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Perspective on the upcoming Draft

Chris

Well-Known Member
I've been enjoying re-watching the old NBA Drafts from years past on NBATV. While it's been fun reliving the past and looking at who the Jazz took those years, it's interesting to see how many bad draft picks there have been in the lottery era. The most important thing I'm taking from this is that many of us will be wrong, regardless of who the experts or we think are going to be the best picks. Not only have the experts been wrong, so have the fans -- every year. Had the internet been relevant in 1994 and the Jazz had the first pick, people on this board would have been salivating over Glenn Robinson and we would have all been wrong.

This is a big draft coming up -- it has the potential to become one of the most important in Jazz history, seeing as we have two lottery picks going into it and that the organization is undergoing a major transformation. This opportunity could be the moment that we all look back to in five years and remember how we somehow got two great picks in a relatively weak draft class. We found the diamonds in the rough and we built a contender on their backs.

Regardless of who we draft, my hope is that this very possible scenario actually comes true. I think one of the reasons that we have the friction that we seem to have on this board is due to the fact that the Jazz haven't won a championship ever or even been to the Finals in a while despite having some decent talent and one of the league's greatest coaches in town. Perhaps we're all anxious because the Jazz actually have the #3 and #12 picks, instead of the 27th and 54th like we've had for the last 20 years.

I also hope that Jazz Nation rallies behind the picks that we do make. This team could be something special. I say we start believing and see what happens.
 
Hah, I need to start watching the old drafts if they are on NBA TV. I'd love to hear that idiot Jay Bilas incorrect predictions.
 
Hah, I need to start watching the old drafts if they are on NBA TV. I'd love to hear that idiot Jay Bilas incorrect predictions.

Here's the exchange between Mike Tirico and Bilas in 2003 regarding Darko Milicic:

Tirico: "Jay Bilas, why is a guy named Darko, who only played about 20 minutes per game, didn't play more than 30 games overseas, why is he worthy of the #2 pick tonight?"

Bilas: "Simply put, Mike, he's a freak. And I mean that in the most positive way. He's 7 foot tall, he's a left hander, and he's got a 7'5" wingspan. He is absolutely an incredible athlete when he gets out on the floor with his combination of size, skill and athleticism. He gets off his feet, he can shoot the ball from the perimeter, and he's very clever with his inside moves. He's only 18 years old and he's only been 18 for a few days. This guy has got a tremendous amount of potential and he's got the potential to be great. If not for LeBron James, Darko Milicic would be the number one pick in most every draft in the last ten years."
 
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Here's the exchange that will happen between Mike Tirico and Bilas in 2011 regarding Enes Kanter:

Tirico: "Jay Bilas, why is a guy named Enes, who only played in the Nike Hoop Summit in 2010, didn't play any college basketball last season, why is he worthy of the #2 pick tonight?"

Bilas: "Simply put, Mike, he's a freak. And I mean that in the most positive way. He's just under 7 foot tall, 265 pounds. He is absolutely an incredible athlete when he gets out on the floor with his combination of size, skill and athleticism. He gets off his feet, he can shoot the ball from the perimeter, and he's very clever with his inside moves. He's only 18 years old and he's only been 18 for a few days. This guy has got a tremendous amount of potential and he's got the potential to be great. If not for LeBron James, Enes Kanter would be the number one pick in most every draft in the last ten years."

Updated.
 
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