NBA and Jazz: O'Connor keeps an eye on shooting-guard glut
This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2008, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

With the crush for minutes that Kyle Korver's arrival has created, Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor was asked about the possibility of having too many young shooting guards and not enough playing time for them all.

"You can always have too many of something," O'Connor said, "but I think you'd rather have too many than too few. And I think it develops competition."

Ronnie Brewer is still starting but has seen his minutes reduced since Korver was acquired from Philadelphia.

C.J. Miles has fallen out of the rotation despite recent strong play, and Morris Almond again appears ticketed for the NBA Development League.

The situation could resolve itself this summer if Miles, a restricted free agent, receives a contract offer the Jazz are hesitant to match.

Otherwise, keeping all three players is a relatively low-cost investment for the team.

O'Connor did praise Brewer for helping fill the void after the loss of Derek Fisher.

"I think he's had a terrific year, compared to where he was a year ago,'' O'Connor said, adding, "His improvement has been a positive for us."

The general manager also has had no complaints about how Andrei Kirilenko has played after so much turmoil this summer.

"I think Andrei has showed the character that we thought he had as far as doing what we asked him to do," O'Connor said.

No plans

The Jazz have an open 15th roster spot, but O'Connor is unlikely to fill it unless an emergency arises.

In the event of a 2-for-1 trade this summer, O'Connor would like to have a free spot on the roster to accommodate an extra player coming in.

Harpring cleared

The Jazz said Sunday forward Matt Harpring is free from the medical restrictions placed on his minutes after undergoing right knee surgery for a third time.

Harpring had been limited to between 16 to 18 minutes a game this season.

Part two

Although the Jazz beat the Clippers by 18 points at home Friday, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said he didn't expect anything to come easy when the teams play again this afternoon in Los Angeles.

"Those back-to-back situations where you play a team right away are always very difficult," Sloan said. "You can talk about it all you want, but for some reason, it's always tough to go out there and win that second game."

Almond travels

Sloan said Almond would travel with the Jazz, even though the rookie has been inactive the past two games and the D-League's Utah Flash are playing at home tonight.

rsiler@sltrib.com

Jazz at L.A. Clippers

At Staples Center

Tipoff: 1:30 p.m.

TV: FSN Utah

Radio: 1320 AM, 98.7 FM

Records: Jazz 23-18; Clippers 12-24

Last meeting: Jazz won 106-88 on Friday

Line: Jazz by 4 1/2

About the Jazz: The Jazz are desperate for a road victory, having lost four straight and 11 of their last 12 away from EnergySolutions Arena. Seven players scored in double figures in Friday's victory over the Clippers.

About the Clippers: The Clippers bounced back from Friday's loss to beat New Jersey 120-107 in overtime Saturday. Corey Maggette scored 31 points as the Clippers won for just the second time in January.

Article Tools

Enter a search phrase.

Specify a Range

From  to

 

 
Missing your paper? Need to place your paper on vacation hold? For this and any other subscription related needs, click here or call 801.204.6100.