The Utah Jazz are up next with the 25th pick.  Their GM is:

  Greg Fingas

The Jazz used the 25th pick to select:

  Drew Barry, PG, 6-5, Georgia Tech  

==========================================================================
    The Jazz have finally had a nice playoff run. Led by the hot shooting
of Jeff Hornacek, the leadership of John Stockton, and the pure power
of Karl Malone, they made it to a game 7 of the conference finals for
the first time in franchise history. As of now, they're about to go
into game 7, the most important game in franchise history, coming off
a huge, 35-point win in game 6.
	Despite this great run, the team is not without its faults. Chris
Morris and Bryon Russell have both played well at small forward in the
playoffs, but both have been known to disappear at times. Felton
Spencer, while an adequate center, is average at best. And there is no
defensive stopper among the big guards; in the same division as Clyde
Drexler, Jimmy Jackson and Isaiah Rider, that must be addressed.

A. Center

	Felton Spencer returned with a vengeance after a severe leg injury
last year. He emerged as a fine force defensively and on the boards;
he has the muscle to push most other centers out of the lane, but he
doesn't have the quickness to keep up with them going up and down the
court. His offense still consists primarily of dunks, layups, and
putbacks; that could stand to be improved.
	The backup centers are primarily transplanted forwards. Antonie
Carr, the original Big Dawg, can still score and bang with anybody in
the low post; he never had much of an offensive touch. Defensively, he
gives his all, but at 6'9" he's too short to handle some centers. Greg
Ostertag was a very pleasant surprise in his rookie season. He
provided decent offense and a fine defensive presence off the
bench. He could be a starter very soon if he develops another go-to
offensive move to go with his hook shot. Greg Foster is not really a
legitimate NBAer; he's 6'11" with a jumper, which is just enough to
keep him in the league. However, he is weak defensively and on the
boards.
	The end result is that the Jazz are loaded with backup-quality
centers, but none really stands out as a legitimate starter. Jerry
Sloan has used what he's had masterfully; unfortunately, with such a
low pick, there is little chance for improvement this year.

B. Power Forward

	This is one of two positions where the Jazz dominate against most
other teams. Of course, the starter is Malone, who continues to be one
of the top 2 power forwards in the NBA. There are a couple of dents
developing in his well-worn armor, however: his free-throw shooting
has declined to an embarrassing level (witness his series against the
Sonics), and he seems far too reliant on his perimeter shot, when he
could be pounding the ball in the low post where he's
unstoppable. Still, he's the second-most powerful forward in the NBA,
and he's a fine passer, shooter, rebounder, and defender.
	Malone is spelled (very rarely) by Adam Keefe, who finally started
delivering on the potential that once made him the #10 pick
overall. He has a decent collection of post moves, a reliable
jumpshot, and he's willing to sacrifice his body for the team. He's a
bit too slow and a bit too weak to start, but he's better than a lot
of backups. Carr and Foster can both switch over to this position too.
	There is no cause for concern here at the moment; the question is
how long Malone will play. The Jazz will deal with that when they come
to that point; for now, this is the least of their worries.

C. Small Forward

	The much-maligned small forward position has spiraled upwards in
the last few years, first with the astute drafting of Jamie Watson and
Bryon Russell, then with the free-agent signing of Chris
Morris. Morris, the starter, is now what he always was: a very
athletic rebounder and defender who doesn't always pay attention on
offense. He is prone to launching bad shots or throwing the ball away
on the break. Still, he's one of the few small forwards in the NBA who
can shut down even the best swingmen basketball has to offer.
	Russell had a nondescript regular season, then exploded into the
limelight in the playoffs. He showed himself to be a fine perimeter
shooter, a highlight-reel dunker, and a good defender. Morris is just
keeping the starting job warm for Russell, who is the best young
player on the Jazz. Jamie Watson started off his career with very high
hopes, but his skills are an almost perfect mirror of Russell's;
Russell has the edge in strength and playing time between the two.
	And wouldn't you know it, one of the second-round picks from a few
years ago found the solution to a problem that had long plagued the
Jazz. They now have two fine players here, and no worries at
all. (David Benoit probably won't be re-signed; if he is, he ranks
above Watson on the depth chart, below the other two.)

D. Shooting Guard

	This position was never really a trouble spot, but it got
substantially stronger when the Jazz dumped Jeff Malone onto the
Sixers for Jeff Hornacek. Hornacek is one of the premier perimeter
shooters in basketball (no, that 60% from 3-point land in the playoffs
wasn't by accident), and he's a good all-around player to boot. He's
had to work very hard on every level to get respect; now, he may be
one of the top 5 off-guards in the NBA. He handles the ball and passes
like a point guard, he scores when you want him to and is unselfish
the rest of the time, and he plays pretty good defense too.
	One potential problem is that there is no true backup here. When
Hornacek needs a rest (not very often), either Morris or Russell
slides over from small forward. They could definitely use a true
backup.


E. Point Guard

	What can I say? They have the greatest passer in NBA history, who
also shoots 50% from the field and plays tough defense. John Stockton
has been a great player for a long time; he's already set career
records for assists and steals, and shows no signs of slowing down. He
has had a very weak series (by his standards) against the Sonics...yet
he still was the top player on the Jazz in two of the games.
	Backup Howard Eisley is actually good enough to push Stockton down
to about 35 minutes per game, and that speaks volumes about Eisley's
talent. He is very cool even under pressure, and shows all the signs
of being a fine point guard for the future: a fine jumper that he's
willing to take, team-orientation, penetration skills, fine
defense. He was a great pickup of the scrap heap, and his example is
just another illustration of how badly the Timberwolves manage their
team, having released this future starter.
	Jazz fans won't even want to think about the possibility of
Stockton ever retiring; when he does, they have their starter in
Eisley, but they'll need a backup. That also can be dealt with as it
comes, or they could draft a combination guard to back up Hornacek for
now, then compete for the PG spot later.


---------------------------------------------------------------

Overall, the Jazz have a great veteran nucleus and no overwhelming
needs. More youth at both guard spots, plus improved center play, make
up the greatest needs for this team. As said before, a combination
guard would be a fine addition. If that's what they choose, they
should look for one with stopper potential, to be able to fill in the
greatest gap in Hornacek's game; if there's a Sam Cassell out there,
the Jazz want him.

2. Selection, explanation

Drew Barry, SG/PG, Georgia Tech. There are no true stoppers available,
so they'll go for a fine all-around guard. Barry handled the point
very well in college, and displayed fine perimeter shooting
skills. He'll take a while to earn respect in the pros, which makes
him very comparable to...Jeff Hornacek. To get somebody like that late
in the first round would be a drafting coup for a team that's had more
than its share of them.

3. Others considered

Doron Sheffer, SG/PG, Connecticut. He's the most similar player to
Barry; the only difference is that Barry's perimeter shooting is much
more reliable.

Randy Livingston, PG/SG, Louisiana State. Sure, he plays the same
position, sure, he's ridiculously injury-prone. But he has more talent
than any other player in the draft; his game is very comparable to
that of Jason Kidd. If they want the best player available, this is
it.

Priest Lauderdale, C, Greece. The only way to improve their center
situation this late in the draft would be to take a flyer on a huge
man. At 7'3", Lauderdale fits that bill nicely. They'd have to hope
for a Muresan-like emergence, but it isn't out of the question.

Ronnie Henderson, SG, Louisiana State. Livingston's teammate is a
dynamite scorer at the off-guard slot, with great perimeter
skills. He'll be their actual pick if he's still available.

Jerome Williams, PF, Georgetown. He's a solid 6'11", a very hard
worker on the glass who hustles for every loose ball. If he fills out
his frame, he could be the center the Jazz are looking for.


4. The likely pick

	Your guess is as good as mine. As I said before, it'll be Ronnie
Henderson if he's still available, but he likely won't be. I think
they might take a shot at Steve Hamer, a 7-foot center with a decent
interior touch; or, they could go with Othella Harrington and hope
that he's got enough power to play the pivot. With all the free agent
off-guards available, they probably won't try to address that position
through the draft; this will result in Orlando getting a huge steal in
Barry.

5. Other moves to be made

(1) Re-sign Stockton and Eisley, both of whom are free agents.
(2) Try to plug the center hole through free agency. Mutombo is likely
    out of their reach, but Oliver Miller, who would be an excellent fit
    for the team, may slip through the cracks into Utah's hands.
(3) Trade a few aging players for some youth. There's no need for an
    overhaul, but Carr and Hornacek are aging, and it may be time for a
    bit of remodeling.
(4) Pick up Scotty Thurman. He's got some decent 6th-man shooting
    skills, and if he learns the NBA from a master like Stockton, he too
    could be a star someday.