Jazz reunite Williams with former Illinois teammate Brown

Moments after it was announced that the Utah Jazz had selected Dee Brown with their first of two picks in the second round of Wednesday's NBA Draft, Deron Williams — last-year's No. 3 overall pick — was on the phone to Jazz trainer Gary Briggs.

Much to Williams' delight, he and Brown were once again teammates.

The backcourt tandem that came painfully close to winning the 2005 NCAA tournament — losing a hard-fought championship game to North Carolina — has been reunited, at least for the time being.

"I know those two played pretty well together," said Jazz vice president of basketball operations Kevin O'Connor. "I think (Deron's) really happy. I know those two guys were close."

One spot after Brown — with the second of their second-round picks, at No. 47 overall — the Jazz selected Paul Millsap, a power forward from Louisiana Tech. The last time the Jazz picked a power forward out of Louisiana Tech it worked out pretty well. That player, of course, was Karl Malone.

Both Jazz second-round picks are undersized for their positions but come with impressive college credentials. Brown was a consensus All-American after his junior year at Illinois and the national player of the year according to The Sporting News. Millsap, meanwhile, led the nation in rebounding in all three of his college seasons.

Second-round picks are often considered long shots to make NBA rosters, but as retiring NBA deputy commissioner Russ Granick pointed out right before the start of the second round, "19 players selected in the second round last year made their teams and stuck with their teams."

That list included Robert Whaley, a second-rounder who stayed with the Utah Jazz all season before recently being traded to the Toronto Raptors as part of the deal that brought Rafael Araujo back to Utah.

O'Connor certainly seems to think Brown and Millsap will have every opportunity to stick with the Jazz — although it will be no sure thing.

"You try to pick guys in the second round that have a chance to make the league," said O'Connor. "Of course, when you do that, you understand that the odds are still against them."

Brown is listed at 6-0 and isn't a true point guard in the mold of Williams. Still, O'Connor feels he may well be able to contribute to an NBA team.

"Is he tall enough to play 35 minutes? Probably not," said O'Connor of Brown. "Is he tall enough to play? Yeah."

Millsap, meanwhile, is listed at 6-8.

"He's undersized and that's why he was drafted where he was drafted (despite being) the leading rebounder in the country," said O'Connor. "Does he have an NBA skill? Yeah. Does that transcend into the NBA? I don't know that. We'll find out."

And the Jazz's point guard is happy with the second-round choices his team made on Wednesday night.

---

E-mail: lojo@desnews.com