reflections
June 28th, 2008 2008 NBA Draft Grades: Utah Jazz


By: Dustin Chapman

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  • Selected Kosta Koufos 23rd overall.
  • Selected Ante Tomic 44th overall.
  • Selected Tadija Dragicevic 53rd overall.

Utah got excellent value out of their picks. Koufos was expected to go in the top 19 or 20, and they were fortunate enough to snatch the Ohio State big at 23. He may not play a great deal right away on account of the Jerry Sloan rookie treatment, but down the line Koufos can be a real player. In fact, he’s even drawn comparisons to Jazz big man Mehmet Okur.

Utah came away with another steal in the second round with Ante Tomic, who has been coveted by many teams over the past couple of years. Picking him up in the mid-second round is a great pick.

Grade: A-

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June 11th, 2008 Post-Workout Video Interview: Roy Hibbert

Georgetown center Roy Hibbert recently stopped in for a pre-draft workout with the Utah Jazz, and 1280 The Zone filmed a post-session interview.

Brief thoughts: Hibbert could be a guy that can raise his stock based on performances in individual workouts and potentially climb up a few teams’ draft boards. The main reason is attributed to how fundamentally sound and heady he is, but don’t sleep on the good old phrase “you can’t teach size.” Hibbert stands a legitimate 7′2′’ to go along with his large standing reach and ability to clog the lane when needed.

As far as his on-court fit, it’s tough to think of a better situation for Hibbert than Utah. Coming off of a four-year tenure at Georgetown, where they preach the Princeton offense and constant player/ball movement, Utah’s style is right up his alley.

It’ll be interesting to see whether or not he falls to Utah’s pick at 23rd overall, but as we’ve learned through history, anything can happen in the NBA draft.

Side note: Hibbert’s face looks noticeable slimmer in that video than it did during the 2007-2008 NCAA season.

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Posted By: Dustin Chapman

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June 4th, 2008 Korver to Have Bone Spur Removed

Utah’s offseason injury bug has struck yet again, as RealGM reports that Jazz swingman Kyle Korver is set to have a bone spur removed.

Utah Jazz guard/forward Kyle Korver will undergo surgery today to remove a bone spur from atop his left foot, Jazz General Manager Kevin O’Connor announced. The surgery will be performed by Dr. Jonathan Deland in New York City on Wednesday evening. A report on the surgery and an estimated timeline for Korver’s recovery will be provided on Thursday.

Posted By: Dustin Chapman

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