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What the ‘Experts’ think
Posted by: Chad on June 17th, 2011
The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of the Utah Jazz.Saw this on ESPN and this is what some people think who we should take with the #3 pick:
Jay Aych, The Painted Area: Utah should go for Jan Vesely, a great athlete, solid defender and good ball handler for his size. Erratic shooter, but his form is correctable. He’s a good fit with the Jazz, particularly if they continue to run flex sets offensively, as Vesely is a great finisher off cuts and a reliable post-up threat off of cross-screen action.
Hayes Davenport, CelticsHub.com: Enes Kanter. They want a point guard, but Brandon Knight’s future as a distributor is iffy at best; Kanter’s a much safer pick in a draft in which safety is an exotic resource. He’s huge with a shooting touch, and his rebounding and free throw rate translate well. Plus, John Calipari, Knight’s own college coach, prefers Kanter. He’s trustworthy, right? No?
Patrick Hayes, Piston Powered.com: The Jazz have talented players under contract in the frontcourt in Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap, but unfortunately, both are undersized. Jonas Valanciunas makes them significantly bigger and, hopefully down the road. His hands and ability to catch and finish in the paint would be a nice complement next to Millsap or Jefferson.
John Krolik, Cavs: The Blog: Kanter has serious skills, and a Derrick Favors/Kanter frontcourt could be an exciting foundation to build around. This recommendation comes with the hopes that the Jazz can find some way to get rid of Al Jefferson, who destroys every defense he touches, and that local favorite Jimmer Fredette will be available for the Jazz at the No. 12 spot.
Michael McNamara, Hornets 247: Most people will say Knight or Walker here, but I am not a fan of going strictly for need with a top-three pick. I know that Utah already has a nice trio of big men, but it never hurts to add another one. I’d take Enes Kanter and grab a point guard with pick No. 12 or on the free-agent market (Mario Chalmers?).
Pretty much everyone has us taking a Big with the 3 which i’m not sure if we should or not. What do you guys think?
Also here’s the link to see what they think picks 1-5 will be
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2011/news/story?page=5-on-5-110617
Replies: 14
Views: 1057
14 Responses
I think Kanter is the most ready of the three bigs. What I was impressed was at the combine he stayed on the bike longer than anyone. Usually the smaller guys do that. Also losing Elson, Fess, and maybe Okur a big would fit. If Cavs or Wolves do not take him I would go for it.
Chad, I like Brandon Knight a lot but a healthy Enes Kanter is tough to pass on. KOC will likely go in this direction with our #3 pick next week. Depending on how the early picks pan out, we could find ourselves in a desirable position at #12… I hope so.
It is possible, although unlikely, that KOC could make an attempt to land Brandon Knight via a trade up; however, the price could be high. Yes Patrick… we are in agreement on this one.
Please, no Jimmer with our second pick in the first round. We are not in a position to take such a risk with this valuable pick. Just my take.
The more I read and look at the draft prospects, I think one of the euro bigs could really help us. Vesely is gonna be a SF, which is a need. But Kanter, Valanciunas, or even Monteijunas could help. Plus Monteijunas will still be around at 12. Or we can shop the third pick and see what established players may come our way. The Jazz have many options and should consider all of them carefully.
Euros need to fix their contract situations first, or they should not be considered. Sorry, but Veseley or Valanciunas two seasons down the road does not help us. We are drafting for now, not just the future.
Kanter helps us in two positions, not only one. Knight could be a solid guy, landing both would be awsome. Vesely could be an issue, his hands are aweful. Leonard might be the safer pick. If you want a SF with the first pick you trade down, and get something in addition to it, then draft Leonard.
Bill, darn, I like debating with you. You keep me thinking. LOL
Yeah, I think Kanter’s not a bad choice at all or Knight. But if the Jazz are seriously thinking of taking Fredette, it’s not a bad idea to take Kanter. He can shoot free throws and jump shots and can get up and down the court.
I’m not an expert, but I still predict the Jazz end up drafting Brandon Knight.
I agree with most of the experts. I would take Kanter or Vessley becasuse they would immediately help with the horrendous 26th ranking in rebounding that the Jazz had last year. I think that Jonas comes with too much baggage and might end up having problems with a buyout of his euro contract. I don’t think that Knight is that much of an upgrade of a PG over Harris, he is a Shoot first, Pass later PG and I don’t think that will change. He only avereaged 4.2 APG last year, that was the same ammount as Jimmer Freddette and all of the experts are talking down the fact that Jimmer is not a true PG because of this fact, yet Jimmer almost doubled Knights PPG and Jimmer offers what Jason Terry and JJ Barea gave to the Mavs this year, an undersized PG who is fast, drives defenses crazy and can shoot the lights out all over the court. I say take a big at the #3 and Freddette at #12.
Ha Ha I read this on ESPN earlier today and I think the only thing that is “likely” with this draft is that its likely that no one has any idea what they are talking about. Who knows who we will pick. Everyone that you all mentioned could be a good pick. I lean more towards knight because I think you know what you are getting but whatever. I agree with St. Patrick though, no euros until there is a guaranteed buyout. Not just a buyout in place but a guarantee from the player that he is willing to fork over the dough to come to the NBA.
Add my name to the list of the “No Euros until there is a guaranteed buyout.” With what Patrick said the Jazz need these players now not two years or maybe never(Tomic).I see where Jimmer has been invited to the “Green Room.”
Anyone else think that the shot at big al was a little uncalled for? He’s one of our best offensive options and his defense isn’t nearly as terrible as that guy made it sound. Not the greatest on help defense, but man to man he’s not bad. Good shot blocker. I take everything the ‘experts’ in the national media say about the Jazz with a grain of salt. A big one.
Kaleb, I think the shot at Al Jefferson was totally uncalled for. Al is a significant player/major asset for the Utah Jazz. I don’t want to think about what would have happened to us last year without Big Al. Just my take.
Patrick, thankyou/likewise. Just my take.
Here is another article from ESPN saying why the Jazz should stay away from Brandon Knight. He is too raw of a PG and not that great of a defender. Stay away from Brandon Knight!
http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/30332/get-to-the-point-knight-vs-walker
You know I hate those articles about who to stay away from. Heck there is at least a few written on every player except Irving, which baffles me since he has worked out for one team, missed half last season due to injury and some have questioned if Knight isnt the better guard. Not saying that is the case, just repeating a nasty rumor. It will get worse as we get closer to the draft, helping to throw even more confusion on stuff.
I am not selling Knight, just saying if you look at his pre draft workouts, no one had anything bad to say. He impressed everyone just like Freddette did. In fact, there are many kids that went and did quite well at workouts, but someone, somewhere spills a little dirt out there, and everyone eats it up. Isnt it funny how even when you see something good with your own eyes, one person saying something negative gets you wondering if what you saw is correct?
I am excited for this draft, I will be somewhat happy at the end of the month when we can take a break from the uncertain and unknown. Lets hope KOC has most his work done by then.