[White ChocolateParticipant]

A Lexington, Kentucky TV station is reporting that Utah Jazz GM Kevin O’Connor watched Enes Kanter work out today.

Kanter would definitely be a great option for the Jazz if they are looking for a center, but if they did draft Kanter in the 5-10 range I believe they would trade Millsap and/or Okur. What are some of your thoughts?

[BKKnicksfanParticipant]

I really wouldn’t understand the pick for me.  I think Utah needs to build with the wings. I’d argue they have the worst group of wings players in the West.

 

Realistically, I think the Jazz are going to have the 8th pick and 13th pick, or in that range. Me personally, I think adding someone like Alec Burks at 8 and Kawhi Leonard at 13 would be ideal.

[OhCanada-Participant]

Dont make a big deal of it, I bet he will see all the Top 10 prospects play sooner or later. Thats his job, and he does his job well.

[bigblackNbeautifulParticipant]

 I want Barnes with our first pick and Hamilton with our second lotto pick. Also I really hope out of all our bigs Al is the one who leaves. As good as numbers as he is putting up and as much as he states he loves utah. He is a black hole.

[butidonthavemoney]

I like the idea of moving Jefferson. Look at how smooth Utah runs their offense when he’s not in the game. Kantar is pretty similar to Jefferson.

If Utah’s going big, they should look at Jonas Valanciunas over Perry Jones, Derrick Williams, Enes Kanter or Jared Sullinger. He brings energy, size, rebounding and defense.

Raja Bell, CJ Miles and Gordon Hayward are all freakishly inconsistent and Andrei Kirilenko is injury-prone. So we’ll probably take a wing player. In that case, I like Harrison Barnes.

Kyrie Irving should be at the top of our draft board though. I’d be more than willing to package our two picks to get him.

[B-ball fanParticipant]

 I wonder if he would do well in Utah at the 3 if Utah is lucky enough to get him with the Nets pick (probably unlikely).  He is similar to Kirilenko in that he doesn’t have a true position and Utah hasn’t relied on big scoring from the 3 in past years.  Jones is a project as he won’t be able to effectively defend or rebound as an NBA 4, at least for his first few years in the league, but Utah could afford to be patient with him and let him develop his perimeter game.  

Any Jazz fans agree or disagree with me? 

[sheltwon3Participant]

I actually think that Favors and Jefferson can make a nice front court of the future for Utah aided by Milsap off the bench.  Okur to me could go so they can get a defensive big man.  They do need to focus of getting a small forward and a lot of them are available.  Mike Dunleavy could probably be signed if the drop AK.

[butidonthavemoney]

Perry Jones would not be a good fit in Utah.

Kirilenko can, and has excelled at playing every position on the floor. He’s played point guard and center this season. Perry Jones is a tall guy who likes to dribble down the court. No position. Vastly overrated in my opinion.

If we’re going to draft a athletic combo forward for potential, I’ll take Jan Vesely over Perry Jones.

[SwatLakeCityParticipant]

 I really think Utah should develop their wings with these potentially 2 lottery picks. Realistically I think it will be one but either way we need to draft 2 wings. AK is hurt all the time and I absolutely having to use either an inconfident rookie who tries to do too much or our 6th man who is very inconsistent consequently allow our bench scoring to disapear. Since this years draft is heavily loaded at the 3 and the 4 positons, Utah should look to first draft a 3, like Harrison Barnes or Terrance Jones. (Perry Jones to me is a lot like Anthony Randolph, tons of potential but has yet to define his game or even develop that potential.) Barnes is kind of the same way but I think the reason why he is "struggling" in North Carolina is because he is not the focal point of an offense nor is he meant to be. He is a great role player ala Luol Deng. Either Barnes or Terrance would be great with that first pick.

The second one is a little harder and it all depends on how we play. I think Utah could around a 15-18 pick for the second one. Who knows who will be around by then so here is my order of who we should draft for that second pick. First if Jordan Hamilton is available draft him, if not then Alec Burks.

This is the end of the 2 guards that I would suggest drafting in the first round. If none of these are available, I would suggest doing something that might seem a little odd to all of you but it would give Utah a possible leader which they desperately need now that they dealt Dwill. Memphis almost traded OJ Mayo at the trade deadline, which to me means they would be willing to deal him in the offseason. He could be quite a player for us. He may be small, but he has the athleticism to lead a team, and the will to do so. I think it would be very smart for Utah to trade this draft pick, along with Raja Bell and Gordon Hayward to Memphis for Mayo. Utah absolutely needs a 2 guard no exceptions. Unfortunately this years draft is not very strong at that position and it doesn’t look like the 2012 draft will have very many either. Those that play the 2 guard are either combo guards or traditionally play more like a 3 than a 2. So if Utah needs a 2 then they need to deal one or more of their current players to get that 2. We do, and we need it badly. Even more so we need a leader to depend on consistently in tight games and improve our team significantly. Memphis is just dangling OJ Mayo in front of the entire league and for a very cheap price. We should go and get him as soon as possible. If it doesn’t look like Hamilton or Burks will be available with our second pick then I would trade it along with Bell and Hayward to get Mayo. 

I would try and trade Millsap but not for a draft pick, but instead for a Center that we can move Big AL to his true position the 4 and have the size necessary to compete with the Lakers and therefore the rest of the league. I’d wait till the offseason to do this and only if there is a legitamate 5 that can play it well. Like maybe Greg Oden, or Marcin Gortat, or Nene, or Marcus Camby, or Tyson Chandler. If not then stick with Millsap and look to trade him by the deadline for the same type of player. 

[PurpleMonkeyDishwasherParticipant]

Unless ther Jazz hit "paydirt" and end of with Irving I wouldn’t start print playoff tickets yet…  it’s not a highly thought of draft at this point.   

[OhCanada-Participant]

Irving isnt that good, I mean Harris is a very good PG and for Irving to be leaps and bounds better then Harris as an NBA Rookie…that would be better then Rose did, Wall is doing, better then Paul did. I dont see that happening, and they probally wouldnt even pick Irving if they had the 1st overall pick.

[butidonthavemoney]

Irving is a much better shooter than Harris. He’s also more poised, a better defender and clearly has more potential.

Basically, this draft is Irving or bust. If he stays another year, this draft is a crapshoot.

[mj23mj23besteverParticipant]

they need a sf who can score so bad i agree that big al and favors are ok at the 4 and 5 bring in barnes and the best available 2 gurad with the other pick

 

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

A team can never have enough good big men, so it would not be problematic to draft Kanter but teams have to do their homework. He hasn’t been playing in games, and the fact that he hasn’t been playing doesn’t alter the condition of his knees. Teams have to get a good look at him. It is hard to gauge a guy who isn’t on the court.

[OhCanada-Participant]

Harris is one of the best defenders in the NBA at his position. Dont you remember his days back with Dallas, he came into the league as a defensive specialist with Josh Howard. If Irving becomes as good as him defensively anytime throughout his career, let alone his rookie year thats saying alot. Teams put up with Harris poor shooting and shot selection due to his distributing and defending abillities. With that said Kyrie has more upside then Harris but Utah is a team that will be trying to build on staying in the playoffs, while reshaping the team. PG isnt as much of a need as SG,  SF, and C is for them.

[CodySLCParticipant]

We wont be drafting Kanter. We have no need for him. We already have a really good 3 man rotation at pf and c. And we have our two bigs of the future in Big Al, and Favors. Im really hoping we snag Harrison Barnes. Irving wont be around when we pick.

[flyboyParticipant]

Just wanting to see a prospect who has sort of been overlooked since he isn’t at Kentucky playing some and whether or not he fits the future roster. I wouldn’t take more out of it than that. I don’t see Utah drafting Kanter unless they can unload one of if not both Jefferson and/or Millsap (likely Jefferson).

[butidonthavemoney]

"Harris is one of the best defenders in the NBA at his position. Dont you remember his days back with Dallas, he came into the league as a defensive specialist with Josh Howard."

I do remember how he was a good defender when he played for Dallas. He hasn’t been a good defender these last few seasons.

[apb540Participant]

I have seen the Nets play a ton and Harris is not anything special on the defensive end.  Overal though, he is a good player so it really doesn’t make a lot of sense to take him over Harrison Barnes.  Barnes fits a need, and although this is no longer the popular opinion, I still believe he can be the best player to come out of this draft.  How often do you see a 6-8 freshman who can play in a high profile environment like UNC, play great defense, has the mid-range AND the 3-ball in his skill set along with being able to drive, athletic as hell, and isn’t full of himself??

[CodySLCParticipant]

Theirs no doubt Harris can play. He’s super quick and a good scorer. And has been making plays for others this year. He’s been an allstar. He’s also struggled with injurys. He probably also picked up some bad habits in NJ. But if he can stay healthy play good D and keep passing the ball well.  He will only improve in Utah and looks like he’s the man at pg, atleast for a few years. And he’s looked pretty good so far. Also his contract his about half the size of Deron Williams. He not the same player but he’s still a good pg. That being said i dont know if the Jazz would turn down Irving if he was avilable.

And yes hopfully Barnes will slip down to the Jazz. I dont see the Nets being all that better this year. Deron has beening stuggling all year with a wrist injury. Im hoping we can get the 5th or 6th overall this year. And who knows it might not pan out in this years draft. But if we get someone on the wing who can average 15 and 5 + in a few years that would make our team alot better. Our biggest weakness is at sg. We also could use an upgrade at sf.

Finally Al Jefferson is a beast. And we are lucky to have him in Utah. He’s a great competitor and you can tell he wants to win when he’s out there playing. Without his presence in the middle and being able to play the center postion we would be a lower tear team. Anyone who honestly thinks he should be traded is nuts. I like him better than Boozer. He’s not quite the rebounder, but a much better scorer with his back to the basket. And can acutally get more than 1/2 a block a game.

 

[HitsterParticipant]

The Jazz have moved Koufos so could take a young big as Okur expires next summer. With two draft picks they can look at a possible trade up if the Nets pick isn’t in the top 3 via the lottery or fill out the roster in two positions. A lot depends on whether AK47 stays as the obvious needs would be an SG/SF, a SF/PF or a PG.

[HitsterParticipant]

The Jazz have moved Koufos so could take a young big as Okur expires next summer. With two draft picks they can look at a possible trade up if the Nets pick isn’t in the top 3 via the lottery or fill out the roster in two positions. A lot depends on whether AK47 stays as the obvious needs would be an SG/SF, a SF/PF or a PG.

[The lake show2]

Why exactly would they have to trade Milsap or Jefferson?.. Is it against the NBA law to have more than two good big men? And its not a given that Kanter will even do that well. The jazz looked pretty good when they had Milsap,Boozer,A, and Okur( and to a smaller extent Festinko)

[The lake show2]

Why exactly would they have to trade Milsap or Jefferson?.. Is it against the NBA law to have more than two good big men? And its not a given that Kanter will even do that well. The jazz looked pretty good when they had Milsap,Boozer,A, and Okur( and to a smaller extent Festinko)

[HitsterParticipant]

The Jazz will be interesting to watch in the draft as they could be a stronger team drafting higher like Chicago when they had the Knicks picks thanks to Isiah Thomas and Kevin Pritchard punk’d them!

[HitsterParticipant]

The Jazz will be interesting to watch in the draft as they could be a stronger team drafting higher like Chicago when they had the Knicks picks thanks to Isiah Thomas and Kevin Pritchard punk’d them!

[Author]

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