Gobert’s Comments Show Leadership, But So Does Mitchell’s Silence

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Rudy Gobert broke his silence on his troubled relationship with Utah Jazz teammate Donovan Mitchell. On Instagram Live Sunday night, Gobert confirmed the animosity between the two players to broadcaster Taylor Rooks.

“Me and my teammates, it’s far from perfect but at the end of the day,” Gobert said, “We both want the same thing — it’s winning. We’re grown men, and we want to win.”

Reports of the duo’s fractured relationship emerged after the All-Star teammates tested positive for the coronavirus in mid-March, effectively shutting down the professional sports world as we know it.

Gobert going public with his statement is a strong sign of leadership not just for the organization, but for his relationship with Mitchell as well. After all, it was Gobert’s cavalier attitude towards the dangers of the virus that reportedly set Mitchell off.

The French center needed to breach the issue to help put to rest rumors that the relationship  didn’t “appear salvageable.”

This is how you handle things when you're a grown man. https://t.co/8vkMWgPzns

— Brad Rock (@therockmonster) April 13, 2020

Gobert didn’t gloss over the fact that the relationship was less than perfect. The big man didn’t put lipstick on a pig, and by telling the truth, gave Mitchell an open path to moving the situation forward how he best sees fit.

The All-NBA center no longer needs to assume the role of “patient zero” in the NBA. Nor does he owe the basketball public an apology, even though he did so on his Instagram page soon after his positive test. If he felt the need to apologize to Mitchell, that’s his business, but for now, Gobert has taken the smart approach.

Instead of cornering his teammate by funneling him into a narrow opportunity for a response, Gobert has placed the ball in Mitchell’s court, or so the saying goes.

However, Jazz fans should be wary of choosing sides between Gobert and Mitchell during the fiasco, and they shouldn’t be influenced by one form of leadership over another.

It’s true Mitchell has yet to address Gobert directly — in the month since league play was suspended, the Jazz guard has appeared online in several facets, but never directly addressed the falling out.

The closest Mitchell came to discussing Gobert occurred during his appearance on Good Morning America with Robin Roberts on March 16.

EXCLUSIVE: “I think that’s the scariest part about this virus is that you may seem fine.” @NBA star @spidadmitchell speaks out for the first time from isolation since being diagnosed with COVID-19, despite being “asymptomatic.” https://t.co/i9rZzYvW4s pic.twitter.com/wZJBteQjtV

— Good Morning America (@GMA) March 16, 2020

“To be honest with you, Robin, it took a while, for me to kinda cool off,” said Mitchell. “I read what he said and I heard what he said. You know, I’m glad he’s doing okay.”

Since that date, when it comes to team politics, mum has been the word from the third-year guard.

For some Jazz fans, the silence has been deafening. The usually outspoken Mitchell’s role as the voice of the locker room has been put through the wringer for not directly addressing the problem. The first-year All-Star has become a frequent target on social media from Jazz fans beckoning the guard to bridge the gap with his teammate.

Be a leader. Call Rudy.

— Todd G (@toddgbarrow) April 11, 2020

Certainly, Mitchell’s silence has been a departure from his typically gregarious personality. But maybe, just maybe, Jazz fans should recognize that the guard’s suddenly muted approach is the best sign of his leadership to date.

Just as Gobert’s well-crafted response on Instagram Live didn’t provoke a specific response from Mitchell, Mitchell’s silence hasn’t burdened anyone within the franchise more so than it has himself.

Though Mitchell’s blank slate approach allowed basketball fans to interpret his feelings however they’d like, he didn’t pigeonhole himself, or any of his teammates by making an ill-timed statement in the heat of the moment.

The history of the NBA is littered with marred relationships plagued by its players falling victim to emotional responses, rather than patient approaches to inevitable disagreements.

Kobe Bryant once asked the Los Angeles Lakers to trade him, just years after his public spat with Hall of Fame center Shaquille O’Neal prematurely ended the last great Lakers dynasty.

Dwight Howard’s trade demand from the Orlando Magic broke up a roster that had made the Finals just three seasons earlier.

Growth opportunities for NBA franchises are regularly derailed by much more insignificant issues than the one the Jazz are facing now. By remaining silent, Mitchell has left the team’s growth potential open-ended, rather than dooming it to a point of no return.

No, the Jazz won’t escape this spat unscathed, and the fractures in the foundation that exist in every professional locker room appear more apparent for the organization under this microscope.

However, Jazz fans should find solace in how the team’s two best players have handled this unexpected situation, even if they adopted a different approach.

In a perfect world, Mitchell and Gobert would connect on all fronts, but the team will be better served by having two leaders who aren’t friends, rather than two friends who aren’t leaders.