The Draft is a mirage!

[northeast]

You have turned me around on this issue....
Unlike you, I would not totally rule out tanking one season once in awhile, but in general, the Jazz have done well by maintaining a competitive team and somehow making the most out of the picks they've gotten, so I would approve continuing that philosophy.

 

[Grandpa Jazz]

I'll do you one better Gramps and that is that I find that most players don't play good ball until their second contract, and by that time they are often on another team. So the drafting team becomes only a teaching road-stop on their way to bigger better things on a different team. That gets frustrating but if the Jazz can hold onto their guys then they'll be doing well.

Excellent point squareinthecircle. Sometimes it does work that way. Here's hoping the Jazz can hang on to their guys. So we need to look at expiring first termers on other teams your saying? Sounds smart to me. Two can play at that game. I am a believer that if we have a solid competitive team that most stars will come to Salt Lake City to play for the Jazz. Guys like LeBron, Kobe, Durant et al. are not included in that group. But great players just outside of super star status only care about competing for a championship and about money. If their issues are about night life (often mentioned) then i don't want them here anyway.

I'm not making that up...U of Durham study, 2004 Summer Olympics, Red v Blue

Oh i believe you northeast. Not sure how accurate a scientific study out of U of Durham is but i believe you completely. Wonder what they would say about those Memphis and New Orleans unis? My wife actually get confused for a
minute thinking there was one Jazz team and two Hornets teams on the floor at the same time. Depended on which direction they were running at the moment.

 

[cowhide]

I'll take the draft any day of the week over FA. You could say the free agent market is a mirage. How many guys get that big second contract and then retire from playing hard and soon become over paid. AK is a perfect example. If you make a mistake in the draft, financially it isn't as big a mistake. If you sign the wrong player to a max deal you can wreck your team for a decade.

 

[Grandpa Jazz]

You could say the free agent market is a mirage

Yep. You could, and be just as accurate as saying the draft is a mirage. Again, the only tools left to small market teams is cash, luck the draft, FA, trades . The usual way all teams get players. You can occasionally get that centerpiece player you can build a team around. Sometimes he's drafted, sometimes he comes in a trade and less often as a FA. The whole point of this discussion from my end is to calm some of these draft geeks who seem to think that just pick the right player and we
are championship bound. Conversely you can say it's just as pointless to say trade for the right player and you can win a championship. It takes many pieces to have a great team and i count only about five possibles on this team, we are not one acquisition away as some believe. There will always be disagreements on how to do this, it's not easy. If one of our young players (dare we hope for 2) blossoms into something special then we got something going. That is why i am anxious to get those guys on the floor and test drive them. Someone please dismantle the trade machine, it is nothing but a glorified adding machine.

 

[northeast]

You are missing the most important thing... it is not just what players you get, but also what you do with them after you get them.

 

[Grandpa Jazz]

Well, i advocate using them sparingly and only when the game is not on the line. The idea being that sitting and learning is more important than actual experience. Oh....wait i'm not Jerry Sloan. Carrying children's backpacks, paying for meals and carrying luggage are all very edifying pursuits and should be utilized when possible.