Avery
Well-Known Member
If I could pick one ideal way that draft night unfolded, I'd choose the below chain of events:
Jazz trade #3 to WASH for #6 and #18. I'm not an advocate of trading out of an elite position and wouldn't if a guy like Harrison Barnes were in the mix, but he's not and this draft is wide open after Irving/Williams.
#6 - Vesley. I go with the assumption that WASH takes Kanter, CLE goes Jonas and Toronto eagerly scoops Knight. Vesley's size at SF doesn't exist at the NBA level. He's solid offensively and has potential to develop even more as a defender with coaching and not just be a weakside defender like Kirilenko. This would put Kiri coming off the bench which would prolong his career but may end up giving the second unit some additional spark.
#12 - Jimmer. Yep, I went there. I think Walker or Leonard would get snapped up by SAC so he'll be there at #12. I'm not firmly entrenched on the bandwagon as I think the expectation for him to be an All-Star is a bit much, but Jimmer could run the offense and pick and roll well enough to be a starter. He adds shooting and range (one of our pain points) and wouldn't be the type to leave Utah due to the lack of nightlife. Don't forget that part of sports is building a market and placing butts in seats. The addition of the biggest local superstar ever would sell a few more tickets quite easily and put some change in Greg Miller's pocket.
#18 - Biyombo. No prospect has a bigger draft ceiling/floor than Biyombo. I think his lack of a green room invite means that some of the earlier talk in going top ten was the honeymoon before the warts come out. Drafting Biyombo doesn't mean you're looking for 20 PPG and perhaps not even 10 PPG; immediately, we're getting a guy who will be a hustle player off the bench (like Kiri) who will be a top defensemen and snag rebounds for the second unit. He's there to do the dirty work and actually prefers rebounding/blocks to making the big shot. I don't think the Ben Wallace comparisions are that far off; if we need to improve our defense, there's no better applicant than Biyombo.
Jazz trade #3 to WASH for #6 and #18. I'm not an advocate of trading out of an elite position and wouldn't if a guy like Harrison Barnes were in the mix, but he's not and this draft is wide open after Irving/Williams.
#6 - Vesley. I go with the assumption that WASH takes Kanter, CLE goes Jonas and Toronto eagerly scoops Knight. Vesley's size at SF doesn't exist at the NBA level. He's solid offensively and has potential to develop even more as a defender with coaching and not just be a weakside defender like Kirilenko. This would put Kiri coming off the bench which would prolong his career but may end up giving the second unit some additional spark.
#12 - Jimmer. Yep, I went there. I think Walker or Leonard would get snapped up by SAC so he'll be there at #12. I'm not firmly entrenched on the bandwagon as I think the expectation for him to be an All-Star is a bit much, but Jimmer could run the offense and pick and roll well enough to be a starter. He adds shooting and range (one of our pain points) and wouldn't be the type to leave Utah due to the lack of nightlife. Don't forget that part of sports is building a market and placing butts in seats. The addition of the biggest local superstar ever would sell a few more tickets quite easily and put some change in Greg Miller's pocket.
#18 - Biyombo. No prospect has a bigger draft ceiling/floor than Biyombo. I think his lack of a green room invite means that some of the earlier talk in going top ten was the honeymoon before the warts come out. Drafting Biyombo doesn't mean you're looking for 20 PPG and perhaps not even 10 PPG; immediately, we're getting a guy who will be a hustle player off the bench (like Kiri) who will be a top defensemen and snag rebounds for the second unit. He's there to do the dirty work and actually prefers rebounding/blocks to making the big shot. I don't think the Ben Wallace comparisions are that far off; if we need to improve our defense, there's no better applicant than Biyombo.
