This off-season the Jazz, like many other good (but not great) NBA teams face a dilemma. How can they improve when they don’t have the salary cap room to sign an impact player? The Jazz have most of their salary cap room tied up in Deron Williams, the NBA’s top point guard, and an assortment of role players such as Andrei Kirilenko, Paul Millsap and Mehmet Okur. All three of those players are good, but are they the kind of players who can lead a team to an NBA title? Most observers of the NBA would say no. With the likely departure of Carlos Boozer, the Jazz are in a position where they are forced to insert Millsap, previously a bench player, into the starting lineup.

To make matters worse, the Jazz entered this season holding the New York Knicks’ first round draft pick which was projected to be a top-3 pick. Unfortunately, however, the Knicks slightly out-performed their expectations and the Jazz are left holding the 9th pick in the draft. The pick, while useful, will probably not propel the Jazz to the top of the western conference. With that in mind, how can the Jazz elevate their talent level to be able to compete with the Lakers?

In all honesty, the only real way for the Jazz to improve would come from either a lucky draft pick or from a trade. While the Jazz are set at point guard for the foreseeable future, they need to add a scoring threat at shooting guard, along with a shot-blocking presence on defense. Unfotunately, these players do not come cheaply, and it will take either good luck or a skillful trade in order to acquire a player who can raise the Jazz from the level of a perennial 4th or 5th seed, to the kind of team that can consistently challenge the NBA’s elite.

The Utah Jazz finally got some good news about an injured player.

Well, “good” might be pushing it. But for the shorthanded Jazz, even the slightest bit of optimism was a welcome change as Utah tried to piece together another lineup to face the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs.

Forward Andrei Kirilenko said Wednesday that there was a slight chance he could return from a nagging calf injury in time to join the Jazz if the series goes six or seven games — a much bigger possibility after Utah’s 114-111 win at Denver evened the series 1-1 on Monday night.

“It’s probably highly unlikely, but maybe,” said Kirilenko, who received a dose of platelet-rich plasma therapy to his strained left calf Monday. The injury caused him to miss 15 of Utah’s final 17 games in the regular season and flared up each time Kirilenko thought he was close to returning.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Utah Jazz general manager Kevin O’Connor says center Mehmet Okur has a torn left Achilles tendon and is out for the remainder of the playoffs.

Okur needs surgery and will likely miss the world championships this summer in his native Turkey. He flew home to Salt Lake City on Sunday after an MRI revealed the tear.

“It’s horrible, man. We feel bad for Memo,” Jazz forward Carlos Boozer said.

Okur was injured while driving to the basket in the first half of Utah’s Game 1 loss at Denver on Saturday night. Before the game, he had taken a painkilling shot to treat his Achilles tendinitis, which he had been dealing with since April 7.

Click here to read the full article – By of ESPN.com

It’s a good thing Kyle Korver had a few misses to spare.

Though he missed his only 3-point attempt in Wednesday’s 100-86 loss to Phoenix, the Utah Jazz long-ball specialist didn’t shoot himself out of the NBA record books.

The opposite happened over the course of the season, in fact. Korver finished the 2009-10 campaign hitting 53.6 percent of his 3-point shots to secure the NBA’s single-season accuracy record.

“I would’ve liked to have gotten it hitting a bunch of them tonight,” Korver said, “but it’s something that when the season’s over you can be proud of, for sure.

“It’s not one night’s work,” Korver added. “It’s a whole season’s work.”

Click here to read the full article – By Jody Genessy of Deseret News

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The Cleveland Cavaliers and Utah Jazz traded comebacks in the fourth quarter before the least experienced player on either team completed the final rally.

Once Sundiata Gaines let go of his 3-pointer and the buzzer sounded Thursday night, there was no chance for the lead to change again. Utah 97, Cleveland 96.

It was the first career 3-pointer for Gaines, a rookie who was just signed last week to a 10-day contract and was playing only his fifth NBA game.

“He has a little swag in him and believes in himself,” said Carlos Boozer, who fouled out and had to watch Gaines’ winner from the bench. “I tell you what, he made us a believer in him, too.”

LeBron James had led the Cavaliers on a 22-4 run earlier in the fourth quarter and put the Cavs up by six with 32.5 seconds left, but Cleveland couldn’t clinch it from the free-throw line.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Andrei Kirilenko will miss the Jazz’s preseason games Thursday and Saturday while traveling to Russia to attend to a family matter, the team said Wednesday.

Kirilenko is expected to rejoin the Jazz for Sunday’s game in Los Angeles. The matter is not health-related and Kirilenko’s absence is excused.

With Kirilenko out, the Jazz could have greater opportunity to experiment with playing Paul Millsap at small forward.

Kirilenko came off the bench in the Jazz’s two most recent preseason games, with Ronnie Brewer and rookie Wesley Matthews starting at the two wing spots.

Click here to read the full article – By Ross Siler of The Salt Lake Tribune

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Carlos Boozer doesn’t expect to be playing for the Utah Jazz this season.

Just two weeks ago, Boozer opted to remain with the Jazz for the final year of his contract. But the two-time All-Star told a Chicago radio station Tuesday he expects the Jazz to trade him. “The Jazz told me they want to go in a different direction and I respect their decision,” Boozer said Tuesday during an interview with WMVP. “We mutually agreed to work out a trade that was beneficial for them and beneficial for my family and me. So with that being said I’m gonna be traded relatively soon or in good time.”

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

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