Cream of the crop
It's a big year for big guys, a commodity coveted by every NBA team.Many believe the first four picks will be three power forwards and a center — 6-foot-9 Kenyon Martin of Cincinnati, 6-9 Stromile Swift of LSU, 6-8 Marcus Fizer of Iowa State, and the center, 7-footer Chris Mihm of Texas. The wild card is 7-1 Joel Przybilla, who is leaving Minnesota after his sophomore season and should go quite high just because of . . . his height.
Jazz time
If Utah does take a power forward, it may be Florida freshman Donnell Harvey. But the Jazz seem to be on a mission for a center. They're looking closely at 7-footer Primoz Brezec, a 20-year-old playing for Olimpija Ljubljana in Slovenia. He may be tied up for a few seasons overseas, but taking him in the second round would allow the Jazz to put off having to sign both of their picks right away. Utah also had Jason Collier, a 7-footer from Georgia Tech, in for a workout. And don't discount UConn's Jake Voskuhl, who could come in as a free agent if he slips through the second round.
Utah now
Don't fret about power forward; a fella named Karl Malone holds down the fort there. At center the Jazz seemed pleased with the play last season of Olden Polynice, but the vet may not have many seasons left. Greg Ostertag is another matter. He didn't play at all in Utah's last two playoff games, and — though his salary makes it tough to trade him — the Jazz's obvious interest in drafting a center may reflect their views on Ostertag's future with the franchise.
Local ties
The University of Utah's Hanno Mottola stands 6-10 and likes to drive to the basket, but his poor rebounding and questionable defense qualifies him as more of a small forward than a power forward or center in the NBA.
Fantasy pick(s)
If Jazz vice president Kevin O'Connor ever goes to bed thinking of ways to drive the press crazy, this year's crop of foreign-born draft-eligible centers presents ample opportunity. Imagine writing Alexios Amanatidis-Zevrosenko, Aleksander Bashminov or Lazaros Papadopoulos every day! Purdue's Brian Cardinal and Oklahoma's Eduardo Najera, two scrappy power forwards, would be fun to watch. But what about Kentucky's 6-10 Jamaal Magliore? Florida coach Billy Donovan called him "the best player in (the SEC)," and he could slip to the Jazz. Dream about that.