"You Gotta Love It Baby" Official Jazz thread

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

Ford has us taking Babbitt in his newest mock, with Monroe going 5th. I just can't get excited about him.


http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft...ckDraft-100609

Can't get excited about Monroe or Babbitt...or both?

[Jacob]

Can't get excited about Monroe or Babbitt...or both?

I can't get excited about Babbitt either. I'd prefer Ford's next 2 in that latest mock - Davis and Aldrich

[MarkGrace]

Babbitt.

Though the recent series of workouts have me optimistic that if they do indeed want to take him, they'll explore trading down. If you can get the 12 and 25 pick from Memphis, then that might make some sense.

At 12 you are guaranteed one of Babbitt/Hayward/George (and all are better picks at 12 than 9), and then you can target one of the athletic freaks at PF (Sanders/Lawal -- though Sanders stock seems on the rise), or one of the two +7 footers (Alabi/Jordan).

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

Babbitt.

Though the recent series of workouts have me optimistic that if they do indeed want to take him, they'll explore trading down. If you can get the 12 and 25 pick from Memphis, then that might make some sense.

At 12 you are guaranteed one of Babbitt/Hayward/George (and all are better picks at 12 than 9), and then you can target one of the athletic freaks at PF (Sanders/Lawal -- though Sanders stock seems on the rise), or one of the two +7 footers (Alabi/Jordan).

And to your list of Babbitt/Hayward/George I might start lumping Henry in there. So I think I'm agreeing with you, in that if someone in that group is the target, might as well try to trade back because one of them is going to be there at 12 and I'm not sure one is a far better prospect than another.

Did Lawal test well athletically?

[smokymountainrain]

And to your list of Babbitt/Hayward/George I might start lumping Henry in there. So I think I'm agreeing with you, in that if someone in that group is the target, might as well try to trade back because one of them is going to be there at 12 and I'm not sure one is a far better prospect than another.

Did Lawal test well athletically?

I agree about adding Henry to that group and I'd add a few more big men to Grace's list as well.

IMO, if they can trade #9 for for 12 and 25, they should do it. This is a great draft to have those two picks. I don't think you necessarily get a better player at #9 than you do at 12 - and there are some very interesting guys who should be available at 25.

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

I agree about adding Henry to that group and I'd add a few more big men to Grace's list as well.

IMO, if they can trade #9 for for 12 and 25, they should do it. This is a great draft to have those two picks. I don't think you necessarily get a better player at #9 than you do at 12 - and there are some very interesting guys who should be available at 25.

Unless someone like Cousins or Johnson starts to fall on draft day, and trading up to #6 or #7 is feasible to get one of them, with our extremely limited knowledge of how the prospects falling in the 9-15 range really rate out for NBA team, it just seems going down to 12 if it means picking up another first makes sense. But, maybe the better idea is to still stay at #9 and try to trade back into the back end of the first with so many teams having multiple picks from 23-30.

Any chance Babbitt can play the 2?

[smokymountainrain]

Unless someone like Cousins or Johnson starts to fall on draft day, and trading up to #6 or #7 is feasible to get one of them, with our extremely limited knowledge of how the prospects falling in the 9-15 range really rate out for NBA team, it just seems going down to 12 if it means picking up another first makes sense. But, maybe the better idea is to still stay at #9 and try to trade back into the back end of the first with so many teams having multiple picks from 23-30.

Any chance Babbitt can play the 2?

At 6'9" I don't see him at the 2. I think he could play the 4 before he could play the 2. And yes, I do think he can play some 4, although he could probably stand to put on 15 lbs. He benched 185 15 times, so the strength is there.

[smokymountainrain]

BTW, Tavernari measured at 6'5" in shoes with a 23" no step vert and a 28" max vert.

So he jumps about the same as Aldrich.

[Jacob]

BTW, Tavernari measured at 6'5" in shoes with a 23" no step vert and a 28" max vert.

So he jumps about the same as Aldrich.

6'5" in shoes? And we had him playing the 4?

[MarkGrace]

And to your list of Babbitt/Hayward/George I might start lumping Henry in there. So I think I'm agreeing with you, in that if someone in that group is the target, might as well try to trade back because one of them is going to be there at 12 and I'm not sure one is a far better prospect than another.

Did Lawal test well athletically?

Yeah, I'd put Henry in that mix as well.

IIRC, Lawal tested pretty well.

[MarkGrace]

Unless someone like Cousins or Johnson starts to fall on draft day, and trading up to #6 or #7 is feasible to get one of them, with our extremely limited knowledge of how the prospects falling in the 9-15 range really rate out for NBA team, it just seems going down to 12 if it means picking up another first makes sense. But, maybe the better idea is to still stay at #9 and try to trade back into the back end of the first with so many teams having multiple picks from 23-30.

I think that's definitely the fear in trading down.

Any chance Babbitt can play the 2?

Doubt it.

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

Doubt it.

I agree. Better to leave Korver there.

Watching just highlight clips, it seems his size would give him as much of an advantage over most SGs as his quickness would over PFs. And yeah he'd be a liability defensively at the 2, but when your team is used to trotting Korver/Fisher/Price out there, getting abused on defense is getting abused. We won't discriminate against lousy defensive 2's.

I was wondering about it based on the OKC model of size on the court. They aren't tremendously big in the front court, but have great size and length at SF, SG, and PG. If Babbitt (or George or Hayward) could play some time at SG it would allow Utah to help make up for some of their length deficit even if they didn't draft size at center. AK/George/Deron looks very similar to Durant/Sefalosha/Westbrook...with Memo + Sap resembling Kristc + Green.

[smokymountainrain]

I agree. Better to leave Korver there.

Watching just highlight clips, it seems his size would give him as much of an advantage over most SGs as his quickness would over PFs. And yeah he'd be a liability defensively at the 2, but when your team is used to trotting Korver/Fisher/Price out there, getting abused on defense is getting abused. We won't discriminate against lousy defensive 2's.

I was wondering about it based on the OKC model of size on the court. They aren't tremendously big in the front court, but have great size and length at SF, SG, and PG. If Babbitt (or George or Hayward) could play some time at SG it would allow Utah to help make up for some of their length deficit even if they didn't draft size at center. AK/George/Deron looks very similar to Durant/Sefalosha/Westbrook...with Memo + Sap resembling Kristc + Green.

Good point. Defense is the only reason you couldn't put Babbitt at the two, but as you mentioned, how much worse can Babbitt be than Korver and CJ?

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

Good point. Defense is the only reason you couldn't put Babbitt at the two, but as you mentioned, how much worse can Babbitt be than Korver and CJ?

And I think you consider if any advantage he might be able to produce at the 2 would be worth living with some defensive deficiencies there. I don't know how much he can play with his back to the basket, or how much the Jazz would be able to utilize that anyway. If he isn't quick enough, SGs would be able to stay with him more readily as he'd show at the junction or swing baseline for a jumper. But I do think his size, and the fact that he gets a pretty good lift on his jumper, would allow him to get his shot off with ease against most SGs even if he doesn't have a lot of separation.

I know I'd hate to see another team take him and dabble with him at SG, because then I'd have to watch him being guarded by Price when he plays Utah.

But I think ultimately you're right, in Babbitt's case, that he is a 3 that might be utilized at the 4. In the Jazz system, I think he could play 2.

[smokymountainrain]

And I think you consider if any advantage he might be able to produce at the 2 would be worth living with some defensive deficiencies there. I don't know how much he can play with his back to the basket, or how much the Jazz would be able to utilize that anyway. If he isn't quick enough, SGs would be able to stay with him more readily as he'd show at the junction or swing baseline for a jumper. But I do think his size, and the fact that he gets a pretty good lift on his jumper, would allow him to get his shot off with ease against most SGs even if he doesn't have a lot of separation.

I know I'd hate to see another team take him and dabble with him at SG, because then I'd have to watch him being guarded by Price when he plays Utah.

But I think ultimately you're right, in Babbitt's case, that he is a 3 that might be utilized at the 4. In the Jazz system, I think he could play 2.

I wish I'd seen more of Nevada this past season to get a feel, but it seems like I've read in different places about his being pretty comfortable with his back to the basket.