DENVER (AP) — The usually stoic Darryn Peterson couldn’t mask his feelings after being taken by Utah with the No. 2 overall pick in the NBA draft on Tuesday night.His grandfather was crying. His mom was crying. So the Kansas standout got a little emotional, too.“It was surreal,” Peterson said, “to hear my name.”Now, the real work begins as Peterson tries to help the Jazz turn the corner inside a deep and competitive Northwest Division. Utah finished 42 games behind Oklahoma City last season — and the Thunder only got bigger (taking Michigan 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara) and acquired more shooting (picking up Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz).Peterson becomes a complement to emerging Jazz star Keyonte George. “He’s a really talented player and really hard worker,” Jazz president of basketball operations Austin Ainge said of Peterson on the team’s website. “He’s a culture fit, a talent fit and a game fit with our organization.”
Denver, another team trying to keep up with the Thunder, took UConn center Tarris Reed Jr. at No. 26 on Tuesday night but sent his draft rights to the San Antonio Spurs as part of a deal to acquire more draft assets.
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There’s a back story behind that pick, too. Nuggets President Josh Kroenke was caught on camera briefly clapping in the team’s draft room before suddenly holding his arms out. It looked as if he was mad. Turns out, he was just mystified. The Spurs were using up most of the clock before committing to the pick. The Nuggets were growing more and more concerned that time might run out.
