A California tall tale? Jazz eye big prepster

Rumors are swirling that the Jazz have developed quite an interest in Robert Swift, a 7-foot California high school product.

Swift has refused to work out for any individual teams, and some suspect it is because he has a guarantee — perhaps from Boston, which owns the Nos. 15, 24 and 25 picks in the opening round of Thursday's NBA Draft.

Word of Utah's interest could be legit, as the Jazz are looking for help at power forward and center.

Asked, in fact, if he'd be willing to use one of his own three first-round picks on a high school player who won't work out for anyone except his own agency, Jazz basketball operations senior vice president Kevin O'Connor replied with an emphatic "yes."

Then again, O'Connor — whose Jazz pick at Nos. 14, 16 and 21 — admits he feels it is OK to fib a bit during the week before the draft.

So it could be true.

Or . . . O'Connor could be suggesting the Jazz might take Swift so Boston is bluffed into taking him at 15, rather than waiting until 24 or 25. That would ensure the Celtics do not nab someone at 15 the Jazz like better, like Rafael Araujo or Sergey Monya — both of whom Boston is also said to like.

VROOM-VROOM VROMAN: Viewmont High and Iowa State product Jackson Vroman, son of former Jazz big man Brett Vroman, continues to work his way up with the draft board with a series of strong workouts.

"Vroman, who runs the floor well, has seen his stock rise and may not be available at 43," the New York Post reported after an audition for the Knicks by the 6-10 big man.

New York's first pick in the draft is a second-rounder, No. 43 overall.

Utah owns what was originally the Knicks' first-rounder, a No. 16 selection acquired by the Jazz from Phoenix in last February's Tom Gugliotta trade. The Suns got that pick from New York in a earlier deal that sent point guard Stephon Marbury to the Knicks.

BAD MEMORY: Today marks the 10th anniversary of John Starks' worst nightmare.

Starks shot 2-of-18 from the field, including 0-for-11 from 3-point range, as the New York Knicks lost Game 7 of the NBA Finals 90-84 to the Houston Rockets on June 22, 1994.

"I know I didn't sleep the night before just because my emotions were going through me the whole day," Starks, who finished his career with the Jazz, told the Post. "I tried to lay down and sleep and couldn't do it. I let the emotions get the best of me preparation-wise for that game."

Starks now coaches Westchester of the minor-league ABL and does NBA commentary work for the MGM Network in New York.

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E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com