When the Utah Jazz signed Danny Manning last summer, it didn't get nearly as much attention as, say, the Magic signing Grant Hill.
And rightfully so. Manning isn't a high-flying point machine. He doesn't swoop to the hoop or sport a flashy crossover dribble.
But he can still play.
He proved that fact once again Monday night as the Jazz came from behind to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 98-92, at the Delta Center.
Manning's line wasn't spectacular: 13 points on three of five shots from the field and seven of nine from the line, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and a blocked shot.
But it took him a mere 24 minutes to amass those numbers, and if he could do that every game this season, the Jazz brass would think they'd died and gone to heaven. His effort Monday earned him praise from coach Jerry Sloan, as well as teammates John Stockton and Karl Malone.
It's only four games into a long season, but so far Manning is giving the Jazz everything they hoped he would.
"He's just such a bright, smart player," said Jazz assistant coach Phil Johnson. "He has so many skills."
Besides being able to shoot, pass and even rebound, Manning has one of those intangible qualities prized by the Jazz: the ability to play team ball.
"He's the kind of guy that's better in a team concept than a one-on-one situation," Johnson said. "We need him to blend with what we have, and he does that. He's a very good complementary player."
It appears that Manning's role will be to back up Karl Malone on those rare occasions when the indefatigable Mailman rests, and everyone expected that. What wasn't expected was that he'd be on the court in the fourth quarter of close games, as he was against the Timberwolves. The advantage of having him in the game with Malone, as opposed to Olden Polynice or Greg Ostertag, is that Manning is an offensive threat who can also make free throws. His presence means opponents will be a little more reluctant to double-team Malone.
"He gives us intelligence," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said of Manning. "He knows where to go, he gives us an extra passer. He gets in the flow and knows where his teammates are."
The one concern about Manning is how he'll hold up over the course of a long season. He is the poster boy for creaky knees. He suffered his first anterior-cruciate ligament tear as a rookie and played just 26 games that season, and he is believed to be the only pro athlete to continue playing after three ACL surgeries.
The Jazz were well aware of the risks but felt Manning was too promising a talent to pass up.
"Obviously, we can't play him a lot of minutes," Sloan said. "We'll have to see how that goes. But if a guy can play with intelligence, there will always be a place for him. You don't have to jump over people to make something good happen."
Manning says he can't remember what it was like to play on sound knees. But throughout a 12-year career in which he has only once played all 82 games, he has learned to cope.
"Everyone does that, as they get older," he said. "I'm not here because of my athletic ability, anyway. I'm here because I'm a decent basketball player."
E-MAIL: rich@desnews.com