Ahead of his return to Vivint Arena arena on Friday, Rudy Gobert took a minute to sit down with reporters and reflect on his tenure with his old organization.
While he seemed appreciative and deeply grateful for his time in Utah, Gobert was also candid about his failure to win a title alongside Donovan Mitchell. While it was always a dream of his to bring the Larry O’Brien trophy to Salt Lake City, Gobert can’t blame the organization for moving on and trying something new.
“Spending nine years there is obviously something that I’ll never forget, but at the same time, you’ve always got to be aware that it’s a business,” said Gobert, whose Rudy’s Kids Foundation remains active in Utah, as well as in his native France and now Minnesota. “That’s the way I see it. My dream was always to bring a championship to Utah. Some people didn’t believe that could happen, and it’s fair. It’s totally fair. It’s part of their job to do what they think is best for the team. Now, I’m in another place, but it doesn’t change the human side of it. When I say that, I think it’s bigger than just basketball. I gave my soul to this team, this city, this organization, my blood, sweat and tears, [and] there are some things that go beyond the business of basketball. That’s why I [thought] we’d be here forever. Now, I’m in a new place with the opportunity to accomplish great things, and I’m always going to be grateful for those nine years in Utah.”
Rudy Gobert said he is anticipating "a lot of emotions" when he returns to Utah for the first time as a member of the Timberwolves.
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Did The Minnesota Timberwolves Make a Mistake By Trading For Gobert?
Gobert failed to win a ring in Utah, even despite dominance throughout most of the regular season. Now, he’s in Minnesota and the Timberwolves are struggling mightily.
At just 12-12 on the season, most people around the league have already labeled the Gobert deal as a complete and total failure.
“Almost every trade that is divisive or unpopular—you can find some people around the league who will be like, “I kinda see what they were going for; I maybe woulda made that deal,” said NBA insider Zach Lowe.
“The Sabonis-Halliburton one is a good example: I thought people were way too critical; I didn’t like that trade for Sacramento; I thought it was a win for Indiana. I also thought people were being unfair in how much they railed against the Kings. You could find people were like, No, I think it’s Sabonis is really good! It’ll work there. This one—I don’t think I found anyone who was like, ‘Here’s a hot take for ya, Zach! That’s actually a good trade for Minnesota.’ I don’t think I found anyone around the league who liked that trade for them.”
No matter how you feel about the Gobert trade, there’s no going back now. The Timberwolves have no choice but to keep trying to make it work.
As for Gobert himself, he’s likely going to get some major cheers in Salt Lake City today, but there’s still a sense the Jazz were never able to live up to their expectations and he’s got to be at least partly responsible for that.
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