WRG 2010 Mock Draft - #9 Utah Jazz

This pick certainly has made the rounds. Acquired in 2004 from the Suns (who acquired it from the Knicks earlier in the year), the protection has finally ran out. It's a nice luxury to have a top 10 pick coming off a second round playoff exit, especially since we traded our original pick in a separate deal (Kyle Korver).

Carlos Boozer and Kyle Korver are our two biggest free agents, and we could use some help to replace them. We hope to re-sign Korver, and one of our top draft targets on the wing was just snatched up ahead of us by those pesky Clippers in Luke Babbitt, so we are gonna look towards the front court.

Losing Boozer will be a blow, but we have Paul Millsap waiting in the wings. We're ready to unleash the beast, but we still need to add to the depth in the frontcourt. We really want to add something we've been missing in the frontcourt for a while: athleticism. Boozer, Millsap, Okur...all solid players, but below the rim. We haven't had an athletic big man since The Mailman.

We don't want a project player. We want someone who can come in and contribute, has a good attitude, and is a Jerry Sloan type player. One player fits all these requirements to a tee. That player is Ekpe Udoh.

Udoh's 23 years old and has impressed us with his interviews. He's a good kid, will add athleticism and shot blocking to the front court, as well as a versatile offensive threat. We can't wait to see "The Nightmare" in a Jazz uniform.

Congrats! You're now the 6th black guy in Utah!