作者RonnieBrewer (Reverse Layup)
看板UTAH-JAZZ
標題Exploring more draft options for Utah Jazz at No. 25
時間Sun Jun 17 02:55:57 2007
Exploring more draft options for Utah Jazz at No. 25
Friday, June 15, 2007 11:27 AM CDT
Chuck Nunn/Jazz Session
When ESPN.com's Chad Ford broke the news that Ante Tomic was pulling out of
the 2007 NBA Draft on account of problems with his Croatian team Zagreb,
nobody was more bummed out by the news ─ except Tomic himself, I'm sure ─
than I was.
While another season in Europe will benefit Tomic toward next summer's draft,
he's almost a lock to go in the upper first round by then, which would quite
likely put him out of reach for the Utah Jazz.
So who is my next dream pick for Utah at No. 25 overall? Well, before Tomic
had announced his early entry, I was leaning toward Spanish center
Marc Gasol,
younger brother to Memphis Grizzlies star Pau Gasol. With Tomic out, I'm
projecting the younger Gasol to go to the Jazz at No. 25.
Here's why. While Marc isn't quite the athlete that Pau is, he's been able to
develop his own game
as a powerful post presence on offense. As far as size
and physical strength go, at 7-1 and 270 pounds, he is probably second only
to Greg Oden in that category. Marc also has a soft touch with the basketball
and has developed a wide array of post moves he can call on. He is also a
good passer with excellent court vision.
Defensively, Marc Gasol
isn't a great shotblocker. But he's a strong post
defender who can deny the low block, and he's a great position rebounder.
Like 90 percent of the players in this draft, he has plenty of room for
improvement. But by all accounts, his work ethic is fantastic, and his
basketball smarts are quite advanced for a 22-year-old.
But a lot of Jazz fans would like to see Utah draft a shooting guard,
emphasis on the shooting. And while I believe that the opportunity to grab a
good big man like Gasol, Aaron Gray, Kyle Visser or Nick Fazekas is too good
to pass up, there are some good possibilities at the off-guard spot should
the Jazz decide to go that route.
I've already mentioned 6-8 swingman
Dominic McGuire, who had a great camp in
Orlando recently and could be a reasonable lower first round pick. McGuire is
an aggressive rebounder who isn't afraid to attack the basket on offense or
get after his man on defense.
He also is solid on the perimeter, though not
yet consistent at the NBA's 3-point range.
Morris Almond, the 6-6, 214-pound shooting guard out of Rice, is being
projected as a mid- to late first round pick. While I personally don't think
Almond will be available by the time Utah picks at No. 25, if he is still
available, he would be worthy of consideration.
Almond is, without question,
a scoring juggernaut. But unlike a lot of
scoring guards, Almond is constantly on the lookout to keep his teammates
involved. He was one of the top shooting guards in the NCAA this past season
and is one of the more NBA-ready players in the draft.
Another player who had been highly touted but has seen his stock fall to where
he might be available at No. 25 is Italian shooting guard
Marco Belinelli.
Belinelli would provide Utah with something it doesn't really have ─
a player
who can consistently create his own shot.
Belinelli is an excellent ballhandler who can shoot off the dribble or attack
the rim. His shooting range is fantastic, well out to 3-point range, and he
has a quick release that gives defenders fits. Belinelli has quick hands on
defense, and he has a reputation of having a good attitude and being very
coachable.
On the workout front, DraftExpress.com is reporting that
Kyle Visser, the
6-11, 250-pound center out of Wake Forest, will be working out for Utah with
Major Wingate on June 22. In addition to being an ACC guy ─ and Utah can't
have too many of those for my taste ─ Visser is a player who has
progressively gotten better in four seasons with the Demon Deacons, with nice
touch on offense but also with strong hands and an appetite for physical play
in the post. I'd still like to see Utah take Gasol, but Visser is a player
with similar skills who has the potential to keep getting better.
Utah is also said to be bringing in Creighton forward
Anthony Tolliver in for
a workout on June 21. Tolliver, at 6-9 and 242 pounds, is a solid all-around
player who can shoot the ball out to 3-point range, is a great passer out of
the high and low posts and is unafraid to mix it up inside. While his
perimeter defense isn't that great, Tolliver is a solid post defender and a
good rebounder when he applies himself.
Tomorrow, we'll look again at the free agent situation and some of the
available shooting guards Utah could go after, especially if they go big in
the draft.
Contact South Idaho Press sports editor Chuck Nunn at
cnunn@southidahopress.com or blog this column at www.southidahopress.com.
http://www.southidahopress.com/articles/2007/06/15/sports/local/jazzsess.txt
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