Eenie meenie miney mo....Utah Jazz Edition

  Okay everyone, its been far too long.  Life is busy and really seemed to get the best of me last year.  Time to turn the page and start anew.....

  So lets talk some Utah Jazz 2015 draft options!

  The Jazz had a much better than expected 2014-2015 season and many feel that the team is on the cusp of making it back to the playoffs!  With core pieces Derrick Favors, Gordon Hayward and Alec Burks all locked in to long term deals and key pieces Rudy Gobert and Dante Exum on rookie contracts, the Jazz have a foundation.

  The Jazz also have number of assets in terms of non-guaranteed contracts and future picks.  So there are a lot of options going in to this off-season.

  Some of the issues that need to be address this off-season for the Utah Jazz are as follows...

1. Shooting.  The Jazz did not have a lot of floor spacing shooters on the roster last year.  With the ball in Gordon Hayward's hands in the pick and roll the Jazz were left with Trey Burke, Dante Exum, Joe Ingles and Rodney Hood as the floor spacers.  Rodney was hit with the injury bug most of the season.  When healthy, Hood was the Jazz most effective floor spacer.
2. TALENTED Depth.   The Jazz end the season with 7 rookies on the roster.  4 of those rookies (Exum, Ingles, Hood, Milsap) were counted on to be rotation players.  Exum and Hood both are solid or better NBA players.  Joe Ingles while a rookie, was a veteran presence having played professionally over seas for years.  I believe Ingles likely to be an 8th or 9th man on a roster.  The key for the Jazz in this regard, is finding possible upgrades to the bench.  
3. A Stretch Big.  The Jazz started the season with a lot of depth at the 4-5 positions with Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, Rudy Gobert, Trevor Booker, Jeremy Evans.  At the trade deadline the Jazz moved disgruntled big man Enes Kanter to the Oklahoma City Thunder.  This really thinned out the rotation and the depth at the paint positions.  The majority of the minutes being played by Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert with Trevor Booker being the 3rd big in the rotation.  While Booker was a capable 3rd big, he is a bit undersized and is a high energy player, making it difficult to keep him on the floor for long periods of time while maintaining his effectiveness.
4. Point Guard play. Many believe that Dante Exum is the point guard of the future, but in typical rookie fashion, Dante struggled and left fans and the organization wanting more.  His counter part, Trey Burke was not much better.  The Jazz made Dante the starter about a 1/3 of the way through the season.  Dante was a really good defender and ended up being a much better spot up shooter than expected.  The biggest knock on Dante is his lack of aggression.  Constantly breaking the paint and failing to make plays for himself or for teammates.  Trey Burke really struggled with consistency and pace again this season.  For every good game Trey had, he would follow it up with at least three 25% shooting games.  Not good enough.

 
After looking at these needs, here are some likely scenarios for draft night for the Jazz...

1. Stand Pat.  The Jazz can stay where they are at at the #12 pick and pick from a pool of Frank Kaminsky, Kelly Oubre, Devin Booker.  All three of these players fill a need for the Utah Jazz.  Kaminsky with his shooting and size.  Booker is a shooter that needs to develope the rest of his game. He does have prototypical shooting guard size.  Kelly Oubre has the highest upside of all three and is the one with the "star potential" of this bunch.  He is a super athletic wing with great length.
2. Move up.  Likely targets for the Jazz to move up would include the likes of DeAngelo Russell, Emmanuel Mudiay, Mario Hezonja, Justise Winslow or Kristaps Porzingis.  For the Jazz to get any of these players they would likely have to move up to the top 3-4 spots.  Doing so would require the Jazz to give up assets currently on the roster as well as future considerations.  Personally, the only way I am moving up for any of these players is if the organization feels that one of these players is a sure fire star.  Early word on this draft class is there is no sure fire superstar.  Two players that have been mentioned with that potential are Russell and Mudiay.
   
3. Move Back.  Targets the Jazz may have interest in would be Sam Dekker, R.J. Hunter, Kevon Looney, Justin Anderson, Trey Lyles and Bobby Portis.  Moving back secures the Jazz that TALENTED depth and likely future assets,  I am not opposed to this option, as I feel this draft has a number of talented rotational players in the back end of this class.

  Personally, I feel the best option for the Utah Jazz is to stand pat.  They will have their pick of some really talented players that they will be able to add to their very young core.  With the return of a healthy Alec Burks and Rodney Hood as well as a solid summer league for Dante Exum.  This team could gel really well and add an additional talent to the mix in their push for the playoffs.  

  So put on your NBA GM hat,  What do you do?????

NBA Draft Top 5 According To Need....

  The more I look at this draft and the top 7 teams picking the more questions I have about how it will all go down.  We have all heard that NBA front offices generally tier players.  Meaning they put 3-5 different players in a one tier, 3-5 others in a second tier and so on.  This gives teams player pools to draft from according to draft position.

  In this draft there is a lot of talk about the top 2 tiers of players.  The first tier consisting of Andrew Wiggins, Joel Embiid, Jabari Parker and Dante Exum.  The second tier consists of Marcus Smart, Noah Vonleh, Aaron Gordon, Julius Randle.  The more I have looked at things the more I believe that these two tiers may not have as much separation as people think.  I believe with these two groups it boils down to immediate impact versus long term intentional.

  In the first tier, I believe there is one player that has an immediate impact, that being Jabari Parker.  The other three players will all get ample playing time and opportunity regardless of where they are drafted.  The second tier I believe has three players that will be immediate impacts, those players being Julius Randle, Marcus Smart and Aaron Gordon.

  Noah Vonleh, Andrew Wiggins, Joel Embiid and Dante Exum have the most upside of any players in this draft and all could very likely be the best player at their position some day, but I believe you may have to wait on them for a couple of years.

  So that brings the question, potential versus impact?  Not sure there is a good way to answer that question with such a special draft.  So lets try to dumb things down a bit.  Lets take a close look at the top 5 teams and their most glaring needs.

#1-Cleveland Cavaliers-Joel Embiid

  Well I could take some low blows here and let the Cavs have it but lets take the high road.  Players returning for this young Cavs team include, Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters, Tristan Thompson, Anthony Bennett, Jarrett Jack, Tyler Zeller and Sergey Karasev.  Pretty easy to see the Cavs lack a starting NBA center.  If they don't go that route the small forward position would be the next spot to look at.  If I am the Cavs I don't think you can pass on Joel Embiid. (barring back issues)  If they don't want to role the dice with a big man with back problems then they will have a choice between Parker and Wiggins.  Not sure which player is a better fit here.  Parker would likely be the better choice as he is a better shooter than Wiggins and Cleveland already has a pair of ball dominant players in Irving and Waiters.

#2-Milwaukee Bucks-Dante Exum

  This is where things can get interesting.  The Bucks have OJ Mayo, Ersan Ilyasova, Zaza Pachulia, Carlos Delfino, Larry Sanders, Brandon Knight, John Henson, Giannis Antetokounmpo.  Yep the all name team...The Bucks biggest needs seem to be the guard positions.  Last season Milwaukee ran a two guard backcourt with Gary Neal and Brandon Knight for much of the season (till they traded Neal)  They seemed to like having Knight as a play making guard looking for his shot more so than a true point guard.  O.J. (hold the) Mayo gave them absolutely nothing last year.  He was in terrible shape and was injured often.  They also have number of young bigs that have either under performed, been injured or caused some other sort of drama.  The lone bright spot for the Bucks is their young stud small forward Giannis Antetokounmpo better known as the "Greek Freak".  So with Embiid off the board here, I believe the Bucks have 2 plays, Andrew Wiggins or Dante Exum.  I believe Exum is in play here because they need a true point guard and he is a player that they could pair with Knight to develop as a backcourt of the future.  The other option is Wiggins.  I believe that Wiggins will end up as a shooting guard in the NBA, as he is rail thin and more of a slasher.  Not sure if the Bucks can go wrong with either player here, but with a point guard dominant league I would have to take Exum.

#3-Philadelphia 76ers-Andrew Wiggins

  This one falls right in to the Sixers lap perfectly.  The Sixers have Micheal Carter-Williams, Thaddeous Young, Nerlen Noel, Eric Maynor, Tony Wroten and Arnette Moultrie.  The Sixers clearly have a number of glaring holes.  The Sixers top pick Nerlens Noel did not set foot on the court last season as he was recovering from a torn ACL.  They clearly did all they could to clear cap and put themselves in the best lottery position.  Thad Young was arguably their best player and he was playing out of position most of the year, as the had him playing the power forward a lot.  They used him as a stretch 4 but he is not a great 3 point shooter at 30%.  Young is a small forward and a talented one at that.  If the Sixers choose to go to a small line up then he could play some stretch 4, but this is not something that should be relied upon.  Two spots the Sixers need, a power forward or a shooting guard. This gives the Sixers options.  They can go with the NBA-ready Julius Randle, who's upside and potential may not be what they would hope for.  Another possibilty is Noah Vonleh.  Extremely long smooth shooting big that developed a passable back to the basket game last year at Indiana.  He also had some of the best overall numbers at the combine.  Vonleh would be a great fit as he has the ability to stretch the floor making room for MCW to create for his teammates. Lastly and in my opinion the most likely scenario, Andrew Wiggins.  Arguably the player likely to be a star in the league.  He is long and a freak athlete.  He is a two way player that has the potential to be a defensive stopper.  Many compare him to Paul George defensively.  Pairing MCW with the likes of Wiggins would give opposing backcourts fits for years to come.

#4-Orlando Magic-Jabari Parker

  With Dante Exum the guy the Magic seem to covet the most off the board and the top 2 studs in Wiggins and Embiid gone, the Magic have to select Parker right?  Well next years roster has Aaron Aflfalo, Victor Oladipo, Tobias Harris, Andrew Nicholson, Moe Harkless, Nikola Vucevic all under contract.  That leaves a lot of holes to fill.  Again the biggest needs look to be the power forward position, small forward position and the point guard position.  Currently the Magic have both Harris and Harkless playing the small forward position.  Harkless is the more natural fit there but has yet to blossom.  Harris has the appropriate size and length but lacks quickness.  The Magic also used Harris at the 4 position where he seemed to be most effective.  The Magic have long coveted an explosive point guard and had hoped to land Exum here.  With Exum off the board do the Magic take a Marcus Smart?  Smart is the one player I believe is going to come in to next season and make every team that passed on him pay.  The knock is his jumper, and the lack of players on the Magic roster that can knock down open jumpers and open up the lane is....?  Smart likely is not the best fit here.  Jabari Parker gives the Magic a true small forward that is NBA-ready and will make an immediate impact.  He adds spacing for player like Vucevic down low and opens driving lanes for Oladipo.  Unfortunately for Jazz Fans Jabari should be there man.

#5-Utah Jazz-Aaron Gordon/Marcus Smart

  This is a depressing position for most Jazz fans.  The thought that Philly, Orlando and Milwaukee all "tanked" better than Utah did is a knife in the heart.  To be honest at times, if I dwell on it, I feel the same way.  The Trey Burke buzzer beater versus Orlando while at the time was fun to watch and exciting, is that "knife".  The Jazz have Trey Burke, Alec Burks, Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, Jeremy Evans, Rudy Gobert.  The Jazz have a solid young player at every position so regardless of what position you pick you will be duplicating.  Jazz fans are clamoring for the Jazz to make a trade and move up in this draft.  I just can't see that happening.  Short of giving up Derrick Favors and picks the Jazz don't have much that is considered valuable enough to move up.  So where do the Jazz go?  In my opinion the biggest need is at the small forward position.  With Gordon Hayward's pending free agency the Jazz should look to shore up this position regardless of how things work out with Hayward.  With Parker and Wiggins having come off the board already, that leaves only one other player that can play both the small forward and while a bit undersized, the power forward position, that being Aaron Gordon.  There is a lot to like with Gordon.  He is a defensive monster that moves like a guard laterally and has the length and athleticism to block shots and be a rim protector.  Gordon is a great ball handler for his size and often sparked the break on his own while playing at Arizona.  Gordon's weakness is the same as Marcus Smart....shooting.  Given the right offensive concepts and the athleticism that the Jazz currently have could help negate some of the weaknesses of Gordon.  The other option here in my opinion is Marcus Smart.  Chad Ford has gone on record saying Jazz fans should not be shocked if the Jazz selected another point guard.  Does this mean the Jazz are not that high on Trey Burke?  Only the front office knows for sure.  But the combo of Burke and Smart could work.  They balance out each others strengths and weaknesses.  There is also the thought that the Jazz could move Burke and have Smart and Burks as the backcourt of the future.  In my opinion the Jazz can't go wrong here with either player.  Both players come in and make an immediate impact.  Personally, I can't choose between the two so I am going to call them 1a and 1b being Gordon and Smart.

  This draft has so much potential and there will clearly be some franchise players, possibly more than people think....June 26th can't get here soon enough!

Only 2 options....Utah Jazz draft options

Can we expect another pick like this?

  Wow!  That may be an understatement for both Jazz fans and NBA fans as a collective after last nights Draft Lottery.  The Cleveland Cavaliers with a 1.7% chance of securing the #1 pick, did so for the 3rd time in four years and for a second consecutive year.  We could go on and on about conspiracy theories and the lottery being rigged, but I won't.

  The only statement I will make on this is that Cleveland is a smoldering dumpster fire of an organization and its unfortunate that poorly run franchises continue to win the lottery.  They fire a coach, then turn around and rehire him after he was fired by his previous team after 8 games.  They sign players to hefty contracts (Andrew Bynum) and then pay them to walk.  Lastly, they clearly under-develop talent.  Kyrie, Trystan Thompson, Dion Waiters, Anthony Bennett and now you can add this years first pick to that list (if they don't trade it....it would be the only smart thing they have done....)  We can comfortably call the Cleveland Cavaliers the modern day L.A. Clippers.  #SAD!

  Ok, enough of that.  Lets take a look at (in my opinion) the only 2 options the Utah Jazz really have with this draft.  Lets preface this by saying that there is a general consensus that there are 3-4 sure fire players.  Those being Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, Joel Embiid (if the back checks out) and Dante Exum.  Well as luck would have it, the Jazz are sitting at #5.  If the consensus is that these are franchise corner stone players, its unlikely that teams in the top 4 are going to trade out of those spots without getting a current top 10-15 player in the league.  So as far as the Jazz are concerned moving up is highly unlikely.  So that brings us back to our only two options.

Option #1- The Jazz keep the #5, #23 and the #35 pick and use them according to best available and need.

  As currently constructed the Jazz have Derrick Favors, Alec Burks, Trey Burke, Enes Kanter, Jeremy Evans, John Lucas III and Rudy Gobert on guaranteed contracts for next season.  Gordon Hayward is a restricted free agent and Diante Garrett, Ian Clark and Malcolm Thomas are all team options.  The Jazz clearly lacked depth last season particularly at the wing position.  While Richard Jefferson was a nice vet, he didn't give you much other than that veteran presence.  Brandon Rush gave you nothing.  Ian Clark and Malcolm Thomas barely saw the court.  The Jazz had depth with the front court but it was inexperienced depth, young and raw talents.

Option #2- The Jazz keep the #5 pick, but get aggressive and package the #23 and a current asset to move up in the first round.

  The Sacramento Kings have already come out and said that they are looking to move the #8 pick.  They are said to want an impact veteran, someone that can help them make that jump and develop with their young core.  There will be other teams besides the Kings that have 2 first rounders like the Bulls or the Sixers that may look to save cap room for the pending free agent class.  Plays like this would give the Utah Jazz an opportunity to grab a couple of high level players that could come in and contribute right away.  Radio voice of the Utah Jazz, David Locke, said that he really likes the talent pool in picks 15-20.  An example that I am personally fond of, would be to select Marcus Smart with the #5 pick and then package the #23 and Alec Burks or Gordon Hayward for Sacramento's #8 pick.  Giving the Utah Jazz the choice between Doug McDermott or Aaron Gordon (according to Draft Express).  All three of these players have a high probability of coming in and contributing right away. Smart and McDermott would be a perfect compliment to the current roster and to each other.  Smart and Gordon along with Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert would make for a scary good defensive unit.

  In my opinion, these are the to best and most feasible options for this young Utah Jazz squad.  I like where the Jazz are at currently.  I like the pieces they have to work with and love their financial flexibility.  I would hate to see the Jazz package any of their picks for a good or mid-level player and sacrifice the flexibility they have worked so hard to establish.  These two options allow this young team to continue to develop together and have the ability to make a splash in free agency or in the trade market.  But I am not a GM and not Dennis Lindsey......

Intrigue at the NBA draft Combine

  The NBA held its annul Draft Combine on May 15th and 16th last week.  There wasn't much hype going in to the combine due to the number of high level players pulling out.  Players such as Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid did not participate.  There were also a number of them that were in attendance that only performed the athletic testing.  Some of those players were Marcus Smart, Aaron Gordon and Dante Exum.

  Going in the the combine Exum was the player most fans and teams wanted to see perform.  He participated in the measurements and testing and he was one of a handful of intriguing prospects.  Others included, Zach LaVine of UCLA, Arizona's Aaron Gordon, Wichita State's Cleanthony Early, Florida's Patrick Young and Michigan's Glen Robinson III.  Lets take a quick look....

Dante Exum-

31.5" no step vertical jump
34.5" max vertical jump
10.75 lane agility
Measured at 6'6" in shoes
6'9" wing span
196 lbs

  While not the elite athlete some thought he might be, Exum tested very well.  He was run through the athletic testing with the shooting guards.  He actually tested the highest over all of all the shooting guards.  Exum considers himself a point guard and with his measurables and athleticism he has the potential to be an elite level point guard in the league.

Zach LaVine-

33.5" no step vertical jump
41.5" max vertical jump
10.42 lane agility
Measured 6'5.75" in shoes
6'8.75" wing wpan
180 lbs

  LaVine stole the show at the combine.  He was clearly the best athlete of anyone tested.  What makes it even more interesting, he was interviewed by ESPN's Andy Katz. and was asked by Katz what position he sees himself playing.  He answered the point guard, but was willing to play the shooting guard or small forward, what ever the coach needed.  If LaVine turns out to be a Point Guard he has all the same measurements as Exum, but also has elite level athleticism.  He also participated with the point guards in the on court drills and was a standout.  LaVine also has a decent shot that does not appear broken.  All in all, he may have more to work with than Exum, you just might have to wait a little longer.

Aaron Gordon-

32.5" no step vertical jump
39.5" max vertical jump
10.81 lane agility
Measured 6'8.75" in shoes
6'11.75" wing span

  Coming in most people knew Aaron Gordon was a freak athlete.  He did not disappoint.  For a player at basically 6'9" and to have a sub 11 second agility drill is impressive.  Even more impressive is having nearly 40" vertical!  After the vertical testing was complete, Andy Katz spoke with Gordon and asked him what he thought, Gordon said that he was a little disappointed with his vertical, said that his highest test ever was 42"!
That is unreal for a player of his size.  While Gordon did not participate in any of the on court drills he did mention that he has been working on his shot and his free throws, the two biggest concerns for teams in regards to Gordon.  He mentioned there was a disconnect between his jumper and how he shot it at the line and that he had worked on that and corrected it.

Cleanthony Early-

34" no step vertical jump
40" max vertical jump
11.15 lane agility
Measured 6'7.25" in shoes
6'10.75" wing span

  Cleanthony Early went from being undrafted to second round pick and now possibly solidifying himself as a first round pick.  Early participated in both the on court drills as well as the testing for the small forwards and was very successful.  Early had a great run in the NCAA tournament and put up some big numbers versus Kentucky and their star studded lineup.  This is where most people started to take notice.  Early shot the ball really well in drills and clearly was putting in work.  I think the thing that stood out the most to people, was his athletic testing numbers.  He showed good quickness with his agility testing, but he had elite athleticism with his vertical jump.  With Wiggins and Parker as the top two small forward studs there is plenty of room for a player of Early's caliber to end up on a team with a need at small forward....(Utah Jazz)

Patrick Young-

32" no step vertical jump
37" max vertical jump
11.18 lane agility
25 bench reps
Measure 6'10" in shoes
7'1.75" wing span
246 lbs

  If you are looking for a physical monster, you found it in Florida's Patrick Young.  At 246 lbs and still having a 37" vertical leap!  Who is going to want to challenge this guy?  He also showed great lateral quickness for a man his size, making him valuable in both rim protection and the pick and roll.  Young at one time was considered a late second rounder, but with these kind of numbers teams that made the playoffs that maybe  looking to add depth or a rotation big, Young would be the perfect fit.  There is a lot to like about this kid although he may not have the potential or upside that some of these other younger players may have.

Glen Robinson III-

36.5" no step vertical jump
41.5" max vertical jump
11.22 lane agility
Measure 6'6.75" in shoes
6'10" wing span
211 lbs

  Glen Robinson III has the pedigree.  His dad was a fantastic pro.  GR3 had a better than expected freshman year but then followed in up with what many consider to be a sub-par sophomore season.  Robinson, in my opinion is going to one of those players that is a better NBA pro than college player.  While he is a bit of a tweener (SG/SF) he has the athleticism and quickness to guard either position.  While he may lack elite length, he makes up for with strength and I have to give him something for the pedigree.  Having a father that played in the league goes a long way for these kids and can help them prepare for the rigors of the NBA.  I believe Robinson is one of those players.  He is going to be a nice piece that someone is going to get late first round early second.

Wiggins rumored to be between 42-44"

  While this years combine may not have had the big names people were hoping to see it still had plenty of intriguing performance that are going to give NBA front offices a lot to think about.

http://stats.nba.com/draftCombine.html

Coming to grips with change, Utah Jazz Edition....

  Wow, its been far too long!  The Utah Jazz have 5 games left in this "season of discovery" and to be honest I don't think those last 5 games can come soon enough!  As the season comes to a close, I am not going to look back at what is or what could have been but want to look forward to the future.  In doing so, Jazz fans (myself included) are going to have to accept change.

  Change is never easy and can be down right painful at times.  With that said, change is a necessity that must occur for this team fulfill its lofty expectations.  Change must occur for this franchise to reclaim its position as a model franchise in the NBA.  Change must happen and I am coming to grips with that.

  As the season has progressed I have watched every single game.  I have endured beat downs, like the one Golden State gave them yesterday.  I have enjoyed seeing this team pull off wins that they weren't supposed to get.  I have watched them pull out close games at the end that they tried to give away.  But at the end of the day, its just not good enough.  This team is not good enough.  This coaching staff is not good enough.

  Moving in to the off-season, there will be a number of "rip the band-aid off" moments.  Ty Corbin, a great guy, a good player development guy, may not be back with this ball club, and I am okay with that. There are a number of Jazz fans that feel Ty should be back and can be anchor or stabilizing force going forward.  If that is the decision that the front office makes, I am okay with that also.

 The hardest thing for me to swallow will be the loss of players that I feel will be good NBA player or valuable pieces to this squad, but will likely not be back.  This goes from top to bottom, vets like Richard Jefferson and Marvin Williams.  Two guys who's value to this team can not be overstated.  They have been the consummate professionals and have taught young players like Gordon and Alec what it takes to be successful.  Both players at seasons end are unrestricted free-agents and have every right to look for "greener pastures"  I wish them the best.


  This also includes players that were considered to be the "young core" or the core going forward.  Gordon Hayward will be a restricted free-agent and will likely see plenty of money thrown his way.  Alec Burks and Enes Kanter will both be up for extensions to their rookie deals.  Neither guaranteed to get an extension.  Guys like Ian Clark, Malcom Thomas, Diante Garrett, some of whom never seemed to get a shot to show what they could do, all with a team option that may not be picked up.


  All of these possible changes and really only one guarantee, Derrick Favors.  The lone center piece and building block that this team likely will not see changed.  I have been pleased with Favors progress on the offensive side of the ball.  He has put in a lot of work there and still has a considerable amount of room to grow.  I would like to have seen more intensity and better rebounding numbers from Derrick but I think those will increase with time and understanding of the game.

  Lastly,  I would also like to have seen Derrick and Enes develop more together as a pair.  I have been a strong believer that these two could play together and could be a force in the front court for years to come.  Now I am starting to wonder if that will ever happen.  I also am wondering if in fact, it should happen.  Maybe this team would be better with someone else paired along side Derrick.  Maybe this team would be better with Favors and Gobert as the young front court of the future, I don't know....

  What I do know is changes are sure to come this off-season.  Players and coaches will come and go.  This team may actually be worse next year than they have been this year.  All these possibilities will be hard to swallow, but they are all a necessary step in restoring one of the NBA's model franchises.

Expanded Look.....picks 7-32 2014 NBA Draft

 Back for part 2!  Here is a quick look for Jazz fans or NBA fans of some intriguing names to consider with these picks.  The purpose for the expanded look, the Jazz are winning!  They are winning more games than expected and the are hitting a soft stretch in the schedule through the month of January.  So I figure Jazz fans ought to be aware of some of the possible picks at the tail end of the lottery.  Lets take a look....

Noah Vonleh- 6'10" 242 lbs 7'4" wing span Freshman Center

  I have watched a couple of Indiana games and the one thing I noticed was how long they are.  If that is the only thing that stood out to me, that is exactly what the scouts are saying about Noah.  He has all the tools to be an absolute star, but is still trying to find himself.  He seems to be a quiet shy kid who likes to play basketball.  So far this season, he is averaging 12.3 pts 9.5 rebs 1stl 1blk a game.  His last game against Illinois he posted 16 pts 9 rebs 4 blks 2 stls and was 2-3 from 3.  You have to love his length and ability to defend multiple positions.  When this kid realizes how good he is, he should have a problem filling that expectation of star.

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Noah-Vonleh-6471/
http://www.nbadraft.net/players/noah-vonleh 

Rodney Hood- 6'8" 201 lbs Sophomore Small Forward

  Batman has Robin....Jabari Parker has Rodney Hood.  Rodney Hood has been the perfect fit along side Duke's phenomenal freshman.  Hood is a "do it all" small forward.  He has a good handle, great athleticism, a solid shooting stroke.  But the thing that may be the most overlooked is his ability to defend.  He has the lateral quickness to guard most shooting guards and the size and strength to guard the small forwards.  On the season, Hood is averaging 17.2 pts 5 rebs 2 ast.  He has also had five 20+ point games this season.

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Rodney-Hood-5723/
http://www.nbadraft.net/players/rodney-hood

Wayne Selden- 6'6" 223 lbs 6'10 wing span Freshman Shooting Guard

  Wayne Selden is another star freshman on the Kansas Jayhawk squad full of super freshman.  Selden is the most overlooked of the bunch, but according to Coach Self, has been the most impressive of the bunch in practice and the hardest worker.  Yeah its practice, so he needs to perform in real games.  Selden is a physical specimen for a freshman.  He is a man!  He has excellent athleticism and length.  He is a southpaw which does give him a bit of an advantage.  On the season, Selden is averaging 8.7 pts 2.9 rebs 2.3 ast.  Looking at Selden, his size athleticism and game, may be better suited for the pro game.  Strange hunch tells me he will be a better pro than college player.

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Wayne-Selden-6473/
http://www.nbadraft.net/players/wayne-selden

  Looking at these 3 prospects Noah Vonleh has the most potential or highest ceiling.  If Vonleh does not fulfill that potential, Selden may then be the best prospect of the 3.  Picking an of these 3 will not hurt your team as all will be solid peices/NBA rotation players.  Stay tuned....Will highlight more prospect soon!

Picks 14-31 in the 2014 NBA Draft....Who do you want?

  The much anticipated 2014 NBA Draft is still months away.  Well for that matter, we aren't even in the year 2014 yet.  This draft has been all the talk of the NBA season for some teams, as well as the majority of College Basketball.

  I'm pretty sure we are all familiar with the names Parker, Wiggins, Randle.  As well as Embiid, Gordon, Smart and Exum. These players will be scrutinized and pick at till their name is called by Adam Silver on draft day.  It depends on who you talk to, as far as a consensus #1, thus why I am not going to get in to that debate now.  There is plenty of NBA and College season left to determine needs of teams, possible injuries and the unfortunate "tanking" of clubs in the NBA,

  So I thought it would be fun (specifically for Jazz fans, but pertains to all fans) to take a look at picks 14-31.  For the Utah Jazz, they will own 2 picks in this range.  The #14 pick is technically the final pick in the lottery and is currently owned by the Jazz thanks to the Golden State Warriors being outside the playoffs (lose W's lose)  The Jazz also have the 31st pick, which will be the first pick in the 2nd round.  I will try to highlight a few players every couple of weeks if possible.

  So without taking into account need, contracts, free-agency etc. let's look at some intriguing names.....

Doug McDermott- 6'7" 225 lbs Small Forward Senior
 
  McDermott had the opportunity this summer to play with the USA Select team.  The same team Favors and Hayward played with.  There were two names the USA brass said stood out, one being Gordon Hayward the other was Doug McDermott.  McDermott is an average athlete at best, but makes up for that with his unbelievable basketball IQ and effort.  McDermott is a good shooter and a good rebounder for his size.  McDermott may be the ideal pick in the 14-31 range.  Granted may not have the upside that some teams may look for, but you know what you are going to get and the kid will be a solid NBA rotation player.

http://www.nbadraft.net/players/doug-mcdermott
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Doug-McDermott-6504/


Tyler Ennis- 6'2" 180 lbs 6' 5" wing span Point Guard Freshman

  Tyler Ennis is a player that seems to be climbing some draft boards.  He is a point guard with good size and great length.  His pace of play and game as a whole, remind me of a Deron Williams.  Ennis is not a superior athlete but a capable one.  Very craft with the ball, has a good stroke and is a willing passer.

http://www.nbadraft.net/players/tyler-ennis
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Tyler-Ennis-7144/


Dario Saric- 6'10" 225 Small Forward

  Saric is a player that many thought last year could have been a top 5 pick in the draft.  Saric chose to pull out of the draft last minute as he could not secure a high enough pick for his liking.  This may have hurt Saric's value as he is now with such a highly touted draft class.  Which in turn will play in some teams favor that will be picking in the middle of the draft.  Saric is 19 yrs old with a good frame and a great all-around game. Currently in the Adriatic League, Saric is averaging 30 mins, 13.6 pts, 7.4 rebs and 2.5 assists a game.  May be a mistake to let this kid slip past you.....

http://www.nbadraft.net/players/dario-saric
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Dario-Saric-5706/

  Other names to consider in this group include, Mitch McGary, Adriaen Payne, CJ Wilcox, Semaj Christon, Vasilje Micic, Markell Brown, Perry Ellis, Montrezl Harrell, Jordan Clarkson.

  They say that this is going to be the deepest draft we have seen in years.  I totally agree.  There are going to be a number of players that are going to be late first, early second rounders that are going to be good NBA pros.  This is the year that NBA execs need to do lots of homework as the will be able to find a guy that can help there team at almost any position in the draft.  The only thing that may weaken this draft is if players decide to go back to school.  As a Jazz fan, here's to hoping everyone declares!

http://www.nbadraft.net/ranking/bigboard

http://www.draftexpress.com/rankings/Top-100-Prospects/