Here for the Long Run: Utah Jazz MyGM

[Gronk4M13]

This dynasty is great. Rough first season, as expected, but you've got some pieces. Draft Wiggins.

[StraightBaylien]

Oooooh, this dynasty is damn good. Wiggins is a good choice, maybe the most obvious one, but I'm higher on Parker and Embiid honestly. I voted Embiid because the thought of Favors-Embiid is scary good.

[ReidSkee]

Tough call for me between Embiid and Wiggins. I would see Embiid as an immediate upgrade over Kanter, but Kanter has a LOT of room to grow. I think you should draft Wiggins and make Burks the 6th man. You would have a fantastic three-man core in the backcourt, and you'd still allow Kanter and Favors to grow together in the starting lineup.

Just my two cents.

[JazzMan]

Thanks for the input fellas. Think I'm going to do a breakdown quick about the pros and cons of drafting each player here in a sec.

[JazzMan]

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Who Should Utah Take With The #1 Overall Pick?

The Utah Jazz had a few ping-pong balls go their way as they ended up winning the lottery, giving them the 1st overall pick in a loaded 2014 draft class. But with Utah, they have solid prospects all across their roster already. Guys like Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, Trey Burke, and Alec Burks stepped up big time last season and produced solid numbers. Of course, there is always room for one more prospect, but with the #1 pick, all eyes are on you and your rookie. If Utah swings and misses, they'll never hear the end of it. Alternatively, if Utah hits it out of the park, they could have a potential superstar on their hands.

So, who should Utah draft? Let's look at the prospects:

Andrew Wiggins - Wiggins spent one season at Kansas, where he failed to take his Jayhawks far in the Big Dance. However, anyone who's even remotely into basketball knows who Wiggins is. Wiggins is the supposed "Next Big Thing," the next guy that will be packing arenas full of fans, selling thousands of jerseys, and of course, producing on the basketball court.

Pros - Wiggins is an athletic specimen; perhaps one of the best that we've seen since Anthony Davis. He has the ability to take over games it seems, both offensively and defensively. Wiggins has great size for a 2-guard, and with his length and quickness, he should be one of the best perimeter defenders in the league on arrival.

Cons - Utah already has a solid shooting guard in Alec Burks, who was 2nd on the team in scoring last season. Wiggins isn't exactly the most NBA-ready player in the draft, either. And who knows, maybe he won't be able to live up to the insane amount of hype.



Jabari Parker - Jabari Parker took over at Duke as a freshman and dominated. Though he and his Blue Devils fell to Mercer in the NCAA Tournament, Parker's first and only season at Duke was considered to be a success.

Pros - Parker is a scoring machine. He can score inside and out, and he has nice handles for a guy his size. Speaking of his size, his big frame allows him to stretch down to the 4 if needed. Jabari is also a solid rebounder, and he might be the most NBA-ready prospect in the draft.

Cons - Like the situation with Wiggins and Burks, the Jazz already have a young stud at small forward in Gordon Hayward. Hayward can stretch up to the 2, but small forward is definitely his natural position, especially defensively. Parker might actually be below-average on the defensive end, as he definitely needs work there.



Joel Embiid - Embiid spent his one-and-only year at Kansas along with Andrew Wiggins. However, Embiid experienced some injury issues, as he had to sit out the entire NCAA Tournament. Had Embiid been healthy, one would have had to wonder if Kansas would have been able to make a title run.

Pros - Embiid is a monster inside. His ability to crash the boards and finish down-low makes him a Top 3 prospect alone, and that's not even taking into account his ability on the defensive end as well. A three big rotation consisting of Favors, Kanter, and Embiid could be flat-out dominant.

Cons - Speaking of Favors and Kanter, it'd be tough to give each guy a fair share of playing time. With Embiid having so much potential, one would have to wonder if Utah would be able to retain all three. Embiid does need to work on his midrange J, as he tends to camp in the paint a little too often.



Julius Randle - Julius Randle came up just short of a national championship in his only year at Kentucky, as they narrowly lost to UConn. Randle was a force for the Wildcats down-low all season.

Pros - Randle is a ferocious rebounder, and he can finish inside with the best of 'em. At only 19 years old, Randle could develop into one of the best big men in the league. Again, a three big rotation of Favors, Kanter, and Randle could put Utah over the hump.

Cons - Randle lacks a consistent jumper to keep defenses honest. Without that, teams will just collapse down on him when he gets the ball in the paint. If Randle does become a star in the league, will he even want to resign with Utah? Or will he want to bolt for the bright lights in LA or Miami?



Dante Exum - Before the season started, Exum was one of the few projected to be a Top 3 pick. He has since fallen a bit in mock drafts, but he still is in consideration for the first overall pick among some.

Pros - Exum has the potential to be one of the best combo guards in the league today. He sees the court so well, and can find the open man with ease. A guy like Exum would make scoring a lot more easy for a small point guard like Trey Burke, who struggled shooting the ball in his rookie season.

Cons - With Exum, Burke, and Hayward, the Jazz would have three guys who would be looking to get shots for each other instead of trying to get their own. Exum's jumper is too inconsistent for him to play a whole lot of off-ball, so Hayward and Burke's playmaking wouldn't be utilized as often.

[JazzMan]

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2014 NBA Draft - Round 1 Recap
Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Ht	Wt
1	Utah Jazz	Andrew Wiggins	SG	6'8"	197 lbs
2	Los Angeles Lakers	Marcus Smart	PG	6'4"	200 lbs
3	Philadelphia 76ers	Jabari Parker	SF	6'8"	241 lbs
4	Dallas Mavericks	Joel Embiid	C	7'0"	240 lbs
5	Milwaukee Bucks	Doug McDermott	SF	6'8"	223 lbs
6	Brooklyn Nets	Willie Cauley Stein	C	7'0"	244 lbs
7	Charlotte Bobcats	Rodney Hood	SF	6'8"	210 lbs
8	Orlando Magic	Kyle Anderson	SF	6'8"	233 lbs
9	Toronto Raptors	Glenn Robinson	SF	6'6"	210 lbs
10	Sacramento Kings	KJ McDaniels	SF	6'6"	198 lbs
11	New York Knicks	Alex Poythress	SF	6'9"	238 lbs
12	San Antonio Spurs (From PHX)	Patric Young	C	6'9"	240 lbs
13	Minnesota Timberwolves	Jerami Grant	SF	6'8"	196 lbs
14	San Antonio Spurs	Dario Saric	SF	6'10"	216 lbs
15	Boston Celtics	TJ Warren	SF	6'8"	215 lbs
16	New Orleans Pelicans	AJ Hammons	C	7'0"	251 lbs
17	Atlanta Hawks	CJ Fair	SF	6'8"	220 lbs
18	Washington Wizards	Julius Randle	PF	6'9"	248 lbs
19	Chicago Bulls	Laquinton Ross	SF	6'6"	220 lbs
20	Denver Nuggets	Thanasis Antetokounmpo	SF	6'7"	214 lbs
21	Memphis Grizzlies	Mitch McGary	C	6'10"	263 lbs
22	Boston Celtics (From SAS)	Jusuf Nurkic	C	6'11"	280 lbs
23	Indiana Pacers	Noah Vonleh	PF	6'10"	242 lbs
24	Detroit Pistons	Aaron Gordon	PF	6'9"	225 lbs
25	Los Angeles Clippers	Dante Exum	PG	6'6"	188 lbs
26	Golden State Warriors	Tyler Ennis	PG	6'2"	180 lbs
27	Houston Rockets	Adreian Payne	PF	6'9"	215 lbs
28	Phoenix Suns (From MIA)	Montrezl Harrell	PF	6'8"	230 lbs
29	Portland Trail Blazers	Gary Harris	SG	6'5"	210 lbs
30	Oklahoma City Thunder	Nik Stauskas	SG	6'6"	205 lbs

2014 NBA Draft - Round 2 Recap
Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Ht	Wt
31	Philadelphia 76ers	PJ Hairston	SG	6'5"	227 lbs
32	Utah Jazz	Russ Smith	PG	6'0"	165 lbs
33	Washington Wizards	Elfrid Payton	PG	6'4"	190 lbs
34	Milwaukee Bucks	Semaj Christon	PG	6'3"	185 lbs
35	Brooklyn Nets	James Young	SG	6'7"	202 lbs
36	Charlotte Bobcats	Wayne Selden	SG	6'6"	223 lbs
37	Orlando Magic	Jabari Brown	SG	6'5"	214 lbs
38	Toronto Raptors	Zach Lavine	PG	6'5"	180 lbs
39	Los Angeles Lakers	Melvin Ejim	PF	6'6"	220 lbs
40	Sacramento Kings	Clint Capela	PF	6'10"	211 lbs
41	San Antonio Spurs (from PHX)	Shabazz Napier	PG	6'1"	185 lbs
42	New York Knicks	Dwight Powell	PF	6'10"	240 lbs
43	Boston Celtics	Jahii Carson	PG	5'10"	180 lbs
44	Minnesota Timberwolves	Deonte Burton	PG	6'1"	190 lbs
45	Atlanta Hawks	Markel Brown	SG	6'3"	190 lbs
46	New Orleans Pelicans	Jordan Clarkson	PG	6'5"	186 lbs
47	San Antonio Spurs	Vasilje Micic	PG	6'5"	200 lbs
48	Washington Wizards	Nick Johnson	PG	6'3"	198 lbs
49	Chicago Bulls	Aaron Craft	PG	6'2"	195 lbs
50	Cleveland Cavaliers	James McAdoo	PF	6'9"	230 lbs
51	Denver Nuggets	Jarnell Stokes	PF	6'8"	260 lbs
52	Memphis Grizzlies	Keith Appling	PG	6'2"	170 lbs
53	Indiana Pacers	Leo Garner	SG	6'6"	220 lbs
54	Detroit Pistons	Alfred Cook	SF	6'9"	210 lbs
55	Houston Rockets	Earl Sharp	SF	6'10"	251 lbs
56	Golden State Warriors	Frank Berry	C	7'1"	238 lbs
57	Los Angeles Clippers	Vladmir Simunic	PF	6'9"	249 lbs
58	Miami Heat	Theo Booker	C	6'9"	263 lbs
59	Portland Trail Blazers	Toby Milton	PG	6'3"	204 lbs
60	Oklahoma City Thunder	Edgar Payne	C	6'10"	250 lbs

Utah finally made its decision, as they went with the young, promising swingman from Kansas, Andrew Wiggins. In the 2nd round, Utah used the 32nd overall pick to choose Russ Smith, the energetic guard out of Louisville.

The Lakers decided to pass on Embiid, Randle, Parker, and Exum, and decided to draft guard Marcus Smart. Interesting.

The Sixers pick up Parker, who should fit well with MCW, Thad Young, and Nerlens Noel.

Dallas snags Joel Embiid, and suddenly, they have a new big man on the block to compliment Dirk.

Milwaukee surprises many and takes Doug McDermott with the 5th pick. McDermott should fit well with Milwaukee's style, though.

The Nets chose Willie Cauley Stein with the 6th pick, even though Brook Lopez is still in town.

The Bobcats take Rodney Hood, and will presumably roll with a lineup of Kemba, Hood, MKG, Zeller, and Jefferson. Solid lineup.

The Magic don't take Exum, but snag do-it-all forward Kyle Anderson. Anderson's Magic-esque game could be what Orlando needs.

Julius Randle fell all the way to 18, as the Wizards swooped him up. The Wizards might have the best young core in the league now, with Wall, Randle and Beal.

Indiana getting Noah Vonleh could be a huge steal at the 23rd pick.

Detroit picking Aaron Gordon doesn't make much sense, as they already have a frontcourt logjam.

The Clippers found themselves with Exum still on the board at the 25th pick and they bit. Exum could either be Chris Paul's successor or fellow star.

[Ice_Cold345]

Wow, Noah Vonleh to the Pacers is insane, as that's one hell of a replacement for David West, as they have a similar game on the offensive end.

Exum falling to the Clips is also another great for them, as they solve a guy who can come off the bench for CP3 (who's had good backups in Bledose and DC in New Orleans) or can start at shooting guard.

[JazzMan]

Free Agency

Utah resigns SF Gordon Hayward (5 YRS | $50.25M)
Utah resigns PF Marvin Williams (1 YR | $1.91M)
Utah signs SF Mike Miller (1 YR | $1.00M)
Utah signs SG Rodrigue Beaubois (1 YR | $1.60M)
Utah signs C Kwame Brown (1 YR | $495K)
Utah signs PF Lamar Odom (1 YR | $495K)

Notable Signings Around The League:

Miami resigns SF LeBron James (5 YRS | $112.85M)
Miami resigns PF Chris Bosh (5 YRS | $78.59M)
Cleveland resigns SF Luol Deng (5 YRS | $38.61M)
Cleveland resigns C Spencer Hawes (4 YRS | $26.47M)
Cleveland resigns C Anderson Varejao (3 YRS | $6.56M)
Miami resigns Dwyane Wade (3 YRS | $49.02M)
Miami resigns Mario Chalmers (4 YRS | $23.12M)
Los Angeles Lakers resign Kobe Bryant (2 YRS | $17.92M)
Los Angeles Lakers resign Pau Gasol (2 YRS | $11.98M)
Orlando signs Carmelo Anthony (4 YRS | $81.93M)
Orlando Signs DJ Augustin (3 YRS | $15.44M)
Philadelphia signs Isaiah Thomas (4 YRS | $49.37M)
Dallas Signs Andrew Bogut (4 YRS | $41.39M)