My Original Draft Thoughts…

Posted by: Generalyummy on June 29th, 2010

The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of the Utah Jazz.

Disappointment.  That is only word that comes to mind after tonights draft events.  I wish it wasn’t.  We have waited for this pick since 2004.  All season long we Jazz fans watched Knick games with just about as much fervor as our own games.  We cheered each time a boneheaded play was made and loved their losing ways.  The more they lost the better our draft pick would be.  But, I really do have a hard time wrapping my head around our choice with the ninth pick this year.  There is nothing wrong with Gordon Hayward.  The kid is a good player.  I will even go so far as to say he would fit in our system.  He spreads the floor, and is athletic enough to not just make his shots, but create them and pass off of the dribble.  Some GM’s would argue that he was the ninth best player so the Utah Jazz made a good pick.  But, he wasn’t right for what we needed for one simple fact; he is still a GUARD.  Wasn’t one of our big issues last year the fact that we had 4 guards looking to get playing time.  C.J. Miles, Kyle Korver, Wesley Matthews, and Ronnie Brewer all were fighting for minutes.  We traded away a true Jazz player (hustle and heart) because we had too many bodies for one position. So, with our lottery pick that we have held in our pocket for 6 years, we choose another guard.  Did we need another shooter?  He is basically a better ball handling Kyle Korver.  I’m sorry, but I will take an established shooter over a hopeful shooter everyday.  And I think what most of us wanted was simple enough: another piece to help us beat the Lakers.  For the last 3 years, their length has taken us out of the playoffs.  We have no answer for it.  There were options to help us there, but we didn’t take them.  We will probably lose Boozer, which I was all for as long as we picked another big to come in behind Millsap.  That will no longer happen.  Now we have no big in development with the draft, we have no market to offer big free agents, and don’t have the money to keep our own star who I honestly believe wants to stay.  Why?  For a guard.  I have nothing against Hayward, but I just don’t see him getting rebounds with Gasol, Odem, and Bynum surrounding him.  I have always believed that Kevin O’Connor had a plan with these picks, but I really can’t figure this one out.  He asked us to judge him on this pick at the end of 2 years, but I will have a hard time looking past next year’s playoffs against the Lakers.

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One Response

1. JC says:

   June 29, 2010 at 10:13 am

   True; I think it was fate that we were put in this position to draft either Patterson or Hayward.

   I think Hayward can be a good player, but it does bring concerns for our frontcourt in this season. Who will be our bigs?
   - Fesenko
   - Koufos
   - Millsap
   - Okur (but not until January/ February)

   and then who?
   - re-sign Boozer? We aint got no cash
   - Hope the draft pick of jeremy evans pans out? i weigh more than he does.

   we need another Center and PF for the season. who will we snag?