Did the Jazz mishandle things after the D-Will trade

[LunaticWolf]

So what happens to OKC if they drafted Oden instead of Durant?

OJ Mayo instead of Harden?

Tyreke Evans instead of Westbrook?

Odds of hitting 3 strikes in the NBA draft is slim. Are there scouts that much better than the rest of the league, or did they get lucky?

I was checking MJ's rookie stats (38 mpg) and wasn't going to post because Kanter has such a hard time with TOs, but they are the SAME per 36. Also Durant shot 43%/28% his rookie year.

Per 36 is terrible for people playing less than 20 minutes. It doesn't translate out at all. Last season, Kanter was huffing and puffing after 5 minutes on the court. You think he could perform at the same level for 30 minutes a night?

[NUMBERICA]

To me it's as simple as this - the amount of $ they made during the playoffs last year is < the value in $ of the Jazz Team as a whole if they had snagged Lillard last year.

Financially it made no sense to make the playoffs.

While that half-baked assessment would be true:
-The Jazz making the playoffs had little to nothing to do with the Jazz's ability to draft Lillard.
-Even if the Jazz had lost that game to GSW at home and come away with the 8th pick, they would've been well out-of-range of drafting Lillard and Portland wasn't trading their pick to us. In fact, last year's draft was marked by just how INactive the trade market was.

But yeah. The Jazz should've drafted Michael Jordan too.

[Hotttnickkk]

Because no playoffs obviously meant the Jazz would have had Lillard.

Well if we had lost to GSW in that home game, then there would be no coin toss. We would be looking at getting the 8th pick and obviously trading up to get Lillard wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility.

[NUMBERICA]

So what happens to OKC if they drafted Oden instead of Durant?

OJ Mayo instead of Harden?

Tyreke Evans instead of Westbrook?

But they didn't. The draft isn't a complete crapshoot and there's a reason that some teams get it more right than others.

[NUMBERICA]

Well if we had lost to GSW in that home game, then there would be no coin toss. We would be looking at getting the 8th pick and obviously trading up to get Lillard wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility.

Stop torturing yourself with fringe alternate realities. What if the Jazz didn't sign Gail Goodrich?

[Hotttnickkk]

While that half-baked assessment would be true:
-The Jazz making the playoffs had little to nothing to do with the Jazz's ability to draft Lillard.
-Even if the Jazz had lost that game to GSW at home and come away with the 9th pick, they would've been well out-of-range of drafting Lillard and Portland wasn't trading their pick to us. In fact, last year's draft was marked by just how INactive the trade market was.

But yeah. The Jazz should've drafted Michael Jordan too.

I'd say the Kings might have been happy to deal their pick provided they can still get their player.

[LunaticWolf]

But they didn't. The draft isn't a complete crapshoot and there's a reason that some teams get it more right than others.

I don't believe there has been another instance where a team has nailed a top 5 prospect 3 years in a row.

[NUMBERICA]

I'd say the Kings might have been happy to deal their pick provided they can still get their player.

Thomas Robinson was going to last to #8? What hot connections do you have that nobody else does?

[LunaticWolf]

Well if we had lost to GSW in that home game, then there would be no coin toss. We would be looking at getting the 8th pick and obviously trading up to get Lillard wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility.

How many trades were made to move up in the draft that night?

[Durrrr]

I think the Deron trade was great, it's most everything after that I think has been badly mismanaged.

We don't know how much Favors and Hayward are worth and they are up for extensions this summer. How much do we pay them? Is Favors worth Ibaka money? Lopez money? What about Hayward? Batum money? More? Less?

It's stupid that they are finishing their rookie contracts and we don't even know who these guys are. There's no excuse for that.

[NUMBERICA]

I don't believe there has been another instance where a team has nailed a top 5 prospect 3 years in a row.

Okay. But you really only need one. The Clippers would still be the Clippers if they didn't get Blake Griffin.

OKC's front office has been running circles around everyone for years now, it's fair to say that they had something to do with their success at drafting.

[NUMBERICA]

I think the Deron trade was great, it's most everything after that I think has been badly mismanaged.

We don't know how much Favors and Hayward are worth and they are up for extensions this summer. How much do we pay them? Is Favors worth Ibaka money? Lopez money? What about Hayward? Batum money? More? Less?

It's stupid that they are finishing their rookie contracts and we don't even know who these guys are. There's no excuse for that.

I think this is a more concrete gripe about the foot-dragging the organization has shown over the last two years: We really don't have a good idea who our own players are. Someone will probably throw an offer at one of them that the Jazz will have to think long and hard to match, and mostly because they don't know what they have.

[Durrrr]

Thomas Robinson was going to last to #8? What hot connections do you have that nobody else does?

It's all speculation but I think the Jazz would have been able to trade up to where the Kings were. It was pretty even from 2-8.

If we had come with an offer of Millsap our GSW pick and another piece I think we move up easily.

[Durrrr]

Okay. But you really only need one. The Clippers would still be the Clippers if they didn't get Blake Griffin.

OKC's front office has been running circles around everyone for years now, it's fair to say that they had something to do with their success at drafting.

Yep. It's not luck.

Also thanks for info on Oden. Wasn't aware of the longer leg

[NUMBERICA]

Re: Lillard-Mania

Everyone's acting like Lillard was this sure thing. Everyone is operating off of hindsight, no matter how much they will say they liked Lillard leading up to the draft. I honestly cannot imagine the Jazz going all-in on a 23-year old scoring PG that played against bad competition. And even if they had given the chance, why does everyone assume that the Jazz would've?

So much conjecture about an issue that is nothing but spilled milk. The Jazz were not really even close to getting Lillard, so please, stop the whining.