"The 7th pick will be made by the Sacramento Kings."
Those were the magic words that sent Jazz fans into pandemonium. That meant that the Kings had dropped from #5 and that the Jazz were going to land on of the top three spots in the draft.
After the Methuselahean commercial break, the NBA came back with the announcement for the top three picks. Kevin O'Connor was flanked by draft guru David Kahn from the Timberwolves and Nick Gilbert, son of Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert.
"The third pick, in this year's draft goes to... the Utah Jazz."
And there we go. I admit it was a bit of a letdown getting just the third overall pick after moments ago being elated to get into the top 3. We were so close. In most years that wouldn't be the case (unless we had missed out on the likes of LeBron or Howard or the like). But as I half-heartedly wrote before, it would be just our luck to move into the top 3 and just miss out on the top two picks in Kyrie Irving and Derrick Williams. Both could be All-star level players. Either one would have been the closest thing to a can't-miss pick in the draft.
Now? Now the Jazz have work to do. Interviews and workouts with the top players in the draft will help the team decide who to pick next month and whether or not it's going to be worth possibly trading up to the #2 spot. With Kaaaaaaahn picking there though, anything could happen. The Jazz may just end up picking as if they had won the #2 spot.
Let's not forget that 12th pick. Whoever is selected there likely isn't going to be a franchise-changer, but he should be a very solid role player and contributor. After that, the Jazz are done. They don't have a second-round pick as that one was shipped off to the Bulls in the Carlos Boozer deal. That means a relatively short draft night at the ESA.
That's not meant to be a downer. We have the #3 pick! There are a lot of options out there right now. We're in a much better spot than if we had stayed at #6. The next month will swirl with speculation and news as we count down to the June 23rd. There will be a thousand and one mock drafts, player evaluations, and comparisons. Enjoy the next month.
One more note: Both teams who made trades and acquired a first-round pick moved up into the top 3 with the Cavs of course winning the #1 pick.