Jazz Owner not sky-high on Bogut

[DBAHO]

Larry Miller, I certainly hope you don't end up with him;

 

Even before saying what he did, Jazz owner Larry H. Miller seemed to sense possible consequence.

      "I'm going to get a lot of hate mail," he said.

That apparent inevitability, though, did not stop Miller from publicly sharing his thoughts Thursday on consensus national college player of the year Andrew Bogut, the 7-foot University of Utah sophomore center who could be selected as high as No. 1 overall in June's NBA Draft.

      "Personally," Miller told KZN 1280-AM during a wide-ranging interview on the sports-talk radio station's afternoon drive show, "I don't think Andrew Bogut is all that he's cracked up to be.

      "Now, everybody on the Jazz except me thinks (he is). Kevin (O'Connor, the Jazz's senior vice president for basketball operations) thinks he's a possible No. 1 pick, certainly second or third. (Coach) Jerry (Sloan) and (assistant coach) Phil (Johnson) love him.

      "I like him. I have no ax to grind with him. But let me tell you what my complaints about him are. It's really one: I think in tough situations, he disappears."

      Team officials actually are forbidden by the NBA to comment on underclassmen until the league releases a list of draft-eligible players in mid-May, so the Jazz owner could be facing a fine for his comments.

      To back his stance on Bogut, Miller critiqued some of the Wooden and Naismith awards winner's play during the Utes' 2004-05 season.

      "You look earlier in the season," he told 1280, "once (Mountain West Conference) league play had started, in my mind's eye, I'm seeing three or four games in a row where teams figured out they could double- or triple-(team) him.

      "I think what I saw, from watching, was that he manifested he didn't like getting hit. He didn't like being down in the paint, getting physical contact in different places, and really had a few games . . . where he didn't perform very well.

      "The team managed to win those games, which I give a lot of credit to the coach (Ray Giacoletti) and to (guard) Marc Jackson for," Miller added. "So, I'm not knocking Andrew. I'm just saying the stats speak for themselves, and I think he really disappeared on them in the final game."

      The Utes' Final Four tournament run ended last month with a 62-52 regional semifinal loss to the University of Kentucky. Bogut scored 20 points but had the worst shooting night of his two years at the U., hitting just 8-of-19 from the field and 4-of-11 from the free-throw line.

      Despite all that, Miller said the Jazz — currently 25-53 and owners of the one of the four worst records in the NBA — "probably" would select Bogut if he was available when Utah's turn to pick in the June 28 draft arrived.

      A lottery in May will determine the Jazz's exact draft position, and it could wind up being as high as No. 1, should Utah win the drawing.

      Bogut, Wake Forest guard Chris Paul, Illinois guard Deron Williams and small forward Marvin Williams of national-champion North Carolina (if he should declare himself eligible for the draft) all are considered potential top-three picks.

      Bogut, who came to Utah from Australia, has said he would be very happy to stay in Salt Lake City and play for Sloan should the Jazz claim him.

[nitetrain8601]

He'll probably trade the pick if he ends up getting the #1 overall unless Sloan really wants him. I doubt it though. I see Bogut just being another Mehmet Okur.

[ZoomSlowik]

I'm also not 100% sold on this guy, but this isn't a stellar draft, so I think he could be the #1 overall pick. I think it will depend in large part who gets the #1 pick and who comes out. Someone like Charlotte probably wouldn't take him because they have Okafor, and I don't really see why Utah would take him with Boozer and Okur there (unless they unload one of those guys). Marvin Williams could also be a major obstacle to him being the number 1 pick. That guy has future star written all over him.

[rangercal]

Bogut will be a very solid player in the NBA

[qwerty]

I'm also not 100% sold on this guy, but this isn't a stellar draft, so I think he could be the #1 overall pick. I think it will depend in large part who gets the #1 pick and who comes out. Someone like Charlotte probably wouldn't take him because they have Okafor, and I don't really see why Utah would take him with Boozer and Okur there (unless they unload one of those guys). Marvin Williams could also be a major obstacle to him being the number 1 pick. That guy has future star written all over him.

 

Williams is way too raw at this point. It will still take him a few years to fully develope in my opinion. Williams will be a top five pick for sure... most likely a top three pick, but not number one over all. If charlotte gets the numbers one that would be an awesome center/powar forward combo. I knwo they are looking for a guard but knight has been excellent so far and after next season there is gonna be some damn good guards out there in free agency. Bogut is another guy like dwight howard, nearly everyone was against the picking him first and boom... he has been excellent so far and will only get better with more touches on the offensive side of the court. There are maybe ten big men in the nba that has the passing skills and over all basketball iq that he has.

[Palehosefan]

Williams is way too raw at this point. It will still take him a few years to fully develope in my opinion. Williams will be a top five pick for sure... most likely a top three pick, but not number one over all.

 

Bingo, he is still raw in every facet of the game outside of FT's, he needs to improve his handle and he needs to gain 20 pounds of muscle. Thats why he needs to come back to UNC and get 30+ minutes at SF

Edited April 16, 2005 by Palehosefan

[Chisoxfn]

He'll probably trade the pick if he ends up getting the #1 overall unless Sloan really wants him. I doubt it though. I see Bogut just being another Mehmet Okur.

Bogut has much more low post presence than Mehmet. Mehmet lives outside of the pain. He's a poor man Arvidis Sabonis.

[ZoomSlowik]

I know Williams is raw, but he has a ton more raw potential. A lot of teams would rather take a guy that might be the next superstar in the high lottery than a guy that will be a solid but probably not spectacular player in the NBA, ie taking Howard over Okafor. We don't really know which route Charlotte would have gone because they didn't have the chance to take Howard, even if they claimed they wanted Okafor all along. Either way with their perimeter players I don't see them using another really high pick on a big guy unless he's the only top tier player left. Ideally I would think they'd try to get Paul or Felton, at least that's what I've been reading.

 

I'll personally be interested to see how Bogut does in the NBA. In the few opportunities I got to see him he didn't show off a whole lot of post moves, although most players would struggle with that when triple teamed. I don't really think he's good for more than about 12 points a game right now.

Edited April 16, 2005 by ZoomSlowik

[Soxfest]

I like him alot will only get better.

[SleepyWhiteSox]

The next Ilgauskas?

 

I wanna see them both in a foot race...