz family is disappointed to see them leave, we wish them happiness and success in their future and understand that they chose a path they felt was the right one for them.
Snyder, who had coached Hayward for the past three seasons, then turned the focus to his current team and their future without Hayward:
Certainly we will miss Gordon and his many contributions to our team, but I always tell our players that ‘adversity is opportunity in disguise.’ This is one of those moments and we need to live those words. We have a roster of young, talented and resilient players. I am confident that together we will accept this challenge while continuing to strive toward our goal of individual and collective improvement.
