This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The NBA's new television deal shocked many.
But Jazz guard Dahntay Jones wasn't exactly one of them.
"Everyone knew [the numbers would be big], but the NBA was trying to act like it wasn't going to happen and preparing for the now," said Jones, a 10-year veteran who served as the Indiana Pacers' players union rep during the last round of collective bargaining in 2011. "But everyone had it in the back of their minds when the TV deal was up, it was going to re-up and be a very big deal."
Those numbers, by the way, are $24 billion over nine years, beginning in 2016-17-almost triple the league's current deal with ESPN and Turner Sports.
"We had an idea those numbers were going to inflate and go to a different level. We just didn't know the exact numbers," Jones said. "Now we get to see the exact figures, it's just amazing how this league has grown over the years."
Members of this young Jazz team have yet to discuss who will represent as a players union rep this season and going forward, said fifth-year pro Gordon Hayward. Hayward served as an understudy of sorts to John Lucas III, the Jazz's representative last season, who is no longer with the team.
Having been through work stoppage before, Jones said he would caution players to be ready in the event of another, which could come as soon as the summer of 2017. That's when the owners and players union are allowed to opt out of the current agreement.
"You tell young guys to get prepared," Jones said. "It's a situation where we had to make concessions in the last lockout. It's going to come up and there's going to be another negotiation. People are going to have to be prepared for that in their basketball life."
Chapters Old and New
As Portland Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts prepared his team for the Utah Jazz, he was a little in the dark about his opponent.
Not only was Tuesday the first preseason game of the year for both teams, Stotts said, but it was also the first time in a long time the Jazz won't have Jerry Sloan's fingerprints on the system.
"To be honest, I don't know what to expect," he said before the game. "I saw them play a little bit in summer league. I don't know if that's what we're going to see. … Who knows? He may go back in the Sloan archives. But it is a unique experience the fact that Quin was not a Jerry Sloan disciple per se, as far as [having been] an assistant coach. It's a new chapter for the Utah Jazz."
Stotts, meanwhile, looked at times to an older chapter of Jazz history this offseason as he prepared to coach a team made up of almost entirely returning players from a year ago.
"One of the things I did in the summer was look at teams, successful teams, that had a lot of returning players," he said. "You look at San Antonio, and the Jerry Sloan teams here, and the Phil Jackson teams. They sustained a level of success by doing what they did well and not having a lot of slippage. … I took that to heart. I don't want to change too much. I think it's important to us that we stick to who we are."
Bumps and Bruises
Jazz rookie Rodney Hood's preseason debut was put on hold. The small forward strained his right hip flexor during Monday night's intrasquad scrimmage, causing him to be held out of Tuesday's game with Portland.
"Our medical staff just feels it's better to be precautionary and hold him out," Snyder said.
Second-year guard Ian Clark (left patella tendinitis, left sprained ankle) was also sidelined by injury.
All Clear
Former Jazz guard Wesley Matthews had a scare last week when it was discovered he had an irregular heartbeat. Matthews is being monitored, but has been cleared to play. He was in Portland's starting lineup Tuesday.
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