The Utah Jazz have exercised the third-year option on the contract of guard Deron Williams, the club announced today.

The 6-3, 239-pound Williams was a 2005-06 NBA All-Rookie First Team selection last season after appearing in 80 of 82 games (47 starts) and averaging 10.8 points, 4.5 assists and 2.4 rebounds in 28.8 minutes per game.  Williams led the Jazz in assists, and posted the second-highest assists average and fourth-highest scoring average ever by a Jazz rookie.  He also led all NBA rookies in three-point shooting (.416), breaking the franchise rookie record for both three-pointers made and attempted (91-219).  The University of Illinois product was selected by the Jazz with the third overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft.

Free-agent Hiram Fuller was released by the Utah Jazz on Monday.

Their roster now stands at 15.

Fuller's release means that Dee Brown, undrafted point guard Brian Chase and undrafted swingman Roger Powell Jr. will all be on Utah's roster for opening night.

A Web site blog report by a Portland newspaper writer fills in a few more details on the episode last weekend that led police there to question multiple Jazz players regarding a possible sexual assault ... and contradicts some of the things Jazz owner Larry H. Miller said late last week about the incident.

According to John Canzano, a columnist for The Oregonian, "Sex crimes detectives responded to a report of a hysterical woman at a downtown hotel early Monday morning. ... The woman was a stripper who the players picked up and brought back to the room, a source said."

Miller, however, suggested last Thursday night that the unidentified Jazz players did not want the woman to go to into one of their rooms ? and that both a cab driver and a hotel night clerk interviewed by police corroborated their version of events.

Portland police have not released a copy of their report on the investigation.

Conzano blogged that "police questioned several Utah players ... and took DNA from at least two, I'm told." Miller said players were asked, 'Would they give DNA samples? It turns out they didn't need to."'

No Jazz players have been charged. The woman at issue reportedly has not cooperated with police, who seem uncertain if a crime actually occurred.

Police in Portland, Ore., said they have no reason to call several Utah Jazz players "suspects" in an incident that occurred at a hotel in which the team was staying, Ben Winslow of the Deseret Morning News is reporting.

Investigators questioned several Jazz players on Sunday, describing them as "fully cooperative."

"We have no reason to identify them as a suspect of a crime," Portland Police Bureau Sgt. Brian Schmautz told the Deseret Morning News on Wednesday.

Officers were called to the RiverPlace Hotel on Sunday about a woman in distress. The posh hotel on the banks of the Willamette River is the same place where players for the Utah Jazz were staying before playing the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night.

Initially, reports said it was a sexual assault. However, police on Wednesday declined to specify the nature of the crime. Investigators said the woman is not cooperating.

"We have a person who appears to have gone through some type of problem but doesn't want to cooperate and tell us what it was," Schmautz said. "What we do in these situations is talk to everyone we can and gather any evidence that we can."

Those questioned by police included several players for the Jazz.

When asked for comment by the Deseret Morning News on Tuesday night, Jazz players, coach Jerry Sloan, team vice president Kevin O'Connor and staffers would not comment.

At practice in Salt Lake City on Wednesday morning, players who were in Portland were not commenting. A spokesman for the Utah Jazz later issued a statement.

"There is an ongoing investigation by the Portland police department concerning the Utah Jazz," the statement says. "The players and staff of the Utah Jazz are fully cooperating with investigators. At this time, the team has no further comment."

An unknown number of Jazz players were apparently questioned by police Monday about an alleged sexual assault at a Portland-area hotel, Tim Buckley of the Deseret News is reporting.

The incident being investigated allegedly occurred at the RiverPlace Hotel, which is where the team stayed Friday night, Saturday and Sunday before checking out prior to Monday's game.

The Jazz traveled from Sacramento to Portland after their preseason game against the Kings on Friday night and remained there until playing the Trail Blazers on Monday night.

Jazz players, staff members and officials, including coach Jerry Sloan and basketball operations senior vice president Kevin O'Connor, all declined comment when asked late Tuesday about an issue with the team following its exhibition win over Denver Tuesday night.

Both Sloan and O'Connor, however, appeared to be well aware of the matter.

Jazz basketball operations senior vice president Kevin O'Connor on Sunday declined specific comment on a Boston-based report revealing details of the Celtics' recent interest in Utah big man Carlos Boozer, Tim Buckley of the Deseret News is reporting.

O'Connor did, however, attempt to dispel the notion the Jazz are trying to deal Boozer, whose name has been the subject of frequent swap speculation since shortly after his 2004 arrival in Utah.

"We are not actively engaged in discussing a trade for Carlos Boozer," said O'Connor, who was with the team in Portland to watch it prepare for tonight's preseason game against the Trail Blazers.

According to Sunday's Boston Herald, which cited an unidentified "league source," the Celtics "were involved in lengthy talks with Utah about ... Boozer, before discussions cooled off in late July." The Herald also reported that "the price would have been Al Jefferson, with Theo Ratliff's $11.7 million annual salary a match for Boozer's almost identical number."

Jerry Sloan has spent much the preseason reviewing a string of contestants ranging from contenders to pretenders to play alongside point guard Deron Williams, small forward Andrei Kirilenko and the interchangeable power forward/center combination of Mehmet Okur and Carlos Boozer, Deseret News columnist Tim Buckley writes.

"We're still looking around there," the Jazz coach said when asked about the question-mark position, "to see what we've got ? see if we can shoot the ball, and execute, and know what situation basketball is."

The Jazz committed a whopping 29 turnovers in Saturday's 87-84 preseason win at Indiana, leaving coach Jerry Sloan perturbed despite the victory.

Forward Carlos Boozer committed a team-high five of those miscues. Yet that wasn't what had Sloan fuming the most over Boozer's play. Rather, it's a repeat of the same issue for which Boozer was blasted by both Sloan and Jazz owner Larry H. Miller two seasons ago.

"Boozer's got to work more on his defense," Sloan said. "He can't step out on the floor and expect to get 19, 20 points a game ? and his man's getting 22 or 23."

"I told him he's got to do a better job defensively. And he can do a better job. That's the great thing about it. He can do a better job. But he's got to make a commitment to defending. Otherwise, I don't think we can win with that."

Utah guard Derek Fisher was taken to a hospital for X-rays after he fell during the first quarter of the Jazz's preseason game against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night.

Fisher drove to the basket and collided with Indiana forward Jermaine O'Neal while attempting a shot with 7:09 left in the quarter. Fisher, who was whistled for an offensive foul, hit his back and head on the floor.

He remained down for several minutes before being helped to the Jazz locker room. Jazz spokeswoman Cindy Edman said Fisher was taken to the hospital for additional X-rays of his pelvis after X-rays at Conseco Fieldhouse were unclear.

Rumors of Hiram Fuller's departure are greatly exaggerated, according to the Deseret News.

The Jazz did make two roster cuts after playing an open-to-the-public scrimmage at the Delta Center, but free-agent hopeful Fuller ? contrary to a Web site suggesting he has already signed with a team in France ? was not one of them.

Undrafted free agents Frans Steyn, a 7-foot-2 center who finished at NCAA Division II Southwest Baptist University after playing three seasons at Oklahoma State, and Tyler Smith, a forward from Penn State, both were released Thursday night.