Did we blow the draft?

• checkers said 2 years, 10 months ago:

  it is easy to understand why the jazz community would hesitate to embrace hayward.

  his basketball profile didn’t garner national attention until march.

  however, if you do some research you will find that hayward is more than legit.

  on draft night i posted a note on the jazz facebook page only to declare that the fans out in salt lake are in for a big surprise.

  all of the critics will be eating their own words.

  two years ago, he was winning a state h.s. championship, a year ago he led the u.s. to an international title and last year he had his team in the national championship game.

  gordon hayward “hates to lose.”

  over the past two days he’s contributed to the team, 20 minutes a game.

  he put up solid numbers today.

  once he lets loose, you will see the killer instinct the baby face boy has.

  you are in for a big treat.

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• Andrew said 2 years, 10 months ago:

  i think its a good pick. at first i had no idea and hadnt even heard his name before but i knew the front office wouldnt be trying to make a bad pick. the more i hear the better i feel about this pick. we just need to work out how to get the big that everyone knows we need. i have confidence that koc and the millers know exactly what they are doing and will find a good fit for the team pretty soon.

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• Jupit Crush said 2 years, 10 months ago:

  Agree with Chase – people can cry all they want about not getting a big, but the fact is all that were left were Ostertags-in-training. The more I see of Hayward, the more excited I get. He puts on weight and he’ll be gold – tall and very mobile and he’s got that “I can’t believe I’m here, I’m going to work hard” attitude instead of the Cole Aldrich “I’m all bad” mentality (not to mention dumb and ugly). How about taking his team that far in the ncaa tournament too? Great pick – all for Hayward here.

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• Chase said 2 years, 10 months ago:

  What the Jazz didn’t need is blowing a number 9 pick on a big who plays like a 15-20 pick. We took the best there was and we are a much better team for it right now. Hopefully that stays true over time. Bigs will come if we look hard enough.

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• Adam Funk said 2 years, 10 months ago:

  yeah tyler the jazz also needed a big defender so they could contend with the lakers since they have andrew bynum, pau gasol, and lamar odom…

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• Tyler Asay said 2 years, 10 months ago:

  the jazz were looking for rebounding off the wing and also someone who can shoot at the same time i think that Hayward was a good pick other then the fact that we have to many wings this means that korver is gone… i like the pick other then the fact that this pick is not what the team needed we needed a big who could help in length

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• Keith said 2 years, 10 months ago:

  The bigs that were left on the board when the Jazz were up wouldn’t have been an of an upgrade over Fes. Deron is gone in a couple of years if this team doesn’t make some improvement. We CAN NOT start over with another project big. They have some assets that they can use to make a trade or look to FA. I’m 110% sure that KOC is not that stupid that he can’t see we need a center.

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• JC said 2 years, 10 months ago:

  Good point Jackson; this does open up the free agency flood gates doesn’t it. where else are we going to fill in our gaps on the frontline?

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• Jackson Dunkley said 2 years, 10 months ago:

  I think the pick is an indication that management recognise their need for a big and wanted an experienced centre rather than a rook. Bierdrins, Gortat, Jefferson et al, guys who can contribute straight away and be relied upon are worth more than anyone of the bigs that were still on the board.

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• Alex Burnett said 2 years, 10 months ago:

  I do not believe the Jazz blew the draft. Hayward is extremely talented. I can’t wait to see him on the court.
  To all the “haters”: You may not think the Jazz need Hayward, and I somewhat agree, but honestly, what’s done is done. He’s a part of the team now, so the only thing one can do is support him.
  Welcome to the Jazz Hayward.

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• Andrew said 2 years, 10 months ago:

  At first i thought we did blow it. We are in Need for a big man. But when you think about it. Korver’s set to make around 5-6 mill if he resigns. That can be saved for Boozer. Plus the possibility of trading AK and his $17 mill he’s set to make next season.

  Only time will tell throughout free agency.

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• JC said 2 years, 10 months ago:

  in retrospect, he is a very smart player that can play all over the floor. I don’t know why people think he’s as slow as Adam Morrison was/is, but he could be something special. (yes, i’ve come full circle)

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• VCCV said 2 years, 10 months ago:

  Wow, everyone is so blinded by their want for a big man! That guy was Monroe or possibly Al-Faroq Aminu and they were taken! The big players left were just big dummies. I would rather have a promising, athletic, inteligent, skinny Gordon Hayward, than a big idiot like Cole Aldridge. Go Jazz!

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• Mark Wahlen said 2 years, 10 months ago:

  My favorite part about the draft is that I was the guy who was saying we should take Patterson from the beginning (everyone thought I was crazy) and now that we didn’t get him, everyone is freaking out. I don’t think we could have really done much better than we did with how the draft played out. I was a big fan of Patterson or Xavier Henry but the Jazz decided to take a reach since they were playing with house money and Hayward was probably the best guy to take a chance on. He will fit the team well and he fit a team need, Sloan won’t have any problems coaching him, he knows how to win and he has buckets of potential. I can’t say that I love the pick yet but I for sure don’t hate it either; I just like it for now.

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• Chusmer said 2 years, 10 months ago:

  I agree with Doubleburke. Booz is in, Korver out? I like Gordon.

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