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NBA Draft 2015: Utah Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey finds a way to find hidden gems

The Draft, Jeremy Evans' talents, TV Personalities bracket, C.J. Miles jumpers, and retro Jazz caption contest!

By AllThatAmar
Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The Utah Jazz are not playing any games right now, but so many of their employees are working hard. The NBA draft is right around the corner. The team has moved assets to move up in the draft (Trey Burke). They have stood pat and drafted guys at that spot (Dante Exum, Rodney Hood). They have spent money to move back into the first round (Rudy Gobert). They have also moved back into the second round too (Raul Neto). But of late, probably some of their best "draft" moves were moves they didn't make at the draft -- but because of their elaborate and through scouting were able to add Joe Ingles, Elijah Millsap, and others throughout the season as undrafted rookies.

I'm impressed with what this team is doing in FINDING good players to fit in with what this franchise wants to do. And they are surely doing it at every possible draft spot -- from Top 5 to undrafted. If you have to maximize your talent acquisition around the draft, the Jazz are doing that right now getting steals all over the place. (Seriously, Gordon Hayward was a #9 pick who is playing like a Top 5 pick.) I'd rather have a team that finds the good young people than have one that can overpay for the good players on small market teams any day. Lindsey makes sure that our franchise continues to find these solid, younger players -- the lifeblood of a small market club.

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Did any of you miss Jeremy Evans' painting of Mayweather?

Jeremy is talented. I would really like for him to keep doing this in Utah. He really needs to be in the gym working on his three point shot if he wants to have a long NBA career though. OF course, I wasn't with him all day, so who knows, maybe he shot 800 threes earlier that day? I don't know.

I do know that I want to see Evans in a Jazz uni next season.

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The NBA Playoffs are fun, and the Final Four is fun. But I think people are taking it too far to make these tournaments where things go up against one another. Like the best fast food bracket, or the best Disney movie or whatever. TOO FAR! Must we rank everything? EVERYTHING? Okay. I guess we do. That's kinda what sports-fanning is all about. So let's look at what HoopsHype is doing -- they have a Television Personalities bracket;

Yeah. For reals. Charles Barkley just steamrolled over Shaquille O'Neal. There are a lot of former players / coaches here like Mark Jackson, Stacey King, Jeff Van Gundy, Tim Legler, Brent Barry, Jon Barry, Kenny Smith, Bill Walton, Chris Webber, Grant Hill, Doug Collins, Tom Heinsohn, Hubie Brown, Mike Fratello, Reggie MIller, Jazz-killer Eddie Johnson, and Jalen Rose. Personally, I think Doris Burke should take this easily, but I know that Craig Sager and others will garner a lot of votes just because. Who so you have taking this?

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I know that not everyone is as crazy about video games as I am, but I do appreciate the advances made in the NBA games. I love how they are at least trying to get a lot of stuff "right". Sure, Jeff Hornacek is critically under-rated; but former Jazzman and current Indiana Pacers guard C.J. Miles is getting his shot release fixed for NBA 2K16.

I really like how some athletes are able to communicate directly and openly without some crazy, hyper-sensitive PR department monitoring conversations. It allows for a freer exchange of information. It also allows for progress to be made, like we're seeing here.

(Thanks to Jared Wade for this story)

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I don't think this tweet by Diana got enough play. Seriously, this is an amazing photograph!

You have John Stockton and Greg Ostertag; but also Peja Stojakovic and Scott Pollard (and Bobby Jackson). Ostertag really would have gotten a lot more points (and Stock a lot more assists) if he some how figured out that he wasn't a spectator.

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