So honestly, how did you feel?

Natty

Natty

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I new Eric was going to Utah with that 20th pick....right after I saw Jeff Teague land at one of the last spots in the first round I think we all wanted Eric to fall to. I'll honestly say that while I'm excited he was drafted in the top 20 (a great accomplishment)...I felt a sense of dread when the commish walked to the podium for that pick.

Going down the list of cons...he plays behind one of the best PGs (if not the best) in the NBA, plays in the Western Conference on a team that will get about zero TV time in VA, and it's Utah (no offense Utah). They have a nice team there, but wanting to see Eric make a name for himself in the NBA it just seems to me that situation is one of the worst he could be in for doing so.

I'll get used to Utah...but it was no where close to being my 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc etc pick.

How bout you guys? Honest thoughts?
 
I agree. Deron Williams is an incredible PG and he is only getting better, so Eric may not get the minutes he would have in Philly etc. and the chances we will see a Utah game is slim unless they are playing L.A. or Cleveland until the playoffs. The one thing you can say about the Jazz is that they are always a solid very well coached team, that will make the playoffs for the most part. I would have liked to seen Eric go somewhere with a better chance for him to shine, but I bet he will make the most of the chances he does get. Good job Eric and congrats. Go Jazz!
 
I'm going to be optimistic that this will work out well for Eric. Deron WIlliams is a top 5 PG in the NBA, so a good player to learn from in an early career. Knight and Price, the two back-up PGs for the Jazz are probably gone due to age and limited skills. His coach will be Jerry Sloan and those old enough to know, know that Jerry was a hard-nosed team player for the Bulls just like Eric.

Williams averaged just under 37 minutes a game last year, so Eric should 11-15 minutes a game as primary back-up to start out, enough time to prove himself and if he does well I can see Williams and Eric playing at the same time.

Bottomline, Eric does well, then in 4 years other teams will be bidding up a storm when he is free agent eligible. Eric knows he has a great opportunity in the short term and the long term and he will take advantage of it.

Good luck Eric, we'll all be watching and cheering for you.
 
Don't fret, Natty ... you can watch every dribble from the comfort of your own La-Z-Boy, and with you own concession stand for refreshments.

NBA League Pass was available for $189 for the '09 season - pretty much included every game, including some exhibitions. You'd have probably spent that much traveling to one game in Washington.

MLB and NHL has similar packages - basically an entire season for about what it would cost two people to attend a single game in person - and with a far, far better vantage point. I've got it for baseball - best money ever spent.

Makes you wonder why anyone goes to trouble and expense of actually attending anymore.
 
Honestly Maynor was the first player we had that actually had a shot to be drafted in forever so I don't really think we have any right to be overly picky in where he went. Utah is better than him going down to France or something
 
i am ecstatic.
one of our very own was just drafted in the first round of the nba draft. i can't imagine that anyone would be anything but happy.

for starters, lets hope eric makes the active roster. utah loves to utilize their D league for youngsters.

as far as getting playing time, hate to break this to some of you, but eric wasn't going to be handed a starting spot anywhere, and yes this includes philly. he will have to continue to work very hard for PT, as i'm sure he will. sure, williams is outstanding, but that doesn't mean eric can't shine. just ask any nba scout what they have thought of leandro barbosa playing behind nash. or bobby jackson playing behind great point guards all these years. or JJB out in dallas. etc. and so on and so forth....
 
Just to receive token playing in in Salt Lake City, Maynor needs to prove he's better than the Jazz's second-string point guard, Ronnie Price.

Price, who averaged 4 points and 2.5 assists this past season, is a very talented player ... and also a popular local favorite - from Utah Valley. Price averaged 24 points and was the NCAA Independent Player of Year his senior year at Utah Valley.
 
bighorn said:
Just to receive token playing in in Salt Lake City, Maynor needs to prove he's better than the Jazz's second-string point guard, Ronnie Price.

Price, who averaged 4 points and 2.5 assists this past season, is a very talented player ... and also a popular local favorite - from Utah Valley. Price averaged 24 points and was the NCAA Independent Player of Year his senior year at Utah Valley.
Click to expand...

Assuming they re-sign price
 
How much longer does Williams have before he's a free agent? What are the chances the Jazz will be able to hold on to him? I don't think it's that bad of a situation for Eric. He has time to get acclimated to the NBA game at his own pace rather than getting thrown in to the fire.

And as I have stated before...he can have 5 wives.
 
I for one feel that this is not his final destination...he will be in a different uniform by the beginning of the season
 
He's in good hands with Jerry Sloan. It's a marathon, not a sprint.
 
agreed, vram. he is in VERY good hands. sloan may be an ass, but the man knows his basketball and has a proven track record with guards.
 
I think this is a good situation for Eric. I'd rather see him in a no pressure situation where he could develop naturally than land with a team that's going to throw him in the fire immediately. The NBA is a huge adjustment and Eric doesn't exactly have off the charts athletic ability to rely on.

If he's ready to play right away they'll find minutes for him. Best case scenario, if he's a starting NBA point guard he'll eventually either get traded or he'll be a free agent in 3-4 years.
 
You never know, give him a year of proven solid work at the backup PG spot and he could end up in a trade somewhere for someone who needs that roll more. Not to say Utah doesn't need him, but their record with backup PGs never seems to work out exactly right.
 
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