New acquisitions Ed Davis, Jeff Green excited to help Utah Jazz on quest for NBA championship
SALT LAKE CITY — In the early days of Ed Davis' NBA career almost a decade ago, he noticed that older players often wanted to play together.
He didn't really understand then why that was the case, but as he gets ready for his 10th NBA season and first with the Utah Jazz, he's come to understand how having an experienced group can create a winning environment.
"At this stage of my career, I wanted to play on a veteran team, a team that has a chance to contend for a title at the end of the year," he said Friday morning about why he signed with the Jazz as he and fellow new acquisition Jeff Green were introduced to the media at Zions Bank Basketball Campus.
Green echoed the sentiment that Utah can be such a squad.
"With the personnel that they were building on this team, the opportunity to win — which is most important — it was a no-brainer," said the 12-year veteran.
Both Davis and Green were encouraged to come to Utah by a third veteran on the team who will be playing his first season with the Jazz in Mike Conley. Both previously played with Conley on the Memphis Grizzlies (Davis was on the team from 2012-2014 while Green was from 2014-2016).
"It's just a friendship that's been going since my time in Memphis," said Green, who added that his wife Stephanie and Conley's wife Mary have become good friends and they have children the same age. "He's a good guy. He's somebody who's going to be there for you and always lend a helping hand. That's a good friend and a good teammate."
Davis said Conley "was one of the reasons why I made the decision so quick."
Although Conley's presence in Utah was a big reason both decided to join the Jazz, Davis and Green said the organization as a whole is respected around the NBA despite the fact it's never really been a prime free-agent destination.
"You really don't hear about a bunch of BS happening and not really a bunch of players coming in and out," Davis said. "A lot of consistency. I just always look at this organization as a team that every year, they're respected, they're going to fight, be in the playoffs."
Kristin Murphy, Deseret News
New Utah Jazz forward Jeff Green and center/forward Ed Davis pose for a photo with their jerseys during a press conference at the Zions Bank Basketball Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 26, 2019.
Said Green: "You've got an organization that fights for their players, and you've got players who fight for the city and the organization. They battle together. I'm going on 13 years (in the league). It's been that way every year."
Davis signed a two-year deal for about $5 million per season, while Green signed a minimum deal for one year. That topic brought out some frank comments from Green, who has now signed minimum deals the past three offseasons.
"At the end of the day, I'm blessed to be playing basketball, but I do look at it as motivation to continue to work, continue to prove a lot of people wrong, and I think it's fine," he said.
In terms of how they'll fit on the court with the Jazz, Davis is a voracious rebounder who will likely play as Rudy Gobert's primary backup, while Green is a forward who can space the floor and defend on the perimeter.
As much as Green joined the Jazz in search of a championship, he imagines he'll also be able to play one other role as someone who made the NBA Finals in 2018 with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"Being a vet, knowing that it's going to be about reliving the experiences of the Finals," he said. "How do you get there? What's it going to take?"
Those are questions Utah certainly seems ready to start answering soon.