Ace Bailey’s Utah Rejection Another Bad Sign for Sports Fans

Ace Bailey’s Utah Rejection Another Bad Sign for Sports Fans

steve I’m going to switch up final topic for you here i thought it was interesting based off some conversation we had earlier this week player empowerment and the imbalance uh that no one looks out for a fan perspective ace Bailey one of the top draft picks would have been one of the top two or three draft picks uh in this last NBA draft but he wouldn’t work out for any teams and he uh had a preferred list of teams he wanted to play for i believe the is the kid from Ruckers the Washington Wizards the Pelicans and the Brooklyn Nets were his three preferred teams he ends up going uh to the Utah Jazz most people believe that he and his agents told the New York Jazz or New York the Utah Jazz not to select him and they selected him anyway danny A and his son refusing to be bullied here’s Brian Windhorse talking about Ace Bailey and what’s going on with the Jazz he did not fly to Utah yesterday like their other first round draft pick people don’t know how this is going to play out he may try to force his way out of Utah but here’s Brian Windhorse breaking it down jada I have to hit it one more time
what’s going on in Utah
ace Bailey selected there and look I like him maybe more than others do he can really play he can really make buckets but there’s so much question about does he want to be there like what what’s your sense of that okay so he very clearly was trying to guide himself to certain places in the draft and he very clearly didn’t have Utah on that list now Jonathan Gavone reported earlier that at least one of the teams in the top five was told and maybe more than one but we know at least one was told “If you draft my client he is not going to report.” Okay he did not go to Utah today walter Clayton their other first round draft pick did go to Utah today now the Jazz have said that’s not an issue they allow their players to go their new players to go home but he will be expected to be there on Monday when their summer league training camp begins so let’s see but one thing I will tell you with confidence Danny A and his son Austin are not going to bend here they are not going to get pushed around they do not care with what this situation might bring so the idea that they are going to pressure the Jazz into something I don’t think will be successful for Ace Bailey and his operation but let’s see how the next 72 hours plays out
i want to just follow with this because again I watched him play a ton for Ruckers and I like him but this seems kind of ridiculous to me like he’s good but he’s not this good to be trying to dictate to people don’t take me like what the hell is that well look first off let me just say maybe he goes to Utah is at that first practice on Monday and is ready to go and everything is fine but I will just say the Jazz pretty much tanked last season and then they got terrible luck in the lottery to go all the way back to fifth they were hoping to get one of those top two picks then they had the circumstances come out where one of the top three most talented players on most people’s estimation and boards was there at five they have to take that player there Scott they are not in position with where they are with their roster in the competition in the Western Conference to let a talented player like that go by so they’ve got to do it and if it leads to a couple of weeks or a couple of months hopefully not of a little bit uncomfort they will deal with it because that’s what they have to do as organization right now I want to go back to what I think we talked about yesterday or it certainly was the day before fans no one cares about the fans and players dictating to this degree where they play and I know it’s gone on before i believe Stevie Francis uh forced his way to Houston maybe it was Vancouver that took him and so we’ve seen this before but now I think the players have even more leverage because Ace Bailey was willing to fall in the draft to get where he wanted or to avoid where he didn’t want to go and one of the reasons he’s able to do that is cuz he probably pocketed $23 million in NIL money last year playing for Ruckers and so it it’s these players have incredible leverage there’ll be a lot of fans oh yeah screw the owners and they should be able to play where this isn’t good for fans and I particularly feel sympathy for Utah Jazz fans in a league where it’s just well they’re racist in Utah and why would a black player want to play in Utah and people throw sympathy out the window i I I just this is not good so Ace Bailey doesn’t want to become the next thorough Bailey what a shame those are nice people in Utah really they they’re good people over there but Jason uh you talk about Stevie Franchise remember Danny Ferry didn’t Danny Ferry get drafted really high by the Clippers and he said Ariadi and he went to Italy or something he played in Europe and then eventually over time the Clippers were forced to make this really good trade where they ended up getting a package of players which included a prime high-flying Ron Harper and quite frankly the Cavaliers were never the same after that trade in my view i give A credit and his son they are sticking by their guns they’re going to look Ace Bailey can feel however he wants he can do whatever he wants as an individual the organization has a right to say “No we’re still going to pick you.” And it’s interesting that this comes up because earlier this week or several days ago ESPNU replayed one of my favorite 30 for30s Elway to Marino you remember that one Jason it was in the perspective of Marvin Demoff who had both John Elway and then Dan Marino who slid all the way to the end of the first but the main story line is that the Elways the father and the son said we’re not playing for Frank Kush and Ersi and they went through the whole process the Colts while still in Baltimore drafted him and Ernie of coursey the GM said hold on this is my job i’m drafting John Elway it’s the greatest prospect ever and they ended up I don’t know if they put him up for auction but they took a deal that was okay they got a very good player and Chris Hinton and a couple of draft choices but they probably turned down other good deals my view is this the NBA and the league and the Utah Jazz have to draw a line you hold on to Bailey if he wants to sit out the whole dog on year let him because I know he made some NIL money but Jason what were what were the famous lines from the philosopher from Georgetown Patrick Ewing yeah we make a lot of money but we spend a lot of money the guy still has to work Jason he still has to work money in money out
i agree danny A is talking tough now
yes go
i’m not sure if he’ll be able to uh hold on to all that tough talk i think he’s going to have to f they’ll have to trade him uh at some point and they probably won’t get equal value trust me I remember Chris Hinton he was a very good offensive lineman very good had Hall of Fame type talent
had Hall of Fame but that don’t make up for uh
John Elway and I’m not calling this kid John Elway but they’re not going to get uh the uh equal compensation and and I I get it they I agree with Windhorse’s argument like “Hey look where we’re at
ace Bailey falls into our lap and we had him as the number two or three prospect in this draft we we got to take him.”
But overall again I just go back to like man this sports world
it has no concern for fans it none fans are last on the totem pole and the fan experiences last on the totem pole and I just wonder how long that is sustainable that the cut and and and it may be more sustainable than you think because I’m telling you as I look out at America and what they’ve done to capitalism and we think we’re working in this free market competitive environment and no we’re not no one cares about the customer anymore cuz trust me if they cared about the customer everything wouldn’t be locked under behind glass at Walmart or any of these convenience stores you go into we’d actually the police would be policing shoplifting would go down and and these stores would be e but no one cares everything now is about messaging and agenda and and that’s where the customer which that’s all fans are we’re just customers we get put on the back burner i There was part of me that thought you can’t keep the these professional sports can’t keep dumping on fans maybe they can m maybe maybe they can maybe it just doesn’t it doesn’t matter anymore
jason I want to make this point i was thinking about this um the Utah Jazz have had some very good black players that had long careers there obviously Carl Malone Thoroughl Bailey Daryl Griffith Ricky Green um Antoine Carr Darren Williams i could be wrong and if I am I’ll resend this comment but how many of those black players said “God I hated Utah i could not wait to get out it was torture.” I I I mean honestly a lot of them seem to kind of enjoy it the peace the solitude the fact that it was the game in town you had an exalted position now maybe there were some incidents of road players i get it that happens but it seemed to me but my recollection most of the Utah Jazz main stays who were black did not hate Utah or Salt Lake City or in fact I would say they actually enjoyed their experience with that franchise in City when you’re keep in mind who those guys were they were 21 22 years of age when they arrived in Utah these guys now are 18 or 19 these guys now are showing up with pockets full of money bank accounts that are in much better shape than when Carl Malone arrived in Utah and so there was a level of gratitude hey I’m just in the league they’re paying me a bunch of money this is great i can do this or that for my family now expectations now have all been elevated and there’s an expectation the way they’re supposed to be treated and so these guys now think hey I want to be in a city where you know I’m a 15minute drive from some nightclub that will play that kind of profanity lace hip-hop music that I love and and Utah it’s a bit more difficult it it it’s not this it’s the entertainment options and particularly entertainment that fits your worldview you’re saying strip club you want to say strip club just say it there may not be strip clubs in Salt Lake City just say it Jason just blurt it out
there are there are but they’re not nearly as good as the ones in Atlanta or Florida yeah well the talent’s not the same come on don’t miss a second of Fearless hit that like button and subscribe to keep up with our latest content [Music]

Top NBA prospect Ace Bailey’s decision to spurn Utah in favor of other opportunities has raised eyebrows, signaling potential concerns for sports fans about the state of player-team alignments. His rejection of Utah, a franchise seeking to rebuild, underscores broader trends of young athletes prioritizing bigger markets or better fits, leaving smaller-market teams and their fans grappling with uncertainty.

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