It's all about Andrew Bogut.

By keeping No. 4 available for the Utah center, the Jazz have greatly improved their mystical chances in the NBA Draft lottery.

Bogut spoke of desiring "the right team, the right situation," regardless of his draft position. He's going No. 1, so he's hoping for a franchise that can give him No. 4.

After all, the charitable endeavor he announced Monday is the "Bogut 4 Foundation," featuring a "4 the Kids" ticket program. That represents his ties to four places: Croatia, Australia, Utah and his future NBA home. But it would work just as nicely if it covers three locations and he's wearing his college number, so it's a good thing No. 4 is not hanging in the Delta Center rafters.

And the Jazz currently rank No. 4 among the NBA's worst teams. Oh, yeah, it's all coming together.

Bogut's news conference came in the same Huntsman Center room where, nine years ago, Keith Van Horn said he was staying for another season. Bogut's departure schedule was never really in question since last spring, when he said he would return as a Ute sophomore.

The real issue, then, is how good this guy will become in the NBA.

Earning probable No. 1 status in the draft was the easy part. He's a center, for one thing. Nobody with any ability truly plays that position in college basketball (or internationally) anymore.

"To pass on a center," an NBA personnel director said Monday, "you gotta be crazy."

So some struggling team -- how about the Lakers, for the sake of lottery conspiracy? -- will end up with Bogut, who will thrive in the pros.

For every suggestion of why Bogut will have trouble adjusting, there's an equal reason the NBA will be easier for him.

Bogut seemed a little spooked Friday when he went up against Kentucky's two 7-footers -- the Wildcats' second- and third-string centers, for goodness sake -- but that's the Mountain West Conference's fault. He simply was not accustomed to playing against defenders his own size.

"It doesn't concern me, it really doesn't," the personnel man said. "He'll figure it out."

Said Bogut: "It's a challenge. It'll just make me work that much harder. I can't just keep playing against smaller guys that I'm bigger than and better than."

By playing a second season at Utah, Bogut moved up from somewhere between No. 8 and No. 14 in the draft to the top spot. Scouts marveled at how much bigger and stronger he became between his college seasons. He also started moving better laterally and developed his passing skills, as needed for survival.

The fact Bogut will not be constantly double- and triple-teamed in the NBA is significant to Ute coach Ray Giacoletti. Yes, Bogut could have thanked his teammates Monday for providing him offensive rebounding opportunities, but can you imagine what he would have done on a team of consistent outside shooters?

"If we could stretch the defense and make it one-on-one for him, it's a little bit different," Giacoletti said. "He's going to be fine."

How fine, exactly? Will he be the best NBA player a Utah school has produced?

Better than Danny Ainge? He won two championships with the Celtics and played in the NBA Finals six times, but averaged only 11 points for Boston.

Better than Van Horn? He's a 17-point career scorer, but has struggled in the playoffs and has been traded an astounding four times since August 2002.

Better than Shawn Bradley? Just kidding.

Better than Tom Chambers? Now, it gets interesting. The ex-Ute forward, the No. 8 overall pick in 1981, scored more than 20,000 points and was a four-time All-Star.

That's the benchmark for Bogut, regardless of where he's playing and what number he's wearing. But he would look good in No. 4 in the Jazz's shade of blue, wouldn't he?

kkragthorpe@sltrib.com