NBA Draft 2011: The 10 Worst Draft Classes for the Utah Jazz
No team in the NBA gets it right every time.
Despite finding success in the NBA draft in the past, the Utah Jazz are no different from other teams who have some very big question marks with players they have selected.
Earlier in the week, I outlined the 10 best draft classes in franchise history. In fairness, here are the 10 worst.
The team has the potential to have one of its best draft classes in franchise history next week.
The following slides will detail some of the draft classes that did not work out so well for the Jazz.
2009 Draft: Traded Without a Chance
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The Utah Jazz picked Eric Maynor 20th overall in the 2009 draft. Trying to fill the backup point guard role for the team, they selected a player that many Jazz fans did not know much about.
As Maynor was becoming a good reserve player in the league and working to learn the Jazz system, he was traded in December of his rookie year with the contract of Matt Harpring in a cost-cutting move.
He is still with the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he now is the backup to Russell Westbrook.
Players selected by the Jazz in this draft: Eric Maynor, Goran Suton
Players that were still available: Darren Collison, Taj Gibson, DeJuan Blair, Marcus Thornton, Chase Budinger
2004 Draft: Three First Round Picks, Two Disappointments and a Trade
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For the first time in team history, the Jazz found themselves with a lottery pick in the draft. Barely.
Kris Humphries of the University of Minnesota was taken with the 14th pick, after just one year of college. The Jazz saw tremendous upside, but it turned out that he was just too young.
After two seasons, the Jazz traded he and Robert Whaley for the player they wanted all along in this draft: Rafael Araújo.
Kirk Snyder was taken two picks later. Current Jazz player Al Jefferson picked in between. Snyder is best known for feuding with Jerry Sloan and played in only 68 games before being traded away.
The Jazz also drafted Pavel Podkolzin, who they traded to Dallas for a future pick.
In the end, it didn't turn out all bad as the draft pick helped the Jazz more than any of these three players. It was part of the trade with Portland that the Jazz used to move up in the 2005 draft to acquire Deron Williams.
Players selected by the Jazz in this draft: Kris Humphries, Kirk Snyder, Pavel Podkolzin
Players that were still available: Al Jefferson, Josh Smith, J.R. Smith, Dorell Wright, Kevin Martin, Delonte West, Anderson Varejao, Trevor Ariza
2003 Draft: Good Players That Left Too Soon
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The Utah Jazz used its 19th pick on Sasha Pavlovic, a European guard/forward with a lot of potential.
After one mediocre season with the team, he was selected by the Charlotte Bobcats in the expansion draft and traded to Cleveland. He is now playing with his sixth team.
Mo Williams averaged only 5 points and 1.3 assists in his rookie season and was released by the Jazz. With his new teams, the Bucks, Cavaliers, and Clippers, he has worked to have a good career and became a player the Jazz wish they had back.
Players selected by the Jazz in this draft: Sasha Pavlovic, Mo Williams
Players that were still available: Kendrick Perkins, Leandro Barbosa, Josh Howard, Matt Bonner, Kyle Korver
1998 Draft: Picks That Never Played for the Jazz
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Due to having one of the most successful seasons in team history the year before, the Utah Jazz had the last pick in the first round and the second-to-last pick in the second round.
With the 29th pick, the Jazz took Nazr Mohammed, who was quickly traded away for a future draft pick.
While Mohammed has had a decent career with other teams, the draft pick the Jazz traded for ended up being Quincy Lewis the following year.
Second round pick Torraye Braggs had short stints with other teams, but never played in Utah.
Players selected by the Jazz in this draft: Nazr Mohammed, Torraye Braggs
Players that were still available: Ruben Patterson, Rashard Lewis, Rafer Alston, Cuttino Mobley
2001 Draft: Jazz Pick the Wrong Point Guard
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In 2001, the Jazz were looking for a point guard who could be the replacement for John Stockton.
With the 24th pick, the team selected Raul Lopez from Spain. Due to his play in the European leagues and his comparisons to John Stockton and Steve Nash, the Jazz were very excited and felt they had a draft-day steal.
Shortly after the draft, Lopez had surgery to repair his ACL and missed what would have been his rookie season.
In the only full season he played with the Jazz, he backed up Carlos Arroyo and averaged 7.0 points, 3.7 assists and 1.9 rebounds in 19.7 minutes per game.
He was traded shortly after. The Jazz are still kicking themselves for not drafting Tony Parker.
The one bright spot in this draft class for the Jazz was selecting Jarron Collins in the second round. Collins played for the Jazz for several years and was a decent backup for the team.
If it were not for him, this draft class would be higher on the list.
Players selected by the Jazz in this draft: Raul Lopez, Jarron Collins
Players that were still available: Tony Parker, Samuel Dalembert, Gerald Wallace, Gilbert Arenas, Mehmet Okur, Earl Watson
Raúl López
1988 Draft: Searching for a Center
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Eric Leckner was taken by the Jazz with the 17th overall pick.
After a good collegiate career at the University of Wyoming, Leckner turned out to be another of the unathletic centers the Jazz seem to draft every few years.
He averaged only 4.3 points and less than 3 rebounds per game in his two seasons with the team.
In 1990 Leckner was part of a three-team trade that brought Jeff Malone to Utah.
The other picks did not play for the team.
Players selected by the Jazz in this draft: Eric Leckner, Jeff Moe, Ricky Grace
Players that were still available: Rod Strickland, Vinny Del Negro, Anthony Mason
1982 Draft: No Highlight Film in Utah
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The Utah Jazz held the third pick in the 1982 draft. Having recently moved to Utah, they needed another star player to help them succeed.
When they selected the "Human Highlight Film," Dominique Wilkins, they thought they had that player.
Wilkins was reluctant to play in Utah. He was traded to the Hawks before the season started for John Drew, Freeman Williams and much-needed cash.
Wilkins went on to be a great player for the Hawks, winning a scoring title by averaging more than 30 points per game in a single season.
The silver lining of this draft class came in the fourth round when the Jazz selected Mark Eaton. He played his entire career with the Jazz, was an NBA All-Star, earned Defensive Player of the Year honors twice and had his number retired by the franchise.
If not for him, this draft class would be much worse.
Players selected by the Jazz in this draft: Dominique Wilkins, Steve Trumbo, Mark Eaton, Alvin Jackson, Thad Garner
Players that were still available: Cliff Levingston, Terry Teagle, Eric Floyd, Craig Hodges
2002 Draft: Trading for a Big Man
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The 2002 draft was a strong one. The Utah Jazz sat in the 19th spot and were looking for a center.
One pick after seeing a player they wanted drafted by the Orlando Magic, the Jazz selected Ryan Humphrey.
In the second round, the Jazz selected Jamal Sampson. In an effort to get the center that the team was focused on, the Jazz then traded both of these players to Orlando for Stanford center Curtis Borchardt.
Borchardt spent about two seasons with the league, battled injuries and rode the bench for most of his career. He never became the player the Jazz thought he would and was traded to the Celtics as part of the largest trade in NBA history in 2005.
Players selected by the Jazz in this draft: Ryan Humphrey, Jamal Sampson (Traded for Borchardt)
Players that were still available: Tayshaun Prince, Nenad Krstic, John Salmons, Carlos Boozer, Matt Barnes, Luis Scola
1990 Draft: An Intelligent Choice
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Due to the three-team trade that sent Eric Leckner and a few draft picks away for Jeff Malone, the Jazz did not have a first-round selection in the draft this year.
In the second round, they selected Walter Palmer from Dartmouth College. He became only the sixth player taken from this college and quickly found his way out of the league.
He appeared in 28 games for the Jazz before being waived. He played one more season with Dallas but was waived from the Mavericks as well.
Players selected by the Jazz in this draft: Walter Palmer
Players that were still available: Greg Foster, Antonio Davis, Cedric Ceballos
1979 Draft: The Move That Changed the Franchise Forever
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Perhaps the worst draft class did not involve a player that the Jazz selected, but the player that got away.
In the 1979 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers selected Earvin "Magic" Johnson with the first overall selection.
This pick was supposed to belong to the Jazz.
In 1976, Laker veteran Gail Goodrich signed with the New Orleans Jazz.
According to league rules at the time, the Lakers had to receive compensation for losing a veteran player. That compensation was the Jazz top picks in 1977, 1978, 1979 and a second-round pick.
When the 1979 pick turned out to be the first overall selection, the Lakers took one of the best players in league history. That year, the Jazz drafted Larry Knight.
To make matters worse, Goodrich retired shortly after that.
The Jazz did rebound when they selected John Stockton several years later. But one must ask: What would have happened if Magic would have come to Utah?
Would he have led the Showtime Jazz instead of the Showtime Lakers?
Would the Jazz have multiple titles?
Players selected by the Jazz in this draft: Larry Knight, Tico Brown, Greg Deane, Wolfe Perry
Players that were still available: Bill Laimbeer
Draft history found on NBA.com
Chris Johstoneaux is a contributor to Bleacher Report who usually covers the NBA and Major League Soccer. If you liked this article, please take a moment to leave me a comment and follow me on Twitter at @JazzRSLExaminer.
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