Question: With the Jazz picking late in the first round of the draft, I was wondering who you think might be (or should be) on their list? I'm thinking Tyler Hansbrough. Thanks.

-- Gerard R.

Answer: Right now, as you probably know, the Jazz own the 20th pick in the first round.

Because it is generally considered to be a weak draft, it would not surprise me if Utah traded out of the first round, perhaps for a first-rounder sometime down the road.

Getting a decent player at No. 20 is difficult, even in a strong draft. So the Jazz, who are facing salary cap issues, might not want to pay a marginal-type player the guaranteed money that goes along with being a first-rounder.

Along those lines, another option would be drafting a foreign player who would not come to the NBA next season, which in recent years has become a fairly common practice for teams picking late in the first round.

If the Jazz end up keeping their first-round pick and taking a player for next season, they could certainly do worse than Hansbrough.

He is a 6-foot-9 forward. I have seen his weight listed between 235 and 250 on various biographies on the internet.

Hansbrough played 142 games during his college career at North Carolina, so he is more experienced than most players in the draft. As a senior, he averaged 20.7 points and 8.1 rebounds for the Tar Heels, who breezed to the national championship. So he is used to winning, too.

One thing that gets overlooked about Hansbrough, I think, is his outside shooting ability. He made 39 percent of his three-pointers last season, meaning he's got range on a jump shot, which is important for a power forward in the Jazz's system.

I happened to see a TV interview with Hansbrough on Friday afternoon and, when asked to compare himself to an NBA player, he hesitated. I liked his humble reaction to the question. Eventually, Hansbrough compared himself to the Knicks' David Lee, "but I play defense, too."

I didn't get the feeling Hansbrough was trying to knock Lee, though that is the biggest criticism of his game. I think Hansbrough was just trying to suggest that he hustles, plays hard and that people might be surprised by what he has to offer.

Problem.

A month ago, I didn't hear anybody say Hansbrough would go higher than No. 20, meaning the Jazz were probably thinking they had a shot at him.

Today, however, Hansbrough's stock seems to be rising. The feeling is he will be gone earlier in the first round -- perhaps as high as late in the lottery.

So where does that leave Utah?

Obviously, the Jazz need size. But I don't think you draft a big guy just because he's a big guy. A team has to be convinced a player has a chance to make the 15-man roster to take him in the first round. Otherwise, it's a waste of time and money.

That said, this draft could provide the Jazz with an opportunity to plug a hole. Taking a young point guard to play behind Deron Williams makes a lot of sense to me.

A team's chance of finding an NBA-quality point guard at No. 20 is much greater than finding an NBA-quality big man. So I'm guessing the Jazz might be looking for a back-up for Williams.

Who's available?

Point guards (or combo guards) who will likely be taken in the top 18 are Spain's Ricky Rubio, Syracuse's Jonny Flynn, Davidson's Stephen Curry, Wake Forest's Jeff Teague and Brandon Jennings, a high-schooler who went to Europe last season because he wasn't eligible for the NBA draft.

If any of those players slide to No. 20, the Jazz would probably take a long look at them.

More likely, a small group of point guards (or combo guards) who are more likely to be available to Utah include Eric Maynor of Virginia Tech, Jrue Holiday of UCLA, Ty Lawson of North Carolina and Darren Collison of UCLA.