Utah hopes Hafa is workhorse, not stiff

The headline on the Toronto Raptors' Web site said, "Raps acquire 2 for Hoffa."

At this point you have to wonder: Were they talking about Rafael "Hafa" Araujo or Jimmy Hoffa?

Sometimes it's hard to tell one stiff from another.

The Jazz made their first move of the offseason, Thursday, trading chronic concern Robert Whaley and little-used forward Kris Humphries for Araujo. Although the eighth pick in the 2004 draft, Araujo has languished in the NBA. Still, the Jazz had little to lose. It's not as though Humphries and Whaley were storming the walls.

So the Jazz made a change in hopes of shoring up the inside.

Will Araujo be the dominant inside presence they covet? Not likely — even in summer league. But he could be schooled to take up space, sacrifice his body and be a workhorse.

He's not likely to personify the Jazz slogan "Pure Adrenaline Rush." But maybe they can turn him into a 2006 version of another former BYU bruiser, Greg Kite.

Araujo is known and liked in Utah. After transferring from Arizona Western to BYU, he became conference co-player of the year. With big shoulders and menacing tattoos, he muscled his way into the hearts of Cougar fans.

The Jazz made no secret they coveted him with the No. 14 pick in '04, but Toronto intervened. The hook was that he was large and had a mean streak. The drawback was that the Brazilian had little experience, which showed with an occasional on-court brain cramp.

Still, the Jazz took a chance on him two years later. They haven't had a bruiser who can mix it up with large opponents since Karl Malone. Humphries rarely showed the aggressiveness the Jazz needed. Whaley, a gifted player with a checkered past, kept flirting with trouble. So the Jazz traded them for Araujo and financial considerations.

It could turn out the biggest gain in this deal is the "financial considerations."

Araujo's first day as a member of the Utah Jazz might have gone better. Though he said he was thrilled to return to Salt Lake ("It's just a great city, I love it there"), he hit a glitch at the start. A conference call was set for 4:15 p.m. But Araujo, who has been working out in Santa Barbara, Calif., got his time zones mixed up. The call was moved an hour later.

Upon talking with the media, Arajuo expressed excitement at playing for the Jazz and coach Jerry Sloan.