Kyle Korver chats with reporters after going through shootaround with the Utah Jazz on Friday, November 30, 2018 at the Spectrum Center. Korver was traded from Cleveland for Alec Burks and two future second round picks. (Eric Woodyard, Deseret News)
The Utah Jazz held shoot-around Friday which kind of introduced sharp shooter Kyle Korver to the media to get reaction and information on him returning to the organization.
It was only Wednesday that ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news that the team had traded Alec Burks and two second-round draft picks for Korver.
The Jazz’s new acquisition said he missed all the initial reports because Korver was preparing for his former Cleveland Cavaliers team to take on Oklahoma City by taking his pregame nap. He awoke to see he had missed several calls and texts.
Some were from his agent and some were from Cavs GM Koby Altman. He responded to them and learned he had indeed been traded. The shooting guard had been in communication with Altman about arranging a trade to a small list of team with the Jazz being one of them.
“It feels like a good fit,” Korver said. “I think for me just where I’m at in life, I’ve gotten married with three young kids, so just being somewhere where there’s familiarity is a huge deal so to come back.
“Knowing that we’ve got a lot of people in Utah in the organization but also outside of it has just kind of helped soften the landing for us, so that’s important to me but then also to come to a good basketball team.”
The veteran is in his 16th year which included a stint with the Jazz from 2008-2010. The team could perhaps use a three point specialist considering it is 28th in three-point percentage at 31.9% per NBA Stats.
Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey joked the shooting is a good thing to have, but he just needed to serve Joe Ingles a bit of humble pie after the forward compared himself to Steph Curry towards the beginning of the season.
“I’ve been greatly offended by Joe Ingles’ claim to be the greatest shooter on the planet. and as a proud American, that is comparing himself to Steph Curry and Klay Thompson and Kyle Korver, I was offended,” Lindsey said. “So, I wanted to make sure that not only he realizes that he’s not the best shooter in the world with his as I describe it leverage arm, Aussie slingshot that he’s trying to shoot balloons in the Australian circus, that he’s no longer even the best shooter on the Utah Jazz. That was my No. 1 deal is to make sure that Ingles is now No. 2 as a shooter.”
Don’t worry Ingles knew it was a joke and chuckled it off.
“Now we’ve got the two best shooters, it’s all good,” Ingles said.
The Jazz may look to start incorporating Korver right away in the game against the Charlotte Hornets Friday. Tip-off at 5 P.M.