Utah Jazz Talk

With the twenty-third pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, the Utah Jazz select…

Well, everybody has their ideas on who the Jazz might select with that pick, so we’ll take a look at what the Utah Jazz need and might be able to get.

Apparently lots of people think the Utah Jazz need a big center.

Let’s see if we agree.

Point Guard: Deron Williams, backups Ronnie Price, Jason Hart
Shooting Guard: Ronnie Brewer, backups Kyle Korver, Morris Almond
Small Forward: Andrei Kirilenko, backups Matt Harpring, CJ Miles (free agent)
Power Forward: Carlos Boozer, backups Paul Millsap
Center: Mehmet Okur, backups Jarron Collins, Kyrylo Fesenko

After Boozer and Okur, you’ve got three “bigs”: Millsap (small for a power forward), Collins (a perennial backup), and Fesenko (up and down his rookie year in the D-league).

Alright.

I agree.

But can you really get a center worth taking with the twenty-third pick in the NBA Draft.

Normally, you can’t. Centers go much faster than people think they will because of the old adages “you can’t teach size” and “if you are going to make an error, err big”.

This year people think that the Jazz not only have a chance at a center, but will end up with one.

Let’s take a look at some of the centers who the Jazz might have a chance at…

Kevin Love – C – UCLA

Predicted in almost every draft to go in the lottery, but the Jazz might always be able to trade up to get him. Here is the information from CollegeHoopsNet on him.

Kosta Koufos – C – Ohio State

Koufos is all over the place in mock drafts, from near the top of the draft all the way down to where the Jazz pick. Some scouts are high on him. Others are not. I tend to think that someone will draft “big” because it is safe, and he won’t fall anywhere near where the Jazz are picking. Here is the information from CollegeHoopsNet on him.

DeAndre Jordan – PF/C – Texas A&M

Like Love, Jordan is predicted to be a lottery pick in most drafts, and won’t be available for the Utah Jazz unless they move up. Here is the information from CollegeHoopsNet on him.

Ante Tomic – C – KK Zagreb

Likely to be available for the Jazz, but he is essentially the same as Okur and Fesenko. He likely doesn’t fill the need of a really big guy down low, taking up paint and preventing other big men from getting easy hoops. Here is the information from CollegeHoopsNet on him.

Robin Lopez – C – Stanford

Nobody knows how good he good be because he played in the shadow of his brother Brook at Stanford. All indications are that he would be a pretty good pick for the Jazz here if he is available. According to most drafts, Robin is likely to be available for the Jazz at the 23rd pick. I’m a bit skeptical because lots of centers get nabbed up much earlier than mock drafts predict. Here is the information from CollegeHoopsNet on him.

Roy Hibbert – C – Georgetown

Just about everybody has the Jazz picking Roy Hibbert. If he is available here (and most drafts say that he will be), he would be a good center to pick up with the 23rd pick. He is probably the biggest center in the draft with any kind of prowess at all. Like I said with Lopez, I kind of doubt that so many teams will pick a smaller player when there is a center available (even though all of the mock drafts are telling you that they will). Here is the information from CollegeHoopsNet on him.

Joey Dorsey – PF/C – Memphis
DeVon Hardin – PF/C – California

These players are both predicted to go into the second round, and it is doubtful that the Jazz would reach down so far to nab one of them. If all of the other better centers have already been taken, they would probably be more likely to trade into the second round to take one of them rather than use their first round pick on either of them. Second round picks offer more flexibility as well as far as contracts go.