Lesson learned from 1993
In a pre-draft story last week about former No. 1 pick Luther Wright, I talked to Jazz coach Jerry Sloan about the theory of NBA teams making their selections based on need.
Sloan was adamant that teams must take the best player available to them, especially with their first-round draft picks.
"You can talk about needs," Sloan said, "but if a guy can't play, what are we accomplishing? . . . If you take a guy who is not going to be on your team in five weeks just because he plays a certain position, what have you gained? Obviously not as much as you would have gained by taking a guy who turns out to be an All-Star at another position. I learned that lesson a long time ago."
In the summer of 1993, the Jazz had a glaring need for a center. A back injury forced Mark Eaton into sudden retirement, leaving Utah with a gaping hole in the middle.
In the draft, Wright was expected to be a lottery pick. But he slid all the way to No. 18, where the Jazz grabbed him, in large part because they thought he could help replace Eaton.
It never happened.
Wright, plagued by a variety of issues, played a total of 92 minutes in 15 games for the Jazz before he was waived.
While I was talking to Sloan, I mentioned that the Jazz's mistake with Wright probably wasn't as gigantic as it seems, given the lack of quality players who were drafted after the 18th pick.
Sloan corrected me, pointing out that small forward Chris Mills of Arizona was taken by Cleveland at No. 22. I got the distinct impression that the Jazz had targeted Mills before Wright slid all the way to them late in the first round.
"Mills was a huge pick," Sloan said. "That would have been a huge pick for our team. But hey, when you're in this business, everybody is going to make a mistake. We've all said, 'We've got to have a player at this position.' We've all done that and passed on a player who could have helped."
Heading into the 1993-94 season, the Jazz were well-stocked at small forward with Tyrone Corbin and David Benoit. That's probably another reason they took Wright over Mills, who ended up playing 10 years in the NBA with Cleveland, New York and Golden State. He averaged 11.2 points and 4.9 rebounds in his career. His best season was 1999-2000, when he averaged 16.1 points for the Warriors.
Sloan's thoughts on taking the best player available speak well of Ohio State center Kosta Koufos, who was chosen at No. 23 by the Jazz in Thursday night's draft.
It's just a guess, but Koufos was probably listed somewhere between No. 12 and No. 18 on Jazz's list of best players available, so they had to be thrilled when he dropped to them.
In drafting Koufos, the Jazz seem to be a double-winner. They got the best player available, plus he fills Utah's glaring need for a center with size and length.
-- Steve Luhm
Sloan was adamant that teams must take the best player available to them, especially with their first-round draft picks.
"You can talk about needs," Sloan said, "but if a guy can't play, what are we accomplishing? . . . If you take a guy who is not going to be on your team in five weeks just because he plays a certain position, what have you gained? Obviously not as much as you would have gained by taking a guy who turns out to be an All-Star at another position. I learned that lesson a long time ago."
In the summer of 1993, the Jazz had a glaring need for a center. A back injury forced Mark Eaton into sudden retirement, leaving Utah with a gaping hole in the middle.
In the draft, Wright was expected to be a lottery pick. But he slid all the way to No. 18, where the Jazz grabbed him, in large part because they thought he could help replace Eaton.
It never happened.
Wright, plagued by a variety of issues, played a total of 92 minutes in 15 games for the Jazz before he was waived.
While I was talking to Sloan, I mentioned that the Jazz's mistake with Wright probably wasn't as gigantic as it seems, given the lack of quality players who were drafted after the 18th pick.
Sloan corrected me, pointing out that small forward Chris Mills of Arizona was taken by Cleveland at No. 22. I got the distinct impression that the Jazz had targeted Mills before Wright slid all the way to them late in the first round.
"Mills was a huge pick," Sloan said. "That would have been a huge pick for our team. But hey, when you're in this business, everybody is going to make a mistake. We've all said, 'We've got to have a player at this position.' We've all done that and passed on a player who could have helped."
Heading into the 1993-94 season, the Jazz were well-stocked at small forward with Tyrone Corbin and David Benoit. That's probably another reason they took Wright over Mills, who ended up playing 10 years in the NBA with Cleveland, New York and Golden State. He averaged 11.2 points and 4.9 rebounds in his career. His best season was 1999-2000, when he averaged 16.1 points for the Warriors.
Sloan's thoughts on taking the best player available speak well of Ohio State center Kosta Koufos, who was chosen at No. 23 by the Jazz in Thursday night's draft.
It's just a guess, but Koufos was probably listed somewhere between No. 12 and No. 18 on Jazz's list of best players available, so they had to be thrilled when he dropped to them.
In drafting Koufos, the Jazz seem to be a double-winner. They got the best player available, plus he fills Utah's glaring need for a center with size and length.
-- Steve Luhm
12:41 PM
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