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 27, 1989 – Felt Forum, New York City
Previous season:
The 1988-89 season was a bizarre one for the Utah Jazz. Head coach Frank Layden abruptly retired after just 17 games, kickstarting Jerry Sloan's incredibly long run with the franchise. Joining John Stockton and Karl Malone in the All-Star Game (for the first and only time of his career) was Mark Eaton, who also won his second and final Defensive Player of the Year trophy. And Thurl Bailey finished second in voting for Sixth Man of the Year (losing to Phoenix's Eddie Johnson). The Jazz went 51-31 and won the Midwest Division for the second time in franchise history. But then disaster struck in the playoffs. Utah wasn't just upset by Golden State — it was a downright embarrassing sweep. No one on the Jazz could slow down Chris Mullin or Mitch Richmond.
The draft:
Seeking to fill Utah's immediate need at shooting guard/small forward, Scott Layden used the 21st pick on East Carolina swingman Blue Edwards.
With the 48th pick, the Jazz drafted a point guard from South Alabama named Junie Lewis.
Analysis:
Edwards was a smart pick for the Jazz. Although he wasn't a good enough shooter to be a true shooting guard, his defense and athleticism made him a competent (yet undersized) small forward. He made the All-Rookie Second Team and gave Utah three solid years ... before being inexplicably traded for Jay Humphries. The Jazz later realized the mistake they made and traded Humphries back for Edwards a couple of years later. But by then, Utah already had David Benoit, Bryon Russell and Jamie Watson, so Edwards saw very little playing time during his second stint with the Jazz. He was then promptly scooped up by the Vancouver Grizzlies in the 1995 expansion draft.
Despite the positives Edwards gave the Jazz, there were just enough deficiencies to his game that prevented him from having a longer, more impactful career in Utah. The tough thing is he was the best player available at his position. So I'm going to have to sadly tell Layden to try to fill that need through free agency and trades because the best remaining players are all big men. I went back and forth between Vlade Divac and Clifford Robinson, ultimately deciding that Robinson would provide the most versatility for Utah. A one-time All-Star, Sixth Man of the Year and two-time All-Defensive Second Team member, Robinson would have filled that Thurl Bailey role quite nicely with the added bonus of better defense and some 3-point shooting.
Picking a backup for Stockton in the second round was a good idea, but Utah drafted the wrong point guard. Lewis never played in the NBA. But Boise State's Chris Childs did. After a lengthy stint in the minor leagues (and a trip to a rehab facility to combat his alcoholism), Childs eventually worked his way into the NBA and had a nice nine-year career punctuated by his tough defense and 3-point shooting. I have no idea how his career would have turned out had he been drafted by the Jazz, but I want to take that risk anyway.
My advice:
1. Use the 21st pick on Clifford Robinson.
2. Use the 48th pick on Chris Childs.
It felt a little strange looking at replacements for Eaton and Bailey right after they had such strong seasons. But I know both of them began to sharply decline once the '90s hit. And I think the versatile Robinson could help relieve both of those aging big men ... assuming he's able to find cannabis as readily available in Salt Lake City as he was in Portland. Hmmm ... on second thought, maybe I should have gone with Divac ...
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