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My “One-and-Only” Jazz Draft Predictions
Posted by: Landon J on June 6th, 2011
The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of the Utah Jazz.It’s easy to see that the only thing people will talk about right now is the upcoming draft. I can’t go to the Jazz Facebook page, website, or UJ360 without getting blasted with opinions about who the Jazz should and shouldn’t draft. Too bad we can’t be talking about how the Jazz are doing in the Finals! (But hopefully, someday we will!)
So, I decided that I would write one blog – just one – about my Jazz draft hopes and predictions. Here we go!
I was blown away while watching the draft lottery. They got to the sixth or seventh pick (I can’t remember) and said that a team other than the Jazz had that pick. There was a moment of silence, and then, surprised, they said “And that means the Jazz will have a top three pick!” Meanwhile, the camera was focused on Kevin O’Connor, who was also jumping for joy (NOT!!!) I couldn’t believe it. I immediately assumed that we would only be lucky enough to have the 3rd pick, and we did, but I’d say we definitely (and finally) lucked out!
So what will the Jazz do with their picks? I have a few hopes and predictions. Here they are in no particular order:
1. For the 3rd pick, the Jazz draft a point guard. We all know they will draft the “best” available player, and it’s safe to assume that it would be one of the several top-rated point guards. Then, I think they would trade their 12th pick along with a guard (Devin Harris) to another team for a veteran player who can be a consistent leader. Think about how young we’re going to become. We could use a veteran or a developed player who can give us an immediate boost.
2. The Jazz draft a big man with the 3rd pick, and either use their 12th pick for a 2 or 3. But here’s my opinion on getting a big man… The Jazz already have Jefferson, Favors, and Millsap. Along with Evans and Okur (who knows how much they’ll play…) It seems like a good idea to me for the Jazz to draft a center because of the fact that Okur will soon be out and Jefferson would only have Favors or Fesenko to back him up. I would assume Favors will play the 4, so we definitely could use a big center backup. So where does Millsap fit in? Well that’s the problem. I won’t say he doesn’t fit, because he still does and should. But not as a starter. Millsap would make an incredible sixth-man. Every great team has a great bench, and most great teams have a great sixth-man. Millsap is undersized. He’s a great player, and deserves a starting role. But after about the first fourty games of the season, Millsap was worn out! It’s tough to be an undersized power forward, and even tougher when you may need to play at the 3. This is why Favors should start and Millsap should come right off the bench. We’d have a consistent, and dominant PF at all times.
3. The Jazz get a big man with either the 3rd pick or a trade, and Millsap is gone. I really don’t want to see Millsap go. It would be like the pain when Deron left, but without reason to believe he should leave. We’ve all watched him become who he is and he’s always seemed to love Utah back. But that’s part of why we would trade him. Who wouldn’t want Millsap? He’s a hard worker, a reliable scorer, and always gets better (especially when he was Boozer’s backup off the bench!). Millsap would be great for making a trade to receive somebody in return. It would take some real work to pull of a deal that is fair for both teams, but I could honestly see somebody like Kevin Love in a Jazz uniform. What if Millsap was packaged with a draft pick and it brought us another big man. It’s definitely a logical option, but it really would be sad to see him go.
4. Jazz draft for trade bait. This is also very unlikely, but possible. The Jazz could draft the best possible player purposely for trading to another team for a player that we need. Maybe they’d even draft Jimmer just to trade him to a team that wants him enough to give some valuable player up. (But man, would we have a lot of mad fans!) It’s definitely something to think about…
So those are my somewhat-random thoughts on how this draft could turn out. I really don’t care too much about how they do it, as long as it makes the team better. I say it all the time and will again: The Jazz need to be a championship team, and not just a winning team. That’s what the goal of the Thunder is, and you can tell. A year ago, we all said they were too young. But they don’t just care about having the security and comfort of winning, they care about being the best. It’s time for the Jazz to build a championship team, and hopefully, we can do it as fast as the Thunder are!
Replies: 4
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4 Responses
Again. I am glad KOC is calling the shots.
LK do you hate championships?
^^^^ I’m joking by the way ^^^^
@Kevin: I was at the old Salt Palace when Ron Boone and Zelmo Beaty won the ABA championship.Got to watch Dr. J in his prime too. Aris Gilmour “fro” was kind of neat too. Would like to se Favors and Hayward bring it on home now..