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Show ^ 9 ^^M^^fc. www.dailyutahchronicle.com VVWW.UUIiyUlUI IK.I II Wl ll\.IK. ^\ * ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ . t NBA DRAFT PREVIEW Jazz look to add the right pieces Thursday, June 28,2007 Mandeep Gill STAFF WRITER In the drafts following the Stockton and Malone era, the Utah Jazz were forced to draft in rebuilding mode—but not this year. Today, during the 2007 NBA draft, the Jazz will look to restock and reload its championship hopes. It is no secret that the cabinet for Utah is near full. The Jazz had great depth last year, thanks to a superb draft and the development of many young players. Going into this year's draft, the Jazz do not have any glaring needs. However, a few small additions will Aaron Afflalo go a long way. What exactly do the Jazz need? It was obvious during the post ence finals, that the Jazz lacked a season, especially in the confer- defensive presence on the perim- Nick Fazekas MarcoBellnelli Sean Williams eter, as well as in the paint. To fill guards are a priority for Utah in this these holes, center and shooting year's draft. Eastern Conference Pick: none Needs: experience 21,30,38 Needs: PF, SG Three first-round picks should bode well for this team in its first full season without Allen Iverson.The Sixers should take the best available of Acie Law IV, Javaris Crittenton or Jeff Green for a guard option, then try to harvest the talent of Tiago Splitter orThaddeus Young later in the round. See JAZZ Page 12 The Chronicle's Picks: 12, The Celtics mustfinda dominant inside presence or a scorer to compliment Paul Pierce. The Celts could nab Yi JianJian or Jeff Green with the fifth pick to fill that role. Joakim Noah could also be picked here, and could be the inspirational lift Bean Town needs. With a chemistry that is already entrenched, the Jazz will seek players who know they have specific roles to fill. Scoring is already spread thin between Carlos Boozer, Deron Williams and Mehmet Okur. A shooting guard who can step up and consistently hit open 3-pointers will basically be the biggest offensive addition the Jazz could hope for. On the defensive end, the Jazz need to find a defensive-minded big man who can slow inside scoring and wear down the inside threat coming from opposing teams. Finding a two guard who. is big enough to guard the league's top scorers will be a primary concern, as well. What the Jazz could do with their 25 th pick. Jason Kidd,Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson to gether average nearly 31 years of age, so Kansas'Julian Wright is a smart pick for the next generation. Rice's Morris Almond is a potent scorer that the Nets might take a gamble on. If the Nets really want a reward for their imagination, they might nab Rodney Stuckey. Eddie Curry and David Lee saw too many double teams and need a marksman like Marcus Almond or Daequan Cook that can make open shots. But the Knicks could opt for another big man, like Pao Gasol's younger brother Marc, to compliment the many swingmen the team already has. No. 1 Portland Trailblazers >Greg Oden (Ohio State, C, 7'0 257) The Raptors are in as good a situation as possible without draft picks. Chris Bosh is a franchise player and TJ. Ford is terrific when healthy. Andrea Bargnani was expected to take a couple of years to develop, but he's ahead of schedule. This young team is primed to make strides with what it has. No. 2 Seattle Supersonics: > Kevin Durant (Texas, SF, 6' 10 215) No. 3 Atlanta Hawks: >AI Horford (Florida, PF, 610 244) No. 4 Memphis Grizzlies: >Mike Conley (Ohio State, PG, 6'1 175) No. 5 Boston Celtics: Jon Gilbert > joakim Noah (Florida, PF, 6'11 230) Picks: 6,56. Needs: PG, PF. Bills If Milwaukee chooses to pick MikeConley Jr. at No. 6, you can bet that Mo Williams won't don a Bucks'jersey next season. Corey Brewer and Brendan Wright are the most logical names for Milwaukee to consider, and Wright could be a nice compliment to Andrew Bogut in the paint Picks: none Needs: C, SG Picks: 9,49,51. Picks: 15,27, Needs: C, backup SF 57 Needs: C, The ideal pick for the Bulls would be a low-post scorer at the center position as they continue to search for the piece that would finally shore up their inside scoring deficiencies. Spencer Hawes and Joakim Noah are two big men that should be ripe for the picking at No. 9. , While the top centers in the draft will most likely be gone by the 15th pick, the Pistons will be in a nice position to add some scoring off the bench at the guard and forward positions. Scoring dynamo Rodney Stuckey could be available at No. 15, as well as Nick Young out of USC. SG,PF mmPacBrs Count Indiana as another draft pick-less team in desperate need of a youth revival. Rumors say Indiana is looking to get into the draft, but with nothing to offer but bloated contracts, the Pacers will find it difficult tofinda deal.Their best shot is to deal Jermaine O'Neal for youth. X ;*":••• '" Picks: 8, 22 Needs: Picks: 3,11 Needs: PG, PF Picks: 16,47 Needs: PG, C PG, SG, C The big question in the draft seems to be whom the Hawks should take with the No. 3 pick. Al Horford could be the wise pick. As far as the point guard position goes, Hawks' brass has made it clear that they want an NBA ready guard. No one is that more than Acie Law IV. If Corey Brewer is still on the board at pick No. 8, the Bobcats would regret not picking him. At 6-foot-9, power forward Josh McRoberts would be a steal if he slipped to the No. 22 slot. Daequan Cook might be the choice as well, as Gerald Wallace explores his options. Picks: none Needs: PG, ^E^Jcl ^m*^r WIZARDS TheWtzards took some giant steps last year, but injuries absolutely killed them. Washington will probably try to add some depth to its center position with its first-round pick, likely going after 7-foot center Jason Smith (Colorado State). Look for the Wiz to go after a point guard with their second round pick. V i 5.i'fv PF, backup C ^ ^ttflffllM fEMmgL m % ^ No. 6 Milwaukee Bucks: > Brendan Wright (North Carolina, PF, 6'10 200) Without any draft picks—and No. 7 Minnesota Timbergobs of salary cap limitawolves: tions—it's hard to see any way >Yi Jianlian (China, PF,7'0 242) the Cavs can improve their roster by way of the draft. As No. 8 Charlotte Bobcats: the perpetual quest to find >Corey Brewer (Florida, SF, 6'8 185) LeBron a legitimate running mate continues, any significant No. 9 Chicago Bulls: upgrades will have to come 1 > Spencer Hawes (Washington, C, 7'0 through a trade. 1 .244) • M a t t A n d r e a s o n • • : l * i i ' ' ' '\ ^p- • ' " ' £ • « • - . . • # ' ' ' ' i l '•"•":!' Pick: 20 Needs: * J » ^ PG, SF ^ P MIAMI, MeAr The most appropriate question might be: what don't the Heat need? If a nimble point guard such as Javaris Crittenton or Acie Law IV slips to No. 20, the Heat will likely snag one of them. If neither is available, they'll probably take the best swingman they can, which makesThaddeus Young a hot option. Picks: 39,44, 54 Needs: SG, SF, PF WRjWP WOS&SP ^ ^ g $ Orlando has two building blocks in Jameer Nelson and Dwight Howard. Look for them to pick up a slew of'tweeners to fill up the roster for the future. If Spaniard Rudy Fernandez or Brazilian-born Tiago Splitter slips to earty second round, the Magic would likely go after one of them. Cody Brunner Western Conference No. 10 Sacramento Kings: ;->Julian Wright (Kansas, SF, 6'8 211)-*. No. 11 Atlanta Hawks: > Acie Law IV (Texas A&M, PG, 6'3 186) No. 12 Philadelphia 76ers: >Jeff Green (Georgetown, SF, 6'8 228) No. 13 New Orleans Hornets: >AI Thorton (Florida State, SF/PF, 67 221) No. 14 Los Angeles Clippers: > Javaris Crittenton (Georgia Tech, PG, 6'3 194) No. 15 Detroit Pistons: >Nick Young (USC, SG 6'6 206) No. 16 Washington Wizards: Picks: 2,31, 35 Needs: A Picks: 1,37,42,52, 53 Needs: C,SF Picks: 7,41 Needs: A true PG frontline Portland trumped all odds and landed the choice between two franchise players—both of whom would fill a need. This year they get the "granddaddy" of all picks in a franchise center named Greg Oden.The Blazers could also try to package their four second-round picks to move their second pick up. The Sonics probably have the easiest pick in draft history. When Portland takes Oden (assuming it learned from its Sam Bowieover-Michael Jordan mistake in 1985), Seattle would do well to take Texas' Kevin Durant, regardless of whether it keeps or loses Rashard Lewis. All the news coming out of Minnesota revolves around Kevin Garnett and his potential relocation in the near future. Knowing Kevin McHale's tendency to make questionable choices, the T-wolves could take Chinese prospect Yi Jianlian or go with the high potential of Mike Conley if he's still available. Picks: none ' Needs: Kenyon Martin, SG The Nuggets currently have no draft picks and are strapped under the salary cap. Denver may try to trade into the first round of the draft, whichfiguresto be loaded with two:guards but shallow in the point guard pool.The Nuggets will likely sit tight this off-season and wait for K-Mart's return. Picks: 25, 55 Needs: SG, C >Jason Smith (Colorado State, PF, 7'0 233) No. 17 New Jersey Nets: Luckily for the Jazz, the majority of the shooting guards in this year's draft seem to hover right around the 25th pick. Possibilities include Marco Belinelli, Morris Almond, Aaron Afflalo, Alando Tucker and Rudy Fernandez. The Jazz insist, however, that they will take the best player available, which could be Sean Williams. VRodney Stuckey (Eastern Washington, SG, 6'5* 207) No. 18 Golden State Warriors: >Josh McRoberts (Duke, PF, 6'10 240) No. 19 Los Angeles Lakers: >Sean Williams (Boston College, PF, 610 235) No. 20 Miami Heat: VThaddeus Young (Georgia Tech, SF, 67 210) Picks: 13,43 Needs: C, SG Picks: 4 Needs: Everything niEmpni! Mike Conley. We *•/»'» l i t * may remember Greg Oden some day as the Kwame Brown who got to grow up with Isaiah Thomas. Well, maybe not, but nobody was bigger when it mattered from January on than Conley. Al Horford might fill an upcoming need when Pau Gasol bolts for the big bucks. Nick Young is a " 0 1 popular choice for them, but he'll go much earlier.They should take Acie Law IV if he's still on the board. The Jazz proved this year that two small guards can be effective in today's NBA, and Law's pick-apd-pop shooting would be the perfect complement to Paul's game. BYU alum and bigtime asshole Chad Ford says they'll take PF Glen Davis, who would presumably get Yao to bulk up on jambalaya. I say take Ford's pick for San Antonio, Finnish wonder boy Petteri Kbponen, just on the basis that San Antonio likes him. When you're dumb, put your fate in the hands of smarter people. Bush i t Picks: 28,33, 58 Needs: SF, Picks: 34,50,60 Needs: None No. 21 Philadelphia 76ers: backup PG Cuban should call Isaiah Thomas and tell him he'd trade all their picks to Thomas for $20, then Cuban would give t Thomas a coloring book and an enormous extended contract, then Thomas would give Cuban the two picks back, then Cuban would give him some crayons, and Thomas would give Cuban his pick and $15 back. No. 22 Charlotte Bobcats: They're just so boring, right? They should get a clown here— an actual man in a clown suit to liven things up when they have a 24-point lead. Marco Belinelli, who is a spitting image of Manu Ginobili, fits the bill quite nicely for them. Josh McRoberts would be an All-Star in a Spurs uniform. >Tiago Spliter (Brazil, PF, 6'11 240) > Daequan Cook (Ohio State, SG, 6'5 210) No. 23 New York Knicks: >Marc Gasol (Spain, C, 7'0 270) No. 24 Phoenix Suns: >Morris Almond (Rice, SG, 6'6 214) No. 25 Utah Jazz: , >Arron Afflalo (UCLA, SG, 6'5 210) Picks: 18,36,46 Needs: PG, C Aside from being a fun team to play for, the Warriors are on the up-andup. But the West is no picnic, and if the Warriors want to continue to compete, they'll need to draft someone who can help Andris Biedrins pull down some rebounds. That someone could . be Duke stud Josh McRoberts. Picks: 19, Picks: 24,29,59 40,48 Needs: fast run- Needs: PG, SF, C Everyone knows that this is Kobe's team, and the Lakers are never going to let him get away. The Lakers should play it safe and pick the best player available. Sean Williams seems like an obvious choice to help Kobe and the Lakers on defense and on the boards. The Kings have, been hurting fora power.forward. In a best case scenario either Chinese sensation Yi Jianlian or Florida standout Joakim Noah could still be available when the 10th pick rolls around. If not, the Kings could opt for the talented Julian Wright out of Kansas. The Clippers will get a nice consolation prize for missing the playoffs with the chance to add a lottery pick to their roster (although they haven't exactly been known for making smart off-season decisions in the past). Javaris Crittenton or Acie Law fV wouldfitIn nicely training to run the point. No. 26 Houston Rockets: >Rudy Fernandez (Spain, SG 6'6 172) No. 27 Detroit Pistons: This year's draft is deep, but it's not that deep. By the time the Suns' picks rolt around, any player capable of earning playing time in their star-studded lineup will be long gone. Whoever they pick, he had better like to run. Morris Almond and Alando Tucker could be good options. Natalie Dicou •Wilson Chandler (DePaul, SF, 67 230) No. 28 San Antonio Spurs: > Marco Belinelli (Italy, SG, 6'6 200) No. 29 Phoenix Suns: >Alando Tucker (Wisconsin, SF, 6'5 210) • .; No. 30 Philadelphia 76ers: >Jared Dudley (Boston College, SF, 67 225) |