Jazz again take shot at shooter

Once things got rolling in earnest, the shooting guards started disappearing like shoes at a half-off sale.

When Florida's Corey Brewer was called at No. 7 in Thursday's NBA Draft, there wasn't any reaction from the Jazz. He was out of their reach and they knew it. But then came the flood: Eastern Washington's Rodney Stuckey went at No. 15, USC's Nick Young at 16, Italy's Marco Belinelli at 18, Ohio State's Daequan Cook at 21.

Suddenly the crowd at EnergySolutions Arena got interested.

Yes, it was only a 25th pick. Not exactly a slam-dunk. But let's face it, the Jazz already have guys who can dunk.

What they need is a rainmaker.

So they went with Rice's Morris Almond.

"I've got a shooter for you," said Jazz V.P. Kevin O'Connor.

There's a chance the 25th pick can become a starter.

Andrei Kirilenko and Derek Fisher were No. 24 picks. Tony Parker was picked No. 28 and Gilbert Arenas No. 31. Al Harrington was a No. 25 selection in 1998.

Usually, though, the 25th pick turns out to be someone who doesn't make a dent.

When Phoenix's turn came up at No. 24 Thursday, the Jazz coaches looked on from the podium apprehensively. They feared the Suns would steal their pick. But instead of taking Almond, they opted for Spanish two-guard Rudy Fernandez. The Jazz front office people smiled with relief. All of 'em. From owner Larry H. Miller — who playfully elbowed O'Connor — to Jerry Sloan, to O'Connor himself, everyone seemed to agree: They had drafted themselves an Almond Joy.

"Might've been destiny," said Almond.

"Who would you like us to take?" said O'Connor to the ES Arena crowd, standing up a minute before the pick was announced.

The crowd overwhelmingly shouted "Almond!"

Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't.

To which O'Connor replied, "With the 25th selection, the Utah Jazz select Morris Almond."

Cheers all around.

Somewhere, C.J. Miles shuddered.

Now if Almond can only get used to Sloan's farm language. In fact, a new Sloanism made an appearance when someone asked if he entertained the idea of trading away the pick, to which he shrugged, "I trade horses."

The lowdown on Almond amounts to this: The man can shoot. And for the team with the second-worst 3-point percentage in the NBA last season, it was a gift. His workouts and interviews in Utah went splendidly. Almond came across like a charm. A 26-ppg scorer as a senior, his 3-point shooting rose from 28 percent as a freshman to 44 percent as a senior.

You don't have to tell the University of Utah that. Last season Almond poured in 42 points on the Utes.