Jazz bring Collins back into the fold

The Utah Jazz are looking to go long.

After agreeing to terms Thursday morning with Jarron Collins to re-sign the center, Jazz senior VP of basketball operations Kevin O'Connor said he is turning his attention to the one need the club hadn't yet addressed in this busy few weeks.

"We'd like to get some length somewhere," O'Connor said. With the retirement of 7-foot-2 Greg Ostertag, the Jazz's tallest rostered players are the 6-foot-11 Collins, Mehmet Okur and Rafael Araujo. "We're still going to continue to look. We're still talking to a lot of people," O'Connor said, adding he's talking about both free-agent and trade possibilities.

The Jazz did not disclose terms of Collins' new contract.

O'Connor said the deal was essentially completed just before Thursday morning's Rocky Mountain Revue team practice — the Revue begins today at Salt Lake Community College at 3 p.m. with the Jazz playing Atlanta at 7 p.m. — and that Collins' representatives still had to read through the fine print.

"We're done. (Collins' agent Bob Meyers) is a man of his word. We shook hands on it over the phone," O'Connor said. "(Collins) is officially done now."

Re-signing Collins and Matt Harpring (Wednesday) and finding speed and athleticism (draftees Ronnie Brewer, Dee Brown) were Jazz goals to start the summer, and now length is the most-needed piece.

San Antonio was seemingly quite interested in Collins, but on Wednesday it made offers to two restricted free-agent centers, Denver's Francisco Elson and New York's Jackie Butler, which could have hastened the Jazz-Collins deal. "I'm sure it was (a factor)," O'Connor said.

Collins was a 2001 second-round draft choice of the Jazz, No. 53 overall, and has played 302 NBA games, all with Utah, averaging 5.6 points and 3.9 rebounds.

D-WILL FOR 2: Second-year point guard Deron Williams will play in the first two games of the Rocky Mountain Revue, tonight and Saturday, and then go home, said coach Jerry Sloan, who brought the sophomore to camp to determine his progress.

"I wanted to see where he was, and he's been terrific. He's really worked hard, and to see where he was a year ago and see how his work habit is has just been great," Sloan said. "I appreciate Deron coming in to show us where he is at this time. He'll go home Saturday. I think he was expecting a baby in the next week or so."

Williams on Wednesday had sounded a bit frustrated at being in camp. Asked if he needed the extra work, he said, "Not really, but they asked me to play."