"Christmas could come about six months early for Utah Jazz fans this year, who are anxiously waiting to see what Santa Claus (or Kevin O'Connor) might be bringing them in the 2011 NBA Draft Thursday night.

Utah has the third and 12th picks in this year's highly anticipated draft, which is being hailed as the most important one ever in Jazz franchise history.

And it just might be.

But before fans get all giddy about the prospects of landing a couple of gigantic difference-makers that'll soon turn this team into an instant NBA title contender, let's take a look at the type of player that's been picked at No. 3 over the last four decades.

Of course, whenever you talk about No. 3 draft picks, the conversation starts and ends with Michael Jordan — arguably the greatest basketball player of all time.

Taken by Chicago in 1984 after Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston) and Sam Bowie (Portland), all Jordan did was lead the Bulls to six NBA championships in eight years — and, hey, it might've been 8-for-8, if he hadn't taken a couple of years off to go play minor league baseball.

"Portland took Bowie because they already had Clyde Drexler (at shooting guard) and missed on Michael Jordan," Walt Perrin, Utah's vice president of player personnel, told Deseret News Jazz beat writer Jody Genessy, reminding us all once again of the importance of that well-worn philosophy that teams should always take the proverbial "best player left in the draft."

"Every year there's pressure to pick wherever we are," Perrin said, "because you want to get the right player for the franchise whether you're picking at (No.) 20 or you're picking at 2.""