From his first interview with Kevin O"Connor in 1999, Jazz owner Larry H. Miller knew he had found the ideal replacement for Scott Layden.

""It was like, bam! He"s our guy," Miller said Wednesday.

And in the 2 1/2 years since hiring O"Connor, Miller has found him to be the ideal basketball executive to lead the franchise through the difficult days looming on the horizon.

O"Connor, in his third season as the team"s vice president of basketball operations, received a five-year extension on Wednesday. The deal assures he will be at the helm through the inevitable transition from the John Stockton-Karl Malone era to whatever the future brings once the longtime stars finally do retire.