SALT LAKE CITY — Today's practice featured some drama from national media, as Gordon Hayward argued against Colin Cowherd, and Quin Snyder disagreed with Kevin Pelton. All of the relevant info and quotes are below.

Hayward's video game interview

Gordon Hayward really did burn Colin Cowherd a couple of days ago after Cowherd hosted a segment on his show titled "eSports is for booger-eaters." Hayward responded in kind:

Hold up...@ColinCowherd is making fun of gamers for being dorks? People in glass houses... pic.twitter.com/L5UjhErkyT — Gordon Hayward (@gordonhayward) September 30, 2015

On Thursday, Hayward went on Cowherd's show for about 10 minutes to talk about the issue.

"I had to go on the show and set him straight," Hayward said. "He was saying some ridiculous things, for sure."

Cowherd admitted he was stereotyping but never quite backed off of his initial statements.

In terms of his basketball game, Hayward is more assertive than ever. Asked whether he considers himself one of the top players in the NBA at his position, Hayward responded, "I look at myself as one of the best in the league, period."

"You look at the top guys at their position, and they all help their team win, more than anything. Some of that means scoring, some of that means assists, rebounds, whatever. I need to do whatever it takes to win."

On defensive scheme tweaks

On Wednesday, Derrick Favors said head coach Quin Snyder had implemented some tweaks in the defensive system the Jazz are running.

"I wanted to see where our habits are, and you don't want to change something for the sake of changing it," Snyder said. "But there have been some situations where I felt like we can play things a little different, or maybe have another option or two.

"A lot of the things we did defensively last year, there was a plan, but sometimes it was on gamedays that we were working on new actions. This is the first time that we've had an extended period of time to reinforce those things. I'm glad Fav noticed.

"I don't want to overcoach it. I think the biggest thing for our guys is to connect and to be instinctive. I think with handling situations, sometimes that are unique to different teams. For me, it's about how we play a certain action. For me, it's looking for actions across the league that are prevalent."

Elijah Millsap kerfuffle

Kevin Pelton released his player profiles for the Utah Jazz's squad, and as usual, they're really well-written. One note, though, threw off Jazz fans and commentators alike.

About Utah's guard Elijah Millsap, Pelton wrote: "Nonetheless, Millsap lost the trust of the Utah coaching staff and appears a long shot to make the roster this season."

That didn't ring true to me, having talked to those in the organization, both the front office and the coach staff, for months about Millsap. I asked Snyder on the record Thursday.

"Totally false. Elijah's played really well," Snyder said. "I talked to Elijah like once a week all summer."

You'll sometimes see tight-lipped organizations deny true reports, but that's not what happened here. In no way has Millsap lost the trust of Jazz coaches. In fact, Snyder praised his improved passing and on-court decision-making ability. I think there's a very miniscule chance he's cut come regular season.

Short turnaround

The Jazz have a relatively short turnaround before their preseason game. Only six NBA teams have games before Oct. 4, the date of the Jazz's matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers in Hawaii. That's not very much time to get together a scheme on offense and defense to use for 48 minutes.

Snyder said he'd prefer a longer period between start of training camp and the first game.

"As a coach, I'd like to wait three weeks, but it has benefits too," Snyder said. "I think it's a good opportunity to have an unusual stretch in an unusual place."

Asked about the team's activities in the tropical paradise of Hawaii, Snyder said,

"I think some of it can help us as a team too," he said. "I'm not saying Gordon and Fav have to go for a long swim together to bond, but I would like to see Alec hula."

Quick notes

Snyder: "Derrick (Favors) has practiced harder than maybe anyone."

Snyder: "Rudy (Gobert) had one of his best practices today, in terms of really being precise."

Snyder on the starters for Sunday: "Looking at different lineups, I want to have some depth. However we manage that. ... It's going to depend on situationally. I don't think our team is going to bed at night thinking, 'I wonder if I'm going to start.' They may think it during the afternoon, but I think about it too because I want to find the right combinations.

And this might be the most I've heard Snyder sound like former Jazz coach Jerry Sloan: "I know it's an important thing to have your name called, to walk out and to have lights and smoke and everything, but there are plenty of lights at the end of the game too."

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