The state of Utah and the Jazz fanbase had quite the shock back in 2020.
The Jazz were turning the corner in their rebuild and had a promising future. Suddenly, after 35 years of ownership, the Larry H.
and Gail Miller family decided to move on and sell the team to Utah native Ryan Smith.
This was sure to dramatically change the trajectory of the Utah Jazz franchise, for better or worse.
I wanted to take a minute to express appreciation for Ryan Smith’s first few years on the job.
Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t agree with everything that’s been done.
The #PurpleIsBack black and yellow rebrand, for instance, was a massive flop.
In fact, there are rumblings that the Jazz are looking to trash the rebrand earlier than typically allowed and go back to their roots.
I’m also not at all a fan of publicly funding stadiums, which feels inevitable after bringing an NHL team to Utah as well.
But as far as basketball decisions go? I believe the Utah Jazz are in good hands because Smith avoided the early mistakes commonly made by his peers.
New owners want to put their own stamp on things.
It seems that they think throwing enough money or assets around can essentially ‘buy’ them a title right away. And I can’t say I blame them.
If I just spent a kajillion dollars to purchase something, I’d likely want the satisfaction and results sooner rather than later as well.
