With the draft less than a week away, it's time to look at my top-10 draft targets for the Jazz. Now, obviously, I could just go with the "top-10" prospects in the draft. But that'd be stupid... partially because no one can even tell you who the top 10 guys in this year's draft are, partially because the Jazz don't pick in the top 10 and partially because its highly improbable that the Jazz will trade into the top 10.

That makes putting Blake Griffin (the surefire #1 in the draft) on the list a bit stupid... partially because he's not falling to #20 (he's almost certain not slip past #1) and partially because the Jazz can't trade up to #1. The cost would be huge, and probably not worth it. The Jazz have 2 guys that could potentially bring back the #1 pick. Deron isn't going to be traded. And Booze... well, if he wasn't injury-prone... but he's not going to make his opt-out decision until after the draft. And no one wants to trade Blake Griffin for 1 year of Booze.

That said... from #2 down, everyone's in play. I avoided most of the guys that seem slotted for the top-10, because the Jazz aren't the team to trade up. Ricky Rubio? No thanks (anyone else think he's overrated?). Stephen Curry? He won't fall past #8 (at worst). James Harden? He's not lasting past #9 (at worst). And on and on. That said, I did include 2 (maybe 3?) top-10 or so guys I wouldn't mind the Jazz trading up for. One of them would involve a trade up to #2 with Memphis... the other 2 probably a bit later in the top 10. Would AK + #20 do it? What if we threw in Miles? What about Booze & #20? Anyhow, the top-10 list, before this gets too long.

Before the list though... just a quick note. I've made top-10 lists before. A couple years back, I had Thabo Sefolosha atop it. He went 1 pick before the Jazz, and we ended up with Brewer (who was also on the list). The next year, guaranteed top-10 pick Corey Brewer was atop it, and I was hoping for a trade. Didn't happen, and we ended up with Morris Almond (also on the list). Last year, Ryan Anderson was atop the list. He went just a couple picks before the Jazz (to the Nets), and Kosta Koufos ended up being the pick. Koufos wasn't on the list because it seemed guaranteed that he'd be gone top-14. Didn't happen. Just an FYI before the list. Now, I bring you the list.

He's not the most NBA ready player in the draft. His offensive reportoire isn't all that. Post skills, jump shot, free throws... he's missing it all. So what does he have that makes him #1 on the list? Well, first... he's expected to go #2 in the draft. So putting him #1 seemed right... the highest rated player (arguably) that I have on the list. And second... he's a monster defensively. Him & 'Sap would make rebounding for the other team an absolute joke. He swats shots like Barack Obama swats flies. Just having a 7'3 guy in the middle makes a difference... whether he gets a hand on the ball or not. It works so well... you trade Booze or AK to move up (if you deal AK, you let Booze walk). The Koof/Thabeet back up Okur, who can move to the 4 when 'Sap needs a breather. Yeah... I've got it all planned out. Trading for Shaq (something else I'm advocating the Jazz do) might throw a slight wrench in this plan... but you can never have too many big men (unless you go the route of the Sonics and take a bunch of unproven big-men in consecutive years in the first round... a run that would make Matt Millen proud).

There are rumors of him going as high as #4 (if Ricky Rubio goes #2). If he had been rumored to go #2, I'd probably have him above Thabeet on this list... I see PG as a bigger need for the Jazz than C. He's not the most NBA ready guy. He's just 6' tall, which could cause issues defensively. His passing could use some work... he was a score first guy in college. His jumpshot needs some help, because it's going to be hard for him to live attacking the hoop. He's got turnover issues. He does play solid defense on the perimeter though... something the Jazz could use. The question the Jazz would face, of course, is whether or not its worth trading up into the top-10 for a back-up PG. Truthfully, I don' think it is. So why is Flynn on the list? To put it simply... if he was around when the Jazz were picking, the only guys I'd pass on him for are Blake Griffin and Hasheem Thabeet.

Truthfully, he kinda seems to mirror what the Jazz have in Ronnie Brewer right now. A good defender with a questionable jumpshot that lives offensively by attacking the hoop. Williams averaged 12 points, 8 boards & 5 assists per game... stats that would remind one of AK. That said, he's not going to force Kobe to guard him instead of doubling Boozer down low in the post. He's worked on his jumper, improving his 3-point shooting % in college from 31% to 38%... though that could potentially be helped by getting Jeff Hornacek to work with him. He has told me (via Twitter) that he'd "take" playing with Deron. Now the only magic is getting him to fall that far... the Nets are reportedly interested in taking him at #11. Stupid Nets. First Anderson, and now Williams.

There are some questions as to whether he can be a franchise starting PG in the league. I'm not really worried about that, since the Jazz aren't looking for that. He's led a good UNC team for a couple of years. He's great at getting to the rim, is very quick, and has a 3.48:1 A:TO ratio. On the other hand, he's just 6'0, he's got a unreliable jumper, and has a label of being "soft" for missing games to injuries that shouldn't cause you to miss games. There is no question that he can be a solid back-up PG (at worst) in the league, and I think the Jazz could use someone like that. Enough of this "new back-up every year" scenario. The best part of all that... he isn't an ex-Clipper! There is some talk though that he could be this year's Russell Westbrook... the guy that really impresses in workouts and becomes a lottery pick. Westbrook worked out well last year for the Thunder, so a team could take a shot on Lawson. And obviously if a team takes a shot at him in the lottery, he won't be around at #20. Like the brilliant deduction I came up with there? Oh, and for those that care... John Hollinger's numbers love him.

While he's considered a SF by some, I think his bad jump-shooting makes it fairly obvious that he'd be another AK/Brewer/CJ/Harpring type SF... something we really don't need. So you'd have to consider him more of a tweener between the 2 forward spots... and have him work on his jumper. He fills the stat sheet all over the place... kinda like AK. He's a team player, always looking for the open guy. He's a bit on the turnover-prone side. His size (6'10) makes him a solid defender as a wing, how that goes over when he's guarding bigs inside, I'm not sure. He's still a solid defender, which you'd have to consider against his supposed motivational issues when considering drafting him. As for the stat filling... 8 rpg, 1.2 spg and 1.6 bpg. Again, a guy that could go near the bottom of the lottery... or could fall to #20 (and if j-slow learns about his motivational issues, maybe even slide past #20).

The major issue you'll see with him is ball-handling. It's not very good, and it causes issues when he's trying to score off of the dribble. That said, he's been working offensively. He's become a solid threat from outside due to a lot of work put in during college. He has an awkward shot, but it works for him. And he's got a body that lets him absorb contact. He is a bit older than other players in his class, so his "potential" might not be as high as some of the others... meaning he's more of a "what you see is what you get" guy than some of the others in the draft. Not that that's a bad thing. He's a force defensively, with the size, length & athleticism to lock down players. He's aggressive, but not to the point of careless gambles (which would make him different from someone like CJ). I guess another question I have... given that he's 6'6, how's he going to match-up with some of the wings (Turkoglu... who Portland is interested in... and the likes).

Another guy that Hollinger's numbers love. That said, they might be the only ones... most consider him to be a 2nd rounder. There's even an outside chance that he could fall to the Jazz 2nd round pick, though it's not very likely (thus the "outside chance" at the beginning of the sentence...). He's not considered a NBA starter or anything (thus the 2nd round grade), but could very easily be a solid role player (at worst). Not much more that you could ask for at #20. He turns 22 a couple days before the draft, so his potential probably won't be as high as someone like Ricky Rubio or something. He's got a solid jumper, and is a presence defensively (1.8 spg, 1.3 bpg despite being just 6'6). He's a solid FT shooter, but doesn't get to the line very often (85% shooter, less than 2 FT/game). Questions about ball-handling (1.7 turnovers/game) and ability to create his own shot continue to dog him as well. The reason he falls into the "2nd round" category is because teams seem worried about his "upside" and ability to turn into a star. But he's got the ability to become a solid role player (at worst), and at #20, maybe that's attractive to the Jazz and a "team"-oriented coach like j-slow.

Another tweener, he's 6'2 but probably a better fit at the 2-guard spot. That shouldn't worry the Jazz too much, j-slow has previously shown that he considers it doable (Fisher, Price... ha ha). He's probably maxed out his potential (as is true for most seniors), but there still seem to be questions about his NBA readiness. Has a nice stroke on his jumper. He was a solid defender on the perimeter in college, but there are some questions as to how he'll do against much taller 2-guards in the NBA. And it'll take work to make him a full-time PG in the NBA... he carried the load a lot in college (aka... he hasn't shown much in terms of creating for teammates), and his A:T ratio is near 1. Good getting to the line, and good from it as well. He likes pushing the tempo... not sure how much that would happen with the Jazz. Like Green, he's considered to be a late 1st/early 2nd round guy (is #20 a late 1st pick?), with rumors that the Pistons are trying to trade back into the 1st to draft him. I think the fact that there are questions about his PG ability could keep the Jazz from drafting him (I'm pretty sure they'll try to keep Price around as their tweener guard). We'll see though.

Not a lock to make it to the Jazz pick. He's a solid 3-point shooter, and can also find the open guy (3.4 apg) and rebound (6.2 rpg). Alley-oops and highlight dunks are no problem for him and his 40-inch vertical (I feel like I'm trying to sell a Buzz Lightyear action figure).  He's a team-first guy, not in it for himself. His teammates like him. He's a solid spot-shooter and gets his feet set quickly. He works hard to get open, and is constantly moving without the ball. There are major questions about ball-handling and defense though. He... heck (sorry about that), he seems like a perfect fit for j-slow and the Jazz, no? And if they think Korver is going to opt-out/leave (and with Almond not coming back), it just makes sense to add a great 3-point shooter that could replace them (I mean, his game even sounds a bit like Korver's) and help spread the floor for 'Sap/Booze/Okur/Shaq/The Koof/Fesenko (aka... whoever is working down low for the Jazz). As for the "not tough" thing... he's still playing the game. Which says something, considering that some guy on Houston (college team, not the Rockets) tried to make his head a pancake.

Yeah... I put him on the list. I'm still hoping that the rumors of him to New Jersey at #11 (or #16 if they trade down with Chicago) are true. Anyhow, more about the Harpring-clone (just taller) Hansbrough. He's 6'9 and is being compared to Mark Madsen, which somehow makes him a perfect fit for the Jazz in everyone's eyes. He's not much defensively, especially against guys that are taller or more athletic than he is. He's lacking in post skills. If he takes more than 2 dribbles, there's a good chance he'll turn the ball over. The goods... he rebounds well. He gets to the line and makes his FTs. He's got a nice jumper from about 15 feet out. He can score from inside (normally using baby-hooks), though the game could use some work. And he plays with "tremendous heart and energy"... unlike all the other NBA players, who play with their feet and their left eye or something.

So there you are, my top-10 list for the Jazz. There aren't likely to be any changes... maybe I move Douglas above Green or something, but for the most part, it's set in stone. Or, at least it's been written by blood. Or in non-erasable pen. Okay... I lie. It's on the net. I could come change it and no one would even know. But whatever. For now, it has been written. Do I expect the Jazz to follow my list? He... heck no. It'd be nice, but I'm sure they've done much more scouting on Tyler Hansbrough everyone and therefore have a more thought out list. And it is probably more than 10 players long (though if not, that would explain the horror that was the 2004 draft).

That all said... my list is up. The players I want are available for the Jazz to look at and pick from. Now I just have to go convince them that trading Booze + CJ for Shaq is actually a good idea. I mean... thoughts? What's your top-10 look like? Same players? Different players? (FYI... Tyrese Rice is a 2nd rounder, so I didn't even consider him).

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