From Deseret News archives:
Utah Jazz make their projects big ones
At 7-feet, 265 pounds, he takes up space.
Size being a priority for the Jazz.
"Look," said Jazz G.M. Kevin O'Connor, "if there was a defensive stopper in the middle, we would have drafted him. If there is one, he probably would have been drafted three or four. There just aren't any.
"Is he a shot blocker? No. But is he big enough to take up space and maybe be a disrupter a little bit? That's our goal."
What about dominating the inside the way, Shaq did in his glory days?
They'll get back to you on that.
As badly as the Jazz need interior players, they'd have drafted a tower crane if they thought it could learn the plays.
The Jazz used the 23rd pick of the NBA draft to take the Ohio State center. On the up side, he has decent post moves, and even a respectable mid-range jumper. On the down side, he's not particularly powerful and is slow-footed. Still, some draft experts had him going in the lottery.
"All indications were that he was going to be gone ahead of us," said O'Connor.
Konstantine Demetrios Koufos (don't let the name fool you, he's as American as John Wayne) was there.
"It was pretty obvious we were looking big," said O'Connor.
Virtually all the talk going into this year's draft revolved around the Jazz adding inside oompf. With a starting center that spends much of his time at the 3-point arch, and a power forward who doesn't play much defense, the team's goal was to find someone who could live large by playing defense and blocking shots.
Of course, that's like Rick Majerus saying he'd prefer to date Cindy Crawford. Everyone knew that wouldn't happen.
Yet big guys remain the rarest commodity. That's why Portland used the No. 1 pick last year to take Ohio State center Greg Oden, rather than the best player in the draft, Texas' Kevin Durrant.
For that matter, it's the same reason the Blazers took (yikes!) Sam Bowie in 1984, rather than Michael Jordan.
It's also why the Jazz took a chance on projects like Alan Bannister, Walter Palmer, Luther Wright, Raphael Araujo and, yes, Greg Ostertag.
Last season they acquired 7-foot-1 Kyrylo Fesenko from Philadelphia on draft day.
Recent comments
Ok, hard workin, is now hardly working. He can't play defense and he...
Anonymous | June 28, 2008 at 12:45 a.m.
Pistol-Pete, who would you have sat down in order to give C.J. Miles...
Fernando Arias | June 27, 2008 at 10:28 p.m.
less not forget that our #23 pick won the mvp of the nit...
RICK | June 27, 2008 at 5:20 p.m.
- Obama salutes Fort Hood victims 1:22 p.m.
- D-Will, Price sit out Jazz practice 1:11 p.m.
- Utah Jazz: 2010 NBA All-Star ballot 1:09 p.m.
- Ex-astronaut pleads guilty in attack 1:01 p.m.
- Mo. governor's mansion lockdown 1:01 p.m.
- Clinton to Dems: pass health bill 12:55 p.m.
- Deseret Book moves from Orem mall 12:52 p.m.
- Ed chief wants to redo appointment 12:50 p.m.
- No bail for accused cop shooter 12:48 p.m.
- Flu appointment full in 15 minutes 12:47 p.m.
- Utah group finds homes for orphans
- Senators want food tax restored
- Jazz blow big lead, hang on
- Soccer MVPs know how to win
- Y. tight ends talented tandem
- Utes get extra motivation
- Alta's Ohai is Ms. Soccer 2009
- Pratt pleads not guilty to sex charges
- Price injured; Miles has cast removed
- Mitchell seeks to block witnesses
- House passes health care bill
242 - TCU showdown has big implications
185 - Lobo suspended
182 - Cougars crush hapless Cowboys
155 - Senators want food tax restored
136 - Utah Jazz fall apart against Kings
131 - Thousands protest health bill
120 - TCU 4th in AP poll; U. 16th, Y. 22nd
119 - No 'backlash' for pioneers, gays analogy
104 - RSL rallies to advance
103
BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said this morning that placekicker Justin...
ESPN college hoops expert Andy Katz, formerly a WAC reporter during his...
"...if Mormons make a mistake..." This guy did not make a "mistake". He...
With rumors of the UFL coming to Rio Tinto, this may be an opportunity to get...
We really care what former President Bill Clinton says about health care. The...
For some people they take take take from the government and never pay...
In this case the person in question of the crime is a MAN. When the article...
A loser makes excuses. And actually your best player is Kruger not Lloyd....
BYU will not beat Utah even though it's at their house. The Utes won't be...
It is unfortunate that BYU didn't face Utah last week. It would have been fun...
shes cute!
If the kid should not have been ejected, it was the right decision. But...

