Morning Jazz 05-20-14

I have been slacking a little bit lately. The “Morning Jazz” article hasn’t been up for a few days, and I apologize. However, there is some great reads about the Utah Jazz from around the web that we have all in one place here. If you missed anything, or want a chance to re-read them, you can get the links here.

NBA Draft 2014: One Last Pre-Lottery Mock Draft (via Purple & Blues)

With the lottery less than 24 hours away I wanted to do one more pre-lottery on what I think the teams in their respective positions right now would do. This will show us after the lottery who these teams possibly missed out on or for the few lucky ones who they improved with.

1st- Milwaukee Bucks Take Andrew Wiggins

2nd- Philadelphia 76ers Take Jabari Parker

3rd- Orlando Magic Take Dante Exum (Continue reading here)

What’s at stake for the Utah Jazz in the 2014 NBA Draft? (via Bleacher Report)

The state of Utah is one of six in the United States that does not have a lottery. Which is somewhat ironic, considering how much of their basketball franchise’s future rides on the NBA’s version of a draft lottery on May 20.

The Utah Jazz won a tie-breaker against the Boston Celtics early in their offseason, after both teams finished 25-57, the fifth-worst record in the league. By virtue of that, they have an 11.9 percent chance at landing the No. 1 overall pick, to just 8.8 percent for Boston.

This was a sizable victory for Utah, as many teams are crossing their fingers and putting on lucky underwear in order to break into the top three for June’s draft.

As we’ll learn over the next couple days and weeks, this lottery is one Utah will not only want to support, but hope to win. After losing 57 games in the season following the departure of big names and big bodies like Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap, the Jazz are a bit of a mystery. (Continue reading here)

Utah Jazz to host another pre-draft workout Tuesday (via Deseret News)

The Utah Jazz will host their third pre-draft workout Tuesday morning with yet another group of long-shot NBA hopefuls.

This collection includes six players who recently ended their collegiate careers but aren’t ranked in the top 100 of ESPN writer Chad Ford’s rankings and aren’t projected to be drafted.

The workout participants: Towson forward Jerrelle Benimon (6-8, 245), Gonzaga forward/center Sam Dower Jr. (6-9, 243), Iowa State forward Melvin Ejim (6-6, 220), Connecticut guard/forward Niels Giffey (6-7, 204), Indiana State guard Jake Odum (6-4, 180) and Florida guard Scottie Wilbekin (6-2, 176).

The Jazz will continue to hold workouts leading up to the June 26 NBA draft as the organization hopes to acquire as much information on as many potential pros as possible. (Continue reading here)

2014 NBA Draft Lottery means everything to some teams (via USA Today)

The Milwaukee Bucks sent out 10,000 ping pong balls to fans last week with a card that read, “Own the future, win the lottery.”

Garnering the coveted No. 1 pick in the loaded 2014 NBA draft is a luxury bottom-feeder teams will be anxiously eyeing in the league’s annual draft lottery Tuesday night in New York. That’s especially the case for a team like Milwaukee, which went 15-67 in 2013-14, or the rebuilding Philadelphia 76ers, who lost 26 in a row last season.

Tanking speculation aside, securing the No. 2 or No. 3 pick still could provide franchise-changing fortune this year. Kansas stars Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid and Duke forward Jabari Parker all are candidates to hear their name called first by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. They’re the headliners helping this year’s draft class draw comparisons to 2003, when LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Carmelo Anthony were top five picks. (Continue reading here)

Utah Jazz hope to buck the odds in NBA Draft Lottery (via Deseret News)

Sure, there was the time in 2011 when O’Connor was present as the team’s rep when the Jazz leaped from the sixth spot up to No. 3, resulting in the acquisition of center Enes Kanter.

But Utah’s executive vice president of basketball operations would just as quickly remind you of 2004, ’05, ’06 and ’10 when he was in the spotlight and the NBA’s fortune evaded him.

Jazz president Randy Rigby must’ve walked under a ladder en route to the lottery last year because his luck wasn’t any better when Utah remained in the No. 14 drafting position.

This year, the Jazz are pinning their hopes on Bryan Miller, one of the sons of the late Larry H. Miller and team owner Gail Miller. He’ll be the first member of the Miller family to represent the organization at the lottery. (Continue reading here)

Be sure to check back with us here at Purple & Blues for more Utah Jazz content daily. Also, be sure to check out our coverage of the NBA Playoffs.