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By DOUG ALDEN AP Sports Writer
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The newest members of the Utah Jazz will have a chance to do more than carry the bags, sit on the bench and the other rituals that often come with being a rookie.
They could also get a chance to play.
"It's an opportunity. We still have room on our roster," said Kevin O'Connor, vice president for basketball operations. "It's up to these guys. They've showed what they can do at the collegiate level. We hope that transcends into the pro level."
First-round pick Ronnie Brewer and second-rounders Dee Brown and Paul Millsap were introduced during a news conference Thursday, after a long night of watching where they would end up in the draft.
"I started to get a little bit nervous. I didn't know what to expect. I'm more at ease now than I was last night," said Brewer, who was the 14th overall pick. "I think it's just now starting to hit that I'm actually going to be in the NBA now."
Brewer will have a chance to step in at shooting guard, where the Jazz hope to get a little spark that Utah has been lacking. He's 6-foot-7, athletic and despite an awkward shooting style caused by a broken arm when he was a kid, Brewer shot 46 percent in three years at Arkansas.
He's also a strong defender -- something that should make him an instant hit with coach Jerry Sloan.
"One of my strengths is playing defense," Brewer said. "I think if I come and start off being a defensive stopper, I can get on the court and start off in being productive there and then gradually come in and be productive at the offensive end."
O'Connor said Brown could be the team's No. 3 point guard, or move over a spot and play at shooting guard. Brown played three seasons at Illinois with Jazz point guard Deron Williams when the Illini were the national runners-up in 2005.
And 6-foot-8 Millsap, although a little small for a power forward, led the nation in rebounding three straight years.
"I take pride in it. It's one of the things I had to do to get the ball," said Millsap, who averaged 19.6 points and 13.3 rebounds as a junior last season. "I love to do it -- you know. Love to do the dirty work."
Millsap also comes from Louisiana Tech, where former Jazz great Karl Malone played. Millsap said he spoke to Malone on the telephone, but hasn't met him in person. And Millsap recognizes the instant association with the Mailman that comes with Louisiana Tech and with joining the team that drafted Malone with the 13th overall pick in 1985 -- a few months after Millsap was born.
The Jazz have open spots at every position. Brewer and Brown were taken because they can play either guard spot. The Jazz are still trying to re-sign free agent forward Matt Harpring, but thought Millsap was worth enough of a chance to take him with the 47th overall pick.
Utah is trying to add some scoring to the core group of Andrei Kirilenko, Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur and Williams, whom they took with the third overall pick a year ago, and Harpring, if they can keep him.
Adding three rookies would give Utah five players who have a year or less in the league. New forward Rafael Araujo, picked up in a trade with Toronto this summer, has played just two seasons in the league.
Brown is the only four-year college player among the new members of the Jazz. He entered the draft early last year, but withdrew his name after breaking his foot during the NBA pre-draft camp.
Brown, the 46th player taken Wednesday, said he has kept in touch with Williams, who has already tipped him off on what to expect as a rookie playing for the cantankerous Sloan.
"He just told me some of the rules," Brown said. "He's an old-school coach. He's a tough, hard-nosed guy."
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APTV-06-29-06 1749MDT
