The Udoka pick is the worst in team history

[Handlogten's Heros]

JB over Jones never made sense to me. We all knew we needed and still need defense in the worst way. Our SF/PF spots are so thin. JB was extremely redundant to me since we are already spending $60 million on small score first backcourt players (Don, Mike and Clarkson).

Of course I see it differently since I saw his enormous impact on Alabama last season. I knew he was one of those excellent leaders who was also a "glue guy". He just does all the things people take for granted.

Huge mistake not drafting him when we had the chance.

I just don't believe in drafting a guy for a current need. Especially in the second round. I also think theres a chance if Quin committed early that we could have had JB in a place to replace some of what JC gives us. I also think you give a guy 8 minutes a night his rookie year then you can move other pieces if they show they are good.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

In hindsight the Jazz should have just traded more picks instead of actually using them. The Conley deal was the best move we made because we actually got value out of the first round picks unlike a few of the ones we actually used to draft.

Lot of ways to get value there. I think the draft is so critical to team success, especially in small markets that I prefer to just draft better... but yeah make a basketball move with those picks and see if you can't find the guy you need.

 

[LoPo]

I just don't believe in drafting a guy for a current need. Especially in the second round. I also think theres a chance if Quin committed early that we could have had JB in a place to replace some of what JC gives us. I also think you give a guy 8 minutes a night his rookie year then you can move other pieces if they show they are good.

When drafting in the very late first or 2nd round, I look for guys with an elite trait. Herb Jones is an elite defender. Not many other guys in the 2nd round showed me an elite skill like that. I don't think a team can have too many wing defenders these days so I don't think taking him was as much "drafting for need" as much as "drafting for what every team needs".

Butler might end up being a solid pro, but I don't think he has any elite traits.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

Uhh, it will change, but players have to actually perform when given minutes in place of Trent.

NAW has a lot of mental mistakes and is generally terrible on offense.

Butler is certainly the most skilled, but he's also very shoot first on a team that doesnt really need that ATM and he gets absolutely cooked on defense by anyone with size.

Forrest certainly sucks because of his huge shooting shortcoming, but he plays leaps and bounds better than NAW and Butler in most other aspects of the game.

If we are healthy House will assume all the Forrest minutes... Donovan, JC, Mike can all take a bit too... I just thought since it is kind of a coin flip between Forrest/JB that JB should get the minutes because he is a higher ceiling guy and needs some time to develop. I understood once Forrest picked up his play why he was getting the time.

We all need to come to the realization that NAW is a potential 3 and D guy BUT... and this is a big BUT... he likely thinks he is more JC than 3 and D. He is actually okay from the corners on three and could help on the break. Outside of that he should pretend he is Royce on offense. He played his role okay for a couple games and made some shots... then he immediately broke character.

For JB to have an actual real role there needs to be some roster rebalancing... but the skills are there.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

When drafting in the very late first or 2nd round, I look for guys with an elite trait. Herb Jones is an elite defender. Not many other guys in the 2nd round showed me an elite skill like that. I don't think a team can have too many wing defenders these days so I don't think taking him was as much "drafting for need" as much as "drafting for what every team needs".

Butler might end up being a solid pro, but I don't think he has any elite traits.

I generally agree with the first paragraph... I draft wings/perimeter guys in spades and figure it out. And yeah... focus on what a guy can do.

JB has a ton of skill... he might have the most elite trait which is creating offense for himself and others. Quin wanted to sit him in the corner and have him play like Royce. The guy can get separation on his jumper, has a slick handle and moves well so he can get where he wants. He's a good passer as well. He was the best college player on the best college team... he is elite. Only reason he wasn't a mid first round guy was health concerns (which are/were legitimate). When he's been on the court he's been productive and has shown some ability to be a good enough defender.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

Completely inexcusable in every way.

Giving away all the assets for Conley when CP3 was basically free is another killer.

If you had told me during Mitchell's rookie year, that he would become a legitimate top 10 player in the league, but I'd still be completely checked out on a Jazz season....

I won't say they are a terrible front office on a league wide level. But it cannot be disputed that at the critical moment(s) they absolutely choked. This era is going to fizzle out soon, and there will be some turning point moments to look back at. And for each one of them, I'm not sure our FO could have done a worse job. Any rando on this board given power in those moments, and the team is in much better shape right now.

Shame.

The FO ****ed up in a lot of ways, but health is still the main killer of this era of the Jazz. Two straight playoff runs greatly hampered by multiple starting lineup injuries.

I dont know if any rando could have done better tbh. The Jazz still got Conley and Bogey and that's a big part of why the Jazz have been an elite regular season team.

They just sucked at the final moves. I wonder how much that has to do with all the FO/Ownership upheaval. We all use to think the Jazz were a pretty elite scouting team with how they found a lot of great draft picks and hidden gems in free agency. Then we just got a flurry of *** moves and there seemed to be no communication/plan between the FO and Quin.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

I think the biggest hindsight error currently (that is realistic, not draft the right guy and have him develop the exact same way he has that he did on the worse team that drafted him) is not using draft picks to trade for a player better than Gay/Niang for that 7th/8th man spot. Someone you know for a fact is good, isnt going to fall off in the next year or two, and someone you know Quin actually wants to play and fits how the team plays.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

Also, RIP to Rodney Hood's career. That would have been another big game changer if he continued his improvement arc after that stellar 2nd season.

 

[LogGrad98]

And obviously Burke over Giannis is the worst pick of all time for teh Jazz.

To be fair, 13 other teams passed over him too. It wasn't as big a whiff as Exum imo, simply due to prevailing opinion at the time and actual draft position.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

To be fair, 13 other teams passed over him too. It wasn't as big a whiff as Exum imo, simply due to prevailing opinion at the time and actual draft position.

At least with Exum you were drafting a lot of potential. He just could never stay healthy and his wrist doesnt know how to bend on jump shots.

It's probably one of the picks I'm least mad about tbh.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

Also imagine if Utah waited a year on the drafting a center thing during the Tony Bradley era and instead got Robert Williams the following year.

 

[LoPo]

Udoka isn't the worst draft pick in team history, but it was a severe gut punch considering how close we were to building a contender. Missing on a guy like Exum when we were rebuilding doesn't hurt as much as wasting pick when so many useful guys were there to help us.

Overall, I think the worse draft decision was taking Burks over Kawhi. It was such a poor decision. Kawhi was the freak athlete we always wanted.