mellow
Well-Known Member
With dishonarble mention going to Kris Humphries, Felton Spencer and Keon Clark I'd have to go with Luther Wright.
Wright joined the Team in 1993 as the #18 draft pick. Wright had been projected to go higher but 'fell' to the Jazz. The team had struggled the year before losing in the first round of the playoffs to Seattle. Mark Eaton had retired, Mike Brown was not getting the job done at center and Ike Austin was about to cash in on a big payday and leave town. The team was going through a major reload around Stockton and Malone and the center and sg spots were the positions needing upgrades.
At the time Karl was tearing the league up despite being gaurded night after night by the opponents Center and doubled by the pf.
To me at the time Wright seemed too good to be true, a gift sent down from heaven. When does a skilled, big bruising center fall to playoff team at #18? --NEVER, but he did!
Yes he was young, but the Jazz were also bringing in Felton Spencer. Two young centers, I was stunned. But it was Wright who captured my attention and inspired dreams of Jazz championship. He was a young, relativley unknown 7-2 270 lb guy and the highlights they showed about him on the local media were of thundering dunks and swatting shots out of the air. And everyone talked about how he had played for an established team at Seaton Hall and his coach gave the Jazz glowing reviews.
Even after he went crazy I wanted to believe that maybe just maybe..........
To add insult to injury I read where the jazz had reached a settlement with him on his contract. He went crazy, couldn't do his job and the Jazz still had to pay him his full contract, but the lawyers argued and got the payments stretched out over 25 years so me and the Millers can continue to be dissappointed until 2020.
Wright joined the Team in 1993 as the #18 draft pick. Wright had been projected to go higher but 'fell' to the Jazz. The team had struggled the year before losing in the first round of the playoffs to Seattle. Mark Eaton had retired, Mike Brown was not getting the job done at center and Ike Austin was about to cash in on a big payday and leave town. The team was going through a major reload around Stockton and Malone and the center and sg spots were the positions needing upgrades.
At the time Karl was tearing the league up despite being gaurded night after night by the opponents Center and doubled by the pf.
To me at the time Wright seemed too good to be true, a gift sent down from heaven. When does a skilled, big bruising center fall to playoff team at #18? --NEVER, but he did!
Yes he was young, but the Jazz were also bringing in Felton Spencer. Two young centers, I was stunned. But it was Wright who captured my attention and inspired dreams of Jazz championship. He was a young, relativley unknown 7-2 270 lb guy and the highlights they showed about him on the local media were of thundering dunks and swatting shots out of the air. And everyone talked about how he had played for an established team at Seaton Hall and his coach gave the Jazz glowing reviews.
Even after he went crazy I wanted to believe that maybe just maybe..........
To add insult to injury I read where the jazz had reached a settlement with him on his contract. He went crazy, couldn't do his job and the Jazz still had to pay him his full contract, but the lawyers argued and got the payments stretched out over 25 years so me and the Millers can continue to be dissappointed until 2020.
