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 26, 1996 – Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Previous season:
The Jazz went 55-27 in 1995-96 and very nearly reached the NBA Finals, sadly losing by just four points in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals in Seattle. Karl Malone (First Team All-NBA) and John Stockton (Second Team All-NBA) were still All-Stars playing great basketball, and Jeff Hornacek still had cartilage in his knee. But Bryon Russell and Greg Ostertag hadn't fully developed into starting material yet, which meant Jerry Sloan had to rely too much on David Benoit, Chris Morris and Felton Spencer.
The draft:
In 1995, the NBA started mandating that all first-round picks receive a guaranteed three-year contract. This was still a novel concept for the Jazz and penny-pinching owner Larry H. Miller didn't want to waste the 25th pick on someone who couldn't make the team. So general manager Scott Layden drafted Estonian forward Martin Muursepp and immediately traded him to Miami for a 2000 first-round pick (which was used on DeShawn Stevenson).
With the 54th pick, the Jazz took Georgia swingman Shandon Anderson.
Analysis:
The 1996 draft was historically incredible with four Hall of Famers going in the first round. And luckily for Utah, there was a fifth Hall of Famer who went undrafted: Ben Wallace. The undersized big man from Virginia Union was on nobody's radar in 1996, especially since the NBA's rules favored teams with a 7-footer parked in front of the basket. (There's a reason why Chicago had Luc Longley and the Jazz had Greg Ostertag.) But by 2002, rule changes would drastically alter the center position, opening the door for Wallace to win four Defensive Player of the Year awards. So I would have to convince Miller and Layden that drafting Wallace now is an investment, but a worthy one. Especially since Miller explicitly traded away Muursepp to open up salary cap space to sign a free agent, but the Jazz were unable to sign anyone significant that offseason.
Oh, and as for Muursepp? His NBA career lasted a grand total of 83 games before he returned to Europe. Utah didn't miss out on anything there.
The Anderson pick is a bit more challenging for me. On one hand, he was one of Utah's best second-round picks in franchise history. He had an immediate impact and became an important role player during Utah's back-to-back trips to the Finals. But Anderson only lasted three years with the Jazz before leaving for a bigger payday in Houston. He eventually had a solid, but unremarkable 10-year career, ending with playing sparingly on Miami's 2006 championship team.
I'd really like to get an upgrade to Anderson, since I remember well his failings in the Finals (especially one egregiously missed layup). But I also think there's a good chance the Jazz wouldn't have reached those heights without him. Besides, who would I replace him with? The closest contender I have is point guard Chucky Atkins, but the Jazz already had Howard Eisley and I don't think Atkins would have been a sufficient upgrade over him — not to mention leaving that gaping hole on the wing that Anderson filled. So I think the Jazz should just stay with him.
My advice:
1. Keep the 25th pick and use it on Ben Wallace.
2. Use the 54th pick on Shandon Anderson.
I know Miller would have hated the idea of paying Wallace to warm the bench for three years, but I would have told him that you can't pass up on a Hall of Famer when you get the chance. And who knows? Maybe Jerry Sloan could have figured out how to use Wallace on those Finals teams.
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