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By saying nothing, Dante Exum said everything.
One night after incurring the first DNP-CD (did not play, coaching decision) of his professional career, Exum declined an interview request from The Tribune before the Utah Jazz played the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night.
It wasn't personal, and Exum was polite in saying he didn't wish to speak on the situation. But it is clear the Jazz point guard is not thrilled with the situation. He's a competitor, and one who on the surface has played fairly well this season, showing more of a willingness to take the ball to the basket.
But Utah coach Quin Snyder made the decision to tighten his rotation last week, which meant Shelvin Mack taking all of the backup point guard minutes. The move has left Exum — who has made multiple starts this season — in the cold. The 6-foot-6 guard played sparingly in last Friday night's win over the Atlanta Hawks. He didn't play at all on Monday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Exum played 1:12 in Tuesday night's first half against the Rockets at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Playing at the shooting guard spot, Exum missed an open 3-pointer, and picked up a foul defensively.
"Of course everybody wants to play, and everyone wants to help," Jazz forward Boris Diaw said. "But this is the way it is, right now. This is a deep team with a lot of players capable of producing. Sometimes you can find the time for everybody and sometimes you can't. It's not about who is better than who, it's more about who the coach needs at the time. All you can do is do your best when coach calls you."
Snyder last week said he thought Mack provided more of a spark off the bench, and Mack was playing better defensively, which is why he has won the backup spot for now. He also said the arrangement isn't final, and that his rotation is subject to change.
Harden takes off after position switch
Mike D'Antoni's major move as the new Rockets coach was taking James Harden and moving him to point guard over from the shooting guard position.
Doing so has taken Harden — already a great player — to a new level. Coming into Tuesday's matchup against the Jazz, Harden was leading the NBA with 12.2 assists per game. He's also fourth in scoring, at 28.9 points per game.
"It works because he's one of the top five players in the league," Snyder said. "He has a lot of shooters to work with and it's just smart to play through him."
Quick double
Jazz center Rudy Gobert notched his 11th double-double of the season by halftime on Tuesday, scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
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