This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
After rumor spilled this week that the Utah Jazz had "guaranteed" Michigan prospect D.J. Wilson they would take him in the NBA Draft if he dropped to the 30th overall pick, vice president of player personnel Walt Perrin had his say on Saturday afternoon.
"Did not happen," he said. "Did not happen at all. I don't know where he got that from."
Perrin shot holes in the report,https://twitter.com/detnewsRodBeard/status/867418914933944322?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpurpleandblues.com%2F2017%2F05%2F24%2Fnba-draft-rumor-utah-jazz-guarantee-michigans-d-j-wilson%2F"> which was tweeted by The Detroit News after Wilson elected to stay in this year's draft instead of returning to school. While he called Wilson (who worked out with the Jazz in April) an "interesting" and "intriguing" player, he said the organization would be put in a serious bind by guaranteeing to draft someone, particularly with the draft a month away.
"If we tell a guy we're going to take him guaranteed, which we don't do very often if at all, we will follow through on that honor and our word," he said. "It does put you at somewhat of a disadvantage because if someone comes to you with a great trade, you've made your commitment to that player, so you can't trade. … We try to keep our flexibility."
So just how many guarantees have the Jazz given in Perrin's 16 years?
"Since I've been here? None."
There would be very limited situations in which the Jazz would guarantee someone would be picked, Perrin said, such as a top-ranked player on Utah's board sliding in the draft. On the other hand, the team sometimes tell players when they're being considered for certain picks.
There's a difference.
"Have there been times where if we like him, we've said, 'If he's there, we might take him"? Yeah, we've probably said that," Perrin said. "But we haven't said we will definitely take you if you're there."
Bonded as Blue Devils • At 6-foot-9, former Duke forward Amile Jefferson is used to getting recognized on his flights. But as he flew from Los Angeles to his Saturday workout in Utah, he kept getting one particular question over and over: "Do you know Frank Jackson?"
Jefferson, who was a senior on last year's Blue Devil team with http://bit.ly/2pGfbzn";>the Utah native and NBA Draft hopeful, could only marvel.
"People love him in Utah," he said. "It's great for him to have that kind of support because he's such an amazing kid and an amazing player."
Jackson hired an agent after testing well at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago earlier this month, and Jefferson said he wasn't surprised. At Duke, he thought Jackson was one of the most athletic and agile players on the court, but he also appreciated that he was "fearless."
"The biggest thing you can't teach is heart," Jefferson said. "You want that kind of guy on your team."
Jefferson is closer still with Rodney Hood, Utah's shooting guard entering his fourth NBA season. When Hood got married, Jefferson was in the wedding. He related that Hood had only good things to say about playing for the Jazz.
"He loves it here, he's so honored to be playing in front of these fans every night," he said. "I talked to him [before the workout], and he just said, 'Give it your all.'"
Four-year focus • It was hard not to recognize some of the faces in Utah's practice facility on Saturday — many of them have lit up the college game for at least four years.
The workout was spotlighted by Louisville's Donovan Mitchell, a projected first-round pick, but Frank Mason (Kansas), Josh Hart (Louisville), London Perrantes (Virginia) and Jefferson have combined for 17 college seasons between them. Florida forward Devin Robinson was a three-year player.
Perrin said he couldn't "speak more highly" of the group's character demonstrated in the workouts, and much of that may have been credited to their maturity.
"These are all guys here who have had unbelievable college careers," Jefferson said of the six-man group. "Each one of these guys has done something amazing for their university, really left their mark and their name. To work out with them is a privilege."
Of course, only Mitchell is widely viewed as a top prospect — four-year college careers often symbolize a player who is not seen as having high NBA potential. But then again, there's always success stories: http://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/joel-embiid-malcolm-brogdon-dario-saric-named-finalists-for-rookie-of-the-year/";>Virginia's Malcolm Brogdon went on to have a stellar rookie season with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Mason said the key for him has been to check his college credentials at the door and try to prove to NBA teams that he can translate his game to the next level. While he was named college player of the year by 10 different entities this past spring, he's wiping the slate clean.
"It's a different level, a lot of great players," Mason said. "National player of the year doesn't mean anything anymore. It's like a fresh start. Just working harder to get even better."
kgoon@sltrib.com
Twitter: @kylegoon