"It was a good news-bad lottery for the Jazz. While Utah failed to move into the top three of the NBA draft on June 24, it didn'tback, either. The Jazz will keep the No. 9 pick, which is exactly where they sat prior to Monday night's luck-of-the-draw in Secaucus, N.J. Utah had a slim 2.2 percent chance of securing the No. 1 pick, which went to the Washington Wizards. The Jazz had a 7.9 percent chance of moving into the top three, which will be rounded out by Philadelphia and New Jersey. Still, the No. 9 pick will be Utah's second-best since 1983 -- one general manager Kevin O'Connor believes has a chance to yield a player who can help his team. "You are always hopeful with what you can get when you're drafting," O'Connor said, "[and] there are a lot of players [available] in this draft. ... We hope we make the right choice." Kentucky point guard John Wall and Ohio State combo guard Evan Turner are considered the top prizes in this draft, although O'Connor said, "I'm not sure there is a real cutoff or anything. [But] everybody is talking about the two kids up top -- that they are the first two kids who will go." The Jazz didn't play their way into the lottery. They received the pick that belonged to the New York Knicks, thanks to a long-ago trade. Throughout the season, Utah kept an eye on New York, hoping the Knicks would lose as many games as possible, which would translate to a greater chance in the lottery. In the end, however, O'Connor said the Jazz will be picking just about where he calculated they would pick." http://www.sltrib.com/jazz/ci_15113072
