After he was benched the entire fourth quarter a few nights ago — where he had good seats to watch Derrick Favors lead a comeback — Al Jefferson waived off reporters and was clearly frustrated. Since he didn’t even get put back in for overtime when other players did, the reasoning seemed clear.
But it’s all good. We don’t know why you even think there’s a problem with him and new coach Ty Corbin. That’s what he told the Deseret News. As always, it’s the media making stuff up."(Coach) made a joke about it earlier,” he said, “and I kind of got upset because I really hate it when people put words in my mouth or say that I’m upset about something.”
“Besides this cold I got, I got no problem. I’m not upset about nothing, especially with coach,” Jefferson said. “I think coach is doing a wonderful job. I don’t know. I guess that just it — people don’t have nothing else to write about. They just want to make up some stuff. I don’t have no problem with coach.”
“I have a right to be upset. We just lost a game that we should’ve won,” Jefferson said. “I was more upset for the simple fact that the young guys played hard and get us back into the game and push it in overtime and lose, but not one time did I say I was upset with coach or anybody else.”
Jefferson talking to the media was purely coincidentally right after GM Kevin O’Conner said told the told the Utah media that players would speak to them because that’s part of the players job.
For the rest of the season, Jefferson may be watching a lot more and playing less. The Jazz are out of playoff contention and young guys like Favors are going to get a lot of run to try and develop the and get them used to the Jazz system. But Jefferson is good with that. He says so.
