Finding a shooting guard, of course, has been a priority for the Jazz since Jeff Hornacek retired in 2001. Recently, Derek Fisher and Gordan Giricek have turned in mixed results. After two seasons in the NBA, Miles still has, well, miles to go. So does last year's first-round pick, Ronnie Brewer.

Not that the Jazz haven't tried. They drafted DeShawn Stevenson out of high school, but he chafed under Sloan's rigid system and was eventually traded. In 2004 they drafted Nevada's Kirk Snyder, but he too struggled and was traded. So was Sasha Pavlovic.

Since 1999 the Jazz have drafted six shooting guards, trying to find a single Hornacek.

So they took what they considered a fairly safe choice Thursday.

After four years at Rice, Almond should bring maturity you can't get coming straight from high school. But history says he will struggle to establish himself nonetheless.

Then again, rookie Paul Millsap played serious minutes as a rookie forward for the Jazz last year.

Surprises happen.

Whether Almond becomes the solution for a team long known for a dearth of perimeter shooters remains to be seen. Still, the Jazz seemed surprised and delighted that he was still around when their pick came up.

Another shooting guard? Why not?

They might as well give it a shot.

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E-mail: rock@desnews.com