It’s late, my computer is having emotional problems so I’ll just give you a little tease about the Jimmer, as well as a preview of what’s ahead later today. Jimmer Fredette and Kemba Walker headlined a June 15th workout for the Utah Jazz. Both players apparently impressed, and both heaped praise on one another.
Brian T. Smith at the Salt lake Tribune has all of the juicy details from Jimmer day with the Jazz. We will go into more detail tomorrow with links to interviews and more analysis of how “The Jimmer’ fared in his chance to impress the Jazz brass. Brandon Knight had the opportunity to state his case the following day and also reportedly impressed.
Again more analysis on Knight’s workout will be included in our next post, but one thing is certain, if the Jazz take Knight with the #3 pick then there is ZERO chance Jimmer will be with the Jazz, barring a draft night trade. And at the risk of alienating myself from all of Jimmer Nation I am going to state my case why Knight should be the pick for the Jazz at #3. Again you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to find out why this is the case but for the overall well being of both Jimmer and the Jazz, him winding up somewhere other than Utah is a good thing.
We will also take a shot at a mock draft, but will only be doing the lottery picks, and we will tell you how the Jazz may end up with a 3rd first round pick on draft night. Again, sorry for the tease but you will have to wait about 12 hours before you get all of the reasoning behind this line of thinking.
One thing is for sure, next week at this time the 2011 NBA Draft will be completed, our predictions may turn out to look really good or really bad, but most likely somewhere in between. With the Jazz having two lottery picks, and with Jimmer-Mania factoring into the equation, the 2011 draft may not consist of the best talent we’ve seen, but from a Utah sports fan perspective, it’s certainly the most intriguing draft ever for the state.
You all have an assignment to complete by noon Mountain Time tomorrow, visit ESPN.com’s Draft page as well as Draft Express. Take a few minutes and research Brandon Knight, Jonas Valanciunas, Jan Vesely, Chris Singleton, Alec Burks, Klay Thompson and of course The Jimmer. Be sure to check out their measurments (height, weight, wingspan, vertical leap) as well as any news you can find out about their recent workouts, and be prepared to discuss.
Two of these seven prospects are going to be members of the Utah Jazz next week at this time, if a potential trade with Washington happens and the Jazz swap the 3rd pick for picks 6 and 18, then a few more prospects will also enter the discussion. But for now we are going to go off the premise that the Jazz keep picks 3 and 12 and explain who those picks will be and why they are the best fit for the Jazz.
Remember this is all pure speculation, but there has been a lot of research put into this, including factoring in who is already on the roster and how these prospects fit in with the current members of the Jazz. So be ready cause starting tomorrow it’s all about the NBA draft. Just think were you were and what you were doing last Thursday night and how quickly the time passed from then until right now. That will give you an idea of just how soon the draft will be upon us.
And when you hear NBA Commissioner David Stern walk up to the podium with that smug grin he always has on his face and he utters the phrase “With the third pick in the 2011 NBA draft, the Utah Jazz select…” Jimmer Nation will either be elated or deflated. Not to spoil the surprise but we’ll tell you tomorrow why it will be the latter, and why that will be a good thing for both Jimmer and the Jazz.
Let the speculation begin!