Hour 1: Steven Ellis on Utah Mammoth NHL Draft Options | Tim Fitzgerald Examines the Kansas State…
good morning DJ and PK It’s 975 the zone How about that for game one of the NBA finals huh what a great game What a great fourth quarter And the Thunder I thought of Pace Manion during this The Thunder led the whole game and they were just turning Indiana over left and right I mean Indiana had 10 turnovers so quickly but Pace always used to say when we’re doing the Jazz pre half and post with Big Troll Bailey he’s always used to say whenever there’s an outlier statistic like one team is u you know shooting 70% from three or or forcing 15 turnovers at halftime or um whatever it is some outrageous stat you know they’re plus 20 on the backboards You used to always look at the score and say “Man if you got that kind of advantage you better be up by 20.” And Indiana was hanging around I mean the disparity in turnovers was outrageous And yet it’s a nine-point game It’s a 12-point game with a three-point shot That doesn’t mean much It just doesn’t mean much And sure enough the Pacers get it together in the fourth quarter back fourth quarter come back lead for three10 of a second and Halleurn hits a shot and they win the game by one point Classic Pacer basketball That is just that is what they’ve been doing this year I think he’s 13 for 15 now on game time or go ahead shots in the last two minutes and in the playoffs he’s got like four of them now that have basically come in the last 5 seconds It’s just outrageous Outrageous but it sets up a great series All right we’ll get to more on the game as the morning progresses Uh Stanley Cups underway We got game two tonight after Edmonton won game one in overtime That was also a thriller Steven Ellis joined us and he focuses primarily on the NHL draft he writes for daily uh faceoff Uh but we got a few thoughts on the not only on what the Utah Mammoth can do with this number four pick they’ve got in the draft but also uh what he expects out of the Stanley Cup finals here uh game two and going forward So here is Stephen Ellis with PK and I on the zone Stephen good morning Good morning How you guys doing good Based on what you know now of the NHL prospects do you think Bill Armstrong’s reaction on the night of the lottery was too much too little or just right hey you know it’s an exciting time uh when you get a chance to pick early You know you don’t want to do that often right like that’s something where you want to pick early for a couple years and then that’s it Then you want to be happy with your 31st or 32nd place pick if you even have a first round pick But uh it’s it’s not the strongest draft class but it’s going to be one where at least for Utah it should be a franchise changer Oh a franchise changer Man that’s a phrase that gets everybody excited in terms of being a somebody who can help because they’ve got a lot of young prospects and they got a mix It seems like their team is on the come and if they can get a franchise changer that really ratches it up Who do you think are those types of guys at the top of the draft well you look at the guys that probably won’t be available Matthew Schaefer Michael Misa those are the two that I think should be off the board one and two I think the Chicago pick at number three is where things get interesting because they could go a bunch of different ways They could go out there and and shore up their center depths and pick James Hagens They can go and get a guy to go play with Conor Bard and and pick Porter Martone Maybe they look at the upside of Anton Fondell and say “This is the guy I want.” So that’s where things get interesting If this guy is still available James Taggins I think that’s the one that makes the most sense to me Um for Utah I know that you’re looking at this and saying “Okay well Logan Coulie’s there Like do you need another you know smaller midsize center?” And I’m looking at this and saying “This is one of the smartest players you’re going to find in the draft.” And he’s been able to play out so many different uh caliber of players already between his junior and his college career he continues to find ways to be very effective and I think he could be the number one center going forward for that team So I’m looking at Hagens I think for me skill is obviously super important but you got to be smart You got to have that hockey IQ and James Haggin has it But if he’s not on the board I’m looking at Porter Martone a guy who who can hit everybody He’s maybe not the most physical player but he’s got size He’s got a great shot uh he was known for being a goal scorer early on in his junior career and he proceeded to be one of the best playmakers in the entire draft So that ability to do a whole lot of different things makes him interesting But regardless of who they take like maybe they take Brady Martin a guy that a lot of people didn’t even have as a top 10 prospect a few weeks ago and now we’re looking at like Utah has been linked to him for this guy who just wants to hit everybody in sight but he’s also very smart very skilled like there’s so many good options here that they’re in a really good spot and I’m glad I’m not the one having to make the decision here As you evaluate these players they’re they’re playing all over the place right some of these guys you mentioned Haggin he’s he’s a college guys coming out of Boston College We keep hearing the KHL that’s the second best league in the world You’ve got other guys in junior hockey leagues Is there a place where guys play where you think I can really get a feel for a guy when he’s playing at this level and are some of these prospects playing somewhere where it’s hard to get a real feel for him it’s so difficult and that’s why it’s like it’s you can look at a guy putting up a ton of points and it might not matter because maybe they’re not always playing the toughest competition when when you look at what Michael Misa did this year 130 something points over 60 goals Like that’s something that’s only been done like a handful of times in the 21st century in the CHL So that’s a really big deal like that’s a guy who who’s clearly got a ton of shooting power and and could go out there and win games But then you look at Anton Fondell who was playing against men in the second tier uh Swedish league not the best but he was on a team that had to fight their way to get promotion and he was a big part playing against guys who in some cases previously played in the NHL So like that’s a tough thing there You look at college and that’s kind of the one really interesting one where if you look at who was taken first overall last year Mlin Salabbrini goes from playing American junior hockey goes to college and he has one of the best freshman seasons I’ve ever seen personally You look at that it’s like okay well college players you’re playing guys up to 23 24 years old Like these guys are stronger They’re they’re typically faster and older And he did it as a 17-year-old Like it was incredible what he was able to do last year And um that made it special And that’s part of what I look at James Hagens is yeah he didn’t go out there and get 50 points like we’ve seen from some other college stars last couple years but he still put up a point per game and was on a competitive team that was very close to winning a national championship So uh I’m looking at this and saying you got to look at the traits of a player whether it be how smart they are how good of a skater and those things that we see that the best players have in the NHL guys like McDavid and Ethan McKinnon What do these guys have as prospects that the top players have and that’s when you look at what makes those guys better And that’s how you kind of evaluate It’s very difficult There’s no science to it You just kind of got to go with the feel and what things you think in a player will be able to be translated to the NHL cuz you could be a top goal scorer in junior hockey It doesn’t mean much if you’re thrown into a third line role and you don’t know how to defend Last week the Mammoth signed two top prospects from the 23 draft to their entry level deal and they got massive size 65 66 and certainly look imposing And then you get a guy like a Clayton Keller who’s on the smaller side but very effective because of the size that they have already on board Do you think that that gives them the flexibility to where they don’t necessarily have to be pinned down to a particular uh size for these guys that they can just go who they feel like is the best player to help their team down the road i think so And especially when you’re picking fourth overall you got to always go best player available I know you’ll see people online suggesting certain players for certain fits Well given like how close the draft is to the start of free agency the the needs of your team could change in three to four days Uh so you don’t want to make them like a potentially franchise altering move that isn’t right for you because you want to fix that need at that time But I will say that Utah has probably the biggest in terms of physical size of a prospect school I’ve ever seen I remember doing my top 10 prospects list last year and like almost every single one of the players was like 6’4 or taller That’s extremely rare You you want size but there’s a certain point where size is almost you you can only almost be too big Like you look at Cage Thompson on Buffalo He’s 6’7 There’s very few players that have ever been like again this big forward who who’s got the speed and skill That’s a very rare thing to have in a player But you look at Denil boot 6’6 He’s he’s not this big bruiser He’s not going out there and crushing guys He actually has a ton of skill So you look at that and say “Okay that would be really good paired alongside a guy like uh Logan Culie or Clayton Keller where he can be that bit more of a muscle player on that top line You look at Simiche he’s got the size Maverick Lamro again he’s huge.” So they’ve got a lot of good options there And I think that does take a bit of a pressure off There are some teams that probably could afford to draft some size like the Philadelphia Flyers and the Boston Bruins but when you look at Utah just go with the best player available at number four which again is a very hard pick to make Like if you’re if you’re picking second I feel like that’s the easiest pick to make this year because you don’t have to decide who if you want the best forward or the best defenseman In that case you just take who’s left of those two guys Number four that’s when things get a bit more muddy and that that’s also where things get a little interesting So uh they got some big decisions Steven Ellis joining us associate editor and NHL prospects analyst for Daily Face Off since you mentioned free agency and everything if it could change in a few days Do you have any idea any Do you suspect or know anything about what Utah might be able to pull off in free agency well it’s interesting because this is the newest market in the NHL So it’s something where there’s not a lot that like the pending UFAS the guys who are look at the new contract would know about this team at this point But you look at it $20 million in cap space Uh they’ve got a lot of that core locked up Like you look at who they might need to sign Phil and Nick Bad and u and Robert Bortuzo Like they actually have so much money to work with here I think they’re going to go out and tackle a goalie And if you’re going to try to get anyone this year Jake Allen of the New Jersey Devils is definitely the guy to target He’s someone who has been a starter in the NHL He’s in the later stages of his career not going to be a starter anymore but he could be one of the back backups in the NHL having that experience And he’s not going to be expensive Like I would be shocked if he’s worth more than two or three million dollars So then you’re looking at that and saying “Okay well they don’t have any other major players to sign They don’t have a ton of guys signed long term at this at this point.” Like you look at Logan Culie Josh Don they both need new contracts Um I’m assuming both will sign new contracts this summer um as their their entry- level deals have one year left And then you look at Keller and Gunther Those are the guys who already signed a bit longer term So you do need to be smart about which long-term contracts you get But this team could be a buyer something the Arizona Coyotes never were And I think that’s an exciting time Like you’ve got so much gas space to work with The cap is going to go up again uh next season So that’s that’s a big one there And I think that uh they’ve got some good options here But uh I think at the very least you got to look at the goalending and you got to say you got to improve that If Connor Ingram is not ready to go as a backup you got to go out there and maybe shore it up and get a veteran who could still be a starter if you really need him to You think they’ll be tempted to trade the pick i don’t think so It It’s very rare in the NHL to see guys their draft pick that high get traded Like I’m trying to say the last time we saw that happen it was like Cory Schneider I want to say it was for Bo Horvat the pick that became Bo Horvat like well over a decade ago So it it’s at this point it’s pretty rare that that’s going to happen I don’t see it And it’s not it’s not the strongest draft we’ve ever seen but it’s still one where if Utah wants to move up the standings and be a playoff contender use this pick now take advantage of it and then you’ve got a guy two years down the line who can already be an impact player Before we let you go you got any opinions on the Stanley Cup final now that you’ve seen one game oh that was an awesome game Like the conference finals were rough Those were some terrible hockey games I feel like even though the six days off or whatever it was was a long time between games I think that actually really helped the product last night And uh just for the sake of everyone trying to go to sleep I’m glad it didn’t go to two over times But hey you know what if that if that game brings in more people wanting to watch because of how good it was I’ll take it All right there’s Ste Steven Ellis with PK and I on the zone Hey don’t miss another Minky Monday on the zone Tune in all day Monday to win mink couture blankets the original classy blanket Mink Couture makes the perfect Father’s Day gift and zone listeners get 50% off with zone code zone50 Use the code zone50 Don’t miss Minky Mondays on 975 the zone All right we’re going to take a break When we come back Tom Fitzgerald covers Kansas State Our spring football tour continues next Stay with us DJ PK and we’re joined by Tim Fitzgerald Covers Kansas State is publisher of the Go Power Cat of Go Power Cat on the 247 sports network Tim welcome to the show If if you feel like you need to call me TG that’s what my family calls me So I’ll fit in around there Well that’s what we call each other We’re nothing but the initials All initials all the time Before we get into the players the roster the transfer portal and all of that uh Chris Kleman’s been at KState six years and PK and I were just talking to the break one losing season and it’s the co year so that was weird So you just throw that out It doesn’t match up with the other five It’s an outlier Never mind And there’s a bunch of four and five loss seasons way more winning than losing And there are some built-in obstacles at Kansas State so you can’t expect them to be rolling out Ohio State like numbers We get that Mhm Mhm But I am curious as he builds this roster He’s a guy who’s won a lot along the way to get to this job and the November losses have to bug him There were three last year and uh I think six over the last three years and he’s had three straight four loss teams Is there something about the roster is there a lack of depth there are they not built for bad weather games at the end of the year what’s going on at the end of seasons with K State because they’re having good years but it looks like they’re going into November on the edge of great and one time they won the conference but usually doesn’t quite pan out It’s been a pretty common theme for K State and you nailed it It’s depth a quality of depth Um and the particularly last season was at quarterback where they were already playing a first year sophomore uh and they didn’t have hardly any experience behind him They brought in Taecoin Robersonson from Yukon who came in you know played a little bit but uh once Avery Johnson got hurt and it was at the Colorado game which was a great college football game Um and it took him out of the running game and the offense that was such a pillar of the offense it really got more difficult for them and it didn’t answer in part because their receiving court stunk as a whole So uh you take away the run game and now you’re in trouble You’re throwing to the tight ends as often as you can but this has been an ongoing concern and and uh Chris Kleman has really put a lot of effort into building that depth You can see by their transfer portal they emphasized positions like receiver and offensive line where they wanted to make sure they got enough guys to get through the season And now the seasons are getting even longer Um and they feel like they’re getting there They really do And um you know you you mentioned that co season he I want to point this out He played every game He played every game even if he was really short-handed and had to play walk-ons because he wanted everyone to get the experience for the future He treated that season what it was It was a giant exercise in futility Um so get out of it what you can which was experience and I think that’s paid off in the long run for the program You’re talking about that depth and I listened to his uh post spring media thing I think it was He talked about he only had eight eight padded practices and four walkthroughs so they didn’t have the full amount And he did say a bunch of guys were out but in his next breath he said “We expect them all back.” So maybe he just went lighter on spring practices on purpose to make sure He did He did He He actually added three weeks to offseason conditioning They went from six to nine weeks as a reaction to the injuries to try to beef up them physically And I got to tell you just in the short time the media gets to see players fellas it made a difference These dudes look different Um and uh yeah so they cut some practices out which is probably shocking to most in the college football world but he knew this this attrition this ability to make it through a season and uh match the physicality around the nation was the thing holding back his program In the year of the running back it seemed like everybody in the Big 12 had an awesome running back and K State was right there DJ Giddens ran for over 1300 yards He’s with the Indianapolis Colts now So before you worry about anything though Dylan Edwards averaged more yards per carry and he didn’t get 10 carries in a game until he got to the bowl game Okay Giddens doesn’t want to play He’s off to the NFL Okay that makes that makes sense But I’m curious are they that stacked at running back or does everybody who run behind that O line end up looking good no not necessarily Um in fact they kind of retoled the O line as I mentioned Uh the O line the interior O line was really effective last year and that’s where DJ ran the ball Um Dylan will get up between the tackles but he’s about 4’2 and 93 lbs Um I might have exaggerated [Music] 870 roughly Now see how big that sounds see what I did yeah Yeah There’s a mental game there Way to win the metal game Yeah Yeah Uh he’s a tiny guy and he will run between the tackles because or between the guards because you give him a tiny hole slip through it Um but in the bowl game they got him in space And let’s be honest Ruter’s defense was built for the Big 10 It was a little bit bigger and not as fast and he he had a heyday Um the the running attack will be different You’re going to see him and his backup Joe Jackson who also had a pretty good bowl game A little bit more on the perimeter a little bit more in the passing game although DJ did that They’re just different players They brought in a transfer portal guy that you know might give them the the power in the middle because they are so small with the other guys but uh the running game is going to look different Uh I think that they’ve got a new offensive coordinator in Matt Wells who you guys uh know out in your neck of the woods from Utah State days And I think they’re going to spread it out and and uh let their speed do their talking because they probably got the fastest quarterback in the nation Uh and they’ve got incredible speed now at running back and some of their receivers Wy as Kimman calls him all the time is the new OC there Uh and he raved about Avery Johnson you’ve already mentioned him multiple times uh thinking that you know last year compared to the year before he didn’t have much experience he got the experience last year and so now this is his prime as far as college football should be of 58% on the completion percentage I think that needs to go up but listening to Chris talk that he expects that will go up and the 25 TDs could maybe I think it was 25 to10 ratio could be even more he threw for 2700 100 yards So he believes just listening to him talk that across the board this kid is going to be a lot better Yeah Let’s go back to what I said earlier their receivers weren’t very good and they weren’t very reliable Um a number of his interceptions a number two or three of his interceptions were receivers doing the wrong thing They cut the wrong way the ball’s in the air you know then the quarterback looks the fool Um they didn’t block particularly well downfield um that stood out at that Houston game when they lost Um and they went out and found some guys and they found some dudes that that are they they believe are going to make a huge difference both as pass catchers reliable route runners uh and downfield blockers So uh if that’s true I think his percentages even if he’s unchanged will will go up His numbers will go up Um but he has changed He guys he’s notably more cut out than he was a year ago This is a kid He’s just turned 21 I mean he’s I don’t think he has turned 21 Uh which is strange because he’s in the bars I can’t figure that out That’s weird Um but uh it’s it’s he’s got a lot of physical growth still to go He’s a he’s a young guy On the defensive side of the ball what is the strength of the defense now um probably defensive end uh which is an odd thing to say because they’ve had back-to back basically defensive lineman of the year in this conference Two former guys that didn’t even come to K State on full scholarship Uh ended up being best DNS in in the league Uh but they are extremely deep and talented with young guys No seniors in the group Well one senior that came back but they’re they’re core guys that are going to be the playmakers or all juniors or younger And uh I think that they’re going to be really good at that position but they bolstered linebacker They got young corners who stood out in the bowl game Uh and they’re they’re pretty solid at safety even though they lost a couple guys So uh I think this is going to be good defense I really do This is the defense might be better than the offense this year And you talk of those receivers and and and I looked it up They got uh uh Bradley Tibs uh Medford I think his name is Plus you also had uh uh Jace Brown coming back But the coach raved about the tight ends and multiple tight ends So I’m thinking that guys like uh Oakley and a couple others will be factors in the pass game Yeah they I’m a I’m a tight end guy I love offenses that use a tight end Um and Kate’s have gotten away from it And then last 3 years or so they’ve decided let’s start throwing to the tight end The first result was Ben Sennet another former walk-on by the way that got drafted in the third round by uh the Redskins I’m going there the Washington Redskins Uh I can’t be stopped And um now they have like four guys that played last year They they use three tight ends on a regular basis They’ll go out there in three tights often At least they did We’ll see what what Wy does Um and on top of the four tight ends they have coming back that not only have experience but have touchdowns and receptions and been on the field a lot Uh they bring in Lincoln Cure the first five-star recruit in program history And he’s expected to to come in and and play quite a bit as a a Kansas kid who stayed at home They I think they’re going to use five different tight ends and Lincoln Cure might play a little receiver It’s going to be fascinating to watch how they do it But tight end has been really productive and really reliable for for Avery Johnson in the receiving end of it How are the fans uh handling farmageddon Kansas State Iowa State good rivalry game Awesome name Fantastic How are they handled Farmageddon being moved to August in Ireland um there’s a mix of excitement about Farageddon Um and um but also there’s a there’s a bigger story here This is maybe I think it’s the fourth longest unbroken rivalry game in in or series in college football Um this this goes way back and uh now Kate’s moving this home game uh off to Ireland They play next year in Iowa State at Iowa State and then the Big 12 has decided we’re going to end this series in 2027 Um so fans are like we’re not going to see Farmageddon here for a long time Um you know at least four years and u first of all people are upset that the Big 12 just shoved this rivalry aside in an era in which we complain about the lost rivalries We shouldn’t be doing it voluntarily Um and and I don’t think the Big 12 is playing enough rivalry games but um yeah it’s some fans are upset but the opportunity to go to Ireland um is huge and I would like to apologize to the city of Dublin for what the combination of Iowa State and Kansas State fans might do as in terms of drinking and in terms of just behavior We we we like our cheap beer and it could get ugly When you go over there I want you to look it up My last name is Kenahan K I N A Han and O That’s pretty Irish Yeah it is First my my grandfather came over from Ireland Uh and uh so uh and should I look for your relatives and well if you look it up the last name Kahan is a big mob cartel over there So uh keep your eye out for them You’re clear Are I involved with it no no I I actually I was born and raised in North Jersey and my mother’s Italian so I got some relatives that were on the Sopranos So yeah I’m all sorts of screwed up but uh anyway and yeah I my my my family came over great-grandfather and apparently there was about 10,000 James Fitzgeralds who who fled Ireland at the same time So we’re we’re screwed We have no idea Uh is the coaching staff upset that they don’t get a by-week coming back all the NFL teams coming back from Europe get the week off and they’re going to come back and play North Dakota Should we all circle that of set alert i mean Dakota that’s that is the weakest of the four Dakota teams but nonetheless that’s a weird deal I I had coach Kimman on my life podcast which is a personal thing I do in the summer um related to my cancer and we we talked a lot about other stuff but I got into that But I wanted to know why they didn’t take the day the week off You can move in North Dakota game And he said he called the other coaches who participated in this game And they all agreed that if you lose that game and then fly back you’re going to live with that loss for two weeks and then play turn around and play basically another week one game You’re going to start over in week three Uh and he said it’s good for us to come back get back stay in system They’re young guys They’ll handle it better than the coaches and and and play And because of that it buys them another off week in the season And add in the fact that they play Arizona on a Friday they’ve got I think four certainly three Saturdays off this fall Um so it’s it’s uh built in a lot of breaks which gets back to where we started this entire conversation trying to hold up through the season Now they’ve got a number of off weeks to heal up with After my stint in New Jersey we moved to Arizona and it had nothing to do with the witness protection program I want to be upfront Sure Okay Yeah So and I did graduate from ASU and last Octo or November I’m covering the Utah Colorado game was 10:00 in the morning and I get back to the hotel I’m all excited to watch uh ASU and K State and it worked out in the devil’s favor And if I remember correctly uh Kansas State had issues just hiking the ball on special teams That was just mind-blowing to me that they they let momentum slip away because they couldn’t hike the ball to the kicker and all that Have they gotten I assume they got to get that taken care of Yeah they supposedly have but it was a problem we didn’t know about And then they did it in a couple of games Um that was a big factor at Houston too um where all of a sudden the the long snappers there was two of them and it was both of them decided they could no longer snap the ball They got the yips um were skipping it and it was it was a mess It was costly Um that’s what I love about football It’s that fragile The guy that hardly ever plays but when he does play essential can destroy your team if he’s off Um and and that’s kind of the magic of football how you got to have all these parts working in unison Um hopefully they fix that Um because special teams has been a point of pride for Kansas State football for a very long time Uh and it’s made a lot of differences Uh K8 has scored the most non-offensive touchdowns in like the past 20 years in college football by far Uh big part of that special teams and to see special teams struggle is uh against the DNA of KState football fans Well Jim when you talk to Matt Wells tell him DJ and PK in Salt Lake City say hello We’re still on the radio He did our show every week for uh the half dozen years he was a head coach at Utah State So been on the air with him a million times So say hello for us I will I certainly will All right And then say hello to whatever uh Kenahans you run into in Ireland Yeah just be careful I know Well if I need something taken care of now I got a hookup There you go All right Thanks Tim We appreciate it Okay boys Great to talk to you again All right there’s Tim Fitzgerald covering Kansas State publisher of the of Go Power Cat on the 247 Sports Network DJ and PK proudly presented by our title sponsor Black Desert Resort Utah’s premier golf resort Utah Jazz Basketball CEO Danny A What does the CEO stand for now he’s got a good line Danny A coming up next with PK and I DJ PK And we are joined now by Danny Ames Utah Jazz CEO Danny good morning Good morning gentlemen Thanks for joining us Can you hear me yes we got you Uh so many questions but let’s start with with Austin coming aboard and with Ryan saying that Austin’s going to report directly to him What What is your role going to be going forward how do you see uh your job with the Jazz well um I’m the CEO of the Jazz which in my opinion means calm everybody Calm everyone Nice I’m I’m the guy there to just help uh Ryan and help Austin and Justin and Will and um the players and just help everybody get better Cool and we look forward to that I’m fascinated by your ability to draft players and I used two examples The the Payton Pritchard one was later in the draft and I remember thinking “Wow I didn’t see that coming.” And now he’s blossomed in in a critical component off the bench and has played very well That was a great pick At the other end you have one of the best moves of all time and trading down to get the best player in Jason Tatum And I’m wondering from your perspective what do you look at when you go ahead and draft a player because you’re drafting that player as he is but you have to have the ability to see as he can become Yeah I think that’s a great question for you know every GM that’s been in the draft and decision makers It’s it’s not easy I mean you’re looking for a list of things and everybody wants intelligence uh feel uh toughness work ethic self motivated Um but you also need length athleticism shooting and so there’s a long checklist of characteristics And very few players check all the boxes And so oftent times you you know you might pick a player that neglect that doesn’t have two or three of those characteristics but you still have to go with it But projecting for the future is tough I mean that’s why um you know PK in your career you’ve seen a lot of guys that will um come in as the best player fivestar rated players in the country and get beat out by a walk-on Um that’s what the NBA is dealing with when we’re drafting young players occasionally A lot of people are going to be watching the NBA Finals and watching Aaron Nesmith and he’s a guy you saw at Vanderbilt and he’s a 14th pick in the draft when you’re with the Celtics What did you see in him what has enabled him to grow into the player he is well there’s a good story about that That was during COVID and I had seen Aaron play on film and but Austin actually went to he was the only one that we only allowed one person in the workout in the gym and Austin went and watched Aaron and uh Aaron Nmith was really Austin’s pick I trusted him to make the right choice uh after he had seen Aaron play and we had all the other players that that I had seen But um that was Austin’s pick and but he we saw a guy that was athletic and he could in college he was a really good shooter and it’s taken him a while to become a really good shooter but the last two years he shot 39 and 45% and he’s having a great career and a huge impact on Indiana’s team When Taylor Henrik came out we saw a list that you made and it was literally in your handwriting and I believe Henrik was the ninth pick and you had doped out the entire draft 1 through eight and it played out like you thought and then Henrik was available and obviously you guys went and took him and away we go here and hopefully he gets back and we get to watch his development here next season As far as this draft now you don’t go you need to go as high obviously because you only have the fifth pick Do you anticipate that the draft will go in the order that you think so when it comes down to number five it’ll be the guy that you believe will be available at that point So I think that that year might have been particularly rare Um I think I mean I’m not sure that that’s we obviously try to understand what’s going to happen in the draft but more importantly how do we rank the players is what’s way more important than what actually happens But that year was unique I’ve always thought that the workouts were more valuable for the interviews that you get with them than actually seeing them when you’ve seen a full year on film But I’ve also had a lot of people point out to me that these workouts you get to put guys in NBA type situations against other draftable players And that some of these guys you don’t get to see them against the compet competition that you want to and that some coaches use them at the college level in a specific way that just doesn’t apply So for the hardcore Jazz fan who really loves to play GM in the draft can you kind of tease that apart and explain what you’re looking for and what you’re getting out of this process from the end of the NCA tournament until the draft yeah I think that um you’ve watched all these guys a lot but there are a lot of questions that we still have And it’s amazing how especially with so many of the young guys how they have improved and changed over those last 2 or 3 months and how they’ve improved their bodies but uh how they’ve matured their work ethic and they’re just growing and they’re coming in for job interviews and they and they work a little bit harder than maybe you saw them play as a freshman in college or they’ve improved their shooting or they improved their athleticism And that does happen um very often But more than anything I would just say not so much the interviews but the time that you spend with them just talking and one-on-one and you know having dinner with them and talking about everything else is is much better than probably any any of that and might be the most valuable part of the draft process that that I’ve used over my career created a little bit of a stir last year when you use that phrase big game hunting and we all latched on to that and that’s classic Danny A He gets our attention and he’s gotten our attention for 40 plus years and he’ll continue to get our attention for however long he chooses to do this And so we latched on to that and we waited Not to say that you guys didn’t turn overturn every stone and all that stuff and but nothing really materialized from that perspective Now the way I look at it is that you’re as an organization you have more options than you had last year right because you got two more picks in the first round You got the highest pick that you’ve had in the last three years at number five and then you got two second rounders Collins I thought kicked butt this season I thought it was outstanding you know you were somewhat critical of Kesler Uh I think after his rookie year and second year wasn’t as good I think he rebounded and had a literal literally rebounded and had a nice season So the point I’m making is I believe you have more options What do you say as far as big game hunting this off season well so like we have done we have gone after some of the bigger players and bigger names and more star-like players to add to our current roster Um but you know in the league now there’s not many of them right now that are available and those that do come available they are there’s eight or 10 teams trying to get them too So I think maybe the most important thing is what you’re saying is that what you have to trade matters a lot and um most of the trades that I’ve made in my career are because the other team really really wanted what I had and that’s why you make trades I mean it’s tough to like call a team and sell them on a player that they don’t want And so they spend all their time looking around the teams they want and call the teams that have players they want And so that’s the most important thing is just having the assets And we do have the draft picks and we do have good players like you mentioned but um if they’re not good players in the eyes of the teams that are that have the star player um there probably isn’t going to be a deal done So should we be looking at the draft not as the uh final exam and uh this team got that player and this team got that one but is this more of midterms now because we’re seeing a lot of these players traded including the the two teams in the finals I mean their best players were traded So you’re getting a lot of intel now And obviously you want to draft a very good player and have that player blossom the way Stockton Malone did That that’s the best story But if you do your homework and find out about somebody and track them and that helps you make the right trade when the phone rings in two or three years well that makes this the midterm not the final exam right yes definitely I think that the uh you know oftent times the player that you draft might be a very good player but um you like for example you take uh Marcus Smart who we really liked in his time in Boston and they moved him to get Porzingis and that Porzingis played a major role in them winning a championship last year Um they traded like we talked about N Smith earlier we drafted N Smith and we had a deep team and he didn’t get as much opportunity in Boston and they traded him in in the Derek White deal who was a you know defensive player of the year first team all defense last year at the guard position So like there’s you know how how those teams are built are not always the people you draft are going to be the right pieces but they hopefully they turn out to be good players that you can move to fit your team together down the road And so this year is tough cuz we have guards we have bigs we have small forwards we have a a starting center and like now we need to just go get another really good player whatever position they are I look at the last two years is essentially six first round picks because I believe Philipowski played at a first round level So we’ve seen these guys in various stages of development What are your expectations for them as far as development next season and the season after and so forth you know it’s been really fun this summer watching We’ve had these guys in for over 3 weeks on every day and from the track to climbing hills uh but working out working on their shooting and their bodies in the weight room and becoming more athletic Um it’s been fun watching it and these guys have really bonded and really pushed themselves to the limit So I’m I’m excited about what they’re they’re becoming And um you know most of these guys are like 21 and younger that you just talked about and that’s still like they’re six years from their prime So anyway we need to just stay with it and keep developing them and see how they fit and see how they all fit together And I’m excited about it You know the great thing about the A family is they say stuff that takes on a life of its own PK already referenced the big game hunting and that’s the headline but it doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story So Austin at his press conference because he’s an age and he can’t help himself gets the tank question says you won’t see that this year So that’s the headline but it doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story For fans who hear that and think “Okay they’re going to be challenged for the playoffs They’re going to win I don’t know what they got in their mind 35 40 45 wins Who knows what each individual fan is thinking?” Should the expectations be scaled down just because you’re not tanking depending on what moves you make this summer you could make the roster a lot younger which usually leads to more losing or should fans be setting their expectations beyond the word tanking you know I think the fans should be excited about the guys that we have and how they’re developing and and whatever whatever pieces that are put together in this off season with the team I think we it’ll be a it’ll be more fun this year And I really believe that because the players are not only getting better and growing um but I think the coaches are getting to understand one another There’s some continuity with the group here and it’ be the second year as opposed to a first year Um and I do see the improvement So I’m I’m excited for this year regardless of what you know buzzwords we want to use Um I’m I’m looking forward to this upcoming year I’ve seen you in many arenas over the years scouting doing your thing Uh it looks like from my perspective that the enthusiasm and interest and excitement from you is still there Is that accurate oh yeah I love the game I go to um high school gyms watching my grandkids play but also watching the best players in the area play and um don’t tell anybody that I’m not I’m not I’m not sure I’m supposed to do that but it’s fun It’s fun for me watching local high school kids I live down in Provo and I like living down there and I I get have access to the BYU program and go watch them practice and I watch the girls team play and um but yeah I’m traveling all over watching games Um every week I’m somewhere watching a lot of games and I do love I I do have a passion for the game still Well Danny we appreciate the time and thanks for joining us this morning and thanks for always uh providing a quote and giving us something to talk about We appreciate that too Well if I don’t provide you just make some up Make some good ones up Make me look good Did you hear what A said yesterday all right Thanks Danny Austin austin Austin is gonna be good at this It’s like I’ve worked in the NBA a long time and Austin is um there’s nobody that I’ve enjoyed working with more not just because he’s my son but it is a unique relationship and it does have his advantages as we can you know knock down dragout fight and you know go to dinner two minutes later and we can like share our opinions and we’re we’re free to do that with one another and I think the relationship is very very healthy um for what the Jazz are trying to do and I thought Ryan made a great great move in you know coming up with that idea and I couldn’t agree with it with him more And Austin has learned a lot from his mother obviously And uh the thing that he’s learned the most is uh he likes to boss me around Yeah I still think that when it comes to who has the final say it’ll be Michelle maybe So maybe Ashley and Michelle together will they’re having their own meetings Well Danny we appreciate the time Thanks for coming on and we look forward to talking to you again All right guys Talk to you later There’s Danny A with PKI We’re going to take a break When we come back what is trending in the headlines are next
Hour one of DJ & PK for June 6, 2025:
• Steve Ellis, The Daily Faceoff
• Tim Fitzgerald, Go Powercat and 24/7 Sports
• Danny Ainge, Utah Jazz CEO