"You Gotta Love It Baby" Official Jazz thread

[smokymountainrain]

There's a very good chance you're the only person on the planet that thinks this.

Keep in mind, Burks is already REALLY good!

[Blueintheface]

There's a very good chance you're the only person on the planet that thinks this.

I think Alec's parents probably agree with SMR so you couldn't be more wrong.

[smokymountainrain]

I think Alec's parents probably agree with SMR so you couldn't be more wrong.

To be fair, even they probably don't even think that. Most people think a fat poly who can't shoot, pass or defend is going to be a star. Go figure.

[MarkGrace]

Per Basketball Insiders by Steve Kyler:

While the 76ers do seem willing to move up, they are not alone. There has been talk that the Utah Jazz would like to move into the top three and may be willing to give up some of the assets the acquired from Golden State last year for a shot at Parker.

There was also talk that guard Alec Burks could be had if it netted Parker for the Jazz.

I would so much love to see this happen just for SMR. Too bad we couldn't get Boylen as coach to go with it.

[MarkGrace]

Ford's latest mock:

This one comes down to Dante Exum, Noah Vonleh and Aaron Gordon from what I can gather, and I think it will be hard for the Jazz to pass on either Exum or Vonleh if they are on the board.

While the Jazz drafted Trey Burke last year, they believe Exum has a higher ceiling (and I think they are right). And the Burke pick isn't a waste. Exum can also play at the 2 when Burke is on the floor.

Vonleh gives them a stretch 4 that adds a different wrinkle to their front line. There are enough minutes for Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter and Vonleh all to get significant minutes, and with Kanter heading toward restricted free agency next summer, this gives them some insurance as well.

Gordon is another possibility. He had a great workout and the team loves his energy and athleticism. But I don't get the impression that he's ahead of Exum or Vonleh. Marcus Smart has gotten a number of mentions here by other commentators, but I don't think the Jazz have been as high on him, and he's not even working out in Utah.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft...n=8&sourceId=1

[smokymountainrain]

I would so much love to see this happen just for SMR. Too bad we couldn't get Boylen as coach to go with it.

More...

Spencer Checketts@1280Spence ·
.@sheridanhoops is reporting the @utahjazz have "zeroed in" on Jabari Parker, and are "doing everything they can to move up and draft him."

https://twitter.com/1280Spence/statu...29444082794496

[Jacob]

If Smart is the #2 sure thing behind Jabari why give away the farm for Wiggins?

Because Wiggins might be much better than Smart. Smart may not have the top end potential that Wiggins has, but I don't see him missing. I'm not ranking Smart #2 overall, I'm saying there is very little risk that he doesn't turn out to be very good. There is a chance that Wiggins or Embiid don't work out, IMO. But I'd still draft them ahead of Smart.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

Because Wiggins might be much better than Smart. Smart may not have the top end potential that Wiggins has, but I don't see him missing. I'm not ranking Smart #2 overall, I'm saying there is very little risk that he doesn't turn out to be very good. There is a chance that Wiggins or Embiid don't work out, IMO. But I'd still draft them ahead of Smart.

Ok that makes sense. I didn't understand that from your first post.

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

Some differing takes on Exum:

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/20...2iK/story.html

[smokymountainrain]

Some differing takes on Exum:

http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/20...2iK/story.html

Exum just screams mid to late first round guy. The guy you take at #20 and hope for the best. If you miss on him, no big deal at 20. Far too many questions to spend a top 5 pick on, and the answers we do have on him (18, 4 and 4 on 44% and 33% in the U19) simply don't warrant top 5, IMO.

[MarkGrace]

Exum just screams mid to late first round guy. The guy you take at #20 and hope for the best. If you miss on him, no big deal at 20. Far too many questions to spend a top 5 pick on, and the answers we do have on him (18, 4 and 4 on 44% and 33% in the U19) simply don't warrant top 5, IMO.

I read something that said he's Brandon Roy before the jumpshot. A lot of the description in that article seems to match the comparison.

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

I read something that said he's Brandon Roy before the jumpshot. A lot of the description in that article seems to match the comparison.

I'm wondering if in 3 years the more apt comparison for Exum will be Nikoloz Tskitishvili.

I don't have a clue one way or the other on Exum. Little decent info for even GMs to go on, let alone fans. But I will always worry about using a top 5 pick on a prospect who is getting rave reviews based on his play in an all-star game against high school players and in 1 on 0 workouts. Especially when a great jumper isn't part of what's impressing against the chair defenders.

[MarkGrace]

I'm wondering if in 3 years the more apt comparison for Exum will be Nikoloz Tskitishvili.

I don't have a clue one way or the other on Exum. Little decent info for even GMs to go on, let alone fans. But I will always worry about using a top 5 pick on a prospect who is getting rave reviews based on his play in an all-star game against high school players and in 1 on 0 workouts. Especially when a great jumper isn't part of what's impressing against the chair defenders.

Or it could be Giannis Antetokounmpo, who now looks way undervalued relative to his draft slot last year. Young kid getting limited minutes in a backwater version of the Greek professional league, and not much of an international resume on top of that, so he doesn't make it into the lotto. I don't pretend to know how any of this stuff is going to go. Like Jacob said, I have a habit of taking the contrarian point of view and poking at the other side of the argument with examples. Really it's pretty easy, because I've watched this stuff for so long now that finding examples of players that did or did not work out under a similar set of loose facts isn't terribly difficult. SMR and funk were busting on Vonleh the other day, but it was kind of silly. Take LaMarcus Aldridge, for example. If LA comes out after his frosh year, you could have landed a huge value pick. But he makes a big jump in year 2, then he goes in the top 3 or whatever (think he was #2?). Noah Vonleh was a much better player as a true frosh than LA. Could you get him at him 5-7 in the draft, but with another year maybe he jumps into the top 3? Of course maybe he doesn't improve much, and loses value. Impossible to tell, but I don't think there's anything about his current situation that says he won't work out in the NBA. He's simply in the same spot as a whole bunch of kids that did work out and a whole bunch that didn't.

[smokymountainrain]

Or it could be Giannis Antetokounmpo, who now looks way undervalued relative to his draft slot last year. Young kid getting limited minutes in a backwater version of the Greek professional league, and not much of an international resume on top of that, so he doesn't make it into the lotto. I don't pretend to know how any of this stuff is going to go. Like Jacob said, I have a habit of taking the contrarian point of view and poking at the other side of the argument with examples. Really it's pretty easy, because I've watched this stuff for so long now that finding examples of players that did or did not work out under a similar set of loose facts isn't terribly difficult. SMR and funk were busting on Vonleh the other day, but it was kind of silly. Take LaMarcus Aldridge, for example. If LA comes out after his frosh year, you could have landed a huge value pick. But he makes a big jump in year 2, then he goes in the top 3 or whatever (think he was #2?). Noah Vonleh was a much better player as a true frosh than LA. Could you get him at him 5-7 in the draft, but with another year maybe he jumps into the top 3? Of course maybe he doesn't improve much, and loses value. Impossible to tell, but I don't think there's anything about his current situation that says he won't work out in the NBA. He's simply in the same spot as a whole bunch of kids that did work out and a whole bunch that didn't.

But GA wasn't a top 5 pick. also, he was pretty bad last year. It still remains to be seen if he will be any good.

[BGRTHNUMEGO]

Or it could be Giannis Antetokounmpo, who now looks way undervalued relative to his draft slot last year. Young kid getting limited minutes in a backwater version of the Greek professional league, and not much of an international resume on top of that, so he doesn't make it into the lotto. I don't pretend to know how any of this stuff is going to go. Like Jacob said, I have a habit of taking the contrarian point of view and poking at the other side of the argument with examples. Really it's pretty easy, because I've watched this stuff for so long now that finding examples of players that did or did not work out under a similar set of loose facts isn't terribly difficult. SMR and funk were busting on Vonleh the other day, but it was kind of silly. Take LaMarcus Aldridge, for example. If LA comes out after his frosh year, you could have landed a huge value pick. But he makes a big jump in year 2, then he goes in the top 3 or whatever (think he was #2?). Noah Vonleh was a much better player as a true frosh than LA. Could you get him at him 5-7 in the draft, but with another year maybe he jumps into the top 3? Of course maybe he doesn't improve much, and loses value. Impossible to tell, but I don't think there's anything about his current situation that says he won't work out in the NBA. He's simply in the same spot as a whole bunch of kids that did work out and a whole bunch that didn't.

I thought I was taking the contrarian view on Exum?

I do like that we got Tskitishvili and Antetokounmpo mentioned in consecutive posts.