Quantcast
Get breaking news alerts via email

Click here to manage your alerts
Utah Jazz look for another viable player with No. 47 pick
This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

The last two times the Jazz owned the 47th pick in the NBA Draft, general manager Kevin O'Connor selected Paul Millsap and Mo Williams.

Millsap was drafted in 2006. Williams was taken in 2003. Both have enjoyed outstanding careers — far better than anyone could have expected when they came out of college.

Can O'Connor do it again?

Barring a trade, the Jazz's only pick in the June 28 draft is No. 47, which comes midway through the second round.

O'Connor and other members of the Jazz staff travel to Chicago this week for the pre-draft camp as they begin their search for the next Millsap or Williams.

When they return home, the Jazz will invite a handful of players to Utah for workouts during a 10-day period prior to the draft.

As always, O'Connor said, the goal is to find and draft "the best player available."

Jazz lose D-League affiliate

The Jazz lost their NBA Development League affiliate last week when the Idaho Stampede and Portland Trail Blazers began a single-team partnership.

The Jazz's new affiliate will be assigned by the NBA and announced later this summer, O'Connor said.

The Jazz have never extensively used the D-League, even when they were affiliated with the nearby but now-defunct Utah Flash. But O'Connor likes what it offers, beyond playing time.

"It's a great opportunity for young guys in the NBA to understand just how good those [D-League] players are," he said.

"It's also nice for them to experience five-hour bus rides. They get to see, I think, just how good we have it in the NBA."

A little history

As it stands, the Jazz have only one pick in the draft for the first time since 1995, when they took Greg Ostertag at No. 25.

The Jazz haven't been without a first-round pick since 1994.

In 2013, the Jazz could own two first-rounders — their own and a top-six protected pick from Golden State.

Article Tools

 Print Friendly