With a variety of teams jockeying for the top of the lottery, everyone wants a chance to win the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes. But if the NBA wants the product to get more interesting, Cooper Flagg needs to go to the Utah Jazz.

Here’s why.

The number one rated NBA finals of all time was with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in 1998. And in no small part, it was also because those finals involved the Utah Jazz. Now, you could argue that it was because it was the end of Michael Jordan’s career, that it would be the last chance to watch him play, and that definitely part of it. But it was more than that.

A major component of those finals was the Utah Jazz. If you don’t remember, it was the John Stockton Karl Malone era Jazz and they were the team everyone loved to hate. Karl Malone had more knock-out elbows on different players than you can count. Like this shot against David Robinson.

Or this shot on Isaiah Thomas.

He was a bully and crushed other players night after night putting up monster stats. I mean, Bill Simmons complains to this day about his MVP awards and how they should have gone to Michael Jordan. For Jazz fans, it didn’t matter because he was their MVP and led the Jazz incredible runs in the playoffs culminating in those Bulls/Jazz finals.

The other player others hated was John Stockton, the all-time steals and assists leader. He was so hated we even see players saying the Jazz padded his stats to this day.

On top of that, John Stockton was considered one of the dirtier players in the league. He would set screens on big men, use his elbows, and do things others wouldn’t do. He was one of the toughest players ever and did not care if he hurt you on the way to a victory. Then he’d drive home in his minivan.

And so when the Utah Jazz, the most hated team, went up against Michael Jordan, it was the perfect storm. The only thing people love to do more than root for their team is to root against the team they hate. And that is why Cooper Flag has to go to Utah. Is there a true villain in this league anymore? In the age of nice guy PR, not really.

We haven’t really seen that since the Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Kevin Durant Warriors vs the LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers.

Those finals were some of the most beloved because the teams fans had to cheer for and against. No one wanted Kevin Durant and Golden State outside of bandwagon fans and those in the Bay Area. On top of that, you had LeBron and his choice to return to Cleveland making him the hero of the league again.

And so the lines were drawn, the hero vs the villain, and it created an epic few years of finals rivalry.

But with the PR-driven NBA, you don’t have villains anymore. But who says the player has to be the villain? Why not the team? Or maybe the GM? Who doesn’t want to hate Danny Ainge? I mean come on, it’s right there. Have the Jazz win the lottery two years in a row, piss people off. Get them the team that can compete with Wembanyama or the Thunder. You’ll have epic showdowns for years.

Remember, you have no story if you don’t have a good villain. What is Star Wars without Darth Vader? What is Indiana Jones without the Nazis? And what is the Princess Bride without the Dread Pirate Roberts, right?

Putting Cooper Flagg in Utah will make the Jazz great, the team that everyone loves to hate. Everyone already clowns on the Jazz anyway, so why not throw some gasoline on that fire?

Make it happen, Adam Silver, you’ll be glad you did when you see those ratings skyrocket.