Anyone Looking to Trade?
What do Tim Duncan, Shaquille O’Neal, Ben Wallace, and Kevin Garnett have in common? Each of the aforementioned giants has assumed the role of interior defensive enforcer at some point in his career. Anything else? No team since Michael Jordan’s Bulls has won a championship without employing one of these four players. For several years now, we’ve heard that basketball has changed, that the game no longer revolves around big men in the middle. The post season failures of clubs like Phoenix and Dallas, however, coupled with the success of these defensive centers, tell us that the song remains the same.
Clearly, then, the Jazz should look for a defensive center on draft night, right? Not exactly. The Jazz almost certainly will not find their nasty shot blocker while they sit in the draft purgatory that is the late first round. Aside from the anomaly of the undrafted Ben Wallace, none of the previously mentioned centers heard his name called later than fifth on draft day. Add to the mix Alonzo Mourning (a second overall pick who teamed with Shaq for Miami’s 2006 title run) and Hakeem Olajuwan (a first overall pick who claimed two faux titles while the would-be champ was whiffing at curveballs), and the evidence screams that the Jazz won’t get what they need with a low pick on Thursday. If a player like Georgetown’s Roy Hibbert had the defensive skill the Jazz covet, he clearly wouldn’t remain on the board for the 23rd pick.
Most likely, the Jazz will have to make a major trade in order to find the help they need in the paint. Meanwhile, they still have that first round pick. With a young team already manning the Energy Solutions Arena floor, snagging a marginal prospect from the basketball firmament could carry more cost than benefit. Do the Jazz really need and unseasoned project soaking up a million bucks and occupying a roster spot? Let’s move forward one Fesenko at a time.
Now, not every first rounder is a long-term project, and talent certainly lurks in the water where the Jazz must cast their line. Morris Almond has talent. Unfortunately, he also has no room to swim on a team that appears tantalizing close to devouring all the other fish in the pond. What about Bryon Russell, Shandon Anderson, and Paul Millsap? The Jazz found each of these guys with picks much worse than 23rd. Second round picks have different rules, though. You draft the best player you can find in the second round, and if he turns out to be a great catch, you mount him on the wall (as the Jazz did with Millsap). If he doesn’t measure up, fine, throw him back. But take a guy like that in the first round and you’re stuck paying a guaranteed contract to Quincy Lewis.
Investing in another rookie doesn’t make sense for this talented but young team. The Jazz should either trade the pick or draft an international prospect who can ripen on the vine for a couple of years before joining the NBA (ala Kirilenko in 1999). The Jazz’s pick probably wouldn’t fetch a great prize in a trade because it’s so low. Then again, the Jazz also own a future first round selection from New York, a pick the Knicks can no longer protect in 2010. Perhaps Utah could package these two picks, along with an existing player, for the defensive help they so desperately need. Given the huge talent and specific needs of their current team, the Jazz should cut bait instead of fishing in the first round of this year’s draft.
6 Comments to “Anyone Looking to Trade?”
Search Jazzbots.com
Be connected!
Get the latest from Jazzbots delivered to your email
Get the latest from Jazzbots delivered to your phone
Bookmark and favorite Jazzbots.com
Jazz Inside Scoop
The FREE, Official E-mail Newsletter of the Jazz.
The Inside Scoop is one of the best ways to keep up-to-date with your Utah Jazz. We'll provide you with information year-round about the Jazz -- breaking news, special event information, unique merchandise & ticket offers, promotions, advance contest opportunities and more.
Featured Sponsors
Jazzbots Recent Readers
Jazz Polls
Loading ...
This James guy seems to really know what he’s talking about. I totally agree with him.
wow, what an in-depth story. so this means the jazz will draft a center … right?
I say this laughing…. “” Boy’s it’s a draft for heck sakes”" nothing is set in gold…. pull out the history stats and not just for the Jazz but all the NBA teams.. this draft like all others before is just to bring in some of the top college and high school boys to the professional level.. Do they last a life time — NO — very few last a life time. Let’s give our team the support and encourage them to share their experience with the new guys and play like they are a champion. One day we will see our team - our dream.
Can’t wait for the 2008-2009 season to start.
I hate the fact that the JAZZ drafted Kufos. Another player almost exactly like Okur. If anyone saw the lakers v jazz semi final series it showed us two things; 1) we need someone that can gaurd an elite shooting gaurd in this league and 2) we need someone besides AK47 blocking shots. Chris Douglas - Roberts was available @ 23 and we let him slip right past us. I know that we have an abundance of guards but none that are proven. Chris could have come in and possibly could have replaced C.J. Miles, Matt Harpring, and Morris Almond. If not replace them then he could of at least taken some minutes from them immediately. But no, the jazz had to draft a big guy that is almost similar to a big guy that we already have that hasn’t dominated his position. I feel that we should’ve waited to see if Fez was going to pan out so that way we could have some diversity at that position. what he showed last season against LA was promising. what our bigs showed us this post season was discouraging. its time to get some offense from our 3 spot off the bench, not someone who is getting old. i don’t know everything but i do know that what the jazz has showed is that they’re good but not great……at least not in the near future 1 - 2 years.
Hey, who is this james dude? Seems that he’s done his homework. What is he, a sports historian or something? I like his thorough analysis but hope that Kosta will prove that good things can come from deep in the first round. Come on, Kosta is only 19 years old - young enough to take a new direction, a defensive direction in his game. Thanks for your insights James
I dont know about ya all , but I was dissappointed with this pick . I was expecting something differant like speed in defense and consistancy in 3 ’s shooting to open up the paint .
I do agree that this Kofous guy may be that diamond in the ruff that the Jazz always seem to find in the late rounds . But the one thing that really killed us in the playoffs this year was that we dont have the speed in the defense . The Lakers really killed us there , among other things that I will not get into that has nothing to do with our team . But our defense was slow to stop in the paint and behind the arc .
We will have to see if the Jazz do indeed keep him or trade him .
Go Jazz !!!
Leave your Comment