What's new
By:

I think we whiffed by not moving up in the draft.

B

bigmike

Well-Known Member
Following this year's FA class makes me realize that if you're a small market team, the only way to stack your roster is by hitting home-runs in the draft. Like OKC: Westbrook and Durant.

Not only are we going to struggle to lure FA's to Salt Lake City....but this offseason has also demonstrated that you have to DRASTICALLY overpay to bring in free agents. Max deals for Rudy Gay and Joe Johnson? $55M over 6 years for Brendan freaking Haywood? No thank you! We've already seen how bad contracts can handcuff a team over these past few seasons.

I know KOC and company says they tried to do everything to move up in the draft, but given Utah's stagnant track record, I really doubt our FO is the "look under every rock, do everything to make things happen" type. I'm not saying we should have totally mortgaged our future, but I would have been fine overpaying somewhat for a top 5 pick in this year's draft. Hayward will be a fine player - at 9, I actually liked the pick - but he's not what we all know we need, and that's a frontcourt anchor or a star on the wing. I REALLY think in five years we're going to be kicking ourselves that we didn't come away with Wes Johnson, Turner, Favors, or Cousins. If going out and getting a guy like that meant losing the #9 pick plus some combo of the Memphis pick/Harp TPE/Millsap/AK/Tomic, well then so be it.

I think THAT'S our best avenue to really stack up for the future. It's a risk to give up guys who we know are solid players to move up, but taking this kind of risk could a) give us a real star for the future at b) a slotted rookie-pay scale salary, not some over inflated FA acquisition.

At this point, my gut tells me that Williams is gone in 2012. I know he likes Utah, but why stay in a small-market on a solid team when you know the big FA players will be ALL OVER him with max contract offers on contending teams? We will definitely have the assets to go get a horse in the next two seasons - Boozer, Korver off the books, the Harp TPE, the Boozer TPE - but given our track record I question how well our FO will utilize those assets. But I really think our best bet for a long-term, competitive future is to hit a home-run in the draft like we did with Deron. Armed with the #9 pick this year, I think that was our best chance, unless we're in the lotto this upcoming season.
 
Only way to get into the top 5 this year would have been to trade Deron Williams for it.

Those other assets won't net that much of a jump.

And with the new CBA, overpaying for players may be a thing of the past.
 
As was already said, we don't know what we would have had to give up to get into the top 5 of the draft. As things turned out, it looks like we got a rock solid player at 9, so even without a stud like Cousins the draft looks like a success. We do need a talented big though. Boozer was a pretty good player but Mansap will fill in very well at less than half the price, but that still leaves us with needing a C. There are guys out there and we have resources to go get them so this offseason can still make the Jazz a better team. No need to push the panic button yet.
 
I take KOC's word in saying they did everything they can to move up & draft Cousins. Let's give him credit, he did trade up to snag Willy...
 
I think you whiffed with this thread bro. We have zero idea how hard KOC tried and not for nothing but if you look through the other end of the looking glass, why would Sacramento want our scraps? In other words, if it's obvious to you that we should have given up whatever we had to to get Cousins, it should then also be obvious to you that Sacramento should reject such a trade.
 
ncoloradojazz said:
would of loved to get favors..In 2 years he going to be a major player for the nets
Click to expand...

Why do you think so? He has not done anything to give that warm feeling - at least to me. Not on College level, not in the summer League. The pick is based on potential - much like Milicic's one was, just like Marvin Williams' one was. Will he turn out to be a star? Who knows? But as of now I am skeptical. I like our pick as compared to the Nets one. I don't understand why Nets didn't get Cousins if they wanted to go big. Same age, but has done MUCH better in NCAA.

As far as KOC not trading up for Cousins though, let's get real: it's not easy to get into 3-4 to snatch that guy. All reports indicated KOC tried and presented many creative offers. I have been frustrated with the way things have gone this off-season as much as anyone, but in this case everything indicates we gave our best shot to move up, but just didn't quite have enough to offer. We got a pretty good pick though still.
 
Last edited:
Just because Portland was stupid enough to let the Jazz move up to get DWill, doesn't mean that Sacramento is run by such incompetent fools.

Now, had Memphis been sitting at #5....
 
I love how posters assume that the Jazz FO can just impose their will to move up in the draft, make trades, sign free agents, etc. as if there aren't other parties involved.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page
Back
Top