I admittedly didn’t know much about Ryan Smith when he pulled a sneak attack and purchased the Jazz. When that happened and I read a little bit about him, I was slightly worried. It’s no secret how deep his BYU ties are and how a lot of relationships/friendships were with folks like Danny and Tanner Ainge, Taysom Hill, etc. I wondered if we’d start to see a parade of BYU cronies being handed important jobs in this franchise. I should say that for the record, if a former Ute purchased the Jazz and he starting hiring up the likes of Jim Boylen and Larry K, I’d be equally distressed.
Since that time, I think Ryan has put on an absolute master class in running an NBA franchise and positioning the Utah Jazz to achieve more than ever before. The D-Wade partnership was a stroke of genius and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I could be proven wrong, but I really don’t see Ryan jeopardizing this franchise just because he has not personal relationships with guys like Ainge.
This Ainge to Utah conjecture is already annoying. It’s nothing more than lazy connect the dots by media personalities trying to get clicks. I haven’t really seen any other source than the “It would make sense” mentality. I also don’t think DL is in any hurry to leave the team he’s built for 10 years right as it’s about to peak, in favor of joining the Houston train wreck. It will be nice when this is over with and out of the news cycle.