Redrafting the Jazz: 1994

I have been cursed by a witch to repeatedly travel back through time to relive every NBA draft. Fortunately, her spell sends me directly to the Utah Jazz war room on draft night and all the executives magically know I’m from the future and will do whatever I say. Unfortunately, the curse prevents me from seeing how my advice altered the future, as I am sent back to the previous year as soon as draft night ends.

June 29, 1994 – Hoosier Dome, Indianapolis

Previous season:

The Jazz went 53-29 in 1993-94, but by far the most significant moment of the season came at the trade deadline. Utah traded Jeff Malone and a first-round pick to Philadelphia for Jeff Hornacek, Sean Green (who was waived after playing just one minute for the Jazz) and a second-round pick (which was later packaged in a trade for Blue Edwards). This was one of those rare franchise-altering trades. Hornacek proved to be the perfect compliment to John Stockton and Karl Malone, not only in skillset, but also in temperament and attitude. He really was the missing piece that helped lead Utah to the Finals ... eventually. The Jazz did reach the Western Conference Finals in 1994 — mostly due to Denver having dramatically upset the league-leading Sonics in the first round. Utah was crushed by the eventual champion Rockets in five games.

The draft:

Due to to the aforementioned Hornacek trade, Utah didn't have a first-round pick. Philadelphia used the 20th pick on B.J. Tyler, whose career bizarrely ended after just one year because he apparently fell asleep with an ice pack on his ankle, which caused him severe nerve damage.

The Jazz did have their second-round pick (No. 47), which they used on a small forward from South Carolina named Jamie Watson.

Analysis:

Utah certainly had a weakness at small forward, splitting time between Tyrone Corbin, David Benoit and a young Bryon Russell. But Watson didn't really help much. He played sparingly for the Jazz for two-and-a-half seasons before being waived. He tried to revitalize his NBA career with Dallas and Miami, but it just didn't work out. Unfortunately, there aren't many decent options for me here. My best recommendation is point guard Anthony Goldwire. He was constantly in and out of the league — ultimately playing 266 games for nine different teams, interspersed with trips to Spain, Greece and Italy. But he seemed to be a fairly decent shooter and, I don't know, he might have been a halfway decent third-string point guard for the Jazz.

My advice:

1. Use the 47th pick on Anthony Goldwire.

Some years, there's just really nothing I can do to help. That's the limitations of my witch's curse. So I'll just shrug my shoulders and start preparing for 1993.