"You Gotta Love It Baby" Official Jazz thread

[smokymountainrain]

I don't think Randle is going to be around at 3. Jabari seems like a #3 pick to me. Refined game, NBA body, good but not elite athleticism. If you are drafting 1 or 2, you want the homerun, franchise changer. Randle and Wiggins (to a lesser extent) have those upsides.

Yeah, I think you're right. That's wishful thinking on my part. Ultimately, I think there is a real chance he passes Wiggins for #1 overall.

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

I don't think Wiggins/Randle/Parker go 1-2-3. Some team is going to either be in the top 3 or want to trade into the top 3 to get Smart or Exum.

Of course, after saying that, I think of Utah with Burke, Phoenix with Bledsoe, Philly with MC-W...so maybe not.

[MarkGrace]

Ford with a stock update after last night.

STOCK: HOT

Parker
Jabari Parker, F, Duke Blue Devils
Top 100 Rank: 4
versus Kansas: 27 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block, 2 turnovers, 9-of-18 shooting, 4-of-7 from 3-point range, 5-of-5 on free throws in 33 minutes

No one did more to help his draft stock than Parker on Tuesday night. I don't think he'll budge on the Big Board from where he currently stands, but if there was any doubt among NBA scouts that Parker should be in the discussion for the No. 1 pick, they were erased on Tuesday night.

Parker was huge -- especially in the first half when he dropped in 19 points and six rebounds. He was scoring from all over the field. He proved to scouts he's a better athlete than he's given credit for. Most importantly, he was the unquestioned leader on this Duke team. Sure, he has some holes; he can fall in love with his perimeter game and his defense was lacking a bit at times, but Parker is getting a lot of comparisons to everyone from Carmelo Anthony to Grant Hill. He looks like a lock to go in the top 5 and a real shot at going No. 1 overall.



Randle
Julius Randle, PF, Kentucky Wildcats
Top 100 Rank: 2
versus Michigan State: 27 points, 13 rebounds, 8 turnovers, 9-of-14 shooting, 9-of-15 on free throws in 35 minutes

Randle struggled mightily in the first half, scoring just four points and going 1-for-6 from the field. The swarming defense of Michigan State gave him problems -- especially the athleticism and toughness of Branden Dawson. But in the second half? Wow. Randle scored 23 points and went 7-for-8 from the field and almost single-handedly willed Kentucky back into the game.

His speed and athleticism for a player his size is remarkable. So is his motor. He turned the ball over a lot, but by the end of the game, scouts were raving. Randle didn't play particularly well and he still put up huge numbers against a tough, veteran Michigan State team. He's going to be a monster and has a great shot of being the No. 1 pick in the draft in June.


Wiggins
Andrew Wiggins, G/F, Kansas Jayhawks
Top 100 Rank: 1
versus Duke: 22 points, 8 rebounds, 1 block, 9-of-15 shooting, 4-of-6 on free throws in 25 minutes

Parker and Randle might have put up bigger numbers, but Wiggins was the guy who ultimately got the win. I know the narrative this morning will be that the other two guys were better. But how so? Wiggins was battling foul trouble in the first half and also had to sit several minutes in the second half when he picked up his fourth foul (don't blame him, the whistle was blowing every 30 seconds). When he was on the court? He was equally dominant -- in fact, he outscored Parker 16-8 in the second half.

He made a number of athletic plays on offense (including a huge step-back jumper that sealed the win for Kansas) and most importantly, was the only one of the three to play lock-down defense. When Wiggins got the assignment to guard Parker in the second half, Parker's offensive assault stalled. His jump shot still needs work and he needs to tighten his handle (things we already knew) but as far as upside goes, I still think Wiggins has the highest ceiling -- especially because of his ability to be a Paul George-like two-way player. After polling a number of NBA GMs and scouts in the gym, he's staying No. 1 on our Big Board.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft...ssic-nba-draft

[Blueintheface]

The 13 stooges.

[Blueintheface]

Burks really is a lousy defender.

[smokymountainrain]

Burks really is a lousy defender.

Burks is a lousy player right now. He seems to be getting worse every game.

[Blueintheface]

weird what happens when it's not 5 on 4. Hayward with 11 assists.

[Blueintheface]

the Jazz will not go completely defeated!

[MarkGrace]

A win. I almost can't believe it.

[MarkGrace]

Amazing that you can call up a guy from the NBDL and he's already better than JLIII.

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

Just finished the game. Gordon Chitwood is going to get paid in a big way. 27 points on 12 shots with 10 assists? That is crazy LBJ stuff. He could've had 2-3 more assists if practically any PG not named Lucas or Tinsley was playing next to him tonight.

Good to see Kanter w/the double-double, and 21 points on only 10 FGAs.

[Donuthole]

Kanter with 21 and 10. Nice to see him rebound the ball again.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

Then we have HFN's contributions to the thread which are always a beacon of positivity.

I used to come on and post about the games and what I thought went well or not well. I'll just wait to be told when it is ok to want the Jazz to win again instead of cheering for future draft picks.

[smokymountainrain]

I used to come on and post about the games and what I thought went well or not well. I'll just wait to be told when it is ok to want the Jazz to win again instead of cheering for future draft picks.

The best thing about the Jazz this year is they are so bad we can cheer for them to win, all the while knowing in our heart of hearts they are still bad enough to have a great chance at the worst record in the league. The best of both worlds, if you will.

[Y84it]

IT is crazy to me that Lucas is even playing in the NBA he is soooooo bad. The new PG Greene? from the D league changed everything. Witha PG I think they can win 20 games now.