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Alec Burks' shoulder has been a source of some concern since even before he became a member of the Utah Jazz in June 2011. In a pre-draft workout with the Milwaukee Bucks, Burks was injured and it caused him to miss a scheduled workout with Charlotte.

The Jazz were aware of an issue when they took Burks with the 12th overall pick that summer and so they quickly went to work on him.

"We knew he had a condition with his shoulder and literally [trainer Gary Briggs and strength and conditioning coach Mark McKown] three days after the draft put him on a real strong pre-hab program," Jazz general manager Dennis Lindsey said. "There's a range of motion component, a strength component, a flexibility component. It's probably a great reason why he hasn't had many episodes up until this year."

And now Briggs, McKown and the rest of the team's medical and strength staff will be getting some serious backup. The Jazz on Wednesday announced a new partnership with University of Utah Health Care, which will give the team — along with the Salt Lake Bees and the rest of the Miller Sports properties — greater access to some of the country's best medical facilities and research.

The five-year agreement "will increase the resources available to keep our athletes healthy and competitive," Jazz CEO Greg Miller said at a press conference announcing the partnership.

"We really want to understand why injuries occur and how do we prevent them," Lindsey said. "How do we pre-hab? How do we rehab better and really practice evidence-based medicine? …

"They have hundreds of medical experts within their system, multiple clinics and facilities. I think we'll be able to create a nice concierge service, if you will, for our players."

During Lindsey's five years in San Antonio, a decision was made to add some older, veteran players to the roster—and that was met by a directive from ownership to "keep them on the court."

The Jazz are now one of the league's youngest squads, but Miller handed down a similar directive now.

"You can study coaches and strategy and player development and the draft," Lindsey said. "But we've been able to reduce days lost to injury and it may be the No. 1 factor."

As part of the new agreement, doctor David Petron, an associate professor in the U.'s orthopedics department and a team physician for the U.S. Ski Team, has been named the chief medical officer for the Utah Jazz.

"It is exciting for us to be a part of this and we look forward to providing the very highest level of care for their athletes by offering our expertise in orthopedics, sports medicine and optimizing athletic performance," Petron said.

"We foresee the capability to create and build Jazz-specific sports medicine areas and equipment in our facilities that will contribute to our effectiveness and efficiency," team president Randy Rigby said in a press release.

— Aaron Falk