Staying true to form, the Utah Jazz went to an unheralded college basketball program to get their draft selection, taking Walter Palmer of Dartmouth in the second round of the 1990 NBA Draft.
Palmer, a 7-foot-11/2 center who weighs just 225 pounds, was chosen by the Jazz at No. 33 overall. Jazz management said for the past two days that they were expecting to get a big player who would likely be "a project" — and they got one. Palmer averaged 16.5 points and 6.4 rebounds last season and was noted as a fine shooter, making 51 percent of his field goals and 81 percent of his free throws.
Selecting Palmer was a characteristic move for the Jazz. They took Blue Edwards from little-known East Carolina last year, Dell Curry from Virginia Tech in 1986, Karl Malone from Louisiana Tech in 1985 and John Stockton from Gonzaga in 1984. They also stayed true to their plan to take a player with a good reputation: an Ivy Leaguer from a school far more famous for producing engineers and MBAs than basketball players.
"He'll definitely add to the intelligence of the team," said Jazz Director of Player Personnel Scott Layden.
Palmer didn't play organized basketball until he was a sophomore in high school.
"Funny thing is, everybody in this draft's a project, from (No. 1 pick) Derrick Coleman on down," said Layden.