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Utah Jazz select a Turk and Burks

"No Jimmer.

But the Jazz did get an Undertaker.

The most anticipated draft in Jazz history ended early Thursday in a mixture of cheers and boos at the team's selection party at EnergySolutions Arena. But unlike the years when fans booed Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor for his picks, this time it was more complicated.

The commotion came even before the Jazz made their second pick of the night. When Sacramento acquired BYU's Jimmer Fredette at No. 10, you could see the dollars — all those replica jerseys — flying west. Two picks later the Jazz took Alec Burks from Colorado. Before that, the Jazz had selected 6-foot-11 inch center Enes Kanter from Turkey at No. 3. Yes, they already have one of those. As countryman Mehmet Okur would say, he's not in Istanbul any more.

"First of all, I felt great because it's the Utah Jazz," said Kanter. "I have family there. Like Mehmet Okur plays there, too, so it's kind of like my family."

In a "we-once-lived-in-the-same-area-code" sort of way. Though they have never met, Kanter did say he used to arise in the week hours of the morning to watch Okur on TV.

So the Jazz have now cornered the market on 7-foot Turks.

Meanwhile, you had to wonder if O'Connor sighed with relief or disappointment when the Kings grabbed Fredette.

"I'm gonna make one statement and I won't say another thing about it. And if you ask me, I'm gonna get grouchy on it," O'Connor said of Fredette. "We had him in our top 10 on our board. But it's something we feel would be taking away from Kanter and Alec Burks."

For weeks the story was whether the Jazz would draft Fredette, combined with expected speculation on the third pick. That put O'Connor in the position of worrying as much about his second draftee as his first.

"It was very anxious," said O'Connor."


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