2011 Pick #3: Utah Jazz

[Real Deal]

Vote and explain.

[fish7718]

Brandon Knight, get that PG...most important position to build with.....

[Newman]

^ I agree. Brandon Knight would be my choice as well.

[Check my Stats]

I go with Jonas at this pick. Who cares about the lockout, and now we have even seen him dominate the U19 and more and more people seem to be getting on the bandwagon. If you don't take Jonas, you stick with Kanter, but call me biased, I am going with Jonas at 3.

[Dash]

Valanciunas is the best prospect available and with rumors that most (if not all) of the upcoming NBA season could be cancelled then its all the more reason to draft him.

[AboveLegit]

Enes Kanter, I believe he's the third best player in this draft, and could have been the #1 pick had he played last season in Kentucky.

 

I like Jonas V, from all of the updates I've been reading in the U-19's, he seems to be a legitimate center with good size and a very high ceiling. However, at this point in his development, he'd get pushed around a lot in the NBA and is still very raw, much like Favors. I'd much rather prefer the pairing of Kanter/Favors because it's a good mix of offense and defense. Derrick would have been the #1 pick this year, adding him with a talent that complements him well is exactly what Utah needs in order to get back to the playoffs.

 

Favors has decent size, and it's the length that matters in this league, which Derrick has plenty of. Dwight Howard is roughly the same size, he's just heavier and maybe a big longer. Favors is only 19 years old, he will gain muscle/weight, and he measures better than Al Horford who is also a solid defensive big man.

 

There's no reason for them to draft Brandon Knight...they need a pure PG, not an exact clone of Devin Harris (and we're not even sure he'd be better than Devin).

[?QuestionMark?]

Toss-up between Enes Kanter and Jonas Valanciunas, but I go with Jonas.

 

Has the most upside of everyone, and I think 5 years down the line he'll be the better player. Jonas can potentially be an anchor defensively, something I don't think Kanter can be. Concerns about Jonas doesn't really bother me. He clearly needs to get stronger, but so did Tyson Chandler when he came into the league.

 

The idea of pairing two good athletes like Favors and Jonas upfront would intrigue me.

 

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[Built Ford Tough]

I like Valanciunas more (potential bias, perhaps, but I had Valanciunas and Kanter pretty much equal on my board for most of the draft process), but I think Kanter fits better with Utah and since neither one of them are head and shoulders above the other, I think you go with Kanter. He compliments Favors more than Valanciunas does as I think if you pair the two of them together you won't have enough post offense as both of them are more pick and roll/athletic finishers type of players on offense, while Kanter can create his own offense from the block better.

 

I think Favors and Valanciunas would be a little redundant, so Kanter is my pick even though I like Valanciunas more.

[Real Deal]

Yeah, I think it's about defense. I really have no idea what Utah plans to do with Kirilenko, and he has basically anchored their defense the entire time he's been with the Jazz (despite him not being a big in the middle).

 

Having guys like Okur and Ostertag (yes, I said Ostertag) up front for years, it's probably time for Utah to find a big that has a little toughness to him. It's not like they have a Karl Malone to take care of that, and if they are so high on Favors, there's no point in bringing another offensive weapon into play. What would they do with Millsap and Jefferson, at that point?

 

I'm fine with the Kanter selection. However, if I knew that the Jazz were going to shop Devin Harris, it's Brandon Knight or Kemba Walker, and I wouldn't think twice.

[AboveLegit]

I'm fine with the Kanter selection. However, if I knew that the Jazz were going to shop Devin Harris, it's Brandon Knight or Kemba Walker, and I wouldn't think twice.

But that begs the question, why would you trade Devin Harris and bring in relatively the same player in Brandon Knight? In my opinion, despite what the circumstances are, you draft Kanter if he's available.

[Real Deal]

But that begs the question, why would you trade Devin Harris and bring in relatively the same player in Brandon Knight? In my opinion, despite what the circumstances are, you draft Kanter if he's available.

Because of age (he's going to be 29 before next season ends, if we actually have one) and salary (he's a $9 million player that has two years left, and will demand that money in an extension).

[fish7718]

But that begs the question, why would you trade Devin Harris and bring in relatively the same player in Brandon Knight? In my opinion, despite what the circumstances are, you draft Kanter if he's available.

How do you draft Kanter when you have Jefferson/Milsap/Favors?

[AboveLegit]

Because of age (he's going to be 29 before next season ends, if we actually have one) and salary (he's a $9 million player that has two years left, and will demand that money in an extension).

I understand that, but Brandon Knight still brings the same qualities to the table. He's not a good passer at all, makes too many mistakes, and looks to score first. Given Utah's rich history in point guards, you'd think they would go out and find a pass first player instead.

 

And I don't mean to hate on Devin Harris, he really had to learn the offense on the fly and did play banged up while putting up solid numbers.

 

How do you draft Kanter when you have Jefferson/Milsap/Favors?

Milsap is an undersized PF and his trade value has peaked, it's only appropriate to ship him out now. A three big man rotation of Jefferson/Kanter/Favors would be very good as well, and I think Al will stay in Utah until their two young guys develop and when his contract is set to expire in 2013.

[fish7718]

Milsap is an undersized PF and his trade value has peaked, it's only appropriate to ship him out now. A three big man rotation of Jefferson/Kanter/Favors would be very good as well, and I think Al will stay in Utah until their two young guys develop and when his contract is set to expire in 2013.

So when they big men get good, Harris is just about done?

 

I think it makes more sense to build with Knight - Heyward - Favors...and like you said got Al J/Milsap too, can move Milsap/Al J/Harris for a 2 or picks get a 2 next draft..

Edited July 17, 2011 by fish7718

[Real Deal]

Given Utah's rich history in point guards, you'd think they would go out and find a pass first player instead.

That's what they did when they found Deron Williams, who ended up leaving them because Utah wasn't contending.

 

And while John Stockton was an amazing pass-first point guard, he wasn't the guy leading them to the NBA Finals. He may be one of the greatest PG's of all-time, but Karl Malone was the superior player.

 

I see no reason for the Jazz to run away from a score-first PG, especially if you consider what they've done post-Malone/Stockton.

[AboveLegit]

So when they big men get good, Harris is just about done?

 

I think it makes more sense to build with Knight - Heyward - Favors...and like you said got Al J/Milsap too, can move Milsap/Al J/Harris for a 2 or picks get a 2 next draft..

I don't know, I'm just not high on Knight at all. As I've said before, he benefited greatly from being in a rather weak draft class, I just don't see what's so great about him. Seriously, what does he do that separates him from Jerryd Bayless or Jeff Teague?

 

I see no reason for the Jazz to run away from a score-first PG, especially if you consider what they've done post-Malone/Stockton.

But it doesn't make sense moving away from elite PG's and settling for a shoot first PG who is raw.

 

If I had to pick a PG for the Jazz out of this draft class, I'd go for Kemba Walker.

[Real Deal]

I don't know, I'm just not high on Knight at all. As I've said before, he benefited greatly from being in a rather weak draft class, I just don't see what's so great about him. Seriously, what does he do that separates him from Jerryd Bayless or Jeff Teague?

 

But it doesn't make sense moving away from elite PG's and settling for a shoot first PG who is raw.

 

If I had to pick a PG for the Jazz out of this draft class, I'd go for Kemba Walker.

This basically tells me that you're going to be a bit biased. You've been high on Kemba for a month before the draft (that I've noticed, probably longer), which more than likely pushes Knight out of the picture.

 

Out of the entire draft class? Why not Irving? Walker is a score-first combo guard that is more like Dwyane Wade than he is a true point.

 

If Brandon Knight could benefit from being in a weak draft class, what was the case with Kanter, who didn't even play a single minute of college ball last year? If you you didn't see what was so great about Knight, how did you see anything with Kanter?

[fish7718]

BTW - AL you called Knight and exact clone of Devin Harris, is that necessarily a bad thing if he was? Harris was on his way to being a top 10 possibly top 5 PG but injuries have derailed his career. Assuming Knight can avoid those injuries and he is as talented as Devin was, I don't see how teams can pass on him.

 

BTW - I disagree about that, I think Knight will surprise a lot of people with his ability to run the offense, and he will certainly have a better 3 ball than Devin.

Edited July 17, 2011 by fish7718

[AboveLegit]

This basically tells me that you're going to be a bit biased. You've been high on Kemba for a month before the draft (that I've noticed, probably longer), which more than likely pushes Knight out of the picture.

 

Out of the entire draft class? Why not Irving? Walker is a score-first combo guard that is more like Dwyane Wade than he is a true point.

 

If Brandon Knight could benefit from being in a weak draft class, what was the case with Kanter, who didn't even play a single minute of college ball last year? If you you didn't see what was so great about Knight, how did you see anything with Kanter?

I didn't mention Irving because he's already taken by the Cavs.

 

I haven't found anyone making a legitimate case for Brandon Knight being drafted this high, which is why I'm not convinced. I'm not biased when it comes to prospects, if someone can make a good case for him, I'd gladly change my opinion on him.

 

Kanter is a hit or miss prospect, but we've seen many players like Brandon Knight before.

 

And regarding Walker, he's a better PG than he's given credit for.

[Real Deal]

Kanter is a hit or miss prospect, but we've seen many players like Brandon Knight before.

How many times have we seen an international player do absolutely nothing in the NBA, let alone big men in general? Hit or miss is probably correct with Kanter, with Nolan Ryan throwing a marble instead of a baseball.

 

Knight was arguably the second-best point guard in the NCAA (although I'll give it to Walker, but people will argue). That's already far more impressive than Kanter knocking a 50-year old ex-NBA player out of bounds during pre-draft camp.

[AboveLegit]

BTW - AL you called Knight and exact clone of Devin Harris, is that necessarily a bad thing if he was? Harris was on his way to being a top 10 possibly top 5 PG but injuries have derailed his career. Assuming Knight can avoid those injuries and he is as talented as Devin was, I don't see how teams can pass on him.

 

BTW - I disagree about that, I think Knight will surprise a lot of people with his ability to run the offense, and he will certainly have a better 3 ball than Devin.

It's not entirely a bad thing, but after seeing first hand what Gilbert Arenas did in DC, I've become more and more hesitant with trigger happy players. Rose, Wall, and Knight didn't fully display their passing ability under Calipari due to the offense that is run, but what separated Rose and Wall from Knight is their decision making. When we did see Knight display his passing ability, I just wasn't impressed and view him more as a combo guard (given his size).

[AboveLegit]

How many times have we seen an international player do absolutely nothing in the NBA, let alone big men in general? Hit or miss is probably correct with Kanter, with Nolan Ryan throwing a marble instead of a baseball.

 

Knight was arguably the second-best point guard in the NCAA (although I'll give it to Walker, but people will argue). That's already far more impressive than Kanter knocking a 50-year old ex-NBA player out of bounds during pre-draft camp.

But there is footage of what Kanter is capable of doing. Also considering the shape he's in without playing a year of basketball, it shows the attitude he has towards the game.

 

There's a lot of people doubting him (which is warranted), but he's still a big man that likes to play in the paint (he's not soft like most Euro prospects). He has great hands and great footwork, and those are two qualities that will almost always translate to the NBA.

[Real Deal]

But there is footage of what Kanter is capable of doing. Also considering the shape he's in without playing a year of basketball, it shows the attitude he has towards the game.

 

There's a lot of people doubting him (which is warranted), but he's still a big man that likes to play in the paint (he's not soft like most Euro prospects). He has great hands and great footwork, and those are two qualities that will almost always translate to the NBA.

Kosta Koufos. Before he was drafted...not soft, good footwork, good hands, decent defense, better scorer than Kanter, limited proof that he was going to be a good player...so teams didn't fall for the hype, and for a good reason.

 

The record number of international players selected tells me that teams are becoming more content with gambling on these guys, which isn't a good thing.

 

Again, I selected Kanter only because I assumed Utah was going to keep Harris. Jan and Jonas aren't great fits in Utah, really; Jonas is more like Bargs, and Vesely isn't an NBA center.

 

But, if it's about taking the gamble, sure, it's Kanter. If you're dealing Harris (which seems possible, considering the rumors we were hearing right when they acquired him), there's no reason not to look at Kemba or Brandon. A hit-or-miss pick shouldn't happen at #3. Somewhere later in the lottery, yes, but not if you're in the top three.

[AboveLegit]

Kosta Koufos. Before he was drafted...not soft, good footwork, good hands, decent defense, better scorer than Kanter, limited proof that he was going to be a good player...so teams didn't fall for the hype, and for a good reason.

 

The record number of international players selected tells me that teams are becoming more content with gambling on these guys, which isn't a good thing.

Kosta played for Ohio State and was born in Ohio, not sure I'd consider him an international prospect like Enes.

 

He also isn't nearly as strong as Enes is, and has a much more limited repertoire in the post. He hardly ever got to the line in college, which is a clear indictment of how he played in the paint.

[Real Deal]

Kosta played for Ohio State and was born in Ohio, not sure I'd consider him an international prospect like Enes.

 

He also isn't nearly as strong as Enes is, and has a much more limited repertoire in the post. He hardly ever got to the line in college, which is a clear indictment of how he played in the paint.

They aren't similar in that regard (even if Kanter did end up playing for Kentucky last year, Koufos would still have the US high school basketball to fall back on), but much of the hype that Koufos carried with him was based on his FIBA play, in that Under-18 tourney that he dominated. Had that not happened, there was no way any team takes him in the first round, and he would've fallen to the mid or late second.

 

When he was at Ohio State, everyone had high expectations, because they were so used to what Oden was doing in the middle. He couldn't rebound the ball well back at OSU, and he wasn't that great of a scorer.

 

He dominated HS basketball, of course, but that's largely due to his size, and scouts didn't forget about Kwame Brown and what he was able to do based on his size back in HS.