“With my athleticism and the way I handle the ball, I just feel like there aren’t a lot of people that can stay in front of me,” said Burks, the first Colorado player in school history to score over 770 points, grab 240 rebounds and hand out 100 assists in a single season.
“I hit the 3s in college when I needed to.”
Kanter said he already feels at home in Utah, with fellow Turkey native Okur “like family” even though the two have never met.
“He’s strong,” said Corbin, who went one-on-one against Kanter during a private workout in Chicago. “He’s a big young fella and he knows how to use his strength and his weight. For his age I thought he was pretty advanced with his basketball skills.”
Corbin compared Kanter to Alonzo Mourning, and in some ways to Karl Malone, in the way he can run the floor.
Jazz President Randy Rigby announced the first pick at Utah’s downtown Salt Lake City arena, where more than 7,000 fans showed up to cheer on a team that they hope is rebuilding for the playoffs.
The Jazz finished 39-43, only the second time in the last 28 years they finished below .500. They also are the only team in NBA history to start 15-5 and 27-13 and not make the playoffs.
Missing the playoffs capped a tumultuous season that saw Hall of Fame coach Jerry Sloan abruptly retire on Feb. 10, and the Jazz trade All-Star point guard Deron Williams two weeks later. They sent him to the Nets, fearing he wouldn’t sign a long-term deal with the club after the 2012 season.
In exchange, Utah received rookie forward Favors, point guard Devin Harris and New Jersey’s first-round pick.
That pick ended up being No. 3 overall thanks to some draft lottery luck.
Kanter checked in at 262 pounds, with just 5 percent body fat. Draft analysts called him a perfect fit for the Jazz because he is a high-IQ, high-character player.
Utah fans, unlike a year ago when they booed the choice of Butler star Hayward at No. 9, cheered when Kanter’s name was announced.
“I’m so excited,” Kanter told fans in an interview shown on the jumbo screen. “I know the Utah Jazz fans are crazy and I love them.”
If Kanter washes out in the NBA, he already knows what his backup plan is.
He wants to be Wrestlemania’s next Undertaker, a character he has followed for years by watching tape-delayed shows overseas of Monday Night Raw in the U.S.
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