SALT LAKE CITY — After taking some time to have hip replacement surgery, Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder said on Monday that the Jazz had a chance to do something special this season, but that did not happen — losing in the first round of the playoffs.
"I thought that our record didn't necessarily reflect what we could do in the playoffs," said Snyder. "I felt like we were this close to having this spark, and kicking it in, and finding that unity, whatever it was, that extra secret sauce, and take off."
Can this team take the next step and become a championship contender? Or has this team, led by Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, reached its ceiling? Is it really a "him or me" situation between Gobert and Mitchell? They are both under contract for next season, so if they do make a change, the Jazz would have to make a trade.
"Some of the broader questions about the roster, those best for you to ask Danny Ainge and Justin Zanik," said Snyder. "That said, we'll all meet. We'll talk about exactly what you are bringing up. How you can be better."
Another big question concerns the future of Coach Snyder himself. There have been rumors that he could be a candidate for other head coaching jobs around the NBA, but that's a subject he is not willing to discuss.
"The experience has been and continues to be a great one," said Snyder. "Beyond that, I am not going to discuss my contractual situation publicly. That's just not something that I want to do, or I'm comfortable doing.
Coach Snyder has built a strong program with the Jazz. They've been to the playoffs the last six seasons, but they want more.
"When you say Jazz basketball, you have a sense of what that means," said Snyder. "I don't know that you can say that about every team in the league. When you say that, and it means something, that means you've built that. You have it. You've won the third-most games in the league in the last five years, but I'm not hanging my hat on that. We want to do more. You're not satisfied. You have aspirations to be better and win more and that's what we'll try to do."
