Utah Jazz: Team announces two hires to front office

The Utah Flash have lost their first-ever general manager.

The Jazz today announced that scouting services director Richard Smith has been promoted to director of basketball operations, and that Flash GM Dave Fredman has been hired as a scout.

The two moves collectively replace the player personnel director position left vacant earlier this year, when Troy Weaver left to became an assistant general manager with the Seattle Sonics franchise that plans to play beginning next season in Oklahoma City.

Smith is in his 14th year with the Jazz organization.

In his most-recent position, held for the past five seasons, he provided scouting reports, player profiles and analysis of player statistics and tendencies, and worked on issues related to players' off-court development.

Fredman returns to the Jazz, for whom he previous worked for more than a quarter-century in a variety of capacities, including public relations, assistant coach and scouting director.

Prior to spending last season as GM of the NBA Development League's Orem-based Flash, he worked five seasons as assistant GM of the Denver Nuggets.

"We are happy for Freddy and appreciate his tireless efforts to help get us off the ground and running in our inaugural season," Flash owner Brandt Andersen said in a statement released by the team.

"He will always be a big part of Flash history."

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E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com

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