Utah Jazz & Minnesota Timberwolves Control Course Of 2011 NBA Draft

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hacheman@therx.com
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Wolves, Jazz hold keys to the lottery
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By Chad Ford
ESPN Insider
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The 2011 NBA draft is Thursday, and teams are still trying to figure our their boards. Most teams were up late Tuesday, poring over data, finalizing draft boards and prepping for Thursday. As you can gather, teams are narrowing their lists, but few have made actual decisions about who they'll be drafting. Here's the latest:


How the Wolves and Jazz might shape the lottery



Yesterday, we were about 90 percent sure that Kyrie Irving and Derrick Williams would be the first two players off the board Thursday night.
Scratch that. Late Tuesday, sources told ESPN.com that the Timberwolves are strongly considering taking Enes Kanter with the No. 2 pick. Kanter, Minnesota believes, is a better fit than Williams. If the Wolves don't make a trade and do take Kanter, it will shake up the draft. At that point it's highly likely that the Jazz would take Williams at No. 3. If the Wolves take Williams at No. 2, things get much murkier for Utah.


At No. 3, the Jazz aren't sending out any signals as to which way they would go if Williams is not available to them. Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor is notoriously tightlipped about these things. Often a player's agent doesn't know a player is being drafted by the Jazz until it happens.


What happens at No. 2 and No. 3 can reshape the rest of the lottery. That's not an overstatement. If the Jazz take Brandon Knight (or Kemba Walker), the rest of the lottery probably will play out in a particular way. If Utah takes Williams or Kanter (or Jan Vesely), it will probably play out in a very different way. Get the No. 3 pick wrong and you can kiss your mock draft goodbye.


Here are three scenarios:
<OFFER>1. Cleveland Cavaliers: Kyrie Irving
2. Minnesota Timberwolves: Derrick Williams
3. Utah Jazz: Brandon Knight
4. Cleveland Cavaliers: Enes Kanter
5. Toronto Raptors: Kawhi Leonard
6. Washington Wizards: Jan Vesely
7. Sacramento Kings: Kemba Walker
8. Detroit Pistons: Bismack Biyombo or Tristan Thompson
9. Charlotte Bobcats: Chris Singleton
10. Milwaukee Bucks: Jonas Valanciunas
11. Golden State Warriors: Klay Thompson
12. Utah Jazz: Alec Burks


Look how differently things could play out if the Jazz take Kanter at No. 3:


1. Cavs: Kyrie Irving
2. Wolves: Derrick Williams
3. Jazz: Enes Kanter
4. Cavs: Jonas Valanciunas
5. Raptors: Brandon Knight
6. Wizards: Jan Vesely
7. Kings: Kawhi Leonard
8. Pistons: Bismack Biyombo or Tristan Thompson
9. Bobcats: Kemba Walker
10. Bucks: Klay Thompson
11. Warriors: Alec Burks
12. Jazz: Jimmer Fredette


That's picks Nos. 3, 4, 5, 7, 9 and 12 all changing. If Williams rather than Kanter slides to No. 3, the picture is similar:


1. Cavs: Kyrie Irving
2. Wolves: Enes Kanter
3. Jazz: Derrick Williams
4. Cavs: Jonas Valanciunas
5. Raptors: Brandon Knight
6. Wizards: Jan Vesely
7. Kings: Kawhi Leonard
8. Pistons: Bismack Biyombo or Tristan Thompson
9. Bobcats: Kemba Walker
10. Bucks: Klay Thompson
11. Warriors: Alec Burks
12. Jazz: Jimmer Fredette


If Kanter is available and Williams is gone, the question Utah has to ask itself is this: What's a better outcome Thursday night -- Knight and Singleton or Kanter and Fredette?


Cleveland is praying that neither the Wolves nor the Jazz take Kanter before the Cavs select again at No. 4. If the Jazz do, the Cavs have a problem because after taking Irving at No. 1, they're highly unlikely to take another point guard.


With Kanter off the board, their primary big man option may be Valanciunas. The Cavs love Valanciunas, but as I reported Monday, he won't be able to play in the NBA next season. On Tuesday night I reported that the Cavs have been talking to the Wizards about a swap of No. 4 for No. 6 and No. 18. But that's contingent on Kanter being there.


Another option for the Cavs would be to take a wing like Leonard, Vesely or Thompson (a favorite of Baron Davis).


Things get much easier for the Cavs if the Jazz take Knight. They'll either take Kanter to keep or to use the pick as trade bait to get another asset.


Where will Kemba land?



One player who appears to be getting a little lost in the shuffle is UConn's Walker. While the Jazz are considering him at No. 3, I believe he's behind both Knight and Kanter on their board.


The Raptors are the next logical landing place for Walker, but they've never been particularly high on him. They've flirted for a while with Vesely, but as I reported on Tuesday, the team appears to be emphasizing defense, as demonstrated by the hiring of coach Dwane Casey. It now appears that either Biyombo or Leonard is the favorite to go No. 5.


The Wizards aren't looking for a point guard at No. 6, which could put Walker in play for the Kings at No. 7. The Kings do like Walker and are considering him alongside Leonard, Fredette and Burks. Currently we have the Kings selecting Walker in our latest mock draft. But he's not a lock to go there, especially with word coming down that the Kings are exploring trade scenarios for established point guards like Tony Parker and Raymond Felton.


If the Kings pass, the Pistons are sitting there at No. 8, and for weeks Walker was strongly in the mix. But after Tuesday's stellar workouts by Biyombo, Thompson and Markieff Morris, the Pistons are now leaning toward taking a big man at No. 8.


Charlotte is the last team picking in the lottery for which Walker has worked out. The Bobcats have been fans of Walker all year. But he's a small point guard like D.J. Augustin and the Bobcats appear to have become enamored with Singleton and Marcus Morris.


I don't see Milwaukee or Golden State taking Walker. The Jazz are a possibility at No. 12, but only if they take a big man at No. 3. The Suns are at No. 13, and they will look to trade Steve Nash -- who is entering the final year of his contract -- over the summer, which means Walker could be in the mix. But the Suns are emphasizing defense and are smitten with both Thompson and Iman Shumpert.


If they don't take Walker, you've got to believe the Rockets at No. 14 or the Pacers at No. 15 will grab him. But once a player starts to slide like that, you never know.
 

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