The contest for the role of John Stockton's caddy took a surprising twist Wednesday, when the Jazz waived second-round draft choice Junie Lewis. The move leaves second-year player Jim Les and undrafted rookies Eric Johnson and Joe Hillman competing for the backup point-guard job.
Lewis' sudden exit came just before the Jazz left for Thursday night's exhibition opener against Golden State. Johnson, meanwhile, was summoned home to New York following the death of his father, so the Jazz took 15 players on the one-game trip to El Paso.Delighted when the Jazz drafted him because he figured Les was vulnerable, Lewis took Wednesday's news hard. "I was just getting used to the system," he said. "After a while, I would have adapted. I don't think I got a fair chance."
Lewis was cut on Day 5 of training camp, but he also spent two weeks in the Jazz's summer program. The book on Lewis: a great athlete, but . . .
"He's a very good athlete, but the game is not just broken down into running and jumping," Sloan said. "Decision-making is something which is very critical. We didn't see the progress there."
In drafting Lewis, who started his college career at Pitt and moved to the backcourt at South Alabama, the Jazz hoped he could develop NBA ballhandling and shooting skills. "There are so few pure point guards," player personnel director Scott Layden noted. "We saw a lot of potential in Junie, but when (players) get into camp is different from when you're watching them in college. He certainly has enough talent to play in the league."
Lewis' departure means that Johnson and Hillman have to be taken seriously, but also increases Les' chances of keeping his job. Now that the NBA Draft is reduced to two rounds, there's obviously not much difference between being drafted late in the second round like Lewis and being a free agent.
"That's what you have here - a couple of kids who weren't drafted, and have come in here and played like hell," said Sloan.
The Jazz have until Nov. 2, the day before the regular season, to cut four other players.